The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

I joined a book club (and so far it hasn't folded...yay!) and this book was our first read of the year. Julia Bartz was new to me author wise, so I was excited to give it a go. To be honest, this was one of the better books that was picked as the rest tend to have crazy time traveling plots that drive me mental. Or ghosts. I feel cheated when a ghost pops up as the criminal in a mystery that had no indication that paranormal elements would be part of the story line. Anyways!

Isn't the cover neat? I love the bright green against a snowy forest, It's so striking. 

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Title: The Writing Retreat
Author: Julia Bartz
Page Number: 313 pages (hardcover)
Genre: fiction, mystery, thriller
Publisher: Atria
Year: 2023​

A book deal to die for.

Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial high priestess of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled.

Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex’s long-extinguished dream now seems within reach.

But then the women begin to die.

Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it is clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Blackbriar Estate. Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.

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Our main character, Alix, gets invited to a writing retreat by her favorite author, the mysterious Roza Vallo, who lives in a beautiful but heavily secluded mansion .

The beginning of the book sets up Alix and her former best friend, the ethereal Wren, at the same party. We get some of the backstory between the two of them.  While this book is a mystery and thriller, it also explores the heartbreak between the women: their loves, family, and friendship.

When a snowstorm hits, they're even more cut off from the outside world than before. They write their books and explore the mysteries that the house holds (a former owner supposedly killed someone). During one night of partying, one of the writers disappears, setting off a mad search within the house and outside but no trace of the writer. Roza Vallo doesn't seem as concerned as the other writers. Vallo's odd behavior begins to create doubts in Alix about her mentor and favorite. 

​Julia Bartz's sister is also a writer, but I don't believe I've read any of the sister's book. It's cool to have a literary family. 

For me, this book was less mystery and more thriller. It's not hard for the reader to questions (from within the sanity of their own home) how weird Roza Vallo is. It made me raise my eyebrows at some of the antics of the writers as they're trapped in the mansion, but it is a locked room mystery of sorts (locked mansion?). 

As there are very few men in the novel, it ends up being sapphic by default for all the relationships. Some of the characters are gay as well. Growing up, there were zero LGBTQ+ books on my bookshelf, so it's been a bit of joy to read different types of relationships. That being said, some of the hookups between the women are done under the influence of drugs, so not romance. 

Good and bad in one point - there's a bunch of things going on. Lots of subplots that intertwine, tons of backstory. It adds to the tension for sure but it is a LOT.  I saw one reviewer say that "everything AND the kitchen sink was thrown in," which encapsulates it.