The Writing Retreat
by Julia Bartz

Summary
My Review
Stopped the audiobook around the 15% mark.
1-star based on the portion I read.
This book ended up being a huge miss for me. The heavy use of vulgar language and explicit, raunchy content was not something I enjoyed, and it ultimately pulled me out of the story. The tone and subject matter simply were not aligned with my personal reading preferences.
I later learned that the story includes several explicit sexual scenes (many with lesbians), including moments that felt uncomfortable and questionable in terms of consent. That was a hard line for me, and it made the reading experience unpleasant rather than engaging.
On top of that, I did not connect with any of the characters. None of them felt particularly likable or compelling enough for me to want to continue following their journeys. After coming across some spoilers about where the story goes later on, I realized the plot takes a direction that becomes increasingly strange and chaotic in a way that did not appeal to me.
Because of all of this, I chose to stop reading. This book may work for readers who enjoy darker, more explicit, and boundary-pushing stories with gay characters, but it was not for me.
