Book Review: The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

  Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge,from ATRIA Books via Netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own. 

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.

Synopsis:

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 female friendships and fame, The Writing Retreat is the unputdownable debut novel from a compelling new talent.

Review:

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those books that you love, or really hate. At its heart, it's a combination of stories and movies you already know but looked at with a modern fresh perspective. But having said that, there were just too many 'wait why didn't...' at the beginning of the book for me to really love the book. It's very well done, psychologically, and by the middle of the book it's a classic, 'no help coming in, we have to help ourselves, who is the murderer? mystery" and it moves well. I think my issue was knowing too many people of the same ages, as the characters in the book, and knowing they would have handled things differently in the beginning is where the fault lay in not adoring the book. It's a solid 4 out of 5 for me, but for others it may be a 2 or 5,

About the Author:

Julia Bartz is a Brooklyn-based writer and practicing therapist. Her fiction writing has appeared in The South Dakota Review, InDigest Magazine, and more. The Writing Retreat is her first novel. Follow her on Twitter @JuliaBartz and Instagram at @JuliaBartz.