This book was a wild ride! I was hooked from the first line, which literally is “Fu*k her”. I could not believe all of the twists and turns this book had! It was very interesting to read a book about authors and books.

**Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!**

There are elements of this book that I really enjoyed- the premise was unique, and I enjoyed the genre blending aspects. It lost me a bit towards the end- it almost felt like two different books based on the initial pacing and development. I also had some thematic issues, namely the book in the book aspect, but I read an Arc & changes are often made prior to publication!

Thank you so much Netgalley & Atria for the eArc!

“The writer’s mind is a channel. When we open, glorious truths can flow in”

When the once in a lifetime opportunity to join her favorite author on a month long retreat presents itself, Alex knows she has to take it. She’d be crazy not to. Following the traumatic end of a friendship and faced with a year of writer’s block, this seems like the perfect opportunity to reinvent herself. That is until she finds out she’ll be locked in a mansion with said ex-best friend, and everyone else involved is not who they seem to be.

This was such a good read, especially for a debut thriller! I will say, I went in expecting it to be about the writing process and have a heavy emphasis on a competition of who could be the best. At the end of the day, it really wasn’t that which did bum me out. I did like the way the author incorporated the story Alex was writing into the plot, and I found it pretty easy to follow the split plot. I will say, the paranormal aspect and unreliable characters was done really well! I had no clue what was happening until the end and there were enough twists to keep me guessing when I thought I had it figured out.
This was edgy, sexy, graphic and very entertaining. I was able to picture the setting perfectly and felt the isolated winter vibes were the perfect backdrop for this story!

I will admit that this book became increasingly outlandish as the pages were turned. Normally that’s where a thriller loses me - this time my intrigue remained intact. I don’t know if it was the writing focused plot or a life filled with looming deadlines & a racing pulse (an existence I know well), but I was feverishly banging my finger on my kindle as we raced through the expected daily word count of the writers.

Alex, a struggling writer, is invited to an exclusive writing retreat in the mansion of a famous author she has always admired. What begins as an exclusive opportunity and the potential for a seven-figure publishing deal turns into a deadly pressure cooker situation. When other retreat guests / hopeful authors begin to die, and the real terms and conditions of their stay become clear, Alex realizes she has more to worry about than writers block during her stay.

I might not remember the names of the characters in a week and it was not close to believable, but it had me propulsive hammering on my screen as it took me on a wild ride.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free copy to review and Netgalley for the eARC!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the new year, but I panicked a bit when I read the one-star reviews for it. Luckily for me, I didn’t dislike it as much as some people did. Was there a lot of unnecessary sex? Yes. I personally didn’t see how the 30 year old’s struggle with her sexuality really added to the plot in any way. Did the author come across like she was trying too hard to be “woke?” Yes, I can see why readers might feel that way. Will I be putting this on my favorites list? No, but I will recommend it to certain readers.

I loved the premise and was very much intrigued once the retreat actually started. There wasn’t quite as much of the haunting storyline as I was hoping for, but I found the characters interesting and enjoyed how this thriller played out overall. At the end of the day, I just want a thriller to keep me entertained and guessing; this book did that for me.

This book wasn't for me. The beginning started off well and then as the story went on I lost interest. I didn't really care for where the story went and the sex scenes kind of made me uncomfortable.


Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for thr digital arc.

Rounded down from 3.5 stars. The Writing Retreat sounds compelling: 5 young, down-on-their-luck writers are invited to a best-selling author's (who has a cult following) compound for a writing retreat. They are stuck out in the middle of nowhere, during a major snowstorm, and then things start to go awry. I would consider reading another book by this author, but this one didn't quite work for me.

On the upside, the book kept me reading and I was interested enough throughout. On the downside, the characters were a bit annoying, so much implausible behaviour, and some of it dragged a bit. Overall, I can see why the reviews are polarized and people either loved it or hated it...I think that I wasn't excited enough about this story to fall on either side.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an e-galley.

As an author, this concept immediately engaged me. Remote writing retreat, extreme weather, a body count, closed-door thriller – I was excited.

The first half is enjoyable and primarily focuses on the characters’ writing and their excitement over the opportunity to work with Roza. But also at the 50% mark, I wondered when the body count started. I even reread the blurb to see if I was mistaken. Soon after, the plot takes some odd paths.

These characters are difficult to like. Although they’re all dealing with various issues and their backstories are explained, they didn’t change my feelings for the characters. They’re not at the retreat for long before the mean girl tendencies start – something I’m not a fan of.

This is a fantastic premise that includes some nice twists, but I feel like this novel is trying to do too much. It’s a cart full of different ideas tossed together. Reviews are very mixed, but this one didn’t work for me as I’d hoped. It was an easy five star novel for other readers, so it may be the same for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I unfortunately ended up DNFing this book. It wasn't the cutthroat competition I had hoped it would be. It started out strong but increasingly became less interested in the story. Roza wasn't a well-liked character. It went from bad to worse in my opinion and eventually I had to put it down and walk away. The graphic sex scenes didn't add to the book and left me feeling really uncomfortable.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for my digital ARC. All reviews are my own.

What Worked: A suspenseful thriller set in the literary world? Yes, please! Setting a novel in the world of authors and publishing is a sweet spot. And a writer’s retreat that has cutthroat consequences with characters that you don’t know whom to trust… these are the perfect combinations for a page-turning ride. Add in a remote mansion with a mysterious past, and you’ve got yourself a hit. I couldn’t put it down and finished the whole thing in less than 24 hours.

What Didn’t: The ending lasted a bit too long after the big reveal. It was heading for a five-star rating and would have made it if it had only wrapped things up a bit more quickly towards the end. Other than that, it was great.

Rating: Really Liked It

A struggling writer is invited to a month-long writing retreat the estate of her author idol. At the writing retreat, Alex competes against 5 other up and coming authors for a chance at a publishing deal. Everything is not as it seems on this retreat as one, Alex has to face her ex-best friend who was also invited to the retreat. We learn that there may have been a very ugly reason as two why these best friend turned enemies stopped speaking. Further, the retreat begins to take on a mysterious and haunting tone.

This book was very entertaining from the beginning with the pacing and the mystery thriller tone. The only gripe I have with this book is that I did not care for any of the characters, they felt very underdeveloped. The pacing of the book was off, it took very long to get into the story as it was very stale for a good portion once we arrived at the estate. Then everything took off and moved so fast that I could barely keep up as to what was happening.

I will definitely read more from this author as the writing and story over all was intriguing!

3.5/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC. All opinion and thoughts are my own.

I loved the idea of this book about a group of writers trapped and in peril at a snowy retreat. Can they use their writers' smarts to get out of their situation.

I think my favorite part of the book was the relationship between Wren and Alex. It was a really accurate portrayal about how fraught female friendship can be.

I liked the locked room element, though those kinds of books have been very popular of late.

Where the book lost me a little bit was the ending, which was just a bit weird and implausible for me.

While the premise seemed enticing, The Writing Retreat wasn't for me. It's not as much of a nuanced psychological thriller as it is a torture-horror that is somehow both bleak and over the top at the same time. There are things I liked, from the all-female cast of characters, including the main villain, to the meta elements regarding the writing-- and as a writer myself, I think we can all relate to having certain blocks and to the sheer terror of being required to write 3,000 words a day, every single day, without fail. But it all felt a bit shlocky to me, so there wasn't really ever a moment where I bought into the story. I need a suspension of disbelief to enjoy a story. The elusive, possibly sadistic, author trope, the outrageous schedule she presents for those at the retreat (write 3,000 words and read everyone else's stories, and meet with the group for a feedback session, and meet with her for one-on-one tutorials, and have sit-down meals, and edit what you've already written, based on said feedback, and then write more? It's just not possible). Plus the cliquey relationship between the women-- how do you have time for drama when you've got such a grueling schedule?, and then people start to go missing almost immediately. It simply didn't work for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with a digital copy for review.

This book was must more twisted than I anticipated. I enjoyed the first half, but the last half just felt a little too rushed and unbelievable for me to truly love. The characters were different enough to be interesting, but the main character Alex was whiny and too full of self pity for me to truly connect with her. There were some sex scenes that felt forced and unnecessary. But at the same time, I enjoyed this book enough that I wanted to know how it ended. Ultimately I ended up enjoying it despite my problems with it. A solid three stars and I would recommend to fans of closed door mysteries, snowy settings, and convoluted villains.

The Writing Retreat, is such an interesting thriller. I read the premise but it seemed to go off the rails, at times… Alex is at a crossroads with her writing career. Should she give up or should she give it one last try. Fortunately for her a writing retreat is offered to her and it’s something she can’t pass up. One month, with the famous author Roza Valli, a feminist horror novelist, should set her career straight. Even knowing her ex-friend Ren, will be there. She is just going to go and get the best out of the opportunity. Once at the beautiful mansion.. it seems like a dream come true. But Roza throws curve ball after curve ball at the ladies and things start to get wacky. Write a book in a month and get it published. A hefty 6 figure deal and publicity, who could ask for me? It all seems a little crazy but Alex buckles down and tries her best at coming up with a story. Roza seems normal at first but then starts acting bizarre.. the ladies all start to feel something sinister is going on. They must figure out how to finish the month or get the heck out? This was a fast paced read. It was a little far fetched for me but over all it was a 3 star read for me. It’s not the popular opinion but it just wasn’t the best fit for me. I want to thank Netgalley & Julia Bartz for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review this book. What were your thoughts?

3.5 ish stars

I’ve been looking forward to this book for quite some time now, and although it wasn’t necessarily a disappointment, it also wasn’t what I hoped or expected it would be. The premise was great, as was the isolated, gothic, wintery setting. Likewise, the sapphic and supernatural elements were welcome (although unexpected- the initial blurbs about the novel didn’t lead me to anticipate the direction this book would take). Some sections of this novel, especially towards the ending, were quite melodramatic and over the top. Additionally, there were definitely similarities to Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers, which was interesting; I think I hoped this book would be more along the lines of Kiersten Modglin’s A Quiet Retreat. Either way, this novel was certainly an experience. I do think some parts of it will stay with me, and I’ll be interested to see what the writer comes up with next.

When a group of writers go on a writing retreat at a famous author's house in an isolated area, something is bound to go wrong.

This book is so many things all at once, I don't even know what to say. I can't even pinpoint just one word to describe it because sometimes it was doing the absolute most and so wild, while at other times it was eye rolling. Sometimes it was a romance or it was a thriller.

Me: 🤔🤷🏽‍♀️🤯😲🙄
I will say that I couldn't put it down even when it got over the top ridiculous! The author does a really great job of keeping the reader engaged because I could not put this down. There are so many twists and turns along the way that really did kept me hooked.

Overall, I'm very impressed this was a debut! Interested to see what this author comes out with next, I'm sure we'll be in for another wild ride.

One month, 7-figure book deal, mentored by your idol in her secluded house in the woods..... what could go wrong??

The reader experienced this story through Alex's POV, the FMC, who long desired to have a book published but also experienced a nasty case of writer's block since she and her best friend stopped talking. Alex gets an amazing opportunity to not only meet her idol but to be mentored through the process of creating her masterpiece. Four other women join Alex for the writing retreat, and things start really rolling in the story around the 50% mark (first half was gaining background between all the women at the retreat as well as what happened for Alex and her bestie to fall out). Things aren't as they appear in the house in the woods, and Alex soon finds herself fighting for her life, in addition to her creative licence for the story that she needs to write.

Unhinged? Yes. Claustrophobic? Sure. Definitely a thriller, more so than a horror.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I was interested in the storyline fairly quickly but unfortunately, it just stalled out way too soon and I never was interested enough to pick up the thread and concentrate on the story after that.

Alex has always wanted to be a writer. She has watched her friends author and celebrate the publication of their own books and yet she sits at her dead-end job. Alex has a serious case of writer’s block. For over a year, she has struggled to develop any of her ideas into something of substance. When she was 13, Alex read a book that changed her, “The Devil’s Tongue.” The author, Rosa Vallo, now lives on a remote estate called Blackbriar. Each year, she holds a contest for writers who submit stories in exchange for an invitation to an exclusive writer’s retreat where they will be mentored by Vallo.

Unbeknownst to Alex, her friend Ursula submits one of her stories. When Ursula calls with the news she’s been accepted into the retreat, Alex takes leave from her job and travels to Blackbriar. The writers are tasked with producing 3000 words each day of the month long retreat. When one of the women turns up dead, things take a dark turn. With no way to access help, who will make it out alive?

I was really excited about the premise of this book. I love a good closer door thriller. It was a bit of a roller coaster ride. It started off great, it was really slow and hard to stick with, then it got better, went completely over the top, and ended kind of abruptly. I did like the very last part a lot and felt it tied up the loose ends really well. Overall, it was a slow burn with lots of promise that never really quite hit all the marks for me. I’d be willing to give this author another try in the future, but this book just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.