The Writing Retreat

by Julia Bartz

'A five-star read that’s intelligent, accomplished and exciting. I dare you to put it down.' Janice Hallet, author of The Appeal

The dark, atmospheric, feminist offspring of Squid Game, The Hunting Party and Misery

A book deal to die for.

Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial high priestess of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled.

Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex’s long-extinguished dream now seems within reach.

But then the women begin to die.

Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it is clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Blackbriar Estate. Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.

This unhinged, propulsive, claustrophobic closed-door thriller will pull you in and spit you out…

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Horror, Audiobook, Adult

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 21, 2023

About the author

Julia Bartz is a Brooklyn-based writer and practicing therapist. Her fiction writing has appeared in The South Dakota Review, InDigest Magazine, and more. The Writing Retreat is her first novel. Follow her on Twitter @JuliaBartz and Instagram at @JuliaBartz.

Reviews

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 2 out of 5]

* OUTLIER OPINION* !!

This has many 5 star reviews but it wasn’t for me!

I love books about books, and I love books about the writing process-even more. That is what I was expecting, but that isn’t what I got!

Alex has always wanted to be a published author, so when she receives a once in a time opportunity to attend a month long writer’s retreat at the home of her Idol, best selling feminist horror writer, Roza Vallo, she can’t turn it down. Even, the fact that Wren, her former best friend, and current rival, will be there, won’t stop her from accepting.

As the attendees arrive, they are told that they will be required to write an entire novel from scratch during the month, with the winner receiving a life changing seven figure, publishing deal.

Let the games begin!

Would Roza eliminate the writers, one by one, as they go, until just one is left standing? Or will they not know the winner until the final pages are written?

Roza’s methods of motivating the writers to reach their 3,000 word count per day, include hurtful barbs, and LSD. And, Alex finds herself wondering if the (open door) self pleasuring, and the sexual explorations she experiences with the other women are hallucinations or awakenings?

This was NOT the cut throat writing competition I was expecting to read about.

This book started strong, with the focus on WRITING but as Roza’s ways of “encouraging” the women to create became increasingly OTT, I became increasingly less and less interested in this story.

In fact, it’s one of my LEAST favorite books this year. Sorry.

This debut novel from Julia Bartz, sister of best-selling author Andrea Bartz.

A buddy read with DeAnn. Is she on Outlier Island with me, or did she write one of the 5 star reviews? Be sure to check out her thoughts on this one, as well.

AVAILABLE NOW!

Thank You to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the gifted copy I received through NetGalley in exchange for a CANDID review!

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh boy! This is crazy! This is one of the wildest and bleakest bloody rides! You are drawn into this action packed, twisty madness from the first chapter and till the end you keep fidgeting at the edge of your seats, stomaches tight, hearts raising, eyes glued!

This is fantastic debut! It seems like writing gift is genetic and runs in the family! This book introduces us Andrea Bartz’s sister Julia: such a gifted mind! She nailed it with her first work and I’ll look forward to read her future works!

The gothic, spine tingling vibes, the book inside book concept, murder house, claustrophobic trapped in one location themes blended so perfectly with flawed characters!

It reminded me of Nine Perfect Strangers ( Roza’s character and dangerous methods had similarities with Masha played by Nicole Kidman on Hulu adaptation) meets the Plot.

Here’s the quick recap of plot:
Can you imagine to get stuck in a job that sucking soul and energy? That’s how Alex feels who hates her boss, her over demanding job at publishing company. Lately she fell apart with her best friend Wren, stalking on her at the social media after having a cat fight with her at a party resulted with blood bath.

But now her luck is about to change: she has a dreamy opportunity to become one of the candidates to join the writing retreat of her idol- her all time favorite author- mystical- eccentric Roza Valo. She also finds out her frenemy Wren is also invited to this retreat which will take place in haunted Blackbriar Estate which has been renovated lately.

She meets with other attendees energetic Poppy, artsy queer queen Taylor, disciplined- tight lipped Kiera: the only black girl of their group. And of course Wren attends, showing off her big diamond ring, avoiding to make a contact with Alex!

Roza brings all those aspiring young authors together and tells the main purpose of their retreat: in one month they’ll start to write a book from the fresh, at least eighty one thousand words: each of them edit the other’s book and at the end of the retreat, one of their works will be chosen to be published!

It’s absolutely challenging to finish a book in such a short time when you suffer from writer’s block just like Alex does. But she is so adamant not let Wren take this opportunity out of her hands. She decides to channel with haunted history of the Blackbriar Estate, pouring out her secrets by having one on one writing seances with Roza

But the only challenge is not finishing a book, adjusting Roza’s unconventional and unethical methods. There is something more sinister plan that put all of their lives in danger.

Especially last third of the book was so much extra bleak with shocking twists and epic revelations. It highly deserved its dark, haunting, spine tingling stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/ Emily Bestler Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

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[Holly B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange book, weird dialogue, characters that act like annoying, immature teenagers.

Obviously, I'm an outlier here.

I liked the description of the isolated setting for the writing retreat with the head guru, Roza as the beloved mentor. She reminded me a bit of Masha from Nine Perfect Strangers by Moriarty. They were both crazy loons! I was most intrigued by her, but she failed to save this one. She claimed to be a feminine heroine, but was more of a predator! We are supposed to believe that these talented writers would "fall for her setup".

The pace is off balance, the characters are all full of angst, and the author tries to blend other genres into the story. It is a salad with ingredients that don't belong. The excerpts of a book within a book that truly bored me. The descriptions of breasts, nipples and other graphic sex scenes/dreams were awkward and cringeworthy.

If you enjoy this trope or like a blend of genres, check out the higher reviews!

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. OUT Feb 21, 2023

[Meredith (Trying to catch up!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and Edgy

3.75 stars

The Writing Retreat is a psychological thriller about a famous author who invites five up and coming female novelists to her home in the Adirondacks for a month-long writing retreat. The competition is fierce, but there is a whole lot more at stake than just winning.

This book is being marketed as a combination of The Plot and UPlease Join Us, --this description is accurate. However, this is all you need to know about the plot going in. Avoid the blurb--it didn’t spoil the twist for me, but it helped me to figure it out early on, which slightly ruined my reading experience.

Alex is the sole narrator. She is a hot mess, but she experiences a powerful transformation. Her character development was a favorite part of this book for me.

There is a book within the book, and while the storyline is interesting and mirrors the plot of the retreat, I couldn’t help but focus on the anachronisms. This might have been a purposeful plot device, but these sections of the book had me rolling my eyes.

The pacing is fast and furious. Whether one is inside Alex’s head or experiencing the weird dynamics of the retreat, there is always entertainment for the reader.

Events go off the rails in the last 20%, and while chaotic and a little over-the-top, I enjoyed watching it all play out. At the same time, everything wraps up a little too neatly.

This book is getting some well-deserved hype. I enjoyed Bartz’s writing style, and the novel is filled with tension, drama, and sexual undertones culminating in some serious craziness!

I recveived an DRC of this book from Edelweiss and Emily Bestler Books in exchange for an honest review.

[Kaceey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope… not for me!

This book was a struggle for me right out of the chute. Literally. The very first line is “f**k her!”
Umm ok, maybe the author is hoping for some shock value.🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m no wallflower…but come on!🙄

And yes, that theme stayed the course throughout. This was one of those kitchen sink reads where everything was tossed in. When all I really wanted or expected was a thriller based on a writing retreat.

The premise:
Alex has had writers block for what feels like forever. Yet she finds herself invited to a month-long writers retreat for young female writers under the age of 30. (Which she is not by the way). Naturally she accepts the invitation. And an extra bonus? The woman behind the retreat is one of her favorite authors Rosa Vallo.
Once there she realizes her ex best friend was also invited (cue the angst). But Rosa has more in store for the attendees than a casual getaway of peace, harmony and writing.

I really tried to give this book every chance. But it went from bad to worse (IMHO). My eyes rolled throughout.

There are many mixed reviews. So I hope it works better for you.

Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways.

[megs_bookrack · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5-stars**

Picture it: you're an aspiring writer, you're maybe down on your luck, you're stuck in a dead end job and then you get offered the opportunity of a lifetime.

Your favorite author, we're talking a person whose words you have read since childhood, who has had a lasting impact on your life...



...oh, sorry. I got too much into my own head there for a moment. Anyway, this author, a ground-breaking author of feminist horror, is hosting a writing retreat for five up-and-coming female authors.

Thousands have applied. Few are chosen. You are chosen. Sure, it's due to a technicality, but you'll take it!

This is amazing. You get to travel to her mansion in a remote location and do nothing but write for an entire month. It's the chance to finish a novel and be published.



Rein in your expectations though, this is a competition and every other writer there wants it as much as you do. It's going to be a cut-throat endeavor.

Do you have what it takes to survive The Writing Retreat?



Y'all, The Writing Retreat was a journey for me and not necessarily a great one. Starting out I was intrigued by the set-up. I liked how quickly Bartz got us to the retreat, which is the focus of the story after all.

I liked meeting all of the women involved, including the infamous author, Roza Vallo. The setting is lovely. I definitely could picture it and felt the isolation and claustrophobic, creepy feel in my gut.



It's fairly clear from the start that not all is going to go as expected for these women. This isn't a casual, write when we feel like it, sort of place. Roza is intense as heck and has certain expectations of the women she has extended this opportunity to.

I liked how the author built the tension. I was suspicious of everyone. There were so many different occurrences that quite literally got under my skin, however, over time I began to fall out of love with all that was happening here.



I expected the interpersonal drama, which will always happen with a group of unrelated women living together under one roof, and frankly, I was living for that. The topics explored definitely went in directions I wasn't expecting. This got darker than I anticipated, but I do love dark fiction.

I guess where I started to disconnect from the novel was jarring plot twist after plot twist after plot twist. Each one crazier and more OTT than the last. Unfortunately, each consecutive twist brought it farther and farther away from the realm of likability for me.

Let it be known, and if you've followed my reviews for any amount of time you know, I am generally a fan of OTT. This toed the line of, dare I say, ridiculous though for me.



I applaud the author for taking risks, that takes a lot of daring. I enjoyed the writing style very much, as well as the initial set-up, atmosphere and character work, but the plot just wasn't for me

With this being said, my personal opinion should not keep you from picking this up. There are a ton of rave reviews and you could be one of them. If the synopsis sounds intriguing to you, absolutely give it a go.

Further, I really did enjoy the writing style and construction of this story. I will definitely be picking up Bartz's next novel. I am sure it will be equally as surprising and creative.



Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I definitely recommend this one to fans of claustrophobic feeling, OTT-Thrillers!

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at around 70 %. When I abandoned it, there had just been a twist and I thought; How can there be 3 hours of listening left? I didn’t much like the twist, and if the ending was brilliant then so be it. Life is too short to use time on a book that gives you nothing.

[Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy Publication Day!

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has our protagonist Alex, an aspiring writer and associate editor in a publishing company, attending a month-long writing retreat at the home of famous horror author Roza Vallo at her home, Blackbriar Estate in the Adirondacks. Among the four other aspiring writers is Wren, her former best friend with whom her problems remain unresolved. However, this is not an opportunity to be missed and Alex is thrilled to be attending unwilling to let Wren’s presence ruin this experience for her.

Roza has them following a rigorous schedule as far as the writing goes, expecting them to write a full- length novel by the end of the month, motivating them with a lucrative publishing deal for the “winner”, whose novel would be judged as the best. With her struggles with writer's block, escalated tensions with Wren, Roza’a unorthodox methods of running her retreat, the isolated location and eerie occurrences in the house which has an interesting history (to put it mildly) surrounding its original owners, Alex soon realizes that this retreat is not going to be a cakewalk. What follows is a thrilling ride with secrets, lies, manipulation and hidden agendas that has the group oscillating between sticking together and suspicion directed toward each other and their enigmatic facilitator/mentor Roza. What is to be seen is how far would each of them go to fulfill their dreams and at what cost.

The first-person narrative is shared from Alex’s PoV with excerpts from her book interspersed throughout the novel. With its atmospheric setting and Gothic vibes, complicated characters, consistent pacing and intricate plot, Julia Bartz’s The Writing Retreat is a dark and suspenseful psychological thriller with bold feminist overtones. Though not completely unpredictable, there are enough surprises along the way to keep you hooked. If you can suspend disbelief and don’t mind OTT , this will prove to be an entertaining read! This is the kind of book that you would want to finish in one sitting! Overall, The Writing Retreat is an impressive debut and I look forward to reading more from this talented new author in the future.

Many thanks to the author, Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Lori Collins · Rating 1 out of 5]

The synopsis of this book sounded incredible, but unfortunately it did not deliver.

There was waaay too much wokeness for me. If you are looking for a far left leaning political agenda, then this might work for you. The sex was gross, weird, and frankly unnecessary. Demons? Nope, run far far away from the evils of this world! Drugs used to spike drinks! Since when is it ok to drug someone !?

There were too many characters to fully develop. The actual stories being written at the retreat made zero sense and weren’t relevant to what became the overall plot. The supernatural aspect didn’t work. This novel had potential had the story stuck to the actual retreat and missing person storyline.

All opinions are my own.

Woke
2. disapproving : politically liberal (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti...

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"As Roza prepares to welcome four unnamed young female writers into her estate for a monthlong writing retreat this winter, one could wonder whether her focus has shifted. Is she going to become a mentor, outwardly facing and fostering talent, instead of disappearing back into her reclusive writer's life?"

Each year, as we find ourselves headed into autumn, I tend to start craving books with a chilly, crisp, and tense tone. Dark, sensual, and a little bit bonkers, this was the perfect read as the weather cools off! Whether you pick it up after publication in early 2023 or you have an advanced copy to dive into this fall, you won't regret pairing The Writing Retreat with other seasonal mood reads. As someone who is always a sucker for locked room mysteries, the cover and synopsis both wooed me in with their Agatha Christie vibes, and I like to imagine this is the type of story she might write if she were alive in modern times.

Alex and Wren. Wren and Alex. Two peas in a pod who bonded instantly at a shared workplace and continued their friendship for nearly a decade after. However, a year ago, something happened between Alex and Wren that ended their relationship for good. Now Alex is an anxious loner and Wren has poisoned all of their mutual friends against her, so when Alex finds out that both her and Wren have been accepted into a private, prestige-laden writing retreat with the duo's favorite author Roza Vallo, even the prospect of facing Wren in close quarters for a month isn't enough to derail her excitement. Once the group of aspiring authors arrive and settle in, strange things begin happening. Is Wren trying to sabotage Alex's chance at publishing her debut novel? What is Roza Vallo hiding? And how does the fable involving a seance gone wrong in Roza's estate over a century ago tie into everything? You'll have to read the book to find out!



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. The snow covered atmosphere, the sense of dread that slowly builds into sheer panic, and the drama that unfolds between the characters are all things that I admire in a book. The author does a fantastic job of tying in so many different plot points, although maybe there is a bit TOO much thrown in there near the end, but regardless, the outlandish nature of the plot only gives the story quirky character in my opinion.

The last chapter following the conclusion of the retreat did feel a bit rushed, and I would have liked to see how the aftermath played out a little more than we receive, but I see why the author might have chosen to keep things brief. Some readers who like their crime fiction isolated to this genre might take issue with the great amount of sexual content included in the story, but it really is crucial to the overarching plot. If you enjoy a quick read full of dark, sinister plans and books within books, give The Writing Retreat a try for yourself!

Content Warnings: Murder (poisoning, shooting, bludgeoning, stabbing, slitting throat), consumption of alcohol, LSD, and Marijuana, kidnapping and abuse.

*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

[Chelsea Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure if this was meant to be a haunted house story, a tale of demonic possession, or someone's mental breakdown as they struggled through a dead end job and sexual identity confusion. What I do know is that The Writing Retreat was a letdown.

The book is a long, slow burn with an uninspiring plot and lackluster characters. Alex is insecure and paranoid. Roza is the worst combination of tropes: intelligent, confident, sensual, edgy, accomplished. It fooled the other characters but I was suspicious from the onset. Poppy can't keep her lies straight so you know right away something is off with her. Wren is your typical mean girl. Much of the dialogue is forced and theatrical, particularly cringe-inducing when Bartz attempts to show how socially progressive the characters are. Nothing like a bunch of cisgender women standing in a circle and proudly sharing their she/her pronouns, or having a white woman complain about how much she hates "talking around" slavery and having to pretend it didn't exist. There are more scenes written in the same vein that fail to have the impact I think Bartz was aiming for.

The last several chapters suddenly take off quickly and clumsily, driven by the motives of a murderous, plagiarizing author (editor?) and her playground gossip-spreading, psychotic girlfriend. Revelations meant to be sinister come off silly. The comparisons to Greek tragedy are presumptuous. The sex scenes are uncomfortable. The final act is laughable.

But the biggest disappointment is that The Writing Retreat fails to answer the following questions:
• Is this erotica?
• What are the logistics of Alex's mom being a 78-year-old (minimum) Holocaust survivor with teenage stepkids? I know I'm not the only one who caught that.
• How many YouTube makeup tutorials did Poppy/Zoe watch to successfully pass as a 28-year-old?
• What was the point of the poison?
• Would Roza really convert all of her money into the volatile, unregulated currency that is crypto?

If you want to read a good story about a villainous writer, I suggest A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne.

[JaymeO · Rating 3 out of 5]

“F*ck her.”

These two words are the first sentence of this book. I sh*t you not. If you are still intrigued, keep reading…

This was a VERY strange debut novel. Honestly, I almost DNF’d it several times. I know, I know…I just couldn’t do it. So, I persevered.

The premise of this thriller is both familiar and unique. A famous author, Roza Vallo, holds a writing contest. If selected, writers will win one of FOUR spots at a retreat located at her isolated old mansion. When a snowstorm ensues, everyone is trapped with no way out. One of the writers soon goes missing, and everyone becomes suspicious. What are Roza’s true intentions? It is up to Alex, Wren, Taylor, Kiera, and Poppy to figure out the true game they are playing before it is too late. Will they publish or will they perish?

So…a locked-room mystery set in an old gothic mansion with a sordid history should be my ideal read. However, here are the reasons why this DIDN’T WORK for me:

- It reads like YA and the very colloquial speech is jarring
- Multiple VERY sexually explicit scenes, including one where a character engages in sexual acts with a DEMON
- The pacing is OFF, as in SUPER SLOW start and only picks up in the last 25%
- EXTREMELY OTT
- I had NO interest in the book within the book that Alex wrote
- Too many plot points that should have been edited down
- I wound up skimming at the end

However, Bartz does a GREAT job exploring themes of self-discovery and empowerment in her many LGBTQ characters, and there are some decent twists.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t quite get behind this thriller. It is a true 2.5 star read, but will round up since it is a debut.

2.5/5 stars rounded up

Expected publication date: 2/21/23

Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster-Atria publishing for the ARC of The Writing Retreat in exchange for an honest review.

[Catherine (alternativelytitledbooks) - still catching up! · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria, and Julia Bartz for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Now available as of 2.21!**

retreat (noun): a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy

This is the definition of "retreat" referenced in the title of this book, and looking at the cover, this definition makes sense (despite the ominous Overlook hotel-esque overtones provided).

However, this book had me wanting to personally jump to the OTHER definition of retreat a bit too often. That is, "MAKE a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity"

And in this case that activity was actually getting THROUGH this book.

Writers often need solitude to be at their best...but after months of writer's block, it's clear Alex needs a change. Stuck in a writing rut, she finds out about an exclusive retreat being hosted at Blackbrier Estate by none other than one of her FAVORITE authors, the FABulous Mistress of Feminist Horror herself, Roza Vallo. As one of 5 lucky writers, Alex is even willing to face her estranged former best friend Wren for a chance to work with a legend...even though there is plenty of unfinished business and bad blood still lingering in the air.

Once there, the women discover that they are each expected to finish a full-length novel during the month-long retreat...and the novel Roza likes best will go on to get a whopper of a publishing deal. The competition is fierce, but as fictitious stories are told, some secrets begin to emerge...and strange and sinister happenings take over Blackbrier, taking its inhabitants from confused...to alarmed...to terrified. Who will win the prize AND the day? Or is there more at stake here than the glittering allure of fame?

This is an INCREDIBLY polarizing book, and after completing it, I get it. It's one of those thrillers that either ticks all the boxes for you or just doesn't hit the mark whatsoever. I'll admit I grabbed this one based SOLELY on the cover (yet again...will I ever learn?!) and went in blind figuring a writing retreat that looked eerie, set in the winter, easy locked room popcorn thriller to chase away the winter blues.

But Julia Bartz seemingly had an agenda...I just have no idea what it actually WAS.

There are so many strange elements tossed together in this, everything from gratuitous sex to paranormal activity, elements of locked room mystery AND gothic mystery, and what I felt was a pretty blatant mix of two Stephen King novels and one OTHER novel as well (Misery and The Shining, with heavy shades of Jean Hanff Korelitz's The Plot) that I honestly just didn't get what I was supposed to get out of this book. The premise was hard enough to believe initially, the characters obnoxious, the writing felt very flat and the excerpts of Rosa's "bestsellers", as well as Alex's book in progress were so painfully boring, I got to the point where I was skimming those passages entirely.

Some reviewers have described this read as "satirical" and "darkly humorous", so I tried to look back at this book in a different light after finishing it...but I couldn't really find anything funny about it either. The 'commentary' on the publishing industry either wasn't spelled out in a way that I found too intriguing or just didn't jive with me: I'm not sure. But needless to say, the plot itself was both a bit goofy and underwhelming to be memorable and since I'd pretty much lost interest it was pretty irrelevant what ended up taking place anyway.

Going to a retreat SHOULD leave you refreshed and rejuvenated...but in the case of this one, it was only getting far, FAR away from it that finally did the trick. 💼

3 stars

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i feel like… if more people knew that this book is sapphic then more people would pick it up. maybe people don’t want to say that because it has sapphics doing bad things, but there are sapphics doing good things too… so i don’t know. but i was truly bamboozled (in the best way) when i opened this up and realized! and how much of a discussion on comphet, and how that can make figuring out your sexuality harder to figure out/accept, were held within these pages!

but this is a mystery thriller about a (you guessed it) writing retreat, where four people are invited each year to write a story alongside a famous author who has quite the following. yet this year, there are going to be five attendees, one being our main character and one being her ex best friend. the retreat is held at a very isolated victorian mansion in the winter, and our aspiring writers have no connection to the outside world. But when one of the other attendees go missing, the mystery really begins.

everything i typed above is the reason i picked this up, and truly i had such a good time with this. i never wanted to put it down, i loved the setting, and i was really enthralled by our main character and her mind. But this is really a discussion on how society makes women competitive with each other in all aspects of life, but especially with achievements. how the world makes women feel like there isn’t enough room for multiples, you have to be singularly the best. And then when you add everything i said in the first paragraph, about sexuality and trying to figure that out in a world that automatically makes this inhospitable environment… this was a really thought provoking book and i really was very impressed by this debut. I think this is my favorite thriller of the year, and i really recommend it.

trigger + content warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, blood, intrusive thoughts, mention of child abuse in past, ptsd, child abandonment + neglect in past, a few mentions of the holocaust and n*zis, domestic abuse in past, brief homophobia in past, talk of suicide, mention of cancer, mention of loss of a loved one, gun violence, gaslighting, manipulation, missing person, unwanted + unknowing filming happening, captivity, talk of aids, racism, sexism, drugging, mention of bullying and harassment in past, and dubious consent in a sexual encounter

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[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Writing Retreat is a tense and twisty psychological thriller set in a remote location.

Alex jumps at the opportunity to attend a month-long writing retreat hosted by lauded feminist horror novelist Roza Vallo. The only downside is that her former best friend, Wren, will also be there. The two parted on less than amicable terms a year ago.

When all five attendees arrive at their host’s gothic estate, Roza announces that this retreat will not be a relaxed, write-whenever-you-feel-like-it affair. Instead, they must compete to win a seven-figure publishing deal by writing a new novel.

With the sense that this is her last opportunity to get published, Alex attempts to start writing right away. Only, between the creepy atmosphere in the house, Roza’s mercurial behaviour, and Wren’s intimidating presence, Alex finds herself struggling. And then weird and dangerous things start to occur.

This gripping thriller solely follows Alex’s pov. It has a dark gothic vibe and a bit of spice. The plot becomes fairly wild and almost nightmarish, but I enjoyed the drama of it. The characters frequently did things they knew were unwise, but it made for an entertaining read.

My least favourite aspect was the story within the story. However, since the majority of the plot focused on the retreat, it wasn’t a huge drawback.

I also liked the insights into the publishing industry.

I was excited to read this debut, and it did not disappoint in the least. If you enjoy dramatic, tension-filled thrillers, I think you’ll have fun with this one.

Thank you to Atria for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

[Shelley's Book Nook · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Reviews Can Also Be Found On:

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Horror writer Roza Vallo invites a group of women to her home for a writing retreat and a storm strands them without phone service and access to the police. I am sorry to say but this book wasn't for me. I was expecting a locked room mystery or a gothic suspense and the book is kind of both BUT it relied too much on over-the-top exploits that frankly I found unbelievable and boring. I also couldn't get past the sex scenes, now I am no prude and I can enjoy the sexy time in stories but I really didn't like the WAY they happened (it really irked me) and I didn't see the point of them at all.

The reader is expected to overlook too many things that seemed impossible to me, and I hate books that expect me to suspend my belief too much. I was really bored at points during the story and started to not care about what was happening to the ladies on this retreat. I kept waiting for something exciting, scary or interesting to happen and when it finally did I shook my head and rolled my eyes. The subplot of Daphine's story was useless and distracted from the main story. It's really unfortunate that I didn't enjoy this more as the premise was intriguing but the execution fell flat. This book has many good reviews and lots of four and five-star ratings so I guess I am just not the right type of person to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

[Katie Colson · Rating 4 out of 5]

R E A D I N G . V L O G : https://youtu.be/ockth3WZp7Y

Gay, Gory, & Glorious.

Absolutely unhinged.
If you love messy, messed up women wh0 don't apologize for sh*t, you'll love this.

This is a debut? In what world? Julia Bartz knocked it out of the park with her Coming Out novel.

I loved the unhinged and obsessive relationship between Wren and Alex. It's a deep platonic connection but also sexual but also hatred sewn throughout. There's shame and fear and longing and tension and genuine connection. SO juicy!

I will say that I didn't understand the importance of the WIP novel we got excerpts of. I'm sure there was a deeper meaning behind them but I didn't catch on.

Overall, I think this is a silly goofy but also gory fun time. If you go in to it with expectations of realism, you won't like it. But if you assume that this is a thriller, meant to be read like it's outlandish, then you will have the time of your life.

[Marialyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some books jut get better as they continue, not this one unfortunately. The characters, those invited to the so called retreat were so off kilter and their "personalities" didn't come through at all except that they were dumb as a rock. When something is too good to be true, it usually is, so this invite had strange and possibly evil written all over it.

I suppose it could be considered an adventure and a challenge with an off amount of gratuitous gay sex as a side. The writing is all over the place and the old "kitchen sink" moniker deserves its place with this story.

I won't go into the details, but obviously, although it had a pretty good first fifty or so pages, it steadily went on the quick fast downhill track until it fell over.

Suffice to say, it wasn't my "glass of drugged wine" or even water The two stars are mine for finishing this absurd book.
Thanks, I think, to Edelweiss, for a copy of this book which I see is a BOTM selection. I sure hope those who buy it will indeed like it and find it is money well spent.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get your creative juices flowing, polish up your writing chops because you have been invited to a month’s long writing retreat in the Blackbriar Estate in the Adirondacks. Your host is Roza Vallo! Yes! That Roza Vallo! The winner will receive a seven-figure publishing deal! Sounds like an opportunity of a lifetime, doesn't it? But is it?

Alex has had writer's block and knows that her ex-best friend, Wren will be at the retreat. But that is not enough to stop her from attending. All she and the other attendees must do is write an entire book in a month! It won’t be easy, Roza will see to that!

I was highly anticipating this book especially as the synopsis said the book would be claustrophobic! I love those kinds of books. Although, I did enjoy this, I didn't love it. Things get a little (a lot) over the top which I don't have an issue with as it was entertaining, but I did do some eye rolling. There is a book within a book in this which I also didn't mind. The pacing was also solid, and things never felt dull or slow for me, and yet, for some reason, I didn't enjoy it more.

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edited - I'm still thinking about this so I'm bumping up to 4.5 stars

This book has flaws (I'll discuss more below), but I can't help appreciate how the author went for it with the ultimate track the plot took- I wondered if she was going to Go There and she did. It's over the top and darkly camp, and it will NOT work for everyone. For me, I found it to be a bonkers good time as we watch this group of women who desperately want something navigate an increasingly unhinged situation. It's a lot about the complexity of female friendship and sexuality in the face of systems that pit women against each other, and that ultimately worked for me
The main flaw from my point of view is pacing - this would have been much more effective without the interstitial excerpts from the WIP novel. I also think bringing more of the action into the first 30-40% would have benefited the overall sense of suspense.
I also want to mention that there are cringe and problematic things said, done, & thought in this book. It's pretty clear to me it is from the POV of the characters rather than being authorial attitude, but if you don't like or want to read people saying/doing/thinking bad things, and particularly if you are sick of wlw tropes in mystery thriller, be ye forewarned
CW: mental & physical abuse, distasteful use of N@zis in a character backstory

[Virginie Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟 : I had such a great time reading this first novel by Julia Bartz!

I loved the blurb and the premise so I was really happy when I received an ARC. I love books-about-books, especially when it's about the writing process. I was hoping The Writing Retreat would meet my expectations, and it did! I was disappointed to put it down each time I had to attend to a Christmas dinner! 😅

I enjoyed following the women participating to the writing retreat with the famous author Roza Vallo in her mysterious mansion lost in the middle of the woods. I thought the characters were well drawn-out and it was really interesting to read about their relationships while they had to write an entire novel under pressure. Mrs Vallo certainly wasn't an easy mentor to work with!

Why not 5 stars? The last third of the book took another direction and I wasn't as enthralled as I was while reading the parts before, but thankfully it didn't drag too much.

I'm glad I read some of the reviews beforehand, but you could also go blind (so I won't disclose any additionnal details here). I highly recommend to try this book and I'm really curious to see what Julia Bartz will write next!

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley.
Publication date: 21 Feb 2023

[Deanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a mess from beginning to end. The writing was awful. The story itself was promising, but so out of this world that I was rolling my eyes. BOTM made no mention that this was a LGBTQ novel even though every sex scene in the book was FF….some of which were unwanted advances and there’s literally no warnings about it. Im not opposed to lesbians, I love myself a good lesbian story sometimes. However….BOTM blatantly ignoring it is offputting and obviously misleading. This book is presented as something completely different than what you’ll read. The story within the story made 00000 sense. The use of pronouns seemed silly. This author spent so much time making sure it’s known that she’s “politically correct” that the finished product was embarrassing. I prefer ALL politics be left out of books…our world sucks and I read to escape it. However, more and more it’s creeping into our books and it’s sad. I don’t know who read this and thought it was great but it was absolutely not. The entire book made 0 sense and everything about it gave me the ick. I’m slightly annoyed I wasted my money on this.

Update: BOTM refunded me my money thankfully.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Five stars all the way!
I am blown away by this book! It had me hooked from the first page and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! I love books about writers and an isolated setting and this one did not disappoint. Ioved the dark turn it took and I was shook with each twist. I will be looking out for this authors next book.

Alex has been suffering from writers block for a year after a series of events ends her longtime friendship with Wren. She receives and invitation to an exclusive month long writers retreat hosted by her favorite author Roza Vallo at her secluded estate. Alex is beyond excited at the opportunity even when she finds out her ex best friend will also be attending.

With everyone in attendance Roza informs them that they must complete an entire new novel in the month they are there. The winner will be published and receive a seven figure deal. Alex does her best to ignore the distractions from Wren and the others however, when one of them disappears during a blizzard, the group begins to realize some things really are too good to be true.

Will you be adding this to your tbr?

The Writing Retreat is available February 21,2023

Thank you to netgalley and atriabooks for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to Atria books, Julia Bartz and Netgalley.
Holy shit! Was this one fantastic story or what? Crikey! Lisa likey!
Honestly? This would be a book that should be read without any hints. No blurbs. No comments. No nothing!
I just enjoyed the crap out of this story.
I'll confess that I did have an idea of how it would go, because maybe I'm a wee bit mad that way!
Also, I'd love to see more of these crazy characters. Yep. I get that it's meant to be a one off, but...

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

summerween days 1+2 vlog - https://youtu.be/z0XsouqOao8

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

Alex, our narrator, a wannabe writer has a serious case of writers block since falling out with her friend Wren. Alex and her friends are obsessed with mysterious reclusive author Roza Vallo who runs month long retreats for aspiring authors all of whom have to sign NDA’s. Roza’s Hungarian background is fascinating, her novels are mystical, supernatural, sex charged blends combined with a mystery, very much like this novel! When one of the writers on Roza’s latest retreat drops out, Alex is offered a place… There is a bombshell though as Wren has been offered a place too. Can the two set aside that acrimony and make the most of the opportunity?

The first 80% of this is most definitely my kind of book. It’s well written with intriguing, larger-than-life characters with lots of juicy clever scenes that make you gasp or smile or both. The dynamics are constantly in flux partly because peoples heads are being messed with ranging from situations of let’s all play nice to drops or bucket loads of poison. There is tension in spades, suspicion at every turn, hatred by the truckload and it becomes very intense. It becomes very strange and disturbing, dreamy, sexy, nightmarish and hallucinatory. I love that you don’t know what’s real and what’s not and like the characters you lose your sense of reality.

The isolated setting of Blackbriar, Roza’s home, is excellent, it has an interesting back story like the character currently in it and also an odd energy. The atmosphere keeps changing like the wind from fresh and breezy to stifling and then switches to distinctly chilly with appropriate large falls of snow hemming them in.

Unfortunately, as I had high hopes we would enter some sort of Narnia (you’ll have to read the book…!!), but sadly we enter la la land. The last 20% is very OTT, you need your disbelief suspenders that’s for sure though I grant you, it’s entertaining.

Overall, there is little doubt in my mind that Julia Bartz is very talented, and I look forward to reading what she comes up with next.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to One World Publications for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

[DeAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 kitchen sink stars
*now available

This one has such a promising premise – an exclusive writing retreat, successful but reclusive writers, a story within the story, and trauma with friends.

Our main character is Alex, and she works in the publishing world and is an aspiring writer. Her all-time favorite writer is Roza Vallo. Roza holds an exclusive retreat for promising writers under the age of 30. Alex is shocked to receive an invitation to the retreat, held at Roza’s palatial home in upstate New York. She’s even more shocked when her former best friend Wren is also invited. Sparks are sure to fly! Or maybe a reconciliation?

Alex and Wren arrive and meet the other retreat attendees. They are all given the daunting assignment of writing a complete novel during the retreat. Will Roza make a bestselling writer out of one of them? As strange events start happening, Alex realizes how isolated the group really is at Roza’s estate.

I thought this was a great premise and set-up for a novel. Then I felt like the entire kitchen sink had been thrown into this novel. There were too many over-the-top elements, spicy dreams, twists and turns, and a ridiculous ending.

Others have loved this one so don’t just take my word for it if it sounds up your alley. Jayme and I buddy read it and I definitely am right next to her on outlier island.

My thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler books for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one.

[Rereader · Rating 1 out of 5]

THIS REVIEW IS LOADED WITH SPOILERS! THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY WARNING!!!!

I should have dropped this. I should have just dropped this when it took me two and a half FUCKING HOURS to read 60 FUCKING pages, but noooooooo. I just HAD to keep going, naively thinking this would get better. And boy FUCKING howdy, did it get worse.

When it dawned on me that this book is a combination of "Bunny" and "Nine Perfect Strangers," I realized that this was going to be a contender for my worst book of 2023. And the ending did not disappoint! While its still too early to tell, I would be genuinely amazed if anything else this year topped this rage-inducing slog of a book.

Before I really start my rant, allow me to discuss the only positive I can give this book: the only Black women in the book didn't die. So, congratulations, Bartz! You did ONE GOOD THING in subverting traditional horror/thriller tropes and didn't kill off the only POC of the group! Good for you! *sarcastic clap*

And now folks, onto the rant.

First and foremost, I read a couple of reviews that stated that this read as YA, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. In fact, if this was marketed as a YA novel and the writers (or budding writers, whatever) were between the ages of 16-18, I think this book would have been a lot more tolerable. Throughout reading this book, I had to constantly remind myself the characters were adults because guess what? They didn't act like grown-ass adults! They acted like a group of catty mean girls for the majority of the book (one of the many reasons this reminded me of "Bunny") and frankly I couldn't take them seriously as adults.

But before I go off about the characters, let me first tell you the biggest issue I had with this novel--it was SO FUCKING SLOW!! As mentioned earlier, it took me two and a half HOURS to read 60 PAGES. I am really fast reader, always have been, so seeing that I had made such a small dent in this book, that mind you is not that long to begin with, it should have been my first red flag that this wasn't going to work. But I thought it would pick up, I thought the intrigue and the story would make up for it, and NOTHING MADE UP FOR THIS SLOW AS FUCK BOOK. I have no idea how a book can have mystery, intrigue, drama, and horror elements throwing themselves at the reader from every angle, and yet it feels like no progress is made. Its absolutely baffling and enraging at the same time.

Moving on to the story itself, I admit part of this could be blamed on me. My takeaway from the summary was that a group of pretentious writers were going to be forced to compete with each other, and they start dying one by one and the main lead would have to figure out what's going on. And let me tell you, as someone who almost minored in Creative Writing in college, watching a bunch of pretentious writers slowly dying spoke to me on a satisfyingly personal level.

But NOPE. Roza's just an evil psychopath who steals writers' stories and sells them as her own.

That's it. That's the twist. And let me tell you, that was a pretty fucking unsatisfying twist, for a number of reasons.
-One, its overdone, bordering on cliche when dealing with art (for fuck's sake, Persona 5 did this twist YEARS ago and WAY BETTER!)
-Two, considering all the carnage that follows this twist, it seems incredibly stupid at best and fucking asinine at worst. You're telling me this women, who has enough money to renovate an entire fucking mansion, adding cells and security rooms, is just stealing peoples' works rather than, I dunno, just skating by off of her current success? Seriously, if this women never wrote a single new book after whatever the fuck the last one was, I HIGHLY DOUBT it would affect her financially in any significant way. And no, I don't care that its because "she's soooo crazy and soooo evil" because that frankly doesn't make up for how fucking stupid this is.
-And finally, this twist ruins any and all supernatural horror elements and dread and replaces it with generic cartoonishly evil hostage situation set up.

But enough about the dumb as fuck story, let's talk about the obnoxious as fuck characters!

The only likable characters in this book are Keira and Chitra. The former because she's the only one with a consistent spine and any semblance of common sense, and the latter because she was nice until she had to die...for being nice, I guess? Everyone else was either whiny (Alex), stuck-up and bitchy (Wren) or so cartoonishly evil and nonsensical I couldn't take them seriously (Taylor and Roza). I don't have much to say about Alex and Wren; so much of their drama could have been avoided if they had used their big-girl words and just FUCKING TALKED, but then we wouldn't have drama, now would we? And let me tell you, the amount of times Wren was used as a hostage, I would have just let that asshole die. She was absolutely not worth saving and had not redeemed herself enough to justify all the shit Keira and Alex went through to rescue her.

Taylor, I have to say, is the character I'm most disappointed in when it comes to how her character was handled. I was hoping, based off of her insistence that Roza had good intentions, that Taylor would serve as the "blinded by idolization, but learns the hard way she's wrong" character because it would have pushed the theme of worshipping your idols, even when they're awful people. But fucking NOPE! Taylor is Roza's girlfriend, has been for YEARS, and is just as psychopathic and evil as Roza! Wow, way to ruin a good character, Bartz! Congratu-fucking-lations!

And Roza is literally Masha from "Nine Perfect Strangers," only she's a sham writer instead of a sham wellness guru. And let me tell you, after reading this and "Nine Perfect Strangers," it has become increasingly clear to me that writing effective and believable charismatic villains is really fucking hard. But no, you cannot convince me that Roza is charismatic-she is manipulative, that's absolutely true, but charismatic? No. This may just be my interpretation of charisma, but for someone to be charismatic in my eyes, there has to be something good about them. Something that makes you think, "okay, I know they do this and that bad thing, but they are good deep down". Roza has absolutely fucking NONE of that. She's a rude, callous, manipulative monster who shows no care or empathy for anyone but herself. Also, how the fuck is this person so universally beloved that one of Roza's trump cards is, "its my word against yours?" Does this book take place in an alternate universe where one successful writer's word is fucking gold? Oh, and let me tell you, if this lady said, "darling," or "dear," one more FUCKING TIME, I was going to murder someone myself. It was so grating and obnoxious and so FUCKING REPETITIVE, please future writers, don't do this.

Oh, and the creme de le creme? The thing that REALLY pushed me over the edge? ROZA GETS AWAY. She literally gets away with EVERYTHING that happens, and then just sends Alex some fucking text towards the end, and at that point I was on the verge of having stroke, so I speed-read the rest of the ending. First of all, this is EXACTLY what happens at the end of "Nine Perfect Strangers," so I'm partially convinced Bartz just lifted that entire character from that book. Second, it makes everything that happened in this book feel pointless. There's no catharsis, readers just have to fucking deal with the fact that this horrible person WHO MURDERED THREE PEOPLE just...fucking vanishes. And third, the fact that Alex actually gives credit to Roza for her successful novel? NO. FUCKING NO.

Okay, I have to end this review here or else I'm actually going to have to be admitted to the ER. If you've read to the end of this review and STILL want to read this book, fucking go for it. It's your life and you can read whatever you want, but I won't be recommending this to anyone. This is easily one of the worst books I've ever read and I can only hope and pray I don't read anything else that comes close to it.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 1 out of 5]

The note to myself on my Kindle regarding The Writing Retreat was “this should be called how James Patterson writes his books.” Apologies to any ride-or-die Patterson fans, but this one did a whole lot of nothing for me . . . . especially since the big “twist” has become an overused trope the past several years.



I did like We Were Never Here by her sister, so maybe this just isn't the sibling for me?????

[Tracy P. (Away for long wknd. Have a good one!=) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a read.