By: Julia Bartz
Narrators: Hillary Huber, Allyson Ryan
Simon & Schuster Audio
ISBN: 978-1982199494
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 04/01/2025
Format: Other
My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)
From the instant New York Times bestselling author of The Writing Retreat, a white-knuckled locked-room thriller about a social worker who, after coming face-to-face with her dark past, must infiltrate a mysterious wellness center in the deserts of New Mexico.
When a catatonic woman shows up at the psychiatric unit, social worker Thea swears she knows her from somewhere. She’s shocked to discover the patient holds a link to a traumatic time in her past. Upon regaining lucidity, the patient claims she can’t remember the horrific recent events that caused her brain to shut down. Thea’s at a loss—especially when the patient is ripped away from her as suddenly as she appeared.
Determined to find her, Thea follows a trail of clues to a remote center in Southwestern New Mexico, where a charismatic couple holds a controversial monthly retreat to uncover attendees’ romantic and sexual issues. Forced to participate in increasingly intimate exercises, Thea finds herself inching closer not only to her missing patient, but also to tantalizing answers about her harrowing past. However, time is running out, and if she stays for the last session, she too might lose her mind…or worse.
Praise
“THE LAST SESSION is a dark thrill ride into the desert, as a social worker enters a New Mexico wellness center hoping to find a patient who vanished under mysterious circumstances. But doing so puts the protagonist on a terrifying collision with own shame, secrets, and trauma, and in her obsessive quest to save her patient, she must also save herself. Julia Bartz doesn't just write page turners—she writes the kind that grip you from the first page and keep you reading late into the night.” -
Kirthana Ramisetti, author of The Other Lata
“Dark and entertaining, THE LAST SESSION had me compulsively flipping pages. Julia Bartz’s latest thriller explores the allure of wellness cults, the nature of trauma and healing, and all of the ways in which therapy can go wrong. If you enjoyed THE WRITING RETREAT as much as I did, you will love Bartz’s latest as well!”
- Lauren Ling Brown, USA Today bestselling author of Society of Lies
“Slippery and scintillating as a New Mexico rattlesnake, Julia Bartz's THE LAST SESSION shines with sparkling prose, achingly vulnerable characters and a pair of enigmatic cult leaders who truly get their hooks in you. This unputdownable thrill ride begs us to consider just how far some will go to find healing and belonging—and whether any of us can ever truly move on from our darkest secrets and the ghosts of our pasts.”
- Leah Konen, author of The Last Room on the Left
"The Last Session mines the cutting edge of what we know about the human mind to create a whip-smart, intense, and fascinating psychological thriller set in the stark halls of a New York psychiatric unit and the eerie New Mexico desert. As informed by Bartz’s therapeutic expertise as it is her remarkable imagination, this captivating story of inexplicably-linked women explores the cyclical nature of trauma, the patterns that keep us drawn to people who hurt us. Fans of cerebral mysteries like Anna O and The Silent Patient will devour this gorgeous book, equal parts cathartic and disturbing."
- Ashley Winstead, bestselling author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour
“A hypnotic, fever dream of a book. It will get inside your head and not let you go. Julia Bartz creates raw, hungry, resilient characters I think about long after finishing the book.” -
Jennifer Fawcett, author of Beneath the Stairs
“THE LAST SESSION is the twistiest of psychological thrillers and has it all--cults, gurus, secrets, past lives haunting the present, a dose of therapy and plenty of sex. What else can a reader want? Julia Bartz has given readers the perfect follow-up to THE WRITING RETREAT!”
- Donna Freitas is the author of Her One Regret
“A shameful secret, echoes of a past life, and the search for a dangerous truth collide in Julia Bartz’s haunting and provocative THE LAST SESSION. Bartz’s keen mastery of claustrophobic settings and high-tension storytelling makes for a modern psychological thriller that shimmers with sophistication and suspense. A bold new offering from an author who belongs on your auto-buy list.”
-- Tessa Wegert, author of The Coldest Case
“Julia Bartz is at the top of her game with her latest thriller, THE LAST SESSION. When a therapist follows her troubled patient to a relationship retreat in a remote location in New Mexico, she becomes trapped in a dangerous cult. Twisty, sexy, and full of surprises, this action-packed psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat from the very first page. THE LAST SESSION is a must read!”
-- Wendy Walker, internationally bestselling author of What Remain
“Twisted, shocking, and deeply feminist, THE LAST SESSION is relentlessly unsettling—and like nothing I've ever read. Fans of THE WRITING RETREAT, buckle up: Julia's sophomore thriller is even tenser, twistier, and more bonkers. I read it in one big gulp—and loved every breathless moment.” -
- Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here and The Spare Room
“Julia Bartz is a master storyteller. THE LAST SESSION is a brilliant, insightful novel that pulled me in from its first page. Bartz's signature blend of self-discovery, sex, and suspense made this novel impossible to put down. Filled with equal parts twists and insight, THE LAST SESSION gives readers the rare opportunity to escape and feel anchored at the same time. I can't wait to read what Bartz writes next!”
-- Saumya Dave, author of The Guilt Pill
“Julia Bartz delivers an outstanding thriller with THE LAST SESSION. When social worker Thea meets a mysterious catatonic patient, she is thrown back to her troubled 13-year-old self and thus begins a wild, unconventional ride that will keep you guessing and deliver on every front. Refreshingly original, this classy narrative is bursting with tension and full of vivid, believable characters you will want to spend your day with - which is lucky, because once you start this book, you won't be putting it down any time soon. Bartz excels in the dissection of personality, which gives her writing that authentic, relatable edge, but she’s also a master story-teller and already a fast-emerging voice of 21st Century crime literature.”
-- Janice Hallett, internationally bestselling author of The Appeal
“Julia Bartz weaves psychology and mysticism into this strikingly original story of a social worker whose efforts to help an enigmatic patient lead her to confront the secrets of her own past. From its rich sense of mystery and complex characters to the atmospheric desert setting, The Last Session kept me flying through the pages.”
-- Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines
“In The Last Session, Julia Bartz proves why she’s such an invigorating voice in the thriller genre. Her talent for building almost unbearable tension and transforming a familiar setting—in this case, a wellness retreat—into a wild, imaginative hellscape is on vivid display. I’ve finished this deeply unnerving book, but I don’t think it’s finished with me.”
-- Megan Collins, author of Cross My Heart and The Family Plot
About the Author
Julia Bartz is the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Session and The Writing Retreat, a practicing therapist, and a creative coach. Her fiction writing has appeared in the South Dakota Review, InDigest Magazine, and more. She lives in Brooklyn. Connect with her on social media @JuliaBartz.
