Debut Novel Friday: Julia Bartz's THE WRITING RETREAT
Writers…can be a lot. I should know. I am one.
Writers have often been the subject matter of different media. Movies. TV shows. And of course, books. So when I read about a debut novel about writers at a writer’s retreat and how it went left, I knew. I knew that I would like to read it like I like seeing guys in suspenders.
THE WRITING RETREAT is Julia Bartz’s debut novel. And it’s about…writers. One writer in particular named Alex. Alex works in a job that she doesn’t like. She also gets to watch people she know accomplish the dream that she herself desires…to be a published author. Add onto that she had a falling out with her best friend Wren and them sharing the same social circle, one can imagine that Alex’s life is not the greatest.
Enter: Roza Vallo. Famous recluse author. Also Alex’s favorite author and inspiration. The author…who just invited five authors to her mysterious and Gothic estate for a writer’s retreat!!! And guess who managed to get on the list? That’s right!!! Alex was going onto a writer’s retreat with her most revered author. Bad news? So was Wren.
And what a retreat it was! Out in the snowy middle of nowhere. Catered to by a professional chef. There was even a personal bodyguard to help with anyone’s needs. Of course, there was no Wi-Fi or phone signal, but who needed that? The retreat was simple: write a novel in a month with a daily word count complete with surprises. The prize: A multifigured publishing deal.
At first, it was everything that Alex could dream of. Being able to be around her author idol is a thrill. The writing challenges push Alex out of her writer’s block, allowing her creativity to flow. Meeting other authors outside of her social circle is a new experience. The retreat also forces Alex to deal with Wren for better or for worse as their rivalry increases in writing, making friends, and…perhaps into something more? But not everything is as it seems at Roza’s estate. And when someone disappears, Alex wonders…is foul play afoot…or something else supernatural?
As a debut novel, I felt Bartz had the perfect premise. Alex was a good protagonist. I felt like I was reading the thoughts of a writer. She definitely reacted to things like a human would. And while there were times that I wanted to shake her and felt her character development was slow, Alex did grow. The protagonist is only as good as the antagonist. Wren came through on that. It was fun to explore the falling out between Alex and Wren. It led to some racy scenes, but I found all of it relatable. But I found a lot of the characters to be well-developed.
The plot was full of twists and turns. Some might say too many, but I rolled with it. And I love any book that will make me react in real time with gasps, laughs, and eyerolls. Once the reveals started, I was sure my jaw was on the floor at some of the truth. The novel also had little interludes involving the story that Alex was working on during the retreat. I found those annoying. Worse, it interrupted the flow for me. At first that is. Eventually, the novel itself overpowered that narrative, the interludes bending to the flow as the novel turned into a real page turner.
Add on a good ending and I would say this was a great debut novel. I can’t wait to see what Julia Bartz comes up with next.
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