Wow, this was a wild and unpredictable ride.

Alex, a thirty year old with writers block, scores the opportunity of a life’s time, a small intimate secluded writing retreat hosted by her favorite author. The only challenge? Her ex best friend will also be there and they have plenty of unresolved issues that Alex has been avoiding.

Once there, they all discover this is a writing retreat like no other.

This book was one that I couldn’t put down. I kept trying to guess what would happen next. It was a wonderful surprise.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this arc.

This was surprisingly fun, really sexy, and a low stakes thriller for the millennial/Gen-Z set!

The characters were diverse, the characters were compelling, and really spoke to what modern friendships and their confusing lines can be despite a freer and more liberal society.

2.5 stars

Alex has been struggling with writer's block for the past year, ever since a dramatic split with her best friend, and now, the two of them will be spending a whole month together at a writing retreat in the middle of nowhere. Told from Alex's point of view, the story starts off strong, giving readers a feel for the characters' personalities, insecurities, and what drove them apart. Along with three other women, they embark on a regimented writing retreat with strict deadlines, complex characters, and a host who is not only eccentric but also quite peculiar.

At first, the story grabbed me, but then at the halfway point, it seemed to take an unexpected and somewhat odd direction. Despite the many five-star reviews this book has received, I found the storyline to be convoluted, over-the-top, and with portions that were not necessary at all. As I read on, my interest waned, and sadly, the ending did not work for me.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a debut! The Writing Retreat was an empowering, wild ride about being a successful woman and questioning how far will people go for notoriety. I was hooked from the first few chapters and read this in one night. I couldn't put it down. While I wouldn't call any of the characters likable, I was still intrigued enough that it didn't bother me. This book had dark, satanic/supernatural sub-plot with some sexual content mixed in, so if that's not your vibe, be warned.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the digital review copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you for the advanced readers copy!

Phew friends, this was a TRIP. To be honest, I’m still processing it. Some parts of the plot weren’t to my taste, but the writing was good and flowed easily. You kind of hate the main character and root for her at the same time. In many ways the plot was clever because it dealt with real struggles of the publishing industry, but in a dark and twisted thriller like way. The story inside the story wasn’t as cohesive as I thought it could have been. I didn’t necessarily hate it, but didn’t love that aspect either. Clearly I’m still in my thoughts about this one, but I consider myself a noob in the thriller department so that’s probably how my thoughts will continue to be. Definitely check out content warnings if you are impacted negatively by specific content.
CW that stood out: Murder, Death, Emotional Abuse, Sexual Content.

3.75 rounded to 4

There’s no need to read The Writing Retreat to understand how hard it must be to become a published author and it is always hard for me to give a bad review, especially to a debut. I enjoyed some parts of this novel, such as the descriptions of the house, the ghost stories, and the summaries of the books that the writers are working on. Unfortunately, the plot was too convoluted, and all the characters were irredeemably unlikeable. Through the dialogues and internal monologues about writing, Bartz makes these fictional authors sound like they think they are the center of the universe and that their books are transcendental. This could have been simply characterization but instead it sounds preachy, like both the fictional and the real authors are taking writing as seriously as curing cancer. There are dull conversations about the creative process, feminism and how to be woke (my preferred pronouns are I’m/getting/bored). Alex, the main character, is whiny and literally has a panic attack when she’s under the same roof as her former bestie. It is hard not to think that, if these women had actual, real-world problems, they probably wouldn’t be this self-involved. And unlikable characters I can live with as long as the plot sucks me in, but there is too much going on here. The action is continuously interrupted with the novel that Alex is writing, which everybody tells her is brilliant but that I found tedious and boring. The twists make no sense and feel gimmicky, not part of the whole plot, but just to keep the story from slowing down. I checked out about halfway and stopped caring. I’m glad to see good reviews but this was not for me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books!

No. Just no. I thought this was a twisty, cutting edge metafiction thriller based on the description, not a lackluster plot centering on grown women acting like teenagers with an abundance of overly explicit and completely unnecessary sexual encounters. At 42% of the book I had already read the words “eating me out,” “clit,” “nipples,” and “wet” so much I thought I had accidentally picked up an erotica porn book. The characters are obnoxious, flat, and immature and the very limited non-sexual action is over the top and eye roll worthy. Most of this book is different variations of girl on girl action though and the descriptions are so cliche they’re downright cringeworthy. Is this supposed to be the “edgy” component? How original.

Then randomly there is a storyline of a Jewish woman falling in love with a Nazi during WWII that comes out of nowhere and has racist undertones. Wtf? The ending is particularly absurd although to be honest I was just happy it was over and I could move on to something else.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advance copy. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Full review and instagram post to be linked shortly *

I LOVED this so much! It gave me exactly what I was hoping for but ... 10x more than I could have imagined or hoped for. Wow I loved this. The characters themselves, as well as their development, subplots, and backgrounds were just amazing. I don't think I would have changed anything about this. When I was nearing the end, I was hoping for it to go exactly the way it did (but it was even better lol)

So good!!!!!

I really enjoyed this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat and was perfectly paced. I loved the twists and turns. Kudos!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. This is Julia Bartz debut novel and is really good! The Writing Retreat is a psychological thriller about a famous author who invites female novelists to her house for a month long writing retreat. This book is action packed from the beginning, you won't regret reading this book.

Imagine NaNoWriMo. Imagine it under the guidance of an esteemed author, even one of your favorites. Now, imagine it taking place at her home, a beautiful winter retreat surrounded by other aspiring writers. Your ex-best friend happens to be there, but you can overlook that given the amazing opportunity to publish a novel, guaranteed. Until it turns deadly. Oh.

I flew through The Writing Retreat, and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. The premise, characters, and setting play intricately off one another, and the plot moves along at an appropriate pace. Reading The Writing Retreat is just plain exciting, and oozes modern femininity in all its forms. As for drawbacks, another review describes the book as 'frenetic' in places, which I do agree with for maybe between the 70-90% progress mark. The ending does even out though, and I was satisfied with where things were left. I understand that this was the debut work from the author, and I will definitely be waiting for the next work.

Note: I received a free ebook copy of The Writing Retreat from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

this was a really fun and unique take on a locked room thriller - 5 girls win a contest to participate in a writing retreat with an acclaimed author, in which all of them will complete a novel by the end. and obviously with it being a thriller, everything is not as it seems and things quickly go awry.
this was super impressive for a debut - since it takes place at a writing retreat with multiple authors writing different stories, there was a lot of thought that had to go into this book, and Bartz is definitely one to watch. some exciting twists and turns here, however with all the hype i kinda expected it to be a little crazier.

I really enjoyed this book! So many twists and turns and truly kept me wanting to stay up later and later to finish! Highly recommend.

An absolutely bananas-wonderful time! I am obsessed with dark, edgy, over-the-top thrillers and this is definitely a new favorite of mine.

I had SO much fun with this story and I wish this author already had more books out for me to check out! I can't wait to see what she does next!

This story started will a familiar feel - a group of characters going out to an isolated mystery, gathered together by a mysterious and alluring figure - but with the direction it took it felt so fresh and new. I loved how this book wasn't afraid to "go there" and take risks with the absolutely ridiculously dark nature of it. It was unexpected and made for a fun, surprising read.

Thank you to the publishers for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley.

The Writing Retreat is the debut thriller by Julia Bartz and centres around a reclusive famous horror writer, Roza Vallo who invites 5 aspiring female authors to her isolated mansion for a writing retreat. For Alex it’s a chance of a lifetime because ever since she read Roza’s book as a teen she has dreamt of becoming an author herself. Unfortunately, her former best friend and now nemesis is also participating in the retreat. What was once a dream come true quickly turns into a nightmare, with Roza’s increasingly erratic behaviour and the hostile atmosphere of the apparently haunted house.

What I liked about the book:
-loved the gothic, creepy haunted mansion and isolated snowy, trapped in setting
-locked room aspect
-supernatural, witchy vibes
-feminist perspective as well as the themes of identity, artistic process, broken friendships, idol worship and celebrity
-book within a book
-realistic dialogue and great pacing of book
-twists and turns

What I didn’t like about the book:
-the only complaint I had was that I felt the ending was a little abrupt and I would have liked to see it extended a bit more

My overall rating: 5 out of 5

Trigger warnings- violence and abusive relationships, some sexuality in book was explicit

My final takeaway: I loved this book and it was a refreshing read from usual thrillers and I particularly enjoyed the creepy locked room vibe with a group of female writers trapped in a haunted, isolated house with an unhinged famous horror writer. I can’t wait to read Bartz’s next novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria/Emily BestlerBooks for this eARC.

This book disappointed me, although some readers may enjoy it. I read it because I like fictional stories about authors. It started out with an interesting theme. A famous horror writer sponsors a writing retreat for young female authors at her secluded home. After reading samples of their writing, she chooses six women under thirty. Alex, a fan of Rosa Vallo since reading one of her bestselling books as a teen, ends up taking the place of one of the retreat members even though she's thirty-years-old and is suffering from writer's block. Alex is unaware that another retreat member is her previous best friend, Wren. After they broke up, Wren was accidentally injured at a party that Alex attended. Alex has blamed herself for Wren's injury since. When they're reunited at Rosa's mansion, they initially regard one another with animosity. That changes when incidents occur that cause both women to realize the pettiness or their hostility toward one another.

A central theme to the book involves the history of Rosa's home and how the previous occupants, a woman named Daphne and her husband Horace, were found brutally murdered in the 1800's.. Daphne had been involved in spiritualism that her husband didn't condone and was rumored to have conjured up an evil spirit. Alex uses these characters and background for the work-in-progress Rosa requests of the retreat members who must each submit a certain word count each day to participate in a contest where the winner will be published by Rosa's publisher.

Without giving away the twists, this book contains elements of the supernatural, lesbianism, and how far an author will go to become famously published. Not recommended, but everyone, but some will find it a unique read.

I like locked room mysteries, and I was enjoying this book for about the first 30-40%. Then things just spiraled into unrealistic and frenetic, with an ending that wasn't totally satisfying. I liked this book up until the point I didn't, and the whole historical/ghost story did not work for me.

Wow. What a ride this was!

I was so intrigued with this novel after the first ten or so chapters. The premise was so interesting and I've always been drawn to secluded settings with no possible escape. Although the characters were a little tropey, I found them enjoyable to follow.

The story really starts to take shape around a quarter of the way through. At that point I found myself unable to put the book down. The similarities between Alex's internal and external struggles (along with how she incorporated them into her writing) were dizzying.

I have to admit that I wasn't a fan of the climax of the novel. I found that by around the 70% mark and onward things seemed to get more silly than necessary. It kind of took me out of the mood that the first half of the story outstandingly excelled in.

That being said I enjoyed this novel and would certainly read more from this author in the future.

Wow, what an entertaining thriller and definitely my favorite that I've read in awhile.

I really enjoyed the plot, pacing, and character development. I found the MC's relationship and behavior really believable. The dialogue also felt natural and believable as well.!

There were a few wonky things with the timeline of some characters' stories (mother of the MC and Poppy), but it didn't really impact my enjoyment. The only reason that I didn't rate this story 5/5 was that the story within the story was not very entertaining. I found myself skimming Alex's within story manuscript.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: February 21, 2023

Alex and Wren have a complicated history of being ex-best friends. The break up has hurt Alex terribly, and she’s still struggling to understand the situation when she discovers she’s been offered the chance of a lifetime to attend a writing retreat hosted by her favourite author Roza Vallo. The only catch? Wren will also be there, along with 3 other talented female writers. What begins as a writing retreat quickly devolves to a cutthroat competition, with each participant eager to win at any cost. Betrayal, manipulation, a disappearance and the spooky setting all cause Alex to question whether this retreat really was a chance of a lifetime, or was it her worst nightmare come to life?

PROS and CONS:
Spooky setting, a haunted mansion, female rivalry - yes, yes, yes! This one is great! Fast paced, descriptive, spooky, well developed characters, based in the world of writing - this one has it all! It’s definitely full of action, with a few twists along the way to keep you on your toes. And I always have a weakness for books with a novel within a novel - not sure why but I’m a fan!

READ IT?
If you’re looking for…a spooky, action packed retreat with plenty of heat - this one’s for you!

4.5 Stars