Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a copy of Her Last Holiday in exchange for an honest review.
This is my third time reading a C L Taylor novel, I would say this was a solid thriller for me with twists I did not anticipate and the pace kept me interested. Her last holiday is written with a 3 POV perspective, travelling between current day and to events 2 years prior. At times the multiple POV, timelines and changing names of characters became very confusing for me and I found myself mixing up perspectives of times and thinking/following the wrong person. There are also a lot of characters in the book so it is easy to loose thread at times and become confused.
I especially liked how relationships between siblings was explored, when you grow up feeling your parents treated differently, also how an age gap can further impact on sibling relationships.
There is the underlying theme of trauma that I picked up on and also the safety of modern well-being/therapy retreats how unregulated they are, potential risks.

Although not a favourite for me, I would recommend this as an enjoyable read, solid well rounded characters, all with interesting backstories that had clear implications for behaviour and events that unfold Another good C L Taylor novel and I look forward to reading her future work

I enjoyed this book. I liked most of the characters and the storyline was interesting. I would have liked a little more closure with some of the characters but all in all it was a decent story. Thank you the the NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A trite and predictable plotline that failed to please and induced derivative images of Nine Perfect Strangers. Fran’s “quirky” and blunt character is forced and exhausting, as are the issues surrounding her and her sister, and their parental woes. It seemed all very slapdash and improbable. This rings true for the entire book, where it would appear the author drew a bunch of random scenarios from a hat and proceeded to write a book that somehow tied all of the elements together. Kate is a character that cannot decide if she’s manipulative and bold or insecure and conniving, but altogether she’s a mishmash of villainous intent. It was a slog to get through with an ending that left much to be desired.

I received an advanced copy of this book from its publisher. The opinions are my own.

It might help to consider this review in two parts: in the first place, the writing is fast paced and tension builds relentlessly so that the reader is often left hanging on the edge of their seat as another twist in the plot is revealed; at the same time, there is a certain sameness to C L Taylor’s writing that rather detracts from the overall reading experience. This may well be a ‘Marmite’ feature where perhaps a majority of readers find the writing features of this author a very attractive feature. This reader, however, thinks that C L Taylor is a better writer than is sometimes displayed in her books and would look forward to the same pace, complexity and plot development in a novel that broke new ground in terms of subject matter.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚
C L Taylor - publication date 29th April

Ok so I have though long and hard about this review - I’m always honest BUT kind!

Fran’s sister went missing 2 years ago, while on some sort of retreat. Fran was a bit older than her sister, so they weren’t really close. Fran goes back to the same retreat, trying to piece together what happened the day her sister went missing!

I did enjoy this book and I have read books before by this author, but this one just wasn’t for me. I have seen amazing reviews for this book, so they can’t all be wrong and me right. It just didn’t grip me as much as I hoped, after seeing it advertised everywhere.
I did like how we got to find out a bit more about each character and how Fran had to think/face up to her relationships with her parents and sister. I would definitely buy this authors next book, as I’ve loved her others .

Thanks Avon & Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC

#netgalley #cltaylor #herlastholiday #avonbooks


https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

Jenna Fitzgerald disappeared from a mindfulness retreat on the island of Gozo in Malta 3 years ago. Two other people died at the retreat. It all came to a head on the night of the sweat lodge rebirthing ceremony. The ‘wellness guru’, Tom Wade spent 18 months in jail for, presumably, negligence over the deaths. They were certainly accidental deaths. Jenna’s disappearance was ruled a suicide by the local police after some bloodstains and her flip flops were found at the top of a steep cliff. The body was never recovered.

Now, Tom is out of jail and his wife Kate, who does all the admin and marketing for the retreats, has organised the first retreat since the disastrous one of three years ago. Tom is not keen but Kate is adamant they need the money. This time it will be held in Wales. Jenna’s mother, a strange and very annoying woman, bullies her much older other daughter to attend and see what she can learn about Jenna’s disappearance. Already I am thinking - why would the mother send another daughter into potential danger? If she’s so keen why doesn’t she go herself?

But Fran goes along with it, using her mother’s maiden name Geraldine Rotherham. As the participants arrive and meet up I couldn’t help thinking - awkward! The whole thing just screams awkward. Kate comes across as a deranged harradin, Tom comes across as a useless twat and most of the participants are either simpering females or highly annoying men for one reason or another.

Obviously this retreat has its own dramas and I won’t go there. The book seemed ok until we got close to the end when, honestly, it turned into a mess. It was all too much. Too much contrived drama, too much melodrama, too many unstable people who should be on medication and too many highly unlikely happenings. I know you have to suspend disbelief to a certain degree to read fiction. But this veered into seriously deranged territory. I’m giving it 2.5 stars rounded up because I did want to finish reading it rather than DNFing. Thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and C.L. Taylor for providing a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

I always enjoy C. L. Taylor's books.
This one was set in Wales at a retreat run by Tom and his wife, Kate.
The book is written from three POVs: -Kate, who is determined to keep the past in the past and shut down any gossip surrounding it.
-Jenna, whose chapters are set 3 years ago before she apparently committed suicide, telling the story leading up to her death.
-Fran, Jenna's older sister who is at the retreat trying to find out what happened to Jenna and who is behind it.

There are several creepy characters also staying at the retreat, all of whom will come under suspicion at some point during the book.
They were very believable in each of their life stories and I love a book where you can get certain people very wrong the whole way through.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for the early ebook.
Her Last Holiday is published on 29th April.

Fran’s younger sister Jenna went missing after attending a wellness retreat run by a self-help guru named Tom Wade and his wife Kate, and it was presumed that she committed suicide. At that same retreat, some of the attendees died while participating in a sweat lodge exercise. Tom served time for those deaths but is now out of prison and running his first retreat since that tragic day, and Fran is determined to attend the retreat and get to the bottom of what happened to her sister three years ago.

This book alternates between past (Jenna’s experience at the retreat three years ago) and present (from the point of view of Fran infiltrating the current retreat and Tom’s wife, Kate, trying to run it and rehabilitate their brand). It’s a bit of a slow burn until later in the story, when the pacing picks up and the layers of dysfunction and dark secrets are revealed. But throughout, the writing flows well.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the book would have held more tension for me if the present time was limited to Fran’s point of view. I say that because I enjoyed Fran as a character, and ultimately, it’s her ride we're on. But also because what sounded fun about this book was the idea of someone infiltrating a wellness retreat to get answers. Once you throw in the POV of the individual planning and running the retreat, the mystery and secrecy is deflated a bit.

Still, the book is a fast and easy read that’s full of red herrings and twists - perfect for the beach or a day by the pool.

Thank you Avon Books for the ARC!

Fran's sister Jenna disappeared whilst visiting a retreat a few years previously, and now Fran is on the same retreat to attempt to discover exactly what happened to her sister and to answer the questions her family had never been able to resolve.

I was so excited to read this, I have always enjoyed C.L. Taylor's work, and I was not disappointed. Gripping, exciting and intoxicating, this is everything that I have come to expect from Cally. A page turner that was hard to put down. Just when I thought I had worked out what was coming next, I was proven to be incorrect. Full of fascinating characters that weaved the story together perfectly. A classic five star read which I highly recommend!

Another fantasticly gripping thriller from C L Taylor. Full of suspense and mystery. I could not put it down. A definite must read.

Fran is joining Tom Wade's retreat (self-help kind of retreat) following her mother's request who still has not had closure about her daughter's death in Gozo which was ruled as suicide. Jenna was one of Tom's retreat participant when she went missing. Tom's retreat has also caused death of two other participants which made Tom imprisoned for two years. Fran joins Tom's retreat and meets Tom's wife, who's also the retreat main organiser. There are also three other participants who are actually the participants from previous retreat,...yes, they knew Jenna. It's Fran's mission to find what happened to Jenna.
It's a bit unbelievable in regard of how a mother asked her daughter to go into same retreat which the other daughter presumed dead or went missing, then the last activity in the retreat is pretty jaw-dropping 🤪. I don't enjoy it as much as her other books, but I can say i love the ending and all the twists after 80% of the book.

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley and AvonBooks for the opportunity to have an eARC of this book. 🤍
——————————————————
"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙎𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙙. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙚."

I was hooked from right at the very beginning! I was so invested in the story, I needed to know more and most importantly I needed to know what happened to Jenna. The chapters are also relatively short as well which is always extra brownie points for me when it comes to books.

I do feel a little disappointed with the middle of the book. There was so much happening at the beginning and then it just went to not much at all in the middle, it just felt like it was being dragged out slightly! I was waiting for this big twist to happen and I didn't feel like it was the WOW I was hoping or waiting for! I did however, really enjoy the ending, I feel like it was the right way to go about ending the story! There was a little twist right at the end but again, it didn't make me gasp out loud which I like to do at twists in books!

I do recommend giving it a read once it's been released on the 29th April. If I didn't get accepted for the advanced readers copy, I would have definitely have purchased it once it was released that's for sure! The synopsis really does pull you in.

First of all, thank you #netgalley and #avonbookuk for sending me this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first C.L. Taylor book and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but Taylor has a great way of fleshing out her characters until you almost feel you know them.

Our MC Fran is a 50 something IT teacher who is completely disenchanted with life and whose been alone for so long she's kind of allergic to hugging and talking to people. Three years ago her sister, Jenna, went missing and declared dead after she took part in a mental health retreat in Gozo led by Tom Wade. Now Guru Tom Wade has just been released from prison after a two-year sentence and is organising a new retreat in Wales. Fran's mother is certain that Tom is the key to discovering what happened to Jenna, so Fran reluctantly accepts to take part under a false name.

What drives this thriller is the characters. Fran is a breath of fresh air. She's so direct and unapologetic it made me chuckle. She grew up in a dysfunctional family, where any demonstrations of feelings were swept under the carpet and the author captures her awkwardness to perfection. Then there's Kate, Tom's controlling wife who is obsessed with getting their business back on the road to success.
The reader soon discovers that each member at the retreat in Wales is hiding a secret. And when an accident happens and Fran almost gets killed she knows she's getting closer to the truth.
This kept me guessing right till the very end. I will definitively read more from this author.

I didn’t finish this one - all the characters were quite deplorable or boring, so I didn’t care what happened to them or what the inevitable twist would be.

This is such a unique concept for a book, I am in awe of the ways CL Taylor choose to thrill us with her writing in such different and original ways and this one just hit it out of the park. A love the fact that we have a sot of cult leader under the guise of a self-help style retreat and mysteries surrounding some explained and unexplained deaths.

The structure of this book really had me hooked in, this author always has us uttering that phrase, just one more chapter and this book was no exception because we have two sisters and we get to hear from both of them then and now. We follow Fran's story now as well as then and we get to hear Jenna's side of the story then. But wait, there's another voice we get to hear as well and that third thread holds so many keys to unlocking some of the mysteries we uncover in both Fran and Jenna's stories. It's all just so brilliantly thrilling.

It is so hard to talk about anything to do with this book without giving away spoilers but my reviews are always spoiler free and so I have to start by saying that although Fran may seem on paper to be a stand-offish individual who would we hard to relate to, I really did find myself empathizing with her in so many ways. We meet her right at the beginning and I just love how prickly she is and I wanted to find out why. That was part of the journey for me and I love that thread of discovering what makes Fran who she is as the story progresses.

I also enjoyed getting to know Jenna and seeing how this whole thing began, Through Jenna we get to know Tom and how his whole spiritual healing gig began and that is where we get really deep into this situation. I was worried for Jenna the entire book and found myself holding my breath whenever she appeared. Everything about these characters and this book is just so intriguing and yet you could totally see all of this actually happening in real life.

This book has a really insightful author's note as well as a warning not to read the acknowledgments before reading the book both of which were just added bonuses for me as I love an authors note and also love to read the acknowledgments before I start the book. This is such a unique book and very different from this author's previous novels but still just as thrilling and just as hard to put down. Highly recommend!

Two years ago, Jenna went to a retreat in Malta organized by Tom Wade, the man behind SoulShrink. 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. However, he will be released soon.

Jenna’s mother is set on blaming Tom for her daughter’s death. She sends her daughter, Fran, to a retreat that Tom organized (or rather his wife, Kate).

The book is told from 3 perspectives, Jenna in the past, Fran in the present, and Kate’s.

The 400 pages in this book go so quickly due to the fact you will be unable to put the book down. Fascinating characters, good twists and a suspenseful finale. This story kept me captive from the first page until the end. I love how the suspense slowly builds and I would never have guessed the ending.

A brilliant book that I would highly recommend

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review

Her last holiday by CL Taylor
This was a highly anticipated book, I really enjoy CL Taylor’s novels. Her last holiday started off well, Fran visits a wellness retreat to find answers to her sister Jenna’s disappearance on an earlier retreat. Told from three perspectives (Fran, Jenna and Kate) the story builds and intriguing characters are introduced. About half way though, I began to lose interest, I wasn’t gripped at all. What began as a potential five star ended as a two star.

Thanks NetGalley, Avon Books UK and C.L. Taylor for an ARC to review.
An engaging nice thriller that has its fair share of twists that will keep you hooked till the end.
I liked that the main character is not the same cliched female lead, neither regarding the age or the character behavior.
I have read The Lie before and I remember the Retreat element was also present, I don't know if it is a certain inspiration for the author in other books or not though it's an intriguing setting for me.

Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on her last holiday – a wellness retreat in Gozo. The retreat was run by Soul Shrink Tom and his wife Kate. Two people died on that retreat and Tom was sent to prison but Jenna’s death was ruled a suicide and her family just don’t believe this is the truth of what happened. Now Fran’s mum has persuaded her to go on Tom’s re-launched retreat so that she can try and find out what happened to Jenna. This novel is really gripping – I read it all in one sitting as I just had to know what had happened to Jenna but also what was going to happen in the present at the new retreat. The novel is told from Fran’s perspective and also Kate and Tom’s, which made for a really interesting narrative. I was fascinated by how the retreats came to be and the power behind them but also by Fran’s determination to find out what happened to Jenna. This novel has twists and turns and just when you think you’ve got a grip of what’s happening, the rug is pulled out from under you again. I loved this novel, it kept me on my toes all the way to the end and I love that it did! I recommend it!

2 stars
This just isn't very good. The story is hard to get into and it just seems forced. I am not a fan.