A Novel
by Julia Bartz
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2023
320 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
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 female friendships and fame, The Writing Retreat is the unputdownable debut novel from a compelling new talent.
"[T]he book's pacing—a slow roll of dread and horror, especially in the first half—is exceptional. Bartz hits all the gothic highlights, but, far from feeling stale, they work. A perfect winter night's haunting." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Stomach-clenchingly thrilling from beginning to end... Highly recommended for fans of authors like Ruth Ware and Riley Sager." - Booklist (starred review)
"[An] audacious psychological thriller debut...Boldly drawn characters complement Bartz's gleefully twisted plot. Excerpts from Alex's work-in-progress pepper her increasingly paranoid narration, underscoring her shifting mindset. Sara Gran fans, take note." - Publishers Weekly
"Darkly satirical and action-packed, The Writing Retreat brings a breath of fresh air to the locked room mystery...The writing is flawless and the plot adeptly woven. An absolutely splendid debut!" - Wendy Walker, nationally bestselling author of Don't Look for Me
"Julia Bartz's shrewd, suspenseful debut takes the typical writer's anxieties and obsessions and transforms them into a pulse-pounding, impossible to put down thriller. The Writing Retreat is bonkers in the best way, and it left me with a brutal case of author envy." - Layne Fargo, author of They Never Learn
"A wild ride into the pressures of publishing that is equal parts nightmare and erotic fantasy as five would-be writers are pulled deeper into the secrets of Blackbriar and its inhabitants. In The Writing Retreat Julia Bartz captures the hunger to have our stories told and the desperate measures some will take to cut through the noise." - Jennifer Fawcett, author of Beneath the Stairs
This information about The Writing Retreat was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
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.
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