Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for the pre-release copy of The Last Session. Below is my honest review.

This one was a wild ride! After The Writing Retreat, I had high expectations of Julia Bartz's second novel, and she delivered.

It did everything well - world building? Check. Really deep and developed characters? Check. Top notch plot twists? Check. Awesome locale? Check. Perfect build of foreboding atmosphere? Check.

Highly recommend this one to fans of culty stuff, mysteries, and working through personal traumas through the written word.

The writing itself is good and engaging and I always enjoy this author's voice. However, the storyline didn't work for me. It was a little too outlandish and I've read a lot of cult/retreat types of books and this one just didn't quite hit the mark for me as far as where it went and I wasn't a fan of any of the characters.

I overall enjoyed The Writing Retreat, but this one was not for me. As a social worker myself, I didn’t love some of the language that was being used about the mental health population.

This book started off interesting and then ended up going into a completely opposite direction than I thought it would. To be honest, I really thought some of the plot was really unrealistic (and maybe because I’ve been an RN for 16 years?) Overall, the plot and characters were just a little flat for me and I found myself questioning a lot of the character’s actions.

I've never read this author before, but the book blurb seemed really interesting, especially the cult aspect of it. I thought the beginning of the book was slow going, but when the main character got to the center, I started getting into the story. However, that didn't last long. The story started getting weirder and weirder, and not always in a good way. There were many instances where I considered not finishing the book, but I decided to keep going. There were just too many unbelievable things and some things were unnecessary to the plot.

Thea works as a social worker at a psychiatric unit. When a catatonic woman shows up at the unit, Thea learns that the patient is related to a traumatic time in her past. When the patient regains her lucidity, she has no recollection of what happened right before she entered the catatonic state. The patient disappears quickly, and Thea is left with more questions than answers. Thea follows the patient to a remote center in Southwestern New Mexico, where a charming couple holds a monthly retreat, promising to uncover attendees’ romantic and sexual issues. While being pushed to participate in intimate exercises, Thea finds herself closer to finding answers about her missing patient and her own past.

After really enjoying The Writing Retreat, I couldn’t wait to read this newest book by Julia Bartz. I really enjoyed the intro to the story, the writing quickly pulled me into the book. I also enjoyed the cult aspect of the story. While I enjoyed the characters, the plot just got a little too out there for me. You really have to suspend your beliefs for this one. If you like books where you have to suspend your beliefs and enjoy really bizarre plotlines, then this one is for you. I give it 3/5 stars.

Set against the stark, isolating backdrop of a New Mexico desert wellness center, The Last Session promises a tense, twisty dive into trauma, obsession, and the murky line between healing and harm. This book builds on Bartz’s knack for atmospheric suspense and if you have enjoyed her previous books, you will really enjoy the Last Session.

Do not start reading this book if you have someone where to go or something to do because this book will keep you flipping pages until the satisfying conclusion. I loved this one and I think you will too! Go get it when it releases in April!

There's weird books, and there are WEIRD books. And this is a WEIRD book. I know cult books are firmly in the weird category but this was a bit outlandish. I rated it 2.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 3, mainly because I like the author's writing style and the story was really engaging. I literally could not put this down. But I had so many issues with this book. From the deconstruction of faith to the blurring of professional boundaries as a social worker to the heavy drinking to the bad romance choices, the main character, Thea, is a trainwreck. I don't necessarily mind reading about trainwrecks (sometimes they're quite engaging, let's be real)... but here, it was almost painful at times. And I had a hard time finding any character I really liked or could root for. All that, coupled with the fact that the (disturbing) movie plotline that connected to real life and the fantasies of the cult leaders was a bit confusing and required a ton of suspended disbelief, just made some of this book a complete miss for me. I also didn't like the ending, so there's that.

It wasn't all bad though. The psychological suspense was interesting, as was the setting... it was hard to know who to trust and what to enjoy (or what to fear). I also appreciated how there were some trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. So thoughtful since traumatic content was such a large part of the story.

In the end, I decided to be generous with my rating. I think this book will appeal to some for sure, and I was interested in it... but some of the details were a little outlandish and not my cup of tea. I'm still glad I gave it a chance. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I decided to try The Last Session after reading The Writing Retreat and not really liking it. I don't think Julia Bartz's writing is for me. The fictionalized cult pulled from real life examples like Twin Flames, which was interesting.

After not loving the author’s previous book, I was hoping this one would change my mind—but unfortunately, it didn’t. The premise had potential, but the pacing felt sluggish, and the characters never fully came to life for me. At this point, I think this author’s style just isn’t for me.

Thank you to Julia Bartz, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and NetGalley for this ARC of The Last Session. I was so excited to read this after reading Bartz’s debut novel, The Writing Retreat. While the reviews I found were hit or miss for the debut, I absolutely loved it. It was atmospheric and gripping. This novel was a little meh for me. I love a good cult story but this book just didn’t wow me? It felt really heavy (and not in an amazing, can’t stop thinking about it, way) and it seems like the author wants you to just totally suspend belief and I’m not one that can do that Willy-nilly. 3 out of 5 stars.

That first chapter gave me nightmares!

When social worker, Thea, is assigned a new catatonic patient at the psychiatric hospital, she is surprised to discover that this woman looks like her and gives her an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Who is this woman and how is she linked to Thea’s past? The answers will take her to a remote part of the New Mexico desert and her investigation could end up costing her everything.

This story was a wild ride and much of it felt really trippy and chaotic. There were twists and turns I could not predict. If you’re looking for a thriller that does NOT follow the rules then add this one to your TBR.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 1, 2025

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy. I really loved The Writing Retreat so I was super curious about this one, especially since it had “cult-y” vibes.
The beginning half of the book drew me in right away. I was so curious and plowed ahead. At the half way mark though….it got..weird. I don’t mind suspending belief in stories, after all, I read for escape. This was just over the damn top. The whole reasoning behind the cult was bizarre and the tie in with the whole “movie obsession” was just odd. I dunno. I was disappointed and cannot believe I finished it. I will say that Bartz has a wonderful talent for writing and I will still read her next.

I ended up choosing not to finish reading this book. I got to a part in the beginning which alluded to sexual trauma and "trauma induced kink", the mention of potential abuse by a religious person and I made the decision that this is a book not for me. Best of luck to Julia Bartz, though. I do think she is an up and coming psychological thriller writer, and I look forward to reading what she writes next. Thank for for the opportunity to read this one, I do appreciate it.

The Last Session is best read with no expectations or additional information. So if the synopsis intrigues you, I urge you to stop reading this review or any other review and just read the novel. It’s a wild ride best experienced with no preconceived notions.

The Last Session was not at all what I was expecting. Having read and loved Bartz debut novel, The Writing Retreat, I requested The Last Session from Netgalley immediately. The Last Session is atmospheric and full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming and had no idea how they would resolve, but resolve they did. The Last Session explores cults (more specifically the Larry Ray cult through Slonim Woods 9 by Daniel Barban Levin), white supremacy in past and modern-day spiritual communities, cultural appropriation, and reincarnation.

The Last Session follows Thea, a social worker working in a psychiatric unit when a mysterious woman shows up catatonic. Thea feels an unexplainable link to her and will stop at nothing to explore that link.

The Last Session is not a novel for everyone, as evidenced by the poor early reviews. Instead, it’s a novel about what the human mind is capable of when placed under extreme manipulation in a cult setting. There were times I wanted to scream at Thea while simultaneously understanding her choices and motivations.

Near the end of the novel there’s a shift in tone and direction. This shift, while predictable was also jarring. I enjoyed this new direction, but I can see why some people didn’t like it and won’t like it once the novel releases.

Overall, The Last Session is a novel that will stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading. It’s a story about cults, white supremacy in spiritual communities, and reincarnation. Bartz will have readers reading long into the night and questioning everything.

Even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Writing Retreat, I knew I wanted to read this because of how intriguing the plot was. I feel like amidst the saturated thriller market, Julia Bartz is pushing the envelope with unique storylines.

This started off so strong and had me compelled for the first 1/3. I felt a lot of empathy for the main character.

Ultimately, I think you’d have to suspend too much of your disbelief to buy into this. I had similar issues as with The Writing Retreat - the storyline went off the rails toward the end and lost me. I also am not the biggest fan of storylines centering religious trauma, but I understand that is up to personal preference.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

I had high hopes going into this book. The first half I really enjoyed but for some reason, the second half just wasn’t working for me. I did read another book from this author previously that I did enjoy, so I was hoping things would turn around by the end. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I feel like this book had great build up but it led to a disappointing ending. It unraveled in a weird way which is disappointing because the first half was so compelling.

The Last Session follows a social worker who recognizes a woman who comes into the unit she works on as a famous actor from a movie she was obsessed with as a kid. When the woman mysteriously checks out, she follows her to a cult that she's involved with. I really enjoyed reading The Last Session. It had enough interesting twists and turns that it stood out as different than a lot of the other cult-themed books that have come out recently, and some of it was just so bizarre that I had to keep reading to figure out how the whole book was going to come together.

This was a messy book. Messy characters, messy plot, convoluted cults. However cults are full of mess , aren't they? Maybe the point was to BE messy and confusing. Still not sure if I even liked or understood this one.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.