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The writers retreat
von Samantha Veránt

In diesem Buch lernen wir Liv, aka Olivia kennen. Sie strebt eine Autorenkarriere an, und ihr fertig gestelltes Manuskript scheint vielversprechend zu sein.
Besonders, weil Livs Vergangenheit mehr als kompliziert ist. Auf Bitte eines Verlags hin meldet sie sich last minute für ein Writers Retreat an. Dort soll sie die Mitarbeiter des Verlags kennenlernen, sich mit anderen Autoren austauschen und sich inspirieren lassen. Das Wochenende scheint wie ein Traum-so soll am Ende Livs Manuskript unter Vertrag genommen werden.
Aber vor Ort kommt alles anders, als gedacht. Alte Bekannte, Freunde, Liebschaften und Geschichten tauchen auf. Seltsame Vorkommnisse Haufen sich, und dann taucht auch noch die Person auf, mit der Liv noch eine Rechnung offen hat.
Am Ende des retreats werden Leichen geborgen werden, Geheimnisse aufgedeckt und Liv zu einer völlig anderen Person werden.
Oder vielleicht wird sie wieder die Person werden, die sie vor so vielen Jahren war?

Ich mochte das Buch von Anfang an. Die Kulisse, die Hauptprotagonistin Liv scheint in den ersten Kapitel sympathisch und authentisch zu sein. Der Schreibstift ist flüssig und ich habe mich Liz sehr nahr gefühlt. Bis zur Mitte des Buches blieb das so. Die verschiedenen Charaktere und Verzwickungen zwischen den Gästen des Retreats sind deutlich gezeichnet und individuell durchdacht.
Die zweite Hälfte des Buches warf zunächst mehr Fragen auf, beantwortete diese aber relativ schnell. Die dysfunktionalen Dynamiken und das Hin und Her zwischen Charakteren, Geschichten und Schilderungen zog sich meiner Meinung nach sehr lange hin. Dennoch spricht es für die Authentizität der Inhalte, dass es für mich zunehmend unbequemer wurde. Leider beeinflusste das aber auch meine Offenheit und Motivation, das Buch zuende zu lesen.
Abgesehen von sehr komplizierten Zusammenhängen und der für mich langatmigen zweiten Hälfte des Buches ist "The writers retreat " ein Thriller für jeden, der das extra an Plottwists und Verästelungen sucht.

2.5 stars

If you're after a fast‑paced, mean‑girls type thriller with an isolated retreat setting, The Writer's Retreat will like hit the spot but don’t expect much depth or characters you want to root for.

Most characters fell flat it was a bit of a struggle to follow who was who as all the main characters felt like archetypal mean girls - rivalries, cliques and loads of catty dynamics which can be fun but did get tiresome quite quickly.

Tension rose and fell as the twists felt quite obvious and the story felt a little thin but it was overall an easy and quick read with fast pacing that kept me turning the pages. If you're looking for an unchallenging and escapist thriller this will likely work for you, especially if, like me, you're a fan of books about books, writers and writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a digital review copy of "The Writers' Retreat" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

The Writers' Retreat is a fast-paced psychological thriller that dives into themes of toxic friendship, betrayal, and cults. Liv, an aspiring writer, gets invited to a remote and exclusive writers' retreat. Just as she's about to leave for the retreat, Liv discovers that her ex-fiancée has been murdered and her two ex-friends are being questioned for his death. More shocking, he left everything to Liv. Now, the retreat is not only a great networking opportunity but also a much needed escape. Unfortunately, at the retreat, Liv is forced to face all the demons of her past while also trying to avoid those of her present.

There were by far too many unnecessary, underdeveloped, and unrelated storylines. The author really tried to force a lot of the totally random plotlines to connect and they just didn't. This easily could have been three different books - each with more developed characters and plots. The book ended and I still had so many questions. With that said, I also didn't really care to have those questions answered because the author didn't give me reasons to care about the characters or the mystery(ies). I really had liked the idea of this book but found it poorly executed.

The Writers' Retreat
by Samantha Vérant
Pub Date: 22 Jul 2025

I was hooked from the start of The Writers Retreat! I liked the writing style, the pace, descriptions and the characters. Hands down, It's an Absolutely Gripping, Unforgettable Thriller! I highly recommend this book.

Synopsis: When Liv Montgomery is invited on an exclusive, week-long writing retreat, she can’t believe her luck. But some of her fellow novice writers are better at spinning a yarn than they seem. And Liv winning a place was certainly no accident. Then the plot takes a turn towards murder, and Liv is found holding the knife…

Many thanks to #TheWritersRetreat #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me an E-ARC of this book.

A twisty, suspenseful read set in a luxurious writer’s retreat gone wrong. Glamorous setting meets deadly secrets. While some twists are more surprising than others, the suspense and setting work well together

Honestly, this book wasn’t bad, but I feel as though the time jumps were short and slightly confusing at times. The plot twist was one that I never saw coming, but the ending genuinely left me wanting for something more thriller-like. I feel as though the main character’s actions throughout the entire book didn’t really make any sense, and by the end I couldn’t really tell anybody’s intentions. Fun, easy read though.

The Writers' Retreat
By: Samantha Vérant

4 Stars

Olivia finds herself on a retreat that will bring her past to her present. A past she hoped to have left there, rears its ugly head at the writing retreat in the form of Kat, Olivia's ex best friend and roommate. Soon, Olivia and Kat find themselves both in danger. They think they know their enemy, but the real enemy, who knows?

This was such a fast-paced and crazy wild ride. Friendships, a cult, murder, mystery, and betrayal can be found in these pages. This story was complex and colorful. It had both suspense and mystery. It showed how quickly a friendship can turn from beneficial to betrayal. The characters were real and captivating and kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat by the end, and wow what a shock, I was completely enveloped in a crazy story that I hated to put down. Great writing and character development, joined with awesome visuals, left me hooked so I know others will be, too.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

*2.5 Stars*

Liv Montgomery has always dreamed of being a writer. When she is invited to a writer's retreat to be mentored by one of her favorite publishers at a luxury estate in the Catskills, she can't believe her luck. But once Liv arrives, she quickly finds that not everything is what it seems. The retreat soon turns deadly, and it looks like someone wants Liv to take the fall.

I was looking forward to this book, but I was left disappointed. I thought a murder in a secluded resort would be fun to read, but this book mainly focused on the toxic relationships between the main characters. It made it difficult to connect with any of the characters or care what happened to them in the end. The twists were predictable, and the ending was anticlimactic. The Writers' Retreat had enough mystery not to DNF, but overall, this book was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to review The Writers' Retreat. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

With thanks to the author and Storm Publishing for a digital ARC.

Another twisty thriller from Samantha Vérant that had me hooked all the way through. The storyline is a bit convoluted (and requires you to suspend disbelief!) and moves back and forth in time, but it keeps you on your toes! Loads of twists I actually didn't see coming, it was fun to ride the rollercoaster with the characters. A perfect summer page-turner!

Liv Montgomery is invited to a writers retreat in the Catskills, she accepts without hesitation and is then faced with the daunting prospect of running into not one, but TWO of her ex best friends. Turns out one of her ex friends owns the property where the retreat takes place, and the other is hell bent on ensuring Liv has a terrible time. No one is as they seem, and danger lurks around every corner.

The Writer’s Retreat was full of surprises, and dark twists. The characters were very reminiscent of mean girls, and gave off frenemies vibes. High school truly never ends, right? The murders begin to pile up pretty quickly, and the killer was very unexpected.

I think this is a 3.5 for me. It was engaging and was well written, but sometimes it got boring. It had too many characters that were too connected but overall okay.

Fatal Retreat..
A writers retreat turns fatal when writer Liv Montgomery is invited to an exclusive get away from it all. She’s amazed at the invite, a week long retreat is a dream she could have only hoped for - but what, exactly, lies behind the invitation? As events begin to spiral, murder will rear its head. Nicely written psychological suspense.

Meh. Not bad but I saw it coming from miles away. The plot twist was very obvious for me but I like the style of writing. Maybe I'll try something else from that author?

The Writers' Retreat is a twisty thriller about Liv, a writer, getting invited to a retreat. This comes at a time where she finds out that her ex boyfriend has been murdered. He was one of those cheating ex's that she caught with one of her best friends, but upon his death, she learns that he left everything to her, making her the prime suspect. The retreat, however, is no relaxing retreat either because a lot of people from her past start popping up and her work, her writing, is being sabotaged. There's a lot of twists in the story that you don't see coming. However, I had a really hard time connecting with the story. I wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters. I was also confused at some parts of the story. The story isn't as fast paced as I typically like. I found this to be a little on the slower side. I still think you should check this story out, it just wasn't for me.

Liv Montgomery has just broken up with her fiancé after finding him in bed with her best friend. She is making the best of her life with what she has left. Liv works in a bookstore while writing her first novel.
Immediately after submitting her novel, Liv received an invitation to attend an exclusive writers' retreat.
Upon arrival, Liv is greeted by her new boyfriend and some other friends from her past. Liv teels there is more to this retreat than writing.
Things get weird quickly. There is murder and plenty of mean girl energy.
Was Liv invited so she could be framed? Does someone want to crush Liv's dream of becoming a published author?
The Writers' Retreat is filled with twists. Every character has an angle. The story is told through multiple POV's.
This book is a fun summer read with an interesting ending.
Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

I enjoy reading this book. The story has numerous twists. As in the previous two books by Samantha Vérant, the end is an out-of-the-ordinary law final expectancy story. Very, very fanny in some passages.

Overall, a quick and easy read. I always enjoy books with culty vibes. I loved the short chapters, I absolutely flew through this book. I was kept entertained without having to use too much brain power which is sometimes exactly what you need from a book. The plot twist got me — I absolutely did not see it coming. I think the ending fell slightly flat just because it was left open ended with Kat but overall I enjoyed this book.

Reading this book felt like what I imagine cheating on my husband would feel like. A stolen glances, hiding under the covers, checking my phone when he’s not looking… and all to read the book!

This felt like Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars, before it went downhill, and I was there for it. The narration is split into three acts, but we get to read three perspectives - the protagonist, the antagonist and the past. As simple as it seems, I absolutely loved getting to know the characters from different perspectives, and I could not stop reading. Anytime I had a second, be it when my hubby was on his phone, waiting in cinema for the movie to start, or the 3 minutes I had at work waiting for a reply, I was reading!

The premise of the story is simple - Liv, an aspiring writer gets invited to an exclusive writers retreat, after her query makes waves at the literary agency of her dreams. As we follow along we learn that Liv’e motives may be darker than expected, and that Kat, Liv’s nemesis may not be as evil as it seems at first sight. While I expected more of a murder mystery based on the blurb alone, I had great fun trying to piece different puzzles together and seeing how everything unfolds.

My only issues, which is why I ended up with 4.5 ⭐️ were the ending, and characters voices. Kat and Liv’s narration was at times very similar, to the point where I could not tell if I’m reading Liv’s or Kat’s POV. The other issue was Trinity… her character started off strong and I hoped to see more of her, but ultimately she ended up being the weakest part of the book for me.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced page turner and like to have fun playing detective, this is definitely a must-read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed The Writer’s Retreat because it has so many things I love in a thriller — a cast of strong, memorable female characters, friendships that are starting to fray, a hint of romance and jealousy, and a tangled web of secrets that completely pulls you in. The fact that it centers around writers and books made it even more fun to read.

The secluded setting adds to the tension and keeps the stakes high as the story twists and turns. It’s a fast, addictive read that balances suspense with complicated relationships, making it hard to put down. If you enjoy thrillers with mystery, drama, and a bookish edge, this one is a great pick.

The Writers Retreat sounded like a perfect holiday read. It fell flat for me unfortunately on the whole thriller element.

The characters seemed, quite frankly, Bonkers! I'm not convinced any of the female leads would be out unsupervised. It is really a multi- faceted revenge novel that could have been much more compelling.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated.