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A review by justinkhchen
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
5.0
5 stars
A ferocious ride of genre-bending fever dream, The Writing Retreat is part thriller, part horror, part commentary on fiction publishing, and throwing in a dash of sexual awakening for good measure—even though it doesn't dive deep into any particular themes, I really appreciate its dark humor and the ballsy direction the plot evolves into. If you enjoy the films produced by A24—where they usually start out as something familiar, before taking a turn for the weird and the unusual, this novel is giving that same vibe.
Going into The Writing Retreat blind would be my recommendation—I found myself unable to put it down, as it constantly subverted my expectation to where the plot was heading. On the flip-side, I can foresee readers who feel this novel is chaotic and all over the place, which is also a valid observation (the book is divided into parts, and each part is written as if it has stealthily switched genre), but I take it as an intentional creative decision to its overarching message—You gotta do what you gotta do to keep your readers around.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
A ferocious ride of genre-bending fever dream, The Writing Retreat is part thriller, part horror, part commentary on fiction publishing, and throwing in a dash of sexual awakening for good measure—even though it doesn't dive deep into any particular themes, I really appreciate its dark humor and the ballsy direction the plot evolves into. If you enjoy the films produced by A24—where they usually start out as something familiar, before taking a turn for the weird and the unusual, this novel is giving that same vibe.
Going into The Writing Retreat blind would be my recommendation—I found myself unable to put it down, as it constantly subverted my expectation to where the plot was heading. On the flip-side, I can foresee readers who feel this novel is chaotic and all over the place, which is also a valid observation (the book is divided into parts, and each part is written as if it has stealthily switched genre), but I take it as an intentional creative decision to its overarching message—You gotta do what you gotta do to keep your readers around.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**