I really enjoyed this authors' previous book, The Writing Retreat and was eager for this one. I did not enjoy this one as much. I usually love cult tales, but this one just didn't quite connect for me. I did like it, but parts of it just seemed unrealistic and a bit confusing. Stargirl? It has some pretty heavy themes, as the main character is a therapist trying to treat a catatonic patient. When the patient wakes up, she returns to a remote cult-like compound. The therapist follows as she is convinced the patient is a favorite childhood star. Then it gets weird. Then weirder. And still weirder. Not necessarily in a bad way, just unexpectedly. I did enjoy this overall in an uncomfortable sort of way and I do still look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Julia Bartz and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of April 1st.

The beginning was unique and mysterious and had me craving to read on.. as I continued reading the first half was thrilling and I couldn't put it down. The last 3rd of the book began to feeling disjointed from the story I was reading. The end felt unfulfilling and unrealistic.
The Last session is not a favorite, but Id still recommend it if you enjoy mystery thrillers involving cults.

I'll be very straightforward: a couple years ago I read this author's debut novel, The Writing Retreat, and I pretty much did not like it. But, because I'm usually prone to giving authors a second chance, I requested this eARC to see if Julia Bartz's book are for me or not, after all.
Conclusion: no, her books are not for me.

The Last Session is another thriller about a retreat with shady people and where weird things start to happen, and the mystery of it all escalate to an ending that...might not be satisfying to most readers.
Also, I'll just say it: this is also a book about a cult. So, readers who are not into cult books might be aware of that.
Personally, I like 'cult books'. I have no problem with that, as long as I enjoy the writing and empathise with the characters.
Sadly, none of that happened with me while reading The Last Session.
What's more, I was fairly enjoying this book better BEFORE I got to the cult plot. LOL

I personally didn't like the plot twists; the too juvenile aspects of the protagonist (most of the time she would act way younger than her actual age); the 'fever dream' mess that took part in the second half of the book, and all the valid and meaningful conversations the author was trying to achive in the first half (such as mental health, religious traumas and sexual abuse traumas) ceased to exist in the second half.
All in all, I'd say the first half is decent enough and it can be compelling to some readers, but the second part? It was a struggle.

I guess I'd recommend this book to readers who have truly enjoyed this author's previous novel and also to readers who don't mind cult-y books and 'fever dream' stories.
I'm glad I gave this author a second chance, but I won't be reading any more books by Julia Bertz.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

US pub date: 4/1/25
Genre: thriller
Quick summary: Social worker Thea feels a special connection to a new patient - and when the patient disappears, Thea chases her to a wellness center in New Mexico that feels more like a cult.

I've been reading a ton of thrillers lately, and who can resist a story about a cult? I liked that this was a quick read, but despite the short length, it felt a bit like two different books (one at the hospital, one at the wellness center). The twists were a little too over the top to make this one a new favorite, but I still enjoyed the wild ride! I will continue to pick up Bartz's books.

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 Stars!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC :)

This book gave me everything that I wanted it to. I LOVE books about cults, especially when they deal with religious trauma, so this book was right up my alley from the start. I loved her debut novel, the writing retreat, and I was a little worried going into this one because this one is also in a retreat like setting. The vibes were very different, and I quickly forgot about that worry I had going in.

This book was terrifying to me, watching some of the characters in this book get sucked into the web of the cult leaders Moon and Sol (I hate the names tbh) was hard to read at times.... but that was the point of it. I did struggle a bit with the pacing, but it did not really take away from my enjoyment of the book.

This book comes out April 1st, 2025 and I highly recommend picking it up!

Although this was a very entertaining book with very unexpected plot twists, I just don’t think it was for me. I found the characters hard to like. There were also some elements that felt a little uncomfortable

this book was bat shit crazy! I went into it expecting a mystery and then it got culty and mystical and confusing. There's a lot of different subplots to keep track of and the constant mentions of the fictional movie Stargirl were annoying because I felt like I was missing something.

the main character wasn't believable as a social worker unless she was super bad at her job.

the end was convoluted and felt like an easy way out. I have no idea what happened but I didn't enjoy this because I was confused and stressed the whole time.

Julia Bartz’s The Last Session is one of those books that keeps you flipping pages, not because you’re enjoying every moment, but because you’re desperate to figure out what’s actually happening. Even after finishing, I’m still not entirely sure I know.

The story is packed with intriguing elements—past lives, cult-like dynamics, and the ever-present question of how mental illness factors into the narrative. The unreliable narrators only add to the swirling confusion, making it hard to know what’s real and what’s not.

While the uncertainty is compelling in its own way, it also left me feeling unsatisfied. The book raises so many fascinating questions but doesn’t necessarily deliver clear answers, leaving me wondering if that was the intention or a missed opportunity.

That said, the writing is sharp, and the tension is undeniable. If you’re a fan of psychological twists and unreliable perspectives, The Last Session might be right up your alley. Just don’t expect all the pieces to fit neatly together.

3.5 - I liked this one. I really enjoy cult-centered books. However, this one was a bit too messy for me. The constant Stargirl conversations were confusing, since it felt like everyone was referencing something I had no context for. I also felt like there were way too many threads going on at once, and too many of them were unbelievable. I was honestly confused why Thea even went in the first place. Once she was there, I did enjoy the story and the unhinged characters. I would have enjoyed this even more with a more streamlined focus.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book really started off in a way that captivated me. It touches on a lot of subject matter that is sensitive and deserves to be talked about more. However, after about 30% of the way in it just fell flat. Something shifted and the rest of the book felt poorly put together and rushed.

The first half of the book was very compelling, exploring mental health and religious and sexual trauma. The focus on cult dynamics was especially intriguing, and I was eager to see how these threads would develop. However, I struggled a little bit with the length and some confusing parts of the plot. The story took me a long time to finish, and the latter half felt disjointed and confusing.

That said, the last few chapters provided some redemption, tying up loose ends and offering closure. By the end, I was left with mixed feelings—appreciative of the themes and strong start, but disappointed by the uneven pacing and lack of clarity.

the beginning of this book pulled me in, and i wanted to know more about thea and catherine. everything went downhill in mexico, though. i enjoy a book with some good twists, but “the last session” was too chaotic. there was a lot that did not add up even when i tried to make sense of it. however, thank you to netgalley/the author for this ARC!

This book was good but not as good as the writing retreat, which had me on the edge of my chair. The main character is a therapist who is trying to help a catatonic patient. When the woman wakes up, the therapist believes she is the star of her favorite movie when she was a teenager. The beginning of this novel was good, but then the author starts dipping into cultish territory, and unbelievable events. Some of it seems too fantastic to be believable. I was a little bit disappointed after reading the writing retreat, but it was still an OK read. Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

Talk about a rollercoaster—this had me on edge from start to finish, and I loved every second of it. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife, and just when I thought I had things figured out, it threw me for another loop. I usually pride myself on spotting twists early, but this one kept me guessing the entire time. Once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down—seriously, clear your schedule. If you’re looking for a thriller that messes with your head in the best way possible, this is it.

This was a suspenseful thriller. I didn’t fly through the pages like I normally do with a thriller but it was mostly because the suspense got scary in places and I had to put it down. I loved the almost supernatural elements that crept in.

Social worker Thea is shocked to find a catatonic Jane Doe show up at her psychiatric unit that happens to look very much like herself. When she finds out that she is her favorite teen star, she would do anything to make her better. Upon her release, Thea's concern for her grows and she follows her trail to a wellness retreat in New Mexico. As Thea gets closer to finding her patient, she also learns strange things about her own traumatic past through the intense, unethical exercises she has to do. Will she be able to survive the last session?

I loved this story. The wellness center was very mysterious and creepy. I enjoyed learning the history and connections between everyone that was at the center. There were a few sexual encounters that may be uncomfortable for some readers. There is also some religious trauma as well.

While I liked the direction this book took, I wish that there the ending was made more black and white.

Thanks to Netgalley & Atria Books for the E-ARC! Really enjoyed! Very fast-paced & very interesting setting. Had me keep turning the page. Will definitely read more from this author.

The introduction to this story is so intense and gripping but it unfortunately fell flat for me in the end. When the talk of cults was introduced it seemed interesting at first but I quickly got bored and confused. This was a tough one for me to get through but I did appreciate the short chapters.

This took me a while to get into because it started a bit slow for me. Some of the topics that were explored throughout the book were a bit much and I wasn’t expecting it at all. Maybe I missed the trigger warnings. But once it picked up I was about to enjoy it. I wanted more from the ending as well.

Julia Bartz writes another page-turning thriller with The Last Session, about what happens when healing is left in the wrong hands. Five glorious stars for this thriller which I absolutely inhaled! Recommend for fans of Julia Bartz' first thriller—The Writing Retreat—or fans of fast-paced, action-packed psychological thrillers like Ruth Ware or Alice Feeney. Can't wait to read whatever she writes next!