Alex, the protagonist, has been having a writing block for over a year after an “episode” with a girlfriend, Wren. Then, Alex and Wren are selected with three other women to participate in a Writing Retreat with famous author, Roza Vallo. This provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a successful writer. There would be one winner! However, not everyone is who they seem to be. This is a mystery book where the reader attempts to determine sanity amid chaos. If you enjoy a good whodunit, this may be the book for you. I downgraded the book because the plot seemed to drag at times. It felt to me like it was repeating itself at times.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Thanks to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, and the author for the privilege to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A very atmospheric debut that kept me guessing! Some of the twists were a little much but if you're a fan of psychological thrillers, I think you'll enjoy it.

3.5 stars

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the copy to review.

This book was fine, it just wasn't really what I expected it to be. This was not the writing competition I thought it was going to be. I was invested in the beginning, but by the end, I didn't really care about the story anymore.

This book was such a wild ride! Extremely atmospheric and very moody, The Writing Retreat has the feel of Agatha Christie and Ruth Ware, while also somehow reminding me of the intense drama of the show Pretty Little Liars. I loved twisty, chaotic story about a writing retreat gone wrong. Highly recommend to those who like the types of stories mentioned in this review!

Book was very slow to get into. Couldn’t connect with the characters. Was confusing at times. Plot twists weren’t great.

Holeeee shite, talk about a slow burner. I kept putting this down and getting distracted, but one the action starts it doesn’t let up. I mean, I knew going in that a bunch of writers trapped together in a retreat was going to end up going sideways. But this went in directions I wasn’t prepared for, and I love that in a thriller.

Alex is writer who has had writer’s block for over a year. Her friend submitted her work to her favorite author and earned her a spot in a retreat to work with her on a novel. The only problem (other than being unable to write, of course)? Her ex best friend is going too.

It's strange when a book about writing doesn't have good writing in it, but here we are. On the sentence level this book runs along a sliding scale of dullness, with occasional dips into cringe inducing. For sure I've read worse, but again when so much of the book is about writing and you decide to include a line of dialogue to the effect of "For the final stage we can finally see who can write the best final chapters," it makes it all too clear that there really wasn't that much care and attention put here to the writing and it takes the air out of anything the author is trying to do on the plot level.

Not that the plot is so much better. Oh, to be sure there's a nice little twist here and there (and I am an admitted sucker for a writer character to have a desperation to write a good story but also an inability to write a good story, and that's very present here) but so much of it is scuppered by a) the writing and b) the characters being, more or less, wet noodles.

I would say that more attention is paid to giving descriptions of what the characters are wearing than to giving them defined personalities. It's not so bad that you can't tell them apart, but it's bad enough that you forget one out of five exist unless direct attention is being put on them. It's fine - or tolerable - during the sections when they're just workshopping, but less so when the action kicks in and you have to believe that they're capable of all these outsized actions. And Bartz makes sure to handwave in a rationale behind someone being able to pick a lock or fire a gun (a one sentence line about spending time with a friend in Wyoming? really?) but that's not convincing.

I wish more effort had been put in here, because the concept IS good, and I did enjoy those flashes of writerly tension but in almost every respect this book falls short. Maybe thriller fans who haven't been in writing workshops themselves would find something to enjoy here, but I don't know that I could recommend it to anyone else.

I LOVED this book, we have already purchased it for our library and it continues to be a hit. The way the story is told leaves you wanting more.

A fast paced thriller, this book will keep you turning the pages. I especially liked the first half. The setup was the most interesting part. The last half was also good, but did get a bit over-the-top. It was hard to believe that the villain’s plans could come to fruition like that. However. I did like the all female cast.

Really enjoyed this and didnt want to stop reading! Some parts were a little fanatical and not believable, but overall i thought it was a super unique twist on the locked room mystery and it kept me hooked until the end. The twist was a little predictable as we knew someone was going to be unreliable in the group, but i still found it to be a very compelling thriller overall.

i love reading thrillers in the fall/autumn season and this book was no exception. The book is about 5 women who are invited to a writing retreat and they each have to complete a novel from start to finish , The best one that is chosen wins a 7 figure publishing deal, however the women begin getting murdered. Soon, it becomes clear to Alex that the retreat is about more than just a publishing deal. i liked the setting because it really makes you feel isolated from the world which drives the suspense in the story. I liked Alex as a narrator there were moments where she did get a little annoying. In one scene, she's on the train and she's judging these teenage girls who just happened to look at her for a moment. There's a drug scene which is suppose to motivate the writers and it does in a way. There's another scene where alex isn't sure whether her exploration with her sexuality is actually happening or if it's just a side effects of the drugs. I think this book was well written and i'm looking forward to reading more by this author

The Writing Retreat is the debut novel by Julia Bartz. I didn't particularly like it.

The story begins with the main character Alex. When we meet her, she doesn't enjoy her job or her boss. She is also suffering from writer's block and she still stalks her ex-best friend's Instagram posts regularly.

Her luck changes when she is invited to a writing retreat offered by non-other than her favorite horror author, Roza Vallo at her home in Blackbriar Estate. Alex isn't alone, four more women are there with her: Taylor, Poppy, Kiera, and as luck will have it, her ex-best friend Wren is there too.

Roza notifies them that they will be competing to finish a book within the next four weeks and each of them will be helping edit the book of the others. Whoever wins, by having the best novel, will be getting a seven-figure publishing deal.

Alex wants to win badly. She wants to beat Wren as well. The only problem is that she has no clue how to get rid of her writer's block but she is guided toward writing a historical fiction novel based on a demon.

Then strange things started occurring......

I thought the book had a good premise and I enjoyed the first half of it. The last 20% not so much. It went off the rails and was too unbelievable to be taken seriously.

Cliffhanger: No

2.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Atria/Emily Bestler Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for e-ARC of the book.

Alex has a chance to attend an exclusive writing retreat at the estate of her favourite author Roza Vallo. She is as excited as terrified - she had writer's block since she had a fallout with her best friend Wren. To add more drama to the situation Wren will also be attending the same retreat. Things get complicated when Roza starts to play weird mind games.

That was an interesting read. As story starts with friendship drama then it dives into some gothic ghost vibe and finally into the thriller. Characters go through some sexual exploration. I as a reader wasn't sure what was going on and what was protagonist's imagination.

What the flagnard?

This book was weird. Not what I was expecting. It took some odd turns, then even odder, then all of a sudden, I was reading a horror novel and not enjoying it at all. I was at turns terrified, grossed out, turned off, shocked, or rolling my eyes. The plot is, quite frankly, rather ridiculous. The blurb calls it "unhinged," which I think is quite accurate. It was totally unbelievable and got even more ridiculous (and I am the type of reader who is very happy to suspend disbelief!). All of the characters were annoying. Alex, the heroine, is whiny and helpless. Wren is gross. People's motivations and reasons for behavior don't stand up to scrutiny (or stand up at all). Even Alex's writing - the book within the book - was terrible (how is she a writer?). This book felt similar to Liane Moriarty's Nine Perfect Strangers in the setup. If you thought that book went off the rails, you may not enjoy this one either - this book went totally off the rails, then picked up the rails and beat another train to death with them. (This metaphor is perhaps not working) It looks like there were many others who did enjoy this book (there's a lid for every pot!), but this was not for me.

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgally in exchange for my (obviously) honest opinion.

This was a solid read but I do feel like the pacing was off and didn’t line up with the plot. Overall, I did enjoy it though!

I think this book works for a lot of people--but ultimately it is not my style. The story is very (intentionally) over the top, which I think many people will have fun with. I liked the concept of the story and some reveals were fun. This is best suited for readers who love stories that are a little over the top and unlikeable characters.

I love a book about books/writing/book clubs! It is such a intriguing vibe and one I will always be drawn to. I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz and it delivered big time in the creepy department but wasn't particularly overkill in the horror department. It was a quick read for me and I look forward to checking out more of Bartz' future books.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of Riley Sager and those who love books about books. A very unique story with twists and turns at *almost* every corner. A group of aspiring writers invited to a mansion in the woods that is home to a world renowned author. As time goes on, suspicions start to arise as to the host's true identity and intentions. An underlying LGBTQ theme with a ghostly spin. Lots to love here and something for everyone!

This was an entertaining book. It wasn't groundbreaking, but I enjoyed it enough. I liked the writing style and would be keeping an eye out for other books by the author.

Imagine this: you are a young, aspiring author, and your absolute idol decides to hold a writing retreat in her remote estate. This is the author, Roza Vallo, that got you into reading and writing in the first place. So of course you absolutely have to apply for this opportunity.

And then imagine this: you are one of the 5 individuals selected! What a dream come true!

And then, imagine this: once you get there, you find out that you must complete an entire novel over the course of the retreat, but the best one will get a huge and lucrative publishing deal! How amazing is this?!

Until people start dying.

A dream come true turns into a nightmare quite quickly in this thriller!

I really loved the characters in this novel and the uncertain relationships that were built and dismantled over the course of the retreat. The setting was eerie and claustrophobic and atmospheric all at the same time. A wonderfully unsettling read!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Julia Bartz for this egalley!

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