chaptersofchase 's review for:

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

4.0

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Thank you, Atria Books, for the gifted copy of The Writing Retreat {partner}

Genre: Thriller
Trope: Locked Room
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 2.21.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

"That was the way of the world: if you were a woman, then you had a job to do, and that was to pretend to love everyone else walking all over your body, leaving imprints on your face. You were supposed to crave it, to beg for more."

I was in the mood to deep clean my house, so I downloaded the audiobook and got swept up in The Writing Retreat's craziness (and it was c-r-a-z-y). I devoured the book in one day, and while I'm not 100% what I read, I know I didn't hate it. 

The pacing for The Writing Retreat was spot on until the last 10% - the ending was a little drug out. But, everything leading up to that point was 👌🏼 Just when I thought I had the book's direction figured out, it would change course and take off running. It was such an unpredictable read that I didn't understand what was happening until the moment was over.

🤩 Epic debut
😳 Complex female relationships
📖 Book within a book
💪🏼 Final girl + locked room vibe
💥 Action-packed
🤯 Unpredictable plot (seriously, don't even try)

I'm amazed that this is a debut novel, and I genuinely can't wait to see what Julia Bartz writes next! I recommend reading The Writing Retreat if you enjoyed reading Nine Perfect Strangers or The Family Game. 



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