This is another really good book by this author. It’s original, intriguing and has lots of twists and turns.
The characters got a little confusing at stages due to the various name changes, however it was still an enjoyable read.

C. L. Taylor never disappoints and “Her Last Holiday” is another smash. However, not only does Taylor never disappoint, she just keeps getting better too. This may be her most addictive novel yet! I was on the edge of my seat throughout and quite literally had to be forced to put it down. Dripping in tension, taut atmosphere and laden with interesting characters, this is thriller not to be missed.

Tom Wade and his wife Kate run SoulShrink, a therapeutic programme that offers self-help retreats. After two guests perish and another goes missing from one of these retreats, Tom is sent to prison and Kate is left trying to rebuild their tarnished lives. Fran’s sister Jenna is one the guests who didn’t return from that retreat and when Kate and Tom (newly released from prison) advertise a new retreat, Fran’s mother pleads for her to attend to find out what happened to Jenna. Adopting a false identity, Fran attends the retreat. Once there, nobody is quite who they seem and it will take all of Fran’s ingenuity to discover what Jenna’s fate was...

“Her Last Holiday” is an entirely gripping and masterfully plotted thriller. Taylor builds her narrative at a steady pace, creating an excellent sense of place, an atmosphere that crackles with tension and richly constructed characters. The narrative builds to a break-neck pace and the final third of the novel flies by, as it is simply impossible to put down. The story is told from three different perspectives (Fran’s, Jenna’s and Kate’s), across two timeframes (the previous Gozo retreat and the present day retreat), which helps to layer suspense, provide multiple shock twists and keep readers guessing until the final revelations are woven together. I loved that I could not predict what the conclusion to the story was going to be. As I started to piece together theories, Taylor adopted her usual trick of completely pulling the rug out from under me! There are so many surprises as the plot develops, which kept me turning pages well into the night. I was also really drawn into the suspense of the cat and mouse game between Fran and Kate. Taylor constructs so much tension around Fran’s presence at the retreat and Kate’s suspicions and investigations into her identity. There are a number of genuinely nail-biting sequences as Fran snoops around trying to find out the truth about Jenna and Kate similarly skulks around trying to catch Fran out. Similarly, the simmering romantic anticipation and subsequent tension that brews during the first retreat is written so well, drawing audiences into Jenna’s story and providing so many plausible theories for what may have happened to her.

As well as a tightly plotted thriller, “Her Last Holiday” is also an accomplished exploration of dysfunctional family relationships and particularly the feelings that can fester amongst siblings under the care of parents who essentially pit them against each other. The pressure on the younger sibling to not make the mistakes of the older sibling and the subsequent jealousy of the firstborn over the attention and favouritism that the younger sibling receives is perfectly traversed. Fran’s indifference to Jenna forms much of the guilt that she feels and spurs her on to discover the truth. Similarly, the toxic relationship with her mother and the ambivalence her father shows her has moulded Fran into the strong, independent, fiery woman she is. She has a strong moral compass and knows wrong from right (as evidenced in our first encounter with her), which makes her a refreshingly outspoken and powerful character. I instantly fell in love with her brashness and her commitment to saying exactly what she thinks. This countered her ability to covertly investigate Jenna’s disappearance in both a comical and frighteningly tense way at various points in the plot. What I enjoyed most about Fran’s story though, is the journey that she undertakes and the emotional impact that it has upon her. The experience and the conclusion to the story has a huge impact on her, allowing her to grow as a person and to ultimately heal. In fact, the impact on the entire family is both beautiful and poetic, whilst also being entirely plausible. After so much nerve-shredding suspense, I found this really joyful to read!

“Her Last Holiday” is a compelling and multi-layered mystery, with a rich tapestry of memorable characters and more twists than you could imagine. This is set to be one of 2021’s biggest reads - don’t miss it!

Thanks so much to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book I loved Strangers Taylors previous book. This one is just as good & even though the characters are slightly annoying you can't help but to get sucked into their world. The plot is fast paced & the characters are credible. Another fantastic read from a better talented writer

Although this starts out slowly, I found myself wanting to know what happens next. Fran’s sister committed suicide while on a self-care retreat. Fran and her parents have so many questions, because her sister’s body was never found. Fran finds herself signing up for a retreat with the same group and plunges herself into the group, trying to find answers, which include several twists and turns.

This is the first of my Christmas reads. Which is really just a bunch of bboks I've set aside to read over Christmas break 😊. And what briliant one to start with. As always, C.L Taylor delivers a briliant, dark, twisty and mysterious thriller. The string and the characters were perfect too. This book has everything. Highly recommended xx

The ending of this was so fantastic.. took me a bit to get into the story line at the beginning. Was a good first read to start the new year. Hasn't been the first for me from this author and will continue to enjoy books from her.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

A real treat for me as I am reading this at Christmas! The book has a slow start, but the short chapters pull you along and the story takes off. It is quite a complicated format as it is told from three different points of view and over two time frames.such is the authors skill that this adds to the suspense and actually adds to the characterization. Her characters, even the minor ones are well rounded an believable. Of course the suspense continues to grow with clever twists along the way until the final unexpected revelation. I happily recommend this to mystery and thriller readers, an excellent read.
Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was an enthralling read with so many twists and turns. I did not like the first few pages and put it away for a few days and then came back to it. I then read it in one go as needed to know how it ended.

I hadn't read this author before but had heard a lot about her books and so she was on my to be read list.

This is definitely well worth a read and I am now off to explore more books by this author as the hype is warranted.

Not doing a plot summary as this has been done much better than me in other reviews and by the publisher. Do yourself a favour and put this in your to be read pile.

I was given an advance copy by the publisher and netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review which I have done so.

I needed this! I was in a book slump. First, I was totally engrossed the whole way through the story. Every part was interesting and important. There was no useless fluff to make the storyline longer.

Second, wow. There were so many characters! The author made it easy to keep track of who was who (when you realized some have changed their names). There was also a lot of character development in a lot of the characters, especially Fran throughout the story.

Third, what a brilliant storyline idea. I personally have never read anything like it and found it so very interesting. I did not guess who the “villain” was, and even then, did not guess the true ending.

5/5 stars and would highly recommend this book!

An enjoyable book,... read over 2 longish sittings! This book moved between two time frames which is a writing format I particularly enjoy! A believable story with interesting characters and unexpected ending!

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

Fran's sister, Jenna, disappeared at a wellness retreat 2 years ago. She presumably committed suicide at the same time 2 other retreat participants were killed. Tom, the retreat leader was charged and spent 2 years in jail. Now that he is out, his wife, Kate the true brains behind the retreat has scheduled another retreat. Fran's mother booked herself onto the retreat to get answers answers about Jenna's disappearance but can't attend due to an injury and sends a reluctant Fran in her place.

This was told from the points of view of Kate and Fran in present day and Jenna at the retreat. Overall I enjoyed it, as I have all of this author's previous books. It moved along pretty well, there were plenty of oddball characters that could have been guilty and I did not see the ending coming.

Another fantastic book from C.L. Taylor. Tom Wade, a motivational speaker and joint owner with his wife Kate of SoulShrink, are hosting a retreat in Snowdonia. Tom has recently been released from prison after two people died in a tragic accident at a retreat in Gozo two years earlier. Kate has been working hard on recovering the business and moving forward in a positive way despite Tom’s incarceration. It doesn’t go quite as smoothly as Kate hopes but she is not for giving up.

Fran’s sister, Jenna, disappeared at the Gozo retreat. Fran has been told it was likely her sister took her own life but no body has been found. Geri, the mother of Fran and Jenna, booked a place on the Snowdonia retreat in the hope of finding out the truth about what happened to Jenna. Geri can't face going so cajoles Fran into going and using her name so Fran can remain anonymous.

The book is told over two timescales – now and two years earlier – and from the viewpoints of Fran, Jenna and Kate. As with all C L Taylor there are many twists and turns along the way with a good pace that keeps you wanting to just read a bit more before putting it down. It was really well paced and I liked the ending.

With thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Her Last Holiday by CL Taylor is a suspenseful, mystery-thriller with a fantastic ending! It is the third book I’ve read by Ms. Taylor and each one is better than the last. I’m loving her writing more and more.

The characters are varied, interesting and well developed. I liked some, detested others, and that is one of the characteristics of a great novel. I enjoyed that there were many characters adding to the storyline, each with their own motives and secrets. And through her fluid, easy manner of writing, it was not difficult to follow each character through the different timelines.

The ending was superb! True to form, it was unexpected. It was brilliant. And in hindsight it was completely right.

#herlastholiday #cltaylor #netgalley #avonbooks

It has been a while since I read a Cally Taylor book. I got introduced to her and her books on the Facebook group The Book club. She writes brilliant books and I don't know why it has taken me so long to return to her books.
I liked the different points of view in the book as it allowed us to get to know the characters a little better. We are introduced to a whole cast of characters some likeable and some not so likeable. Fran is trying to figure out what really happened to her sister two years ago and this book takes us on a journey of unexpected twists in finding out the truth.
I would recommend this book if you are looking for a nice thriller to enjoy.

You can always guarantee a good thriller with Cally Taylor and this one is no exception. I'm not going to go on any retreats of holidays with her mind. She has a twisty mind! Haha it works really well here as this novel has you gasping for breath and ringing your hands. If you read this at an actual retreat I think it would make you leave or at least look around at your fellow guests.

Blimey. 2020's last read went off with a bang!

C L Taylor's latest psychological thriller is set in two time frames- present day Fran is desperate to find out what happened to her sister Jenna who went missing on a wellness retreat in Gozo and we also get the point of view of Jenna as she arrives at the retreat 2 years previously. I thought this novel started out really well and like the author's previous books this is a gripping read. I did find that it lost focus about halfway through and I had little sympathy for any of the characters. I have loved some of C. L Taylor's previous novels and feel that Strangers, her last, was definitely her strongest. I do feel that I have read too many psychological thrillers set on islands or holiday retreats this year so I feel that the setting did not pull me in. However if you are intrigued by this genre of thriller I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

"Her last holiday" is a slow burn thriller with lots of unexpected twists in it. The books starts off really strong but in the middle it kind of loses steam. It picks up the pace and bombards us by the end of it. The language used in the book is articulate. The narration is from multiple POV's written in the first person.

The story revolves around two sisters, Fran and Jenna who are separated by an age gap of 12 years. The book starts off three years after the death of one sister Jenna by suicide. Jenna had gone to a retreat called Soulshrink lead by the enigmatic Tom Wade. In that particular retreat 3 people had died, 2 due to a negligence in one of the excercises and Jenna by suicide. But Jenna's body was never found.

Her family is still not at peace after all these years and to make things worse, Tom Wade is released from jail. After he comes out, he picks up right where he left off and arranges another retreat. Fran's mom forces her to go on this retreat and find out the truth behind Jenna's death. Fran decides to go undercover and unravel the mystery. What will happen during the retreat? Will she reveal more than she bargained for? How many more people will get hurt in this quest for justice? Read to find out.

The ending was really something great. I loved the ending. Though, some parts of it was unrealistic. It was still quite thrilling. Recommending this one to all thriller lovers. The book will be out in April, 2021. Make this your first of 2021!

Another fast-paced read from C.L. Taylor that I finished in a day.

I did enjoy the story, however I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable. The twists were also underwhelming and a little unbelievable.

I give this 3 stars, as enjoyed other books by the author more, such as Strangers.

First of all I’m a huge fan of C.L Taylor’s books. I’m always in a dilemma,part of me wants to take my time saviour the experience, but as soon as I get started I end up hooked and reading it in one sitting!! There are worse dilemmas I guess!!!

Fran’s sister Jenna went missing two years ago while she was on a wellness retreat at Gozo, the police told them she may have committed suicide but her mother wants answers and pushes Fran to go to Wales on a wellness retreat.

She meets the couple Kate and Tom who ran the retreat in Gaza along with three others who were also there. Surely someone will know what happened to Jenna?

The story is told in 2 timelines, the present and back when Jenna was at the retreat.

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.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Another great book by C.L. Taylor. Like her previous books I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t read it quick enough. It’s sort of a cross between a mystery book and a psychological thriller. A few twists thrown into the suspenseful storyline make for a great read. I highly recommend this book and author.