The Writing Retreat cover art

The Writing Retreat

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Writing Retreat

By: Julia Bartz
Narrated by: Gail Shalan
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

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's desperate to discover the truth and save herself.

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

©2022 Julia Bartz (P)2023 Simon & Schuster
Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Fiction Emotionally Gripping

Listeners also enjoyed...

The September House cover art
It Began with a Lie cover art
The Lodge cover art
What Lies in the Woods cover art
Midnight Is the Darkest Hour cover art
Never Lie cover art
The Haunting of Crawley House cover art
The Quiet Girl cover art
Verity cover art
Secrets in a Small Town cover art
The Couple Next Door cover art
Haunted Hideout cover art
The Housemaid cover art
Layla cover art
The World of the Gateway cover art
The Making of Jackson Parrish cover art
All stars
Most relevant
Pacey and unusual. Keeps you guessing about motives Well written I think as I had o finish listen in my lounge ( normally I listen whilst ealking thr dog).

enjoyed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This was so much fun to listen to. A great gothic thriller with some elements of horror. Wonderfully over the top and very gripping. I listened to it all over two days. She writes complex layered women and gives them agency. I’d definitely read her next one.

Hammer Horror!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This book was okay for an easy holiday read. Nothing too deep or taxing but a somewhat enjoyable thriller.

Not for me

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

It had good premise but became a little boring. Random graphic sex scenes thrown in for no reason? The ending fell flat too. A okay listen, and narration was good too.

An okay read but a bit of a drag.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The main premise was great and very interesting, but this book could have been much MUCH shorter. The women were written well but there felt to me so much unnecessary filler in words and scenes. The ending was a let down to me also. Yet, the narration was done expertly; accents and inflections given to each character so you never got lost on who was talking.
Not for me, but if you like your claustrophobic thrillers with a modern feminist edge then definitely worth reading.

Narration better than story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews