Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC!!

While this wasn’t my favorite read, I definitely appreciated the underlying themes of cults and unreliable narrator, since at times, it was hard to decipher what was real versus what was the main characters delusions. I am not a huge fan of the more fantasy side of things like reincarnation or past lives, but I think it was well done!

The last Session by Julia Bartz

As this is one author that I absolutely crave this book threw me, my feelings were mixed. Talk about an odd mix of whiplash, I wasn’t sure if I was watching a horror movie or a really hard to follow soap opera drama. As the initial mystery of this book was interesting and enthralling. I was shaking my head at the odd placement of situations like an orgy and an odd cult like atmosphere. It was interesting and held my attention but It was not a wow book for me. I will continue follow this author and read what she puts out. But holy crazy ideas. This book fits that category. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books

The book got me out of my reading slump. I couldn't put it down until I finished it!! Thea is a social worker whose interaction with a woman in the psych unit brings Thea back to her traumatic past. This book captivated me and scared me.. I will be recommending this to anyone and everyone!

3 stars
Publication date April 1, 2025

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for sending this eARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thea, a social worker, feels a connection to the new patient brought into the psyciatric unit where she works. The patient has no memory of how she got there or what happened to her before she arrived. Soon after, she is gone, leaving a possible clue for Thea as to where she has gone. Thea decides to follow the clue and ends up on the other side of the country, in a situation that leads to more mystery...and a fight for her life.

This is not necessarily my favorite type of book (wellness retreat/ self-help spa/possible cult), but it was well written and had plenty of twists and turns to keep you entertained.

This book has many pros and cons, including:

Pros
-A cult story is always entertaining
-I liked some of the characters
-I liked the transition from the mental hospital to the cult
-It was good that this book called attention to trauma sexuality


SPOILERS

Cons
-The story the cult believed in is so far out of left field that it became flat-out comical
-Why did the author shoehorn a return to religion at the end? After everything she’d gone through, why in the world would she have asked to go to church?
-Reincarnation just doesn’t do it for me

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Well this was a WILD RIDE. I’m pretty good at predicting the twists in thrillers and this one had me guessing all the way until the end.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Although this book will grab you at the beginning, it does slow way down at about the halfway point, and so many parts of it are too far-fetched for me. It is definitely an interesting plot that I would label as a dark thriller, and I’m sure there’s a huge audience for that, but I struggled a bit.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

I was super intrigued by the concept of this one. I love anything that feels culty, it’s very interesting to me!

This one was definitely unique, as it explored different themes of reincarnation and death. And the back story that is the motivation for the “bad guys” is super intriguing.

I thought it was pretty well-written and entertaining to read. I was definitely curious how the plot was going to play out. Although I did see the “twist” coming, I still appreciated the journey to get to the end and I was definitely rooting for the main character.

The only thing I will say is that the book did kind of drag at points, which did take me out of the story at times. I feel like less focus on the “sessions” they did would be beneficial to move the plot along.

Overall, it was a fun read and I found the entire concept super interesting.

Thank you NetGalley, for this uncorrected ebook ARC of 'The Last Session' by Julia Bartz, in exchange for an honest review - expected release date 04/01/2025

I can't believe I made it through this book. So many overly far-fetched, ridiculous things happened that it was hard to take it seriously. The main character, Thea, was SUCH a mess and, I'm sorry, but between some of her outrageous actions and multiple odd obsessions/compulsions, it was really hard to relate to her character. I appreciate that the author brought light to some deep topics (cults, SA, childhood trauma and more) but it seemed that they were all overdone, way too over the top and exaggerated.

While it quite as strong as the Writing Retreat, this was still a wild ride! Julia Bartz has landed on my radar and I’ll read every one of her books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this ARC. I wanted to like this one, but I ultimately DNF. The writing, while strong and descriptive, fell flat with the storyline. It felt predictable and I found myself struggling to stay engaged.

Hmm.. not really my vibe like I’d thought it’d be. Book focuses on mental health and cults, so if that is your jam then you would really like it. I did enjoy the author’s writing style and would read from her again.

After reading and loving the authors debut novel, The Writing Retreat, I was really looking forward to her second novel.

I really liked the beginning of the story and the writing quickly pulled me in. I also really liked the fact that the main character was a therapist like I am. I also loved the cult aspect of the story.

However I did find a few issues with the book.
I don't mind an over the top/suspend your beliefs type of story but there were so many of these situations in this one that it became a bit much. I also felt as if there was too much of a focus on the Stargirl film (a movie that the main character was obsessed with as a teen).

Even though I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did The Writing Retreat, I still liked this one and would recommend it to thriller readers. I will also look forward to reading whatever Julia Bartz writes in the future.

The Last Session by Julia Bartz will be available on April 1. Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

I LOVED this book. I was already a fan of Julia Bartz from "Writing Retreat" so I was very excited to dive into this book.

It kept me enthralled! I was sucked in from the first page, and did not stop reading until the end. Unputdownable.

The twists and turns were not predictable, but felt completely supported by the text.
Characters felt full and developed.

Definitely pick this up if you're a fan of psychological thrillers, I do not think you'll be disappointed!

I wanted to like this but it just didn’t do it for me. It seemed predictable. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review.

Holy hell I’m going to have a book hangover after this one. This hasn’t even hit the shelves yet and I’m already hungrily waiting for her next book.
I loved the Writing retreat last year and the Last session exceeded my expectations.
This is not your typical thriller/horror novel, there’s a lot going on here and I loved every bit of it.
The story is almost all from Thea’s point of view. Thea is a therapist and has some past trauma of her own that she’s numbing with booze. One day a catatonic patient is brought in to Thea’s clinic and she feels a deep connection to her right away. The woman starts talking to Thea and opening up to her some. Suddenly Catherine the patient gets picked up by a couple posing as her parents. Thea finds a clue that sends her on a mission to find Catherine. Her mission leads her to New Mexico to a high end weekend retreat that is supposed to help you find your soul mate. Is it a cult or is something else going on?
This book got into my head where I was having dreams that I was in the retreat, that is how much this pulled me in. It kind of brought back memories of some of Christopher Pikes adult novels with symbolism and mysticism but still believable. I loved this book so much and now I’m at a loss on what to read next. Thank you to the publishers, Netgalley and Julia Bartz for the opportunity to read and review the fabulous book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this exciting psychological thriller. It kept my attention the whole time. I look forward to reading more books from Julia Bart’s!

This book tipped from thriller to Sci-Fi to fantasy all throughout the story. Wasn't expecting that! Thea, the main character, who we hear from in first person, unknowingly sets off, not only on a rescue mission, but a self discovery one as well. I appreciated how determined she was to find and help her patient when she didn't think that she was safe. The book got pretty confusing and muddled at points when it came to the "visions" associated the the cult. I think maybe it was element of confusion and chaos that it was meant to invoke, but it was hard to read through. Overall, it's a good book!

I loved The Writing Retreat and was hopeful that I would love this one, too. And I did, about the first half of it. Then it flies off the rails, gets totally crazy and nonsensical. It went on too long and I didn't enjoy it anymore. Could not relate to the main character anymore (Thea), She made so many insane decisions. I liked the cult aspect and trauma bits. It could have been so interesting. Thank you.
Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this ARC. I knew it would be a crazy one and I was not disappointed!

After reading The Writing Retreat last year, I knew I had to read Julia Bartz’s next book. So when I unexpectedly was granted approval for the ARC of The Last Session, I was over the moon.

This story follows Thea, a social worker for a psychiatric unit in New York. One day, a catatonic woman is put in her care and Thea has a strange notion that she knows her from somewhere. But just as she realizes how she knows the woman, she disappears again. Concerned for her safety, Thea follows the clues all the way to a remote “healing” retreat, designed to get to the root of intimacy-related issues. But the couple running the retreat are strange, and the session even stranger and Thea quickly finds herself in the heart of something much more sinister.

If there is one thing I’ve come to appreciate about Bartz’s writing, it’s this: the sheer unpredictability of her stories. Without fail (thus far), her books will inevitably go completely off the rails and, in that sense, The Last Session did not disappoint one bit. This story touches on a number of sensitive topics, such as mental health, past trauma and cult susceptibility.

This book was simultaneously frustrating and shocking - the kind where you really just want to grab the main character by the shoulders and give them a good shake. Despite my frustrations, this book had me at the edge of my seat from start to finish. It’s definitely a fast paced novel, becoming more and more outlandish as the story goes on. There’s plot holes and nonsensical decisions, which definitely requires some suspension of disbelief behalf of the reader but if you’re good with sitting back and enjoying the ride, then this is a pretty fun one.

This one of those books that I feel like the less you know the better. If you like cult-y books or an unpredictable mystery (and don’t mind a little insanity), then definitely give this one a try.

This book releases on April 1st, 2025.

Rating: 3.5/5
Review will be published on my website on March 24th, 2025 at the following url:
https://mishmashedmagic.com/bookblog/the-last-session-by-julia-bartz