The Plot meets Please Join Us in this psychological suspense debut about a young author at an exclusive writer’s retreat that descends into a nightmare.
Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.
But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself.
A claustrophobic and propulsive thriller exploring the dark side of friendships and fame, The Writing Retreat is the unputdownable debut novel from a compelling new talent.
THE WRITING RETREAT
Julia Bartz
This book comes out next Tuesday and I wanted to get my review out early enough so you could request it from the library and get your pre-orders in. This first quarter of 2023 was filled with quite a few good thrillers and this ranks among them.
Alex has all but decided to give up on her aspirations to become a writer when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a writing retreat with her idol, Roza Vallo comes up. The only problem is that her ex best-friend now turned enemy Wren will also be there. Alex will have to set aside whatever personal issues she has with Wren and focus on her writing as for part of the retreat they must write a novel from start to finish in one month.
The stakes are already high and Alex is possibly regretting her decision to join the retreat when one of the retreat goers goes missing. Turning this dream opportunity into a nightmare. We follow along as the retreat goes from bad to worse and as Alex discovers just how deep a mess she truly is in.
With commentaries on feminism, what it means to own an idea, and the importance of telling your story I really enjoyed reading this one.
The writing is quick, and the concepts are modern. It was unexpectedly sexy and had just the right amount of cattiness without being too much. It’s being compared to PLEASE JOIN US and THE PLOT and that couldn’t be more spot on as far as the plot and sentiment but it still doesn’t encapsulate what is so good about this book.
I think what this book does well is to have a declarative voice. Bartz has it and it comes through very well in this novel. It picks up a speed and is aligned with humor and intellect you must be on pace with, and it carries throughout the entire novel.
The only thing I did not enjoy as much were the excerpts from the works in progress. Whatever they were intended to lend to the story was lost on me and I felt compelled to skim those sections to get back to the exciting parts. This was minor but it did turn my five stars into a four.
This one comes out next week, February 21, 2023, and I recommend you add it to your list.
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advance copy!
THE WRITING RETREAT…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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