The thrilling was definitely thrilling! Ever since I read the writing retreat I was so excited to read more of this authors work. . Her writing is atmospheric and creepy while keeping me invested. This book had me on the edge of my seat just like the other one, and I cannot say enough good things about the writing! 5 stars ⭐️

I am loved Julia Bartz’s first novel, The Writing Retreat, and was excited to read her sophomore work. Our protagonist Thea is a therapist at an inpatient institution and develops a strange bond with an amnesiac patient with whom she shares a striking resemblance. When the patient, Catherine, checks out under strange circumstances, Thea embarks on a cross-country search for her. In the New Mexico desert, Thea finds Catherine embedded into a strange cult whose charismatic leaders uncover a past that she wishes she could forget.

I gave the book 3 stars because the writing was very compelling, but the plot and character motivations seemed almost farcical.

I enjoyed Julia Bartz's previous novel, The Writing Retreat, but unfortunately this one didn't land for me.

The premise was interesting--Thea, a social worker, encounters a catatonic patient who turns out to be the star of her favorite childhood film, a person who she'd felt a deep connection to growing up. When the woman, Catherine, appears to need her help, Thea pursues her to a strange, isolated retreat. Things immediately seem suspicious, and Thea begins to wonder if she's really at a healing retreat--or a cult.

Unfortunately, this book didn't deliver. Thea's judgment and decisions are constantly poor, and it makes it hard to root for her success. Despite discovering that many people are not who they seem, she continues to be manipulated by them long after and is surprised when they aren't who she expects. The story is often interrupted with paragraphs of explanation about various therapy concepts, which feel clunky in the narrative. The book becomes meandering, with the characters having long-winded discussions about past lives and regularly recapping the bizarre plotline of the fictional movie Stargirl.

While I had high hopes for this novel, I was ultimately eager to put this one away.

Thank you to Atria Publishing for the advanced copy of this book!

I was honestly all in with this book until our main character reached the “resort” to look for this missing starlet. I honestly thought the story went completely off the rails after that point and I found myself just wanting the book to end. I also found myself very confused and unsure of what I was reading for around 80% of this book. I was hoping the ending would be worth it, but it honestly was not and I feel like I could have skipped this one.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC of this novel.

This was my first Julia Bartz novel and with all the hype around The Writing Retreat I was so excited to get an advanced copy of her new book.

This book started so promising for me. The first 30% or so I was hooked. I thought the premise was interesting and I love a book with a cult theme. But unfortunately once the MC arrived at the compound everything started to go off the rails for me.

The story got more and more confusing and the decisions that the MC made just didn’t make any sense to me. The book just seemed to lose its way and not be able to figure itself out in the end.

I rated the book 2.5/5 stars rounded up to 3 for this review.

Wow! Just wow! The Last Session is a wild, unpredictable ride with a truly unique premise. While I found the main character immature at times, that’s part of her journey, and the story had me hooked from start to finish. The twists, tension, and originality made this an unforgettable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

This was wild and fairly manic feeling - I liked it,.but really felt that it couldqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq have used some editing and honed focus.

Compelling page turner with nostalgia, complicated relationships, darker themes, and the desire to see where it all goes once the confines of the therapists office is gone and things get more untethered - definitely a fun read. With the blurring of lines in reality and fantasy, dreams and waking hours, truth and fiction, desire and ruin it keeps the reader engaged.

Rereading my review of Julia Bartz's "The Writing Retreat", I was conflicted because the first 75% was excellent, and then the last 25% disappointed me; however, I still loved it. With "The Last Session," I loved 100% of the story and book.

Thea is a young social worker in New York. Her days are spent in a psychiatric hospital, where she provides various types of therapy to patients, and her nights are spent in a bottle. One day, a new catatonic patient arrives on the floor, and Thea is drawn to her. Somehow, Thea knows this woman; she's so familiar, and surprisingly, she and Thea resemble each other.

Thea is shocked when she discovers who the patient is and how she connects to a traumatic time in her life. Before she and the patient, Catherine, can work together further, Catherine is kidnapped from the hospital.

Following clues, Thea finds herself in New Mexico at a remote retreat. Hosted by a vibrant and charismatic couple, Moon and Sol, Thea searches for Catherine, all while participating in the weekend's events. The events grow intimate, with nudity, shared showers, and confessions. Thea finds herself pulled deeper and deeper by Moon and Sol, especially as they start to work on her trauma. When her last session comes, she's unsure if things are real or if they aren't, and she's deeper into the retreat's cult.
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I love cult stories. I don't think that's an uncommon feeling, as so many novels explore it. I find something about giving oneself over to something or someone fascinating. Thea's determination to save Catherine was her driving force, but ultimately, she DID find some peace from the retreat, so it wasn't ALL bad.

Bartz is about to immerse the reader in the desert—the heat, the dusty landscape, the night sky. "The Last Session is a compelling and dark story that explores the human psyche and repression. It's weird and complex and...I loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

•I really wanted to like Julia Bartz’s latest, but honestly, I’m so confused by what I actually read.

•Initially I was hooked because the premise of a social worker having a mysterious link to a catatonic patient sounded very interesting. I enjoyed the first third of the book, but then things took a strange turn.

•The main character, Thea, follows the patient to a cult-like remote center in the middle of the desert. Once there, things went sideways.

•Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Julia Bartz for this ARC. It will become available on April 1, 2025.

The Last Session is a gripping, atmospheric psychological thriller that hooked me from the very first page. Julia Bartz crafts an eerie, unsettling narrative that seamlessly blends mental health, trauma, and cult-like psychological manipulation into a slow-burning but highly immersive mystery.

🔍 Thea, a dedicated social worker, is thrown into a nightmarish puzzle when a catatonic woman arrives at her psychiatric unit—someone she’s sure she recognizes. As she follows a twisted trail of clues to a secluded retreat in New Mexico, what starts as a search for answers turns into something much more disturbing. The retreat’s manipulative, enigmatic leaders and their questionable “exercises” create a growing sense of dread that intensifies with every chapter.

📖 The writing is sharp, immersive, and deeply psychological, making you question everything alongside Thea. The novel’s themes of memory, trauma, and control are handled with complexity, and the mystery unfolds at a perfectly suspenseful pace. While some parts felt a little slow in the middle, the tension ramps up beautifully, leading to a chilling and satisfying climax.

✨ If you love dark, psychological thrillers with a hint of cult-like manipulation, trauma recovery, and mind-bending twists, The Last Session will keep you on edge until the final page. Highly recommend for fans of intense, character-driven suspense!

Absolutely crazy thriller that you won't be able to put down once you start - from the psych ward in NYC to a cultish retreat center in the desert, perfect for those who love dark thrillers.

Thank you @atriabooks & @netgalley for my ARC!

This was a wild ride, but not always in the best way. Thea, a social worker at a hospital in New York, stumbles upon a patient she recognizes—an actress from her favorite teen movie, Stargirl. Intrigued, she digs deeper and winds up at an exclusive therapy retreat run by famous podcasters.

Once the story moves to the retreat, things take a turn—reincarnation themes, blurred realities, and a plot that left me questioning what was real and what wasn’t. While I love cult-centered books, this one felt a little too chaotic. 🤯 The constant “Stargirl” references went over my head, and Thea’s sudden ability to piece together cryptic clues, uproot her life, and jet off to New Mexico was a bit hard to believe.

That said, the cult psychology aspect was fascinating, and I did enjoy the unhinged characters. But with too many story threads, a dragging middle, and an ending that kept stretching, I was left feeling more lost than immersed. 🤷‍♀️

I’m torn on what to rate this book because I can’t stop thinking about it, for now I’m giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3 stars—if you love twisty, mind-bending thrillers, you might enjoy this more than I did!

Unfortunately, I had higher hopes for this book. Cult?! Yes....However, things got a little strange for me at the end and I really just coulf not wait to finish it so that I could jusy be done.

I loved the concepts and ideas in The Last Session. It felt like the story was disjointed between the parts. I was expecting more twists and turns. Julia Bartz’s ideas are captivating and I will continue reading her works. I loved the cult aspect but it could have had more horror, thrills, and character development. Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC!

Bartz has definitely done her research, the "community" that hosts the retreat feels well developed, in how it operates and the individuals. The entire time we spent with them felt suspenseful even if they were just sitting down to eat dinner.

The plot is much more interesting than the characters, once a reveal happens a new one begins and that's how the story moves forward. I do think Thea had internal growth and it was nice to see her face her past head on rather than just grow past it. Accepting something happened to you is much easier than confronting those who did you harm.

DNF at 26%. This just felt ALL over the place. And I mean all over. The Writing Retreat was quite fun, but this one was going to be a schlog. After speaking to others who told me the ending, I am happy I did not continue.

This book actually surprised me, I didn't expect the outcome. Honestly, the first couple of chapters were pretty uninteresting but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and once we left the clinical environment of the hospital things really took off. I will say this is one of the few books of late that I haven't guessed a certain villain, and it really threw me when a certain someone (with a J name) revealed himself to be a follower. There are some things I wish had been more explored (like the fake accent used by Moon, what was that?!) but overall I felt like things really wrapped up nicely. Also, I do feel like there needed to be more tie in to the Stargirl film, it felt a little disconnected from the actual story for me, when it was such a big deal in the beginning. Overall I am looking forward to more by Julia Bartz in the future!

I loved Julia Bartz's debut, The Writing Retreat, so I was confident I would enjoy The Last Session. I almost want to say I love this one even more. But I think it's more like I love them both the same amount for different reasons.

Thea is a social worker who focuses on helping people in a psychiatric unit. She gives them prompts to draw things then they discuss what they drew and why. A new patient is brought in that is catatonic and Thea is sure she recognizes her. Once the patient is able to speak she claims to not remember anything that led to her being there. Then she's suddenly taken out of the place before Thea can figure anything out.

She realizes where she knows the woman from and Thea is convinced she needs to help her. Her investigating leads her to a remote place in New Mexico. She pretends to be there for the retreat this couple hosts. They use very unorthodox methods to help people with their romantic issues. They claim you'll find true love after being there.

Just like with The Writing Retreat, I was taken to some wild unexpected places and I loved every bit of it! All I can say is keep an open mind and enjoy the ride. I love how Julia Bartz covers important topics in such wild but fun to read ways while still taking those topics seriously.

This book was a mess. The whole “Stargirl” plot was ridiculous; Thea just disappearing from her job to play investigator was unprofessional and silly; the back and forth between “reincarnation is totally real” and “this is obviously a group delusion” was exhausting. Plus the descriptions were hard to follow - despite all the pages spent on the “castle” and the tents and the caves, I still had no real idea what any of it looked like. Also, enough with the Scooby Doo “let’s see who you REALLY are!” nonsense.