By Julia Bartz
Emily Bestler Books/Atria, 2023. 313 pages. Fiction
While attending a month-long writing retreat at the estate of a feminist horror writer who issues a life-changing challenge, Alex, determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, ignores the strange happenings around her. Until the disappearance of a fellow writer leads her on a desperate search for the truth.
I really enjoyed this bleak, genre bending debut from Julia Bartz. She is definitely an author to look out for! I will say this book is not for everyone; it’s part gothic horror, part psychological suspense and all bizarre. From our narrator Alex and her frustrating decision making to the wonderfully creepy Blackbriar Estate, the descriptive writing tips you off early on that something is not quite right with the Blackbriar or the writers and staff circling the estate. There’s also a book within a book since we can read some of the manuscript pages Alex is working on during the retreat. I found this concept intriguing as it provided even more insight into the dark history of Blackbriar and Alex’s mindset. Overall, this ferocious debut from Julia Bartz kept me guessing and feeling uneasy from the first page.
If you liked The Writing Retreat, you might also like:
By Kate Alice Marshall
Flatiron Books, 2023. 322 pages. Fiction
Twenty-two years ago, Naomi Shaw believed in magic. She and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent that summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder--the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to find the man who had hurt her. The girls' testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes. And they were liars. For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods, no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.
By Ruth Ware
Scout Press, 2021. 372 pages. Fiction
Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn't sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there's a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep warm. But what happens when that company has eight coworkers, none of whom can be trusted? An off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?
BW
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