The Writing Retreat
"Well." Rosa sighed, sitting back. "They've certainly tried. But it's as I suspected: most people only have one true masterpiece within them."
I heard about this book ages ago when one of my coworkers at Joseph-Beth told me to be on the lookout for it. He didn't have much to say, except that it was a book about writers; so, when I saw The Writing Retreat on NetGalley, I automatically requested it. Now that I have read it, I know that while The Writing Retreat may seem just like a book about overlooked, unpublished, aspiring writers, it's actually so much more.
Summary:
Alex is a writer. She's never been published, she's had writer's block for a year, and she spends her days editing other people's academic works, but in her core, Alex is a writer. In fact, Alex has been a writer since she first read Roza Vallo's feminist horror novel Devil's Tongue. Roza inspired Alex to write, and even brought her to her best friend, Wren, another writer and die-hard Roza fan. The two girls were thick as thieves, joining writer's groups and moving in together, acting as the other's lighthouse in the darkness of the poor pay and unfulfilled dreams that comes with living in New York City.
But, after one confusing night, Wren suddenly distanced herself from Alex, moving out of their apartment, and shunning her from the writing community they had built. Betrayed, broken-hearted, and abruptly facing writer's block, Alex spends the following year with her head down. That is until her friends sends a sample of Alex's writing to Roza Vallo and she gets chosen to join Roza's elite writer's retreat in Upstate New York. The retreat is famous for propelling young female authors into publishing stardom, so despite hearing that Wren will be attending the retreat too, Alex packs her bags and prepares for a month of writing.
Yet when Alex arrives, Roza surprises the five girls with an impossible request: over the course of February, each woman will write an entire novel––3,000 words per day––that Roza and the group will edit. Furthermore, at the end of the month, Roza will chose her favorite to publish with a seven-figure deal, and her ringing endorsement. With no time to waste, Alex throws herself into writing, deciding to write about Blackbriar (Roza's estate) and its original inhabitants, Horace, Daphne, and the spirit Daphne channeled, Lamia.
As Alex delves into the spooky history of Blackbriar, she and the other girls start noticing Roza's own spooky habits. Dark games, haunted basements, emotionless maids, and Roza's swift mood swings make Blackbriar seem like less of the welcoming, cozy retreat the girls were promised, and more like the pace they'll have to fight to escape. When one writer vanishes the night of a deadly snowstorm, Alex realizes that it might not be a matter of escaping; she has to write for her life.
Thoughts:
This novel was far creepier than I was anticipating. I love mysteries and thrillers, but this definitely dipped more into horror than I'm used to. Nevertheless, I did really enjoy the psychological aspect, and I always appreciate an unreliable narrator.
Although I was instantly hooked by Roza's malicious intent, a the storyline of Wren and Alex's failed friendship didn't intrigue me as much. I loved reading about the interactions between the five women and the dynamics that formed in the manor, but Alex and Wren's past wasn't really a mystery I was dying to solve. In the same vein, I appreciated the excerpts of Alex's novel interspersed throughout the story, but I found the subplot of Horace, Daphne, and Lamia to be hard to follow, especially as the real-time mystery ramped up.
I love a good twist, and this book certainly didn't disappoint. Bartz did a phenomenal job of leading into a twist the entire without giving too many details, so when it happened I was still shocked. However, I did find the ending to be a little bland considering the build up, and it definitely felt like she could have done something more creative with the time jump.
Overall:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it was nice to read a different genre after reviewing so many romance novels recently. I think the cover is spectacular, and for a debut, Julia Bartz did an amazing job making the genre her own. Although it was quite dark in places, and perhaps more experimental than I'm used to, The Writing Retreat is a book I won't be forgetting for a long time.
My Rating: 4/5
Goodreads Average: 3.51/5
Information:
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz (Atria, Emily Bestler Books)
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
ISBN: 9781982199456