This book wasn't for me. I think mainly because I am not interested in the writing process and I am not into a book within a book. This story revolves around a writing retreat where over the top things happen.

Alex is a struggling writer after a fight with her bestie, Wren. So she is so excited when she gets a call that she was chosen by her favorite author Rosza Vallo for a writing retreat at her estate. One problem- Wren was also chosen. But that’s not the half of it. Soon members of the retreat start dying and it looks like the writing retreat isn’t really what any of them signed up for after all.

I didn’t love the story within a story where we got to hear excerpts from Alex’s book. I was confused by the parallel it was trying to draw to Alex’s story. I think it could’ve done without that part, but otherwise I found it creepy, twisted and a good thrill.

Pick this up for twisted crazy entertaining ride.

THE WRITING RETREAT by Julia Bartz: An intriguing premise, but the execution fell short. A solid start, but it quickly got “WTF weird”. It was the demon sex chapter that put me off and it never recovered from there. The book within the book was trash (fight me) and should have been omitted. Tell me how it added to the plot. I didn’t predict the twist, but I wasn’t shocked by it either. The sex scenes felt contrived, weird and awkward. And what was that ending? This was Julia’s debut. I’d still give her another chance.

While the story was engaging at times, there was an emotional distance between myself and Alex that made it hard to really get invested in the book. I thought it had a good premise at first, but then became over complicated as it felt like the author was trying too hard. Honestly, I enjoyed the book more before murders starting happening as that's when it went off the rails for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I LOVED this book. I love love love the locked door trope. I cant get enough! The estate where this took place gave me exactly what I was look for (as did its owner). As an added bonus, we get a book about authors and a competition? This was incredible!

I enjoyed the dynamic between Alex and Wren- and I just had to know what was going to happen. Definitely will be a reread for me in the future.

Overall, a super interesting concept for a book and a pretty crazy ride. Drawn out and unrealistic at times.

Roza, a famous author, hosts a writing contest. If selected, the writer will win a spot at a retreat in Rosa's old mansion The winner receives a 1 million dollar publishing deal. Seems like a dream, right? Alex has had writer's block for a year. This is the perfect chance for her to start writing again, even those her ex-BFF Wren will be there.

At the retreat, odd things start happening. Rosa's behaviour is unpredictable and often strange and volatile. Things really take a turn when one of the writer's goes missing during a snowstorm. With no way of getting out of the house to escape the storm, Alex and her fellow writer's are left waiting for help.

Based on the synopsis, I wanted more from this book. It was okay, but the slow pacing and unrealistic parts took away from the overall plot line. Some parts felt silly and overly dramatic. I didn't like that there was a book within the book, written by Alex. I skipped those pages. Was super boring.

I did really like Alex and her character development. She is definitely the best part of the book. The author did a good job at building tension and explored difficult topics.

Thank you Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

This book is just bonkers, and I absolutely loved it. It’s one that just could never happen, but it was so much fun to discover who was on what side, the secrets each character was hiding, and to see how everything came together. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did.

The main character, Alex, is chosen to go on a writer’s retreat with her favorite author. Ultimately, the writer who has produced the best book will get it published. Then Alex’s frenemy shows up. Then mysterious things start happening, then everything falls apart. This book has a great plot but also has an excellent atmosphere. The house the writers are staying in is very creepy, and then the snow hits leaving them isolated. As the book progresses, the craziness ramps up, and I couldn’t read fast enough. What a fun ride!

This was creepy and bad. I like thrillers or murder/Mysteries but this one was off the rails. It didn't make me feel good reading it, and I was glad it was over.

The Most Anticipated Mystery and Thriller Books of 2023

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

Imagine doing NaNoWriMo not for love of the challenge but for a seven-figure publishing deal… but you have to do it at a remote writing retreat… and your literary nemesis is competing right alongside you. Any artist would have writer’s block under those circumstances, but aspiring author Alex is determined to fulfill this seemingly impossible challenge put forward by feminist horror writer Roza Vallo.

Of course, those aren’t the only obstacles to finishing an entire novel; as a snowstorm descends upon the estate and one of the writers goes missing, things turn decidedly Shining-esque for Alex and her rival (and former friend) Wren. Authors—or anyone with a story they’re dying to tell—make excellent thriller protagonists, and I can’t wait for the added layers of female friendship and betrayal as two ambitious women grasp for fame.

This one is a 4.5 ⭐ rounded down. I truly enjoyed the plot, characters and especially the writing. This one didn't have the biggest twist, but otherwise this is a fantastic novel. Especially the character development. I would pick up more books about Alex for sure. I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from this author!

I read this earlier this year when it came out, and it was an excellent novel. The twists were crazy and I still remember them. I highly recommend this.

This was a slow-burn and I didn't care enough about the characters to keep reading. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my review.

It was just ok for me. Didn't really keep my interest. I struggled following along or even staying interested. Truthfully, I didn't finish reading the book. I'm sure it was my mood rather than the author's ability to write.

This was a pretty good book overall, but if I'm being honest, it wasn't special. The biggest challenge for me as a reader was that it couldn't keep momentum. It would reach a high point in terms of building some suspense, but then it would just lose it. There would be long periods where it was just slow. I did like the exploration into the complexities of female friendships and the way they often have a sexual charge, but I think there are books that do it better.

The isolated, remote location really set the tone, and it added an extra layer of uneasiness. I liked that it was told from only one POV (Alex) which is a nice change of pace, as many thrillers now are told from multiple POVs. The story within a story aspect did not work for me, although it wasn't a major drawback. This was very tension filled and it did a good job of building up the suspense and tension. The pacing was good until the end which felt very rushed to me.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz was so captivating, so addicting, that once I started I had to force myself to take breaks. It is THE spooky season book of the year for me!

The novel follows Alex, an aspiring author who's had a bad case of writer's block since she and her best friend Wren had a gorey falling out. When both Alex and Wren are chosen along with 3 other young females to participate in a writing retreat hosted by feminist icon Roza Vallo, Alex decides to try to shove down the past to make way for her future. But as the month progresses, snow traps the group in place and women begin dying. Despite it all, the circumstances seem to be leading Alex to creating a masterpiece of a novel, if only she can survive long enough to finish it.

The twist and turns this novel took had my heart racing. I was continually alternating between a deep terror and utter fixation. Each woman is unique, playing an active role in the novel's slow yet steep demise. Best of all, the novel was full of several captivating stories sprinkled throughout. I was never bored, and at the end all I could think about was that I wanted even more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Creepy, spooky, atmospheric: need I say more!? This story takes place in a winter retreat for writers and once the story gets going it really goes! This was a great thriller and I genuinely loved reading this one. Once I started it was hard to put it down.

Great read. Overall enjoyed it but if I am honest I did not love how the ending. Still worth the read--fun thriller for this Fall!

Thank you to Atria Books for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so much potential but it was ultimately a hot mess. Did it want to be deep and metaphorical? Did it want to be a straightforward thriller? Did it want to be paranormal? Did it want to be a commentary on the publishing industry? I think it wanted to be entirely too many things and it feel short of all of them.

From the book description: "This unhinged, propulsive, claustrophobic closed-door thriller will pull you in and spit you out…" Unhinged is right! What starts off as a cozy writing retreat quickly escalates due to psychotic behavior by some in attendance. Oh my! Because Alex is writing a book while at the retreat, at times we are reading two different story lines and I wasn't a fan of that. The ending of this book was a lot. I'll just leave it at that. I'm giving the book 3 stars because I did appreciate Alex's emotional growth journey to find courage and strength and believe in herself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.