The Writing Retreat

  

I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Writing Retreat 

Author: Julia Bartz

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Release Date: 2.21.23

Publisher’s Summary 

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.

My Review

When I first came across this title several months ago I thought "oh yes...gimme!" Then I found my buddy Deb @lonestarwords (who has the closest reading style to mine) didn't like it and thought "uh oh." I didn't totally discount it before diving in, but I was cautiously optimistic and prepared for a probable DNF. Well, I loved it, but can totally see why she didn't. 

Six young women have been invited to an exclusive writing retreat, hosted by bestselling horror author Roza Vallo at her super isolated (nearest neighbor 15 miles away) sprawling mansion, Blackbriar. The women are not only enthralled with learning from a literary icon, but the best manuscript produced during the retreat will also get a book deal with Roza's publisher. Stakes are high and this idyllic writing retreat quickly devolves into a complex game of scheming and, well...shit just goes totally off the rails.

I especially loved that this novel is layered with lots of stories (the attendees' and Roza's personal stories, the multiple manuscripts, and the myth and history of the haunted mansion.) There is also a heavy theme and discussions of who owns what stories (creative trade of ideas among writers, intentional/unintentional intellectual property theft, plagiarism, and lack of oversight within the book publishing industry, etc.)  

It's hard to make comparisons to other stories here in my review without giving some of the plot and scenes away so I will simply say that this is modern gothic horror at its best.