Bravo on this debut novel for Julia Bartz! This book was unique, spooky, dark & twisted. It was super bingeable, I couldn’t put it down. I just had to keep reading because it was so wild! There were lots of great twists & it wasn’t super predictable to me. I definitely would’ve been super freaked out if I was one of these characters. An isolated estate, a snowstorm, no cell reception - yikes!

This is a story about the horrors of publishing.  Alex has long dreamed of being a published author.  But after a falling out with her best friend, Wren, who also happened to be one of the other members of her writing group, Alex has had writer's block.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Alex learns she has been accepted to be a participant in an exclusive, months-long writing retreat for up-and-coming female writers run by her writing idol, the esteemed feminist horror novelist Roza Vallo.  Even better, the retreat is being held at Roza's mysterious estate, Blackbriar, which was originally built by a tycoon who died there along with his wife, Daphne, under mysterious circumstances.  Alex is so excited she is not even bothered (or at least not that much) when she learns that Wren has also been accepted for the retreat.

When the five attendees arrive at the estate, it is all they expected and more.  But then they are thrown for a loop when Roza explains the terms of the retreat -- each attendee must write an entire novel from scratch over the month. The author of the best novel will receive a book deal, one million dollars, and a book tour.  Alex does not feel like she fits in with the four other women, but she tries to put that out of her mind and stay focused on her real objective: securing the book contract.  But as the days and weeks go by, Alex feels increasingly discombulated by Wren's behavior, the feeling that the house may be haunted, and, most of all, Roza's odd actions — and she wonders whether she is just buckling under the stress, or if something more troubling going on.  When one of the other writers at the retreat disappears during a snowstorm following yet another odd night led by Roza, Alex becomes increasingly certain that all is not as it appears at the retreat. But will she be able to find the truth before it is too late?

This thriller was terrific! The book captures the vagaries of becoming a successful author, including the pressures felt by writers at all stages of their careers, and effectively converts that into a thriller about how far someone will go to succeed in the industry. I was totally engaged by the mystery of what was happening at the retreat, and the twists of the story were often unexpected.  The exploration of the many dimensions of female relationships -- through Alex's relationship with Wren, the relationships among the writers, and the relationship between each of the writers and Roza -- was well done, especially at showing how competition and a scarcity mindset, whether it is for affection or for publishing success, can shape those relationships.  Finally, I also appreciated how the author interspersed excerpts of the novel that Alex was writing with the story, heightening the sense that something unnatural, or supernatural, may be going on.

Highly recommended!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: 🔪Thriller
Recommend: ✅

“The Writing Retreat” is the very definition of a page-turner. From the very beginning there were so many minutes of mystery and I *had* to keep reading to figure out both what the hell happened in the past AND what was going on now.

Alex is a writer who is a slump when she wins a contest to go on writing retreat with three other women hosted by her favorite author, a mysterious older woman, Roza. She’s warned before by her friend that submitted her manuscript into the contest that one of the other attendees will be Wren, her ex bestie who she had a falling out with a year ago.

She when Alex, Wren and the other women arrive at the house, it is extremely secluded and cut off from society. Things quickly start veering into spooky and strange. Without veering into spoiler territory, all I can say is I kept thing of Rob Burgundy saying “The escalated quickly.”

The novel is dispersed in between our current action with passages of the novel Alex is writing. I have to admit I don’t always love these types of literary devices and I found it a bit off here as well. The action was SO GOOD in the house, I didn’t want to stray from it. But, I did leave to a great pay-off.

This is a debut novel by JULIA and I will 100% be anticipated her follow-up!


You’ll love this book if you love:
✅Isolated Settings
✅Books about Books
✅Twisty Thrillers

Alex has idolized author Roza Vallos ever since reading her debut novel as a teenager. Now she gets a chance to have her idol as a mentor on a month-long retreat at the reclusive author's isolated mansion along with a group of other hopeful women authors. When they arrive, they are set the task of writing a whole new book in a month with daily deadlines to meet and a seven figure publishing contract as the prize. All starts well with the women busy writing, but when one of them disappears under ominous circumstances and the others secretly investigate, they discover the chilling truth about their mysterious host and the retreat.
This story had me on the edge of my seat with a looming dread. Between the rumored haunting, the threat of punishment if they missed their deadlines, and her ex-best friend turning the other writers against her with her lies and mind games, the book was fairly fast-paced and kept my interest to the very end.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I binged Julia Bartz’s The Writing Retreat in one evening. It’s such an addictive thriller, and perfect for a night curled up under a throw on the couch with the winter wind outside.

I won’t say much about the plot, because I went into this one blind and was so happy I did.  The initial premise is that Alex, our protagonist, is a struggling author who receives a surprise invitation to join a writing retreat hosted by Roza Vallo, her favourite author.  Roza’s a feminist horror writer with a mysterious past.  The retreat is held in her maybe-haunted mansion in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of winter.

This one has shades of Stephen King’s Misery, but all twisted around.  There’s female friendship and betrayal, secrets, characters I loved to hate, a wonderfully creepy setting, and so many strange twists and turns.

The characters are wonderfully written and it was a blast hating them, then rooting for them, then shaking my head at their choices, then cheering them on…this book gave me whiplash, it was a blast.

There were a few things about the ending I didn’t love but overall I really enjoyed The Writing Retreat and recommend it to anyone who loves fast-paced female-led thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for my review copy of this book.

I am still floored that this was a debut author. I think Julia Bartz did a fantastic job with all things related to this book. The prose, atmosphere, and character development were done so well. The trope of the group of people in a cold secluded place with lack of cell service has been done in so many different ways, I almost gave up on the whole trop but this one was so original and unique and done so well that I kept turning the (ebook) pages wanting to know what happened next. I think the author did a fantastic job of diving into the human psyche and showing that everybody can have good and bad thoughts and they don't necessarily define us. I love reading about the intricacies of female friendships and I think because I live in the city I grew up in and am so fortunate to have so many strong and thriving female friendships in my life I can really remove myself and enjoy reading about ones not so savory. I am a huge fan now of both Bartz sisters and will continue to read what they out into the world!
4.5 rounded up
pub date: 2/21

The writing retreat ▪️ Review
This was a snowy-retreat setting that was the perfect wintery read.

Overall I liked this one, but might not be for everyone…
Pros:
👍🏼 loved the setting
👍🏼 major mean girls vibes
👍🏼 creepy story without a cheesy haunted house

This does has some ghosty vibes which might not be for everyone but overall I enjoyed this usual read! I loved the pace of the chapters and the story kept me intrigued the whole time!

Looking forward to the next couple books by Bartz!

The Writing Retreat is a psychological thriller that has so many twists and turns, I never knew when one was coming. The character development is top notch and because Alex is the only narrator, I felt like her journey was in depth. The isolated environment added another layer. I really enjoyed this.

-- TL;DR Goodreads review --

maybe if I went there, I'd actually finish a novel.

thank you to the publisher and Netgalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

-- SOME THOUGHTS --

this book had a strong, unique premise that I hadn't read before: a struggling author gets an all expenses paid retreat with her favorite author with the one caveat being to finish an entire first draft within the time span and receive a life-changing publishing deal, or else. That's what I signed up for: a deadly NaNoWriMo event that honestly sounded inspiring. Maybe if my life was in danger, I too would write a book in one month. But that's not what happened with this book, that I think suffered a major identity crisis during the drafting process and suddenly stopped being what the dust jacket synopsis promised it to be.

First off, the set-up of Roza's manor feels like the author read The Haunting of Hill House and just decided to pilfer the setting descriptions from that incredible novel. So we have color-coded rooms that the characters stay in, a creepy, Gothic house that is *allegedly* haunted by a demonic force, however this book did not pilfer the meaning behind why Shirley Jackson put people in certain rooms, had certain things happen, etc. Instead, I found it to be creepy Gothic manor because creepy, Gothic manor is creepy.

Second, going back to my expectations surrounding what this book would be, I did not expect it to be a psychedelic-fueled, cartoonish, OTT thriller complete with a wildly unhinged villain in Roza, and basement dungeons and drug-fueled lesbian sex (unless I misread something), with the actual plot and title of this book ("The WRITING Retreat") receding further and further into the distance. There are also just cringe excerpts from the main character, Alex's, WIP which I absolutely skim-read (sorry) and they added nothing to the story other than the author trying to remind the reader that yes, this IS a book about writing, SEE, look at my MC writing!!!

Thank you once again to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review, even if I didn't enjoy it. But I do look forward to this author's other works and hope that her next books don't suffer major identity crises

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the idea of a group of writers creating their own novels at a fast paced retreat with the guidance of an author they love. As soon as you start to really enjoy some of the characters, chaos ensues and I just couldn’t put the book down.

When I read that this was a claustrophobic thriller, I didn’t realize how accurate that would be. This writing retreat is fifteen miles from its nearest neighbor and, when a snow storm drops eight feet of snow overnight, everyone is stuck in the mansion. They are unable to do anything when one of the women disappears into the snow. This book is panic-inducing in the best way of close-roomed mysteries. It explores the expectations that one puts on themselves: publish or perish; publish by thirty or you’re a failure; your writing isn’t as good as *insert name here*; there’s no way that I can complete this goal. All of these goals are pushed into an unhealthy focus by ourselves, society, and our role models/heroes. It also approaches the dangers of hero worship. Heroes, hardly, if ever, live up to expectations in close quarters, and Roza Vallo is no exception. Then there’s what silence does to you. In the middle of nowhere and in a snowstorm during a crisis, are the strange things happening real or delusions?

This book was fantastic. It made me get goosebumps. By the end, I wasn’t sure what was going to be real and what was not.

Alex is a writer. She feels like her dreams of being a published author are slim to none, even though she's told her work is brilliant. Adding to that is a regrettable hook-up with a colleague and the relationship with her best friend (and current nemesis) has gone down the drain.
When the horror novelist Roza Vallo offers a month-long writing retreat at her estate, Alex gets the chance to work with her childhood idol.
Things take a sharp turn when it turns out to be a competition. Survival the fittest is the name of the game in more ways than one. All of the attendees have something to hide, whether it's superficial or sinister. The estate has a dark story of its own.
The Writing Retreat is the debut novel by Julia Bartz. The characters are complex and rich in detail. It's a slow burner, yet gratifying and thrilling from the jump. In fact, I knew I would love it beginning with the first sentence. I look forward to more from this talented voice. Pick up this book or you may have to deal with the wrath of Lamia!

Perfect Song Pairing - See The Light by Ghost

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz published by Atria/Emily Bestler Books out February 21, 2023

A lot of elements to love are here: a book about writers, a PN isolated setting, cut-throat competition. But some personal triggers of mine are included (forced drug use, forced sex), so this ultimately wasn’t for me.

This story is told in first person by Alex, a promising writer who has had writer’s block after she had a falling out with her roommate/former BFF, Wren, who has also been invited to the writing retreat. Some chapters also include excerpts from the book that Alex is writing during the retreat.

I really enjoyed the first half of this story. Meeting all the different female characters from varied backgrounds invited to the writing retreat of a prominent and admired female author was intriguing, though thriller lovers might find this part a bit of a slow build. The isolated estate and winter setting was the perfect atmosphere for a thrilling mystery.

Unfortunately, around the halfway point, when one of the characters went missing, I started to find the story going over the top to the point of ridiculous. The last half bordered on a type of crazy that I just couldn’t follow without disbelief. I was very disappointed in the way the story played out and the circumstances in which the players were left in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

This was a wild and crazy book. I almost DNF’d about 2-3x because of how outrageous it was. Towards the middle/end it started picking up and get me reinvested in it. It was an interesting premise and I love books about authors. This one was way crazy though!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for access to this digital galley.

This had a lot of promise, but it just got so over the top that I couldn’t really get into it the second half. First half, on point - invested in the characters, the concept of the writing retreat at the secluded estate of the reclusive author - yesss! But then I found myself not loving the main character as time went on, her self-pity was pretty up there. And then the second half reared its ugly head. Some people will no doubt love the horror aspect of it, how supremely messed up it all is. But that someone was not me. 3.5

The Writing Retreat was an easy and addictive read. The plot had a ton of action and lots of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. There's no way someone could say that it was boring! The evolving friendship between Wren and Alex added a human and soft touch to an otherwise brutal storyline.
While I enjoyed the wild plot with lots of action, it tended to be its downside too. It almost had TOO much going on so that many scenes and characters didn't get full development or have the reader sit with it for a bit. Some characters die, we get two pages about it, and the characters move on. I wanted to see more impact with the trauma it would cause to witness this level of violence and to think you could be next. A couple of plot holes with the surveillance system (they know they are being recorded and yet continue to talk about escape plans like no one would be listening then) and handling wolfsbane petals barehanded could be tightened up.
This was a strong debut novel though, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

Alex works at a job she is not enjoying, she has always dreamed of being a writer. Alex gets this amazing opportunity to attend a month long writing retreat for young female authors, held by her favorite author, Roza Vallo. Roza is pretty reclusive, living on an estate with a past, it's previous owner and his wife found dead, brutally murdered. While this a dream opportunity for Alex, she's nervous because her ex-best friend is also attending and Alex has a serious case of writers block. Roza has set a strict schedule and writing pace for the month of the retreat. Anyone not meeting the daily word count will be asked to leave the retreat. Things seem to be going along fairly well, until one evening which ends in one of the other attendees going missing. Perhaps things are not what they seem at this retreat.

The Writing Retreat has a couple of my favorite thriller tropes, the isolated-locale and closed circle of suspects. I always love a thriller set during a snow storm. I liked the concept of the story, taking place at a writing retreat for young would be female authors. The history of the house and the reclusiveness of the host, add to a sense of mystery.

Things moved fairly slowly for about the first 60%, but after that they just took off and it was a wild ride. But, I found it a bit over the top. More death and destruction than thriller. More Hostel less Misery. It kept my interest, and I'm OK that there is often murder in a thriller, but I just prefer something a little less slash and burn.

Overall, if you enjoy an isolated-locale and closed circle of suspects, and a little gore, you'll enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital advanced copy of The Writing Retreat. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book!! For a debut novel, I am impressed. I am always in the mood for a good thriller and this one DID NOT disappoint!

From the very first chapter, I was hooked. The storyline is so engaging that I needed to know what was going to happen next, even if it cost me a few hours of sleep. This book was a 'page turner' for sure!!

I really loved this one! I wasn’t really sure what to expect and I kept getting thrown off throughout the story… there was a punch of twists that I kept second guessing and trying to think ahead of… great debut novel by this author!