Reviews with content warning for Drug use - The Writing Retreat

this book was WILD. very over the top mystery/thriller/horror?. I'm obsessed. it would make for a great movie.

one thing I am not seeing many people talk about in reviews is the content warning, specifically:

rape. I'm confused because the main character NEVER calls it that, when it's written "I tried to stop her but she told me to relax." this wasn't a big deal to me, but I know it would be for some people.

Content Warnings

dilani's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

First strange book of the year. I enjoyed the writing and being able to listen to Alex’s book as it develops. Very OTT in the last few hours. I just wish Roza was dealt with differently 🤷🏽‍♀️.

Also, as soon the rules of the retreat were explained, I immediately knew what Roza’s true intentions were. Maybe not everything, but I knew….

Content Warnings

bookishmillennial's review

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challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

This was a wild ride, but ultimately it made me laugh and I had a good time with these shamelessly messy, unhinged, overly competitive, toxic women 😂

This felt to me like if June and Athena from Yellowface went to a writing retreat before they both published novels. The angst, jealousy, and obsession with success and notoriety in the publishing industry was so entertaining, and I enjoyed the (extremely toxic but) sapphic denial between Wren and Alex, former friends who are now writing rivals.

Roza, the successful horror novelist that hosts this writing retreat, was every bit conniving, pretentious, and mischievous that you would imagine a renowned literary genius would be. She ate up the groveling of the five women who aspired to achieve even an ounce of the success she found, and she knew what she was doing in every single moment. The way that she revealed it would be a competition among the five attendees had me howling; I was like THIS IS ABOUT TO BE MAYHEM 🫣

I thought this was a fun novel because it provided a sinister but goofy enough commentary on the life of a writer, and how far someone would go to ensure a global bestseller! It brings you into the darkest, greediest, most menacing thoughts of someone who eats, lives, and breathes writing and wants so desperately to be recognized for their work. This book made me happy to be a reader and not a writer 😂

Content Warnings

thehannahclaire's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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tabookish's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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lauren_shilling's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I enjoyed this book a lot! I wasn't sure if I was going to like it because the reviews are very mixed, and I definitely see why some people really do not like it, but I personally had so much fun with it! This story focuses on toxic female friendships and also has LGBTQ+ themes that I enjoyed. It really delves into how women, and queer women in particular, have the capability to be dark, vengeful, and also strong. The first half is really good at creating tension and the atmosphere is incredible, and I think a lot of people will enjoy that part. The second part might lose people, because it does get a little crazy and wild, but it worked for me. My ability to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy something is very strong, and my limits are definitely looser than some people's (not saying it's a bad thing to not have loose limits, it's all about preferences. Mine just happen to be very loose). The characters weren't lovable, but they weren't necessarily unlovable either. The main character is a great example of this, because she's not necessarily a likable protagonist, but she is one that you will definitely root for. The same goes for one of the other characters, Wren. She's a terrible person, but by the end, I absolutely wanted to see her survive and go on with her life. I love reading about characters like that. It's so much fun to root for a character, even if you don't entirely like them.

Content Warnings

charrrchar's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Content Warnings

jelkebooks's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I received a galley of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been really curious about this book because it has gotten such mixed reactions. I'm very glad to report that I had a great time reading this book. The beginning is a bit slow, but still very captivating. There's just quite a lot of flashbacks, and character's backstory at the start that kind of feel pointless. However, there's this undertone that makes you keep reading because it can't be that all this info was for nothing. I think this book does a great job at that, keeping you curious about what's going on. Therefore this was an incredibly quick read as well.

I quite liked our cast of characters. They were incredibly interesting. All of them were a bit fucked, and not really the best people but such compelling characters to follow, and I think the author did a great job at still making you root for all of them, even the "bad guys". I can't help but say I totally understand all of these characters and their actions, and not to say that the bad guys weren't actually doing bad things (they 100% were, and this book doesn't shy away from how horrific the things they do are) but there's just something about these characters you can't help but be absolutely captivated, and enamoured by.

Plot wise, this book does go a bit over the rails. I honestly thought, the many sudden twists and turns were extremely entertaining, and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire book. I couldn't put it down because I just couldn't wait to figure out what else was going to happen. Although, I do completely understand why other people could be put of by that, as it is truly unhinged at times, and that isn't for everyone. I honestly thought this was a great read, and I'm really glad I decided to pick it up. I'm definitely reading more by this author in the future.

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