Oh my word. I was surprised at how this book turned out for me. As it started, I was enjoying it. Then it took a turn into the bizarre, and I did not even want to finish it, though I did since I am a glutton for punishment. This book turned out to be much less about a thrilling mystery at a writer's retreat than it did an erotic mystery that made very little sense and was certainly not believable in any way. I requested The Writing Retreat based on the title alone. I will not be making that mistake again. I am sorry for the negative review as I know writers put so much of themselves into their books. I just didn't like it, though it did start strong enough.

I'm surprised this is a debut novel. And I mean that in a positive way. It was bold and haunting.

My interest was piqued by the story's premise and setting. Having a group of aspiring authors chosen to attend a retreat to write a book and having one chosen to be published is a neat concept.

I always felt there was more than one character hiding something, and the characters weren't particularly likeable. Nevertheless, I thought the story was well written. Throughout the book, we got pieces of Alex's work that tied into the main story and the house's history, which I liked too.

I wasn’t left in a state of awe, but I did enjoy reading The Writing Retreat and would be interested in reading more from the author when available.

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was WILD!

If you think you know where this book is going, no you don't! If you think you know the plot twist coming, you absolutely do not! This fast paced twisty book had me on my toes and on edge the entire way through. I felt uneasy and isolated and I loved it.

The characters really took turns in this one being likable and unlikable.

I reccomend this one heavily but also reccomend going in as blind as possible!

Read if you like:
Books about books
Snowed in thrillers

Frenemies spending a month together at a writing retreat with a $1 million prize at stake. Whatever could go wrong?!

This book was FANTASTIC! What an amazing read. I was drawn to the name Bartz because, duh, Andrea. And sister Julia did not let me down. This was an absolute thrill-ride that did not stop. I loved this book and cannot wait to see what Julia Bartz comes up with next.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was highly anticipating the release of this novel! I love books so what is better than a book about books. I typically love locked door mysteries as well so being stuck in a potentially haunted mansion is a fantastic setting for a book for me.

I was picking this up at any chance I had to read it. I needed to find out who was going to go missing/die/etc. and secondly who was responsible. It was a wild ride between the owner of the house being insane, the ex friend in attendance, and the snippets of story being included.

I did enjoy this book BUT some of the comments and sexual portions of this book left a bitter or odd taste in my mouth.

There’s no genre more popular than female led thrillers right now. At least, so it seems. And all of those follow a formula. But every so often, an author comes along and works that formula TO THE BONE. Which is very much the case with this debut.
Ironically enough, one of the main characters actively laments absence of daring and originality in genre fiction. But the author here seems to have a very astute understanding of what sells; it’s like she’s got a check list and is determined to check every single box.
All female cast - check.
Remote location with inclement weather – check.
Catty rivalries – check.
Queerness – so many checks. And yet, funnily enough, all of it is handled so tackily as to make it fetishized and weird.
Page turning though cheap and mediocre at best writing – check.
Over the top revelations and twists -check.
There’s more, but let’s get into the plot some instead…
The titular writing retreat is held by a mysterious radically feminist genre novelist whose gothic thrillers have propelled her to unparallel levels of fame. She’s somewhere in her 50s, hot, of course, in a vampy way, and is looking for new talent to nurture.
She finds five of them, young writers desperate for a slice of her fame pie. They come to her remote mansion, get snowed in, psychologically messed with and eventually dead.
You’d care about this if any of them more than cardboard cutouts of female characters, but they are, sadly not. We’re talking about a cast of women so clichéd and tedious, you might want them to get stuck at a murder retreat.
Especially, the protagonist, who may or may not be queer though she can’t and won’t shut up about it. The one thing she isn’t is a good writer (you can tell by the excerpts of her work included) but hey, apparently being a good writer is no longer a prerequisite to getting published. Just look at Bartz.
The Writing Retreat isn’t the worst of its kind, not like, for instance, it’s laughably failed sex scenes. The novel has a certain propulsive quality as its dramatically, ridiculously over-the-top characters convolute themselves into one insane situation after another. But it is, essentially just a steaming pile of pander doodoo.
Pass.
Thanks Netgalley.

3.5 rounded up to 4
This book about what is supposed to be a young writer's dream writing retreat with a beloved, accomplished author, goes off the rails into a wild ride for both the young writers and the readers. The book was extremely twisty, which I loved. However, the unnecessary, graphically detailed descriptions of dream/demon/flashback sex nearly caused me to give up on the book as it truly didn't add to the story in my opinion, but rather distracted from the main story and a similar sinister/eerie atmosphere could be accomplished without such detail. I'm glad I kept reading, however, as I really enjoyed the mysteries that kept popping up, the revelations and the final conclusions that created a satisfactory ending. I look forward to reading more of this author's work!

Overall, this book is a FUN, absolutely ridiculous romp. There's a little bit that's dicey, and the very end (last 2 pages) wasn't my favorite, but if you go into this not taking it seriously at ALL, it's worthwhile, particularly if you are a writer or know writers.

Alex is struggling with writers block and being ostracized from her original friend group due to her fallout with her ex-best friend Wren. She is offered a chance to attend a writer's retreat held by her favourite author Roza. She attends this retreat with 4 other women which includes Wren.

This book was a fun read and the twist really dives into what people will do to publish a best seller.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬💭:
This was my most anticipated winter read. Judging from its cover and the plot, I knew it was right up my alley. Thanks so much to Simon and Schuester for my gifted copy.

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛📝:
Alex is invited to an exclusive writer’s retreat hosted by the famous horror author Roza Vallo at her estate. At the retreat, the other writers must now compete against one another for a chance to win a publishing opportunity of a lifetime by finishing a novel. Sinister things begin to happen and they discover truths behind the gothic estate and the whole retreat itself.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫/5. The book was slow to begin, which almost threw me off tbh. But i was captivated enough to find out what happens. Alot of the characters were unlikeable and I really could not tell where the story was going. Halfway through, the action started rolling and i was eager to turn the pages. I thought it was a thrilling read with a very intriguing plot. However, i felt the first half was unnecessary and the end was a bit underwhelming. It was still a great atmospheric winter read with gothic feels. So if you’re looking for just that, pick this one up for a locked room type of mystery.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘰𝘵, 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘜𝘴, 𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘓𝘎𝘉𝘛𝘘𝘐𝘈+ 𝘳𝘦𝘱, 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺

The book's premise intrigues me, and it starts out with a lot of promise. Unfortunately, I found the execution to be inconsistent. Characterization was at times superficial, and the back half of the book (after a twist that was foreshadowed to the point of being telegraphed) ricocheted from plot point to plot point. I feel like there could have been a phenomenal novel with a bit more fine-tuning.

This book is PERFECT! The cover is what drew me in and I absolutely had to have it! I even bought a physical copy because of how much I LOVED this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book!

The nitty-gritty: Five young writers get the chance of a lifetime in this high octane thriller debut with surprises around every corner.

The Writing Retreat is one of those thrillers that starts out strong and keeps you guessing, and then later in the story sort of goes off the rails with lots of over-the-top action and drama. But I really did have fun reading it, despite some of the ridiculous things that happen.

Alex works for a publishing agency, but her dream is to be a published author. It’s a dream that seems unattainable, until one day her friend Ursula—whose first novel has just been released—calls her with some amazing news. The reclusive Roza Vallo, Alex’s favorite author, is holding an exclusive writing retreat for four promising women writers, hand selected by Roza herself. Alex applied for the retreat and wasn’t one of the final four, but now someone has dropped out and there’s a spot available. And according to Ursula, Alex is in. Alex can’t believe her luck. Not only will she get to spend a month at Blackbriar, Roza’s remote Victorian mansion, but she’ll be mentored by her literary hero.

Alex arrives at Blackbriar, eager to meet her fellow writers and of course, Roza. She bonds right away with a girl named Poppy, and later meets Taylor and Kiera. But Alex is shocked when her ex-best friend Wren—who she hasn’t spoken to in over a year—shows up as a fifth member of the group. And when Roza finally makes an appearance, she lays out her rules for the retreat. Each woman must write three thousand words a day and complete an entire novel by the end of the month. Failure to turn in the requisite pages by midnight each day will result in banishment from the retreat. But the potential reward is worth it, since Roza will pick her favorite book at the end of the four weeks, which will get a publishing deal with a one million dollar advance.

But when Poppy goes missing after one of Roza’s “games,” Alex begins to suspect something isn’t quite right at Blackbriar. 

The story gets off to a great start. Right away, we’re told that Alex is still hurting ever since Wren dumped her, although for a while the reader doesn’t know the reason behind it. When Wren shows up at Roza’s retreat, the emotions are running pretty high, as Alex and Wren have to figure out how to get along. Later, after events at Blackbriar start to spiral out of control, the two have no choice but to set their differences aside in order to survive.

And it doesn’t take long for the reader to realize that something is “off” with Roza, whose shocking mood swings seem merely eccentric at first, but later turn out to be menacing and dangerous. The scenes before the mystery is revealed were my favorite parts of the story, and I thought the author did a great job of creating tension and suspense. Roza pushes the women in some unconventional ways, but she’s making them better writers, isn’t she? There’s also a subplot revolving around the history of Blackbriar which I found fascinating. Alex discovers a book in Roza’s library that tells the true story of Daphne, a spiritualist who lived in the house more than a century before and supposedly contacted a demon named Lamia. Alex finds inspiration in Daphne’s story and decides to write about it, and excerpts from Alex’s book, called The Great Commission, are scattered throughout the story. I liked the way the themes in her story echo the events going on in the present day, and although the “book within a book” device doesn’t always work, I thought it did here.

And I did like the twist—the reveal about Roza and the reason she’s holding the retreat. While the idea was pretty far-fetched, I understand this is fiction and it’s meant to be a bit over the top. But this is also the point where the story started to lose me. What starts as a creepy mystery, complete with an old house, an encroaching snow storm and unreliable characters who are hiding secrets, turns quickly into a bloody mess. Alex starts having sexual dreams about the demon Lamia, which didn’t really fit the vibe of the story. Other elements just seemed silly to me, which I can’t talk about because of spoilers. 

Despite these complaints, though, The Writing Retreat was a fast-paced, fun read. I also liked that the author added layers to her story with some thoughtful messages. Alex and the others are faced with the question “How far would you go for fame?” after they learn the truth about the retreat, and later Alex comes to the realization that in fact Roza has made her a better writer. Not only that, but she’s learned that she can still be a writer without a big publishing contract, and no one can take that away from her.

I really enjoyed the last chapter, which takes place six months after the climactic events at Blackbriar. There’s a hint of a mystery still unsolved, but most everything is wrapped up nicely. If you’re looking for a thriller with a literary element to it, and you don’t mind a story that’s overly dramatic at times, you should definitely give this book a chance.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

A true page-turner. As a mystery-thriller aficionado, the premise jumped out to me. The emotions of our protagonist, Alex, were palpable from the start, and I didn't want to put it down, no matter how much I needed to sleep. Compelling, bizarre, chaotic—everyone should visit The Writing Retreat.

There's already a lot of books about writers going on retreats in rural areas where things go wrong, but this one brings some new things to the trope.

1) the cast of characters: all women and two are sworn frenemies.

2) the twists keep coming and getting twistier.

3) the action revs up and gets real Charlie's Angels style.

Otherwise it's the same plot of mysterious introverted genius author hosts a writing retreat with big prize at her equally mysterious and beautiful mansion in the woods. There's lots of wine and sexy jabs and talk of plots and dramaaaa. All the things a thriller lover wants in a book are here and it's truly bonkers in the way it all plays out. Nothing realistic here just pure twisted fiction with homage to Clue, Agatha Christie and Stephen King.

Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me. It involved a lot of triggering abusive behaviors and it felt like the author was going more for shock value than actual story line and character development. I could not finish the book.

Thanks to #netgalley & #atriabooks for the advance copy of this book - the opinions are my own.

3.5 stars - I feel like this is a case of a bit of a misleading jacket blurb. The blurb for The Writing Retreat says: "Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself." While that is all kinda true, what it doesn't mention is that it's a fairly spicy sapphic thriller and has definite horror vibes. I was surprised by that. You'd think that publishers would want to be more clear in the themes of the book so it reaches the right audience.

While the writing in this debut was okay and some of the characters were appropriately questionable/unreliable, and the horror element wasn't extreme, it somehow was not at all what I was expecting. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but this time I felt a little tricked. I'd probably classify it as a psychological thriller due to all the mind games every single character was playing, but with the caveat that there is some fairly explicit f/f sex scenes.

Alex, the narrator, was the only character that showed any growth or change at all and it wasn't particularly noteworthy. Keira and Poppy, and even Wren to a certain extent, are pretty one dimensional. All in all I feel like it was a fairly average story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Alex is stuck in a dead-end publishing job, writing dreams on ice after a brutal friend-breakup leaves her with a violent case of writer's block. As if by a miracle, a friend with connections calls to tell her she pulled some strings to get her into a writing retreat held by the ultra-famous author Roza Vallo. A last-second dropout for the retreat left a vacancy, and Alex's story was accepted. The only catch - Wren (the friend from the aforementioned "breakup") will also be there. Unable to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass, Alex sets off to spend the next month at Roza Vallo's famed Blackbriar Estate for the month-long writing retreat. What starts as a huge opportunity for a group of women quickly turns dire. Roza Vallo pushes the women on the retreat to their limits, enforcing a strict writing schedule (and harshly critiquing the work they produce), and playing sadistic mind games. First thrilled with the challenge, the women on the retreat quickly discover there might be something darker at play at Blackbriar. Soon, they will be writing for their lives.

The writing retreat is written from Alex's perspective. Through her eyes we get to meet the other women at the retreat. Though there are a fair amount of characters in this book, they each have a distinct voice that kept them unique and interesting. It's also interesting to see Alex's character arc from superfan of Roza Vallo to where she lands at the end of the book, and to see her relationship with Wren play out while they're pitted against each other. I also found the evolution of the relationships between the other women at the retreat very compelling, especially as the retreat begins to make them crack under pressure.

The excerpts from the novel Alex is writing throughout the duration of the retreat as interludes between chapters add a level of immersion to the novel, especially the setting of Blackbriar.

I have the feeling the last 1/3 of this book will be divisive, but I found it enjoyable. The book quickly takes a turn into psychological thriller territory, with some paranormal elements at play as well. I absolutely could not have predicted the direction or outcome of this one.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely out there, but not in a bad way. If you like books about reading and writing (major themes on the creative process and what truly inspires great writing) or are just in the mood for a psychological thriller this one is worth picking up.

TWs for: murder, violence, imprisonment, drugs

Crossposted to goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5242241228

Not my usual genre of book, but I had a good enough time reading it. It didn’t really hook me — I read it over a long time with a lot of starts and stops, and I didn’t really feel that invested in the story. I haven’t read a lot of thrillers and I think my lack of interest in “solving the case” before it’s revealed plays a part in my lack of enjoyment. It left me wanting a bit more, but overall I still think it’s a good read.

I thought it was ok! It felt a bit all over the place. I wasn't super interested in the plot as the story progressed. A bit bizarre for my taste. I felt that some things were included just for the shock value and felt a bit over the top/made me roll my eyes.