If you were a writer and your favorite author announced that they were hosting a month-long retreat at their house for unpublished writers, would you apply? I'm a writer, and before reading The Writing Retreat, my answer would have been yes. Now, I'm not so sure...

Our narrator in The Writing Retreat, Alex, is languishing--at her job, in her dating life, in her friendships, and in her writing. The previous year she had a falling out with her best friend, Wren, and things have been miserable ever since. Then, through a series of events she would've never expected, she is accepted into a small group of writers who've been selected to attend a retreat hosted by the reclusive and famous feminist horror writer, Roza Vallo. The retreat will take place in February at her isolated 19th century mansion in upstate New York. But there are some rules: each writer has to start and complete a completely new manuscript, and they have to write 3,000 words a day, no exceptions. But what starts as a fast-paced but rewarding retreat devolves into a cutthroat and haunting exploration of ambition, envy, inspiration, female friendships, morality, and competition between peers. You will not believe where this book ends up!

I would recommend this book to readers of Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews, The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz, and A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch. It's a breakneck thriller set in the cutthroat world of writing and publishing, and I can't wait to see what Julia Bartz writes next!

It was not great... The plot and set up was really cool and interesting, but a lot of the scenes felt out of place and I didn't care for the very harsh language. It's sad because this was a really cool idea.

This one was full on looney tunes, and I'm still trying to digest what I just read. 3.5 stars? Maybe? I like the concept but it went entirely off the rails for me.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz is a modern thriller about writing. A book about books. A book full of writer writing about writing books. *sigh.....And here's the rub....

I liked 75% of this book. In fact, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what happened between Alex and Wren. I wanted to know what could have broken up a friendship so deep so cause such dramatics. I also wanted to find out who would win the great prize.

But then the last 25% of the book just....went too far. Every page was a new "twist" was went above and beyond. Everyone was another level of childish or overly sexual teenager experiencing a sexy dream for the first time. The violence was unhinged, and frankly - at one point, I just lost track of what was even going on.

THAT SAID, I kind of loved it?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Alex has had writer’s block since a falling out with her best friend. She’s ecstatic when she wins a contest to spend a month with her favorite author and a handful of other up-and-coming writers. The only down side is that her ex-friend will also be there, forcing her to navigate through repressed emotions and hard truths.

Writer’s Retreat is a dark and twisty story in a gothic setting with plenty of secrets. A fast-paced page turner that’s impossible to put down once you’re hooked in.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

4/5
Alex, a struggling writer working at a publishing company who has been dealing with writers block for the past year, seems to be stuck in her life while her friends all thrive. After attending a book party of one of her friends and running into Wren, her once bff that mysteriously ended their friendship and basically cut her off not just from her life but that of their group of friends, she gets a once in a lifetime invitation to spend a month long writing retreat at Roza Vallo's estate, a writer she's long admired and who is famously both a genius and a recluse. There is one problem though; Wren will also be attending along with three other women, the prize: Getting the novel they write fast tracked, a guaranteed 8 figure deal and the promise of instant success with Roza Vallo's vouching. Alex decides she can't let this opportunity pass her and after fretting over what Wren might reveal to the rest of the group she decides to give it her all in the hopes of being the winner. Things however, are not as easy as they appear. Soon, Roza plays psychological games with them and after a heavy snow storm and being trapped in the house because of it, one of the girls goes missing unfurling a sequence of events that is more twisted and darker than the next. Will Alex and her peers be able to weather the storm, find the truth and come out victorious? Or will the suffer the fate of their missing peer?

I really enjoyed this book, It was fast paced with short chapters, entertaining and layered. My main cons were that in its twistyness, it was still somewhat predictable and some of the things happening seemed really outlandish. What I've always found annoying in a character too (once we discover they're part of the folly) is how sarcastic and showy they get? to the point where they always make a huge mistake that of course leads to dire consequences for them . As a writer myself though I couldn't imagine having to write 3000 words a day and be ready to be dissected and get feedback every night, now THAT sounds terrifying!

The plot, the pace and the setting were all great for me though. If you enjoy fast paced psychological thrillers than this one is for you! OUT 2/21/2023. Thanks to the publisher for the #arc !

The Writing Retreat by Julie Bartz was a pretty good read, it's interesting to read about those pursuing a writing career, nonetheless in a mansion at a writing retreat with a famous writer at the helm. The mystery was there along grabbing me from the first few pages, so I read on. However, I think the book devolved into something less than, the introduction of a scary creature/devil element was off-putting. I also didn't care for the use of she/her in the characters introducing themselves to each other in the beginning. Totally not necessary. Kind of stereotyping young female writers.

I was really into this for the first third or so, and then I gradually lost interest as the premise became more and more absurd. I kept waiting for a true twist that never came, and instead it was just about a bunch of insane people doing increasingly more insane things. By the end, I was only interested in finishing, not really in finding out what would happen.

3.5 stars.

The Writing Retreat is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented to five women authors under the age of thirty: the chance to spend a month with famed horror author Roza Vallo and work under her tutelage.

Alex has just surpassed the big 3-0 and is struggling. She is not content at her publishing job with her demanding boss. Her best friend abruptly moved out of their apartment a year ago with little notice and completely ices her out, taking their mutual friends with her. She hasn't been able to write a word since.

When she receives the call that someone dropped out of the retreat and a spot opened up for her, she jumps on the opportunity --- despite the fact that former best friend Wren has also been invited.

Once she arrives at the house, she is immediately taken aback by Roza's hot and cold demeanor. The writers quickly realize this is going to be less of a retreat but a book camp --- they will be required to complete an entire book while they are at the house and the best book will receive a publishing contract at the end of the month. But the more furiously they write, the stranger things get...

I think this is one of those books that is better to go in blind, so I won't say much about what happens at the house other than to say it was even more dark, gruesome, and unbelievable than I expected. The end of the book was action-packed and chaotic --- truly a wild ride. The only reason I didn't rate higher is because I truly did not like any of the characters!

What a crazy, wild ride of a read. I really enjoy reading books about books/the publishing world/the writing process. That was what initially drew me to "The Writing Retreat" but unfortunately I was disappointed by that lack of content. Full honestly, this book was not for me but I can see a lot of people really enjoying this.

Alex is an aspiring writer who is in the midst of a year long writers block brought on my a falling out with her best friend. When she is given the opportunity to go to a writing retreat with her idol author it sounds like a dream come true. The only catch is her ex-best friend will also be attending the very exclusive and prestigious writing retreat. Things start to spiral out of control (and get pretty weird in my opinion) once the retreat is underway.

The I had really high hopes for this at the start of the book but as the story progressed I honestly stopped caring about what happened to anyone in the book. The likable characters were underdeveloped which left the reader spending a lot of time with unlikable characters. There were very weird side stories and unbelievable motivations. Overall it just was not for me.

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance of publication.

Thank you to Atria books for a Netgalley.

Well, this one was quite the ride. The premise? Loved it. Locked door in the middle of no where? Yes please. Haunted house? Yes. Mysterious author who asks other women for a writing retreat but you know she has alliterative motives? Also yes. Did the enjoy the ending? YESSSSSSSS

Execution? Eh. While I was ok with the craziness of the ending, which will bother some, I felt this book stood still too many times. Our protagonist is whiny to the point of immaturity and too woe it me. The book inside the book actually took away from the plot in my opinion, as I found the background of the house took too much time. We kept coming back to that and honestly it made the book less creepy.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Would I recommend it? Yes, but those who don't like a stretch of an ending will have to suspend belief or move on from this.

My thoughts about this book while reading:
- Starts off gripping you from the start. Makes you want to know what happened between the main character Alex and Wren
- I feel like I had an idea about what was going on between Alex and Wren (AKA they were more than just “friends”)
- This book promotes social awareness: discussion about pronouns, lesbian sex, drugs
- Ok the scene where Roza drugs them with LSD and Alex goes into the basement with Poppy/Zoe was a little out there. Lesbian/demon sex on LSD?
- Some of it was a bit confusing and I had to go back and reread it again. For example, when Alex had the dream that she fell over the banister.
- I like the character development in Alex. I really like how all the characters have their own unique personalities
- Slow burner throughout the middle but picked up and had a twist I was not expecting! Roza doesn’t write her own books and she is a murderer? 😱
- I liked the end but also hated that Roza escaped. I liked that the ending was open to what and where Roza may be but I kind of wanted closure.

Overall, a solid debut novel with twists and suspense! I’d give this a 3-3.5 stars and I would be open to reading more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books/ Emily Bestler Books for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for a preview of this book. I loved the idea of a bunch of strong female writers getting together for a writing retreat at an old castle. There were many strange twists to this story, making it inappropriate for my younger students but it was a wild ride overall.

I was not able to finish this book because of the strong sexual content that I was not expecting based on the blurb. It would be nice if NetGalley could include warnings for various content to allow readers to better request books, which would help readers and publishers alike.

A delicious read, full of suspense, rivalry, and an unraveling of characters' true natures. Handpicked by an infamous author, a group of young women find themselves sequestered in a mansion for a writing retreat. The plot thickens when they begin to unravel the true nature of their role in the retreat.

Also posted to GoodReads @KAT

Favorite book read of this year. All together a wonderful and scintillating read.

**SPOILERS BELOW**
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I haven't read any of Bartz' previous works so I don't have anything to compare her debut suspense novel to. As an avid suspense and thriller lover, I loved it! The premise drew me in and the mystery and suspense was everything I wanted it to be. As a reader, we idolize our favorite authors but then to find out that she is a fake and now a criminal, I cannot imagine what I would do in Alex's position. I love a good "snowed in a big isolated mansion where a previous murder occurred" mystery. Nothing good can come of it. Readers will love it.

3 1/2 stars rounded to 4

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of The Writing Retreat.

This was a very interesting, I'm not sure that I have read anything like this before. While the plot kept me reading and wondering what was happening next, I felt some of the writing was weird and inconsistent. There are definitely twists and turns in this story. Did the plot hold my interest? Yes Is it worth reading? I guess you'll have to decide.

A writing retreat, a group of woman, and many secrets. This book was good. It started off a little slow but did get very interesting. Great plot line, likeable characters, and full of secrets. Great debut book! I will definitely watch for more of the authors work.

When I read the synopsis for The Writing Retreat, I was immediately intrigued. Roza Vallo, the reigning queen of the horror genre has invited five talented young women who aspire to be Roza’s protégés into her infamous mansion, Blackbriar, for a month-long writing retreat. While there, each woman will have to start a completely new novel and write 3,000 words per day in order to stay in the competition they walked into without even knowing it existed. Because this retreat is more than just an opportunity for Roza to critique their work; she has promised a 7-figure publishing contract and a book tour with herself to whichever of the five pens and completes the best novel in their month together. The pressure is on, and the claws are coming out.

Alex, our perspective character, is thrilled to have this chance with her favorite author. However, her problems are two-fold. First, her ex-best friend, Wren, with whom she had a huge falling out, is also one of the five women at the retreat. Second, Alex has suffered from severe writer’s block for the year since her terrible parting with Wren. If she wants to stay, she’s going to have to overcome both of these obstacles. And fast.

I found the premise and setting of this story fascinating. There were twists that I didn’t see coming, and the back half of the novel was propulsive and fairly well paced. However, these successes were undermined by unlikable characters and very weak dialogue. I didn’t find a single character with whom I could form any type of attachment, Roza and Alex included. The dialogue was severely lacking in comparison with the rest of the prose. Conversations in the book felt stilted, stages, and just not true to life in any way. The rest of the narrative was fine, but the dialogue often threw me out of the story. I also found the front half of the story a bit plodding.

The Writing Retreat is a story that is going to appeal to a wide swath of readers. I can see this being on the “Best Of” lists at the end of the year, especially in the thriller category. This is a brilliantly feminist story that would pass the Bechdel test with flying colors, and it straddles the line between thriller and horror, real and supernatural, in really fun ways. A lot of people are going to love this book. I unfortunately wasn’t one of them, but I can still see the appeal.

I love a good mystery/thriller and Love to read debut novels. A small group of young women writers are invited to a retreat with well known author Roza Vallo. Upon arrival bombshell after bombshell is dropped on this group. Rumors and tension among the writers leave all the ladies on edge as the house lends a mysterious backdrop to an old ghost tale. Which writer will rise to the challenge and walk away with all her dreams coming true? The bigger question is, will they all survive the month? The Writers Retreat is a captivating tale that immediately draws the reader in. The characters were fun to follow and the writing was faced paced. I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC