TW: sexual assault, grooming

As a big fan of The Writing Retreat, I was super excited to dive back into Julia Bartz’s work. As with both her prior novel and The Last Session, her writing style is fast paced and engaging making you not want to put it down. I’m happy to say that you can trust Bartz to write a thriller you can’t put down.

The writing may have been great but the plot on the other hand was weird to say the least. We follow this 33 year old social worker Thea as her childhood celebrity icon Catherine comes into her psych hospital catatonic. As the book progresses you find out Catherine was MIA for almost 5 years and has been in a cult out in New Mexico. Where things get really strange is the basis of the cult’s philosophy - an old B-list movie called Stargirl where a 13 year old priestess has an affair with a pharaoh 20+ years her senior and a young guard. The more descriptions we get of the movie, and we get a lot, the stranger and grosser it becomes. I do love a good cult story but this strange movie being the basis of their rituals was just really hard to get behind. Sure cults are weird but to believe that in a past life they all lived out a part in this Stargirl movie was a big stretch.

Definitely check your trigger warnings. There were a lot of disturbing scenes, especially involving underage girls, that could upset readers. There’s also a random orgy? Not for the faint of heart.

As weird as some of the plot points were, The Last Session was really hard to put down and I’d recommend to fans of The Writing Retreat and fast-paced thrillers.

Not your typical thriller / mystery book! I went in completely blind and absolutely loved the beginning of the book - it gave me Freida McFadden vibes but in the best way possible.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of this book.

I should begin by saying the four star rating is completely subjective, based on my wanting to continue reading late into the night. This book just found its correct audience with me.

This story is a three part timeline of the experiences of the protagonist, Thea. In part one, Thea is working as a social worker on a psych unit and meets a mysterious patient who feels familiar. Thea goes on to solve the mystery of who the patient is but that’s literally just the beginning of the connection she forges and the lengths she goes to in order to understand this patient.

The bulk of the book is actually about a group that Thea and a new cast of characters are working with. Lots of cult themes, past life regression, alleged trauma work happens. Trigger warning for description of sexual assault, grooming, and one graphic sex scene.

The overlap of the mental health and the cult themes was just IT for me. Despite this not being a great feat of literature, it read to me like a tv series I would watch, full of drama and suspense. I was actually scared at one point. Kudos for it being unlike anything else I have read-a very original storyline.

Huh. This was quite the book. I was really excited for it because I really enjoyed the authors debut novel, however this one was quite different. This one had a good start to the book. I was hooked and wholeheartedly invested in the mystery of Catherine. However, in part two, things took a turn, and not one I would consider for the better. This book was just a trip, and not a good one. In part two there is a whole lot going on and it involves a cult. I kept waiting for there to be a reveal that involved Thea and she wasn’t who we thought she was, but that was disappointing. Also, even though I’m a romance reader, I really didn’t see how this book was helped with the addition of the group of four. It came out of nowhere and didn’t add anything to the plot, I was just shaking my head because I couldn’t believe it. There is a lot going on in this book, and it didn’t hit the way I needed it to.

If you’re looking for a book about a cult, then you might be interested in this one.

We are introduced to a fresh social worker working at a psychiatric hospital, who meets a client that she feels a connection with, the odd part is that she resembles her physically. When this patient leaves the hospital under mysterious circumstances, she decides to majorly cross therapeutic boundaries and go find her. As a therapist, this really threw me off. She goes to an expensive retreat and tries to solve the mystery of her missing client. There is a lot of drama, there is a quite a bit of action, and low and behold, we have cult like behaviors going on.

I think the premise of the book was good, I think the execution really lacked for me. I definitely would have liked to have a warning before the anti-God, anti-Catholism, orgy aspect of the book. I think the character development was interesting but not enough for it to make up for the other aspects. It was fairly predictable but it had so much going on it was hard to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Julia Bart’s for the eARC of The Last Session. The Last Session by Julia Bartz is set for publication 01 April 2025.

This book was a great read from start to finish. There wasn't a slow moment. It definitely headed in a direction I didn't see coming. Thea, a social worker who battles her own inner sexual demon's becomes obsessed with her celebrity doppelgänger Catherine. One day Catherine shows up at Thea's facility for treatment after she was found in the middle of a Highway, comatose. When Catherine is discharged Thea follows clues to Catherine's location. She ends up at a Center for relational healing, and signs up for a retreat with a group of new age healers. The weekend retreat turns out to be more than she bargains for and not what she expected at all. If you like thrillers with a lot of spice this one is for you, but trigger warning, there are some scenes that may be sensitive for some readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Simon and Schuster, LLC for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

MY REVIEW: I really loved The Writing Retreat, so I was very excited to get into The Last Session. Just like her debut novel, Bartz gives us an atmospheric, locked room thriller that draws immediate intrigue. Just when you think the plot will take you in one direction, it morphs into an out-of-pocket storyline with so unexpected twists, you will wonder what you’ve just read. In a setting as haunting as the plot, the cult-y, eerie wellness center boasts no shortage of nightmares, unconventional therapy sessions, and the unearthing of traumatic pasts that will leave your head reeling.

Thea is a social worker at an in-patient psychiatric hospital, who recognizes the new catatonic patient as her favorite actress, Catherine, from when she was a teenager. When Catherine is signed out of the hospital by strangers, Thea becomes obsessed with uncovering how Catherine ended up in the psych ward and the details surrounding her sudden departure. This is where the story takes a sharp turn to the New Mexico Desert at the Center for Relational Healing; Thea dives headfirst into the mystery and is about to have her mind blown. In the desert we meet a host of ominous characters that had me guessing the entire time; I truly did not know who could be trusted. As Thea’s layers were peeled back, I even questioned her truth at times.

I did have to re-read some parts to wrap my head around the scenes I was reading; the plot jumps quickly and I felt like characters were just kinda popping up left and right. The entire vibe of the book is giving whiplash, and it mostly worked.

4/5!!!!!

read if you're into: social worker, locked room thriller, New Mexico desert, mysterious wellness center, intimate exercises, cults, reincarnation, teenage trauma, nightmares, caves, unconventional therapy sessions, thriller/mystery

The Last Session is a psychological thriller based on the disappearance of a celebrity. However, when the main character gets involved in the search, the story takes a propulsive and shocking turn. There is a mythology threaded throughout the plot in order to make deeper connections; however, the fantastical stories of past lives served to distance me from the book. The main action of the plot was very intriguing and alarming at times, I found myself creeped out and my brain going in strange directions. It truly is a disturbing book and the cult experience was mesmerizing. I felt almost in another dimension at times. Great story, without the science-fiction parts.Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thea is a therapist working in a state psychiatric hospital when a strange, but familiar, catatonic patient arrives. This sets off a story with a wild ride of childhood sexual abuse, past life regression, cults, mistaken identities, occult practices. It was all a little too much for me. If you like wandering, mind bending stories, this one is for you. If you want a more traditional mystery or psychological thriller, this might not be the right pick. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free ARC e-book.

2.5 stars, so 3. I lowered rating half a star as I was writing review.

Thea is a young social worker at a psychiatric hospital who comes across a patient she feels an odd connection with… and the woman that resembles her. The woman is mute and majorly traumatized upon entering the hospital, then claims she doesn’t remember anything that led her there. Then the woman disappears.

In a move I don’t understand at all, except to assume Thea wasn’t really a social worker at the hospital but instead a patient? Maybe everyone in this book is a patient? Maybe all this is taking place in a snow globe? I don’t know, but anyway, Thea decides that she must find the missing patient, and, you know, just peaces out on her job and her life in order to do so. As you would.

In searching for the patient Thea comes across a couple holding monthly retreats to help people with romantic and sexual issues. So, NATURALLY, Thea, thinking the woman might be found at the retreat just goes ahead and signs herself up…for something she believes might have driven the woman she is seeking into a mute trauma response. Again, as you would do.

In a surprise to exactly no one but Thea the Incredulous the retreat turns out to be….oh, I don’t know, a bit icky. Is the woman there? What is going on?

Oh, there’s also some stuff about Thea’s childhood and some movie she was obsessed with as a kid. This is all important.

So, other than having to suspend a fair amount of disbelief when wondering how Thea makes it through the day without getting hit by a bus, and whether the girl has one ounce of survival instinct (spoiler alert: she does not), the tone of this book felt….heavy to me. It took me awhile to get through it. Maybe that just means Bartz does atmosphere well. I think I’m likely to be an outlier in not loving it, and there were parts of it I liked fine, hence the three stars versus two. I fear I’m not explaining this well….did a book ever just give you a feeling you didn’t like? This was that, for me. 2.5 stars, really rounded to three.

Social worker Thea conducts art therapy sessions in a psychiatric ward. She recognizes a despondent new patient, a Jane Doe found wandering an expressway. When she leaves the unit under suspicious circumstances, Thea follows clues to an Arizona desert retreat hoping to find the woman and return her to her family. The charismatic retreat leaders zero in on Thea’s emotional scars, and soon she suspects their community is actually a cult.

As a big fan of THE WRITING RETREAT, I was excited to dig into THE LAST SESSION. Thea’s disturbing backstory was slowly revealed along with her connection to the mysterious psychiatric patient. My favorite things about the book were Thea’s struggle with romantic relationships, her reliance on alcohol, and the colorful supporting cast including her art therapy patients, her roommate, coworkers, boss, and the other retreat attendees. Bartz does a good job planting clues and red herrings, and developing each character.

Since first scene didn’t make sense to me until later in the book, I don’t feel that it was an effective hook. Toward the end of the book, the perspective changed from Thea’s to another character. The effect was jarring, and the scenes in their perspective were superfluous in that the information they provide was again conveyed later. In retrospect, it makes sense why Bartz made the stylistic choice, but it felt clunky and manipulative to me. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed Thea’s character arc and the resolution. I can’t wait to read Bartz’s next thriller.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to First Emily Bestler Books/Atria Books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bartz' sophomore novel packs a punch. I'll admit, when we got past our opening scenes and stage setting and got into the meat, my attention waned a bit. I've seen enough docudramas about new age cults to read the writing on the wall but was still ready for the ride. I'm so glad I stayed for the duration. I burned through the last 40% of this so quickly and each time an end was tied up. Loved the blend of supernatural (or was it really?) into this read.

The Writing Retreat was one of my five star reads. I was so excited to get The Last Session as an ARC due to this. Julia Bartz is an automatic read author for me.

I found The Last Session to be a wild ride. The book had me hooked almost instantly. I will say parts require a total suspension of disbelief which is not easy for some readers to achieve. I myself struggled to really let go and just go where I was taken. I enjoyed how original and intriguing this novel was. I also commend the author for never being boring.

Thank you to Atria books, Julia Bartz, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I have loved Julia Bartz's work before, and been so totally okay with the craziness because the journey is so fun. This one was somewhat less believable but still a fun journey, with a main character who I could totally buy into. Fun, not perfect, is my review.

This book was just not good. Seemed like the author came up with a bunch of random ideas and lazily strung them together

Fairly predictable but an enjoyable read.. Well written, great characters and well told. hanks for the opportunity to read this and much luck on publication.

Have been a fan for a while. I liked this a lot and felt like it fell in nicely with other writings by this author. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. I would recommend if you’ve liked the previous writings and plot structure of her works.

Thea, a social worker with unresolved past traumas, comes across a catatonic patient who looks way too much like her. When she is finally lucid, before Thea can figure out what happened to the patient, she is gone. Now Thea has to follow the breadcrumbs that lead her to a culty sexual relationship healing retreat and face her own demons along the way.

I was super excited for this book - I actually did squeal when I saw the approval for the ARC! Writing Retreat was one of my favourite reads last year so I had very high hopes going into this book.

I really enjoyed the writing style; the short chapters made the story flow, there were unexpected twists at almost every turn and I'm a sucker for cults and their weird shit. I was very into the book and didn't want to put it down! And many problematic themes were intertwined so well!

However, I would have loved to have some sort of explanation for some things that happened to the FMC - maybe there was and I missed that. I might be needing more hand holding 😅

All in all, this was a really good experience and I would recommend it!

Thank you very much to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Net Galley for the ARC.

Loved Julia’s sophomore novel - stayed up late to figure out how it ends! I loved the cult aspect of the novel and thought that it was a solid follow up to the writing retreat. I’ll be recommending!

I enjoyed this book. It was very suspenseful and was interesting throughout the entire novel. I enjoyed this authors other books, so I was glad to get this one as well.