The Writing Retreat: Book summary and reviews of The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

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Diana

A fun and clever read
I may be biased because I'm a writer. I relate to these aspiring novelists, their interactions with an author they all admire, and their feedback discussions. It's clear that in a meta-sense, this book went through that same rigorous feedback process because it hits all the markers of a well-crafted page turning plot. The excerpts of the novel are, of course, drafty, as they're supposed to be a first draft. The characters are a lot of fun, the story is very original, and the book is truly hard to put down. I absolutely admire this book.

Techeditor

Way too slow
It was slow going, but I made it to the end. What a disappointment this was! I had read so many good reviews of THE WRITING RETREAT, my expectations were high.

This has a good premise. Alex, a writer, is invited to a writing retreat at the secluded home of a famous author who she has greatly admired for many years. So she quits her job, goes on the retreat, and meets the four other female writers who were also invited, one who she has known intimately. Yes, our female Alex is discovering her sexuality throughout the book.

Right away it gets creepy. But Alex and the others are so enamored with their hostess, the famous author, that they accept what I think should be unacceptable. And, of course, they get snowed in, so they can't leave, anyhow.

What could have been exciting is slow and stretched out. I truly cannot recommend THE WRITING RETREAT.

Shetreadssoftly

so-so psychological thriller
The Writing Retreat Julia Bartz is a so-so psychological thriller.

Alex wants to be a published author, but with writer's block she hasn't written anything lately. Then a friend sends feminist horror writer Roza Vallo one of her previous stories. Roza loves the story and invites Alex to the exclusive, all-female writing retreat at her Adirondacks estate, Blackbriar. Even though she learns that her former best friend, Wren, will be there, Alex can't turn down this opportunity. When she arrives, Alex learns the rules. All the five women invited must write a complete novel in 28 days and are required to write 3,000 words a day. Roza's editor will publish the best manuscript and pay a million dollar advance for it.

There is no doubt that the quality of the writing is good, but this was not quite the novel I was expecting based on the description. The premise is very compelling. Yes, there is a high pressure writing competition, there are cruel mind games, and, okay, the mansion might be haunted, but I wasn't prepared for all the focus on the occult as well as the drugs, sex, and other actions of the women. It also seemed a bit too predictable and I didn't care for the ending. Somewhere after the opening the idea of a writing competition and a book about writers went down a totally different rabbit hole and one I wasn't interested in.

I'm an outlier here. Many people love this novel. I just didn't enjoy the novel beyond the opening premise. While I forced myself to finish it, I should have just left it DNF and kept working through the many novels on my to be read list. 2 stars, one given for the quality of the writing beyond the plot and that I read it.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria/Emily Bestler Books.