The story opens when social worker Thea recognizes a catatonic patient from her past, who then vanishes after the two connect. Thea's search to find her patient leads her to a remote wellness retreat in New Mexico, run by a charismatic couple, where she participates in intense exercises to uncover the truth. As Thea delves deeper, she confronts her own buried traumas, blurring the lines between therapy and manipulation, and questioning the retreat's practices and her own sanity. The story unfolds as a suspenseful journey into a potentially dangerous cult, where a missing person's search becomes a confrontation with the FMC’s dark past.

I picked this up because I cannot get enough of cult thrillers. I thought this was a fun, quick read. Super twisty, kept me guessing, which I liked. But it was trying to do so much. Trauma, cults, sex-positivity...it got a bit messy. Felt like it needed to winnow down a bit for the sake of clarity. So while I had a good time with it, I would have probably enjoyed my reading experience a bit more if it wasn't trying to be everything at once. Solid 3 stars!

I really can’t tell you what kept me engaged in this book because it wasn’t the most twisty or action packed book, but I could not put it down. There was something about the writing and the aspect of the cult that kept me pulled into the storyline.

We watch Thea grow from her past trauma but working through the current trauma in New Mexico. This book kept you on your toes on wether or not the what the cult believed in was true.

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 364
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

I was at first intrigued about this book. I wanted to see where this mystery would go. Then the story took a weird turn and went down a cliff I could not climb out of. I was so confused and then I couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the story so skipped a whole bunch of chapters to get to the end. Unfortunately this book wasnt for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Julia Bartz's The Last Session is a dark and suspenseful read that kept me hooked from beginning to end.
It’s quite entertaining and full of suspense! A great thriller!
This was packed full of twists and action and you won’t be able to put it down until the end.
If you evicted her previous title The Writing Retreat, you’ll love her newest book.

I enjoyed this authors first book so much, so I was anxious to read this one. The premise was so promising and I enjoyed the first half, but by the second half I was underwhelmed. It felt too unrealistic and odd for me. I will still read the authors next book though.

Bartz has another hit with The Last Session. This psychological thriller keeps you guessing throughout the entirety of the story. I thought I had it solved, but the twists kept coming! The main character has a very sad past that it takes some time to reveal, all while the story unfolds and makes the reader wonder what is actually real. Even at the end I was left wondering what was real and what was psychological. I love novels that make me think and this one did not fail!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I read Julia Bartz's 1st book and loved it so I was so excited to get this arc. Unfortunately it was just not for me. I DNF at 64%. There were so many things going on I honestly had no idea what I was reading. The beginning of the booked I really enjoyed but part 2 and on I was lost.

If you're into cults and strange things then this book would be good for you. I do enjoy this author so I will continue to read her books.

Thank you Atria/Emily Bestler Books for my gifted copy!

“The playground was empty. I smiled at the ghost of my younger self near the slide. All this time, she’d been stuck here. But I’d take her with me when I left.”

I feel like I just came up for air. Which is befitting. This book is a suffocating study on how a cult operates. How hard it is to tell the difference between the truth and manipulation. There was a fantastic exploration of religion that closely mirrored my own, and I appreciated how raw and authentic it was. The Last Session speaks on trauma and the pattern it can create throughout life. It was enthralling. And needless to say, this book sucked me in and didn’t let go until the very end.

I was a fan of Julia Bartz’s first novel, The Writing Retreat, and frankly, loved The Last Session despite the horrible reviews on goodreads. I’m not entirely sure why it’s rated so badly. The writing wasn’t tight, there was a little too much explanation for some of the therapy talk, but otherwise it was a good read. The characters were flawed and relatable. Bartz has an education and experience in social work and therapy, so it is fitting she easily pinned down the cast of characters.

Usually, I do not read books below a 3.5 rating. But I’m learning that some of the best books I’ve read are not highly rated. Reading is subjective. 🤷‍♀️ I would still recommend this one regardless.

Thea is a social worker in a psych unit. When a very familiar woman is admitted in a catatonic state, Thea feels some kind of connection to her. And when the patient disappears from the unit before Thea can get too close, she makes it her mission to track her down and make sure she is safe. This leads to Thea to a remote retreat in New Mexico that focuses on sexual issues and finding your soul mate.

This was my second book by this author and unfortunately I did not love it. This book was short, but somehow felt so so long. There were so many weird elements to the story that at some points I was having trouble understanding what was real and what was a dream/vision.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to see I received a digital arc for Julia Bartz’s new book. Her debut was great and couldn’t wait till her second. Julia Bartz is an auto-buy author for me. The beginning started off really great and kept you locked in. Towards the second half of the book, it lost its steam a little bit. Still enjoyed the suspense in the first half and will recommend anything Julia Bartz writes. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books!

3.5 stars

The Last Session by Julia Bartz is a psychological thriller about a social worker who gets caught up in a cult.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Simon & Schuster (Atria/Emily Bestler Books), and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Social worker Thea immediately bonds with a Jane Doe who shows up at the psychiatric hospital where she works.  Eventually she and the staff recognize her as a celebrity that starred in a show called Stargirl, that Thea had watched again and again as a teenager.  People are also saying that the woman and Thea look alike.

When the woman disappears from the hospital under rather strange circumstances, Thea follows her.  She ends up in a wellness center in the deserts of New Mexico.   They retreat deals with both finding the perfect mate, and reliving past lives. Thea feels this place is more of a cult than a retreat, but can't deny the pull of this place.  They seem to know more about her than they should, and the dreams she has been experiencing seem to be on par with their beliefs.

Thea soon finds herself deeply immersed with these strange yet charismatic couple.  There may be no way out.




My Opinions:
I did not really like Thea, and it's always difficult to enjoy the book if you can't like or relate to the main character.  A thirty-something who solves all her problems with alcohol.  It's gets a little boring after a while.

Once I got into the story, however, things definitely held my attention.  The plot was good, twisted, and a little strange.  I like books about cults, and am usually cheering for the victim to get out, but boy, Thea was an idiot.  For someone who works in the field of psychiatry, she knew all about the tactics that the Center wase using, could quote the techniques from her training, and she still fell for everything.  Her thoughts said one thing, and her actions the other.  Although it went well for the story, it was just not believable.  But when I realized I was enjoying the story anyway, I just decided to suspend belief, and ride with it.  Then I started enjoying it more.

Beware that the book touches on alcohol abuse, childhood abuse, sexual and physical abuse, mental illness, as well as cults and murder.  It also contains some sex scenes.  None of these bothered me, as they were incorporated into the story very well, and with reason.

The writing was quite good, and the pace moved briskly.

It did get a little crazy (and yes, unbelievable), but it was entertaining.  So, as long as you remember that you are reading fiction, and can leave your skepticism behind, I think you'll enjoy this.

The Last Session is quite a change from Julia Bartz’s first novel, The Writing Retreat. But change isn’t always a good thing. Similar to that first book, this one also has a dark and twisting story. But unfortunately there is more wrong than right with this one. While the story was fairly interesting, there were definitely parts I could have done without. I just didn’t find nearly as engaging as her debut. Perhaps this is just the sophomore slump. That being said, I’m not ready to give up on Ms. Bartz yet and will likely check out whatever she comes out with next. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me access to an ARC of The Last Session.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-session-julia-bartz/1145682730?ean=9781982199494&bvnotificationId=910cc16c-0f83-11f0-ad88-12fbb8f2fedd&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/341870838

A social worker chases after a patient she's worried about from NYC to New Mexico and stumbles on a cult and has an orgy. WHAT DID I JUST READ. I don't know who I recommend this for but it was interesting to say the least. It somehow was slow despite it being a cult thriller and I had to suspend reality a lot. Maybe it's because I just watched Opus but I feel like I've read this before.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC, pub date is 4/1!

The Goodreads reviews have not been kind to this so far, so I'd like to advocate a little for it! I think it's intended to be a book about recovering from Christianity, but it goes a little wacky, with secret twins, a therapist main character who is in need of therapy herself, an obsession with the star of a sexy ancient Egyptian romance movie, and a sex therapy clinic in New Mexico. It's wacky, its's out-there, it reads a little like an acid trip at times. (I half wondered if that would be the ending: the therapist dreamed it all after taking mushrooms or ayahuasca.)
Yes, the ratings might be higher if the book stuck to the core premise: an author who has suffered religious trauma goes undercover at a therapy clinic. But the wackiness did amuse me, even if it didn't make much sense at times!

The writing is engaging and the characters are well-developed.
I enjoy cult-themed stories however this one just didn’t resonate with me. It seemed implausible (maybe far-fetched is a better explanation); that being said I really enjoyed The Writing Retreat and will continue to read the author’s future work.
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to listen to this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The way I consumed this book in 48 hrs wow. There’s so much going on here that I kept guessing until the end. Please check the trigger warnings. As a mental health therapist myself, this was a pretty solid representation of the vulnerability cults gravitate towards and the people they can/will manipulate. Cultural appropriation is touched on in this story highlighting how white supremacy can show up literally anywhere. I read her first book, The Writing Retreat and was invested just as much. Another well done psychological thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley, Julia Bartz, and the publisher for a copy of this eARC.

Thea is a social worker employed in a public hospital’s inpatient psychiatric ward. A Jane Doe is brought in for evaluation who looks similar to Thea and felt familiar to her. Thea eventually recognizes the Jane Doe as Catherine O’Brien, the star of a fantasy film, “Stargirl,” that had echoed Thea’s own life. Thea’s life was in flux. Her boyfriend had recently broken up with her after she disclosed some information about her past, and her roommate announced that she was having her girlfriend move in and that Thea would need to find a new apartment. When Thea learns that Catherine left the facility with a couple who falsely claimed to be her parents, Thea engages in some amateur sleuthing, and pursues Catherine to an isolated retreat outside Albuquerque, New Mexico, run by two charismatic figures, Moon and Sol.

I generally enjoy books that seek to explain why people are drawn to cults, but this novel jumped the shark. The first half of the novel was interesting, but the second half was just silly. Thank you Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Net Galley for an advanced copy.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not 100% sure on my thoughts for this yet. I enjoyed the bulk of this book and the ending was okay but I can't say that I loved it. The ending felt rushed and I have a lot of questions still.

I still haven't read this author's first book but I want to and I still would definitely give another book by this author a try.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This book felt like it had a lot of promise when I began reading it. I’m kind of drawn to a novel set in a psychiatric unit/hospital. So this one quickly drew me in.
Thea is a social worker, trying to find out what happened to a new patient named Catherine. She is emotionless, can’t speak, and has clearly been through a traumatic event.

Then the wheels fall off. This book got so very weird, and confusing I literally had no idea what was going on. The constant references to “Stargirl” were annoying. The sex scene and the cave were so strange and far fetched.
I was expecting a thriller. I’m not quite sure what this was, but a thriller it wasn’t.
I am still confused.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced copy, in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book, simply put, is almost like a fever dream. The pacing is inconsistent, but not in a negative way. It starts off slow, ramps up, only to slow down again, and then races to the finish line. It's a mental type of slow-burn and "what the heck is going on" the entire way through and is truly a rollercoaster ride that you feel you are incapable of exiting. The characters were probably my least favorite part of the entire read - they were not trustworthy, irredeemible and just plain unlikeable in my opinion. If you like cults, far-fetched ideologies, and an untrustworthy cast, this is the read for you. If inconsistent pacing bothers you and you need to have at least one likeable character, then perhaps steer clear.