If you’re anything like me and think cults are so fascinating then this book is for you! It starts out in a psychiatric ward with a catatonic patient who leaves behind little messages for the social worker to follow. This leads her to a cult. This book is wild! Every single chapter ended with my mouth hanging open. When I thought I had it figured out I was completely wrong every single time. When I say you can’t trust anyone - you seriously can’t trust anyone. If you’re looking for a super entertaining book with short chapters you can fly through, I highly recommend this one!

Social worker Thea encounters a catatonic woman who clearly when through something really traumatizing but the woman can't remember specific details. When the woman disappears from the facility, Thea goes on a journey to a retreat in New Mexico operated by a culty couple aimed at helping attendees with their romantic and sexual issues. This was interesting. I had a lot of moments where I cock my head to the side and have a questioning look on my face. I definitely liked Bartz's first book more. I'm not the kind of person who finds cults to be fascinating, I just think they're sad and question how people could ever get involved with them. The cult aspect plus the deep dive into romantic and sexual issues was just too much going on at once for me personally. It was a good story and I liked the structure and writing and the general idea of the plot. But I don't think I'll ever reread it. But I am glad I read it.

This started off well, but around the 60% mark had a reincarnation suplot that took over the narrative that was almost incomprehensible. That said, the story was still engaging and I was never dreading picking it back up. I'll still definitely read this author's next books.

The Last Session didnt grip me as much as The Writing Retreat and had many similar themes. I did enjoy getting to know the characters, as the story unfolded. When a familiar faced nonverbal Jane Doe is assigned to a therapist as a patient, the therapist makes it her mission to figure out who she is. When the Jane Doe is confirmed as none other than movie star Catherine O’Brien AKA childhood Thea’s celebrity role model, the media goes into a frenzy. Then Catherine is taken, leading Thea to hunt for clues as to who took Catherine. She finds breadcrumbs via a podcast left behind by Catherine clueing her in to the fact that she may have been taken to a relationship healing retreat run by a couple going by the names of Sol and Moon. It does seem like some characters were unnecessary to the story as a whole and the story felt at times a bit convoluted. Overall interesting.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC!

This had the potential to be a 5-star, but it was such a letdown. So dissapointingg. What's worse is that it started off GREAT, I was hooked until the halfway point maybe, then it just felt like the story was going on just for the sake of it. Things were happening that I felt were very unnecessary, and it just felt like a mess.

2 stars because I enjoyed a bit of the book

I liked the concept of The Last Session—a therapy retreat with some dark twists sounded right up my alley. It had a strong start and an eerie vibe, but the story lost momentum for me about halfway through. I didn’t feel super connected to the characters, and the ending didn’t quite stick the landing. Interesting ideas, just didn’t fully deliver for me.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I found the main character really unlikable and annoying. The twists and turns didn't make a lot of sense and everything was too far fetched. I hope others love this one.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I'm not sure why this book isn't rated higher, I honestly thought it was extremely disturbing and entertaining. The cult aspect was absolutely terrifying. The way those involved were so indoctrinated into these beliefs actually gave me chills. The trauma Thea had faced as a child gave her character a lot of flaws and depth to her adult life, and while she had her struggles, I found myself rooting for her. I loved the psychology involved as well, it felt very well-researched. This was a fantastic second novel by Julia Bartz, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Woof. The Last Session had all the elements of a potentially great novel. Mysterious characters, cults, reincarnation and then some. Unfortunately these characters ended up being utterly insufferable, and I found myself struggling to finish. Julia Bartz had a great debut novel, so I’m hoping the next one is better!

2.75 stars. I first would say it is important to look up or read the content/trigger warnings before starting this book. A lot of topics covered throughout the book. Although I was not personally triggered by any one topic in the book the number of topics and how some were handed kinda felt triggering to me. This book was intriguing which is how I was able to finish. But overall not a fan. I think I have come to realize that books involving or mentioning a cult are just not for me. That’s the part of the book that lost it for me. I enjoyed the beginning before that part. Also towards the end when it was getting to the other side of the climax and towards the conclusion and being wrapped up I felt confusing.

This book was unfortunately not my cup of tea at all. It started out fine and even piqued my interest: social worker meets psychotic patient in a psych ward at the hospital, giving me a bit of "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides vibes.

However, the rest of the story went downhill after that. The psychotic patient goes missing, and the social worker follows clues to find her in an isolated "healing" centre in New Mexico - cue the cult fiction. And from there on, the story gets weirder and weirder, like a bad trip on drugs. It was one of those books where I suddenly found myself asking what was going on, impatient to finish the book and move on.

And so unfortunately, this isn't one I recommend at all 😥

Read if you like...
😱 Psychological thrillers
🏥 Psych ward settings
👀 Cult fiction

🙏Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for a gifted advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️ Potential Trigger Warnings (may not be an exhaustive list): pedophilia, sexual trauma, homicide, mental health crises.

You know when you watch a scary movie, and the heroine seems to have no sense of self-preservation? That's how this book feels. The Last Session was twisty, dark, and atmospheric. Main character Thea is a social worker who encounters a patient that intrigues her, then disappears. She follows her trail to a remote lodge in New Mexico, and everything goes off the rails. I was really gripped for the first half of the book, but lost interest as it got more and more unhinged. Not my cup of tea, but I think readers who enjoy more horror in their mysteries would probably really enjoy this book. The story is compelling and things happen fast, so it's hard to put down.

"𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭: 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲."

The Last Session is an over-the-top compulsive read.

After a new patient found wandering the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and is admitted to social worker Thea's psychiatric ward, Thea can't help but be intrigued by her: the patient is like looking in a mirror, and she discovers that she is actress Catherine O'Brien, who Thea idolized growing up. When Catherine disappears, Thea is determined to figure out where she went, leading her to a desert retreat - but is all as it appears at this isolated resort? I love how the cover design mirrors Bartz's debut with its turned down corner (this time to reveal a psychiatric evaluation), and expansive New Mexico desert; it had me quite hopeful for an atmospheric read. Bartz delivers in the first half. I found myself quickly turning the pages as Thea becomes obsessed with Catherine and arrives at the Centre for Relational Healing (which feels more and more like a cult as the story goes on). Each of the characters there are equal part mysterious and suspicious, as things become stranger. There is an erotic tension throughout, and it is hard to know with certainty if Thea is imagining danger that isn't really there or not. The last two parts are definitely over-the-top and you have to suspend A LOT of belief; some of it worked and some of it didn't, feeling fairly disjointed in places, with plot threads that didn't always go anywhere satisfyingly (an orgy that doesn't get brought up again?!). Bartz swung big, but didn't quite make the landing.

The Last Session is a story of power, influence, and longing for connection. Although it didn't all work for me, Bartz's writing has enough popcorn thriller vibes that I'll be searching out her next book. Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a long book and it is labeled as a mystery/thriller, however since I picked up on the cult topic not far into the book it felt like more like science fiction or an alternate reality. I was easily drawn in by the cult mentality that Thea found when she arrived in sunny New Mexico, and there were times I wasn't sure what was true and what was false. I wanted to be at the retreat with her, taking part in intense therapy sessions in order to break my relationship patterns. There were times I had to pause my reading because something that was said rang a bell of clarity for me. Then there were other times I was horrified by what was going on at that retreat! And still I read as I had to figure out the truth from the lies and deception. Let me back up for a second - prior to arriving at the retreat, social worker Thea meets a catatonic woman in the psychiatric unit where she works. She is intrigued by this woman and when she disappears Thea ends up following her trail to New Mexico. Sounds a little unhinged, doesn't it? But this is where the book picked up and hooked me. Julia wrote in her author's note that she wanted '...to explore the ongoing draw of cults.' Well my eyes are opened. I also really appreciated the theme of doing our own work to break our past relationship patterns and trauma. I never read a book's description again after I decide I want to read it. Had I done so, I never would have guessed this book would be just the right amount of different to break me out of a reading slump I didn't realize I was in. I suspect I will be thinking about this book for a few days!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the DRC in exchange for my honest review.

I lovedddd Julia's debut novel and was so excited to receive this arc. But unfortunately this one did not live up to the last one. The storyline really fell flat for me and I was constantly losing interest and wondering if it was ever going to pick up.



Thanks to Atria Books, Julia Bartz and Netgalley

I absolutely loved this book. It was like the best cultish- fever dream. The Last Session is wild in the best possible way. I loved the cult aspects and thought that part was portrayed beautifully. The deception, the manipulation, the sexual deviancy, the belief system. It was so well laid out and each piece of the story was revealed in perfect timing. My favorite parts of Bartz writing is how vivid the descriptions are. She has a cinematic way of writing that just makes you adore her stories. I cannot wait to see what she does next! My newest auto buy author!!

I had high hopes going into this, especially after The Writing Retreat, but unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me.
While the book offers an intriguing premise—a social worker drawn into a psychological mystery connected to her own past—the execution ultimately falls short. The novel begins with promise: Thea, a psychiatric social worker, recognizes a catatonic patient from a traumatic moment in her own history. When the woman suddenly disappears, Thea is compelled to uncover the truth, leading her to a remote and mysterious wellness retreat in the New Mexico desert.

What could have been a tightly woven psychological thriller becomes muddled as the story leans heavily into cult-like dynamics and increasingly implausible scenarios. The suspense is undermined by the need to suspend disbelief beyond a reasonable threshold, especially as the retreat’s “exercises” grow more extreme and detached from reality.

Additionally, character development is a significant weakness. Many of the secondary characters blend together with indistinct personalities, making it difficult to stay invested in the unfolding drama or care about the outcomes. Thea herself has moments of depth, but her motivations often feel inconsistent, especially as the plot veers into the surreal.

Though the novel attempts to explore trauma, identity, and the dangers of groupthink, its impact is dulled by a reliance on sensational twists rather than grounded tension. Fans of psychological thrillers may find some entertainment in the pacing and atmosphere, but overall, the story doesn’t quite deliver on its gripping premise.

This psychological thriller starts strong with an eerie mystery and a compelling connection between Thea and her catatonic patient. The premise—delving into trauma through a suspicious retreat in the desert—is unique and filled with suspense.
However, while the buildup is gripping, the pacing falters midway, and some plot elements stretch believability. The climax feels rushed, leaving lingering questions. Still, the exploration of memory, trauma, and manipulation adds depth, making it a worthwhile, if not fully satisfying, read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the early copy

I was so excited to begin reading this book. It took a little while to get into, and once I did, I couldn't put it down! I would definitely recommend.

Unfortunately this book did not work out for me. I was initially intrigued with the overall plot. I was also interested in the author because I really enjoyed the Writing Retreat. The book eventually went off the rails and felt redundant,