I really enjoyed the sense of unease and the atmosphere created in this book! I was creeped out the entire time and was almost looking over my shoulder while reading it. I loved the uncertainty and the unreliable characters. I really haven’t read anything like this and think the cult played out to be really unique.

This was a real ride, and I had to do SO much suspending disbelief but… I had fun! Definitely a quick read that will keep you hooked as you try to figure out what’s going to happen next, but again, you gotta really let go and let God plot/logic wise. If you liked The Writing Retreat you’ll like this, but if you didn’t this one may not click for you. For me, it was enough fun that I’ll probably continue to keep an eye on what Bartz does next.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

Julia Bartz's "The Last Session" is a gripping and unsettling thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The novel follows Thea, a social worker who becomes entangled in the mysterious disappearance of a patient connected to a controversial wellness retreat in the New Mexico desert.

This story gives into the darkest secrets too many people hold inside from their pasts. It explores how those traumas shape who we are and see the world.

The mystery was riveting and so thrilling. Is there some crazy secret beneath this "coincidental" meeting or does it all stem from a much darker place ...?

Wow. Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC. I was so excited to read Julia’s next book since I enjoyed The Writing Retreat so much. I was not disappointed! This book had an awesome cult vibe to it which is hard to find in a good thriller. The characters are strong and well developed throughout the book. This was a great thriller with a touch of fantasy as well. Highly recommended! Can’t wait for the next book!

3/5. Pretty ambivalent on this one - a lot of standard tropes mixed together that makes for an entertaining albeit not particularly novel read.

My two main takeaways: Thea should not be a social worker and cults are sketchy.

The basic premise is that Thea is a therapist at an inpatient unit and an intriguing patient (Catherine) shows up. Thea heavily relates to Catherine because of her childhood, and becomes very invested in Catherine when she disappears. Thea follows her to a "retreat" (cult) to try to figure out what is going on with Catherine.

I requested this book because I was very interested in the therapist/social worker/inpatient unit aspect of it, and unfortunately that part disappeared quickly. The main chunk of this book takes place at the retreat and focuses on the strange activities of the owners/residents of the center.

Honestly, I enjoyed the cult aspect of the book and thought it was well done. The cult leaders did a great job drawing Thea into their *activities* and the writing really captured the creepy aspects. I wasn't a huge fan of the (mild spoiler) reincarnation aspect though, that part was quite confusing and leaned a little too far into otherworldly/paranormal for my taste.

The pacing of the book was fine--it was a bit slow at the start but the Retreat portion propelled the story forward until the very chaotic conclusion of the novel. Overall a fun culty thriller that I'm sure many readers of the genre would enjoy. I will definitely pick up Bartz' first book The Writing Retreat when I'm looking for a quick and thrilling read.

Thank you to NetGalley + Atria Books for this ARC

This book was ok but ended up taking unexpected twists and turns. It centers on Thea, who is a therapist struggling with trauma from her childhood. When she sees a new patient named Catherine with a tie to her past, she puts everything on the line to follow her to a retreat in New Mexico, where she encounters a cult like sect of oddballs.

Firstly I had to suspend my disbelief a bit that Thea would even figure out the clues to go to New Mexico and then rush her license and her limited financial means to do so. While it’s interesting to see the effect effects of what a believable leader could convince people to do, there were no likable characters in the book and it took some twists that I struggled to determine were real or dreams. When I thought the book was coming to a close, it just kept going and became more and more confusing. I felt like the ending did tie some things together but it was a lot to get to that point.

Overall, don’t really think this one was for me but interesting concept overall. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciated the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book even though none were an issue for me.

I loved the characters,storyline, it was good at keeping me engaged and guessing the whole time. I like how more subtle forms of abuse were highlighted and how they can still deeply affect one’s life.

Julia Bartz delivers another masterful psychological thriller with The Last Session, a gripping exploration of trauma, identity, and the darkness that lies beneath the surface of well-meaning institutions. Following her stunning debut, The Writing Retreat, Bartz proves she’s a standout voice in the genre, weaving tension and intrigue into every page.

The story centers on Thea, a dedicated social worker, who encounters a mysterious catatonic patient that pulls her back into the shadows of her own troubled past. When the woman vanishes, Thea’s search leads her to a secluded wellness center in New Mexico—a setting Bartz brings to life with chilling precision. The more Thea uncovers about the center’s operations, the more she must confront her own buried secrets, creating a riveting interplay between past and present.

Bartz’s prose is both sharp and atmospheric, drawing the reader into Thea’s complex psyche while keeping the twists and turns coming at a relentless pace. The narrative examines themes of memory, trust, and the limits of healing, challenging readers to question what’s real and what’s illusion.

Fans of psychological thrillers will find themselves captivated by Bartz’s ability to build suspense and create deeply flawed, relatable characters. The Last Session is not just a story—it’s an experience that lingers long after the final page.

Highly recommended for readers who crave a thought-provoking and suspenseful journey into the depths of the human mind.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy.

This was my second time trying a Julia Bartz novel and I think this just isn't the author for me. The beginning of The Last Session was intriguing enough--a young social worker who finds that a former child actor, who's had a psychotic break, ends up in her psychiatric hospital--but the way in which the main character dives into following the actress, once the woman has left the psychiatric hospital felt too far fetched for me, leaving me unable to connect to the main character or stick with the story.

This was a really bizarre book that was oddly paced and seemed to jump around. I felt like it could definitely use more editing because the plot, the pacing and the jump in locale really was jarring for me as a reader. Did not love this one.

I considered not finishing The Last Session, but I stuck with it until the end because I enjoyed Julia Bartz’s first novel. This one required a suspension of belief that continually pushed me out of the story. The thing I most struggled with was not the behavior of those at the retreat center. It was the fact that a young psychologist would miss work and spend a huge sum of money to follow a patient with whom she’d had brief contact into the desert. I just kept thinking, this woman has student loans. She wouldn’t risk her hard earned license in this way.

I did find the concepts of groupthink interesting and thought the conclusion was satisfactory. Overall this is a 2 star read for me.

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review through NetGalley.

This was a very suspenseful book. Although Thea, a mental health therapist, has some very questionable boundaries, this mystery keeps you guessing and you are on the edge of your seat to see what strange thing is going to happen next. It easily kept me interested from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had moments early that reminded me a little of the silent patient but took an abrupt turn when the social worker becomes heavily obsessed with her patient, who looks like her and was the star of her favorite childhood movie. Then we went down the cult path - always a winner for me - only to leave me completely speechless and dumbfounded about the wild and chaotic and bizarre last third. Idk wtf I read but it was definitely a fever dream journey.

The Last Session is Julia Bartz's sophomore novel and it brings her over the top, wild ride style of thriller to a very different setting than her first. While her debut was about aspiring writers gathering in a famous writer's home, this book is about a social worker who follows strange clues about a woman she felt so connected to and this takes her to a relationship center in New Mexico.

Thea is a second career social worker, with her own history of childhood trauma. Bartz creates a fair bit of mystery and tension around Thea's past as she also develops the character of a catatonic woman who shows up at the hospital that Thea works for. The two women share a striking resemblance and a connection to something very important to Thea's childhood.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller from the very early pages. In her signature style, this book has some taboo sexual content and many unlikable characters. There are major themes of verbal abuse and religious trauma. While I recommend this one, please check content warnings before diving in.

This confused me so much. It was a paranormal cult thriller and I just simply did not enjoy it. There were moments I liked but the rest I was like what am I even reading??

holy shit. this book felt like you're in shrooms.

I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I hadn't found almost every single character profoundly annoying, not unlikeable, just very annoying. this is just me trying to find a more professional way of saying what I really mean, which honestly is, "WTF did I just read??" I'm still not sure, and I still don't know if loved it or hated it.

3.75 stars

I am sorry to say that I really did not like this book. I expected going in it would be about a cult, but it was just so over the top and ridiculous. Yes there was a cult. But it fell so far down a rabbit hole of past lives, reincarnation, and prophetic dreams that it was not only unbelievable but also just unenjoyable. The characters are not very likeable and the attempts the author made into character development just added too much fluff. I finished the book only because it was an ARC and I feel obligated to finish those, but this book was barely worth finishing. I hoped for a good redeeming ending but even that fell flat.

Thank you NetGalley and Atris Books for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review. Publication date April 1, 2025

I really enjoyed this book I like books starring therapists and ones with psychological aspects so this was a lot of fun. No idea if it was done correctly though, since I am not a therapist or in the field, lol but it was cool to read about. I also really like books about cults so I was eating this book up for at least 2/3 of it.

The short chapters helped to fly through the novel, and the writing was simple yet captivating. It was a great commentary on mental health care, healing, and childhood trauma, at least for two-thirds of it. Near the end, it got too reincarnation- and past-life-heavy. I can't say it dragged on because I don't think the author could've made it end faster, but it was just hard to stay interested near the end. Maybe it was too farfetched and outlandish.

Overall, though, I had a great time, and I'm looking forward to the author's future books. The publisher provided an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.