A review by araemoore
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

aspiring author suffering from a year long case of writer’s block, alex - occasionally known as al - hasn’t penned a word since a falling out with her closest friend, wren.

after a run-in with wren at a publishing event for a mutual friend, alex finds herself whisked away to a mansion in the woods owned by none other than her favorite author, the enigmatic roza vallo; former teenage protege, writer of multiple horror masterpieces. roza’s challenge for the retreat was simple: write a novel by the end of february alongside a group of young women, including alex’s new bunk mate and former bff, wren.

tensions, attraction, sapphic longing, ghost stories fill this mystery in a way that i throughly enjoyed from start to finish. the way inspiration is fickle and fleeting felt like the author was in my head. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings