I received The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz as an arc via NetGalley a little while back. I knew it was coming out later this month so I decided it was time to dig into this book. Then, when I was about 30% through, BOTM had it in their Feb picks. I snagged it because I was loving it.

The book hooked me with its premise. It’s about five writers being selected to attend a writing retreat in a gothic mansion. The host of the retreat Rosa Vallo, a famous, yet mysterious horror author. She’s published several books that have left audiences wanting more.

While at this retreat, odd things start happening. And when one writer mysteriously vanishes and is presumed dead, things quickly take a turn to the dark side.

I had a love hate relationship with this book. I loved how addicting this book was. It kept me hooked, staying up late to read a few more chapters. I also loved the story inside a story aspect. Not to mention the idea of having writers write 3000 words per day for 29 days in a row. The winner would receive a book deal and a sizeable advance.

While the writing itself was great and kept me flying through the book, I had some problems with the vulgarity featured in the book. This book had some explicit erotic scenes that really pulled me out of the mystery and from the story itself. And the ending had me wanting more. I didn’t understand some of the decisions the main antagonist made.

This book is a perfect fast-paced, wintery read. I gave it 3.5 stars.