Atmospheric, claustrophobic and intriguing best describe this psychological suspense told from three female viewpoints in dual timelines. Fran is seeking answers for her sister's disappearance at a wellness retreat two years previously. The sisters are not close, Fran being much older, and the family dynamic comes across as toxic.

The story has many twists, and all the women have issues making them unreliable protagonists. The story's lynchpin is Tom, the leader of the retreat who is multifaceted and keeps secrets. This is an addictive book with mostly unlikeable characters, but this doesn't stop it from being an enjoyable read that keeps the reader's attention with its well-paced reveals and unexpected conclusion.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A gripping addictive read told in the present and past. Jenna disappears from a wellness retreat, assumed dead, people die, the leader goes to prison, then years later her sister joins a retreat to try and find out what happened. Excellent story!

I loved the beginning of this book, as in I was predicting 5 stars kinda loved. However, the book almost seemed to lose momentum as it progressed.

On a positive note, the author creates such an excellent atmosphere of distrust and suspicion.
The setting is described so well, it was really vivid.

I also liked the plot line of the wellness retreat gone wrong and the slow reveal of characters was well done.

The only thing that brings this book to a 3 star rating is the the unfortunate way the storyline almost became derailed and was confusing towards the end.

I would still say this worth the read if you like the sound of the Synopsis, just because the writing wasn't for me, doesn't mean you won't love it. I'll definitely still pick up more books from this author in the future!

Three stars!

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books & C.L Taylor for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jenna went to Gozo on a retreat and never returned. This book tells the story through the point of view of three main female characters Fran, Kate and Jenna, and two timelines - then and now. This could have been confusing but it is not, in fact the book flows very well. It is one of those books that keeps you reading on when you should really put it down and get some sleep.
Enough twists to keep you guessing all the way through, good characterisation and a flowing engaging read.
This is my kind of book!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy for my honest review.

Her Last Holiday by CL Taylor reminded me a little of Liane Moriarty's Nine Perfect Strangers, although this is more of a thriller. It does however feature a wellness retreat run by an interesting duo, and plays host to some quirky guests.

This is the third book I've read by Cally (CL) Taylor and yet another enjoyable read with a couple of surprise twists at the end.

Fran describes herself as prickly and Taylor does a great job of sharing her brash nature. We also get insight into how she became that way and the childhood Fran spent challenging her mother and her expectations. The family history also goes some way to explain why Jenna went on the wellness retreat in the first place as she'd spent her life working frantically to avoid disappointing her mother as her sister had done. There's a 12 year age gap between the sisters so they weren't close, but they still had a connection.

Kate's been waiting for her husband, Tom to be released after two years in prison. She's boldly ambitious and brought business acumen to both the relationship and the wellness business, and she wants that life back. The Tom we meet in both timeframes is a bit harder to read. We see a version of him that believes in his work, but he becomes increasing cynical and is obviously keeping secrets.

I liked that Taylor makes this as much about Fran as finding out what happened to Jenna. At the retreat Fran is forced into therapy sessions with Tom despite her misgivings. There's stuff she needs to deal with however and her time at the retreat isn't wasted.

Fran, Jenna and Kate are all interesting narrators but I would have liked a little more insight into other characters who played key roles. There's a journalist who pops up briefly and some guests at the current retreat who attended the earlier one. There was a smidge of inconsistency around the portrayal of Jenna and Fran's father that confused me, and I didn't entirely understand some of Jenna's fairly-dramatic decisions.

Having said that Taylor takes this in a direction I hadn't expected. We know what some of the players are thinking and what they're hiding but we're still not sure who to trust so there are several last minute surprises.

3.5 stars

Ah fab! Another C L Taylor book out. She is amongst a handful of authors who I feel as much as possible that I'm guaranteed a good book.

As usual I wasn't let down. This story felt slightly different to her usual ones, but that's not as bad thing at all. I was as usual, consumed by the story and lost a couple of days of 'real life' whilst engrossed!

Her Last Holiday is my first novel by C.L. Taylor, but I have a feeling that it will not be my last. This is a duel timeline story as the story takes place in present day and two years prior where the initial event takes place. The back and forth between the two time periods is not for every type of reader as it can disrupt the flow, but the pacing and writing style worked for me.

In the past timeline we have Jenna who attends a retreat on Gozo, one of the 21 islands that make-up the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. I actually looked up pictures of this place and I have added it to my travel list and hope to go there one day as it is gorgeous. During the Soul Shrink retreat, ran by Tom Wade and his wife Kate, Jenna disappears and is presumed dead. There were also two other guests at the same retreat that died. Tom ends up in prison for the two deaths, but the fate of Jenna remains unsolved.

The main story takes place two years in the future, where Jenna’s sister, Fran is set on finding out the truth behind Jenna’s disappearance after Tom is released from prison. Soul Shrink has started again, this time in Wales, and will be run by Kate and Tom. Fran’s mother suggests that she attend the new retreat to get closer to the people that could potentially be behind her sister’s death. This plot took me a minute to process as I am not sure I would willingly go to a resort ran by people who could be murderers and behind my sister’s disappearance. As determined as I would be to solve the mystery, I think my mother would be firmly against me going instead of suggesting it.

The story, in general, has suspense, but it takes a while to fully feel the tension. There are bits in the middle where Fran’s time at the resort is a little too drawn out for my taste and I would have preferred some pieces to either be shortened or left out entirely. I enjoyed the addition of Kate as a point of view character as it is interesting to see the inner workings of her part of the story while also seeing the events from the points of view of Jenna and Fran. There are a lot of characters in this novel to keep track of and sometimes trying to keep them all straight in my head took away from my enjoyment of the story.

Fran was an interesting character as she has emotional trauma from the bullying she received as a child plus her parents who had higher expectations. She felt a lot of pressure to be the good daughter and that shaped her personality as an adult. As some of the characters at Fran’s retreat are the same ones from Jenna’s retreat a captivating element was added to the mystery as the reader tries to figure everything out. There were not a lot of characters in this story that I found to be likeable, but they were all written well. Jenna also went through her own emotional journey that helped lead her to go to the retreat in the first place. I found both sisters to be interesting in their own way and I liked how their stories were intertwined.

There are tons of secrets in this story and it was thrilling to read as each one revealed itself. There are some tense moments that cement this novel as a psychological thriller and I found myself fascinated in trying to figure out what will happen next and how it will all come together. The ending itself is good, but it seemed a little rushed compared to the pacing in other parts of the story. Overall, I found this to be a satisfying read and I am very intrigued to read more from this author!

**I want to give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Avon Books UK, for a review copy of this entertaining and thrilling novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Thank to NetGalley for this ARC. Jenna spent her last week attending a mental health retreat in Gozo but did not come home. Though were two other deaths at this same retreat, the investigation determined she committed suicide. Her sister and mom aren't convinced. Jenna's sister, Fran books herself on the next retreat to get some answers. Was she murdered or did she in fact commit suicide? Pretty good read. I didn't figure it out! #herlastholiday #cltaylor #apr2021

Her Last Holiday is a well thought out thriller that delivers twists and turns as all good thrillers do. But for me, this genre is somewhat saturated and there are no real surprises. It didn't particularly grip me and I didn't care about any of the characters. I think perhaps I have just read too many thrillers and it would take something extraordinary to hold my attention.

The story centres around Fran, whose sister disappeared on a spiritual retreat three years ago. Tom was arrested following the deaths of two guests, but Fran's sister (Jenna) was believed to have committed suicide. Her body was never found. Now Fran wants answers and signs up for a retreat - the first since Tom was released from prison. There is suspicion surrounding Tom, or is it his wife Kate who holds the answers?

As Fran covertly investigates, she no longer knows who to believe as some of the guests are also acting suspiciously.

I found the closing chapters somewhat far fetched, but perhaps this is a positive for some readers who like to escape into an over the top psychological thriller.

An easy read with numerous unexpected twists and turns. It was a good book that kept me turning pages, but didn’t quite make me stay up all night to finish it. Interesting characters and story line.

This is a fun little mystery about a young woman’s disappearance from a wellness retreat and her older sister’s quest to uncover the truth. The story takes place during two different timelines and is narrated by both sisters as well as Kate, the woman who runs a self-help company, SoulShrink. Each of these woman has a very strong and unique personality. Although they are not particularly likeable, their flaws make their character arcs quite interesting. The plot itself definitely requires some suspension of disbelief but overall I found it engrossing and ultimately satisfying. I questioned all the characters’ motives and was caught of guard by the ending. Overall, it’s a great book for anyone looking for a quick, twisty read for escape.

I whizzed through this book with ease, a great read! I particularly enjoyed the past and present timeline POV told by both the sisters Jenna and Fran. There was nothing to dislike. It is was a solid thrilling read for me. My first time reading a book by this author and I would not hesitate to read more of her books. I will happily recommend this book to others, I think its a perfect holiday read as it was such a quick page turner enjoyable escapism.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for my e-arc in return for my honest review.

Fran's sister disappeared two years ago on a retreat. The man behind the retreat went to prison for the negligent death of two others on the retreat but what happened to Jenna. When a new retreat with the recently released Tom comes up, Fran signs up to learn the truth of what really happened to her sister.

This was a well written twist fillled story. I've read a couple of other books by this author so was really looking forward to this and it didn't disappoint. The plot jumps from the past with Jenna to the future with Fran and at times we hear from Kate too which adds an extra layer to the story. Its a steady build up to the dramatic climax and there are a few twists along the way. I guessed some of them like the truth of Jenna but not all the details and the roles others played. The ending was well done and tied the story off. A great thriller.

The story line was sooooo unrealistic. The synopsis was really intriguing but that's not the case with the book because I did not like it....

Two years ago Fran's sister, Jenna, went missing on a Soul Shrink wellness retreat in Gozo. Tom Wade, the founder and leader of Soul Shrink has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of two other people on the retreat. This whole time, he's never revealed what happened to Jenna, determined to find out the truth Fran books onto the first retreat since Tom's release to confront him.

C.L. Taylor has to be one of the best contemporary mystery thriller writers, she always writes engaging characters and gripping stories. I love stepping into the worlds she creates. I loved Fran, an uptight, obtuse, older lady that doesn't stand for any nonsense. That being said, I don't know whether the story was perhaps a little long or if the feeling of serious threat and impending doom that I've felt in Taylor's other novels was missing but something about this book failed to hit the perfect novel mark for me.

If anyone can get away on holiday this summer, I highly recommend picking this up!

Thanks Avon Books for providing my copy!

A great book! I loved the cult element to this story, but the main thing I took away was the way it explored family and dysfunctional relationships.

This is CL Taylors vest thriller so far in my opinion

I liked the premise of this psychological thriller. A retreat in Wales replicating a retreat held in Gozo a few years earlier, which didn't end well.
Will the Welsh retreat fare better?
We meet Tom Wade as he is being released from prison. He served a relatively short sentence for the deaths of two people on the retreat held in Gozo, but there was a third victim, Jenna. We do not know if she is alive or dead. The verdict was suicide but there has never been a body. If she died, did she jump or was she pushed?
Fran, Jenba's older sister, a very blunt, socially awkward teacher of computer science is sent to Wales by her mother Geraldine in an attempt to uncover the truth. Fran has to assume her mother's name, but she might not be the only person with more than one name currently in residence.
Soul Shrink is headed up by self taught therapist/healer/coach Tom Wade but it is Kate who seems to have all the control. The wellness course is the first one to be held since Tom was released and it has been heavily engineered by Kate. She is definitely a woman on a mission!
The book is fantastic at creating tension and doubt, which you would expect from a bestselling author like C L Taylor. There are twists and turns, jaw dropping moments, revelations, secrets still hidden and an enormous amount of suspicion.
It truly is an exciting page turner, one which keeps you guessing at who is who and who is up to what! I kept reading, wanting to find out how the story would conclude. The only reason I awarded 4 stars instead of 5 is that towards the end I felt the plot became over complicated, over written and somewhat ludicrous. It turned a very good book into a good book by sacrificing some credibility which was disappointing.
Overall, full of characters to be wary of or dislike, and a question mark lingering over more than one person's head!
A recommended read - and I have certainly enjoyed many of CL Taylor's previous books too - so thank you to the author, publisher and the Pigeonhole team/Netgalley for bringing Her Last Holiday to us.

A couple of years ago Fran's sister Jenna went missing on a wellness retreat. The owner of the wellness retreat is just being released from jail following the death of two people on the retreat. However. he has never released what happened to Jenna. His partner sets up a new retreat following his release and Fran signs up hoping to find out what happened to her sister.

It took me a little while to get into this one. We get the perspectives of three women and a then and now narrative but once I got used to the switching perspectives and worked out who was who the pacing of the story really picked up. I became invested in the story and wanted to find out what had happened to Jenna. This book really did keep me guessing and I was surprised by the reveal at the end.

Overall I enjoyed this thriller. I really like C L Taylor's books and I eagerly await her next release.

Have read other stuff by this author and will continue to do so. An interesting read that didnt need to to concentrate too hard! Some books I have read recently have had far too many characters.
Interesting plot with a twist.

This book really had me. From the very first chapter. This #thriller #mystery #scarybooks was told from the point of view of 3 women. This story centres around a missing sister, a sisters fight to find out what happened to her and the lady that ran the retreat where the sister went missing.
This book had everything a mystery needs, plot twists, lots is suspects and characters that you both like and unlike at different points in the story.
My first read from this author and definitely won’t be my last.