Wow! What a ride this book was! There were so many twists, turns, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, I didn't at all.

The Writing Retreat follows a group of writers who get invited to a coveted retreat hosted by Roza Vallo, a famous horror author. Only five writers get invited each year, so authors trying to get published see this retreat as a way to get their foot in the door with publishing companies. Alex and her former friend and current enemy Wren are both invited along with Taylor, Keira, and Poppy. The retreat is hosted at Roza’s estate which is located far away from anyone. Once the group of women arrive, they are wined and dined by Roza and her staff. But then reality sets in and the bombshell rules of the retreat are explained. The women must write an entire book (from scratch, not one that has already been started) during their month stay and the best book will receive a seven figure publishing deal. All of the women are taken aback and immediately become stressed about writing that much in such a short amount of time.

Alex, who has been in a writing slump for over a year because of her fallout with Wren, cannot believe her luck. How is she supposed to meet the daily word limit and finish an entire book? Thankfully Roza seems to inspire her to write about Daphne, a woman who used to live in Roza’s house. Roza asks a lot of personal questions to Alex and while Alex thinks it's intrusive, it seems to help get the writing going. All of the women seem to find their groove at the estate and have a good writing rhythm down when things start getting scary….

After being drugged by Roza (to help them dive deeper into their inspiration for writing) Poppy, one of the women from the retreat disappears. The women soon realize that this retreat is 100% not what they signed up for and that their lives are in danger. Their goal is to now make it out of the estate alive. Will they make it? Will any of their novels get published? Do the novels even matter anymore?

I thought this was a stellar debut from Julia Bartz. It was horror and mystery and a whole lot of drama mixed together. I did not see the ending coming and I was genuinely shocked reading the second half of the novel. Those who love twisty murder stories are going to love this book. Thank you to Simon and Schuster for this gifted advanced copy.

So this book had me side-eyeing a certain real life prolific writer. I’m not going to tell you who, because it would be a tremendous spoiler if you know ANYTHING about them, but I was definitely…thinking thoughts.

This is a fun one.

It’s definitely over-the-top, but if you leave your logic sensors out of it, it’s extremely entertaining.

Expect to be surprised, horrified, and somewhat amused as things go disastrously wrong at this retreat.

Definitely a fun read!

• ARC via Net Galley

This was a DNF for me. The characters weren't interesting and the story spent too much time on the main character's regrets about her past. I wouldn't recommend this book.

Not my cup of tea. DNF around 100 pages. Just didn't connect for me. Nothing wrong with it, just not for me.

I absolutely loved the concept of this story and the idea of a mystery and a writing competition. However, as the story continued to unfold, the story became very complicated and a bit convoluted. That said, I loved how the novel ended. Act three of the novel just seemed to add too many different ideas/issues and became overly complicated, but at the same time, the motivation of some of the characters were never really clear.

I'm so glad I got to read an ARC of this book. I went in without expectations, and could not put this book down. The suspense, twists, and questioning of motives drives this book. The plot unfolds at a great pace - though the beginning was a bit slow.

What a debut!

This book was perfect for me: creepy setting, potentially haunted house, twisted back story with friends and a mysterious retreat. I love that we get chapters of Alex's book mixed in with chapters of the "real" story. The setting and characters are very well written and you truly feel immersed in the story. The pacing was perfect with just the right amount of build-up before the plot really ramps up. I had no clue where this story was headed and I loved it!

My only critique is that I think the plot could have gone further and/or more back story could have been given to really tie everything together.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

This was a fantastic read! What a thriller. I actually did not guess the ending for the first time in awhile and I loved the setting of a writer's retreat. Brilliant. Quick read. Get it now!

This is a solid page-turner that will keep you merrily turning pages while a swirling plot of writers, lovers, and maybe demons grows wilder and wilder.

There’s a lot about this book that feels familiar: angst-filled NYC writers, using patriarchal expectations to undermine other women, and of course demon sex!
But the question of how “real” the demon is and whether it’s literal or metaphorical is a fun old trope. The main twist is also not new, but none of this is a complaint in my book. Instead it helps push the story along, making it a wickedly fun fast read. Bartz knows what will be most satisfying for the reader at every beat and delivers exactly what you expect, which is a lovely slice of entertainment.

Alex life seems to be slowly spiraling downward. She recently had a falling out with her best friend, Wren, which caused her to lose contact with the majority of her friend group and have a severe case of writer’s block. On top of that, she has a soul crushing job as an underpaid associate editor at a failing publisher while Wren is flourishing in her new job as a beauty editor at a small media start-up. Alex and Wren both have the same aspiration – to become a published author. When their favorite horror novelist, Roza Vallo, announces that she will be hosting an exclusive writing retreat, they are both dying to attend. Through a stroke of luck (and some help from their published friend Ursula), they are both chosen to attend after another writer drops out.

When Alex arrives at the writing retreat hosted by Roza at her famous Victorian mansion, Blackbriar Estate, she is filled with nerves about impressing Roza and seeing her former best friend. The writers attending the retreat are thrown for a loop when they are told that they have only 28 days to write a complete novel and adhere to a strict daily schedule that includes group discussions, one-on-one meetings with Roza, and a required daily wordcount of 3,000 words. The person with the best novel at the end of the retreat will “win” a $1,000,000 advance and the public support of Roza. On the other hand, anyone that fails to meet the daily word count requirement, will be asked to leave the following day. While Alex struggles with her writer’s block at the beginning, she soon finds her story pouring out of her with Roza’s guidance. As the writing retreat continues, Alex finds her situation becoming more precarious with Wren’s manipulation, Roza’s instability, and the supposed haunting of the mansion. When one of the writers goes missing after a disastrous evening, Alex begins searching for answers to questions that others do not want her asking.

Wow, this is a stunning and impressive debut novel! This book had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next! There is a definite gothic undertone (which I loved) that gave the book a part ghost story / part thriller feel. There were twists and turns throughout and I never would not have guessed what ended up happening. The story is told from the point of view of Alex and includes several excepts from the novel that Alex is writing throughout the retreat. Alex is a bit of a mess (who isn’t?), but I found that to be genuine and endearing. I enjoyed rooting for her to succeed throughout the story. I hope that Julia Bartz continues to write and if so, I will definitely be reading her next book :)

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Writing Retreat felt like it would be a great book to take to the beach or on a plane ride. It was a casual read that was somewhat predictable, but regardless of that I was excited to keep reading. The story really picked up for me with the introduction of Roza Vallo first mention in the book. I do wish that some of the characters had been more developed, such as Keira, Chitra and Poppy, but we got some pretty stock characters in them. I didn't quite enjoy the excerpts from Alex's book either, whenever they would come up I was ready for them to be over. I also found the rehashing of Wren and Alex's relationship tedious especially when Alex would go over it and over it in her head. Overall though, it was a fun read and I could see a lot of people enjoying it. Thank you to Atria for the advanced copy.

Wow! This was a dark and twisted thriller and I clearly did not expect this crazy thriller set in a creepy gothic mansion that has some dark history associated. Alex is in a writing slump and jumps at the opportunity to be a member of a writing retreat set up by her favorite author, Roza. Once she arrives at the creepy mansion and understands the rules for the retreat, she finds it all weird but her mistake is she doesn’t set off running. From there, things are set in motion at a crazy pace and everyone needs to do anything and everything possible to survive and to get out of that place. But who is responsible and the motive for all this craziness is something you will have to read this one to find out more!!

Overall, it was an intriguing, fast-paced page turner and I highly recommend it for all the thriller fans!!!

Wow! What a book! What a ride! That was a tightly written book, packing in a lot of exciting and unpredictable twists and turns. It left me predicting so many other twists that wouldn’t ultimately happen, and I love when that happens. When you’re like, “omg! That kiss is gonna be laced with poison!” And then it’s not lol the characters were great, the plot was great. I am a sucker for trapped in a place during a snowstorm type books! And of course whodunnit books. Thriller books. Books about writers. It just ticked all the boxes to be honest. I even got a little sad at the end with some of the resolutions. And it DID completely resolve and I LOVE that! Give me an ending. Hand it to me. Spoon feed it to me please and thank you. Loved it.

I enjoyed this reading experience. This is a great thriller for the fall and I really loved the feminist bent. I kind of felt like some of the sex scenes were more for shock value than actual plot, but it wasn't enough to deter me from reading or recommending. I loved the ending! Will be recommending to friends and fans of thrillers.

I found this fast paced and intense; quite the thrill ride! I loved Alex’s character development.

The book inside a book plot/concept was well done, and one of my favorite aspects of the story.

I was drawn in from the beginning and was hooked until the end — especially the final 25% or so.

A marvelous debut. I look forward to more from Julia!

This is a page turner so set up enough time to read it because you won’t be able to put it down. I really liked her writing style and character development. I’m looking forward to reading more of her novels. I also loved the cover so I’ll be buying this book when it comes out in February. It’s filled with plot twists. It’s a wild and fun ride.

Thank you Netgalley for my ARC

A twisty, wicked thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the very first page. A story inside a story mixed with a murder house? Perfect for fall. The authors writing was amazing and really kept you turning the pages.

What an amazing debut novel. If Lucy Foley and Lisa Jewell had a love child together, it would be Julia Bartz. This novel kept me guessing. I was completely convinced that I knew the plot twist a quarter through the book, but I was happily shocked going through the twists and turns that this book put me through. What a fun ride it was! Good luck trying to put this book in a tidy little genre classification, because it had it all! Thrilling psychological warfare that kept me in suspense through the horror of it all.

Four females who are all aspiring authors are selected to go on a writing retreat at the estate of a famous horror novelist, Roza Vallo. At the last minute, one of the lucky ladies is unable to attend leading to a newly published author submitting short stories of two of her friends who are no longer on the best of terms with each other. They are both chosen to attend. When they arrive, they learn that the best novel will get a substantial publishing deal.
The five ladies are then put to the test to crank out the novel that will get them to the finish line, but how far are they willing to go to fulfill their ultimate dream of becoming published? If books could kill...

Alex and Wren were best friends who had a terrible falling out. One year later they are both invited to participate with three other young female writers at a coveted and secluded writing retreat run by their favorite writer. The wooded setting where the mansion is located and it's ghostly history set the tone for this gothic story. The eccentric mentor offers a contest where the winner will receive a million dollar publishing deal. The only catch is that it needs to be a new work and must be written during the one month stay at the retreat. Unfortunately not all is as it appears. With a snow storm moving in, one of the writers goes missing...

The atmosphere is haunting and the characters are so well written. There is loads of dark academia, drugs, sex and ghosts. Looks like a perfect Valentine's read to me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Julia Bartz for an early copy. This is my unbiased review.
Pub date: February 21, 2023
Pages: 320

This is a debut coming out in 2023 from author Julia Bartz. It’s about a writing retreat at an isolated mansion in the mountains, and the unsettling happenings that take place when our main character wins one of the coveted spots. I liked it a lot! For one thing, you have to look at the cover. It’s SO good! The book itself was a wild ride – mysterious, suspenseful. I love any book having to do with writing, writers, or the publishing industry, so that aspect was great. That’s a trend that I hope continues – there have been so many good ones in the last couple of years (The Plot, Who Is Maud Dixon, The Other Black Girl…so many more). I was totally invested and curious to see what was going to happen, and I found it to be pretty fast-paced. I also enjoyed the fact that it was a thriller but the plot really felt different from many that I’ve read. My only wish was that it would have been creepier/more Gothic. You had the isolated wintery setting, the echoing mansion, the small cast of characters…I wanted that creeping tension and more of an atmosphere. It had a little of that, but not much…I personally wanted more, but that’s just me! It was a well-written thriller and I got completely wrapped up in it. I’m excited for this one to come out and to see what everyone thinks!