BWS Book Review: The Last Session

The Last Session, written by Julia Bartz. Image from Amazon.

Are you dying to make a genuine connection with another person? This cult will help you with that. Julia Bartz, author of the New York Times Bestseller: The Writing Retreat, is back with another hit! The Last Session is a mystery thriller novel where social worker Thea must infiltrate the Center for Relational Healing in search of answers and face against her trauma. It also has mature topics such as trauma from grooming and sexual assault that may be triggering for some. If you are a fan of Bartz, love cult fiction, or are interested in adult fiction book, then you will enjoy The Last Session. 

The Summary

A catatonic woman appears at social worker Thea’s psychiatric unit. Thea is shocked when she realizes the woman is connected to a traumatic time in her past. As the mystery surrounding her patient and the reason behind her condition grows, the woman disappears. Thea takes it upon herself to follow the clues to southwestern New Mexico, where the Center for Relational Healing holds a monthly retreat for romantic and sexual issues. As the sessions become more strange, dangerous, and almost supernatural,  Thea must decide whether finding the truth is worth risking her sanity--or her life. 

This book does come with a warning list! 

This book features many heavy and mature topics. If any of these are triggering, this book may not be for you. 

“Content warning: Alcohol use disorder, religious abuse, child abuse, sexual harassment and assault, physical violence, murder, cults, psychosis, suicide attempt (off-page).”

SPOILERS BELOW

The Evaluation

As a fan of the Writing Retreat, I got a hold of this book as soon as I could, and it did not disappoint. In some ways, The Last Session is similar to The Writing Retreat. A queer woman with personal issues goes on a retreat that turns out to be dangerous and must confront an evil person and the source of her inner conflict. The similarities stop there, and Bartz takes her latest book in a new direction. From the start, the book introduces mystery after mystery that draws the reader in. What happened to Thea in the past? Who is her patient? Where did her patient go? Is this Center for Relational Healing safe (it's not!)? Are past lives real? Will Thea survive?

A theme in this book is the danger of masking your problems instead of facing them. While Thea is a social worker and has the tools to conquer her trauma, she instead suffers silently. One of the ways she masks her problem is with alcohol. “My head ached from last night, when my roommate, Dom, had again canceled our reality-dating-show-and-takeout night and I’d unwisely opened and finished a bottle of sauvignon blanc” (6). When hit with stress or unwinding for the day, Thea drinks. Her choice to drink instead of taking off her mask will cause negative consequences throughout the story. 

Strength

• The audience can tell the main character is a social worker by how she views the world.

Thea is always analyzing the behavior and relationship dynamics of those around her. This becomes even more interesting when she is faced against the cult. 

“‘What did we just watch,” Mikki asked…What the hell was that?’

 In a moment, the answer came to me. 

‘Constellation therapy.’ I leaned forward. ‘We saw a video in my art therapy class.’” (141). Thea can see through the tactics used during their sessions. It is through her knowledge on the subject that the audience can see how dangerous the Center for Relational Healing is. 

• This book focuses on character growth and not romance.

Similar to Writing Retreat, the main character’s end goal isn’t to find a partner. Thea’s (consensual) sex and romantic life don’t help her achieve her goal. She must grow on her own without a partner in order to solve the mystery. 

Weakness

No book is totally perfect. Here are a point from the book that didn’t work for me. 

The supernatural elements in the book are never explained. While at the retreat, strange events happen that Thea can’t rationalize. It is connected to the Center for Relational Healing’s philosophy on past lives and the cult’s mission. “Another thing to eventually discuss: The lingering sense that there had been something inexplicable going on out in the desert…she’d known things about me--my dreams, details of my current life trauma--that she shouldn’t have” (350).  At the end of the book, the audience doesn't know whether the supernatural exists or what caused those strange events. I understand that this does keep the focus on Thea’s character growth and leaves a bit of mystery. Still, I wish there was a more concrete reason for the supernatural elements. 

Rating

The Bookworm's Snack gives The Last Session Four out of Five Stars!

The Last Session drew me in with mystery after mystery and grabbed me by the danger Thea walks into. Bartz weaves a story of Thea fighting a cult for answers while facing trauma from her past beautifully. I did wish there was a more concrete reason behind the supernatural elements that happen during the story. Not all the mystery in the book is answered. Were the supernatural events caused by the cult, or was the cult caused by supernatural events?  I rate The Last Session four out of five. If you are a fan of The Writing Retreat or books filled with cults, danger, and past lives, then you will love this book. If not, you still found a good book filled with mystery and danger.

Interested in the book? Have a mystery novel recommendation? Comment below!