I genuinely loved this story. It was so intriguing to me because I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it before. I do love a story within a story and I was always anticipating what next wild thing would happen. The female relationships were so raw and real and I’d definitely be interested in a second book concerning these characters.

I love a great psychological thriller! This book had me hooked and kept me guessing! Would recommend!

What in the whiny hell is this?! I honestly could not wait to put it down and get out of this character's perspective. It's unbearably self pitying and just trying too dang hard to...I'm not sure....be something. You lose the story for the angst and I'm over it.

**Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC**

initial thoughts: I really wanted to like this book, but it was just not for me. I really liked the first 30-ish%, but then after that, the book just completely lost me. It does get great reviews from others, so it does appear most folks have enjoyed this book.

the premise & location were great, but the execution completely lost me.

I’m always interested in books that feature writers and the inner workings of their brains. This book starts off interesting. Five young writers are whisked off to a month-long retreat at a famous author’s house for an exclusive retreat. One lucky girl will get a fabulous contract and get to work with said famous author.
They live, eat, and sleep their novels. The famous author, Roza plays these convoluted games that didn’t make sense to the story.

The book was dark and had some creepy moments, but it kind of went off the rails for me. I was on a luxury rail car and then a conductor came over and put me in 3rd class. I guessed what was going to happen and it felt fake. Like TaDa this evil thing is happening, but where’s the shock? The logistics did not work.

I love bizarre and weird tales, but this did not do it for me. I’m glad it’s over.

This was a weird book. I’m a bit more removed now from when i read it and i still haven’t figured out if its good or bad weird. But weird is definitely the feeling. Its gothic, murder craziness that is definitely not my style. I was engaged at first because i love books about writers but this went off the rails quickly. Some of the twists were good and I liked the mystery aspect of it but it turned dark fast.

Wow! This was a crazy thrill ride! I loved the concept, setting, characters, storyline. It had a good mix of suspense, intrigue, character development, with just the right touch of horror/supernatural without it turning weird and unbelievable. I never got tired of reading this one because there were so many twists and turns that I couldn't wait to see what happened next!

Writing Tips from Psychopathic Murderer

I am absolutely blown-away by the sheer genius of “The Writing Retreat” that is a must-read--especially for aspiring novelists. Along with being a superb primer of writing tips, this thriller fiction is laden with complexly drawn characters; remote, almost claustrophobic atmospheric keenness; and psycho killers creeping out from all directions.

Is there a hidden agenda when young females are invited to participate in a famous author-sponsored month-long writing seminar at a remote Victorian house during the winter?

Are the legends of murders, ghostly and demonic possession, and channeling spirits true about the original owners of the beautiful, yet creepy mansion?

Are the young writers merely competitive or is there something more to their nervousness and paranoia? Who can be trusted and who may have ulterior motives?

The Writing Retreat will keep you engage from the first to last paragraphs. I consumed this book in less than a day, I was completely enthralled in this metafiction about writers and their work.

TheBookMaven

⭐️⭐️.5

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙐𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙚.

📍 Read if you like:
• Crazy Endings
• Atmospheric Reads
• Toxic Female Friendships
• Writers competing

What the heck did I read with this story?!?

I really believe this book had so much potential to have been an asking book, I mean the premise was so interesting. Unfortunately, there were a few issues I had with the book.

The beginning of the book was quite interesting. I saw many mixed reviews beforehand so I was questioning why people didn’t enjoy it… and then the ending came and I understood everything.

The last 30% (give or take) was where the book went downhill quickly. It was so far-fetched and bizarre. It was also super rushed.

While the story was super eerie and atmospheric, I didn’t care too much for the characters… especially not the romance aspect part of it.

I get why some people loved this book, but I didn’t care too much for it. It had an interesting plotline, but the ending ruined the book for me.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Murder, sexual content, death, gun violence, drug use, violence

Very suspenseful, pulse pounding, and addictive thriller! I loved the setting of BlackBriar estate and the characters

This book took me a while to get into but once I got to the retreat itself I couldn't stop reading. I was pleased that the twists were genuinely surprising. The characters felt developed and the ending was a really nice balance of resolution without it feeling contrived. I'm excited to recommend this book to my readers.

I really liked this thriller! I found that it was fast paced and had great twists. This was my first book that I read by this author and I would pick up another!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of this book.

It was…interesting. A wild ride. There were parts of it that were just plain insane. The pacing was not consistent and I think that’s why I started it and didn’t finish it for a long time. It was definitely a popcorn read for me the last 1/3 of the book.

3.5/5

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz - 5/5
General Fiction - Mystery & Thriller - Women's Fiction

When given the chance to attend a writer's retreat at the home of a feminist horror writer, Alex instantly packs her bags. Everything about this book gives me goose bumps. The friends to enemies' drama between Alex and Wren are what truly made this a relatable book, and I love being able to empathize with situation in a story. This book left me feeling on edge, waiting to see what was going to happen next with Alex and the other characters attending the retreat.

This is a mystery & thriller worth the read, it'll keep you guessing and wanting more till the end.
Avaiable for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, BookShop
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

I wanted to read this book when I heard the description. Being invited to a house in the country for a writing retreat and then someone ends up vanishing. It sounds like a good locked room mystery. But sadly, this one just wasn't for me. I enjoyed the first half and then it went in totally different direction and lost me. I love a good spooky book, a mystery and some horror, but this book just wasn't what I expected. It was too outlandish for me and ended too easily. I expected more a bang.

I cannot believe this was a debut novel. I enjoyed it so much that in addition to this ARC, I also chose this as my Book of the Month so I could have a physical copy of my own. I enjoyed the main plot and the novel held my attention. I definitely recommend reading it if you like psychological thrillers. There is no doubt that I will read her next book. If you're looking for a book that is difficult to put down, even when you desperately need to get things done, this is it. It's been quite some time since a story hit me where I was thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it, which is exactly what The Writing Retreat did. Five young women win coveted spots at a month long writing retreat at the home of a famous female author. What happens at the retreat, the plot twists and turns, make for a story that is hard to put down. With that said, be VERY careful about reading blurbs and reviews as they could easily spoil this experience and that would be such a shame!

This book was so WILD. The beginning was a little slow for me, but once the story gets going...it gets GOING! 🤯 It has the locked in trope at a mysterious mansion, during a snowstorm (of course!), with unreliable characters, and the story definitely delivers on thrills, kills, and twists. The characters were well developed, and I had no idea who to trust. The ending was fast-paced, and I enjoyed how things played out. Overall, this one would be a perfect thriller to enjoy in the cold winter months, but it also delivers if you're looking for a fast-paced chaotic thriller anytime of the year!

Rating: 4 stars!

Read this one if you like:
✏️ Locked in trope
✏️ Mysterious mansions
✏️ Whodunit
✏️ Unreliable characters

Thank you @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Immediate 5 stars. Julia Bartz did such a great job of creating an atmospheric story and flawed, relatable characters. I have a hard time with thrillers often because the same tropes are used over and over and usually in an attempt to make the story feel different, authors will get aggressively fantastical in what's happening. Bartz didn't do that for the most part. She instead spent a lot of time picking at very relatable flaws that each person had and paired them with tropes appropriately so it felt more like you're getting to know a struggling human being than an unreliable narrator or red herring. Loved the pacing of this novel and the interweaving of the novel Alex was writing. There waas just enough of the secondary novel for me to care about it, but not so much that it took away from the overall story.

I struggled with this novel greatly.

The first 30% I found to be really interesting, and I was hesitant to put it down because I wanted to see where the story went. It started slowing down pace wise, and I realized by 50% completion, the majority of the events outlined in the synopsis had not yet occurred. Once the first person died, the tone and pace of the book shifted so drastically and the plot twit was revealed (around 62%?) that I felt like i was reading a completely different book. The shift made me lose any interest in the narrative, and I truly only finished it so I could leave an honest review.

Let me start by saying that Julia Bartz ’ writing is mesmerizing. I found myself out of sync with reality and transported completely into the story.

I was thinking about this book when I wasn't reading it. I had dreams about it. It stayed with me even when I'd put it down for the night and haunted me once I turned the final page. The Writing Retreat, was twisted and brilliant, like nothing I've ever read before.

This book is a MUST for all !

Teaser :

The Plot meets Please Join Us in this psychological suspense debut about a young author at an exclusive writer’s retreat that descends into a nightmare.

Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.

But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she must discover the truth—or suffer the same fate.

A claustrophobic and propulsive thriller exploring the dark side of female relationships and fame, The Writing Retreat is the unputdownable debut novel from a compelling new talent.