Okkkk this book went in directions I was not at all expecting and honestly I didn't hate it? There were parts in the middle that dragged but I was really interested in the book's exploration of female friendships (and ex-friendships) within this creepy and tense setting. A little time has passed since finishing this book so I'm already forgetting a lot of the plot details, but do vividly remember the unsettled feeling I had while reading it which I always enjoy in a thriller.

Going on a writing retreat hosted by your favorite author with your ex best friend… what could possibly go wrong?

Alex and five other women attend a month-long writer’s retreat hosted by bestselling author Roza Vallo in her secluded mansion. They’re told they must complete an entire novel for the chance to win a million dollars and publishing deal. It’s every writer’s dream. Quickly, things begin to turn sour, and Alex begins to wonder if this retreat is as good as it seemed.

I enjoyed this story’s overall setting, atmosphere, and characters. It was all extremely well done and captivating. The only issue I had was I wish the book summary didn’t give away what would eventually happen. If that was left out, it would have had more shock factor and had a higher rating from me. I wish I didn’t spend most of the book wondering when the big event would happen. Thus, I will only be giving this book a 3.5/5 stars rounded up to a 4.

I’m honestly floored that this is a debut novel. It was so well written, and I loved the mystery. I found myself still thinking about the book the next day. I was so impressed. I would recommend this novel if you enjoy reading suspenseful books with isolation. I would also recommend to not read the synopsis of the book since it ruins the reading experience.

There were definitely some of course or I knew it moments but otherwise it was really enjoyable and exactly what you want reading a thriller.

I had some “idea” of how it might go but not all was 100 percent for me. I started reading the ARC a while ago and couldn’t get into it but this time I grabbed the audio from my local library and that’s what really did it for me. I was able to listen faster than I would read and while I was doing other tasks and once I got past that first part where I thought this is slow it picked up and got super interesting. I loved all the twists and turns throughout the way and honestly at one point I was seriously thinking it would all turn out completely different but I am so glad of the journey this book took.

The story was superb! A fast paced thriller. I absolutely loved it and couldn’t stop reading it. This book was definitely a page turner and the ending was completely a shock to me! It’s perfect for all readers, especially thriller lovers.

"The Writing Retreat" by Julia Bartz offers an enticing premise of a month-long writing retreat where attendees must complete a novel from scratch, with the promise of a lucrative publishing deal. The story follows Alex, a struggling writer, who sees the retreat as an opportunity to revive her fading dreams. Set at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, a controversial figure in feminist horror, the retreat takes a chilling turn when the attendees discover that their lives are at risk. As they are trapped and women begin to die, Alex must confront her own demons and finish her novel to save herself.

One of the strengths of "The Writing Retreat" lies in its atmospheric setting. The remote estate and the sense of isolation create a palpable tension that keeps the reader engaged. The concept of completing a novel under such intense circumstances adds an intriguing layer of pressure and suspense.

Overall, "The Writing Retreat" presents a promising premise and a chilling atmosphere, but falls short in fully capitalizing on its potential. While the setting and initial suspense draw the reader in, the pacing and character development suffer, ultimately diluting the impact of the story. Fans of closed-door thrillers may find enjoyment in this novel, but may also be left wanting more depth and consistency in its execution.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy of this read in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a lot of fun. I found it to be a little slow moving in certain places. Overall it was a good thriller! I will definitely try another book from Julia Bartz.

Not sure what I had expected when I first started reading it but I as in for a surprise. So many twists and turns it kept me on my toes until the end. It wasn’t my cup of tea in terms of the story line but very well written!

I’m a mood reader, and I haven’t been in the mood for thrillers lately (I blame my romcom kick).

But when my brain was craving something twisty recently, I grabbed THE WRITER’S RETREAT (thanks for my copy @atriabooks!) and I’m so happy I finally picked this one up.

THE WRITING RETREAT follows Alex, an aspiring writer who’s given the opportunity to attend a retreat with her favorite horror novelist, at that novelist’s remote mansion. Unfortunately, her ex-best-friend is there, too. When the women are told they’re competing for a book deal, Alex struggles with writer’s block and the interpersonal relationships among the contestants.

And then, the other women begin to die.

This story was thoroughly entertaining, if a little weird / not what I was expecting. The author is the sister of Andrea Bartz (WE WERE NEVER HERE, THE HERD) and I think both sisters are fantastic story tellers, although Julia’s book leans a little more horror than Andreas.’

THE WRITING RETREAT reminded me of THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins. Both are about writers and complicated friendships and a remote mansion with a spooky, murderous past. It didn’t work quite as well for me as THE VILLA, but I think if you liked that book, you should give this one a shot!

What’s the best thriller you’ve read so far this year?

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

A very fresh, clever and imaginative rollercoaster ride of a read, this was an outstanding and uniquely captivating first novel is one of my favorite books of the year, so far. This is definitely "an author to watch!"

Until next time, dear readers, stay safe!

I don't care what anyone says about this book, it was fantastic! The creepy setting, the cult vibes, and the pov of the writer's themselves. It all really worked for this storyline. I read this with several of my book club members and it was a truly interesting discussion of who liked it and who didn't. I was super impressed with where the author took the story at the end, and I will definitely be reading more by her in the future.

Personally, I found this one hard to buy in to. It all seemed a little over the top with two many crazy things going on. It really took away from the mystery for me. However, this is perfect for readers who want crazy twist after crazy twist!

Whoaaaa! This one started off really strong for me, and I loved the premise of the book; the opportunity to participate in a writing retreat hosted by your favourite author. The setting was great too, definitely gave off creepy vibes. But as the book started to move forward it was plot twist after plot twist...and it just became really unbelievable. Dare I say, over the top unbelievable!

Overall the story was decent but it just fell short for me.

I know others have loved it, and there are many five star reviews but this is just a 3 star for me.

I'm grateful to the publisher + NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Everything about this “book blurb” screamed to me – YOU WANT AND MUST READ THIS BOOK - THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!”

Boy was it not for me and for that I am very sad. I am not sad for just me, but for the author who put their heart and soul into this book, for NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books that allowed me to read an advanced readers copy, and also for the time I wasted reading a book clearly not aimed at me as a reader. Once again I am waxing on about modern-day book blurbs and the lack of or intentionally misleading information they provide a reader. I know publishing books is about SELLING books first and foremost. But for the writer’s sake I hope it is more about selling their book to those that will appreciate their story. I requested to review this book based on the blurb .. seriously this was absolutely the only information we receive, when we choose books.

While this story had its compelling parts, it also included strong language and explicit heterosexual and lesbian sex scenes and constant contradictory actions by the characters trying to point out how socially modern thinking they were. Overall, it felt that the author wanted to make sure you knew she was aware of the many social issues that are going on and show she supported them. Her attempts to incorporate them into the characters just felt as if she was checking off a list of current social topics. These moments of social awareness often felt clumsy, deliberate and disruptive to the flow/progression of the storyline. The characters ages ranged in the 20’s to early 30’s but came off as extremely immature and rather uninteresting, except for the author that hosted the writing retreat.

Now this was really just a personal reaction, but I was put off by a very glaring improbability about the mother of the main character being two years of age at the end of World War II. The primary storyline (there are flashes back in the past and a dual line story that emerges) is meant to be in the present day, meaning everything pointed that it was based in the 2020’s with references to influencers, various social media and social commentary. That would mean our 30-year-old protagonists’ mother would have to be 77-80 years old, which means she would be having her daughter when she was 47-50 years old. I am not saying there are not women having children at this age – but in the context of the story this is incredibly not plausible and was never pointed out. I know it is not much, but it was used by the author to loosely tie the writing retreat’s host with our protagonist. But it is WWII history – so easy to check and get right! Unfortunately, there are numerous other opportunities to have placed the storyline around other horrific events in our history and have it work within the timeline. Do not insult your readers knowledge and do some research.

The shame of it is, that if more had been provided to me as a reviewer, I would have never picked this book up – the language and explicit multiple sexual scenes are not books that I enjoy. The crassness of the characters and their immaturity was additional issues. So basically, I feel that this has tainted my whole enjoyment of this book. So, take my low star rating with a grain of salt, but I felt that it was an incohesive story that wanted to be a psychological thriller, that just felt like a grungy aged-up Scooby Doo mystery. I mean the contestants (meddling kids) are warned off at the beginning by a creepy old local saying he wouldn't go there, strange things happen. Obviously, I was not the target audience, which is why rather than not reviewing or simply saying not for me, I wanted to put this out there for others to know more of what they are getting themselves into before purchasing.

What a debut! The Writing Retreat was a fun ride that had me guessing for sure. I am looking forward to more from this author.

FAV BOOK OF 2023
(so far)

The whole writing retreat element was amazing. As a literary nerd, if I had a chance to work with one of my heroes at their estate?? I'd jump at the opportunity. This is wonderfully sapphic, with multiple mysteries operating at the same time. I was equally engaged in the main plot and the bits of the novel our protagonist worked on.

This book is for the sad literary girlies and for those who love a good mystery thriller.

I genuinely loved this story. It was so intriguing to me because I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it before. I do love a story within a story and I was always anticipating what next wild thing would happen. The female relationships were so raw and real and I’d definitely be interested in a second book concerning these characters.

I love a great psychological thriller! This book had me hooked and kept me guessing! Would recommend!

What in the whiny hell is this?! I honestly could not wait to put it down and get out of this character's perspective. It's unbearably self pitying and just trying too dang hard to...I'm not sure....be something. You lose the story for the angst and I'm over it.

**Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC**

initial thoughts: I really wanted to like this book, but it was just not for me. I really liked the first 30-ish%, but then after that, the book just completely lost me. It does get great reviews from others, so it does appear most folks have enjoyed this book.

the premise & location were great, but the execution completely lost me.

I’m always interested in books that feature writers and the inner workings of their brains. This book starts off interesting. Five young writers are whisked off to a month-long retreat at a famous author’s house for an exclusive retreat. One lucky girl will get a fabulous contract and get to work with said famous author.
They live, eat, and sleep their novels. The famous author, Roza plays these convoluted games that didn’t make sense to the story.

The book was dark and had some creepy moments, but it kind of went off the rails for me. I was on a luxury rail car and then a conductor came over and put me in 3rd class. I guessed what was going to happen and it felt fake. Like TaDa this evil thing is happening, but where’s the shock? The logistics did not work.

I love bizarre and weird tales, but this did not do it for me. I’m glad it’s over.