I've enjoyed every single C.L. Taylor thriller I've tried so far, and I've been looking forward to read her newest adult release... I was immediately intrigued by the blurb and the promise of a foreign setting as well as a wellness retreat angle and a mysterious disappearance. I've been seeing mixed reviews, but I shouldn't have worried as I ended up having an excellent time reading this story. Engaging, entertaining and addictive, and while the plot was a tad too predictable to my taste, as a whole I couldn't help but keep turning those pages.

Her Last Holiday uses three different POVs as well as flashbacks to slowly reveal what happened in the past and how this relates to what is happening in the present. We have Jenna, Fran's sister who mysteriously disappeared two years ago. We have Fran, who is determined to discover what happened to her sister during the wellness retreat in Gozo. And we have Kate, Tom's wife and co-creator of Soul Shrink Retreats, who is fighting to get her life back on track after what happened in Gozo. These POVs complement each other well and it was interesting to see how the story evolved through their eyes. I can't say that I found the charac

I really liked the fact that part of the story was set in Malta, although I have to say that I would have liked to see more descriptions to really make the foreign setting come alive... As it is, this part of the story could have been set on any Mediterranean island; a shame as this could have made the story stand out more. As for the plot... While I still like the premise of Her Last Holiday, I do have to say that I found certain parts to be quite predictable, and the same goes for a lot of the twists. It is still an entertaining read and C.L. Taylor's writing is always engaging and strangely addictive, but I wish I would have seen more originality and I felt like the spark that would have taken this story to the next level was missing. The ending didn't convince me completely either... But like I said before, somehow I found myself flying through those pages anyway.

In short, if you are looking for an entertaining and fast-paced psychological thriller and don't mind things getting predictable, Her Last Holiday is a great choice.

This book was really slow moving for me. I still enjoyed it, but it was not my favorite. I was a little disappointed because I enjoy this author.

Actual rating 3.5 stars

“Self help for your soul. Tom Wade. Somatic symptom survivor and motivational speaker. Lifelong solutions for stress and anxiety. I’ve been where you are. Let me help.”

The words of Tom Wade, self help guru, at the height of his following before being convicted for his role in the two deaths that occur during a wellness retreat hosted on the Maltese island of Gozo. About to be released, together with wife Kate who has stood by him through the thick and thin this husband and wife team are resurrecting their business. This won’t come as welcome news to the Fitzgeralds whose daughter Jenna went missing whilst on the ill fated Maltese retreat, her disappearance a final nail in the coffin for an already broken family. Mother Geraldine wants answers as to the whereabouts of her youngest daughter, refusing to believe she is dead, imploring Jenna’s much older sister Fran to investigate. And what Geraldine wants she gets!Discovering that Tom and Kate are to host a retreat in Wales, Geraldine insists that Fran books a place , under a false identity, asking questions of a man who presumably knows the truth about Jenna’s disappearance.

Let’s start with the positives! Given a surge in the recognition for mental health wellbeing, this is a great premise for a thriller. The idea that there are plenty of individuals ready and willing to offer therapy, at a price, some of whom may not be entirely scrupulous, preying on the most vulnerable, offers the author huge scope. The directions this storyline could go is multitudinous and the author certainly leads you on a merry dance! Targeting people at their lowest ebb is an easy money spinner so C L Taylor presents her readers with a dilemma straight from the start. Is Tom a well meaning, charismatic frontman, only concerned with helping and guiding others through their difficulties or is he a fake, a fraudster, a conman benefiting from others pain? Told from the point of view of Jenna, Fran and Kate the narrative focuses on both retreats, two years ago and now and the individuals that are in residence.

I was struck by how much this husband and wife venture resembled a cult following with Tom leading his disciples either to enlightenment or to the slaughter! All these characters are intriguing, strange, fascinating and confusing!! The dynamic between Kate and Tom is strained and tense and you wonder who in this couple is the real driving force behind the operation, my viewpoint alternating the more details from the past and present are revealed. Neither of them present themselves in a good light, both capable of manipulative, unscrupulous behaviour but who should Fran fear most?? However with a general reluctance and unwillingness to talk by those unfortunate enough to witness the deaths and the collapse of Tom’s empire, Tom and Kate might not be the only ones Fran needs to keep a close eye on, yet she’s not afraid of confrontation. The poor woman appears to be the only sane one out of the lot of them and that’s saying something because she’s not free from troubles of her own. Hard edged, reclusive, abrupt and honest to the point of rudeness she’s probably the only character I liked. Guilt over minimal contact with Jenna and without much of a relationship to speak of between the two of them is what spurns Fran into action, her mellowing as events progress a surprising but lovely outcome. It is Geraldine’s parenting style and general demeanour that accounts for the lack of sibling harmony; that she is a controlling, domineering shrew of a woman who is hiding secrets of her own doesn’t endear you to her! However it does take considerable time to arrive at these conclusions and even though I pitied Jenna for seeking comfort and solace from complete strangers, placing her trust in their hands, I couldn’t countenance some of her actions.

Now for my less positive thoughts! This is definitely a slow burner of a read and I struggled initially to engage with many of the characters or the plot line itself. Although there are ample attempts to throw the reader off the scent alongside some displays of strange and unsettling behaviour, there were times I felt the narrative was as bonkers as some of these characters seeking salvation. I failed to understand why some of these individuals would choose to return to a retreat when a previous one had ended with two deaths and a suspected suicide. I think some of the reasons the author uses to explain away such a conundrum are highly suspect and certainly not the decisions of any sane, normal person but I guess that’s why they are all there in the first place!! Characters changing names combined with the switch between past and present also added to my overall confusion; keeping track of who’s who proved a challenge! This thriller does require you to suspend all notions of belief since it raises more questions than it answers, even taking into consideration that this is fiction. By the latter half of the book I had managed to engage more with the unfolding drama and enjoyed the increase in pace but this was dampened down thanks to further fanciful, downright unbelievable and peculiar turn of events. Bizarrely I did enjoy the final paragraphs which top off what I can only describe as a discombobulating reading experience.

In all honesty I preferred the author’s previous novel Strangers. Her Last Holiday was an okay crime thriller with perhaps the characterisation saving it from complete disaster. Probably one that is best enjoyed if you don’t examine the nuts and bolts of the plot too closely. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This suspense/thriller/mystery is engagingly written, but asks the reader to suspend all belief in normal human interaction, feelings and behavior. Among the vast cast of characters, most are unlikeable to varying degrees. The author does a good job of making many of the characters memorable, but the plot is - at least for me - too OTT, and the major twists were quite foreseeable.

Fran, Kate, and Jenna tell this story of a sister searching for answers. Jenna died (or did she?) during a wellness retreat- Soulshrink- run by Tom, Kate's husband, but what happened was never really explained, especially for Fran. She' books herself on a retreat in Wales now that he's out of prison at the urging of her mother in the hopes of learning more. This is as much about the marriage of Tom and Kate as it is about Jenna. Who is really in control? I'll be honest and note that this is implausible in spots but it's also a bit of the sendup of the wellness business. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast entertaining read.

I’d seen a lot of positive reviews about this book so decided to bump it up my TBR pile.

It’s told from the point of view of Fran, her sister, Jenna and Kate. Fran feels guilty as her sister is missing, presumed dead, after attending a self-help retreat in Gozo two years earlier. The sisters didn’t have the closest relationship. Should she have made more effort?
Their mum is insistent that Jenna is still alive, and books Fran on to a retreat with the same company, to see if she can find out what really happened.

The story alternates between Fran, Jenna and Kate, from present day to the retreat two years earlier. As the story goes on, you find out more about the characters and the connections between them.

I found the story almost had two aspects, the mystery of what happened to Jenna, and the family dynamics. This worked well and added depth to the story.

The two sisters are very different and their family doesn’t appear to be very close-knit or lovey dovey. Poor Fran is bearing the brunt of her mother’s criticism even more as the only remaining daughter.
I found the family dynamics very well portrayed and found I could relate to it on some level.

The characters are very varied and although there are quite a few of them, they are distinct enough so it isn’t confusing to remember who’s who.
Kate was awful and I just didn’t like her character at all, I found her so vindictive and controlling. She was definitely a love to hate character!

I liked the plot and the idea behind it, the last 1/4 was particularly twisty. I thought I had it sussed and was proved wrong more than once! I couldn’t put it down and had to stay up to finish it and find out what happened.

I found it interesting that Fran was changed by the retreat, but definitely not in the conventional way.

The book is very easy to read and you get right into the story.

I’ve been to Malta and Gozo so was really looking forward to the descriptions of the setting. I felt it could have been described in a bit more detail, but maybe this wouldn’t have been relevant to the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s not “just” a thriller and is well portrayed and balanced.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a copy for review.

Have loved previous books by this author but although the premise for this was good found it slow in parts and wasn’t kenn on the characters ,still an intriguing read and will definitely continue to read further books by this author

This is the first book that I have read by C. L. Taylor and I have to admit that I found this story hard to believe.
Two years ago, Jenna went to a retreat in Malta organized by Tom Wade, the man behind Soul Shrink but she didn’t come home. She disappeared and the local authorities judged that she had committed suicide jumping from a cliff. Two other accidents took place on that retreat leaving Tom in prison for manslaughter.
Jenna’s mother is set on blaming Tom for her daughter’s death. She sends her daughter Fran, to the retreat that Tom’s wife Kate had arranged soon after his release from prison.
The book is told from 3 perspectives, Jenna in the past, Fran in the present, and Kate’s.
The book was easy to read and I finished it rather quickly. I found the first half more interesting; the scene was being set and we were learning about Fran’s family, Tom, and what happened two years ago. However, I couldn’t understand why the mother would force her daughter to go to a retreat ran by the person that she believed was responsible for Jenna’s death. There was an astonishing lack of communication and Fran was very selfish not trying to connect with Jenna growing up. I also found the story difficult to believe especially with that plot twist at the end. The thrill of mystery for me is the possibility that these events might happen in real life. These simply, wouldn’t.
Another thing I didn’t like is that the second half kind of got repetitive, especially with Kate. I didn’t find her perspective very useful to the story.
This is my first book by C.L. Taylor and while this book didn’t impress me, it won’t be my last book of hers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon books UK for an e ARC of Her Last Holiday in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and C.L Taylor for an ARC in return for an honest review.

C.L Taylor is the undisputed queen of thrillers!

What a fantastic book. I read this in one reading, I was completely gripped. I will recommend this to everyone. It was so satisfying. I loved the whole thing!

Couldn’t wait to get stuck in as I’m a fan of C.L Taylor. I was engaged from the the beginning. There is a dual storyline of past and present which is always a firm favourite of mine as your only given enough information so your mind goes into overdrive. I didn’t find any of the characters that likeable which is unusual not to like even one 😆. It’s well written and the pace was perfect for this storyline. There are a good few characters to get to grips but a few chapters in and you know whose who. I was expecting a different ending but it was a really good read that never let up.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook that will be published on the 29th of April.

I don’t often read books from this genre but every so often I’ll come across a blurb that really grabs my attention and I simply have to know more. This book absolutely did that for me. I just couldn’t get the concept out of my mind and found myself coming up with all kinds of theories as to what happened to Fran’s sister. I had to find out the truth!

I quickly felt invested in the storyline thanks to the author’s captivating writing style which brought each character to life so beautifully. I particularly loved switching between ‘then’ and ‘now’ because it enabled me to gradually learn more about what happened whilst still retaining the element of mystery and keeping me flipping the pages.

After numerous ‘OMG’ moments I got to the point where I didn’t know who to trust and what to believe but as events reached a tense peak, all became shockingly clear. I must admit that I hadn’t predicted any of it correctly so the ending was pretty unexpected for me.

Favourite Moments:

* Undercover journalism
* White water rafting
* I Have Never
* The sweat lodge

This was truly an edge-of-your-seat story that captivated me throughout. A must read!

Fran's younger sister, Jenna, went missing from a retreat three years ago. The Police stated that it must have been suicide. Fran is racked with guilt that she was not 'there' for her sister, and embarks on a journey to find out exactly what happened.
A tale that doesn't quite add up, prominent characters that just disappear, an implausible story.

I have enjoyed previous books by this author, but I didn't feel this was up to the standard of other titles. The premise was intriguing but didn't feel very original, and, disappointingly, I felt little empathy or interest in any of the characters,
Thank you to netgalley and Avon books for an advance copy of this book

Her Last Holiday is the newest book from C.L. Taylor

"Tom Wade, the man behind the Soul Shrink retreats, has just been released from prison. Two people died on his last retreat but he never said what happened with the disappearance of the third suspected victim, Jenna.
Fran is determined to find out the truth about her sister, so she's books herself for the upcoming retreat, hoping to confront Tom about what happened to her sister. But someone doesn't want the secret to stay hidden."

This book follows the typical thriller format. There's a current timeline where someone is trying to figure out what happened. And a past timeline where we find out what happened a little at a time. There are several red herrings as you try to figure out what happened to Jenna. Fran, the sister, is a character with the inability to recognize social cues. She's desperate to find out about her much younger sister but stumbles around. It was interesting to watch her change.

Lots of unlikable characters. And more resolution than I remember in a thriller. The killer was not who I thought.

Even though it initially felt formulaic, I found myself drawn into story wanting to know what happened to Jenna. Good read for the beach (but stay away from the cliffs)

Fran is looking for answers about her sister's death. She books onto a retreat so she can come face to face with the man who might hold those answers. The story is told through the voices of three strong women. The plot is full of lies and secrets. It will hook you in and you won't be able to put it down.

An intriguing and mysterious thriller, Her Last Holiday is a story full of secrets and lies from one of my favourite authors who I always want to read more from.

Told from the points of view of three women – Fran and Kate in the present and Jenna in the past – each character has a distinctive voice. Fran, especially, is a joy to be around. She’s brave and brash and is a brilliant character to watch try to unfold the mystery of her sister’s disappearance.

There are some shocking moments, interesting twists, and a few scenes that leave you in suspense, but I actually found this quite light-hearted for CL Taylor. The problem is that the setting of a wellness retreat opens up some similarities to Taylor’s 2015 book, The Lie, which is my favourite of hers. And because of that, this one just didn’t live up to her usual standard for me.

The story itself is a well-written one with great ideas and brilliantly crafted characters, but The Lie is so powerfully gripping and dark that this felt like a ferry ride in comparison. It just didn’t hold my attention in the usual way that Taylor’s books do for me, although I cannot fault her talent for her constantly professional writing and exciting concepts.

If you’re new to CL Taylor’s books, then you’re sure to enjoy this mysterious and well-crafted thriller. Fans of Taylor, however, may see the resemblances to her early work and not get the same feeling from it.

Taylor remains one of my favourite authors and I will always be excited by her latest releases, but I’m sad to say that this one just didn’t do it for me. You can’t love them all, right?

A terrific story told over two frames, as it flips between now and two years ago - when Jenna disappeared whilst on a retreat in Gozo. Her sister, Fran, now takes it upon herself to try and discover what happened - though the road to resolution is filled with twist and turns as she starts to investigate the organisation Soulshrink, who arranged the event. A really good plot and well rounded characters make for a very enjoyable read that keeps you gripped throughout. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for my ARC.

This was the first book I have read from this author and while I will still read more from her, this one just didn’t wow me. I found the storyline to be too far fetched and didn’t connect with any of the characters. I had a hard time believing that a mother would send off her daughter to a retreat with a man they deemed as dangerous and a killer. I also struggled with believing this man would have people willing to attend retreats after everything that happened before he went to prison.

The story jumped to different timelines and I found myself having to read paragraphs again to make sure I was clear on if this was present day or years ago. The chapters are short which makes this a quick read but it just didn’t work for me. I will pick up another book from CL Taylor and see if this is just a case of the wrong book for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for this advance reading copy.

Orla and her best friend are off on a weekend holiday to Portugal. Orla is tired but her friend insists that they go out to a late dinner and then to a bar, where they meet up with 2 guys who her friend invites back to their apartment. Orla is so tired and drunk that she passes out. When she finally awakens she finds her friend missing...

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the advanced digital copy of this book- to be published April 29th.
I’ve read all of CL Taylor’s books and enjoy them for their ease of reading with twisty story lines, intriguing characters and often destination locations. This latest book tells the story of Fran, who attends a retreat to find out what happened to her missing sister who attended a previous retreat two years ago where two people died. It’s difficult to know who to trust in this story, and it moves quickly with lots of incidents to keep the reader guessing about what the end will bring for Fran. It’s a fast paced, easy read- perfect for a rainy weekend or beach holiday!