I was hooked from the very beginning with this mystery/thriller! By the midway point I was kind of curious when the mystery would start to unfold- but I wasn’t too worried because I was still captivated.

I had some mixed thoughts on this one.
- For a debut novel, I thought this was very solid and I will definitely keep an eye out for future books by this author
- I liked the premise and the setting
- The ending felt over the top

This debut novel delivers a compelling narrative that keeps you eagerly turning pages, yearning for answers throughout. “The Writing Retreat” proves to be an expertly crafted thrill ride.

The story follows Alex, the protagonist, who secures a golden opportunity to spend a month writing alongside her literary idol. Upon her arrival, she discovers a hauntingly picturesque estate steeped in dark history. As the days pass, she realizes she must coexist with her estranged ex-best friend and becomes snowbound. However, the idyllic scenario quickly unravels, revealing hidden secrets about her idol, Alex’s battle with writer’s block, and the emergence of a captivating tale within the main narrative.

With its intricate plot and relentless momentum, “The Writing Retreat” proves to be an immensely enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off soooo good and I absolutely loved the premise. Five elite short story writers were gathered together for a month-long retreat with the famous and slightly reclusive Rosa Vello. Once at the retreat, they were completely isolated from the outside world and tasked with a fierce competition to draft a book that Rosa would get published with a $1M advance. I was totally enthralled and hooked!

While Al started grating on me shortly into the novel, I didn't let it deter me from enjoying this novel. I loved the creepy vibes, Rosa's totally wild sense of "humor," and the cutthroat aspect of the competition. Some of story ideas really piqued my interest, although admittedly, I was pretty bored by the plotline Al decided to pursue. Typically, I love a story within a story but "The Great Commission" didn't quite do it for me.

Around halfway in, this novel takes a drastic turn that I can't say was unexpected, but I can say was totally over the top. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it felt more realistic and hadn't been so out there. I think the X-rated LSD trip with Al in the basement really sent this book off the rails for me and I was a little disappointed things got so...out there!

All in all, this was entertaining but not one that will stick with me.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the copy.

Oh how I love a locked room mystery, especially one as fast paced as this one! This was a fantastic debut and I found it to be unputdownable! This book was captivating and the ending was very satisfying!

I really wanted to like this one but I honestly couldn’t even finish it. I just couldn’t find any character to connect with and the writing style felt gratuitous. I had seen really mixed reviews but loved the overall premise it just didn’t work for me.

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.