A review by dedicated_reader
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

dark

3.0

Liked ✅ 

• Excerpts from Alex’s book
• All kinds of bodily harm
• Wild and Twisted

 
Thoughts 💭
This was a dark and twisty book. My biggest regret was that I listened to it instead of reading it, I felt like I wasn’t totally involved in the plot until EVERYTHING started blowing up.
 
Alex is someone on a journey out of writer's block while trying to find purpose. Unfortunately, her time at the Blackbriar Estate becomes one traumatic experience after another. She builds new friendships while mending old ones. She meets her idol and learns about her literary muses. 
 
I enjoyed the experts of Alex’s book being peppered throughout. I felt like it broke up the day to day of being locked up in a mansion on a writing retreat. The last 75% went off the handles, it flipped the whole plot on its axis. There was backstabbing, secret relationships, blood shed, poisoning and Houdini escapes. The last chapter was a gut punch for me, it felt like a thank you letter from Alex to the main person who did her harm, and the last couple minutes of the book solidified that. 
 
Ultimately, as an audiobook I felt like I missed a lot of the attachment I gain by reading and visualizing the book. It most definitely didn’t disappoint when it comes to being a spooky/thrilling read for the season.