I really didn't enjoy this one. I was excited after The Writing Retreat but I didn't connect with the characters on this one and I didn't enjoy the plot line.

Thea was at work when Catherine was brought into the mental health facility, only she didn't know it was Catherine at the time. This woman was catatonic upon arrival and was unable to give anyone her name. Thea recognized her as the actress in a film she had been obsessed with as a teenager. Once Catherine leaves the facility, Thea feels connected to her in a way she can't explain. She decides to follow her to a retreat across the country. Something feels off about this retreat, Thea is worried that something will happen to her if she stays for the last sessions, but she can't leave without the answers she's looking for.

Great story concept, but it was just a jumble of plot points running into each other trying to do too much. I really liked Bartz's previous book, but this went off the rails almost completely for me.

I wanted to love this way more than I did. The storyline sounded SO good but it kinda fell apart in the execution. It was a bit all over the place IMHO. I always love a cult story though!

This was an all over the place book with some crazy plot points that didn’t make sense at times. I’m not really a fan of a “cult” storyline so perhaps this is just not a book for me.

Thea is a hospital social worker. When a patient is admitted in a catatonic state, somehow she thinks that she is familiar. She soon realizes that her teenage idol, the actress Catherine O’Brien is the patient. She develops a slight rapport with Catherine before she is suddenly whisked away (and Thea follows her).
This grabbed my attention in the beginning , before totally losing me.I could not figure out what was actually going on and wound up putting this book aside, then rereading it again. I think I better understood the plot after my second read, but I’m honestly not 100% sure that I did.
The plot to me, definitely went to some strange places. What kept me trying to figure this fever dream out, was Thea. I just clicked with her in the beginning and wanted to understand what was happening. To me, most of the story was Cray Cray but after really focusing on what was going on, I did wind up enjoying the ride. 3.5 stars.

The story concept was great, but I didn’t get sucked in the way I thought I would. Wasn’t an overly huge fan of the characters. The story pacing was a bit slow for me. Overall, good book that I’d recommend to thriller fans.

I read The Writing Retreat, so I was excited to check out Bartz’s new novel. I did finish the book, but it wasn’t while sitting on the edge of my seat, fully engrossed. It was with curiosity wondering how the author was going to write her way out of this one. The plot really jumped the shark at a certain point. It was still a fun read, but I would recommend getting it from the library, not buying a copy. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

I love a book with cult-ish vibes. It's basically an automatic read for me. The Last Session had all the potential to be a super good book. However, I think that it went 1-2 too many things. We had cult vibes, supernatural things, mental health issues... It just felt like a lot. Still a good book, but there was too much going on.

I feel like this was a fever dream and I left a little bit confused but also like “wow that was an interesting story”. I think people that like reading about cults will find this story very interesting.

I think we all know people who would be very susceptible to the characters we meet in this book and it reminds us that cults aren’t always these large Jonestown size followings,sometimes it’s a small group of people, cut off from society in the desert, with a charismatic charming leader waiting to tell you what you want to hear…

Thanks to NetGalley & Atria Books for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

What a wild read! The beginning of this story completely captivated me. I loved trying to figure out how Thea knew the mystery woman who showed up at her facility. After this part though I feel like you really have to suspend reality to get into the book. Without giving away too much it was just hard for me to believe a social worker would throw everything in her to the side to follow a stranger to a retreat? (I kept wondering Thea was really a patient too. haha) That being said, I did like the creepy setting of the retreat and the book held my attention. Julia Bartz really writes atmospheres well. The book felt heavy to me, so just know this is not what I would consider a light thriller. I felt satisfied at the end, but it was a lot!

I initially requested this because I had read The Writing Retreat, which was a 5 star for me! I figured this would be a wild ride too.

I will say, it was slow at times, and I would have to re-read certain thinks to make it make sense. Some scenes I just felt disconnected from and had to suspend disbelief at certain times, but for a majority of it, I DID enjoy this book. I liked the cut-off from society atmosphere.

It starts with a catatonic woman showing up in a psych ward, where our main girl, Thea (a social worker) encounters her. She cannot stop thinking about her after she leaves, so she follows her to New Mexico to a private 'wellness center'.

I loved that this book dove into cults, group delusions, and trauma/dealing with it(or lack there of). This will have to be a 3/3.5 for me. I liked it enough, but I didn't absolutely love it like I did with the authors other book. I do plan on reading more from this author when they come out with more books.

Thank you to author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Will update my Goodreads and IG on this soon.

Thank you to @netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC. Thea is a social worker in a mental hospital in New York when a cataonic women is brought in. After two weeks of complete silence, Thea finally recognizes her from a movie from her teenage years. Once she tells the patient her name, she snaps out of her state and runs. The couple that came to pick her up were in fact imposters and now Caroline is no where to be found. Before she leaves, she left a note for Thea in her art treatment room. This sets Thea on a course to find her. This psychological thriller is just that - messed up. If you like talks of mental manipulation, reincarnation, and cults, this book is for you! #TheLastSession #JuliaBartz #AtriaBooks #April2025

Ok this was so weird but I found myself obsessed with needing to finish the story. Something about Julia’s writing makes me not able to put her books down. I felt the same way with THE WRITING RETREAT last year.

I don’t want to even talk about the plot of the story because it’s better to go in blind. I will say I didn’t enjoy the first part of the book. I thought some descriptions were unnecessary but once I got to part 2 and beyond it made sense with where Julia was building the story.

I think this is going to be a controversial read, similar to her first book so I’m really excited to see everyone else’s thoughts. Just know going in….this is weird lol

When a catatonic woman is found wandering near New York City, she is taken into a nearby, psychiatric hospital, where Thea, a social worker feels a distinct pull toward her. Identifying the woman as an actress from a significant time in her life, Thea is distraught when the woman disappears suddenly one day. Using clues left by the actress, Thea traces her to an isolated relationship and wellness retreat in the New Mexico desert. Once there, Thea begins to suspect that there is more going on than just some “wellness“ sessions.

This book is quite a wild ride from beginning to end, but so was Julia Bartz‘s last book, The Writing Retreat, so I went in knowing that anything could happen. And trust me in this one anything and everything did.

And I really don’t think that was a bad thing. Sometimes, books do have you suspend belief and go on some wacko colt retreats that are mind-bendingly insane, and I am here for that. Not every book has to be necessarily “by the book,” pardon of my pun, and once in a while, taking a fun journey can be the perfect escape.

So back to the book, I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but this one is all about atmosphere and the creepy feeling you get as things unfold and Thea discovers more and more about what’s going on at the retreat. There’s definitely times when it feels like she’s the girl in a horror movie about to explore the dark basement in your shouting at her to just run in the other direction, but she doesn’t, leading to chaos, of course. And with each new revelation, you’re just sucked more into this world of cult craziness where you’re not sure which end is up.

Thea’s backstory is also really interesting because she’s also dealing with trauma throughout the book in that colors her perception of things. It adds that extra layer of stress and anxiety to the character and makes the plot evolve. Obviously her choices are a part of her past in some way, and it was interesting to see how she ends up dealing with everything.

Overall, I really liked this book and will continue to look for more of Julia Bartz’s books in the future. If you’re interested in an original thriller, I would highly recommend this book.

After "The Writing Retreat" I absolutely HAD to read this book. I am a psychologist so the author being a therapist is appealing to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline given the draw of cults, spirituality and wellness in the news the last few years (and historically). The characters were interesting, as were the settings. I loved the descriptions of New Mexico and the mosaic art.

What felt disappointing was the ethical violations the main character (the social worker) made. We don't have great examples of therapy in the mainstream, and mental health is still stigmatized, so I wonder why the author made this choice. I think the story could've been just as good without them.

Overall, it was a good read and I look forward to her future work!

It was too slow for me. Ultimately I struggled to get into it and finish it. This is my first read by the author but I would be willing to give her another chance.

Thank you to Julia Bartz, Atria Books, and Netgalley for the arc copy of The Last Session! 3.5 ⭐️ Started off strong then got slow in the middle but still kept my interest. Cult/trauma/thriller! Kept me guessing! This book publishes on 4/1/25! In the meantime check previous book by author, The Writing Retreat!

📖 Book Review 📖 For anyone newer to my reviews, I will disclose my bias toward books with social workers. My favorite job ever was as a psychiatric social worker so I absolutely adore any book that features this profession and Julia Bartz delivers one twisty read in this realm! When a catatonic woman arrives on Thea’s unit, she looks similar to Thea and sparks a familiarity that shakes her to the core and really pushes her to discover Jane Doe’s true identity. The Last Session unravels delightfully, a fast-paced page turner that is just gripping! Bartz’s psychological thriller reminds me of one of the most important lessons we learned while getting our masters; sometimes treating others unlocks our own trauma and it is important to stay ahead of our own baggage we bring to the treatment room.

This book was a kind of polarizing experience for me; there were parts of it I absolutely loved and other parts I felt could have been skipped over. Which is why I am giving it a rating right in the middle.

The core of the story, which centers around a cult set in the desert of New Mexico, is a really fun, thrilling, and suspenseful plot that I bought into and was excited about right from the opening prologue. Unfortunately, the following nearly 100 pages after the prologue pulled us completely away from the spooky, dark setting of the prologue and into a psychiatric inpatient center which I found to be quite tedious to get through. Yes, a lot of what happens in this part of the book helps to set up what is later to come in the cult setting, but I felt like this section could have easily been shortened to a few quick chapters and we would have gotten the same effect. Truthfully, if I hadn't been committed to reading it as an ARC I might have stopped reading during this section.

That said, I am glad that I did push through the first part of the book, because I really enjoyed it once we actually made it to the retreat in the desert. I found this setting really creepy and unsettling, and yet really enjoyed how well the author showcased just how easily it could be to get sucked into the orbit of the types of people who become cult leaders. I was often cheering for her to go along with their scheme, rather than wishing she'd run away—because I wanted to know the full extent of what they were scheming! This section of the book was not completely without issues: I found some of the suspension of disbelief to be a bit much for me at times, and I grew tired of time after time of the main character being certain someone was really familiar but being unable to articulate why. Or, certain people just happening to look strikingly similar to other people. It makes sense, in the end, why these things happened, but during the read it felt hard to buy into.

Overall, I did find myself wanting to pick the book back up and continue reading, so I do think it's worth checking out especially if cults are of interest.

The Writing Retreat will forever live in my mind, so I was very excited to snag an ARC of Julia Bartz's latest book - The Last Session. After I learned what the phrase "drinking the Kool-aid" actually meant, I have had an aversion to books about cults. However, my morbid curiosity usually gets the best of me, as was the case with The Last Session.

Perhaps the most striking part about this book is just how plausible Julia makes the entire scenario. For example, I kept thinking how fantastical certain events were, only to stop myself and remember that I was reading about a cult, where logic and rational thinking go out the window. Needless to say, I could not put this book down -- a MUST read for 2025!