I enjoyed reading this book! it was well written with a good mystery thriller feeling. It did keep me on the edge of my seat wanting to know all of what was going on, and to uncover all of the secrets. It was a good read!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I really enjoyed Bartz's first novel, the Writing Retreat, so when I saw this on NetGalley, I had to request it! Unfortunately, this one was just not for me. I was super engrossed in the first half of the book, but by the second half, I just couldn't get on board with the turn the story had taken as it relied heavily on the suspension of disbelief. I can handle a little bit of this in a book if it really pays off in the end, but by the end, this just felt a little absurd and anticlimactic. While the plot was unique (which can be difficult to find in thrillers), things just felt all over the place and disjointed. I understand what the author was going for, but it just didn't work for me at all.

I'm sad to say that, if I hadn't read her first book, I honestly don't think I would have finished this one. I was just really hoping that things would come together in a more cohesive way. I do plan to check out Bartz's next book, as I'm hopeful that the strengths in her debut novel might resurface.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I really couldn't figure out what was happening. I enjoyed it and love that it wasn't very predictable. I love suspenseful book and this is one of them.

Julia's books always keep me enthralled, if not a little weirded out. I love a good cult novel, so I was invested from the start.

The premise for this book really intrigued me but unfortunately the execution fell short for me. The beginning took me a little while to get into and feels like a different story than where it ended up. The beginning is definitely needed to set up the story and allow Thea and Catherine to meet. Once Thea gets to the Center, the main plot really takes off.
I find cult culture interesting so that aspect of the book drew me in. However, I didn't love all the focus on the movie Stargirl, the movie itself seemed crazy and far fetched in the first place. I guess it makes sense for the reincarnation plot but I just didn't like it.
This book has many trigger warnings so be careful of those- sexual child abuse, grooming, bullying to name a few

I have suck mixed feelings about this novel. The first 30% was kind of a bore. No real action until that point. Cults, sex, SA, child abuse etc TW! That didn’t bother me. What did bother me was how unbelievable the plot was and how completely idiotic the MFC was. I really disliked her. Ugh. I did get through it- I guess that’s saying something. Two culty, sex filled, TW filled ⭐️


This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you want to be scared and curious at the same time then The Last Session by Julia Bartz is the perfect spring read for you! A social worker encounters a catatonic woman in a psychiatric ward and something about this woman is familiar. What could go wrong? Or right for that matter? Following the trail of clues was intriguing to me and the ending surprised me more than any thriller I have read in a while.

Okay, so I really enjoyed the beginning of the story & the writing quickly pulled me in - it felt very Freida McFadden to me! There was also a cult aspect to the story that I was super intrigued by. So it truly started out as an interesting mystery & then pretty quickly turned a little crazy & soon you find yourself in La La Land.

The Author asks for a lot of buy in from the reader, in my opinion. You have to accept some really implausible things. I don't mind an over-the-top suspend your beliefs type of story, but there were SO many of these situations in this one that it became a bit much, & at times it felt like there was too much going on & some unnecessary things that just complicated the story.

All that to say, this book definitely kept me reading & moves quickly. It’s getting a solid 3 stars because I didn't put it down, even though sometimes I think I should have.

The Last Session by Julia Bartz will be available on April 1st!

PS: This Audiobook ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Social worker Thea comes face to face with her favorite childhood actress, Catherine. Catherine was admitted to the facility Thea works but is checked out by a couple impersonating her parents. Thea is convinced Catherine is asking for help when she finds a mysterious note. Thea dives deeper and finds Catherine may be involved in a cult.

I really enjoyed the cult vibes but the dreams/ reincarnation aspect was too unbelievable for me. I could have really done without that part of the story and still don’t understand the connection between cult leaders and Thea/Catherine. I was left with the feeling of WTF did I just read?!?

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to Netgalley, Atria, and Simon and Schuster. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.


Thea is a social worker who meets Catherine who is mute and seems to be in a catatonic state. Thea realizes that she was the star of a movie called Star Girl that Thea watched when she was thirteen. Catherine and Thea have the same hair and birthday and Catherine remarks that they could be twins. Catherine had been at a relational retreat which is really a cult. Moon and Sol who are the heads of the cult/retreat manipulate everyone and try to convince Thea that she is a twin priestess to Catherine and that one of them needs to be sacrificed. Catherine dies after trying to help Thea and also kills Moon who killed others because she believed that the plot of Star Girl was true. This book was so strange and so entertaining at the same time. I didn’t like it as much as the first book. By the end of the book I wanted it to end so badly. Some of the things in the book were just to insane to believe.

I'm sorry (and I truly feel bad saying this) but this book was TERRIBLE. Meandering, chaotic, messy, and wholly ridiculous.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Note: Trigger warning this book deals with sexual manipulation and abuse. It includes graphic sex scenes.

"The Last Session" by Julia Bartz is a takes readers on a journey through the dark recesses of the human mind. Bartz, known for her ability to craft intense and suspenseful narratives, delivers a novel that is deeply unsettling.

The story follows Thea, a social worker who encounters a catatonic woman at a psychiatric unit. Thea is convinced she recognizes the patient from her past, and as the woman regains consciousness, she reveals a connection to a traumatic event in Thea's life.

Determined to uncover the truth, Thea follows a trail of clues that leads her to a wellness center in New Mexico.

Bartz skillfully builds tension throughout the story, creating a sense of claustrophobia and unease that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The wellness center, with its charismatic couple and controversial retreats, becomes a labyrinth of secrets and hidden agendas. Thea's infiltration into this mysterious world is fraught with danger, as she is forced to participate in increasingly intimate and unsettling sexual exercises.

The protagonist, Thea, is a compelling character whose personal struggles and determination drive the narrative forward. Bartz delves into her psyche, exploring her vulnerabilities and strengths, making her a relatable and sympathetic figure. The supporting cast is equally well-developed, each adding depth and complexity to the story.

Bartz's writing is sharp and evocative, with a keen eye for detail that brings the setting and characters to life. The dialogue is natural and realistic, enhancing the authenticity of the interactions. The pacing is expertly handled, with moments of high tension balanced by quieter, introspective passages that allow for character development and reflection.

The themes of trauma, redemption, and the search for truth are explored with nuance and insight. Bartz challenges readers to consider the impact of past experiences on present actions and the lengths one will go to uncover the truth. This thematic depth adds an intellectual layer to the thrilling plot, making for a thought provoking read.

Traditional Format (digital). Release date April 1, 2025

In this mystery/thriller, an unknown catatonic woman shows up at a psychiatric facility and Thea (the social worker at the unit) identifies her from her past. The mystery woman comes out of her mental state and is picked up by her parents but leaves behind a message for the social worker. Thea is determined to re-find the woman from her clues and ends up a weekend monthly retreat at a remote location in New Mexico. Of course this is no ordinary retreat but a cult and the story just gets weirder and weirder as it goes on.....

What I liked:
- The theme of cult/religion/past trauma was interesting to me. I have read a few fictional books with cult elements and this one was decent theme wise
- I liked the setting (desert of New Mexico and a complex with underground caves). The cult castle (aka compound) where the bulk of the story was the perfect for the novel and added to the plot

What could be better:
- There are points in this book that are just plain weird and out of place with the plot leaving the reader wondering "WTF was that" (now, I do actually enjoy this type writing however it was a little over the top in this book)
- Pacing of the book was all over the place for me: draggy at some points and too fast at others and the book for me seemed to go on forever and felt like I had been reading it for a long time. At 368 pages or so, maybe with 50 pages less it would help with the pacing.
- Some parts of the plot were left hanging a little for me (with respect to the relation of the two main characters). I feel like it could have been tied up a little better.

I don't mind books with elements of strangeness/weirdness but this one left me struggling with how I was going to review it because it was just uncomfortable and bizarre at some points. I feel like people are going to either love this one it or hate it. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy themes of religion/cult/sexuality and don't mind usual and out of place weirdness.

Since I didn't love this book, nor hate it I am going to put it right in the middle at a 3/5.

Thank you to Aria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I wouldn’t have read this novel if I hadn’t read and loved Bartz’s “The Writing Retreat,” but I am so glad I gave this book a chance. It’s a complex novel, dealing with trauma and New Age groups, not necessarily being aetheistic about any of these things, but not necessarily committing to them either. The protagonist’s background in therapeutic education provides an interesting framework for experiencing a cult initiation, as she can find a scientific explanation. But does she believe the scientific explanation? Does she believe the cult? Can the reader trust her to be honest with us when she’s often dishonest with others and clearly isn’t honest with herself?

I would recommend this novel to former (or current) Christopher Pike fans, those who love documentaries about cults, and those who are sort of superstitious but can’t fully commit.

When social worker, Thea, meets Catherine in her ward of an inpatient treatment facility she is struck by how much they have in common. But before they can delve further into those connections, Catherine disappears, leaving an ominous note behind.

Thea feels compelled to follow her and try to help her, but the unexpected twists just keep coming once Thea arrives at the Center for Relational Healing, a remote center in the middle of the southwestern desert. What began as a clinician pursuing her lost patient slowly turned into Thea taking a soul-searching journey of her own.

In a classic ‘locked room’ thriller, The Last Session had me on the edge of my seat and heart racing with vibes reminiscent of Riley Sager’s Lock Every Door. There were some elements that I didn’t resonate with given their implausible nature and the feeling of disconnected bits of information near the conclusion, but I still found myself eager to find out what happened to Thea and Catherine!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I love Julia Bartz and was so excited to read her latest, The Last Session! Cults, past lives, psycho babble, oh my! What’s not to love? Rich, broken, flawed characters and a hot, desolate backdrop drive this twisty thriller. My one critique, (spoiler alert!) the past lives dream towards the end. It worked within the story, but kind of gave me whiplash! All in all, a great read and another great inner from Julia Bartz!

This book is weird. I’ve read other books by Julia Bartz so I know that she can come up with an original premise. This I’d definitely not a story I’ve read before. I liked that cult storyline, but some stuff was so hard to suspend my disbelief. The main character is hard to root for because she’s supposed to be this strong self aware therapist, but she makes such dumb decisions and recognized that what was going on was absurd but just went along with it anyway? Some of the cult beliefs were hard to follow and I was left wondering what the motivation was behind it all besides money. Read this if you want a really weird cult thriller, but otherwise skip it. (3/5)

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

While this was a fascinating premise, the execution of this story was a bit lacking. It felt like it dragged on a lot and went in a lot of circles. It did have some interesting plot twists and kept me engaged, however the ending fell flat for me after all the character had been through.

The Last Session is a novel about Thea, a young social worker employed at an inpatient mental health facility that becomes captured by a particular patient, and subsequently follows clues to find her at a holistic retreat center in the desert. Throughout her time at the retreat center, she works with a friendly-yet-suspicious guest to help uncover the truth about the center and its leaders.

This novel was highly interesting and well-paced. The shorter chapters made for easy reading and kept the suspense going without giving away the twist early on. I found the characters to be interesting, well developed, and the plot to be unique and engaging. Thea is written as a realistic character, inherently flawed and well-meaning. I appreciated that any speech or thought related to her job as a social worker were accurate and facts-based as I often find that books written from the perspective of a mental health worker miss the mark and lean into tik tok / pop-psychology concepts.

The plot was borderline unbelievable, but to me that adds to the intrigue as the story develops. It is realistic enough that it could happen, which adds to the thriller suspense. Overall this was an enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend it to others.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Net Galley for this early read! I was really excited about this book as I love any thriller with a mental health or psych component. This book follows main character Thea, who has in interesting patient at the psychiatric hospital where she works. This book was full of twists and turns. I can say I did not expect the past lives and cult tie ins!

All in all, without revealing spoilers, I give this 3 stars. I enjoyed this book and was motivated to finish it. However, it wasn't quite what I thought it would be. Nonetheless, I still recommend!