A review by angievansprang
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was a fantastic thriller and a stunning debut from Bartz. I was pleasantly surprised at how much of a front-running theme female queerness was in this story. It discusses profanely complicated and fucked up relationships between women, the intrinsic competition we can sometimes seek with one another (especially in academic settings), and the nature to ultimately band together in the end. I loved this. My only notes are that I felt some plot points were a bit predictable, although overall I did not guess the ending. I also felt that the topic of race & discrimination in the publishing space could have been explored more. It felt like a bit of an afterthought tossed into a few scenes. I will be looking to read more of Bartz’s work!
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