Yet again the author delivers another blindingly good read.
Fran’s sister died on a retreat in Gozo, suicide it was ruled, but Fran and her family want to know more about what happened to her. When the man who ran the retreat Tom is released from prison and bending to pressure from her mother, Fran signs up to another of his retreats to get to the truth of what happened. But who can she trust, and what will she find out about not only what happened to her sister but about herself too?
This is such a great read, Lots of twists, false villains and a brilliant ending

Her Last Holiday is a good thriller, but it wasn't memorable for me. It wasn't perfect and did have it's faults, but I really did enjoy it. I loved the dual POV and I thought the characters were really fleshed out and I connected with them. While some of this book did seem a little far fetched, overall I liked the plot and found myself not wanting to put the book down.

Now, while I say I had a hard time putting the book down that is true. I feel like the author has a way of writing that makes you need to know what is going on so you can't seem to stop reading. The part that really killed the great vibe this thriller had was how unbelievable the storyline was. So many things were kind of crazy that I wasn't invested in the book. I like when I can piece clues together when reading a thriller, and this one didn't have any. Why didn't it have any? I just think the author wanted to write a wild story and wasn't thinking about plot holes.

If I can forgive how far fetched this entire book was, I would say it is a good thriller. It just wasn't remarkable, when I finished it just felt like okay I'm done what book do I start next. I didn't find myself with my mouth gaping open or thinking about this after I finished. It was just kind of alright.

I'm a huge fan of CL Taylor so was ready and couldn't wait to see what was coming.
Sadly, this didn't quite hit the spot for me.
A messy plot with lots of characters and name changes. Took a long time for me to become interested and by the end only parts interested me.
The plot swapped from three women's perspectives, and whilst that's great to see in literature, Kate's didn't add any value for me.
I did think the ending was a good twist, and worth finding what happened. Still a couple unanswered questions.

Clever mystery/whodunnit, told from the perspective of three main female characters. The story moves between the past and the present and there are plenty of twists and red herrings thrown in for good measure. A good read and a clever ending!

I loved the beginning of the story and could not read it fast enough. I was a little disappointed in the ending and found myself having difficultly finishing it. Overall a good book.

An enjoyable thriller come mystery read. Full of lies, twists, drama and family secrets..
Jenna disappears from her last holiday at a wellness retreat in Gozo run by Soulshrink guru Tom and his partner Kate. Deaths occurred in Gozo during the retreat and Tom has just been released from prison after serving 2 years for negligence.
The story follows Fran, Jennas sister, as she tries to uncover the truth. Their mother Geraldine does not believe Jenna committed suicide and books Fran on a wellness retreat by Soulshrink in Wales, the 1st since Tom's release, to find out the truth about Jenna.
It is told from multiple perspectives on a dual time line, past and present. It was easy to follow most of the time and comes together well in the end. It was well written although at times I did feel my interest waning after a promising start, especially in the middle, but I kept going and it grabbed my full attention again towards the end. The characters were difficult to warm to however the plot twists were enjoyable with surprises you didn't see coming and this kept me intrigued.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Her Last Holiday is another great read by the hugely talented C.L. Taylor and also another winner as this is a very well written book.
Fran is the main character in the book and from the start I liked her which helped hugely. Two years ago her sister, Jenna, went to Gozo to attend a wellness retreat ran by the great Tom Wade who is the man behind Soul Shrink Retreats. The only problem being is Jenna never returned and although Tom was imprisoned for the deaths of two others on the retreat the police gave the verdict of suicide for Jenna as no body was ever found. Fran is bullied into attending a weekend ran by Tom Wade and his partner by her mother with strict instructions to find out what really happened to Jenna.
The book ran on two timelines which worked well as Fran was now and Jenna then so it gave a good insight into other characters. There were a lot of characters to remember as some at the weekend with Fran had been at the Gozo retreat with her sister and I did get a little muddled here but that was probably my fault trying to race through this fab book!!
I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Love love love C.L. Taylor's books! And what a treat this one was! Full of intrigue, complicated characters and human angst.

Fran's sister, Jenna, disappeared, believed dead, on a former retreat run by Tom and Kate in which two of her companions died accidentally during a therapy session. Tom has just recently been released from prison after serving a short sentence for their manslaughter and is trying to rebuild his life and business.

Guilt-ridden and haunted by her last communication with Jenna before she disappeared, Fran, under pressure from her mother, embarks on her own holiday retreat with Tom and Kate in an attempt to find out what happened to her sister.

Now, before reading this book, readers should acknowledge that this is fiction written to entertain, and therefore reality may be stretched. For example, many readers have questioned whether in reality, a mother and daughter would want to be involved with, or go on a retreat with persons of such dubious character, let alone a retreat where at a previous gathering, two people had died and one had gone missing!

That said, how often have we heard the stunned expression of true life events, 'you couldn't make it up!'

My advice; this is a great read, so curl up, prepare to be entertained, and enjoy! You're in for a treat!

I give this book 4 stars.

Excellent book with a great story, characters and drama.
I enjoyed how the author write a story that you can´t guess right away who the bad guy is. The writer develop the story and the character so great that you start to emphatize with the main character and get so deep in the book that you forget that you are reading.
It was so refreshing all the story and how ends that I really recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher Avon. Books for the advanced copy of this book. The comments and review are my honest opinion.
Fran’s sister, Jenna disappeared from a wellness retreat that two other participants died. Fran’s mother is adamant that Fran find out what happened to Jenna and signs her up to attend a Soul’s Shrink retreat.
This is a dark thriller that has more than one individual with deep psychological problems. Fran doesn’t know who to trust, especially after she experiences some nerve racking accidents that makes her fear for her own safety. An edge of your seat ending that will leave you yearning to read the next book by this author.

Interesting story but, for me, not interesting enough characters to keep me completely interested. The ending seemed rushed, with not enough explanation. Not dreadful, but not the best thriller I’ve read. Could have done with harsher editing I think.

A quick and riveting thriller surrounding the disappearance of Jenna under mysterious circumstances while away on a wellness retreat.

Two years later, her dysfunctional family still looks for answers as to why she was never able to return home.
Enter Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats who has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of two people at the same retreat where Jenna vanished. But he has never let on what happened to Jenna.

Haunted by her sisters' memory and determined to find the truth, Fran books herself onto his upcoming retreat – the first since his release – and finds herself face to face with the man who might hold the key to her sister’s disappearance.

Told from multiple points of view with dual timelines the story is fast-paced and every chapter completely grabs the reader's attention. I found myself flipping pages as fast as I could to uncover the fate of Fran and her sister.

With full of games, lies, dangerous scenarios, hidden agendas and a twist that I couldn't see coming, the story is wrapped up beautifully and overall I really enjoyed reading it.

C.L. Taylor is one of my favourite authors and this latest book of hers didn't disappoint.
4 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This gave me all the Liane Moriarty vibes and I loved it. It was such a unique storyline and I appreciated the depth of the drama and shocking turns.

Another great psychological thriller from C L Taylor, definitely won’t disappoint.

Two years ago Fran’s sister, Jenna, went on a SoulShrink retreat in Gozo but never came home. It was decided she committed suicide but Fran and her family have never believed this. As well as her sisters death, two other people died on the same retreat and Tom, the man behind SoulShrink has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for those two deaths.

Tom and his wife have restarted the retreats and in order to try and get to the truth Fran goes to the retreat but will she find the answers she wants ? Will she survive the retreat, unlike her sister ?

This is a twisty psychological thriller that is told in the present and the past. Gradually we discover what really happened on the island of Gozo at the retreat along with Fran. Full of twists that will keep you guessing this is a great thriller that will keep you on your toes !!

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC of this book. This is the second book that I have read by this author. Overall I enjoyed the book but after a promising start I felt that it lost its way a little in the middle, but then piqued my interest again towards the end. I enjoyed the different plot twists and felt that it was an enjoyable read overall. If you like thrillers I would recommend.

Jenna went on a retreat two years ago. She is troubled for some reasons and she takes part of a wellness retreat. The retreat is led by Tom and his assistant Kate. They went to a Mediterranean Island and something went terribly wrong. Jenna obviously killed herself. Or so the police told the family. The story switches between Jenna then and her sister Fran now. Fran is a weird character. She is twelve years older than Jenna and they never were really close. But Fran is loaded with guilt that she was not there when Jenna needed her. Their mother is somehow even weirder than Fran and she forces Fran to find out what happened to Jenna. Tom went to prison for 18 months for the dead of two other people but now he is released and re-starting his business again. Fran participates into his new wellness retreat to find out what happened to Jenna.

This is such a weird story. I never connected to Fran or Jenna. While Fran is all awkward, Jenna’ story is a kind of love triangle. So trivial. This all felt so unrealistic. I found it strange that Fran was forced by her mother to go on a retreat by somebody who caused the dead of two people and maybe even her daughter’s, too. Tom’s retreats seemed to be actually dangerous. Tom himself is obviously not trained. He is a self-made guru for troubled people. They do things, in both timelines, that sounded pretty scary and dangerous. The sweat hut experience sounded not very healthy and Fran’s water rafting adventure ended almost with someone dying by secondary drowning without somebody checking them out. This all sounded very unprofessional. It all makes no sense. But the real problem with the story is that it is just boring. There is no real tension, the characters are all not very likeable and I just did not care about them. The story does not feel realistic and I could not be bothered to be interested.

I read several books from this author in the past and I rated them from five stars to two stars, so it is a mixed bag. This one was one of her weakest for me.

“I can save your life.”

To anyone suffering, those 5 words can be like a lifesaver. Tom Wade and his wife Kate run Soul Shrink, a company whose business it is to heal people from trauma, free them from anxiety and allow them to face the future with optimism instead of fear. It was at a wellness retreat run by Tom and Kate on the island of Gozo, Malta where Fran’s sister, Jenna, was last seen and presumed to have committed suicide three years ago. She came to Soul Shrink to be healed. Her family didn’t expect her to die! Tom has since served time in prison for the additional tragedy which occurred at his Malta retreat. Kate, the real founder of Soul Shrink and an insanely jealous and paranoid woman, has used the time to rebuild Tom’s business and has organized another retreat in Wales.

Fran, a bedraggled, bullied, 51-year-old IT teacher agreed to assume a false identity and enrol in the upcoming retreat in Wales. Suffering from a fractious mother-daughter relationship, Fran is bullied by her mom to attend to find out what happened to her sister 3 years ago.

At the heart, this insightful novel is a mystery but it’s also about families and secrets. Taylor explores how things unsaid can have life-altering consequences. She challenges readers to think for themselves and refuses to tie up lose ends in a neat little bow.

Convincingly told through Fran, her missing sister Jenna and Tom’s wife, Kate, this story also examines relationships and the root causes of hurtful behaviour. Taylor highlights browbeaten victims at the mercy of their ambitious, driven loved ones as well as people driven to take drastic steps as a result of a secret.
With more twists than a corkscrew, this story will have you on a hunt for the truth.

I was gifted this advance copy by C.L. Taylor, Avon Books UK, and Netgalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Publishes April 29, 2021.

Another gripping story from CL Taylor which I couldn't put down! Taut writing, engrossing characters which keeps you guessing until the end. Many thanks

You come to Soul Shrink to heal what no-one expects is to die...

2 years earlier Jenna travelled to Gozo to attend a Soulshrink retreat with the prestigious Soul Shrink Tom at the helm... Jenna and two others never returned home.

Tom is now out of prison but Fran and her parents are still seeking answers about the disappearance of Jenna.

This book is told from the perspective of Kate, Tom's right hand woman, Jenna (two years previously) and Fran. It is jam-packed with intriguing characters, some of whom are distinctly unlikeable. Gripping from start to end, a great read. Thank you netgalley and Avon books for the advance read copy!

I was i bit worried when I started reading this book because I had read a few not very good reviews about it.
But I have to say I enjoyed it! it is fast paced and really packed with twists and turns right to the end. It is true that the many characters and their name change might be a bit confusing at times, but it is so well written that this is just a secondary feature. The storyline is extremely captivating and very well delivered in my opinion.
I will definetly have a look at other books by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.