Paperback, 320 pages
Published Feb. 21, 2023 by Emily Bestler Books.
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 …
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 that “will keep you up all night with its intriguing premise and gasp-worthy twists” (Kirthana Ramisetti, author of Dava Shastri’s Last Day), The Writing Retreat expertly explores the dark side of female relationships, fame, and the desire to have our stories told.
More like a 2.5 tbh. There's just so much that is absolutely preposterous here. The main plot is interesting but I doubt basically everyone's motivations and actions. It just ... Didn't make sense.
3.5 rounded down. Definitely entertaining and lets the protagonist take the situation seriously. I like to have at least that piece stay realistic in a thriller.
It did get too goofy for me in the end - kind of “mwahaha” type of villain. I’d have rated it higher if it didn’t go quite so far… I think the logistics just didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Even when our villain explains the plans, I was left like, and that was supposed to work? It was distractingly implausible.
I enjoyed the reality show feel of the retreat with all its drama, so the first 2/3 of the story worked better for me. Alex’s anxiety and insecurity were relatable and believable to me.
I didn’t feel the writing excerpts added anything, so I could’ve done without. I honestly got all the characters there muddled, so I didn’t really understand that …
3.5 rounded down. Definitely entertaining and lets the protagonist take the situation seriously. I like to have at least that piece stay realistic in a thriller.
It did get too goofy for me in the end - kind of “mwahaha” type of villain. I’d have rated it higher if it didn’t go quite so far… I think the logistics just didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Even when our villain explains the plans, I was left like, and that was supposed to work? It was distractingly implausible.
I enjoyed the reality show feel of the retreat with all its drama, so the first 2/3 of the story worked better for me. Alex’s anxiety and insecurity were relatable and believable to me.
I didn’t feel the writing excerpts added anything, so I could’ve done without. I honestly got all the characters there muddled, so I didn’t really understand that part besides it somewhat mirroring the retreat.
The audiobook was a frustrating experience. The narrator decided to use a weird half whisper that was incredibly distracting. She spoke dialogue with a normal voice, so I had to adjust the volume a good bit. I have no idea why the narrator chose to whisper, it made no sense. She also had to put on multiple accents as the story required, and I feel for her because that must have been a challenge, but they were not good. Taylor’s southern accent was probably the best.
A fun-enough time, which is not high praise, but I didn’t DNF which IS saying something.
