There are so many things I liked about C. L. Taylor’s latest novel. Her method of switching back and forth between three characters (and in different time frames) worked well with this story. I found myself cheering/fearing for some of the characters while developing strong dislike for others. Best of all, there are enough twists in this story to make a pretzel jealous.

Kate is one of the story tellers. She is half of SoulShrink, a self-help organization she runs with her husband, Tom. A few years ago, two people died and one committed suicide at a SoulShrink retreat in Gozo, resulting in Tom spending a few years in jail. Now that he is out, Kate is dedicating herself to recovering their former allure. A retreat is scheduled, one their finances desperately needs.

Jenna tells the back story, allowing the reader to participate in the deadly Gozo retreat.

Fran—our third storyteller--has been pushed by her mother to attend the latest retreat. Armed with a story to cover her real identity, her goal is to find out what happened to Jenna. While some accept the decision of suicide, there are those who believe that Jenna may have been murdered.

The flipping back and forth between the past and current retreats achieves the goal of slowly ratchetting the tension. Ms. Taylor occasionally drops clues, but even with her help I was not able to successfully guess how the story would turn out. What I really liked was that the twists did not simply appear, they made sense and thus intensified the realism. “Her Last Holiday” is a mixture of mystery, murder, and thriller, and deserves all five stars.

I've read a few books by CL Taylor now and Her Last Holiday is my favourite! The plot is carefully constructed, taking the reader between the past and the present in a way that creates so much tension! I had so many questions as I was reading and I kept turning pages in the hope that they would be answered quickly!

Taylor's characters are all very different. I'm not sure I liked any of them - even the central character, Fran, is very standoffish - but they have all been developed with a lot of detail. They have complicated pasts and several underlying issues which makes them interesting people to spend time with and I was intrigued to see what their motives were.

Her Last Holiday is full of red herrings and there are lots of twists and turns, especially as the tension escalates. I did guess a few of them, but this didn't spoil the book for me. The ending is slightly open and this has left me wondering what the characters got up to next.

I've enjoyed CL Taylor's books before and was looking forward to a nice twisty read. I switched between reading on my Kindle and listening to the audio and I have to say the audio was fantastic, Often when the same narrator is doing multiple characters it can turn into a mish mash of confusion but I found it really easy to follow who was who.

As with Taylor's books there are plenty of twists and for me this was where I started getting a bit lost. While I like plenty of twists and sub plots it did begin to lose it's way for me towards the end,. All in all an ok book (especially the audio) but not my favorite by Taylor.

I’m a big CL Taylor fan, especially of her earlier novels, so my expectations for this were reasonably high. I like her fluid writing style, her clever plot twists and the suspense that she manages to sustain throughout her books. Unfortunately, while I liked Her Last Holiday, I can’t honestly say that I loved it.

The premise was sound and intriguing (but somewhat familiar*) Fran’s sister Jenna is missing, presumed dead, following tragic events at a wellness retreat on Gozo, which ended with SoulShrink frontman Tom Wade being sentenced to two years in prison. Now newly released, Tom is back in business, and Fran signs up for his retreat in Wales, determined to get to the bottom of Jenna’s disappearance.

The narrative is delivered from three perspectives: Jenna’s, Fran’s and that of Tom’s wife Kate. I enjoyed this switching back and forth, as it kept me hooked on the mystery of what had happened to Jenna. But, frankly, this is all that kept me reading.

For me, the make or break of a good thriller is always the credibility of the story. And, sadly, this just didn’t quite cut the mustard. The characters and their actions also lacked authenticity, even although Taylor worked hard to give both Fran and Jenna convincing back stories to explain their personalities and behavior. There remained a jarring dissonance that was hard to ignore.

Yes, there were a couple of brilliantly disguised twists. But, if I’m honest, by the time they came into play, I was already in full eye-roll mode, which continued throughout the tying up of loose ends that extended far longer than necessary after the climax to the story.

*The Lie is my favorite of all CL Taylor’s books. Why she should choose to write another story involving a foreign retreat and subsequently set in West Wales is a bigger mystery what happened to Jenna Fitzgerald.

Two years ago Jenna disappeared while on a retreat run by SoulShrink; at the same time, two other guests died in a sweat lodge. Tom, the owner of SoulShrink was jailed for two years. Tom has now been released and with his wife, Kate, is about to restart his retreat business. Jenna's older sister, Fran, is convinced by their mother to investigate what happened to Jenna by joining the retreat.

The action starts slowly but builds into a real page turner. It is told with dual timelines and through three points of view: Fran's; Kate's and Jenna herself. There are plenty of suspects and some clever twists towards a very smart ending. The characters are not all entirely likable but they are realistic.

This is a well plotted and well written thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars!
Fran and her family are devastated when her younger sister, Jenna, goes missing and is presumed dead by the police. Jenna was last seen on a self-help retreat that was being led by the infamous Tom Wade. Tom has been recently released from jail after two people died on that same retreat and he was found criminally responsible. Tom is hosting another retreat and Fran’s conniving mother has purchased a spot for her, hoping she will go and find out what happened to Jenna once and for all.

The cast of characters in this thriller are highly entertaining. The people on Tom’s retreat all seemed so eccentric and unique. Kate was a great POV (so manipulative) and I did thoroughly enjoy her chapters. Fran made me chortle and I loved how people kept telling her she was ‘refreshing’ because of her bluntness. I did find the length a bit much and there were also some subplots going on that I could have done without. I liked the twist at the end with the whodunnit but found myself questioning the plausibility of some of the events.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest mystery/thriller by C.L. Taylor - 4 stars!

Fran's younger sister went missing and was presumed dead by suicide two years ago at a wellness retreat. The leader of the retreat, Tom Wade, was just released from prison for two other deaths that occurred at the event. His wife, Kate, is determined to reboot Tom's retreats and status and opens up another retreat. Fran books a spot, determined to see what Tom knows about her sister's disappearance.

Told in the POV of Fran, Kate and Jenna in the past, we are surrounded with lots of different characters - somewhat reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel where you aren't sure who's truthful or what their real story is and everyone has questionable motives. A fun read!

Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna goes to Gozo on a wellness retreat. On the retreat things go horribly wrong. Two years later the leader of the retreat is released from prison after serving a sentence for the deaths of two people but he has never mentioned what happened to Jenna, the third suspected victim.
Fran find out that Tom is running another retreat and she signs up for it determined to find out what happened her sister. Will Fran discover what happened in Gozo or will it be her Last holiday ?

I have read and loved all Cally Taylor’s previous books but unfortunately this one just didn’t hit the spot for me this time. I found the then and now and the constant changing of names quite confusing at times. It took me a good while to get into the book and whilst the last quarter of the book was good the rest of it was just ok.

I’ve enjoyed a number of C.L. Taylor’s books and this one was okay.
Fran’s younger sister Jenna disappeared on a retreat over 2 years ago and two others died. Jenna is presumed dead as well but now Tom, who was the retreat guru has been released from prison and has started the retreats again. Fran is bullied by her mother to join the retreat and find out what happened to Jenna.
This is definitely not the author’s best novel. I actually didn’t feel any of the characters were likeable and I had a hard time coming to terms that Fran was a woman in her 50’s and Jenna would have been in her 30’s. It was an easy read but not really memorable and tied up very neatly.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Tom and Kate run self help retreats and Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared, presumed dead, while attending one. Fran attends the first one they host after Tom is released from prison in hopes to learn what happened to her sister and get closure.

Told in alternating views from Kate and Fran in the present and Jenna in the past, the story centers around the mystery of what happened on the fatal retreat. From the start the book teases us with information that slowly comes to the surface as the book progresses. I am normally not a fan of the slow burn, but for some reason I really enjoyed the slow unraveling of the details of the previous retreat.

The book reads as a simple mystery, but the plot line is more complex than it seems at first glance, and the author does a good job wrapping up the different storylines by the end of the book.

As I read, I flip flopped about whether Jenna died and if she had who killed her. And my impression of the characters really changed as the book progressed. You also know two other attendees died at the previous retreat and my mind was in overdrive trying to read between the lines and figure out what happened to them and if it had anything to do with Jenna.

As summer approaches, I think this is a great beach read thriller. Complex enough to keep your attention and wanting to know what happened and written in an easy voice that was easy to fly through.

This story is told from the POV of 3 women - Fran and Kate - Now, and Jenna - Then. Fran's younger sister Jenna disappeared 2 years ago after attending a wellness retreat. Fran's mother talks her into finding out what happened by attending the retreat after wellness guru Tom is recently released from prison. Kate is married to Tom, knows all the details from what happened 2 years ago, and has organized the current retreat.

The details of the retreat from 2 years ago are slowly revealed through Jenna's POV and flashbacks from Kate. Some of the same people that attended the event then are also attending the one Fran's at currently.

This story has a lot of twists, and can be a little confusing if you can't keep all of the different people straight since Fran and another woman attending are both using different names. Also, people that have attended previously changed their names after "rediscovering" themselves. Everything came together in the end with an ending that was somewhat predictable, but good nonetheless.

Her Last Holiday is a psychological suspense drama about a woman looking for answers following the death of her younger sister at a “Wellness Retreat”. This is the fourth book I’ve read by this author, and the last two have been brilliant, so I’m disappointed to report that this one missed the mark for me, with an implausible yet tedious plot, twists that have been done to death, too much ridiculous drama and completely unbelievable character behaviour.

Fran is a middle-aged single schoolteacher who is bullied by her domineering mother Geraldine into signing up for the first retreat led by controversial life coach Tom Wade since his release from prison after two participants died after a cleansing ritual on the Mediterranean island of Gozo, two years earlier. The same night, Fran’s sister Jenna went missing, her death ruled a suicide, and now Geraldine wants answers. Tom’s wife Kate is determined to get their careers back on track so must ensure that this Soul Shrink retreat is a success - whatever it takes...

I’ve read and enjoyed quite a lot of mysteries this year about people going missing or being killed while trapped on a secluded island, but they’re starting to get a bit samey now. This one features a particularly unlikeable cast of characters, (not necessarily a bad thing but you do actually need one protagonist to care about) and confuses the reader further by having many of them change names. This is told from the present tense (ugh) POV of Jenna is the past and Kate & Fran now, and the first half was quite good, as we learn about poor emotionally stunted Fran infiltrating the group and gradually piecing together what happened, but after her first brush with death I couldn’t believe that she wouldn’t get out of there and call the police. Then the revelations keep coming as each character comes under suspicion, but their motives don’t make sense either.

I think people who haven’t read much in this genre might still enjoy this, and feel free to make up your own mind, but I know I’m not alone on this one, with several of my reviewer friends panning it. I did however finish it because I wanted to know what happened and whether I was right about the mystery (I was), and I did like the ending. 2.5 rounded down for the present tense. Note: do not let this put you off from reading “Sleep” or “Strangers” by this author, both are fantastic reads.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review.
Her Last Holiday is published on 29th April.

Jenna attended a Soulshrink Wellness Retreat in Gozo two years ago but she never returned, the police deemed it suicide but her family don't believe that's true.

Her sister Fran is coerced by their mum to attend the latest 'Soulshrink' retreat in an attempt to find out the truth behind Jennas disappearance.

The story is told from three points of view; Fran in the present, Jenna in the past and Kate, one of the owners of Soulshrink.

This book kept me captivated from the first page, the story slowly builds and keeps you in suspense to the very end.

The three women's characters are brilliantly written, I kept trying to read between the lines to try work out what was going on, who was hiding what.

Another brilliant read from C L Taylor!

What a gripping read I was hooked from the first page to the last characters where good plot just hook me into plot loved the twist and turns easy to read great book

Fran is determined to discover what really happened to her sister Jenna after she never returned from a wellness trip organised by Tom Wade. She decides to go under cover at one of his retreats to find out the truth once and for all. However, who can she really trust? And, is she about to face the same fate as Jenna?

So I really enjoyed the set up and how this book jumped back and fore to the past and present and of course Taylor's writing is super addictive so you find yourself unable to put it down. The characters were all great and I liked how you were always second guessing. I thought my mind was made up about everyone and then it would quickly change by the end of the next chapter.

However, the ending really wasn't for me. It felt a bit too convenient and far fetched. That being said, this is still a good thrilling read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon books for providing me a copy to review.

I love C. L. Taylor books so I know that once I pick one up, I won't be able to put it down. Her new novel, Her Last Holiday is as gripping and highly addictive as I would expect and I absolutely raced through it, however, I found that I became more puzzled than enraptured as the story went on.

I'll start with the puzzling part...

Whilst the story of Jenna's disappearance and Tom Wade's part in it is very intriguing, the sheer number of characters over two timelines made it a little confusing. Some characters appear in both timelines but they have different names now and some characters in the present are pretending to be someone else so they have two names too. It felt like every other character has two personas and I don't know whether it was an issue with the proof copy but the names sometimes got mixed up. For example, an undercover reporter seemed to switch to her real name (Caroline) part way through with other guests suddenly referring to Joy as Caroline. Also in Jenna's storyline, Tim and Alison stopped breathing yet it was Tim and Bessie who died. Did Alison make a miraculous recovery, was Alison also known as Bessie or was this a proof copy mistake? I certainly did a lot of virtual head scratching but hopefully any possible errors will be corrected in the finished copy and it'll be less confusing.

Now I've got that out of the way, the story itself was very good. Jenna and Fran have the mother from HELL. Oh my god, no wonder they are both f$%ked up. In their mother's eyes, Fran can do no right and Jenna can do no wrong, although the quest for perfection clearly takes its toll and Jenna books herself onto a wellness retreat. When two people die and Jenna goes missing on his retreat in Malta, Tom Wade is sent to prison. Two years later, he is released and rather insensitively, as if sticking two fingers up to the victims, sets up another retreat in Wales. The mother from hell, after losing one daughter this way and without a care for Fran's safety, books a place on the new retreat for Fran. She is hoping that Fran can find out what happened to Jenna, which is more important to her than keeping her remaining daughter safe.

Fran is a really bad actress and a terrible liar, often forgetting that she's supposed to be called Geraldine and I really feared for her safety. With so many people not being who they seem to be, I was filled with dread that something awful would happen to her. It's all very tense and suspenseful as the past is revealed and the present unfolds, which kept me rapidly turning the pages as I approached the satisfying conclusion.

Her Last Holiday is twisty, intriguing, suspenseful and very addictive. Nobody writes such addictive storylines as C.L. Taylor.

Many thanks to the publisher, Avon, for sending me an ARC; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Fran's sister Jenna went missing on a wellness retreat to Gozo, the police say Jenna committed suicide but two other people died at the retreat and Tom, the owner of SoulShrink, isn't talking. He was convicted for the deaths of the other two attendees, and has now been released from prison. His wife Kate is determined to rejuvenate SoulShrink and convinces him to organise another retreat, this time in Wales. Fran's mother Geraldine is convinced Tom had something to do with Jenna's disappearance, and convinces Fran to attend the retreat in her place...but is Fran's life now in danger too?

The book is told from 3 perspectives - Fran and Kate's in the present time, and Jenna from two years ago in Gozo. It's very addictive learning about the troubles Jenna had, her relationship with Tom and the other attendees on the course and the possibility that someone may have been targeting her in Gozo. Fran is a different sort of heroine, she's prickly and self sufficient, she feels bad that she was never close to her sister and that her parents always seemed to prefer Jenna. A part of her just wants to let it lie, but her mother forces her to investigate and soon she realises that some people know more than they're letting on. Kate seems to have given up a lot for SoulShrink, and now she's not willing to do anything else. Her life is crumbling and how far will she go to fix it?

The story is excellent, I loved the intrigue and trying to work out myself what the chain of events could have been in Gozo and what's going to happen next in the present. The chapters aren't overly long and drawn out and all the characters are, if not always likeable, believable.

This is only my second CL Taylor book, my first adult one, and it certainly won't be my last.

Have also submitted review to Goodreads, have been unable to link to my account.

A good story with lots of twists. I found it hard to get into, but it is certainly a compelling read.

I am a great fan of CL Taylor so I was so pleased to have been able to read an advance copy prior to publication date.

This is a story of Fran, whose sister, Jenna is missing, presumed dead after going on a retreat organised by SoulShrink, two years previous.

On that fateful retreat in Gozo, two guests died and Jenna disappeared, thought to have killed herself. The retreats organiser Tom Wade was sent to prison for two years for negligence.

The novel picks up from Tom’s release and pushed by his wife to rebuild his brand, offers a new retreat in Wales.

Fran signs up under a pseudonym to try and get some answers from Tom as to what happened to her sister.

Told over split timelines we slowly discover what happened from Jenna in the past and Fran and Kate in the present.

It wasn’t as twisty as her usual novels and I didn’t find there to be such a big reveal. However there was some real insight into the characters and they didn’t all turn out to be who I expected!

I loved the family element of this as at times Fran was really torn by her parents behaviour towards are which was quite sad, and I felt this moulded who she became as an adult.

Another great novel great for the summer if you ever manage to get away!

What a superb book full of twists and turns. Just as I thought I'd figured out the guilty party(s) everything I thought got turned on its head. A thoroughly absorbing read, just couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.