DNF at 38%. I was hopeful, but unfortunately I couldn’t get into this book. Eye-catching cover and intriguing premise but just didn’t deliver. The story of an aspiring author, hoping for her big break of getting published, but mean-girls from her past seek to sabotage her aspiring career. Multiple timelines and POV that made the story a bit confusing. The dialogue was juvenile and sometimes cringy. All just unrealistic and over the top. Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

This was a great read. I enjoyed this page turning story. I couldn't get enough of the plot. It keeps you guessing and on your toes until the last oage. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Unfortunately this is a DNF at 25%. I adore murder mysteries where everyone gets stuck together at a retreat or an island but I just could not get passed the writing in this one.
So info-dumpy- in fact I skipped to the end and read some of the last chapter and everything was summarized.
Adverbs do all the heavy lifting and there are whole sections that could have been edited out? You can use these moments of moving the character from one location to another to show us something about them. Instead she was just getting in cars and getting out of them and walking through doors. It just wasn’t for me.

I was really looking forward to The Writers' Retreat, and it did not disappoint. The twisted tale of a friendship gone wrong and all the fallout that entails is gripping, page-turning, and amazing. You'll enjoy every word.

**3.5 Stars**

✨ARC Review✨
📖 The Writer’s Retreat
✍️ Samantha Verant
📅 Publication: July 22, 2025

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
Breathtaking views.
Perfect solitude.
Cold-blooded murder.
For any writer, it sounds like a dream: a weeklong retreat at a luxurious estate in the Catskills. Time to escape, focus, and create, surrounded by a handful of like-minded creatives. But in these rugged mountains, cut off from the world, no one will hear you scream…
When Liv Montgomery receives an invitation to the exclusive writing retreat, she thinks she’s hit the jackpot. But not everyone in this group is what they seem, and Liv’s spot on the list was no coincidence. As tensions rise and the stories grow darker, fiction begins to bleed into reality. Then the unthinkable happens: a murder. And Liv is left holding the knife.
𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
The story started a bit slow for me, but the intriguing premise kept me reading, and I’m glad I stuck with it. I liked how the narrative shifted between past and present, slowly revealing the characters’ growth and what shaped them. It also introduced an element of uncertainty, as it became clear that several people might have hidden agendas, leaving the reader unsure of whom to trust, which I enjoyed.
The cult aspect brought a dark and compelling layer to the plot. In the end, it turned into a tense, cat-and-mouse game that kept me engaged, and the ending genuinely surprised me in the best way. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, though not without its flaws.
Thank you, @netgalley and Storm Publishing, for allowing me to review this ARC.

30% dnf I found this overtly neurotic. Although I liked the synopsis I was soon grating my teeth, it just got on my nerves.

Wow -- this book gives new meaning to the term "unreliable narrators." Olivia (aka "Liv") has written a memoir and is ecstatic to get invited to a writers' retreat at a fancy resort in the Catskills. She's in for a rude welcome when old friends show up. I really hate to give many details, because the reader really should experience this book with no prior information. It was an excellent thriller, with strained and volatile relationships at the heart of the narrative. Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review this novel.

First, thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC!

What can I say? This book again had many tropes from my list that I enjoy reading - a writer as protagonist, a luxury estate in the mountains, and then, of course, a murder happening.

The book was gripping from the start, and while not all of the characters were people I liked, I still flew through the pages of this gripping story. I would have loved to give 5 stars, however, had to take one off because of the jumping between timelines and different POVs. The plot twist in the end made up for it again, though. A solid 4 stars from me for this one.

Twists and turns on every page. Thrilling and unputdownable! I absolutely loved this thriller and it kept me on the edge of my seat!

The Writers' Retreat opens with an aspiring author who gets an opportunity to attend a retreat at an exotic and secluded resort with big opportunities for feedback on her novel. The resort we soon learn used to be home to a cult leader with his followers. We learn that the MFC was caught up in a circle of friends that thrive off drama, secrets, blackmail, and betrayal. There are twists, turns, and surprises as you read through the book.
I read this book quickly and enjoyed all the twists. The plot lacked some depth and towards the end I felt it was a little slow. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Thank you Negalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Who doesn’t love a good, secluded thriller setting?

The premise of this one was definitely interesting and I enjoyed seeing how everything was going to come together in the end.

I do wish the books was longer though- it felt a bit rushed at the end and I feel like I still had a lot of unanswered questions 😅 Plus, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the main character which did take my out of the story at times.

I will say it was still an entertaining read. Filled with lots of drama, betrayal, and obsession. With some cool twists at the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

I was excited to start this book. It sounded like it would be a great read. Unfortunately, it was a DNF for me at 73% as I couldn't read any more. The characters were unlikeable and shallow, and the storyline and twists became more and more unbelievable and far-fetched. There wasn't anything about this book that I liked, unfortunately.

Release: July 22, 2025
Author: Samantha Verant
Publisher: Storm Publishing

Rating: 3 ★ 

This book takes the classic "dream retreat turns into a nightmare" trope and gives it a fresh, twisty spin. When aspiring author Liv Montgomery gets the golden ticket to a remote, high-end writing retreat in the Catskills, it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime—seclusion, inspiration, and a chance to finally focus on her craft. But it quickly becomes clear that not everyone is there just to write, and not everything is as it seems.
The setting is atmospheric and eerie—luxurious yet isolated, the kind of place that seems perfect for creativity… or crime. As the week unfolds, tensions build, secrets unravel, and suddenly Liv is thrust into the center of a real-life murder mystery, literally holding the knife. It’s fast-paced, suspenseful, and full of characters you’ll constantly question. Who’s really there to write, and who’s hiding something darker?
This is one of those thrillers that plays with the idea of storytelling itself—where fact and fiction start to blur, and every twist makes you second-guess what you thought you knew. If you enjoy locked-room mysteries, creative settings, and unreliable narrators, this is one to add to your list.
A retreat designed to spark creativity becomes a fight for survival—and the real story may be more twisted than anything the writers could imagine.
The Writers’ Retreat hooks you with its deliciously sinister premise—an exclusive escape for aspiring authors at a remote luxury estate in the Catskills, where isolation and ambition turn deadly. But this isn’t your average murder mystery; it’s a layered, twist-heavy story about toxic friendships, long-held grudges, and the way people rewrite their pasts to fit their present.
At the center is Liv Montgomery, a struggling writer whose invitation to the retreat feels more like fate than luck. As old connections resurface and secrets from her college years begin to crack open, the story veers into cult territory, tangled betrayals, and a body count that climbs almost as fast as the tension.
This is not just a thriller—it’s a full-blown psychological chess match between women who once called each other friends, now locked in a battle of lies, manipulation, and revenge. The dual timelines (past and present) slowly unravel a dark web of history, deception, and ambition. No one is innocent, and everyone has something to hide.
On the plus side: the pacing picks up hard after a slow burn start, the setting is atmospheric and cinematic, and the twists come at you fast. Some are jaw-dropping, others predictable, but all keep the pages turning. It's easy to read in one sitting and offers a satisfying blend of high drama and suspense.
But it’s not for everyone. The characters are often more “frenemies” than friends—petty, immature, and sometimes indistinguishable in tone or motive. The cult subplot adds intrigue but doesn’t always feel fully fleshed out. And if you're expecting a book about writing, think again—this retreat has very little to do with actual craft.

Favorite quote:
"You have to write the book that wants to be written."

I absolutely loved this book and thought was so thrilling and engaging. Samantha Verant is one of my favorite writers and she always keeps the pages turning, and this book is no exception! I've always wanted to go on a writing retreat, but this book will always stay with me and I won't be able to forget the horrors that this retreat. It's like how people couldn't take a shower after seeing Psycho! And as someone who works in publishing, it resonated even more with me! A must-read for thriller readers and writers, and anyone who has ever been to a writing retreat or has thought about going on one!

An Absolutely Gripping, Unforgettable Thriller!
Hands down my favorite of all of Samantha Verant's books! From the very first page, I was completely hooked. The plot is packed with jaw-dropping twists and turns. The mean girl tension, the dark and disturbing cult backstory, and the psychological mind games were perfectly layered and executed with razor-sharp precision. The setting is breathtaking—isolated, atmospheric, and so vividly described. It added such an eerie beauty that made the suspense all the more intense. I couldn’t put it down, and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it.
This is the kind of thriller that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page. Creepy, clever, addictive—Verant’s storytelling is at its finest here. If you're looking for your next obsession, this is it.
A fantastic read.

This was absolutely baffling to read, it jumps from POV to POV to different timeline so dramatically. The characters were very shallow, and their actions often made little to no sense. There were just so many parts of it that had me going 'huh' - like why wouldn't you recognise someone you were previously very close to and had only seen a few years prior, etc. Not the most enjoyable read, although the twists were good.

2 stars

Liv Montgomery is an aspiring writer who is invitied, for no real reason as far as I can see, on a writing retreat at the Nyx resort in the Catskills. Just before she leaves her ex is killed and Liv is a suspect (why does autocorrect keep wanting to capitalize “LIV”? Is it that LIV golf thing which is no more, right? My golf loving husband boycotted that. But I digress.)

Liv’s current boyfriend (and brother of one of her long time enemies) shows up as well as pretty much everyone from Liv’s past (yep, the sister.) No one ever evolves past being a mean girl, I guess.

This is all really dumb. And the fact that all these idiots fall for….SPOILER!…..is even dumber.

I’m not going to lie I almost DNF this book. But I’m so glad I kept to it because it shockingly had a decent plot after the plot twist! Be prepared for twists and turns and gasping moments!

Set in a writers' retreat at a resort with a distinctly sinister past, this story is so full of action that the reader risks whiplash.

Olivia is determined to have her fictionalised memoir considered by a celebrated literary agent. But when she arrives at the luxury retreat, she discovers that she is suspected of plagiarism. If she is the one who's the victim of plagiarism as she insists, then who is playing games by submitting Olivia's manuscript to the publisher under a different name?

The answer lies in a distant and complex past which include toxic friendships, charismatic cult leaders, and of course murder...

I really liked the cult part of the story. I would have liked the story way more if it had revolved more around the retreat, murder, and cult rather than revolve around the characters and their drama.

The women characters had very similar characteristics and immature personalities that made it difficult to tell them apart. They were very judgmental of each other and too attached to drama which is something that I personally don’t like. At times the story was over descriptive of what the characters were doing and the environment of the story.

I do think you will love this story if this is what you’re into I just think it’s something that I’m not the target audience for.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.