Alex feels dead inside as she goes through the motions of her life. She thought she was going to grow up to be a published writer. Instead, she spends her days working at a soulless job and her nights regretting the one relationship that had broken her heart. She and Wren had been best friends. They worked together, drank together, lived together, picked up men together. Then Wren had suddenly moved out, moved on, without an explanation. She got a new job, a new place to live, and a new boyfriend.

And Alex had felt left behind.

They were both aspiring writers and had bonded over their mutual love for feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Roza was a genuinely unique writer, an exceptional talent with a personality to match. Alex and Wren had seen her in person once, watching as she eviscerated another writer on the panel, a white man who was barely out of college and up for a prestigious award. Roza sat at the table with him and made him look small and incompetent, and then she revealed the secret that would go on to ruin his publishing career. Roza was fierce, and Alex couldn’t help but admire her.

So when Roza announced that she would be hosting a writing retreat at her beloved (and reportedly haunted) estate, Alex wanted to go more than she had ever wanted anything, even when she finds out that Wren was accepted also. The retreat is for a month, and it’s not until they get to Roza’s remote estate that they find out the rest of the rules.

There are five writers there, Alex and Wren plus Piper, Keira, and Taylor. Each woman will be required to write an entire novel in the month that they are there. It has to be an original novel, and each day they will have to print out their pages for everyone else to read and critique. They will also get one-on-one sessions with Roza to go over their writing. At the end of the month, the writer with the best novel will get a seven-figure publishing deal.

At first, Alex is worried about coming up with a new book, as she’s had writer’s block since her friendship breakup with Wren. But as she learns more about the history of the estate, she finds an idea that she can start with. Suddenly, after months of being blocked, Alex can feel the words building on themselves, creating a story like nothing she’d ever written before. She is exhilarated.

But as they days go by, she starts to see that this journey is going to be a lot more difficult than she first thought. Wren tells stories about her to the other girls, and Alex starts to feel frozen out. Roza’s methods are difficult, at times ruthless. She demands nothing less than perfection, and she is willing to push these women as hard as it takes. But when one of the writers goes missing, apparently wandering outside in a snowstorm while drugged, Alex realizes that there is far more happening at Roza’s than just a group of writers working. But how far will Alex go to win that million-dollar prize and the life-changing publishing contract?

The Writing Retreat is a dark thriller about writers and women and the price of publishing success. The debut novel from Julia Bartz, it’s a little bit gothic, a little bit erotica, a little bit suspense, and a little bit satire, all wrapped up in a terrifying remote setting with no escape. It’s difficult and inspiring and terrifying and brilliant.

I am not a big fan of horror novels, but I got caught up in The Writing Retreat pretty easily. It was a slower read than usual for me, but there was a lot to encounter here. It’s high drama and intimate secrets, big stakes and personal stories, and a roller coaster of a ride that will take you from the highest heights to the lowest lows. At least it did for me. This is one intense book. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re up for the ride, you will not forget it.

Egalleys for The Writing Retreat were provided by Atria Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.