Maybe we can say that Susi Holiday is a fan of Agatha Christie. I read the premise for the book and hit the request button immediately. I am so glad that I was approved because this is one hell of a book. The twists and turns kept me in suspense the entire time. I definitely recommend this book and do not want to spoil the ending but will say if you have ever thought about where we are heading in the tech world, you need to read this book. I could not even begin to say that I expected the ending because that would be a lie. It truly caught me off guard and in a good way.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/ publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Resort is like a high-tech extra thrill version of the TV show lost. It's Lost but on thriller book steroids. I had fun simply imagining all everything that was going to happen in between reads and trust me it took a lot to get me to pause reading this book and do something else. The characters all of these interesting lives but things that a lot of people can relate to like IG influencer, salesperson, etc. And the secrets they had made me feel like I jumped into a real-life soap opera at times. It was just so good. It would almost make you want to write a gossip column about it. Read this book. You will not regret how amazing it is.

The Title/Cover Draw:
The overt red color in this book makes me super angry...like really badly. The synopsis made me want to read this book the most.
What I liked:
The first half of this book was really promising. 7 people come to the island thinking it's a luxurious getaway. Stuff goes down!
What I didn’t like:
Gaping plot holes.
What kept me reading:
The read was compelling enough to make me want to finish but …(see spoiler section)
The Characters:
Were real enough and I could keep them straight but… (see spoiler section)
The Ending:
It definitely wrapped up some things, but other things, not at all (see below).
****Spoilers***** Read with caution:
I still don’t know how the characters came to be chosen for this special project, at least enough to justify what happens to them. Especially Brenda, who’s past trauma wasn’t fully explained, just glossed over as “It looked like it was going to cause emotional distress” from her reaction. The ending isn’t logical, whether it’s what happens to the head of the company OR the choices the main character makes. There was a fourth choice, clearly available that a humanitarian worker would have chosen.
Consider if you like:
Fantasy Island (kinda like Blumhouse) but also with more plot holes.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

The book is described as Agatha Christie meets Black Mirror, which is a good description of the premise. Seven strangers are invited to an all-expenses-paid retreat on a private island, once they arrive they’re each connected to a device that tracks their memories. This is an intriguing premise, but sadly I don't think the book lived up to it.

The main thing I didn’t enjoy about the book was the characters. They all seem a bit two dimensional, there was very little in their dialogue or behaviour to really set them apart. There are chapters from different POVs and I found myself frequently forgetting whose point of view it is meant to be, the characters behave so similarly.

The ending was expected and the motive weak, I would have liked a bit more of a twist.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book. I love a locked room style mystery, and this delivered. I thought the characters were interesting & I was shocked at what some of them were hiding. The technology aspect gave it a creepy vibe that I thought worked well for the story.

This is not the trip everyone was expecting!

Before you begin reading The Last Resort, leave your preconceptions behind, willingly suspend your disbelief and immerse yourself into an exciting, slightly unhinged and surreal narrative that has echoes of Agatha Christie, Enid Blyton, Lord of the Flies, Brave New World and a Gatiss inspired episode of Dr Who or The League of Gentlemen. The Last Resort is quite mad. That might sound critical, but it isn’t at all. I absolutely loved this book. Susi Holliday has produced a narrative that is brilliantly entertaining and quite unnerving because she takes the familiar, like the concept of reality television, and presents it in completely innovative and distorted ways that are absolutely gripping.

I thought the plot was breathtakingly fast past in a twisting manner that fits the overarching reason for the action perfectly. Indeed, The Last Resort is a convincing example of a traditional narrative with its unities of time - a single day, place - an island, and action - although I can't tell you much about that action for fear of spoiling a corker of a read. All the elements needed in a thriller are there with a dystopian use of technology that is frighteningly close to today's reality, a terrifyingly familiar exploration of the survival of the fittest, and and a scarily clever exploitation of people's fears and memories all blended with a psychological element that glues the action together.

The style of the narrative made me feel as if I were part of the action, seeing the projections and experiencing the memories alongside the characters. I loved Susi Holliday's descriptions too. She has a deft touch in suppling just the right amount of detail to bring her settings alive without the pace of the narrative missing a beat.

The characters are an unsettling example of how we never really know the innermost thoughts and fears of those around us and The Last Resort illustrates with complete clarity that leaving our past behind might be more challenging than we hope. It was Amelia with whom I felt the greatest affinity, but each of these guests has a personality hook that illustrates the underlying vulnerability that many off us have behind our public personas. I think it says something about me too that I rather enjoyed what happened to one or two of them!

If you were to ask me if The Last Resort is realistic and believable I'd say, 'No'. If you were to ask if The Last Resort is brilliantly entertaining, completely absorbing and a wonderful opportunity to escape into a different world for a few hours I would say 'Absolutely'. I thought it was totally crackers, somewhat disturbing and quite fabulous. I loved it.

I really don't know how to review this one.

I was really enjoying the "Lost" meets "Harpers Island" feeling to this book. Even had touches of the old TV programme "Fantasy Island" in it. Ok Yeah it was a little far fetched, but you expect that in this sort of novel.

All was going well until we got to the end.

**SPOILER BEGINS HERE**
I did like the idea of each guest having a nasty secret in their past and them being revealed one by one but did I miss it or was the reason for Lucy setting the house on fire and presumably killing the parent & child not revealed? I did at one point think the book was going down a Willy Wonka type path with each guest being punished for their personalities etc but found it disappointing that they were more or less just collateral damage.

Also unless I missed it, I would have liked to have known what was the reason for the Famous Five references. I get that it related to Merryn and the flashbacks but I'm guessing that Merryn was just meant to be a fan of the books?

My biggest issue though was the ending - To believe that one girl carried out all that and invented all that futuristic technology, killing people, employing staff etc just to get revenge on one person for what was basically not keeping in touch....no sorry - i just......no
SPOILER ENDS HERE

A massive shame because as I was saying, I was REALLY enjoying it up to that point and actually looking forward to picking it up each night.

The concept of The Last Resort sounded so intriguing, clearly inspired by Agatha Christie. I thought the book started out strong but then quickly derailed. At points, the plot felt silly, contrived and even boring. By the end, the book was dragging and I wanted it to end. Honestly, the book ended up reading as an amateur effort, despite the strength of the concept.

I enjoyed ‘Violet’ by this author so was keen to read this book. This starts with seven individuals being invited on an all-expenses paid trip to a luxury island, who wouldn’t jump at the chance?

The characters all have a back story but none of them were very likeable or interesting. Once on the island they were fitted with a memory tracker which revealed all their secrets. This all sounds intriguing but quite unbelievable.

The writing style is good and very easy to read but the futuristic side of the story didn’t appeal to me.

I'm honestly not sure where to begin with this review. The synopsis of this book was everything! Unfortunately, the book was everything but! I was so excited to read this book and was ready to get lost in the story, but this book was one that lost me soon after it started. For just a brief time in the beginning, I had high hopes for the book, and then it turned sour. I just felt like the storyline didn't really go anywhere, it wasn't very exciting, and I wasn't finding myself interested in what was being said. And even though the story was an average length story, it seemed way too long for what was being said. This was an unfortunate miss for me.

Highly recommended! Well developed characters and a great storyline that keeps you both interested and guessing!

The more books of this nature I read, the happier I become that I haven't been quite so able to take part in any of my. planned holidays this year. also glad that, when I do go away, it is generally in this country and not to some fancy island getaway. Well, aside from the one I am on right now, obviously. To be fair, the holidaymakers in this particular twisted tale really should have stopped to wonder just what they were letting themselves in for given all the concessions they had to make in order to be allowed to travel. This is no ordinary holiday. This is no ordinary island. Living the life of luxury? Yeah. Not so much. Perhaps they should have read the small print just a little more closely ...

From the beginning as a reader you know that something out of the ordinary is about to happen. Given the apparent mismatch of travellers on. that teeny-tiny plane to begin with, you do have to wonder quite how they all ended up on the same journey in the first place. The more we read the more we realise just how abstract the personalities are, especially Amelia, the proverbial fish out of water. A gamer, an influencer, a health guru and venture capitalist, a photographer, a celebrity columnist and an aid worker. It will make for a very interesting trip. But this is a Susi Holliday novel - their contrasting personas will be the least of their problems.

The book is based in the world of future possibilities. In which the tech that some of them come to rely upon can also be the root of all their problems. The intrigue begins from the off, the seven of them thrown into an unpalatable situation which is a country mile from the luxury they expected. They must learn to trust one another if they want to make it to the end of the weekend, something that becomes increasingly harder for not only the characters but the readers the more we learn about each of them in turn. Secrets and lies abound - but which is the darkest of them all.

There is a kind of sci-fi element to the novel in terms of the trackers that the guests are fitted with when they first arrive on the island but whilst this is intrinsic to the plot, it doesn't overwhelm the story. It is not about the tech, but it does inform and facilitate the action and leaves you wondering, 'what if'? What the author has created here, albeit completely fictional, is not a million miles away from reality as scary as that seems and it adds a kind of tension to an already mystery and suspense laden read. That element of the story, combined with some carefully crafted characters who both intrigued and annoyed me, led me to power through the book in one afternoon, wanting to understand the big picture. Hints are dropped throughout, but it's not easy to build a full picture until we reach the end of the story and it is certainly not clear who, if anyone, we can trust.

If you like a pacy, tense, intrigue infused read with a slightly tech-infused twist, then I would definitely recommend this book. One warning though - if you are easily triggered by flashbacks of the idiots who wore the early noughties bluetooth headsets over their ear, or even snakes, this may not be the book for you. Happy reading.

This was just silly.

Gaping plot holes and a premise that made very little sense, decimated any potential this story might have had. The characters weren't fleshed out, the reasoning behind the whole shebang was ridiculous, and the conclusion was laughable.

1.5 stars--that extra half-star for the potential only.

Available December 1, 2020

My thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for my review copy.

There definitely seems to be trends in writing and publishing. Remember recently when a lot of book covers featured a girl in a red coat. Now it seems there's a flurry of books set on islands. And I'm not unhappy about it. After all, what a perfect opportunity for murder and mayhem when you're trapped somewhere unable to escape and having to deal with all that island life throws at you. This usually includes no mobile signal, harsh weather conditions, the sea battering the cliffs below you and then someone out there who's up to no good and wants to do you harm. It's a winning combination, in my opinion.

This time, I'm reading The Last Resort, Susi Holliday's spin on Island life. I enjoyed this one.

It moved along at a real pace and had an Agatha Christie-style to it. A group of strangers thrown together visiting a so-called luxury resort. Naturally, all does not turn out as they expect and we're not sure who's going to be picked off next and why. They all seemed insufferable and the sort of people you definitely don't want to be trapped on a small plane and island with. Holliday does play with our emotions though, using stereotypes to bring out our judgemental side (or mine at least) and then she adds in some backstory that makes us feel a little more sympathetic or for a while at least.

When the characters arrive on the island, all seems well. However, part of their experience involves being fitted with a tracker which it transpires can read prior memories. These memories are then projected and can be viewed by others and let's just say they're not happy ones of wedding days and puppies.

I really enjoyed the near future elements that run through the novel, and it has a Big Brother/Black Mirror feel to it. It also reminded me of some of the Bond films. You know the sort of thing - a wealthy villain, living in a remote place messing about with science and technology but for their own gains.

There's a lot to enjoy about this book, although the end felt a little rushed to me. The history that led to the ending is intriguing in its own right and I'd actually like to read this book too. So if you're reading this Susi any chance of that novel on Father Island being written too. Even writing down the name of it sends shivers up my spine given what you've told me about the place.

Thanks to Susi Holliday, NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for sharing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've been meaning to try one of Susi Holliday's books for ages now, so I jumped at the chance to read her newest story The Last Resort early. I always love a good locked-room mystery, so I fully thought I was going to find a new favorite with this story after reading the blurb. Unfortunately, it wasn't ment to be... And sadly the actual story didn't live up to the blurb at all for me. I'll try to explain briefly why below; it's hard to talk about this story without giving away any spoilers and I don't want to spoil the fun for those who find this story to be a better fit.

Like I said before, I still love the idea behind The Last Resort. I'm a sucker for a good locked-room mystery and this element is definitely present with the seven main characters being 'trapped' on a mysterious island. I don't think the element itself reached its full potential though... Part of this probably had to do with the characters, which sadly were considerably unlikeable. I can live with unlikeable if they are at least interesting and well rounded, but most felt like stereotypes and there were a lot of cliches involved. I wasn't able to connect to them at all, so I honestly didn't care less about what happened to them... So the whole suspense around them possibly being in danger was lost to me.

As for the science fiction element... I love a good futuristic technology element when done right, but in this case I felt this element lost its mark. Sure, the whole memory-tracking device itself sounds intriguing and adds that technology and science fiction vibe to the typical locked-room thriller. But once again I hoped it to be a bit... I don't know, more exciting? More thrilling? I can't put my finger on what exactly would have worked better for me, but I do know that this element didn't do the story any favors in its current state.

That said, I do have to say that if you look at the writing alone I can't deny that it's well written and easy to read. Despite the fact that I wasn't actually enjoying the story and the pace was quite slow in points (for a story which such a fascinating blurb, nothing much happened most of the time and it was mainly focused on the cast of unlikeable characters), I did somehow finish this story rather quickly. This has a lot to do with the writing itself, so I will definitely try more of her work in the future to see if my reaction is different. The Last Resort, sadly didn't work for me though, and not in the least because of that over-the-top and rather absurd ending... But I guess your reaction could be completely different depending on how you react to the main characters, pace and the science fiction element.

The premise of this book sounded very intriguing, but unfortunately that's where the intrigue ends. The pacing was off for a book of this size. The characters were a bit lackluster, and I couldn't tell if this was a whoddunit mystery or a B-rate horror book.
I did enjoy parts of the reading, as it's pretty bonkers at times and the writing is good. the idea is cool, but it just felt off to me.

There are many reality TV programmes now featuring people (famous and non-famous) going to islands for challenges, adventures and if they’re lucky, a bit of luxury. So if you were to receive an invitation saying you’d be chosen to scout out a new resort with a twist, it might seem plausible, especially if the invite plays to your skillset, your job or just your ego.

Amelia is a caring and compassionate young woman. She’s an aid worker and has dedicated her life to helping others. She’s not entirely sure why she’s been invited to try out this new resort but suspects it may have something to do with having a cool head in the middle of a crisis. The others on the trip seem more likely candidates to Amelia. Brenda is a hedge fund manager, Lucy a journalist, Scott a health advisor, James a photographer, Giles a gamer and his girlfriend Tiggy, a social media influencer. A very unlikely bunch of people but they all have skills and influence that would benefit the resort. But if they’re going to survive they’ll have to work together. Because this isn’t a luxury resort but a place of fear.

I’ve read all of Susi Holliday’s books and what impresses me most is her versatility. She’s gone from a police detective to ghost stories to a killer train journey. In The Last Resort, she focuses on technology. If this book had been written thirty years ago it might have been considered sci-fi. Technology has moved on so fast now that this story feels like the very near future. It’s a tense read as the tech does it’s best to split the group as they endure the terrors of the island.

As well as the fascinating insight into technology, we find out more about the guests, their greatest fears and the secrets they’re hiding. I’m not going to say what those things are but it’s interesting to see how Susi’s characters justify their actions to assuage their own guilt.

The Last Resort takes place in one day. It’s an intense, dramatic countdown to the evening where the participants will receive their just deserts for taking part. And I don’t mean eclairs. I was gripped from the beginning and had literally no idea how it was going to end. I wasn’t disappointed. So if you’re invited to attend a luxury resort that involves testing some new technology, unless it’s The Gadget Show, run for the hills!

This type of thriller is a hit or miss depending on the resolution. And sadly, this just wasn’t for me.
I thought the premise was very intriguing - seven people invitied for a day of luxury on a remote island by an unknown benefactor, all of them have dark secrets that they don’t want known. It had the potential for a very exciting Whodunnit/Agatha Christie-esque mystery.
Sadly, for me, the characters were just not fleshed out enough; I thought their individuell backstories were interesting, but the way they were connected to the overall plot was lacking. The ending was rushed and a bit chaotic; the deaths sloppy and without a thrilling element.
The resolution was - even though it was kind of weird - also a bit predictable.

I did like the writing style and it was a fast read - I read it in one or two sittings.

But in the end, not my kind of thrille, I’m sorry to say.

So this is a rather tech heavy twisted thriller version of Survivor - very original. I really liked the mystery of this latest offering from Holliday. The characters arrive on the island and it’s all shrouded in secrecy including why they’re there. They’ve signed NDAs and they’ve all got humongous dark secrets that they’d rather were kept private. But of course, they’re revealed one by one. I enjoyed how the technology takes front and centre in this story, and it that has them prisoner. I have to say that I didn’t see the big reveal, but I liked how Amelia’s big secret is slowly revealed in snippets (for plot reasons) building to the mystery. And I did try to work out where the story was taking us - and I got it totally wrong! Another great read from Holliday.

When Susi Holliday’s The Last Resort begins, seven strangers board an airplane on their way to a remote island for a mysterious weekend arranged by an elusive host. With that setup, it is impossible for crime fiction genre fans not to immediately think of Dame Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Those allusions certainly do not stop there. However, Holliday also succeeds in bringing this plotline into the modern age by incorporating some technological aspects that feel cutting-edge and timely, allowing readers into the minds of the characters in a fresh approach.

Amelia is the character readers hear from the most – ironic (maybe) given that she is the one person on the island dealing with faulty mechanical equipment. Susi Holliday also gives all the other female members of the group at least one chapter to share their internal thoughts. Interrupting it all on occasion are sections that relate unattributed events that occurred in the Summer of 2000. It does not take a mystery fan to know that those encounters are somehow related to the present-day action on this remote island.

Each of the four women and three men have secrets. The method by which Holliday exposes those long held nuggets of information is unique both for the readers and the characters. By revealing them in this way, the impact is altered for the characters in the novel, allowing readers to “read into” the true meanings of the others’ reactions. It is interesting how each of the secrets is related to timeless emotions – anger, fear, rejection, and guilt to name just a few; but the connection to modern culture via concepts like social media, surveillance, and beyond opens some new angles of exploration.

By tagging each chapter with a countdown to the “big bash” planned for the guests on this island, readers feel the dramatic pull required to keep them turning pages, faster and faster. This technique, borrowed from the thriller genre, works extremely well for this narrative. The homage to And Then There Were None pretty much guarantees that not everyone will survive this weekend and this ticking clock reinforces this idea. The title of the novel also alludes to these possible demises, but also serves the function of having multiple meanings that only become clear as the novel reaches its conclusion.

Susi Holliday has never been one to shy away from unique storylines that often blur the artificial lines between genres. Readers looking for something innovative that also celebrates the origins of the crime genre would be well-served by checking out Susi Holliday’s The Last Resort.