I think the story started off just a tad slow, but once I’d hit Part 2, things started picking up and my interest was piqued. This story had it all: uneasiness, a mystery, sex, suspense. You never really knew where it was going to go next.
I did see some similarities between this book and Bartz’s first book, The Writing Retreat, which I absolutely loved. So I’m eager to see, if she writes a third, if those similarities continue on in the future.

I was a massive fan of The Writing Retreat. It was entertaining from beginning to end and a solid 4-4.5 stars for me. I was hoping for a repeat with The Last Session. It certainly had an interesting premise: cults and movie stars.

It wasted the premise. The plot moved sluggishly, the characters were forgettable, and there wasn’t any of the salaciousness that was present in The Writing Retreat. I hope this isn’t a new pattern for this author.

3.5 Overall.

What did I just read?! This book was like a fever dream but I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing honestly. There were a lot times where the plot felt all over the place, times the pacing felt much too fast, and others where it felt as if it was creeping along. I also didn’t enjoy the unresolved feeling of some of the plot points. Overall, I didn’t dislike the book but ultimately it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Great premise but seriously fumbled on execution, The Last Session works as a book pitch: a social worker signing up for a peculiar wellness retreat, in pursue of a runaway patient who looks like her, was her childood celebrity crush, and potentially a key individual in unlocking memories from her childhood. Unfortunately, the general plotting is very under-cooked (other than a very good Part 1), with bland characters, out of the blue solutions, and constant simmering without leading to anything exhilarating.

The writing, while streamlined and easy to follow, is extremely hollow and lacking in atmosphere; for a story revolving around cultish brainwashing and grooming, the pedestrian prose doesn't capture the psychological turmoils the protagonist is battling, and further emphasizes the repetitiveness of its setup (lots of character talking in different locations, but barely any real action sequences).

I was impressed with Julia Bartz's debut, The Writing Retreat (gave it 5 stars), but The Last Session feels like going backward: unsure of itself (perhaps sidestepping some sensitive subjects due to the subject matter), and laborious to get through, like the author ran out of steam and was merely finishing this for contractual reason. Perhaps she was overly ambitious with her sophomore effort, and couldn't weave together a page-turning narrative. Curious how would author like Mona Awad or Catriona Ward (who excels at atmospheric writing, and unafraid to be weird and out-there) handle a similar premise.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC for this story. I will not leave a star rating, as it was a DNF for me. The story features a psychologist by the name of Thea who in the first 2 chapters treats a mute patient and this reminded me too much of The Silent Patient, whose protagonist's name is Theo and I got triggered so I'm not going any further.

While I thought ‘the writing retreat’ was outlandish in a fun way, this one was just annoyingly unbelievable for me. And while I can appreciate the author delving into some more serious trauma related topics, in combination with some of the other content I felt a little like I had whiplash.

I really liked The Writing Retreat, so I was excited to dive into this one. I just could not get into it. I started and stopped it a couple of times until I finally finished. The plot ended up being a little too chaotic and far fetched.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and suspenseful. The ending I would have never guessed. Overall, this is a winner and I can highly recommend it. Thank you for my gifted copy.

The synopsis for this book sounded so intriguing, but the execution fell a little flat for me.

I think the biggest issue for me was how many times I had to suspend belief while reading. Normally I don’t find that to be an issue (I don’t read something to be believable, I read for entertainment), but at a certain point it just becomes too much. Towards the end it felt like one ridiculous thing was stacked upon another. This paired with unlikable characters and a bit longer of a book for a thriller, I just didn’t love it as much as I wanted.

That said, I do think the craziness of it all kept me reading the whole time. Thea was a hot mess, and a lot of her decisions were questionable; it would’ve been more twisty to find out she was a patient herself. The cult aspect was really interesting, and I liked that there were some deeper issues throughout the plot, although maybe a little overdone/over the top in some cases.

This book didn’t really work for me, but I can see other people liking it.

The book started out very interesting, I was hooked! About 70% through I was confused. All the side quests and back and forth real and not real life was hard to follow.

I was completely hooked for the first half of The Last Session—the tension, the atmosphere, and the mystery pulled me in right away. The setup was compelling, and I was eager to see how everything would unfold. However, as the story progressed, things started to feel a bit muddled. The second half left me feeling confused, with more moments of “What did I just read?” than satisfying reveals.

The cult aspect had so much potential, but it didn’t quite come together. I found myself wanting more clarity and depth in how it all played out. While I appreciated the eerie and unsettling tone, the execution didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

If I had to compare, I definitely preferred The Writing Retreat. While this book had an intriguing start, it ultimately left me wishing for a more cohesive and satisfying conclusion.

This was not my favorite. The beginning was great but the plot went absolutely off the rails and was just unbelievable in the worst way towards the end of the book.

I read this author's debut and was a minority in that I didn't like it but I wanted to give the author another chance. Unfortunately, I just don't think her writing is for me. I'm sure this one is going to have it's audience out there, especially with how popular her debut was. But after reading both of her books now I think I have to conclude that her stories just don't work for me.

The Last Session is about Thea, a social worker who is assigned a new patient who was admitted in a catatonic state. Right away Thea thinks this woman looks familiar but doesn't realize until days later that she is an actress from her favorite movie as a teenager. After the patient is released, they realize she actually may have been abducted and Thea becomes a sleuth to figure out where she went.

Thea travels to New Mexico and finds herself involved with a cult. She is mostly aware of their powers and keeps her head on straight but she also seems to succumb to the delusions about reincarnation. I really enjoyed the first half of the book but there were parts in the second half that were very unrealistic to me and I couldn't accept. I understand that for some people it would have been fine, just not for me.

Most people were not who they seemed to be and the conspiracy was long and drawn out which kept me reading even though I'm not into New Age Woo Woo. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for access to an early egalley of The Last Session.

I really enjoyed The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz and hoped to feel similarly about The Last Session. It touched on some uncomfortable subjects, mainly child abuse and grooming, which may contribute to my ambivalence about it.

I didn’t like it, but I didn’t hate it. It felt like a lot was going on but nothing was happening. I couldn’t connect to characters and wasn’t drawn into the culty undertone. The narrator, Thea, describes terrible things that happened to her and others with a bleak, uninterested air which contributed to my disconnection.

The Last Session by Julia Bartz is a psychological thriller that pulls you in with a strong start but struggles to maintain the same level of intrigue throughout. The beginning of the novel sets the stage with promise, drawing you into a tense and mysterious atmosphere. The dynamics between the characters are engaging, and the city setting adds to the initial tension, making it easy to get hooked.

However, once the story shifts away from the city, the pacing starts to feel repetitive, dragging the narrative out a bit more than necessary. While the consistency in tone and plot is there, the story starts to lose some of its edge as it begins to feel like it’s treading water. The middle section could’ve been tightened up to keep the suspense from waning.

What The Last Session does exceptionally well, though, is capturing the eerie, unsettling atmosphere of a cult. Bartz creates a chilling, claustrophobic environment that makes the reader feel the characters’ growing unease. The tension surrounding the cult is well-crafted, and it effectively builds an oppressive sense of dread that stays with you throughout the story.

The ending, unfortunately, felt a bit rushed and didn’t fully deliver on the buildup. It left me with more questions than answers, and some of the revelations seemed underdeveloped. While the pacing issues in the middle and the abrupt ending were disappointing, the novel still does a decent job creating an atmosphere that keeps you on edge.

In the end, I didn’t hate The Last Session, but I didn’t love it either. While it consistently maintains a certain tone and atmosphere, it becomes repetitive and ultimately lacks the depth and payoff that could have made it a truly standout read.

Thank you @atriabooks for the gifted ebook copy!

The Last Session starts out with a bang and I was completely immersed into this psychological thriller. It gave me silent patient vibes at the start which I was all here for! We meet a woman who has shown up at a psychiatric clinic with no recollection of what happened to land her there. The social worker, Thea says thinks she looks familiar but can’t quite place where she knows her from. She feels naturally drawn to her and decides to chase down clues to who she is in an attempt to try and help her.

Ahhh where to start?! I loved the beginning of this book. It immediately drew me in and the mystery behind this mysterious woman had me completely hooked. The writing is compelling and the sense of intensity made me want to keep going. The book is completely unbelievable as the circumstances and decisions the characters make just don’t seem fathomable. To be honest, all of that is ok with me in the book. As the book nears the tail end it became very confusing and there were parts I just felt like I could have done without. I realize that’s a me thing vs. an everyone else thing so don’t let me sway you from trying this one. I enjoyed her first book and will absolutely continue to grab her books!

I wanted so badly to like this book, and the first part of it was really engaging. But when it started to go off the rails, it REALLY went off the rails, and quickly became one of the worst things I've ever read.

I enjoyed the author's first book, THE WRITING RETREAT, even though it went off the rails in the final third in an unbelievable way. I was intrigued to see that her second book was set in the work of social work, since I believe Bartz is a therapist. There were twists upon twists here, just like her debut, and Thea as a character kept me on my toes! I think Bartz really put her professional background to work in this book, and the relationship between the two women was fascinating. The book did, again, go off the rails in the final act, but I just leaned into it this time! Will definitely read her next book as well, it seems like Bartz as an author is improving and growing.

DNF at 71% :/

2.5 stars rounded up.

I tried to enjoy this book, and for the first roughly 40% I did enjoy it! But it took a dive off the deep end and I just couldn’t suspend belief enough to go with the author. I slogged through this book and didn’t look forward to picking it up every day.

I can appreciate that Julia Bartz is taking her thrillers in a new direction! However, after this being my second read of hers, I don’t think I will continue to read her work.