This book started out so strong with Thea, a therapist, that recognizes one of the new patient as a former actress to one of her favorite movie. They look alike and have an instant connection. When she is discharged mysteriously, Thea is determined to figure if she okay.

She follows a trail and ends up in Nee Mexico at an alternative retreat. The story is atmospheric and I was intrigued. The host of the retreat, Sol and Moon, are charismatic and it also feels eerily there and very cult like.

Thea ends up exploring her traumas of the past and it is woven into what is happening at the retreat. The second half of the book truly lost me with dreams, Egyptian references and going into different portals. It just got too wacky for me.

Thank you @atriabooks for a copy of this.

I would honestly give this 3.5⭐️. I love a good weird and culty novel and this one definitely delivers. This book is a psychological thriller with a supernatural twist.

While this book was indeed, a wild and unpredictable ride, I found some of the parts to be super farfetched. I know this is fiction, and again with a cult you can never be sure what will happen, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about it, or if it really added to the story

I really enjoyed the first half or so of the book. I did like the way the author tied everything together in the end. Overall, I would recommend this to fans of thrillers who don’t mind reading a story that may make you feel a little uncomfortable at times

Probably 2.5-3 stars.

This book started off really interesting and good and then goes a little off the rails. I don’t mind books moving from reality to “other” but this just didn’t feel executed well and I couldn’t buy into the story being told. Just started to feel weird and like a totally different book.

It’s a story I could see others really enjoying but the turn partway through the book just didn’t feel right and pulled me out too much. There were still good twists as you went but the story just wasn’t my cup of tea after a while. This is a book I think I’ll have to sit on for a while to really develop my final rating/feelings/thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my review.

This was an interesting book and I loved the writing style. It flowed well and was hard to put down. My issue with this is how sexual it is. I just don’t read sexual thrillers like this and it was definitely off putting. I was not a fan.

I found this book just ok. I didn't connect very well to the characters and that may have thrown me off. I did think the writing and plot were decent just not enough to really pull me in. I did love The Writing Retreat by this author and am excited to read more from her in the future!

Thank you Atria Books for providing me this arc via NetGalley in return for an honest review

I enjoy the writing of this author after reading two novels from them. I like that it is a little weird and like a fever dream where you can never know what's true until (hopefully) the end. That being said, there were parts of this story that I was intrigued about and others that just fell flat. Some of the plot points, especially near the last third of the book were not as flushed out and felt random in comparison to what had happened at that point. This could also be a story that my brain didn't completely get the message or symbolism the author was giving, and that detracted from my enjoyment.
I do think there is a book by this author that will be something I enjoy throughout since I like the author's writing, so I will continue to pick up her releases. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the eARC in exchange for a review.

What a fantastic book! The first one I have read by this author but definitely can't wait to read more! The characters stay with you long after you finish the book. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback,

Unfortunately I did have to DNF this book at 20%. I did like the beginning, it was fast paced and intriguing, but then the book did however take some strange turns that just weren’t for me. The writing was still very good, so this book absolutely will be for others! I enjoyed Julia’s writing style so I would still try her other books in the future, this one just was not for me.

Thanks NetGalley, Atria/Simon and Schuster for advanced copy for honest review.

Are you the savior or will you save her? Therapist Thea has a catatonic patient, Catherine, come into her ward. She notices two things at first glance, how much they look like each other and how she thinks she knows her. It dawns on her that this is Catherine from Stargirl, a big hit movie from back in Thea’s childhood. Catherine’s parents are on their way to pick her up and hints are left behind for Thea to find. Thea finds herself at a New Mexico artist community/resort that specializes in finding the one. She is there trying to find and help Catherine. No spoilers, but nothing goes as planned. Everyone has their secrets to share and nothing and nobody are as they seem. Kinda didn’t want the book to end. 5 stars, highly recommend.

I loved the first half of this book, was totally invested in Thea and her connection with her patient. The rest of the book at The Center was just too strange for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What did I just read? No, seriously. I turned the last page, stared into space for a minute, and then whispered to myself….What. Just. Happened?
You start out with an eerie psychiatric ward and our main character being a social worker. And then it was a rabbit hole of a culty therapy wellness retreat and a protagonist who was teetering on the end of sanity. This was a page turner, because I needed to know where it was going.

🧠 Expect:
✔️Cult- like therapy gone terribly wrong
✔️Moments where you go “wait, what?!”
✔️Remote Retreat
✔️Trauma, Secrets and Mind Games

Thank you Atria books for the gifted digital ARC!

I unfortunately decided to DNF this one at about 50%. I couldn't connect to the story or the characters, and while I understand we sometimes have to suspend belief for fiction, this one went just a step too far.

I won't hesitate to read this author again in the future!

Three and a half stars. I didn’t luv this author’s first book but the premise was really interesting so I wanted to read this one.

A social worker follows a patient (former child actor she loved) to a retreat in New Mexico, where she then loses her marbles as well. It also had layered emotional trauma, childhood history, etc that tied in well. What was really good about this book is the plot hasn’t been done before that I’ve seen, so I was into it. I’d recommend it!

Thanks NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was truly just not good. So many different storylines and characters and paranormal activities and oragys?! I was just so confused the entire time.

I might be in the minority of people who preferred The Writing Retreat to this book. It’s entirely possible that this because of the topic of writing, and this one gets a bit crazier in the directions it takes as well. There was a point where I felt like I might not finish because I was feeling too deeply invested, but I stuck it out and I did like that things made sense by the end. I feel like this book will be a bit divided in how people feel about it. Some will enjoy the twists and turns and others will just feel like it’s too much and stop.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the author's second book, I have read first novel as well.

I don't know if I liked this or not. I felt the same way when I finished her first book. I feel like I was on a roller coaster through three different rides. They all made sense, but I'm not sure if they were boring or uninteresting. I read this one faster than I read her first book, so her writing style has definitely improved.

When I first read the summary I thought that the storyline was so interesting. My idea is that when dealing with cults and not being able to escape them, the reader should feel trapped themselves. I should feel slightly anxious. I should feel in total agreeance with the cult leaders because they are so charismatic and I want to believe these people. This was not like that. I was not grabbed by any one character or storyline. If that makes sense?

The question is hand is will I read her next book... Honestly, it will depend. After reading her first book I didn't think I would pick up her second one. This one was indeed a little better, but is it too little for me to pick up her third. Only time will tell.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this Arc in exchange for an honest review

4.5 stars!

Thank you SO much to Atria and NetGalley for the early copy. I will be posting about this on my Instagram!!

Okay this book was a fever dream from start to finish and I loved the twists and turns. I stayed up late to finish it every night and couldn’t stop thinking about it between reading! Genuinely cannot think of any similar culty books and it’s so refreshing to read a new-feeling thriller.

Julia Bartz is now a must read author for me after two books with equally eerie settings that become characters in the story.

Definitely read this one with caution as there is a lot of violence and death.

-0.5 because this therapist had NOT heard of HIPAA which distracted me a lot in the beginning before it became a plot point

4.5 stars ☆
⤿ spoiler-free review
thank you to net galley for this amazing arc!!

ೃ⁀➷“Guess what, Red. You're just as crazy as any of us. You just hide it well.”

characters: Thea has severe trauma. Her eight grade year was horrific for her, and some things have stuck with her since then, however shameful they might be. Thea also works at a hospital, as a therapist. And finally, Thea deserves so much better. Despite what she goes through in this book, she keeps the humanity that everyone else lacks. Julia Bartz, please heal this poor woman.

plot: There is a new patient at the hospital who requires Thea's help. Thea and this woman look very similar, and Thea cant place a finger on why she thinks this woman is so familiar to her. Come to find out, this woman is linked to her eight grade trauma. When the woman is suddenly ripped away from Thea, she decides to follow a clue she left her, in hopes of returning this woman back to safety. But now, the woman isnt the only one in trouble.

pacing: This was so so so fast. Every chapter was less than 10 pages, and I found myself saying "Just one more chapter". We all know how that works out. This book was also making me incredibly anxious. I have never felt fear for a character like I did for Thea.

✧.* If you are missing the feeling you get when watching a horrific cult documentary, please please please read this. It really did scratch that itch.

First - i want to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this.

I read Bartz' debut novel in February and instantly fell in love with it and her writing style, so it was a no-brainer to request this ARC when I saw it was available on NetGalley.

the Last Session follows Thea while she goes to a relationship-healing session at a compound that is Definitely Not a Cult while trying to follow up on trying to find someone who she thinks may be there against their will. What follows is Thea's very intense weekend at this retreat that brings up all her past traumas to the surface and she has to figure out how much of this weekend is real, how much is acting and how far she is willing to go to save someone who may not want to be saved.

This book deals with very heavy topics (sexual abuse and religious trauma being the most prevalent but please heed the trigger warnings as needed this has a lot of dark subject matter).

As someone who grew up in a Christian environment a lot of Thea's religious trauma really resonated with me and subsequently her fall-out from the church was also relatable. Our fall outs came from very different places but we both had a lot of faith in God and watched as it crumbled when true trauma entered out lives. What I loved most about Thea's journey was watching how her religious background colored a lot of her experiences. Our traumas are different, but our journeys navigating a before during and after religious disentanglement felt very relatable for me.

What I love about Bartz' storytelling is she doesn't feel predictable for me. I read a LOT of thrillers, I am starting to burn out on the genre simply because I read so many they can rarely surprise me. I won't say this book SHOCKED me at any point, but the journey was so enjoyable and i definitely did not predict most of the reveals, though they all fell neatly into place for me. Bartz' doesnt take the story super serious which i say because it allows her to really dig deep into her topics and explore every avenue. Much like with the Writing Retreat where you may question if there was anything paranormal or not, you'll leave the Last Session wondering just how real the cult was or not. Bartz doesnt commit either way to these ideas in a way that really works for the story. She isnt concerned with if this will fully fit into reality - and lets you decide which version is true

I would say if you liked Writing Retreat AND you like Cult stories, this is a win/win. if you dont like cult stories this will probably not work as the cult is a major element of the story that cannot be avoided.

What a ride this was! Started out okay and there was a bit of a mystery with one of Thea's patients in a psych ward. But then, we got drawn into the cult stuff, as Thea goes to hunt down her patient after her release and a mysterious message. I definitely got sucked in once she was at the retreat, and went along with it, trusting the author wasn't going to end this book in an unsatisfying way. I will say it could have been a bit better, still some unexplained things, but overall I was pleased with it, despite the loose ends, and just really enjoyed the ride!