They say everyone has a book in them, and Liv Montgomery certainly does. She's desperate to get it published, and is thrilled to receive an invite to a writers' retreat in the Catskills mountains. There, she will attend workshops and be mentored. But all is not as it seems. 🖋
I loved this book. It was akin to a grown up version of Mean Girls, if the mean girls turned to blackmail and murder. 🗡
The story was well paced, with the narrative occasionally switching from now to then, thus enabling us to learn more about the primary characters and their backstories, as well as delivering some startling revelations. 🗡
The characters were quite a motley bunch. The primary characters, who mostly came from wealthy families, were a bitchy lot. I liked Liv though, and found myself rooting for her.
The secondary characters were on the periphery, there to make up the numbers at the retreat. 🖋
Twistier than a corkscrew, The Writers' Retreat is a gripping page turner, the perfect beach read. 🗡
Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I requested this because I loved this author's The Lucky Widow. This one is nothing like the description. It reads as very YA with a bunch of mean girls who I didn't care about at all, and at times it was hard to decipher who was narrating. They all seemed to be the same person. I found it had very little to do with writing or a writer's retreat. I was rolling my eyes way too much. This just wasn't for me. DNF at 38%.

Read in 2 hours and 12 minutes.

I was disappointed with this.
The ‘writers trapped in a remote area’ trope rarely drums up the suspense that the authors think it does, and sadly, this was no exception.

I’d describe the plot in more detail but, honestly, it’s all as murky as the pond water that Lat and Olivia love so much.

This book is not the serve that the author thinks it is.
A so-called cult where members label themselves goddesses and exhort money sounds like it would be interesting, if there was any substance to it.

The only plot to this book is Liv crowing about how she’s bested Kat again and her scheming makes her supreme.
Then Kat wriggles free of any revenge and declares that she’s the winner and what a twist it is.
But wait, Olivia has another trick up her sleeve!
Kat knows about that trick and has her own Bigger and Better trick!

It’s Keeping Up With The Jones’ for the vapid amateur detective and I’d clocked out long ago.

These characters were unbearable, the plot was a tangled mess, sinking under the weight of its own ego, and every “Gotcha” moment made me cringe.

These women obsess about something that happened to them at high school age because, mentally, they’ve never aged past that.

I kid you not: the best part of this entire story was the Great Catsby—a twenty-pound Russian Blue- who’s never mentioned again after page 12.

Slink back and redeem this writing, Catsby!

An honourable mention goes to (what I desperately hope is) a nod to Inventing Anna with a barked “I don't have time for this. I don't have time for you."

I need to go on my own retreat to heal from reading the contents of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for being able to read this in exchange for an honest review!
(As you can see, I was *very* honest)

Quick summary: Olivia, a bookstore manager and aspiring author, is invited to a prestigious writer’s retreat just as her ex-boyfriend turns up dead. But despite the setup, the story quickly pivots away from anything to do with writing. At its core, this is a novel about a group of female friends, a secretive cult-like past, and a tangled web of betrayal and murder.

Review: Despite an intriguing premise, The Writers’ Retreat didn’t work for me. The writing was underdeveloped, relying heavily on dialogue and telling rather than showing. The pacing felt unbalanced—the book started off very slow and then suddenly sped up, making it hard to stay grounded or fully engaged. Characters were difficult to follow, and it took too long to even identify Olivia as the protagonist. Kat, a secondary POV character, often felt like the actual lead.

The biggest disconnect is that the book simply isn’t about a writer’s retreat. The setting is mostly irrelevant, and the plot centers instead on cult dynamics and toxic female friendships from the past. That genre shift might be a deal-breaker for some readers.

The book attempted multiple twists, but they often came off as cheesy rather than clever. That said, the concept is interesting, and it was a fast read—I was never bored. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t match the potential.

The Writers’ Retreat is a slow burn at first, but once it finds its rhythm, it becomes a dark and twisty ride.

I really enjoyed the concept of a secluded writing retreat — the perfect eerie setting for secrets, tension, and, eventually, murder. The plot kept me engaged throughout. Some twists I saw coming, others surprised me, but overall, it was a compelling and satisfying thriller.

The mix of ambition, obsession, and mystery gave the story a strong psychological edge, and the pacing really paid off by the end. A solid, atmospheric thriller with just the right dose of drama and suspense.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Whoa! My head is still spinning from all the twists and turns of The Writer's Retreat. It reads like a soap opera storyline on steroids. It was a mix of "I didn't see that coming" moments and "I saw that one from a mile away" moments. Vérant gives us a lot of characters to keep our eyes on. And, if I'm honest, most of them aren't someone you'd like to have as a friend. This book is a definitely a case of bad things happen to bad people. There certainly aren't any dull moments in this one. It'll keep you turning the pages. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is not a genre I usually like, but liked the premise of the book. A cast of thoroughly unlikeable characters, too many failed murder attempts, a couple of murders that weren’t that relevant, a lot of people being something that they weren’t and kind of not caring at all led to a less than satisfactory response from me. Yes there were clever twists, but overall, despite wanting to know what the hell was going on, this book left me a little cold. Maybe I should stay in my comfort zone so that I can write a fair and balanced review. Thanks to NetGalley for indulging me in letting me read and review this book.

Liv is accepted to a writer's retreat that seems too good to be true. It's held at a gorgeous estate full of natural beauty and beautiful people. But that's all on the surface, and it's mostly a lie. She's not really there to work on her writing, and she wasn't accepted because of her writing, either. The whole story is a mess of half-truths, lies, and deception. As usual, not much is disclosed in the blurb, but let's just say she's hoping to reunite with a few old friends. Frenemies would be the most apt term, I suppose.

Honestly, you would think no female anywhere is capable of having a true friendship with any other woman after reading this story. It really goes off the deep end with characters not being who they seem and lying about what they know. It was just way too much for me. It got to the point where I felt the reader couldn't believe anyone about anything, and how is that an enjoyable story? It wasn't. It was so much cat and mouse that it was exhausting, all the way up until the end. I wish I could explain in greater depth. The bodies start piling up, and the biggest mystery is who is hiding and lying about the most. But that doesn't mean they are a killer. Or they could be. See what I mean? The whole story is like that, trust me.

If there were fewer duplicities around every corner, the story would have been more enjoyable. And fewer descriptions of wealthy people who can get anything they want whenever they want, making it convenient for the plot. Not everything has to be too realistic, of course, but there's a limit!


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…

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!