I found The Writing Retreat to be a predictable and kind of frustrating journey into the mystery-thriller genre. The sort of locked-room premise was interesting to me, but I found that there was a lot of lazy writing/lack of attention to detail/weird preoccupation that prevented me from having a very pleasurable reading experience. This book feels very “done before” when I was hoping for something with a fresher take.

What a fantastic story! I gobbled it up in one sitting - I just couldn’t put it down for anything. I loved the flawed and unreliable characters. I loved the creepy atmosphere. And I loved the gripping storyline. Such a fun, suspenseful, and thrilling read!

Alex feels like she is in a slump. A life slump, a job slump, hell she has even recently lost her best friend. When she receives a call that she has been chosen to spend a month at a writers retreat with her idol Roza Vallo she drops everything to be there. Roza is a famous horror novelist who happens to live in the renovated home of a previous murder involving a maybe demon spirit. Once there she feels truly inspired but also things feel a bit off. When another writer goes missing Alex has to face her inner demons to learn what is really going on.

This one is so good. So good! This is an add to your TBR right now because I loved it. It is dark and creepy. It is bloody and bleak. It explores self-acceptance and doubt. It discusses women’s power and weakness. This is the perfect feminist thriller for a cold winters day. I cannot believe this was a debut novel and cannot wait to read more from Julia Bartz!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. I enjoyed the writing and storytelling of this book. Highly recommend.

Fantastic dark and twisty thriller that I could not put down! The perfect combination of mystery and drama, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The all-female cast just added to the storyline. READ THIS BOOK!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

As someone who's both a writer and has worked in publishing way too long, the premise of THE WRITING RETREAT immediately called out my name as soon as I read about it in Publishers Marketplace. A twisty thriller about a writing retreat that's essentially NaNoWriMo-on-crack set in a snowy murder mansion? Yes, please! Plus such a pretty cover!

Fortunately, THE WRITING RETREAT lives up to its bonkers promise: I mainlined it in less than forty-eight hours, unable to put it down. It has a ton of fun as it winks at the reader while it plays with tropes and genre expectations. Even better, it passes the Bechdel test with flying colors. I look forward to chatting about this one with other reader-writers when it comes out.

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

So well written so tense drew me in from first pages.The story the twist and turns kept me guessing till the last pages.#netgalley #atriabooks

Unfortunately this one was just not for me. Not a fan of the explicit language right from the get go. Tried to get past that and get into the story but I just couldn't connect with the characters. I seem to be the minority so if the book intrigues you give it a go!! Much thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for this ARC.

This book turned out to be so different than what I originally thought it to be, but I'm not mad about it. I was expecting some sort of murder mystery, but this story turned out to be far more complicated than that, but in such a good way. How much would we sacrifice in order to achieve our dreams? How far would we actually go? Julia Bartz is a genius when it comes to answering those questions, as her writing is just too good. She set this plot up so well and wrote some great characters that I absolutely loved to read about. The suspense... the psychological aspect... everything just flowed so well together. This book is such a good read and I definitely recommend reading it if you love a good thriller!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was NOT what I expected! I thought it was going to be a pretty classic locked-room murder mystery with a victim and a whodunnit- it was not. It was, however, a very atmospheric and creepy thriller set in an isolated mansion.
Alex, an aspiring writer, is invited to an exclusive retreat with a famous author along with a few other writers (including her ex-best friend). It's an elite opportunity and they will be cut off from the world for a month to write their novels and get valuable feedback from a famous writer. There are excerpts from Alex's manuscript mixed into this book and they create a story within a story effect. At first, everyone is thrilled to be there, but slowly they notice some things that seem strange. The tension escalates slowly and by the end, it is a mess and things are really horrifying. There are some paranormal elements as well as general paranoia and confusion.
You could call this a mystery thriller, but it has a lot of horror elements that are key to the plot. Above all, there is an uneasy and weird feeling.
While there were a lot of things I did like about this book, I don’t feel comfortable recommending it to everyone and I’m not sure how I feel overall. I felt like the manuscript excerpts distracted me from the story and the paranormal aspect was unnecessary. Also, readers going into this book should be aware that there is sexual content. Finally, I don’t know if it was the intention, but some scenes with queer characters felt like they were used for shock value and that made me really uncomfortable.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This one blew me away. The synopsis was intriguing and the writing did not disappoint. I will say my only complaint is that I felt every sex scene felt forced. I do appreciate that this author highlighted exploring your sexuality into your 30's though. The writing was cohesive and flowed really well. This was for sure a book that I couldn't put down, all the way until the end and I loved the last part, so that you know Roza is still out there!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. The premise is the chance to stay in a "haunted" mansion with a mysterious author and then to be able to write a novel together with a few chosen others. Good plot and I was excited to hear how this was going to end. The storyline went a different, odd direction and I was lost in the mansion with the characters. Good plot just a different storyline than I was imagining to take place.

I originally requested an arc of Julia Bartz's "The Writing Retreat" due to the synopsis and I thought the cover was absolutely gorgeous. I knew nothing about this author nor any previous work from her so I went into this basically blind. This book was UH-MAYZING!!!!

"The Writing Retreat" is a super fast-paced thriller/mystery. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I will say that this book is a "locked room mystery" (which just happens to be my FAVORITE type of mystery/thriller trope)!

All of our book's characters are at a retreat with a feminist who also happens to be a writer of horror. The authors are told that they have exactly ONE MONTH to write AN ENTIRE BOOK in order to compete for an incredibly lucrative publishing contract. This book gave me serious "Kill Creek" vibes as it has a very similar premise with multiple authors being brought together into an isolated area and I LOVED that book.

This book is a bit of a slow burn, BUT is CHOCK FULL of multiple twists and turns that will keep you wanting to turn to the next page and then the next page and then the next. This book had everything I love in a good horror book: haunted house, psychologically unstable characters and a competition. It's like Horror Survivor.

An easy 4.75/5 stars and will be recommending to friends and family!

Julia Bartz has written a debut thriller about writers, writing, and the power of women. It’s a roller coaster of a read, and is totally unpredictable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

This novel is amazing! Could not put thus down. Each time you think you’ve figured it out, another thrilling layer unfolds. The book is a lens into the life of a writer, contemporary feminism, and how the pressures of finding yourself can often resemble the most horrifying stories. Worth the read. I’ll be looking for other works by this author.

What would you sacrifice to make your dreams come true? Alex thinks that all stars are aligning when she is invited to an exclusive month long writer’s retreat at her idol, Roza Vallo’s, home. Once she arrives at the ominous Blackbriar mansion, something feels off. It doesn’t help that her frenemy Wren was also selected to participate in the retreat. Coincidence or careful planning? It’s a heads down competition as the writers are required to finish a novel in 30 days; writing over 3,000 words a day. The author of the best novel will have their book published with the help of Roza and a massive publishing deal. The strict scheduling and odd ways of Roza seem worth it, until one of the writers goes missing and it quickly turns into a game of survival.

As an aspiring writer, I was so intrigued by this story and excited to read it. We hear how grueling the process can be of writing a novel and when we throw in a little thrill, a little mystery, and some sinister ways we have a very interesting story. The first half of the book was good. I liked the build up to the retreat and the outlining of the different backstories of the characters. We knew the history of Wren and Alex and were provided hints as to Roza’s true character without revealing too much. The second half fell flat for me. We moved too quickly to what I deemed as the turning point in the story. Because of this, I think we missed out on the angst and anticipation of knowing that something bad was on the horizon but having to suffer a little to find out what it was. I like the dance that my brain does of “what’s going to happen? What’s next?” when trying to figure out a plot line and that didn’t happen with this one. That said, if you love thrillers, this will make for a fun read on a snowy day in February.

This was unputdownable!!

The Writing Retreat is like if NaNoWriMo and a reality TV show competition and a thriller had a baby (yes all three). I really really loved the plot of an aspiring writer going off to a secluded writing retreat where things just start spinning TOTALLY out of control. When I say totally I mean totally. Overall the plot was by far my favorite part of this book.

Some interesting side-plots surrounding gender, sexuality, and the writing process add depth and originality to the book that may have been less unique without them.

Some stuff I didn’t totally fall in love with (there were excerpts of the main character’s novel that sometimes bored me, and while the writing was easy to digest, the prose didn’t blow me away), but overall this was a page-turner that got increasingly more chaotic and messy with each chapter.

What a page turner of a book! I was up till 4 am unable to put this one down. But I eventually forced myself to and immediately finished it when I woke up. This is exactly what I look for in a thriller. The all consuming plot, twists, and who can you really trust are just what I needed.

I could indulge further with the synopsis. But I think I would rather focus on what I really loved. I am also at a loss of words after finishing this book. This book was exactly what I needed to cure my slump/book hang over.

What I loved:
- the plot was fast paced, unique and super intriguing. From the beginning I was curious about the reason why the friendship between our MC, Alex, and her best friend, Wren, ended. This book was like an onion that I kept peeling back the layers for more what is really happening moments.
- The twists were fun! Quite a ride too. I had an inkling of what was happening. But it kept getting wilder and wilder
- This really did explore female friendships and relationship dynamics
- Queer representation is always a plus for me!

This book was the perfect read for spooky season! I LOVED it. I can't wait to pre-order this and also get my book club to check it out. I can't wait to read more in the future by this author. 5 stats out of 5! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Grace Under Fire.

And in the scheme of things.........crazies will line up to see you burn.

Alex is in a dry spell. She resents the drudgery of her associate editor job for a failing publisher. Her boss has limited patience with Alex and Alex feels the same. At thirty, she's kept wondering when her own writing ship will come into port. Doesn't seem like anytime soon. All her ideas are out to sea.

But then the sky opens up and Alex is contacted by the famous horror writer, Roz Vallo. Roz has selected five female writers to attend a writing retreat at her Goth mansion, Blackbriar Estate, outside of the Adirondacks in New York. But here's the kicker: The retreat entails spending an entire month at the mansion. Alex uses every scheme to get the time off.

Alex meets the peppy Poppy aboard the same train for the same destination. She and Poppy are awe-struck by the immense size of the mansion built in 1881 by Horace Hamilton. Portraits of Horace and his wife, Daphne, hang in the foyer. It's only later that these women find that the well-to-do couple both came to a bad end.

Greetings are exchanged with Yana, Roz' assistant, cold and off-putting. Alex and Poppy meet Taylor, a middle school teacher, Keira beautifully dressed in black, and most shockingly, Wren. Wren and Alex were best friends until a confrontation left them seething at one another. They can't even stand to be in the same room together let alone to spend an entire month in each other's presence.

Roz, elegant and very straight forward, explains that they have a month to turn out their own manuscript with a thousand words submitted per day. Winner gets published and with a million bucks in her pocket. Pressure......thy name is female writer.

Julia Bartz sets this one up on the dark side of the road. Nothing will come easy for these young women and everything will be hard-wired tension with a side-order of fear. Roz is a no nonsense facilitator of this retreat. She is demanding and seems to pin one against the other. Make no mistake. The stakes will be high in this one as days go by and strange occurences make these participants question one another. And then there's plenty of things that go bump in the night as well.

This is a writing debut for Julia Bartz herself. She's got a creepy imagination like the beating of a tell-tale heart from Poe himself. Dark sensibilities make the case of what is actually heard, seen, and experienced from the female perspective. Bartz drums up a constant buzz of fear on the edges of questioning sanity whether within one's self or others. And it all flows from the dark, dark ink of her well-designed pen.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Simon & Schuster and to Julia Bartz for the opportunity.

Wow what a debut! This is a twisty thriller about a writers retreat in a creepy atmospheric writers home. Clearly there are secrets being held right by the attendees but what are they? I loved the writing, the story is unique and it kept me turning the pages. For those that like a book within a book and books about writers like The Plot this will be a hit. It’s also sexy and cool and I can’t wait for my friends to read it too!