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Written on the Wall
362 pages, Paperback
Published May 29, 2025
4 people want to read
About the author
Marisa Atha
1 book1 followerMarisa Gray Atha is a writer and teacher who continues to express her lifelong curiosity about inspiration, art, narrative, and the thread that connects people to one another.
An avid blogger and guest contributor, her debut novel, “Written on the Wall,” was published in 2025.
Marisa is the owner of Three Sparrows Studio, providing private vocal instruction with a holistic approach that empowers her students to find and free their own natural sound.
She holds a BA in Music, with a concentration in Vocal Performance, MM in Classical Vocal Performance, BA in English, Minor in Psychology, and is a RYT-500 registered yoga teacher and CMT-200 certified meditation teacher.
She has been published in the NATS Journal of Singing, NATS Inter Nos, OM Yoga & Lifestyle Magazine, Sad Girl Diaries Online Literary Magazine, The Speakeasy Cooperative, and offers all manner of musical, mind/body, and wellness musings in her studio blog and on Substack.
Marisa lives with her family in Northern California.
An avid blogger and guest contributor, her debut novel, “Written on the Wall,” was published in 2025.
Marisa is the owner of Three Sparrows Studio, providing private vocal instruction with a holistic approach that empowers her students to find and free their own natural sound.
She holds a BA in Music, with a concentration in Vocal Performance, MM in Classical Vocal Performance, BA in English, Minor in Psychology, and is a RYT-500 registered yoga teacher and CMT-200 certified meditation teacher.
She has been published in the NATS Journal of Singing, NATS Inter Nos, OM Yoga & Lifestyle Magazine, Sad Girl Diaries Online Literary Magazine, The Speakeasy Cooperative, and offers all manner of musical, mind/body, and wellness musings in her studio blog and on Substack.
Marisa lives with her family in Northern California.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 10, 2025
Written on the Wall was hard to put down! I was immediately invested in the characters and loved how each of their stories ebbed and flowed so seamlessly. Each character and couple faced their own challenges but the common threads of love and friendship were always there, bringing them full circle. As an author myself, I was really impressed with the way Marisa Atha layered the characters and showed their personal growth without losing sight of overall plot. And the epilogue was a very clever way to wrap everything up!
October 26, 2025
Marisa Atha's "Written on the Wall" is a heartfelt, realistic San Francisco set version of Sergio Rossi's "Merry-Go-Round," Merry-Go-Round . Written on the Wall is a braided narrative following Renee, Dena, Becka, and Sara—four women grappling with both similar and uniquely different challenges. Ultimately, they all confront the profound feeling of loneliness, despite being surrounded by loved ones and friends. Each woman battles her own insecurities. Throughout the book, their individual struggles bring them back together, reigniting their friendship and sense of connection, even as life threatens to isolate them.
Atha does an outstanding job of creating reality on the page. Each character acts, speaks, and breathes with the natural essence of a real human being. Atha is able to portray real life in its harsh truths as well as its delicate intricacies. Truly an evocative novel.
Atha does an outstanding job of creating reality on the page. Each character acts, speaks, and breathes with the natural essence of a real human being. Atha is able to portray real life in its harsh truths as well as its delicate intricacies. Truly an evocative novel.
July 5, 2025
This book felt like sitting down with four friends and hearing the raw, beautiful mess of their lives 💬💔✨
Written on the Wall by Marisa Atha is an emotional, honest, and deeply relatable journey through the hearts of four women — Becka, Sara, Renee, and Dena — each facing her own unique path through love, motherhood, identity, and unexpected change.
Becka’s struggle with infertility broke me 💔, while Sara’s tender moments as a mom reminded me to cherish the small things.
Renee and Dena’s shift from nightlife to navigating a new version of “home” was unexpected and so real.
Their lives weave together in such a natural, moving way — the kind that makes you pause, reflect, and maybe even cry a little.
Atha’s writing is intimate and emotional without ever feeling overdone.
This isn’t just a story about women — it’s about real life: the unspoken pressures, the silent strength, and the resilience it takes to choose your own version of happiness.
A beautiful read for anyone who’s ever questioned their choices or found courage in change 💫
Written on the Wall by Marisa Atha is an emotional, honest, and deeply relatable journey through the hearts of four women — Becka, Sara, Renee, and Dena — each facing her own unique path through love, motherhood, identity, and unexpected change.
Becka’s struggle with infertility broke me 💔, while Sara’s tender moments as a mom reminded me to cherish the small things.
Renee and Dena’s shift from nightlife to navigating a new version of “home” was unexpected and so real.
Their lives weave together in such a natural, moving way — the kind that makes you pause, reflect, and maybe even cry a little.
Atha’s writing is intimate and emotional without ever feeling overdone.
This isn’t just a story about women — it’s about real life: the unspoken pressures, the silent strength, and the resilience it takes to choose your own version of happiness.
A beautiful read for anyone who’s ever questioned their choices or found courage in change 💫
July 15, 2025
Written on the Wall by Marisa Atha is one of those books that just gets you. It's honest, emotional, and full of those little life moments that hit you right in the feels.
The story follows four women — Becka, Sara, Renee, and Dena, each dealing with their own mess, dreams, and unexpected turns. From fertility struggles to surprise shifts into motherhood, their stories feel real and raw.
What I really loved? These women aren’t perfect, and the book doesn’t pretend they are. They’re figuring it out, making hard choices, sometimes falling apart, but still showing up. It’s beautifully human.
Marisa’s writing is soft but powerful. The way she captures emotion, growth, and the weight of what we don’t say is so relatable. It's like reading little pieces of your own life, scattered across four different paths.
The story follows four women — Becka, Sara, Renee, and Dena, each dealing with their own mess, dreams, and unexpected turns. From fertility struggles to surprise shifts into motherhood, their stories feel real and raw.
What I really loved? These women aren’t perfect, and the book doesn’t pretend they are. They’re figuring it out, making hard choices, sometimes falling apart, but still showing up. It’s beautifully human.
Marisa’s writing is soft but powerful. The way she captures emotion, growth, and the weight of what we don’t say is so relatable. It's like reading little pieces of your own life, scattered across four different paths.
July 10, 2025
Book Review
Written on the Wall by Marisa Atha
Rating:5/5
Review:
👉Written on the Wall is a heartfelt, beautifully layered novel that explores the lives of four women—each carrying their own battles, dreams, heartbreaks, and hopes. Marisa Atha masterfully weaves their stories together, creating a narrative that feels both intimate and universal, delicate and powerful.
👉Becka’s journey is filled with silent grief as she faces the pain of repeated failed attempts at conceiving a child. Her emotional struggle is portrayed with deep compassion, capturing the ache of longing and the quiet courage it takes to keep hoping. In contrast, Sara’s life unfolds through the lens of motherhood—her joy, her fatigue, and her constant juggling of love, responsibility, and personal identity.
👉Then there are Renee and Dena—two women who once thrived in San Francisco’s vibrant night scene, never imagining themselves trading freedom for family. But life has other plans. As unexpected twists change their paths, they are forced to redefine who they are and what truly matters to them.
👉Through each of these characters, Marisa Atha explores themes of womanhood, love, friendship, loss, and personal growth with stunning emotional clarity. Her writing is tender, honest, and effortlessly human. She doesn’t shy away from the messy parts of life—instead, she embraces them, showing how beauty often lives in the broken places.
👉What makes Written on the Wall so special is its emotional authenticity. The characters feel real. Their challenges are relatable. Their triumphs are hard-earned. It’s a novel that doesn’t just entertain—it resonates. It invites readers to reflect on their own lives, relationships, and the choices that shape them.
👉This is a story of resilience, rediscovery, and quiet transformation. It’s about finding strength in unexpected places, listening to the voice within, and rewriting the walls we’ve built around ourselves. A beautiful, soulful read that lingers long after the last page.
👉Written on the Wall is more than a book. It’s a mirror, a journey, and a gentle reminder that it’s never too late to begin again.
Happy reading 😁 😁
#bookreview
Written on the Wall by Marisa Atha
Rating:5/5
Review:
👉Written on the Wall is a heartfelt, beautifully layered novel that explores the lives of four women—each carrying their own battles, dreams, heartbreaks, and hopes. Marisa Atha masterfully weaves their stories together, creating a narrative that feels both intimate and universal, delicate and powerful.
👉Becka’s journey is filled with silent grief as she faces the pain of repeated failed attempts at conceiving a child. Her emotional struggle is portrayed with deep compassion, capturing the ache of longing and the quiet courage it takes to keep hoping. In contrast, Sara’s life unfolds through the lens of motherhood—her joy, her fatigue, and her constant juggling of love, responsibility, and personal identity.
👉Then there are Renee and Dena—two women who once thrived in San Francisco’s vibrant night scene, never imagining themselves trading freedom for family. But life has other plans. As unexpected twists change their paths, they are forced to redefine who they are and what truly matters to them.
👉Through each of these characters, Marisa Atha explores themes of womanhood, love, friendship, loss, and personal growth with stunning emotional clarity. Her writing is tender, honest, and effortlessly human. She doesn’t shy away from the messy parts of life—instead, she embraces them, showing how beauty often lives in the broken places.
👉What makes Written on the Wall so special is its emotional authenticity. The characters feel real. Their challenges are relatable. Their triumphs are hard-earned. It’s a novel that doesn’t just entertain—it resonates. It invites readers to reflect on their own lives, relationships, and the choices that shape them.
👉This is a story of resilience, rediscovery, and quiet transformation. It’s about finding strength in unexpected places, listening to the voice within, and rewriting the walls we’ve built around ourselves. A beautiful, soulful read that lingers long after the last page.
👉Written on the Wall is more than a book. It’s a mirror, a journey, and a gentle reminder that it’s never too late to begin again.
Happy reading 😁 😁
#bookreview
July 23, 2025
*Written on the Wall* by Marisa Atha
Marisa Atha’s *Written on the Wall* is a deeply affecting and beautifully layered novel that weaves together the lives of four women as they face life’s emotional terrain with courage, vulnerability, and grace. Told with poignant intimacy and a quiet, resonant power, this novel explores themes of motherhood, identity, sacrifice, and the quiet strength of women who dare to live fully—even when their lives veer far from the expectations they or others once held.
At the heart of the novel are Becka, Sara, Renee, and Dena—four distinct voices navigating their own personal transformations. Becka’s struggle with infertility is written with raw tenderness, capturing the ache of unfulfilled longing with such emotional clarity that it lingers with the reader. Her grief is quiet, intimate, and entirely relatable. In contrast, Sara’s storyline serves as a gentle counterpoint—a woman who finds meaning and comfort in the daily rhythms of motherhood. Yet even in her seeming fulfillment, there are moments of doubt and weariness that remind us that no path is without its complexities.
Renee and Dena bring another dynamic layer to the narrative. Once immersed in San Francisco’s vibrant nightlife, they are thrust into unexpected turns that lead them to reevaluate what family, home, and stability truly mean. Their stories are filled with the kind of emotional pivots that feel true to life—where choices are rarely black and white, and redemption often comes at the cost of letting go.
What sets *Written on the Wall* apart is Atha’s remarkable ability to write with empathy and insight. Her prose is lyrical yet grounded, creating vivid emotional landscapes without sentimentality. Each character is fully realized, their voices distinct and their inner worlds laid bare. The narrative does not rush—nor does it try to tie up every thread too neatly. Instead, it invites readers to sit with discomfort, to reflect on longing, healing, and the sacrifices that often go unspoken.
Marisa Atha’s *Written on the Wall* is a deeply affecting and beautifully layered novel that weaves together the lives of four women as they face life’s emotional terrain with courage, vulnerability, and grace. Told with poignant intimacy and a quiet, resonant power, this novel explores themes of motherhood, identity, sacrifice, and the quiet strength of women who dare to live fully—even when their lives veer far from the expectations they or others once held.
At the heart of the novel are Becka, Sara, Renee, and Dena—four distinct voices navigating their own personal transformations. Becka’s struggle with infertility is written with raw tenderness, capturing the ache of unfulfilled longing with such emotional clarity that it lingers with the reader. Her grief is quiet, intimate, and entirely relatable. In contrast, Sara’s storyline serves as a gentle counterpoint—a woman who finds meaning and comfort in the daily rhythms of motherhood. Yet even in her seeming fulfillment, there are moments of doubt and weariness that remind us that no path is without its complexities.
Renee and Dena bring another dynamic layer to the narrative. Once immersed in San Francisco’s vibrant nightlife, they are thrust into unexpected turns that lead them to reevaluate what family, home, and stability truly mean. Their stories are filled with the kind of emotional pivots that feel true to life—where choices are rarely black and white, and redemption often comes at the cost of letting go.
What sets *Written on the Wall* apart is Atha’s remarkable ability to write with empathy and insight. Her prose is lyrical yet grounded, creating vivid emotional landscapes without sentimentality. Each character is fully realized, their voices distinct and their inner worlds laid bare. The narrative does not rush—nor does it try to tie up every thread too neatly. Instead, it invites readers to sit with discomfort, to reflect on longing, healing, and the sacrifices that often go unspoken.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews