After a year of dealing with writer’s block and on the verge of throwing in the towel, Alex receives an opportunity to attend a month-long writing retreat, hosted by the famous feminist horror writer, Roza Vallo. Even though she’s not written anything, Alex can’t turn down this big chance; Roza Vallo has been her favorite author since her childhood. A writing retreat could be the answer to her problem. Despite her lack of confidence, including the fact that Alex’s former best friend and current rival, Wren, is attending the retreat, Alex packs her bags.
When Alex and the rest of the attendees arrive at Roza’s mansion and get settled in—full of hope and excitement, ready to get started on their own works in progress—Roza Vallo makes an announcement: the attendees aren’t there to work on their current projects. They each are required to write a new novel from scratch. And they have one month to complete their novels. There will be only one winner. The grand prize? A seven-figure publishing contract. It all seems impossible, yet each woman is determined to win. While Alex does her best to focus on her new story, she can’t help feeling distracted by the unusual presence that may be haunting the mansion. Roza’s unpredictable behaviors each day aren’t helping the attendees, either. Suspicion eventually happens after one of the attendees disappears during a snowstorm, and Alex starts to feel that there’s more of a bad history to the mansion, something sinister. When time starts running out, Alex is determined to get to the bottom of it all.
During the first half of the book, I wasn’t sure how to feel. I liked the story idea, even if it felt a bit slow. But, then, once I got to the second half, it got better. It was almost like Stephen King’s Misery, in my opinion. This was a good, locked room mystery about friendship, fame, and competition and how far people are willing to go to win. I still have my fingers crossed that I’ll have the opportunity to attend a writing retreat. Anyone here ever attended one? I’d love to know all about your experiences. Feel free to post your comments on the book, as well. Happy reading!
About the author: Julia Bartz is a bestselling author, therapist, and creative coach. The Writing Retreat was an instant New York Times bestseller and received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist. LibraryReads chose The Writing Retreat as their Top Pick of February 2023, and the American Booksellers Association chose it for their March 2023 IndieNext list. For more info, click here.
Just a Thought 