I love books about cults and I was soooo intrigued by what was going on with Catherine and Thea. I actually really enjoyed the “trippier” parts of this story and the commentary on toxic power dynamics throughout. The only reason it doesn’t get 4 stars is because it felt very disjointed at times to me and I had trouble following it. I can’t wait for her next book though, if you haven’t read The Writing Retreat you have to!

THE LAST SESSION
BY: JULIA BARTZ

I don't know how much suspension of disbelief qualifies to read this without taking as long as I did to finish this to be fair to the Author, Julia Bartz. With psychological thrillers, or a fair amount at least in this present time it's common to have to accept it, and readjust my expectations, and I don't have a problem with unreliable narrators either. This was just way too Over The Top that it definitely strains credibility. I thought it might improve, so I kept reading because I'm conscientious about everything that occurs to publish a novel. So, I read at a slower pace hoping that I would reach a point where it just didn't border on the absurd in so many aspects. I feel bad giving a low review, which I'm grateful that it rarely happens. The whole objective of reading an ARC, is to give a fair and honest assessment to what I read, which in the final analysis I was extremely disappointed with this compared to this author's debut novel.

I wouldn't be true to my honest opinion, if I rated this any higher even though it bothers me, it reflects my reading experience. I do want to emphasize that I thought long and hard before rating this two stars, as I read this over a week ago, and gave a lot of thought to see upon my reflecting over some time, before deciding that I might have a more charitable reaction. I'm sad to say that I didn't move from my honest opinion even after a week of giving this plenty of time. I do wish this author my best wishes for success, but with my background there were many things that just seemed too far fetched. I do wish that I loved this, but if I am not honest to keep from worrying about giving a rating that lines up with how I felt while reading this, then what's the point? I am hoping that my intent resonates with my submission as a desire to be helpful, because I finished it regardless of this needing editing and maybe I am in the minority I hope. Either way, this might just be too many things that I felt needed improvement to my own ideas that it just didn't ring true. I expect to suspend disbelief in most novels of this genre, however, this had significantly too much of that throughout this novel on the whole to be in my humble opinion to ignore.

I'm hoping that her next execution of her future novel, makes this one a rare outcome, since I really was so impressed by her former one, there's no doubt that Julia Bartz is talented, or I wouldn't have opted to read this. Two Stars!

Publication Date: April 1, 2025

Thank you to Net Galley, Julia Bartz, and Atria Books for generously providing me with my ARC. in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.

#TheLastSession #JuliaBartz #AtriaBooks #NetGalley

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bester Books for the free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is out now!

Thriller. Thea is social worker in New York at a mental health facility when a young catatonic woman - who looks striking like Thea - ends up in the unit. Thea eventually realizes she’s so familiar because she was an actress in one of Thea’s favorite movies growing up named Catherine. When she finally comes out of her catatonic state and is released from the psych unit to people posing as her parents, Thea learns that Catherine as it a “healing” retreat in New Mexico and she decides to follow her to make sure she’s safe. But the longer Thea is at the retreat - lead by the charismatic and attractive couple Moon and Sol - the more Thea believes this is less a retreat, more a cult, and she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to get out alive.

A book about a cult (fictional or not) and I’m in. Really enjoyed the world building of the retreat and the ramp up to the more culty aspects, but it felt like it took forever to get there. I don’t think all the detail around her 20th 8th grade reunion (which I’ve heard of never) was necessary. It also got a little woowoo at the end and felt a little rushed to wrap everything up. Overall was a fun read and would make for a fun movie! 3.75 stars rounded up.

Um… excuse me, but were we gonna explain anything or…? This is absolutely an intriguing book, but be prepared to be left unsatisfied. I would say it’s a combination of Nine Perfect Strangers and The Silent Patient with supernatural/woohoo elements mixed in. Definitely a page-turner, but a disappointment overall.

Was this good? Yes. Was this great? Meh. There was a rando orgy I really was not expecting nor into so have fun with that. I was hooked to a degree when it came to the plot.

I really enjoyed Bartz's debut and was excited to read her follow up, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me.

I really enjoyed the cult aspect of the book. Moon and Sol were both intriguing, creepy, and a little sleazy. And I thought their ideology was fascinating as far as cults and their motivations go.

Unfortunately though, the rest of the characters were not as interesting and our protagonist Thea suffers greatly from "main character making moronic decisions" syndrome.

I was also not a fan of the repressed religious sexual fantasy aspect of the book. I know that was Thea's main struggle, but it combined with the concluding post-New Mexico chapters just felt so out of place with everything else going on.

Certainly not the worst thing I've read this year, but between the sluggish pace, hollow characters, and underwhelming conclusion, it's far from the best as well.

I didn't really enjoy this book - it was too all over the place. There were so many unbelievable things happening and the characters were never really developed enough to care about them. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Writing Retreat was one of my favorite reads of 2024. I really wanted to love this book- I really did. The first few chapters had me glued. A social worker- a famous patient with amnesia that goes missing- it had me. But then it took a turn I did not expect nor did I enjoy. I really struggled getting through this book. I had to force myself to finish it and that was a far cry from the last book I read by her.

2 Stars- and that is being generous.

The Last Session by Julia Bartz is a psychological thriller that delves into themes of trauma, memory, and the complexities of human relationships. The narrative follows Thea, a social worker at a psychiatric hospital, who becomes entangled in a mysterious case involving a catatonic woman resembling a childhood actress. This intrigue leads her to a remote wellness retreat in the desert, where unconventional therapeutic practices and unsettling secrets await.

Bartz effectively establishes a tense and atmospheric setting, drawing readers into Thea's journey of self-discovery and suspense. However, as the plot unfolds, I found the narrative to become increasingly implausible, requiring significant suspension of disbelief. The story's latter half introduces elements that some may perceive as disjointed or overly complex, potentially detracting from the overall impact.

In summary, "The Last Session" presents a dark and compelling narrative that combines suspense with psychological exploration. While it may not resonate with all readers due to its unconventional plot developments, it offers a unique perspective for those interested in psychological suspense and complex character studies.

The Last Session is Julia Bartz’s sophomore thriller novel following social worker Thea as she tries to help a patient who was the star of her favorite movie as a teen. Thea always felt deeply connected to Catherine who looked eerily like herself and starred in a movie that seemed to mirror her own life experiences.

Let me say this book was a TRIP, to put it lightly. The first 25% feels like a COMPLETELY different book than the preceding 75%. I thought both parts were twisty and fun and held their own merit, but it did sort of feel like whiplash, going from a psychiatric unit caring for a catatonic patient to a cult like retreat where a bunch of strangers are participating in bizarre sessions to uncover their traumatic pasts.

As many reviewers mention, you really have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit with this one, which I typically don’t mind for mystery thrillers but this novel goes above and beyond. Our main character consistently makes terrible, life threatening decisions, making it tough to root for her. This was certainly and interesting and unexpected story.

3.25 rounded down. Honestly? I really couldn’t get that into this book. It was obvious there was something nefarious afoot pretty quickly. However, by the time the true depth was revealed it was kind of hard to be too interested/surprised. It was hard for me to be invested as I didn’t feel too connected to the characters and I really didn’t truly understand the more woo woo part of the plot.

Advanced reader copy provided by Atria and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Ok wow this book took me on a complete acid trip, Down the rabbit hole with a dessert of some trippy mushrooms, All while in a desert with a cult exploring past lives & reincarnation while also talking & acting out feelings & trauma. It was A LOT!
My brain wasn't ready for one😆🤯

4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Even though at some points it got a little too weird even for me 🙃
This book was different , unique, definitely kept me guessing tbh until the last page . I was so lost pretty much the whole time .. but also found most of this book so interesting I had a hard time putting it down.
Def recommend .
Sooo I thought this book came out April 8 but APRIL FOOLS on me it came out April 1 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks #NetGalley for another amazing eArc 😎

A suspenseful novel that explores trauma and healing. When a catatonic woman shows up at the hospital, the social worker who tries to help her recognizes her from the past. When the woman comes to, she has no memory of what happened to her and mysteriously disappears. The social worker follows her to a therapy center in another state where she must face her past in order to find the patient.

I always love a fast moving thriller so was really excited to check out the new one from Julia Bartz. It started off really strong -- I loved the first part and was so intrigued, I always enjoy mental health settings and I was really intrigued what was going on with Catherine.

I enjoy Julia Bartz's writing and she does a great job of setting a scene and building tension. The second half of this book kinda lost me -- it felt repetitive and convoluted.

I'll definitely check out her next book as I do enjoy her writing and really liked the first half!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I found this one seemed to be all over the place . It was hard to follow and I almost DNF
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

The premise was intriguing. Unfortunately, it was a huge miss for me. I could not tell where it was going and it strayed reaaallyyy far out there. Just a lot of WUT the ACTUAL f*%#?

I did not know what I was getting into when I started The Last Session by Julia Bartz.
This is well written and the pacing reminds me of 'The Writing Retreat', which I'd previously read from Bartz. Truly, no complaints there.
The story started off by grabbing me completely. I was hooked as I tried to figure out what was going on. But then as we move out of Part 1 and the story evolves into what it becomes, I just wasn't ready.

I'm being intentionally vague because it is worth picking up but just be prepared for an unexpected journey.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC for my honest review!

This was an interesting read. I liked most of it but some of the past life stuff got a little too woo woo and strange for my personal taste. The ending was a little bit of a bummer but it did feel like a good way / place for the story to end. Definitely interested to see what direction this author goes next!

This was a WILD ride. I'm not always the biggest cult enthusiast, but these people are completely nutty and I was captivated. I think if I enjoyed reading about cults then it would be a 5 star read, I just cannot take these people seriously and would have fled much sooner. Though, I think the author did a fantastic job setting up the scene and depicting the emotions that I could absolutely feel why each person got swept away. Something about the writing plus the audiobook did make it a powerful immersive experience. I also enjoyed watching the MC who is a total skeptic also start to be swayed. I do think the end was a bit too cat and mouse for me (and in a slightly repetitive way). But overall totally wild and enjoyable.

The Last Session is a cult-y novel and while the premise was good and intriguing, the execution fell flat. I was all in at first when the FMC Thea tries to help a battered woman. But when the woman disappears, Thea is convinced there's more to her story so she follows her to a ranch in Arizona. That's where the book goes off the rails...orgies, caves, reincarnation and then a movie? Where did this go wrong?