A wild ride with a group of wild writers. The premise, while a bit of a stretch, pulled me in and kept me hooked. The characters were all shades of awful (some worse than others), but compelling enough to keep me churning through the pages. The writing served the plot. I wasn't fully buying the supernatural elements, though I did like some of the gothic shadows lurking in the corners. Overall, an entertaining, claustrophobic, over-the-top thriller.

Recommended for fans of Ruth Ware, scary movies, and anyone who has ever said they'd sell their left kidney to get a publishing deal.

Book Review

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
@JuliaBartz
Pub date: February 21, 2023

Meek Alex is suffering from a serious case of writer’s block and after a terrible year of personal disaster, she’s about given up until she’s given the opportunity to attend a writing retreat at her favorite horror writers estate, Black Briar. It is exclusive and extensive and she can’t believe her luck. Even the news that her former bestie is attending isn’t enough to deter her. When Alex arrives she is overwhelmed by Roza’s eccentricities and her weird assistant but when she hears that there’s a dream prize for one of the attendee’s at the end of the retreat, she decides to buckle down and give it everything she’s got.

Not too long into the retreat, things become strange and Alex realizes that there’s more going on at Black Briar than meets the eye but who’s responsible?

The cast of characters is colorful and intriguing, but none so much as Roza! What an enigma and her one on one meetings with Alex both strange and unconventional. This is a genre I would describe as remote location, my favorite, but add in the drama between Alex and her ex-bestie, Wren, and it adds an allure to it that kept me guessing. Just what happened between them? Who’s the real villain?

This is a truly entertaining and twisty thriller from a debut author that I’ll going to be watching for more in the future!

My thanks to @AtriaBooks and @NetGalley for this gifted DRC.

This book was a fantastic debut! I literally could not stop reading! The setting. Snowy New York with a creep factor within the retreat was atmospheric and added so much to the story. I felt bad for the main character and I also had no idea who to trust! The twists and turns were so great! A must read 5/5!!!

I was so excited about this book but unfortunately the pace and the totally unlikable characters led me to DNF it about 25%

This was a great debut novel i found myself very engrossed in every part of the story and I loved the twists and thrilling ending of this book!!! The writing was fantastic as was the storyline loved it definitely want to read more from this Author!!!!

Much thanks to #netgalley and #AtriaBooks for allowing me to read and review this ARC
All thoughts and opinions are my own

The Writing Retreat starts off really well. I recently read A Quiet Retreat and I had a hard time not comparing it to that very similar plot. This book was a little over the top and had some unbelievable plot points- your favorite childhood famous author invites you to her mansion? The pacing was good and I wanted to see where it all would go. There was a book within the book and I found those parts very boring. There was a lot of sexual tension and innuendo and it all felt a little off for me.
But, I did read through it quickly and enjoyed it in the end. I’d encourage others to read it and make their own conclusions.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Alex's dreams of becoming a published author have all but faded away until she is given the chance to attend an exclusive writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo, even though her former best friend and current rival, Wren, is also attending. However, when they arrive, Roza reveals that they must all complete a novel from scratch in the next month, and the author of the best one will be awarded a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Alex is determined to win the contest and sets out to ignore the strange occurrences at the estate, including Roza's unusual behavior and the rumored haunting. Unexpectedly, one of the writers disappears during a snowstorm and Alex must find the truth and save herself before her time runs out. The Writing Retreat is an intense, gripping debut thriller that explores the dark side of female friendships and fame.

Picture this: a writing retreat with your idol and other aspiring writers at her isolated estate in winter where someone is going to walk away with a seven figure publishing deal. What could possibly go wrong?

The narrator and protagonist Alex has been *through it* lately: a nasty falling out with her ex-roommate and ex-best friend Wren, she is at a job that she hates, she doesn't think she'll ever be a published author - should I keep going? When she finds out that she's going to her idol's exclusive writing retreat in upstate New York, she thinks her luck is finally turning around. But Wren will also be there and the two have some let's just say "issues" to work through. Quickly, a snowstorm descends on their retreat and nothing is as it seems. Oh - and the house is most likely haunted.

This book felt like an absolute rollercoaster mixed in with a fever dream. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and pacing. There were so many things that I didn't see coming from a mile away (and a lot of elements of this book I was *not* prepared for.) The author is also a practicing therapist and is overall really awesome. I would absolutely read her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books (Simon & Schuster) for my digital advance copy of "The Writing Retreat" by Julia Bartz in exchange for an honest review.

I had an enjoyable time reading this book and I look forward to purchasing it in the future. I could not stop reading this for a second. Thank you so much for the ARC.

I cannot believe this is a debut! Delightfully morbid, haunting, and such multilayered characters! Each character had such depth and the haunting setting was a character on it own.
I can't wait to see what else Bartz has up her sleeve!

Five female writers, aspiring for their work to be published and recognized, attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat by a famous horror author, Rosa Vallo. A to-die for (no pun intended!), once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Dun dun dun…

Given the synopsis, you can tell that it is a locked-room thriller with a lot of twists that makes it hard to put this book down. It does have a good build-up of suspense, in which you, as a reader, can feel the dread as these five women go through their daily encounters during the retreat. When you suspect each character, that’s when you know the writer is doing a good job in making your head spin and delve more into the story. It is dark, creepy, a little disturbing, with a dash of horror — which add more fun to it. This book is about friendship, survival, and how far you’d be willing to go to attain your ambition. The Writing Retreat will be out in February 21, 2023.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books and author Julia Hartz for granting me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me up until 3 AM reading it! 3 AM!!! I couldn’t put it down! It is WILD. Run, don’t walk to get yourself a copy.

Julia Bartz’s writing is wonderfully gripping and some of the scenes were shocking in the best way. The Writing Retreat has everything I love in a thriller: twists and turns, an isolated setting—a writing retreat in a manor in the Adirondacks—and delicious tension.

Alex works in publishing for a boss who texts her things like NEED THIS ASAP!!!! (We’ve all been there *sigh*). She’s recently gone through a heart-breaking friend breakup after an argument led to a strange accident, and she has a horrible case of writer’s block.

But when she learns she’s been invited to an exclusive writer’s retreat for up and coming authors with her feminist idol—the enigmatic Roza Valo—she packs her bags immediately.

At first, everything is great. They drink wine by candlelight and talk about their writing while being cooked delicious meals by a private chef, but soon the competition grows fierce when Alex learns that only one of them can win.

If you like And Then There Were None, The Shining, or Lucy Foley but with a modern, feminist twist, and LGBTQ+ rep this one is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am all for the neon text on book covers. I was very much intrigued by the premise of this one but I was surprised by some of the things I found in it. The writing on this was great and I was very intrigued by the story until the the last 3rd of the book. There were definitely some unexpected turns this book took. The story was quite wild, most of the characters a tad unhinged. I'm having trouble rating this one.

Thank you Atria for the ARC of this one.

It took me a few tries to get into this story, but once I did, I really liked it! The premise is a bit odd and the circumstances get odder, but it all comes together nicely in the end.

Julia Bartz really took the saying “never meet your heroes” and brought it fully to life. What a wild ride the writing retreat was! I absolutely enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Alex has been experiencing writer’s block for a year, ever since she and her (former) best friend Wren had a friendship breakup to rival all other breakups. When she is offered the opportunity of a lifetime, to attend a writing retreat at the estate of her favorite author, the exclusive and mysterious, Roza Vallo, she can’t turn it down no matter how bad the writer’s block is. And also no matter that Wren is also selected to come along.

Blackbriar estate is the perfect, secluded place to get it all out on the page but the real question is will your heroine make it out alive?

Whew! Netgalley really gave me a good one with Julia Bartz first thriller novel. I had no idea what I was getting into and I definitely picked the book because of the title. As a writer, I was curious what one story of a writer's retreat would be like. I might be a little afraid to go on one now.

When a famous and recluse author invites four young aspiring writers to her mansion for a month-long, no cell phones, retreat to write, it sounds like a dream come true. When an unexpected guest arrives, the situation soon turns to survival of the fittest - and not just with their writing.

The enticing offer is only one story will be chosen to survive. The hours are grueling, as any writer would know. But when Roza Vallo decides they need to up the stakes, all bets are off.

It had all the right things I love in thriller books. Unexpected twists, second-guessing characters, drama, nail-biting, a little afraid to read in the dark, and more.

While I enjoyed aspects of this, particularly the premise and the setting, I ended up thinking it was an odd mix of supernatural and a hostage story versus a true thriller. It is a debut, so I will read more from this author since her writing was decent overall.

I am officially 52% of the way through this book and I can't read another page. The synopsis of this book is incredible and the idea of the plot is fantastic and quite honestly I want to know how the book ends and who wins the novel contest and gets the publishing deal - however, what was not included in the overview of this book was the woke nuggets constantly dropped throughout. I don't need to read about the dreams/nightmares of her former best friend doing sexual things to her. It was so incredibly unnecessary. I read to escape what is happening in the world and this books, unfortunately, didn't allow for that to happen. I wish I could read a version of this that was strictly about the writing retreat! It would be been an incredible novel.

This is one of those books that you may have to occasionally supspend your disbelief at times, but the payoff is worth it. During a few scenes, I found myself thinking "would that REALLY happen in real life??", but would remind myself I was reading fiction, and fell deeper into the story. I actually like most of the characters, except Roza and Taylor, and was happy with MOST of their storylines and endings. The book, overall, was well written ad atmospheric, and I really enjoyed it. Right now, with winter approaching, it seems like the perfect book at the perfect time. Highly recommended.

This was such a delight to read. I went in expecting fun (due to the premise) and came out with some truly enjoyable twists and turns. The protagonist was interesting and kept my attention the whole time, and though I rolled my eyes at her decisions a few times, she frankly remained totally consistent to her motivations. What a fun ride! Will be reviewing in various places, and thank you again for the opportunity to review in advance.