Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc!!

I read The Writing Retreat and really enjoyed it so I was so excited to get an e-arc of The Last Session!!

Thea works at a mental health facility as an arts teacher of sorts. She’s used to unusual things happening at her job, but when a Jane Doe comes in that looks very familiar, Thea’s curiosity gets the best of her. Jane Doe is catatonic, mute, and oddly resembles Thea with her red hair and green eyes. Thea swears she knows her, but can’t pinpoint who she is.. until she goes on a deep dive of her own past.

When Thea realizes who Jane Doe is and how important of a presence she had in Thea’s past, Thea can’t let her go. Jane Doe is revealed to be Catherine. When Catherine begins speaking, Thea feels even more connected to her. Which is why once Catherine leaves the facility, Thea can’t help but believe she’s in terrible danger.

Using clues, Thea gets a hitch for where Catherine may be: a secluded wellness retreat in the middle of the desert. Thea decides to embark on a journey and sign up for a weekend session to see if she can find Catherine.. but what is waiting for Thea there is nothing she could possibly ever have expected.

The Last Session is full of mysteries, secrets, deceit, twists and more! If you like mystery/thriller or are looking to read something with a cult vibe, this one is for you!!

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest thought.

Oh this is a rough one to review. I was very disappointed in this book. I finished it because I was invested enough to want to know what happened, but I didn’t really like this book at any point when I was reading it.

I like Bartz’s writing and enjoyed her last book. However, while well written, the plot was not great. The first 75% I was very bored. I kept asking myself when something would start happening. And then everything went off the rails. It was crazy and not in a good way. Again, the writing was nice and Bartz is clearly skilled. I just didn’t like the story.

All in all, this wasn’t for me and I kind of regret reading it TBH.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thea is a social worker in New York, and one of her patients, Catherine, is an actress from her favorite teenage movie. The book follows Thea as she tries to understand Catherine and her relationship with what appears to be a cult in New Mexico.

This is a well written, fast paced story that is definitely bizarre, but definitely worth the read. The character descriptions and development make them feel real, relatable and likeable which I enjoy.

While this book won't be for everyone, if you're looking for something truly unique and enjoy a wild, twisty turny psychological ride, then I highly recommend this one!

What a wild, twisty ride! This thriller is getting mixed reviews, but I am firmly in the camp of finding the storyline to be darkly fun. Read this if you want to explore the darker side of wellness culture and aren't afraid of events dipping into the fantastical.

In THE LAST SESSION, main character Thea just happens to work at a New York psychiatric hospital as a social worker, when a mysterious catatonic woman with a strange tattoo is brought in as a “jane doe.” Thea recognizes her as Catherine, the star of a her favorite teen movie, “Stargirl.” They form a connection, then after Catherine gets picked up by people “posing” as her parents, and from something she had left behind for Thea, Thea immediately assumes she needs help. In a hunch through a podcast the woman had been listening to, Thea travels to The Relational Retreat in New Mexico to find her. She’s there, but it’s ran by two shady people with a famous podcast that appear to be running a cult.
I loved The Writing Retreat, and while this is most definitely creative with its locked-room suspense featuring a cult - I did get lost in the thinking/thought process of its characters concerning what they were involved in/with. This was too over the top in suspending belief and became confusing at the halfway mark, and although this one just didn’t work for me - I can’t wait to see what she writes next! 2 stars — Pub. 4/1/25

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

”This was my last chance. I couldn’t let them take me…”

On paper, The Last Session had everything I was looking for—a psychiatric hospital, a mysterious patient who’s not saying anything, someone with ties to a cult, plenty of commentary on religious abuse. Based on that setup, I thought it might be comparable to The Silent Patient or The Family Upstairs (or fall somewhere in between.

Ultimately, it ended up being a lot more slow and subtle than any of that. I would compare it to something by Mona Awad or Courtney Summers—dark, dreamlike, a little implausible, a little navel-gazing, but still compelling. (Truly, I was reminded of The Project again and again as I read, there are so many similarities here!)

I found Thea’s personal struggles relatable, but didn’t always understand the motivation behind all of her decisions, and some of the plot points (especially the dreams / visions) left me feeling very confused. A great premise for a book, but the execution definitely requires a lot of mental energy from the reader.

——

A huge thank you to Julia Bartz, Atria, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review for “ The Last Session by Julia Bartz”

1. Plot Uniquenes : 3/5
2. Pacing and Coherence :3/5
3. Emotional and Interllexrual Engagekent : 2/5
4. Twists and turns : 3/5
5. Protagonist Character Development : 4/5
6. support character development : 3.5/5
7. Setting and atmosphere : 3/5
8. Chapter Organization : 4/5
9. Conclusion and tied loose ends : 4/5
10. Overall rating of book : 3/5

Thank you Atria for the gifted copy!

The Last Session
Julia Bartz
Publishing Date: April 1, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was wild. As an LCSW, formerly a therapist, I was immediately intrigued as the FMC is also a therapist. Once I started reading I was immediately drawn in by the authors writing, the direction the story began, and the mental health facility as a setting.

I find that books featuring mental health professionals often fall into two categories: 1) the author tries to do give an accurate portrayal of what the therapeutic process could look like and what a therapist might act like OR 2) the therapist is out of their dang mind and much suspension of disbelief is required. This book falls into the latter group. If you’re looking for an accurate portrayal of what anything related to mental health treatment should look like, this isn’t your book.

If this is something you don’t mind, this book has a lot of entertaining elements:

📝Binge-Worthy
📝Cult like dynamics
📝Trauma to self discovery
📝Suspenseful and tense
📝Immersive and eerie atmosphere
📝Twists and turns a plenty
📝 Suspension of disbelief

I wish the story hadn’t gotten quite so implausible, for my own personal preferences, but I think the twists, turns, and wild ride of this book will likely appeal to many.

I saw this recommended as a galley on Instagram, so I was excited for the opportunity to read it. It was a wild ride in the desert. There are definitely some cult vibes here, so buyer beware.

I enjoy reading thrillers, and the book description for this book caught my attention. This book was very interesting, and I wanted to keep reading to figure out what would happen next. The plot line was unique, which is often not the norm for a thriller. I typically enjoy cult and conspiracy theories in media, but this book was bizarre. I enjoyed the mental health representation in his book, but it also felt over the top. The book didn’t really feel like a thriller, but I did enjoy the mystery aspects. The plot line was weird and confusing to me. The characters were unrelatable, unlikable, and unrealistic. It felt as though there was little character growth throughout the book. I was not particularly fond of the romantic aspects of this book. There were some very strange sex scenes involved that I was not expecting. Ultimately, this book left me confused and unimpressed. I would give this book 2 stars, and that is generous because it did keep my attention and make me want to continue reading. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Starting off in a psychiatric institution, this pulled me in right off the bat. Filled with cultish vibes and an isolated setting, this was my type of read. There is a weirdness to the plot that if you aren't able to suspend disbelief for the enjoyability of the story, this may not be for you. The characters were peculiar, and their underlying motives made them more menacing toward the end. The writing was compelling and made me want to keep reading with every turn of the page. Three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Atria Books, for this ARC.

I really enjoyed Julia Bartz's debut The Writing Retreat, so I was stoked to get my hands on this one! Aaaaand it turns out I'm once again an outlier as I pop off a four star on this bad boy with its bummer little three star NetGalley rating. I don't know guys, as weird and far-fetched as some of her plot points are there's just something about Bartz's vibe that really appeals to me. Let it never be said that I'm not a sucker for bisexual chaos.

Anyway, this feels like it could be adapted into a banger TV series, but like not in the way that it feels like that's why it was written, you know. Highly recommended for grown-ups who never quite got over reading The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I swept right in to this book. It was mystery upon mystery. I couldn’t put this book down because I needed to know what happened next.

The New Mexico retreat was unsettling and eerie and what I’d imagine a cult in the desert to be like. You could feel the tension and uneasiness. In the same breath it’s easy to see how people can get swept up into a cult and how it’s hard to leave. It’s crazy to think about what you would do in that situation.

The ending felt a bit rushed but very good nonetheless. It left me wanting more.

I went into this novel thinking about the last Julia Bartz novel I read, which I enjoyed a lot! However, for this novel, while the plot and synopsis itself can be interesting (it really drew me in), I thought the pacing and the characterization was something that fell flat throughout. I managed to finish the book, but it was rather difficult to get through at times, as I feel I wasn't invested in the story as much as I should have been.

I loved the author's debut, The Writing Retreat, so I was thrilled to jump into her sophomore novel.

Some of the content was a bit uncomfortable and I typically don't tolerate the use of trauma as a plot device in my thriller's but I trusted the authors background would take sensitivity with the subject matter.

This started off okay and honestly I was invested in the story until we got to the "retreat". Things got weird and then weirder and it felt like I was in a time warp where nothing was happening and we were making no headway. I became disinterested in the end result and couldn't even finish the last 50 pages.

This was a swing and a big miss for me.

The story follows Thea, a social worker with a haunting past, who is drawn into a web of mystery when a catatonic woman, linked to a traumatic event in her history, appears at her psychiatric unit. The initial setup creates an atmosphere of intrigue that invites readers to piece together the puzzle alongside Thea.

As Thea embarks on a quest to uncover the truth about her missing patient, the narrative leads her to a controversial retreat in Southwestern New Mexico, where she is forced into a series of intimate and unsettling exercises. The depiction of the retreat is both provocative and chilling, raising questions about the ethics of personal exploration and the boundaries of therapeutic practices. The tension builds effectively as Thea grapples with her own psychological turmoil while trying to locate the woman she believes holds the key to her past.

The author’s writing shines in moments that reveal deep emotional truths, such as when Thea contemplates her journey: “Sometimes, to find the answers we seek, we must first be willing to confront the darkness within ourselves.” This quote perfectly encapsulates the heart of Thea’s struggle, as she navigates her own vulnerabilities while seeking to understand the trauma that binds her and her patient.

While the plot unfolds with well-crafted suspense, the real strength of The Last Session lies in the character development. Thea is multifaceted and relatable, revealing her flaws and resilience as she delves deeper into both her patient’s mysterious case and her own troubled history.

Overall, The Last Session captivates with its blend of psychological depth and thrilling plot twists. The author skillfully balances the suspense with introspection, making this novel a satisfying read for fans of psychological thrillers. With its unresolved questions and tantalizing hints at deeper connections, readers will be eagerly anticipating the next installment for further explorations into Thea's journey and her quest for truth.

I really enjoyed the author’s first book, but I didn’t enjoy this one as much. The story was interesting and the majority of the book was really well done, but I was not bought into the ending and it just didn’t ring true to me. However, Julia Bartz, is very talented and I’ll definitely read her future works. This one just didn’t resonate with me like The Writing Retreat.

Could not stop turning the page, left me hooked early on. This story always kept me on my toes, making a 180 just as soon as you think you’ve got it figured out

Social worker Thea knows she recognizes the catatonic woman who has just arrived on her unit. Once she figures out who she is, Thea is thrust back into a traumatic time in her life and then just as suddenly, the woman disappears. Thea knows she needs to find her, both to help the mysterious woman and to heal herself.

I liked a lot about this book, but there are elements that I felt were included just for the shock factor. I don’t feel like they added anything to the story, except to make the reader uncomfortable. I think those parts could have been taken out and the story would be have fine. Otherwise, I liked the story and was interested to reach the conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available April 1,2025.

This one was fine but a bit too weird for me, I loved the culty vibes but it went off the rails pretty quickly. I didn’t really understand the Egyptian connection of it all.