⭐️: 4/5

A year after a falling out with her best friend that left her with severe writer’s block, aspiring author Alex gets the news that she has been invited on an exclusive writing retreat hosted by her favorite author, Roza Vallo. The catch? Her ex-best friend is also going to be in attendance, and all the participants must finish an entire novel in a month, competing for a single, once in a lifetime publishing deal. As the retreat progresses and Alex begins to fall victim to Wren’s manipulations, Roza’s behavior becomes more and more concerning, and Alex starts to suspect that the writing retreat is a front for something sinister and dangerous.

Next time you’re in the mood for a dark, unsettling, closed door thriller, look no further. The Writing Retreat had so many twists and turns that once I hit 50%, I couldn’t put it down until the end. From the synopsis (which yes, I always read before starting a book) combined with the slightly supernatural, demonic themes introduced early in the book, I was unsure what kind of thriller this was going to be. I’m not going to give anything away, but it honestly elevated my reading experience and made the ending harder to predict, not knowing that thriller “trope”, if you will, this was going to fall under. The start was admittedly a little slow, which I attribute to the normal heavylifting of setting a backstory for a whole cast of characters, as well as introducing a book within a book, but obviously the action picks up immensely for the second half. I also realized halfway through that the author is the sister of the author of We Were Never Here, which was a Reese’s Book Club pick that I unfortunately did not enjoy at all, so don’t let the author association dissuade you from this one if you also weren’t a fan. The Writing Retreat is dark, a little erotic, and surprisingly feminist, and I enjoyed it a lot!

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Do you like to read thrillers that verge into unhinged and bizarre territory? If you do, this one may be for you. I like when things get kinda weird, I’m always looking for a unique angle and I think the author found one here. The setting was great and super atmospheric, you have an isolated estate with an epic snowstorm so you get a locked room style mystery. You also have a book within a book as there’s chapters from Alex’s book sprinkled in as she works on her novel during the retreat and I live for that stuff. I also always like reading about toxic female friendships and Wren and Alex have some serious drama both in their past and the present. It’s a slow burn but still has suspense and dread and the lead up to the ending was pretty out there but also fun. A solid debut, it won’t be for everyone but if you like weird, outlandish and dark try it.

This thriller definitely keeps you guessing and does not have the traditional genre tropes. The closest I read to this was "The Villa. That saying, it personally wasn't for me simply because I couldn't get over how much I disliked the majority of the characters. The plot itself was very well executed and the mystery itself was definitely engaging. There was a book within the book, and I love that style of writing. For that reason, I will still give this book 4 stars, and continue to read other works by this author. In my opinion, a book can still be good, even if I personally can't relate/ dislike all the characters. There were quite a few different directions this book went in, which I appreciated, and I am sad to say, well I guessed an "obvious" this person is not to be trusted, I definitely did not guess the main twist.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a dizzying debut! From the edgy and (very) flawed characters to the gothic, claustrophobic, glitzy atmosphere, this book is sure to leave any thriller fans on the edge of their seat. This novel takes the "how far are you willing to go for your dreams?" to a whole new terrifying level.

Our protagonist, Alex, is a struggling writer trying to survive a mundane publishing career she hates. With the help of a newly successful writer friend, she is given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a very mysterious and sought-after writing retreat with esteemed author, Roza Vallo. The catch? Alex must attend with her former best friend who now hates her guts due to a troubling accident. The house where the retreat takes place may also be haunted, snow storms in the area are known to bury residents in for days if not weeks at a time, there is no WiFi or cell service, and it turns out Roza herself seems to be a tad...unpredictable. Oh, and Alex has had writers block for the past year. What could possibly go wrong?

The layers in this story are fantastic-- I absolutely love how we as an audience have to dive into the mind of an author crafting their masterpiece. So many stories within stories begin to take shape and Alex is left questioning everything around her, and everyone. What is real and what is part of the plot? Is it even a plot, or have things truly gone off the rails? How far is too far to push someone into creating their work of art?

Through all of the twists and turns and emotional hurdles authors must overcome to get a book out, I am happy to say that Julia Bartz hits a home run with The Writing Retreat.

Thank you for this early copy of The Writing Retreat. I loved this book & found it very hard to put down! Great story, great twists.. highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this! I didn't realize this was a debut novel-- it was really tightly plotted and I enjoyed the characters a lot. I didn't anticipate the direction that this book was going in, so I was really surprised by the way all the threads wove together at the end of the book. A really solid debut--I'm really looking forward to more from this author.

Wow, what a great debut novel. I thought this was going in a totally different direction and found it be so suspenseful. I had not expected the ending and the group of characters how they intertwined was definately thrilling. If your looking for a new author you should give this author a try.

This book had a very slow start. I had a tough time connecting with the main character and sympathizing with her. It took more than half of the book for it to become thrilling so it is definitely more of a mystery than a thriller. If you enjoy books about books or authors, you might like this. It also has strong elements of the modern LGBTQ+ experience which I thought were a bit heavy handed, and could have been executed better.

Overall, I didn't really enjoy my time reading this. I don't think it was for me.

First of all I'd like to say that this book was really well written. I wasn't a fan as you can probably tell by my star rating. However, I think the content just wasn't for me. If the synopsis interests you I would definitely give it a try because like I said, it was well written.

The first half of the book I found kind of boring and I didn't really enjoy the story that was being written within the story. At about the 50% mark it got better for me but still didn't really grab me or wow me. I kind of just wanted it to be over.

Overall, I think some parts of the book were good (the writing like I mentioned before), while others fell flat for me. Even though I wasn't a huge fan I would still recommend this book to someone who read the synopsis and was interested.

I think this is gonna be a book that people are either gonna love or they're not and you won't know which you are till you try it.

Five lucky young writers are chosen to attend the writing retreat with well-known horror author Roza Vallo, sounds like an up-and-coming writers dream, but this story turns to a nightmare. Roza has an alternative agenda with creepy games planned, and expectations that are high with a cost if you don’t comply. Definitely has some unexpected twists and turns. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and found the characters, relatable and likable. Each character had a trait or two that I didn’t particularly care for also didn’t particularly enjoy the blurbs about sex involving a demon character. Still would highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for my advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Alex dreams of becoming a published writer. Her favorite author is putting on a writing retreat which she luckily gets into after another contestant drops out. The only issue is that her ex friend Wren will be there. She is dreading having to face Wren but excited for this once in a life time opportunity. Things start off well but take a dark turn when one of the contestants goes missing. Suddenly everyone in the retreat is in over there heads. Will they make it out alive?

I loved the characters and the dark themes of this books. It had me hooked from the beginning. I highly recommend!

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

Wow, what a debut! The premise of this novel is bananas in the best way. Roza Vallo, A famous female horror author, hosts a month-long writing retreat at her lightly haunted yet gorgeously lux mansion deep in the woods of New York. The application process was extremely competitive and only five budding authors nabbed a spot. Upon arriving, the women learn that they will each be required to write an entire novel under extreme conditions and whoever writes the best one will be published with Roza’s full support.

I really enjoyed this book! I personally love a book within a book format, and I think Bartz incorporated excerpts from Alex’s (MC and retreat participant) novel within the story’s conflict seamlessly. It added even more intrigue and creepiness to the main plot. The relationships between the characters were tense and the setting was suffocating. The climactic chapter endings kept me glued to the pages.

The Writing Retreat was a solid 4 stars for me! If you like dark, twisty, spicy thrillers that are a little insane, this is the book for you. Congrats Julia Bartz on your impressive debut! Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read this ARC!

#NetGalleyReview

This book has such a unique storyline. Alex, our main character, her nemesis/ex best friend, and three other strangers are invited to a writer's retreat hosted by their favorite author. Things start off well but quickly take a turn for the worst. Lies and hatred emerge. The hostess, Rosa, begins to play evil games with her guests, turning ghrm against each other. Alex begins to unravel some truths, all the while writing a novel that could ultimately spare her life.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I was somewhat disappointed with the ending though.
3.75 out of 5 stars

This book was so freaking good!!! I enjoyed reading every minute of this book. I will definitely read this book again and I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this book. I loved the remote setting of the book. I devoured it in one evening.

💭 DAMN. I devoured this book. This was nearly impossible to put down—had I not had a job, a husband, and children, I wouldn’t have. This is definitely a one-sitting type of book. This was much darker than I imagined and the story took a huge turn that I wasn’t expecting. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a thriller & this was the perfect one to pick up.

👉🏻 DON’T MISS THIS. Get this pre-ordered immediately… it comes out on 2/21 and you’re going to want to read this while winter is wrapping up. It’s definitely an atmospheric, creepy & suspenseful winter thriller.

The Writing Retreat was taught thriller which was a nail biter until the end. Alex is chosen for a prestigious writing workshop with an enigmatic author in a secluded countryside retreat...so what could go wrong?? The workshop becomes an all out competition to create a full novel in a month's time. As the reader peels back the layers there is something very wrong with this scenario. And while, I enjoyed the premise and did not like the main characters of Alex and Wren enough to be fully invested in their stories. I was more intrigued with the lesser characters of Keira and Zoe and how the struggled to survive. I also thoroughly enjoyed the story within a story of Daphne and her demon. Overall it was an intriguing story with a great deal of potential and enjoyable read.

Thankfully I had lots of extra reading time during the holidays because wow, I had so many great books to read! I just realized the author is sisters with another favorite author of mine, Andrea Bartz! I didn’t know that before reading and I’m not surprised. Lots of suspense here and I lost sleep on this one late at night! Just one more chapter!

I really enjoyed this one. There’s the secluded remote setting, the interesting cast of characters with their unknown motives, and the unique plot about the writing competition.. Add in some twists and shocking reveals, and you have a great rollercoaster of a thriller. This was a fun and engrossing read and I recommend it.

The Writing Retreat is a twisty and fast-paced thriller with lots of surprises that keep you turning the pages, especially from about the halfway point. The plot is intricate, too, with many threads woven together (the present, the history of the mansion where the retreat is held, and the novel (within the novel) that main character/narrator Alex is writing.

I like the premise a lot: A select group of women is invited to the writing retreat of their dreams, hosted by their long-time writer idol, Roza Vallo. Very quickly, Roza metamorphoses from idolized mentor to unpredictable taskmaster and mistress of the mysterious and macabre. The setting and unfolding events are deliciously creepy, claustrophobic, and edgy, with plenty of sensual/sexual encounters. Secrets and hidden agendas abound. We are held captive by suspense and tension at every turn.

The five young women participants are multidimensional, well-developed, both strong and shady. Like Alex (main character and narrator), we’re never quite sure who can be trusted. Motives are continually called into question. I felt constantly suspicious and on the alert, both tantalized and afraid to find out what would happen next.

What I most liked was the development of the main character Alex, who grows in self-knowledge, confidence, and determination throughout the story. However, I wondered whether to trust Alex or whether she would prove to be an unreliable narrator, locus of yet another layer of deception. For me, the story overall was a bit too gothic and bizarre — nightmares and/or hallucinations? over-the-top turns of events — but I think most readers will really like it. And I did like it most of the way. But for me, the end of the retreat strained credibility. And the last section of the book (post-retreat) fell flat. I expected a more surprising and dynamic ending — one last big twist or reveal that didn’t happen. Nevertheless, Julia Bartz is a talented writer and I’ll be there for her next novel, for sure.

Many thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz is a highly suspenseful story of five young female authors who are desperate and eager to publish their first book. They all respond positively to an invitation by the well-known author Rosa Vallo to attend a month-long writing retreat at her secluded mansion. But from the moment they arrive at her estate, surprises and challenges await them. Some of the surprises are quite sinister. The challenges Rosa Vallo presents to them at times undermines their collegiality and confidence as writers. This psychological thriller is fast-paced and will keep you reading well into the night. The Writing Retreat is an amazing debut novel and I highly recommend it.