Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

57 reviews

aliciavalenski's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Gore, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

emsim's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.75

Still not sure what I read...Some wild sh*t happened.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Bullying, Drug use, Murder, Death, and Domestic abuse

akshade's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Confinement

tamara_joy's review

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Blood, Confinement, Gun violence, and Death

Moderate: Mental illness, Child abuse, and Grief

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Alcohol, Biphobia, and Lesbophobia

heypretty52's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

itsheyfay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Outing, Drug use, Sexual content, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Abandonment, Confinement, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Suicide, Vomit, Racism, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Pedophilia

fadeddpages's review

dark mysterious tense

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Physical abuse

araowl's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Vomit, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Gun violence, Outing, Gaslighting, Excrement, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Child abuse

bootsmom3's review

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful mysterious sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Blood, Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual content, Torture, Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Death, and Gun violence

Moderate: Antisemitism and Racism

Minor: Vomit, Excrement, Genocide, and Death of parent

vereadsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

 

The premise of this book was so interesting. Alex is working in a job that she hates. She wants to be a published author, so when she receives a one life change opportunity, she jumps to take it. 

The first half of the book was interesting. Alex is invited to a writing retreat hosted by her favorite author. The problem is that Wren, her former friend, was also invited. 

Wren and Alex's relationship is filled with toxicity, jealousy, and angst. Ever since her friendship with Wren ended, Alex has suffered from writer's block.

I like how the author slowly introduces us to the mansion. An old house with a dark and bloody past, located in a remote location with no internet access. Also, the place can easily be cut off by a snowstorm. The atmosphere felt dark, creepy and 

Then we meet Roza Vello, the host of the retreat. Roza is a mystical feminist horror author. Soon after their arrival at the mansion, Roza announces they have a month to complete an entire novel. They'll be receiving mentoring sessions where Vello will help them. The best novel will receive a publishing deal. 

Roza plays games and tricks. Pushing them to their limits. She thinks the best writing comes from places of stress and pain. The competition helps to set a perfect scenario for anxiety and female toxicity. 

So far, so good, right? One girl went missing, and the plot started falling apart from me. I expect the author would surprise me with some supernatural twist or a big reveal. But no. The plot was predictable, and everything I thought could happen. It happened. The characters behave like teenagers rather than adults. Every scene seems over the top. The characters felt off. Alex became insufferable and whiny.

The competition and the toxic friendship were throughout the window. The supernatural elements fade away into nothing. We spent the last part of the book with two psychopaths killing and torturing people. Also, we ended up with a third character developing Estocolmo syndrome. 

 

The book sounds pretentious, and I found some plot lines unnecessary.  

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Death, Gun violence, and Torture