On one hand, this was interesting and I liked the past chapters about the cult, on the other hand, I don't understand the characters and where are they coming from. Are all of them immature and crazy? Is this like "A simple favor"?
I would have love it more if any of them were a bit more likable.

Five stars to this completely addictive, wildly entertaining book! I love all stories with a New York setting but throw in some mean society girls/women and a cult, I'm totally hooked. This one was packed with so much twisty, crazy fun that I was glued to the pages, and I think it's the author's best book yet! I loved it!

It’s every writer’s dream. The chance to get away for a while, to carve out time and space to focus on your craft in a small group of like minded creatives. And where better to do it than in a sprawling luxury estate in the Catskills? Surrounded by nothing but rugged mountains and wilderness, where not a soul will hear you scream… When Liv Montgomery is invited on an exclusive, week-long writing retreat, she can’t believe her luck. But some of her fellow novice writers are better at spinning a yarn than they seem. And Liv winning a place was certainly no accident. Then the plot takes a turn towards murder, and Liv is found holding the knife! Wow some wild characters in this book! Great read! This book had chilling suspense, murder, mystery, great characters, and a few jaw dropping moments! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and Storm publishing for sharing this book with me!

This is a slow starting but worth it read. The pace got better after the first fews chapters for me and by that time I was hooked! This is a real page turner, a emotional read. It puts you on edge all the way through you never know what is coming. I really enjoy that in a thriller. Highly recommend!

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Samantha Vérant and Storm Publishing 📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

Not really for me.
Whilst it was an easy read, at times I just felt like I was stuck in the middle of bitchy high school girls. Many times.
Things got ridiculous on far more occasions than I enjoy.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I enjoyed the dual timelines of the book, however I did find it difficult at times to stay connected with the characters.

This book will certainly appeal to most, it was a little too slow paced for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

This book was entertaining enough, but a bit too convoluted for me.

There were just a bit too many twist that were silly and unsurprising.

The pacing of this book was also very off, it didn't quite flow like a thriller is supposed to.

If you're willing to just turn off your brain and go with the craziness, I think you'll enjoy this.

BOOK REVIEW: The Writers’ Retreat by Samantha Vérant
Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

From the first page, The Writers’ Retreat grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go. Samantha Vérant knows how to build tension in all the right places—emotionally, psychologically, even physically. This is a thriller that doesn’t just play with plot twists; it plays with people. It asks you to question memory, loyalty, ambition, and how far someone will go to control the narrative—especially when that someone is a writer.

Liv Montgomery is a struggling novelist when she gets the call: an invite to an elite writing retreat in the Catskills, surrounded by a small group of hand-selected writers and industry insiders. The retreat promises peace, guidance, and a shot at literary success. But Liv’s presence there is no coincidence—and before the week is over, one of the guests is dead, and Liv is holding the knife.

Vérant’s use of a dual timeline—“Now” and “Then”—pulls us into Liv’s past, particularly her college years and the close-knit but poisonous friendship circle that shaped her. These aren’t just ex-friends. They’re unfinished chapters, each holding a piece of a darker truth. The way the story unfolds between present-day suspense and backstory manipulation is masterful. Every revelation made me reevaluate what I thought I knew, and every twist reminded me just how dangerous nostalgia can be when paired with unresolved betrayal.

This book isn’t just about murder. It’s about performance. About how people rewrite their own histories, especially when it benefits their narrative. The women in this story aren’t likable, and that’s what makes them fascinating. Liv included. She’s not an innocent. She’s done her share of harm. And that ambiguity—what’s forgivable, what isn’t—keeps you unsettled throughout.

The retreat setting is a character in itself. Isolated, luxurious, and unnervingly quiet, the estate in the Catskills offers no escape, no cell service, and no outside interference. It creates a sense of suffocating intimacy. The characters are forced into close quarters, physically and emotionally, and Vérant uses that pressure cooker to full effect. Secrets boil over. Alliances crumble. Nothing and no one stays stable for long.

The writing is razor-sharp. Vérant’s prose cuts quickly—smart dialogue, vivid settings, and just the right touch of dark humor to keep the tone grounded even as the stakes skyrocket. And while the pacing slows a bit in the second act, it picks up hard toward the end. The final third is a fast-paced unraveling where every lie, every grudge, every twist finally crashes into the truth.

And it’s messy. In a good way. Because real betrayal is messy. Grief is messy. Closure, if it comes at all, is always more complicated than we want it to be. That’s what makes this thriller stand out. It doesn’t just ask “whodunit?” It asks why—and it makes you sit with the answer.

One quote that hit hard and stuck with me:
“Writers know how to hide the truth in plain sight. That’s our job.”
That line encapsulates the whole book. Everyone’s hiding something. Everyone is telling their own version of the story. And the scariest part is realizing that the truth isn’t buried—it’s right there, woven between the lines, if you know where to look.

By the end, I was exhausted—in the best way. This is a book that pushes you through the emotional wringer. It plays with trust, with memory, and with the very idea of justice. If you love thrillers with morally complex women, slow-burn tension, and a setting that drips with atmosphere, The Writers’ Retreat is one you won’t want to miss.

Wannabe author Liv has had some dubious friendships in the past, and a couple of not so desirable boyfriends. Being invited to a writing retreat to immerse herself in the whole author experience, even at some considerable expense, is a dream come true, though it will mean reconnecting with past demons. Of course nothing goes quite as Liv expected, and some events are inevitable.

A light, frothy read, which could be a perfect holiday book for some readers. Not one for me, rather convoluted and forced with various unnecessary characters, but I’m sure it will appeal to fans of the author.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

This had my thoughts in knots, but slightly too much, and towards the end was like mental tug of war. I found the character links a bit confusing and wild, so I sometimes lost who was who, but I was sceptical of everyone which kept the suspense. The multiple points of view, and from now to then, were well balanced and following with the plot, so things were revealed bit by bit, but still leaving unknowns and having many twists along the way. This was mostly centred on psychotic manipulation and the control people think they have over others’. I enjoyed the writing style, with some brilliant ways to give the feel of the setting. Beautiful settings with unsettling situations.

Thank you Storm Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future

This book was a phenomenal masterpiece I absolutely love love love it! I was hooked from the very first page and I genuinely couldn’t put it down I read it everywhere!

This book was definitely the book of year for me it was fast- paced, intense and so gripping! I loved it!

I really liked the premise of this book and the beginning had me immediately hooked. I liked the fact it felt like a gossip girl meets younger vibes storyline. The socialites, the charity case and the manipulation that comes with access to everything you’ve ever wanted.

Liv was an interesting character. There was glimpses of vulnerability but the overarching want to succeed pushed her beyond her own limits. Kat was what you’d expect from a child who was rich beyond measure and given everything bar the love she needed from her parents.

There was a trope of secondary characters which aided in the story yet I felt they didn’t add much depth despite when they died.

The second half of this I think gets a bit lost in the dialogue. It’s very convoluted and is just back and forth. By the end it didn’t feel like the stakes were that high and it was more about pointing fingers. Some of the plot twists didn’t land and seemed to be constructed out of convenience more than anything else.

Thank you to Storm publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest opinion.

In The Writers’ Retreat, Liv is thrilled to be invited to a writers’ retreat and have a publisher interested in the book she’s written. It’s based on her life and the dysfunctional friendship group she formed in college. From there, things get crazy. She meets up with these old ‘friends’ and stirs up plenty of drama, along with some deaths. These are some seriously unhappy and unlikable women, obsessed with themselves and their pasts. Their story is told alternating between the past and the present, with some major twists thrown in. The tale is well-written and I liked the surprises, but the characters are without redeeming qualities.
Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a fun, twisty read. I liked how the timeline alternated between then and now as it helped build the story as it went along. I'm not always a fan of flashbacks in books but I think this one was done well. I have read many of these types of novels with a group isolation type trope and they are hit or miss for me but this one was a hit.

I have read a couple of this author's other novels so I decided to give this one a shot and I'm glad I did. It was a pretty quick read and I found it hard to put down once I started.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Writers’ Retreat by Samantha Verant due to be published July 22, 2025.
When Liv Montgomery is invited on an exclusive, week-long writing retreat, she can’t believe her luck. It’s every writer’s dream. But Liv winning a place was certainly no accident. Is someone out to get Liv and ruin her dream of becoming a writer?

I had previously read The Lucky Widow and The Private Chef so I assumed I would enjoy this book by the same author. I was right! I was hooked from the beginning. It was very easy reading, very descriptive, and I loved the way it went from “Now” to “Then” for the backstory to catch up on what was happening at the present time. It had everything a great thriller should have – murder, backstabbing, twists – I loved it!

#NetGalley #SamanthaVerant #TheWritersRetreat #StormPublishing