This book delivers in so many ways. Genre bending plot, with thriller aspects, supernatural elements, atmosphere, closed circle mystery, and morally gray characters. This book takes the reader in so many different directions.
Alex and Wren were best friends and roommates until a huge falling out that left Alex unsure if there was a friendship to save. When Alex goes to a friend’s book release celebration, she finds herself in the running to be selected as an up and coming writer who may be invited by her writing mentor, to spend a month at a writing retreat at the author’s upstate New York estate. The only problem is the possibility that Wren may also be invited, causing strife from the beginning. Not only do they get selected, the are expected to room together. And things go from bad to worse. Or do they?
Definitely recommend this one.
#TheWritingRetreat #NetGalley #AtriaBooks

I went into this one with such high hopes and I just couldn’t vibe with it. It took me an entire month to read it because I just didn’t connect with the characters. It was too far fetched for my liking and the dream sequences were too out there for me. I know I’m on the minority on this one!

Ooooh! What a wild and twisty ride this was. Every time I thought I had it figured out, there was another turn. I really enjoyed this read.

Pros: I was interested to read this book when I heard Becca Freeman of the Bad on Paper Podcast mention it. I liked the setup of this book—a group of aspiring authors who attend a writing retreat at a mysterious home owned by a controversial author and compete to write the best novel. This book made me think of a modern thriller with Misery vibes.

Cons: None really. I think this book does what it sets out to do . . . but I don’t think it will stand out to me in the mystery/thriller genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Really impressed with this one! I've read a lot of thrillers over the years, but this one stands out of the crowd to me. The twists were good, the ending was satisfying, and the characters were interesting to follow. It's one of those cases where an interesting premise really pays off. I'm excited to see what Julia Bartz writes next!

Although the premise was very compelling, this novel was not for me. The violence and action was over the top, and the sexual scenes were just weird and out of place. I don't feel like the novel excerpts gave anything additional to the storyline. I didn't find myself caring what happened to any of the characters.

The Writing Retreat is a psychological, locked room thriller that had so many twists and turns, I never knew what would happen next. The characters where great but because Alex is the narrator it felt like it was her story. The isolated house, winter storm and the creepiness really made this book come together. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it to others.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for my digital copy.

Well, that was pretty weird. But you know what? I liked it. The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz was super wild, and not what I was expecting at all. Going in, I knew it was a psychological thriller, but that was about it. I very rarely read the descriptions of thrillers anymore, so I went in quite blind. I loved the premise of this book so much. A group of young female writers are selected to attend a monthlong writing retreat at the home of their favorite horror author. The location is remote and it’s the middle of winter. You just know that some crazy stuff is about to go down! Around the halfway point, things took a bizarre turn, and could possibly rub some readers the wrong way. I’ll admit - it’s a little out there. For me, I was just too curious to quit. I HAD to know how things would pan out. Overall, I’m glad I kept going because I was completely entertained by the quirky, shocking, and suspenseful storyline. I thought it was very original, and had me manically flipping the pages. Julia Bartz has my full attention, and I can’t wait to see what crazy idea she comes up with next. She’s now an author high on my radar. If you’re tired of the same old thrillers, and are looking for something fresh, fun, and new, then definitely give this one a go.

A writing retreat spirals into a horrific nightmare for a group of young writers in Julia Bartz’s The Writing Retreat.

Alex grew up idolizing the reclusive, feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. In fact, Roza was who brought her and her best friend, Wren, together, as they aspired to pen their own like-minded novels. Now, however, Alex grinds at a job she hates, all while wrestling with writer’s block and struggling in the aftermath a scandalous split with Wren.

She then receives an invite to Roza’s highly coveted writing retreat—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be mentored by her hero. But as soon as they arrive at Blackbriar—Roza’s remote estate—the retreat becomes more cutthroat competition than the amiable workshop for which they hoped.

The terms? They must complete an all-new novel in a month, submit their daily word count for critique, and whomever writes the best manuscript wins a life-changing seven-figure deal. As the women hunker down to submit the prerequisite 3,000 words a day, Alex’s research leads her down a sinister path, stoking fears about Blackbriar (and its rumored haunting) and ratcheting unease on Roza’s real motivation. Worse yet, everything wildly unravels when one of their own vanishes in the haze of a night gone wrong. Trapped by a snowstorm, and without Wi-Fi or phone service, Alex desperately searches for answers before it’s too late for them all.

This book really caught me by surprise in the best way. The gothic atmosphere, the nuanced characters, the intensifying tension, and threads of horror, all contributed to the immersiveness and unpredictability of the narrative. The tension between the women, especially Alex and Wren, exacerbated their already dire situation, spurring me to tear through the pages at break-neck speed. The whole experience felt like a wild ride—one teeming with betrayal, obsession, seduction, intrigue, and murder.

You won’t want to miss this one.

Why is everything I'm reading this week so full of lesbian hook-ups?! OMG. This book sounded promising. Five writers go to a writing "retreat" at their favorite horror author's home and then the horror gets real. Yes "Retreat" should really be in quotes in the title. The writers have been lured to a writing sweatshop, snowed in and then one of them goes missing. The remaining four writers band together to sleuth out the real motives of their host and the twists keep coming. Is a bestseller worth killing for? Or DYING for?

Sounds good, however, I really didn't like Alex, the main character whose perspective the book is written from, so it was really hard for me to care if the characters made it out alive or not (aka keep reading). I really couldn't care less about Alex's friend drama with her ex-bestie/fellow retreater Wren. It was such a tedious subplot.

There are sections of the book Alex is writing interspersed with regular chapters. She is writing a historical fiction of the dark history of the author's sketch mansion. I kept waiting for a ghost story to emerge and the story to take a supernatural turn. Sadly, it didn't.

There are almost no male characters in this book and an overabundance of crazy bitches. This book is getting a lot of press and is a featured selection for Book of the Month Club, so a LOT of people are reading it right now. It has a catchy cover, several LGBTQ characters and a gothic-thriller setting. It just wasn't my cup of LSD tea.

The Writing Retreat is available as of today (2/21) and it was quite the crazy ride of a read. I read this in three parts, but when I got to about 50% in, I had to keep going to finish it because it was taking some unexpected turns! The premise of a month-long writing retreat for 5 unpublished under-30-year-olds, hosted by a prominent but reclusive author sounds totally possible.
Thrillers are tough to recommend without giving anything away, but I will say that this a writing retreat I wouldn't wish even my least favorite writers to go on. If you like closed-room mysteries with twists you likely won't see coming, this one may be a good one for you! Thanks to Atria for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. If you didn't know, the author is the sister of another mystery writer - how fun is that?!

Alex can’t believe her luck when she is chosen to attend a writing retreat hosted by her favorite and iconic author, Roza Vallo. Five other young women have been invited as well, including her ex-best friend, Wren. Alex soon realizes that things aren’t as they seem at Roza’s estate, Blackbriar, as people begin to go missing after a snowstorm.

Oh, man. This review is a tough one for me to write. To be honest, I didn’t like this book at all. There was just way too much going on. While the setup was good, the book itself was totally bizarre. It lacked cohesiveness, and it lost my attention. I’m glad I tried it, and I’m grateful to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for my review copies.

Huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book! This is the perfect thriller and who-done-it book for a cold, winter day!! The dark and sinister friendships have you guessing until the final chapters!

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I blew right the hell through it and I miss it already. The plot and setting are both super-intriguing and all the characters are well-drawn — people you can really get. This includes our narrator, whose head is an excellent place to be in. The book never leaves you in one place for too long and there are sooo many questions to flip the pages toward. If you’re wondering if you should start it, you definitely should.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria, and Julia Bartz for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!**

retreat (noun): a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy

This is the definition of "retreat" referenced in the title of this book, and looking at the cover, this definition makes sense (despite the ominous Overlook hotel-esque overtones provided). However, this book had me wanting to personally jump to the OTHER definition of retreat a bit too often. That is, "MAKE a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity"

And in this case that activity was actually getting THROUGH this book.

Writers often need solitude to be at their best...but after months of writer's block, it's clear Alex needs a change. Stuck in a writing rut, she finds out about an exclusive retreat being hosted at Blackbrier Estate by none other than one of her FAVORITE authors, the FABulous Mistress of Feminist Horror herself, Roza Vallo. As one of 5 lucky writers, Alex is even willing to face her estranged former best friend Wren for a chance to work with a legend...even though there is plenty of unfinished business and bad blood still lingering in the air.

Once there, the women discover that they are each expected to finish a full-length novel during the month-long retreat...and the novel Roza likes best will go on to get a whopper of a publishing deal. The competition is fierce, but as fictitious stories are told, some secrets begin to emerge...and strange and sinister happenings take over Blackbrier, taking its inhabitants confused from confused...to alarmed...to terrified. Who will win the prize AND the day? Or is there far more at stake here than the glittering allure of fame?

This is an INCREDIBLY polarizing book, and I after completing it, I get it. It's one of those thrillers that either ticks all the boxes for you or just doesn't hit the mark whatsoever. I'll admit I grabbed this one based SOLELY on the cover (yet again...will I ever learn?!) and went in blind figuring a writing retreat that looked eerie, set in the winter, easy locked room popcorn thriller to chase away the winter blues.

But Julia Bartz seemingly had an agenda...I just have no idea what it actually WAS.

There are so many strange elements tossed together in this, everything from gratuitous sex to paranormal activity, elements of locked room mystery AND gothic mystery, and what I felt was a pretty blatant mix of two Stephen King novels and one OTHER novel as well (mentioned under spoiler tags here) that I honestly just didn't get what I was supposed to get out of this book. The premise was hard enough to believe initially, the characters obnoxious, the writing felt very flat and the excerpts of Rosa's "bestsellers", as well as Alex's book in progress were so painfully boring, I got to the point where I was skimming those passages entirely.

Some reviewers have described this read as "satirical" and "darkly humorous", so I tried to look back at this book in a different light after finishing it...but I couldn't really find anything funny about it either. The 'commentary' on the publishing industry either wasn't spelled out in a way that I found too intriguing or just didn't jive with me: I'm not sure. But needless to say, the plot itself was both a bit goofy and underwhelming to be memorable and since I'd pretty much lost interest it was pretty irrelevant what ended up taking place anyway.

Going to a retreat should leave you refreshed and rejuvenated...but in the case of this one, it was only getting far, FAR away from it that finally did the trick.

3 stars

A terrifically fun thriller and popcorn horror novel reminiscent of the best of Riley Sager.

I didn’t expect to like this book, as I struggle a lot with characterization and relationship dynamics in womens’s thrillers, but this was fun and exciting and a lot more self aware than other novels in this subgenre.

Bartz did a terrific job on the setting, the creepiest, crumbliest old mansion, complete with hostile servants, secret passages, a stunning library and of course, the requisite bad weather trapping all the guests there just as they start getting killed off.

None of this is, of course, especially original. But it’s exceptionally well executed and well paced, and the atmosphere is outstanding. I didn’t love the backstory between the two frenemies present at the retreat, but the dynamic between them does feed well into the greater plot, and Bartz showed remarkably good character development and nuance for a Thriller.

I seem to be in the minority here, but I actually quite liked this book.

First, the setting was incredible. I love a creepy mansion in the middle of nowhere, and to make it a writing retreat from hell is really the icing on the cake.

I also like a slow-burn on occasion, and that's what you got here -- there was an ever-present prickling weirdness that abounded, and that's what drove the story forward. Yes, the first half is a little quiet, but I enjoyed that reliance on atmosphere.

I also liked the story within a story.

Yes, the characters are odious -- but I thought that was the point. They have bad takes and masquerade as open-minded. I know that's not everyone's cup of tea, but I do like it. I didn't feel like their occasionally problematic views were endorsed by Bartz, but rather, that she wanted to showcase just how messy they all were. I could be wrong! But that's how I took it.

This was not what I expected when I started this book. I was intrigued and it kept me wanting to read but it took a couple turns I wish had gone a different direction. That’s not always a bad thing because it keeps me on my toes and not knowing what’s coming next. This was definitely the case with this book.

Omg what an amazing book!!! It’s so good you just don’t want to put it down! It’s one of my favorite books this year!

The Writing Retreat is a psychological thriller that keeps your turning page after page. Alex goes to the retreat and things definitely go astray. The characters all find out things about one another.