I fell in love with the premise and setting of this book and knew I had to read it. The writing was great; Julia Bartz is a talented writer. However, it became clear lesbianism was a central to the story and the increasing sexual content made me feel too uncomfortable to continue. I stopped reading at 40%. I also did not care for the characters. I felt they did not drive the story forward, but rather went along with whatever weirdness came their way, esp. the main character. I don't feel it fair for me to rate this book or post a review when I didn't finish the story. I do appreciate the opportunity though and sincerely thank you.

OUTLIER OPINION!

This has many 5 star reviews but it wasn’t for me!

I love books about books, and I love books about the writing process-even more. That is what I was expecting, but that isn’t what I got!

Alex has always wanted to be a published author, so when she receives a once in a time opportunity to attend a month long writer’s retreat at the home of her Idol, best selling feminist horror writer, Roza Vallo, she can’t turn it down. Even, the fact that Wren, her former best friend, and current rival, will be there, won’t stop her from accepting.

As the attendees arrive, they are told that they will be required to write an entire novel from scratch during the month, with the winner receiving a life changing seven figure, publishing deal.

Let the games begin!

Would Roza eliminate the writers, one by one, as they go, until just one is left standing? Or will they not know the winner until the final pages are written?

Roza’s methods of motivating the writers to reach their 3,000 word count per day, include hurtful barbs, and LSD.
And, Alex finds herself wondering if the (open door) self pleasuring, and the sexual explorations she experiences with the other women are hallucinations or awakenings? NOT the cut throat writing competition I was expecting to read about.

This book started strong, with the focus on WRITING but as Roza’s ways of “encouraging” the women to write became increasingly OTT, I increasingly became less and less interested in this story. In fact, it’s one of my least favorite books this year. Sorry.

This debut novel from Julia Bartz, sister of best-selling author Andrea Bartz, is scheduled for publication on February 21, 2023, if it sounds like a book that might be for you!

A buddy read with DeAnn. Is she on Outlier Island with me, or did she write one of the 5 star reviews? Be sure to check out her thoughts on this one, as well.

Thank You to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the gifted copy I received through NetGalley in exchange for a CANDID review!

A twisting thriller to keep you guessing. How could you say no to a month long retreat with your favorite author and 4 other talented authors even if one of them is your ex best friend. Our Mc takes us through her harrowing experience throughout the month of the retreat. It is not at all what she expected and who can she count on to help her figure out what is real and who is behind the crazy things happening. Who will survive and who is to blame. Some twists I saw coming others were more surprising.

I HAD SO HIGH HOPESSSSSS BUT I HAD TO DNF THISSSS AND IT PAINS ME FRRRRR.
the first page and then the page after.... the story kept going downhill and I had to stop especially like where was this story going into????

I was thrilled to receive an advanced reader digital copy from NetGalley, and put it at the top of my list, only to be let down. I struggled between one and two stars. If you don't mind a far left political agenda being pushed in your face, you won't mind this book. I rolled my eyes so many times (mentioning to pronouns *insert eye roll again*) and ICK how this character couldn't allow herself to be queer because society views when she was younger. And the majority of characters were lesbians. I wish I had known, I wouldn't have bothered. The story had promise, it did keep me turning the pages and I liked how it ended (apart from the death of a character I liked), but I won't be reading another of her books. The main characters were very very similar to her sister's book, We Were Never Here, which I also didn't like. My review will be posted on Goodreads.

This book was incredible! My first by Julia Bartz, I didn't anticipate getting so sucked into the story, but I'm very glad I chose to pick this one up. Would recommend to anyone!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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I was up until 4am reading this one because I was so engrossed in the story. A group of girls is selected for a month long writing retreat with a big name author, one they all admire.

Two of the girls knew one another from before. They'd been long time roommates and friends before having a big falling out after an set of interesting incidents. I won't spoil it for you.

The book explores writing/writers and their eccentricities, sexuality, and it's rife with tense moments and a speculative undercurrent.

Some of the women are a little too catty for me, but you're not supposed to love them all. While I had an inkling that something wasn't right, I will say the book still surprised me. It's always fun when that happens.

The Writing Retreat is an awesome twisty thriller. It is bleak, dark, violent, action-packed, surprising and cleverly written with a book running inside a book. It is not for the faint-hearted and sensitive but is worth a read for lovers of unexpected mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this exciting first novel ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. I thought this book started off well with the interest of a broken friendship. The twists and turns at the retreat were just so far fetched and unbelievable that it lost me halfway through.

Ummm. Wow. This was deep & powerful & believe it or not, had a bit of the supernatural thrown in, all to make a fabulous read!! So different but so fulfilling! It’s got it all :)

Thank you Julia Bartz, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the ARC which did not influence my review.

Alex wins a once in a lifetime spot to go to a writing retreat at her favorite author's secluded mansion. The only problem is her former best friend Wren has also achieved a spot. They know have to live under the same roof for the next month and compete with three other women to write a novel in the short time they are there to win a publishing deal. It seems innocuous enough, but some weird things start happening with famous author (and Alex's idol) Roza at the center.

This is Julia Bartz so I knew we were going to have some complicated friendship themes and perhaps some murderous intrigue and I was not disappointed. I didn't want to put the book down once it got going. The only thing that didn't work for me was the 'book within a book' plot line. I understand that Alex was there for a writing competition and therefore would have to do some writing, but I don't feel like that story was really flushed out. We got sort of a back story about the mansion and a woman who had lived there (Daphne) that fascinated Alex so she decided to write her novel about Daphne's story. I feel like the author was trying to draw parallels between between Alex and Daphne but it didn't quite get there for me.

Overall I did enjoy reading this book and would recommend it to my friends.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC to read and review!!

The Writing Retreat follows Alex. A woman in her early thirties, an aspiring writer, and at a job she hates. Suddenly she gets an invite from a famous author to go and live at her mansion for a month for a writing retreat with 4 other girls. The woman with the best book at the end gets published. However, it can never be that easy, can it?

The first 50% of this book wasn’t slow, per se, however it wasn’t gripping. But then the last 50% I finished in under 24 hrs because it REALLY took off. I feel like I’ve really gotten good at guessing endings but the twists and turns were NOT on my radar AT ALL!! My only complaint in this book is I felt like Alex was a little whiney, but I felt like that played into the story very nicely. Did this book remind anyone else of the book Misery?!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this ARC!!! If I could hug you all, I would!

What a ride! What an absolute thrill ride! I enjoyed this book a lot. I’m also very much torn between wanting to go on a writing retreat or avoid at all costs. Okay, that’s a lie. I really want to go on one.

The story follows Alex (she/ her) as she joins some strangers and a frenemy on a writing retreat at a famous reclusive author’s secluded home. The retreat starts off great and then twists and turns arise and things go wild. We are taken along as Alex writes and discovers things about herself in the twisted journey.

Some things were immensely predictable, some were not.

Influences of Misery, Rose Red and Sliver were definitely seen in this book. May you all catch a Swiftie note as well.

4.5 bright shiny stars for this one

Wow was this an adventure. The whole book's premise of a secluded writing retreat was great and I really enjoyed the characters. The last quarter of the book honestly went off the rails and was wild to the point where I was thinking "you've got to be kidding me" multiple times, but I could not put this book down which is why my rating gets rounded up to four stars. Thank you for the ARC!

4.5/5
If you took some of my favorite fiction elements to read and used them all into one book, you'd have "The Writing Retreat"
-conflicted characters
-writers and their creative process
-story-within-a-story
-psychological suspense
-thrilling, page-turning action
-some supernatural elements
-old houses with dark histories
It was dark and creepy and creative and edge-of-your-seat suspenseful and I can't wait to read Julia Bartz's next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: February 21, 2023

This was an awesome debut novel! The first half of the book sucked me right in and Bartz's writing style made it easy to find yourself immersed.

This story follows Alex trying to write a novel while competing with four other girls. However, not is all that it seems at this retreat. The biggest thing that I struggled with is the second half of the book. It felt like we were given all different kinds of pieces found within thrillers. We had the queer aspect, paranormal, slow burn, and psychological. This book would have been a higher rating if there was one avenue taken.

Overall, this book would be a perfect thrilling mystery to read at the beach or during the cold winter months. I can't wait to see what Bartz writes next!

The Writing Retreat is a fast paced, claustrophobic, and propulsive thriller exploring the dark side of female friendships and fame. At first I thought no, this book is not for me, it’s too now. But I couldn’t put it down, so I pushed myself to keep reading and realized this book is for everyone who loves a dark and brutal mystery. One that paints a bleak picture about human motivation and a lengths one will go to step in to their own power.

The Writing Retreat is the unputdownable debut novel from Julia Bartz. Thanks to Netgalley/Atria/and the author, I look forward to all of your future novels.

Talk about a suspense thriller which will seriously mess with your head! This one is right up there with the best and marks a talented newcomer to the crowded scene as Julia Bartz debuts with a fast-paced, twist-a-minute debut that throws everything at you. A locked room mystery – check. Mean Girls reboot- check. Haunted house – check. The Final Girl trope – check. Book within a book framing device – check. Mind games galore as five would-be novelists are invited to spend a month at a famous horror writer’s mansion in the isolated Adirondacks. The one who completes a full-length novel and wins the competition will be offered a seven-figure publishing deal certain to make their reputation. The only thing they have to do is impress Roza Vallo, their host, and – oh, yes – survive. The pace is frantic, the writing well-done, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. It lacked the in-depth characterizations I prefer, but once I got on board for the ride, it was hard to put down and I enjoyed the over-the-top style. This writer made some bold and unpredictable choices and I look forward to her next book.

Alex has been struggling with writer's block for over a year, so the opportunity to work with one of her hero's at an exclusive writing retreat has come at the perfect time...even if that means the guest list also includes the reason her writer's block appeared in the first place. Little does Alex know that a little ex-friend drama will be the least of her concerns in this gothic, isolated mansion.

********

I had no idea how far out of my comfort zone this book would take me, and how much I would enjoy it!! Julia Bartz really takes the theme of "never meet your heroes" and runs with it to unexpected delight. The drama builds slowly, but you will still devour this book, building up to an ending that I did not see coming. This book also had a lot of sexual themes that were unexpected, but worked with the plot overall. All in all it was a great exploration into the many relationships between women: friends, lovers, and mothers.

Curl up and get cozy come February 2023! It will be the perfect read for those bleak midwinter days.

Super thanks to, Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you love psychological thrillers, haunted houses, and murder mysteries, you’ll love this book!
The novel starts out with Alex, our main character whose writers block has all but disintegrated her hopes and dreams of becoming an author. That is, until an opportunity of a lifetime comes through. She’s been offered a spot on a month long writing retreat with her most idolized author, Roza Vallo. On the retreat, the impression is that Roza is to serve as a mentor and assist the lucky 5 writers on crafting masterpieces. And anyone who knows Roza knows that any work associated with Roza will undoubtedly get published and come with lucrative rewards. The only problem is, Wren, her ex-best friend is also accepted on the retreat.

The scene sets place in a massive mansion in a desolate area far away from any outlying town. The five writers meet and are excited to get started on their writing journey, but even from the beginning things seem off and not quite as they should. Roza drops the news that they are not here to polish their existing works or to hone in on their writing skills, they’re here to write completed novels over the course of their month long visit and the best one will be the winner of a publishing deal and all the funds that come with it.
The writers buckle in and get writing, but Roza’s behavior becomes concerning and the contestants become worried. After a night of Roza’s crazed antics, one of the writers mysteriously vanishes and everyone is on high alert. Something is clearly wrong, and this trip isn’t really what it seems, is it? Alex must save herself before time is up and make it out to the other side.

This book for me was a quick paced read that had me turning the page again and again. I couldn’t put it down! I really enjoyed the side story of Wren and Alex and how it tied together at the end of the story and how that played a part in their experience on the retreat. I also liked that it wasn’t predictable in the beginning! i like to go into books with no previews and i’m so glad i did for this one!

My only thoughts on where the book could have been slightly different is the whole idea and back story of the mansion itself and its old inhabitants Horace and Daphne. It could have been tied in a little better although i see why it was incorporated. i felt as though the concept could have been developed a little more smoothly, especially towards the end.

Overall, i really enjoyed the book though and would rate it a 4/5 starts! I would definitely recommend to a friend!

I was provided this copy of The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz as an eARC from NetGalley!