A group of college friends along with their partners and children go on a weeks camping holiday to Cornwall. It’s been a long time since they all had a holiday together and they are getting together to celebrate the 18th Birthday of the daughter of one of the friends. The camping holiday brings out dark secrets from the past, everyone seems to be hiding something. On this their last holiday together, one of them won’t return.

I loved this book so much that I honestly couldn’t put it down once I started it and read it in one day. This was an excellent thriller that had me in a total head spin trying to figure out who the killer was. The majority of the characters were not very nice so it was really difficult to work out who was guilty and every few chapters I was sure I had it sussed but kept being proven wrong. There was a couple of twists that I truly never saw coming. A well deserved 5⭐️ read.

I throughly enjoyed listening to this audio, the storyline, the plot and the narrator made me keep listening. The narrator was great at changing her voice multiple times. Her expression of the characters was fantastic.

College friends are all going away to celebrate one of the daughters 18th birthday, but nobody wants to go. Most have a secret which they don’t want to be exposed. Each character has a chapter to share their part of the story. I liked that as each character is very different.

This psychological thriller is one of the best I’ve read this year, it has twists that I didn’t see coming and keeps you guessing.

Gripping, edge of your seat, a fantastic read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Amy Sheppard has put a new spin on the old college friends with a secret trope She added a little blackmail a current day murder and her own flair and made it in on put down a bull Thriller! I listen to the audiobook and read some on the Kindle app and loved all of it. I thought the narrator did a stellar job and I thought the characters were a great mix of likable and unlikable as opposed to the new thing where everyone is so unlikable there’s no one to root for. I know one of the reviews they said they didn’t like any of the characters but I didn’t find that at all I felt bad for poor rose at all this happen right after her birthday what an 18th birthday! I also didn’t like Theo‘s dad his name I forget… What a jerk what a time waster! It is far is Charlotte goes I thought she was very likable and a very sympathetic character. We all have flaws and I think it’s a good thing when characters and books reflect that and show that just because we’re not all Disney characters and we have flaws we also have hopes and dreams. They have other things in the book I would love to pontificate about and go over but as it would ruin the plot or giveaway key plot points I will not just know this book is full of OMG moments with twist and after you see the twists be prepared because more twist in store. This was a great book a definite five star book whether you listen to it in audio or read the candle you are definitely in for a treat. Amy Shepard has pulled out all the stops and unhook the safety belt… So freaking good! I received this book from Bookoucher and NetGalley but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Definitely worth a listen/Read and a sign of a good listen to me is an audio book I don't drift away from and have to go back and this was one I started this book Saturday while gardening and have finished it Monday AM I was hooked
Long time friends from university go on holiday to celebrate Annie's daughters 18th
There is a lot of history between these families and you do wonder why they are still friends , There is obviously more secrets than there should be and when one of the party is found dead the secrets begin to unravel

Thanks to Netgalley and bookoture for allowing me the chance to listen to this Audio book

NetGalley and Bookouturee gave me the privilege to listen to this audiobook narrated by Naomi Frederick in exchange for an honest review. I can't express how grateful I am!
The Last Holiday by Amy Sheppard is a twisted, intense psychological thriller about a group of friends for 20+ years who decided to have a camping holiday together to celebrate Anny's daughter's 18th birthday. Despite being friends for more than a decade they all have secrets from each other, the stories they never shared with everyone. Even though they all were friends some dynamics were better than others, and some of them knew secrets that they kept to themself to protect others. Some of them already knew this holiday will be a disaster, and some of them knew it will be an awkward time but they could not guess that some of them will never come home.
They all had a motive but who did it? This question is following you through the pages. Each time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. Secrets were coming out one by one, some of them darker than others. The final twist left me completely with an open mouth! It was heartbreaking and I didn't expect it at all.
I struggle to remember all the names for a while but I quickly managed to build a profile in my head so even without remembering a name I knew who is who.
I absolutely loved this book! The narrator was just amazing! She quickly made you connect with the story, to feel everything that you need to enjoy the story.
And it definitely raised my interest to explore other books by this author!
Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouturee, Amy Sheppard, and Naomi Frederick for an amazing journey and the privilege to listen to this audiobook!
Publication Date 30 May 2023!

I really enjoyed this book! The narration was abit confusing at the start as all the characters sounded the same but I was ok once I got my head around it. There were some twists I didn’t see coming and it kept me guessing right til the end.

The book jumps back and forth between a camping trip and the characters surprising intertwined past together. Once you figure out who all the characters are it was an easy read/listen. I didn’t see the twist or the ending at all!

The Last Holiday follows multiple characters with past and present timelines which makes it hard to follow at first. Listening to the audiobook was specifically difficult in the beginning. The characters are on a camping trip together and one is murdered, and we must find out why. There is also a POV from the detective on the case. None of the characters are particularly likeable, even the children. Even with this the story is an “easier” read, and you want to know where the story is going and whodunit. I once heard someone use the term “this is candy, not a steak dinner” and I think that describes the story perfectly. It is entertaining however, this may be one that I forgot I read over time. Thank you Net Galley, and Bookouture Audio for the ability to listen and review. The narrator was pleasant to listen to, but maybe a shift in voices would’ve helped keep the changing POV more obvious.

This is a bit of a tricky one to listen to as an audiobook because there are two timelines running and a lot of characters. A group of old friends reunite for a yearly camping holiday. Someone dies under mysterious circumstances which leads to a lot of questioning and issues from the past arising. It's quite twisty but difficult to keep track of at all times. The narration is good and it was interesting enough.

This took me a while to get into, however once it got going I really enjoyed it and then needed to keep listening to where it was going and yes there is an amazing ending. The narration really worked and suited the story and the characters.


Why I havent given it five stars I kept thinking of a plot device that was used which confused me.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

The Last Holiday by Amy Sheppard is a great book. There are a lot of characters to track, but as the book goes on it gets easier to remember who each person is. While I figured out who was guilty around 20%, I still enjoyed the unravelling of the past and current timelines. When the motive was revealed, I was shocked. It came out of nowhere but made perfect sense.

Unfortunately, Naomi Frederick ruined the book for me. She didn't lend much personality to the book or bring it to life; I was quite bored listening to her. The Last Holiday is such a good book that it shone through this, but it would have been better with someone else. Because of this, I rate it 4 stars.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ALC.

When a group of old friends gather for a weekend away it's no surprise that long buried issues begin to surface..... but it is a shock when the one friend who knows them all is murdered.

This story was a little confusing at first because I found it very difficult to keep everyone straight. Still, I loved the way the author made everything feel real-- mixing people's new spouses in an old group is always a little awkward and this author built the conflict and tension well.

While this book dragged a bit for me in the middle, the plot twist was interesting and surprising, if a bit farfetched. I found myself very distracted at the end because I can't think of a way that this particular thing could be kept so quiet. In any case, I liked the story and the characters, and it was a pretty quick read. There wasn't anything super unique about it, but I would definitely try more from this author.

A group of 5 friends along with their partners and children are on a camping trip when one of them is murdered. Was the murderer a stranger who chanced upon them or is the killer closer than they think?

On the whole this was a very enjoyable book. It took a while to get going but once it did I was hooked. Very well thought out characters. The way the timeline is written it keeps you in suspense right up to the last chapter.

Give me a thriller that starts with a murder, sprinkle in some very unlikable characters and add a killer plot twist. Sheppard did not disappoint. I was pulled in right from the prologue and enjoyed the ride to the final chapter. This is a multi POV thriller that follows a group of friends who decide to go on a camping trip to celebrate one of their kids 18th birthday. One of the friends is discovered dead behind the bathrooms and we get to relive the days leading up to the scene. Each character has secrets on top of secrets that lead to total chaos and I loved every second of it! Naomi Frederick did an amazing job as the narrator. She brought the tone in personality to all of these characters. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a quick thriller fix.

A fast paced, gripping thriller.

I received this book in audio form and the narrator did a fantastic job. I was hooked from the very start. Told from multiple POV & timeline's this story will keep you guessing the whole way when it's clear that everyone is guilty of something, but who is the murderer? I honestly couldn't believe the twists at the end of this book! 5 very well deserved stars and I look forward to reading more from this author.

No one wanted to go on this holiday, but a group of college friends reunited for a celebration of one of their daughter's 18th birthday. One of them dies. Old secrets, lies and good old blackmail come into play which makes them all a suspect.

The ending surprised me, and it turned out to be a good thriller, but the audiobook would have benefited from multiple narrators to distinguish different POVs.

This was sluggish at the beginning, with rather confusing changes in POV and time, but it picked up nicely at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookoutur Audio for an early access to this audiobook.

4⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Publication date ~ May 30, 2023
Page Count ~ 345
Audio length ~ 10 hours 46 minutes
Narrator ~ Naomi Frederick
POV ~ multiple 1st
Featuring ~ multiple timelines, old college friends, secrets, lies, blackmail, infidelity

Annie, Charlotte & Stella are friends on holiday together with their spouses and children. When Annie turns up dead, a DCI (not really sure what her name is) steps in to investigate.

Per usual we have some unlikable characters with plenty of secrets and lies, and of course some infidelity. Overall, I was pleased with this one. It flowed along at a nice pace with the multiple timelines and narrators. The zinger did zing me, which surprised me cuz after the fact I'm like duh.

Narration ~ overall fine, but this could have benefited from multiple narrators since each POV was told in the 1st person and there was not a differentiation in the narrator voice.

Book: The Last Holiday
Author: [author: Amy Sheppard|15200524]
Narrator: Naomi Fredricks
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: May 30, 2023
My Rating: 4.3 Stars
Pages: 345

This is my second Amy Sheppard novel the first story was" The Beach Party]'and have been looking forward to reading another.

Story is told now and then from the POV of longtime friends Charlotte, Annie, Stella, as well as Di Melanie Price.

Charlotte, Annie and Stella are all are forty-two years old and have been friends since college which was more than twenty-five years. However, not all have been close the past several years. They decide to go on a camping trip as it will be a fun family holiday as well as reconnecting. Additionally Annie’s daughter Rose will be turning eighteen; everyone loves Rose and remembers when she was little and doted on her.

As the campers setter the friends decide to play the game ~ “Never have I Ever” and sure enough secrets are revealed. The friends soon believe that it is no long a fun game but a set-up to tell hidden secrets.

A few days later Annie's body is found dead. At first DI Melanie Price and the other authorities believe it was an accident - she slipped fell and hit her head. After further investigation they believe someone from the camping group is responsible for murder.
Annie has always been the center of the group, she is Intelligent, kind, and fearless, but is not a nice person and has created tension between the three friends. It appears each may have had a motive to hurt –it appears everyone is a suspect.

One reader wrote “I hated the author’s choice to write in the first person and use colloquial speech.
Instead of using X and I ….. She wrote Me and X…… I cringed every time.”
Have to admit it bothered me as well
These characters are all so self-centered perhaps that is the reason for using ‘me’ first?

This story was slow ~ and I struggled to stay interested.
I hung in there as I was curious as to whodunit. Decided I would first try and figure all the mixed-up relationships.
~Stella's fiancé Nate.
~ Charlotte and Tristan – have a son, four-year old Theo;
~ Annie and her daughter Rose, the one celebrating the over the top birthday celebration.
~ Jack and Kelly, have been married for only two years; Jack was married before and has two
sons, Oliver is with them on this camping trip but is bitter that his dad divorced his mother
Lisa.
Hmm there are also other relationships
~Tristan and Stella, also Annie and Jack


So glad I hung in there are this turned out to be a GREAT thriller.
‘Whodunit’ was a surprise to me!!
I wasn’t even close!

Wow! hat ending! - my comment ~ “I cannot believe what just happened!”!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 30 2023.

Secrets and lies all come out in this thriller full of twists and turns. All characters have their flaws. The author keeps you guessing till the end. I listened to the audiobook version and the narration was excellent.
I received this audiobook from Bookoutre audio and Netgalley for a review.

This was a really good psychological thriller about a group of friends going on a camping trip but none of them really want to be there.

This is my first book from this author. At first it took me some time to get into it but once I did, I was unable to stop.

Thank you to NrtGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.