• The Writing Retreat

  • A Novel
  • By: Julia Bartz
  • Narrated by: Gail Shalan
  • Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars (159 ratings)

Prime logo Prime member exclusive:
pick 2 free titles with trial.
Pick 1 title (2 titles for Prime members) from our collection of bestsellers and new releases.
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
Your Premium Plus plan will continue for $14.95 a month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Writing Retreat  By  cover art

The Writing Retreat

By: Julia Bartz
Narrated by: Gail Shalan
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.99

Buy for $17.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Sex, suspense, and the supernatural fuel this propulsive debut.” —People
“Darkly satirical and action-packed....An absolutely splendid debut!” —Wendy Walker, nationally bestselling author of Don’t Look for Me

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.

©2023 Julia Bartz Inc. All rights reserved. (P)2023 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

What listeners say about The Writing Retreat

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    50
  • 4 Stars
    40
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    20
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    74
  • 4 Stars
    29
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    10
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    49
  • 4 Stars
    28
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    23
  • 1 Stars
    14

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun listen/read

I really enjoyed this book. It’s fun and captivating. It’s very “with the times” and can come off as a little extra. But overall I enjoyed it a lot.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Impossible

A good thriller should not ask the reader to suspend all logic. Interesting build up but about the last 3rd is absurd. I almost didn’t finish it as I could see where it was going- and it was frankly dumb.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Ugh👎🏻

Hated this book. I did not realize how much fantasy/imaginary characters would play into the story.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

Nice read. I would recommend.
Great characters
Performance was easy to follow and fun to listen

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

I am sad that it is over! A great novel with twists and turns that aren’t obvious or expected.

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great summer listen!

i really enjoyed both the story and the performance. The narrator did a nice job of changing her voice for each character which helped pull me into the story even more. There were a lot of twists and turns and I enjoyed the literary elements woven in. It threw me off a little bit at first because I was half listening but once you get into the rhythm those parts help break up the main plot. There are some explicit scenes in the book so just be aware who you're playing this around without headphones (or if it's just not your cup of tea).

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dark

I loved all the darkness and story twists that made this book an exciting read.

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Story drags

The story has lots of lulls and honestly drags on longer than necessary to get to the point. Did not love it. I had to make myself finish it and was very underwhelmed.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Could not put it down!!!

Story gripped me from page 1. Loves the story, the narration, and it was a good time to read. Will read more from this author in the future!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Love it

It was good but idk I wanted more suspense but overall a good book and the reader was great.

.