Famed reclusive horror writer Roza Vallo invites four under 30 women writers to her gothic (haunted?!) upstate NY home for a month long writing retreat. With help from an author friend Alex sneaks her way in at the last minute only to realize her ex best friend Wren has also been chosen. Determined not to let her unresolved issues with Wren ruin this opportunity, Alex heads to the Adirondacks to meet her favorite author and embark on a journey to write a full length novel, guided by Roza, over the month long retreat. Don't read the blurb, go in blind. This is a twisty, gothic, fast paced, locked room, psychological thriller. I loved the book within a book and the supernatural elements. There was one inconstancy that I couldn't ignore and the end felt like a little implausible but I really enjoyed the book anyway. I read it in less than 24 hours and have high hopes for what debut author Julia Bartz does next! Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for my eARC.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz proves the old adage true about some things being too good to be true. Alex, a struggling writer who is ready to give up on her dream of becoming a successful author, is ecstatic to learn that she has won an exclusive writer's retreat with her favorite author, Roza. She won't even let the news that her former best friend, Wren, will also be in attendance dampen her enthusiasm. However, soon after arrival, Alex learns that she may not fully understand what she's signed u for. This is a locked-room mystery with a delightful winter setting in a large and rambling house on an estate. A very atmospheric book with plenty of suspense. Read and enjoy!

Release February 21, 2023

From the first pages, I realized how absolutely special this novel would be and not once was I disappointed! Basically I read it in one day/evening; sleep wasn't happening until I concluded this engrossing story. Even more special is that THE WRITING RETREAT is author Julia Bartz ' debut novel! I'm fascinated to read what she will next publish.

There are so many solid well-tuned themes in this novel that I could spend pages raving delightedly. As a practicing therapist, the author clearly understands the delineation of character and how to skillfully unravel characters for readers. She provides us with a first-person Point of View from a protagonist who is both Unreliable Narrator and Feckless Hero-ine, and she comprehends the elusive but compelling nature of Human Evil, the lengths to which unrestrained Narcissism will extend, the chameleonic capacity of Sociopaths to fool, confuse, manipulate, and appear in disparate personas. Also strummed are themes of Friendship, uncertainty, influence, Sapphic relationships (and speedy intimacy in general in the twenties' "dating scene's" insecure "hook-ups").

Altogether THE WRITING RETREAT is not to be missed (and reread).

A page turner! The premise of this book drew me in, and the execution was flawless. Dark, suspenseful, psychological thriller that delivers on tension and atmosphere. Even pacing, well written. This book was a good time.

I was extremely excited to read this novel, because it sounded immensely interesting. It had these exceptional writers on a writing retreat where they expressed their wonderful ideas. It started out a little slow, and I went back to the description of the novel to see what was about to happen. Once the retreat started, things started getting weirder, and more intense. The suspense, and the thriller aspect was insane. I was excessively turning the pages trying to figure out what was going to happen next. When I thought I figured out where it was heading, it twisted in ways that I wasn't expecting. By the end, I had to take a step back, and process everything I just read. It was definitely worth the read, and has been added to my top thrillers.
Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read this.

My ARC was provided by the published via Netgallery in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me at “F*ck her.” 👀
I love me a good thriller and Julia did not disappoint. Creep factor alone was enough to keep my attention and my need to know more. Each character is developed in a way where you get to know just enough about them but not enough to know who you want to trust until the end. I enjoyed getting bits of Alex’s novel throughout… it was like an eerie book within an eerie book, but not straying from the main plot.

All in all, this was such a good read! I am excited to see what Julia has planned in the future. Hard to believe this is a debut novel! Congratulations, Julia and Happy Pub Day 🤗

𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝗶𝘁: interesting concept. Love the secluded plot theme. Poor execution at the end there.

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: buckle up. You’re in for a ride. And it’s not that good of one. Loved the start. Even loved the middle. And then it went bat shit crazy. Weird as eff.

I could not put this incredible book down! Grabbing me right from the start, I was floored by the wonderful characters and superbly crafted twists!

🕷️THE WRITING RETREAT 🕷️

happy #pubday to @juliabartz & her wild ride of a debut novel!

Alex is an aspiring writer who grew up admiring the works of renowned horror writer, Rosa Vallo. so when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in one of Vallo’s notorious writing retreats at her haunting estate, she simply can’t pass it up; even if her ex-best friend & professional rival will be joining, too.

as the 5 young writers arrive & get acquainted, a bombshell is dropped on them pretty quickly: they must use this month to write an entirely new novel from scratch, of which only one will be chosen to be published with the help of Rosa’s fame.

from here, things start to get weird pretty quickly. the girls have wildly dark, vivid dreams, sacrilegious games & events take place, and the overall atmosphere seems to be a bit sinister. then things REALLY go from 0-100 after one of the girls goes missing, thus creating the makings of a real-life horror story for those inhabiting the estate.

if you’re looking for a super dark, twisty book, this one will not disappoint! this story kept me endlessly entertained, the imagery was disturbing in all the right ways, & the plot was relentless in its never-ending suspense. there is a paranormal aspect of this book (which i think can be hard to execute well at times) but I enjoyed the sprinkling of it throughout the book very much.

the characters are all a bit unhinged, so you really never know who you can trust throughout the book. while I was able to predict a few minor details that took place in the story, they were all so well-developed that I didn’t feel like I lost any enjoyment in having these notions beforehand. this was such a unique premise for a book, & the way it was brilliantly executed really made this a fun read.

overall, I thought this was an amazing thriller & such an impressive debut!! I highly recommend for those who like a darker read. I sincerely look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

thank you to @netgalley & @atriabooks for my #arc! you can pick up a copy of this book today!!

A thriller about writers? Sign me up! Alex, a thirty-year-old aspiring writer has been in a rut ever since she had a friend break up with her bestie, Wren, also a writer. They are both huge fans of the feminist horror writer, Roza Vallo, who has recently announced that she’s going to hold a month-long writing retreat in her home for up-and-coming female writers under thirty. Thousands of writers have applied, but only four are accepted. When a writer drops out at the last minute, a well-connected colleague sends in a writing sample on Alex’s behalf and, to her delight, she’s accepted. Wren has also been accepted and they are forced to face one another and their shared past at Blackbriar Estate, Roza’s haunting home. Once there, the four women learn that they’ve each been tasked with completing a novel in thirty days. The winner will receive publication and a million dollars. But when one of the contestants disappears, they realize much more than their writing careers are at stake. This is an atmospheric, fast-paced thriller, filled with gothic psychological mind games and creative young writers.

I really enjoyed reading this. Alex is a writer suffering from a year of writer's block when she wins a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend a month long retreat at her favorite author, Roza Vallo's house. The only problem is her ex best friend will also be in attendance. When the guests arrive, the retreat, and Roza, quickly reveal themselves to be much more intense than advertised. Things don't all seem to be right, one of the guests vanishes during a snowstorm, and things only get worse from there.

What I liked: great spooky atmosphere building, not entirely reliable narrator, nuanced and flawed female characters, supernatural underpinnings.

What I didn't: One of/the villain/s felt a little two dimensional; I didn't totally understand their origin story/ies.

Would absolutely recommend.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. I was super excited to read this book based on the synopsis. It proved to be a quick read as I was eager to uncover the mystery, but I definitely enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. As some other reviewers have noted, it gets to be pretty over the top, and for me, I felt like the plot went too far off the rails and took me out of the story. The ending also felt abrupt to me—I would have preferred to follow the retreat all the way to the end—and I could have done without the time jump. Still, this was an entertaining read overall. Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!

Wow that was wild ! With interesting premise of budding writer’s gathering at remote location in the mansion of the famous author creates the perfect atmosphere to keep the readers engaged . And the plot twists had me reeling , never even remotely guessed that could be the reason ! This is so good for debut novel and I am looking forward to read future work from Julia Bartz.
Thanks Atria books and the author for providing an advance copy of the book .

I received an ARC copy of The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz.

I love a book that takes place in a creepy old house! This book certainly had that element!

Several aspiring authors get chosen to take part in a month-long writing retreat at a famous author's creepy old house! What could be more thrilling than that for these girls than to stay and be mentored by an author you love?

However, boundaries are pushed, friendship is tested, and the ultimate will to publish a novel throws them into a realm they could have never imagined. I admit some of the things that happened were a bit over the top, but I really did enjoy reading it. I learned a bit about the publishing industry and the drive that writers have to get their first book published.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏, 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒏.”

Sometimes we need to judge a book by its cover, and this one had me SO intrigued from the stormy isolated forest to the “flipped” corner; I couldn’t wait to dive in.


This is Julia Bartz’s debut novel, and she crafts a story that is riveting and over-the-top (in the best way). The setting of Blackbriar, a creepy old estate that is cut off with no service for phones makes for the perfect place to amp up the eerie atmosphere. Each character has secrets and I loved watching Alex not only come to terms with hers, but also discover what the other girls at the retreat were hiding. Sometimes a “story within a story” structure doesn’t always work, but I thought the excepts from The Great Commission, what Alex was working on at the retreat, only added to pulling me into this tale. As people start disappearing and acting more strangely, the sense of paranoia builds and alongside Alex, I wondered what was the truth. The story also offers some social commentary and exploration, and is quite steamy in places! Bartz balances the right amount of gothic and horror, especially in the first two thirds of the book. The last third is WILD, reminding me in many ways of Riley Sager’s Lock Every Door; you’ll have to suspend your belief and just enjoy the twists, which I most definitely did.

The Writing Retreat is a story about writing, female friendship, loneliness, power, and survival. It is filled with tension, drama and characters you’ll love and hate. It would make a perfect mini-series or movie, and I cannot wait to see what Bartz comes up with next. Thank you to Atria, Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the ARC!

It is not often that a book with such a contemptible main character and too-nebulous-to-be-engaging side characters keeps me engaged for the whole time. The Writing Retreat kept me invested from start to finish in spite of (and sometimes because of) how much I just hated the main character. Alex is petulant and entitled and boy was I not rooting for her to come out of the retreat with any sort of success… until about the halfway mark when the author shakes out the whole premise and unearths conflict and tension that was pretty well obscured beneath the surface.

This was masterful and despite disliking Alex I never once considered putting this book down, it’s THAT well written. 4 stars. Huge thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

I think this book would be best categorized as a gothic thriller. It’s moody, dark, and atmospheric. Unfortunately, I’m realizing that gothic thrillers and gothic horrors are not for me.

Things I liked:
- very atmospheric and moody setting
- unexpected big twist
- relatively short chapters
- interesting premise

Things I disliked:
- some of the descriptions of Alex’s dreams or story
- the pacing felt inconsistent to me
- at times, the plot was too much of a stretch for me
- the historical fiction book Alex wrote left me feeling lost (I didn’t quite follow the history and it felt choppy to me)

I think readers that enjoy locked room thrillers or gothic thrillers will enjoy this one! This book felt like a combo of One by One by Ruth Ware, The Villa by Rachel Hawkins, and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia.

I am usually a sucker for books about authors and I love a good closed room mystery, so this book definitely sounded like it would be for me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. At all.

All of the characters were extremely unlikable. And I know there’s always an argument to be made that characters shouldn’t have to be likable, but I didn’t find them relatable or compelling either. I didn’t care what happened to them, which made even the more harrowing moments feel dull. There was also a lot of mention of supernatural/occult type subjects and several very anti-Christian remarks that I wasn’t into either.

The plot had a lot of promise, but things unfolded very slowly – until suddenly it went extremely over the top. Every new thing that happened just sounded ridiculous and the conclusion was very unsatisfying.

Overall, The Writing Retreat was definitely not for me. The over the top plot and unlikable characters made it difficult to get through most of the time, but the writing wasn’t all bad, which is why this is getting 2 stars from me instead of 1.

OMG! What a wild ride! There was so much excitement, thrills, fears, and action! A definite just ride for those who love the thrill of an action pack thriller

Alex and her roommate/best friend Wren had a big falling out ending with Wren being injured. A year later, a writing retreat they both applied for but did not get accepted into has a last minute opening and when a mutual author friend submits them both for the open spot...they both get accepted. They head to the isolate Blackbriar estate where they meet their favorite author, Roza Vallo, who owns the estate and is holding the retreat. Right away, things seem...weird. But it's Roza Vallo, she has a reputation for being reclusive and strange. Then, after having their wine drugged, one of the other writers disappears. Will Alex figure out what is going on, or will this be her last writing retreat?

This book felt more horror than thriller to me, and I loved it (I'm deep into horror right now). There's violence and gore and weird housekeepers and a mysterious writer that seems to have more than just a retreat planned for the five women. I didn't want to put it down, I had to know what other twisted ideas Roza had planned for her guests.
Just when you think you know what's going on....something else happens to make you question everything you read before. If you like gothic themed books, this is a great one to pick up.