Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’m shocked that this book has such low reviews when it’s not even out, and I feel like I read a different book from everyone else.

I really enjoyed this book. My one and only complaint was just that it seemed too long. I guess I would say that the book also left me with a lot of questions too, but that might be intentional.

I thought this book was so interesting, and it kept me guessing as to what was happening at all times.

My suggestion for reading is to read nothing about it because I think even looking at some reviews to see what I was in for ruined a lot of things for me.

I’m keeping this intentionally vague because I think a lot of the reviews I’m seeing have included some really important elements to the story, and I would argue some spoilers.

I just thought this book was so entertaining, and it was so well done.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but I enjoyed it!

Y’all. What did I just read?! This was by far one of the strangest books that I have ever encountered. Pretty sure this book is what an acid trip would feel like.

The plot was meandering and until the last 15% of the book the story didn’t even read as a thriller. The MC accumulated more traumas and issues by the end of the book, but no real closure was offered for the initial trauma themes. Would have given this title 1 star, but I’m always a fan of vengeance/revenge at the end of a book.

I really enjoyed the twisted, dark tale of Julia Bartz’s previous novel and this one did not disappoint. Yes, it had moments of insanity but wasn’t that the point? The main character works in a mental health unit and suffers from unresolved trauma. Everyone other character is damaged in some way, looking for salvation, guidance or so far gone and no medical intervention to stop the psychosis. This all leads to a wonderful novel full of imaginative horror and mental closure.
Some parts were a little long winded and too educational for me (hence the four stars). I was more than happy to skim those to get back to the narrative. It does get very dark, sexual and twisty so be warned. If you an handle that then get on a comfy chair and settle in. Can’t wait for the next one.
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

Only way to describe this - a psychedelic trip. What the heck did I just read? There is so much crazy going on with this unreliable narrator I don’t even know where to begin.

I really thought we were going to get more patient stuff at her job but she just up and leaves and goes on a relation trip to possibly find some famous actress she met for a few days at the psych ward. She was supposed to be moving out too but that’s okay it’s just a $4,000 trip with no WiFi or cellular service. Lol I’m sorry this story definitely needs to leave reality behind because you’d not still have a job or a place to live after that. Also, there is a lot about the abuse she sustained as a child and it goes on the back burner and then magically she’s healed.

I can’t say I enjoyed it or hated it.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Apr. 1, 2025
Julia Bartz, author of “The Writing Retreat”, has created a tense locked-room thriller about a social worker who goes undercover at a wellness retreat in order to investigate the disappearance of a client, only to find herself facing her worst fears, and the secrets of her past.
Thea is a social worker at a local hospital, where she reaches out to the patients through art therapy. When a woman is brought in in a catatonic state, Thea realizes that she has seen this woman before and immediately sets out to help bring her out of her catatonia. Slowly, the patient begins to reveal small clues as to who she is but, before Thea can investigate further, the woman is discharged from the hospital and Thea fears she won’t see her again. When she finds proof that her patient has been taken to a wellness centre in New Mexico, Thea finds herself on the next plane and is soon caught up in something dark and sinister.
“The Last Session” was multi-layered and not at all what I was expecting. I was captivated by the premise of a social worker and her catatonic patient, and “Session” had that, but it had a lot of other complexities as well. Thea has a dark history of abuse, emotional and sexual, which translates into something that she sees as a sexual fetish. The wellness centre in New Mexico is, of course, a cult, who believes in reincarnation and past lives, which adds a layer of depth. There are emotional, dense themes, but the story itself is interesting and engaging.
Thea narrates, although toward the end of the novel there is one chapter where Catherine (the patient) takes over, which I appreciated as it answers some pretty important plot questions. The novel flows well, even though a lot of the questions aren’t answered until the final pages of the book, which had me curious if they would even be answered at all (such as how Catherine escaped the cave), so I was glad for the detail Bartz provided.
Some of the plot points are tied together pretty loosely (Catherine and Thea being doppelgangers for each other, for example) but I really enjoyed the cult component and the past lives aspect was intriguing. Thea was a great character that I immediately connected with and was hoping that she’d find happiness after battling her own demons. The finale was satisfying and somehow Bartz manages to tie up all of the various loose ends, forming a conclusive and definitive end.
I did not read “The Writing Retreat”, so this novel was my first by Bartz. Overall, I was pulled in by the premise, delighted by the twists and turns throughout the storyline and touched by the emotional themes. Well-written and creative, “The Last Session” is worth checking out.

The Last Session started out very interesting and mysterious. This book is separated into parts and once I hit part three, I just could not keep finishing this book. The writing is decent but the plot of the story just becomes too confusing. I have been working on reading this book for two months now, which is unlike me, but I have finally given up about 70% through. I don’t think this book is for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Julia Bartz, and Atria Books for an ARC of The Last Session!

The premise of the book drew me in and I was excited to read The Last Session! If there is a fiction book about cults, I'm going to want to read it. This book drew you in as we meet Thea a social worker who is assigned to a Jane Doe in a psychiatric facility. The Jane Doe is in a catatonic state but looks familiar to Thea. Thea soon realizes that Jane Doe is actually Catherine, who stared in her favorite moving growing up called Stargirl. Catherine's appearance brings up past trauma for Thea and soon she is on the for Catherine who has left the facility and Thea believes has gone to a retreat focusing on helping others find love. Once at the retreat, the story takes a bunch of twist and turns as we find how this group feels Catherine and Thea are connected through reincarnation.

While I love a good cult book, this story got confusing at times and was definitely not what I was expecting. However, I am excited to read other books by Julia Bartz including the Writer's Retreat.

A Social worker, trauma, a remote center, and a missing patient all come into play in The Last Session. Welp! I really wanted to love this one. I had high hopes but found that I struggled with this one quite a bit. Initially I gave this book 3 stars, but after reflecting on how many times I put this book down to start another book, I moved it down to 2 stars which feels more accurate. This book has some interesting, some odd, and some strange characters. Things venture out into OTT territory in the second half and while I can usually ride the OTT, I found it to be a bit much. Plus, I struggle with slowness and there were parts of this book that were just too slow for me.

This is a bizarre one folks. It initially grabbed my attention and then took a stroll into what-did-I-just-read land. While this one did not work for me, others are enjoying this book so please read their reviews as well.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Julia Bartz and unfortunately, I am not impressed. The book started out really good. Being a former psych RN it kind of brought me back to working the units (it's really not that bad), and the descriptions of everything going on and behaviors were good.

However, once we got towards the cult aspect of it, which I normally like cult stories, things started taking a major turn. Things became a little over the top with a lot of trauma dumping, strange erotica scenes, and a lot of focus on the famous character with some strange connection between her and the main character which plays into the far-fetched part of this.

I think some will really like this, and I would be willing to give her first book a try, but this one was just middle of the road for me.

I know I'm behind on my review. I gave birth, then we were in the hospital. Slowly getting back at it.

Anyways onto the book. Although I liked this, I didn't like it as much as her first novel. The setting was good, but about mid way through for me it got weird. I felt it was hard to focus at times, and I don't know if was all the novel or also a mix of first time mom syndrome mixed in. The whole cult thing was creepy, and unsettling as well. I may revisit this in a few years when my mind isn't flooded with as much.
I will continue to read the author as I have enjoyed them in the past. I thank netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read and review. Again apologies for the delay.

This one was just too far fetched and jumbled to keep my attention. Plus it included a crazy sex scene which didn’t need to be in the book.

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC**

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. It took a little bit to get the plot going, but once it did, I couldn't put it down. I feel like lately I've been reading a ton of books that are predictable in the direction that they are going to go, but this one had me on the edge of my seat. Lots of unexpected twists and turns while diving into religious trauma & cults. The perfect amount of weird for me!

The thrilling was definitely thrilling! Ever since I read the writing retreat I was so excited to read more of this authors work. . Her writing is atmospheric and creepy while keeping me invested. This book had me on the edge of my seat just like the other one, and I cannot say enough good things about the writing! 5 stars ⭐️

I am loved Julia Bartz’s first novel, The Writing Retreat, and was excited to read her sophomore work. Our protagonist Thea is a therapist at an inpatient institution and develops a strange bond with an amnesiac patient with whom she shares a striking resemblance. When the patient, Catherine, checks out under strange circumstances, Thea embarks on a cross-country search for her. In the New Mexico desert, Thea finds Catherine embedded into a strange cult whose charismatic leaders uncover a past that she wishes she could forget.

I gave the book 3 stars because the writing was very compelling, but the plot and character motivations seemed almost farcical.

I enjoyed Julia Bartz's previous novel, The Writing Retreat, but unfortunately this one didn't land for me.

The premise was interesting--Thea, a social worker, encounters a catatonic patient who turns out to be the star of her favorite childhood film, a person who she'd felt a deep connection to growing up. When the woman, Catherine, appears to need her help, Thea pursues her to a strange, isolated retreat. Things immediately seem suspicious, and Thea begins to wonder if she's really at a healing retreat--or a cult.

Unfortunately, this book didn't deliver. Thea's judgment and decisions are constantly poor, and it makes it hard to root for her success. Despite discovering that many people are not who they seem, she continues to be manipulated by them long after and is surprised when they aren't who she expects. The story is often interrupted with paragraphs of explanation about various therapy concepts, which feel clunky in the narrative. The book becomes meandering, with the characters having long-winded discussions about past lives and regularly recapping the bizarre plotline of the fictional movie Stargirl.

While I had high hopes for this novel, I was ultimately eager to put this one away.

Thank you to Atria Publishing for the advanced copy of this book!

I was honestly all in with this book until our main character reached the “resort” to look for this missing starlet. I honestly thought the story went completely off the rails after that point and I found myself just wanting the book to end. I also found myself very confused and unsure of what I was reading for around 80% of this book. I was hoping the ending would be worth it, but it honestly was not and I feel like I could have skipped this one.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC of this novel.

This was my first Julia Bartz novel and with all the hype around The Writing Retreat I was so excited to get an advanced copy of her new book.

This book started so promising for me. The first 30% or so I was hooked. I thought the premise was interesting and I love a book with a cult theme. But unfortunately once the MC arrived at the compound everything started to go off the rails for me.

The story got more and more confusing and the decisions that the MC made just didn’t make any sense to me. The book just seemed to lose its way and not be able to figure itself out in the end.

I rated the book 2.5/5 stars rounded up to 3 for this review.

Wow! Just wow! The Last Session is a wild, unpredictable ride with a truly unique premise. While I found the main character immature at times, that’s part of her journey, and the story had me hooked from start to finish. The twists, tension, and originality made this an unforgettable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

This was wild and fairly manic feeling - I liked it,.but really felt that it couldqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq have used some editing and honed focus.

Compelling page turner with nostalgia, complicated relationships, darker themes, and the desire to see where it all goes once the confines of the therapists office is gone and things get more untethered - definitely a fun read. With the blurring of lines in reality and fantasy, dreams and waking hours, truth and fiction, desire and ruin it keeps the reader engaged.