Her Last Holiday

CL Taylor has done it again! An ansolutely spellbinding read. SLEEP and STRANGERS were so mesmerising and expertly plotted I couldn't imagine her next book could be any better, but Cally has outdone herself yet again! I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this fabulous book. Highly recommended.

Her sister Jenna disappeared from a wellness retreat on the Island of Gozo. Two years later, Fran books herself onto a wellness retreat run by the same people to try and find out what became of Jenna. Can Fran find out the truth of what happened to her sister or will her questions about Jenna’s disappearance put her in danger?

A tense intriguing thriller with good twists which made for a suspenseful read.

Amazing book about a vacation gone wrong. This book is kind of a combination of a psychological thriller and a mystery. I enjoyed it immensely. I highly recommend it

It’s a good year when there are C L Taylor books to be published and so 2021 is shaping up pretty well!

This is such a powerful book with a cast of amazing and very deep characters – some which irritated me constantly and others which I really felt for throughout.

Secrets, lies and so much more weave some very unsettling undertones throughout this book and I don’t think anyone reading it will quite work it all out until the last pages. I love that about C L Taylor’s books – the suspense and build up is just brilliant and with great characterisation along the way her books are the complete perfect package.

4.5 stars

I enjoyed this book for so many reasons, and they were mostly unexpected.

The novel operates in three perspectives: Fran's, Jenna's, and Kate's. There are two primary time periods happening as well. At first, I worried this could be tough to balance, but I found that this really enhanced the pacing and complexity of the characters and central mystery. Points for style and format!

Fran is such an intriguing character. From the first scene, readers know that she's capable of more than she thinks she is. I love that she is painted in a relatively untraditional way and given so much room to both grow and shine.

There's a lot to enjoy here: mystery, thriller, women's fiction elements, and a really functional style. I recommend this to fans of any or all!

#HerLastHoliday #NetGalley
Clever writing.
Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong.Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of 2 people. But he has never let on what happened to the third suspected victim: Jenna.Determined to find out 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. The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive?
I loved it from middle to end but the beginning was slow. It's a result of clever writing. How a Guru turned out to be a liar. I liked the plot.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller.

This was my first book of Taylor and won’t be the last one. This is a slow burn mystery, hooked me from the first page. Secrets were revealed at appropriate moments and nothing prepared me for the innumerable twists in the last quarter.

Fran’s sister Jenna has gone on a wellness retreat in Gozo island run by self-help guru Tom and his assistant/wife Kate. Jenna along with the other two guests died there; their deaths have been ruled as unfortunate accidents, and Tom has been sentenced two years.

Present story starts two years after aforementioned events, Fran books herself for the retreat organized by the same people. Fran is on a mission to uncover what happened to Jenna. Three of the original guests also come to the retreat.

Told in Kate, Jenna and Fran’s perspective in short chapters alternating between present and past times at the retreats.

The motley crew of characters are the best feature of this book. They step on each other’s toes all the time, each one considers other as stupid, tries to exploit and falls flat on their face and this had me burst into cackles of laughter. Some characters come under false pretenses and hidden motives, always check their backs in order to avoid their covers being blown.

Loved how the main characters indulge in competition to unravel each other’s secrets. Watching this mad cap unfolding is so much fun. Enjoyed reading Fran’s POV for her no-nonsense approach. Kate is also strong and resilient.

Taylor’s writing is fluid and effortlessly deters confusion despite having quite a few characters in different timelines. I’ve pinned my suspicions on one particular character but was gob-smacked when Taylor wickedly unveiled the offenders.

The retreats at the beautiful isolated locations added a mysterious atmosphere.

Overall, a compelling mystery with well-developed characters. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every second spent on it.

Thanks to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net galley and Avon Books for the eARC.
Two years ago, in Gozo, at a wellness retreat, Fran's sister Jenna went missing.
Her parents are still devastated and want Fran to find out what happened. Not really sure she wants to, she gives in to her mother's pleas and goes to the new retreat in Wales. There she meets the motley group of the other retreaters and the couple who run it. Over the length of the book, we follow Fran in the present and Jenna two years ago.
It gets more and more intense as the story unfolds and the characters are fascinating, some appealing, but most of them are quite creepy.
When we finally find out what really happened, it's quite shocking with a great ending. Highly recommended!

Two years ago Fran's younger sister Jenna went to a wellness retreat in Gozo... but she never came home. Determined to find out the truth about what happened to her sister, Fran joins Tom Wade's latest retreat. Can she find out the truth from Tom or one of the others who attended the previous retreat? Or could her search for the truth cost Fran her life?

Another fantastic book from C.L. Taylor. The plot was thrilling and tense, the characters interesting, and the twists and turns brilliant. A really gripping read - recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

I love CL Taylor books so was extremely excited to get my hands on this courtesy of NetGalley this week!
The story is set at a retreat attended by Fran who is determined to find out how and why her sister Jenna disappeared from a previous retreat led by the same hosts. Jenna’s story is told alongside Fran’s and one of the hosts, Kate, and the reader has to piece together what happened to a Jenna, whilst Fran does the same.
This book kept me gripped and I loved the way it had a number of red herrings as well as twists along the way. Would recommend.

C L Taylor takes us into a world of needy people in this tale of discovery and self-discovery, as a woman (Fran) sets out to discover what happened to her much younger sister who went on a holiday/extended therapy session two years earlier but never returned. The official verdict was suicide but with no body discovered and the fact that the organiser of the event, Tom Wade, was imprisoned for the manslaughter of two others at the same event, there is every reason to suspect that the full story has not been told. When Wade is released and organises a new retreat, Fran attends under an assumed name, determined to find out more.

The novel is billed as a psychological thriller, the tension builds as strange and scary things occur on the retreat and you cannot figure out who is really responsible. It reminded me of one of those Agatha Christie stories where a bunch of people are all in a lovely house together, with surface politeness but all sorts of friction and emotion underneath. The desire to know more kept me turning the pages. The story is told through the eyes of three women: Fran, her missing sister Jenna, and Tom’s wife Kate. We jump back in time for the Jenna sections, with helpful chapter sub-heads saying “two years ago”. Several people on the current retreat were also at the previous one, so we gradually learn more about them from these different perspectives.

Tom and Kate pitch their holiday retreats as “soulshrink”, events for hurt people to give them a new start. We join some of the counselling sessions, and in describing these the author shows deep knowledge of the subject; they are convincingly told and make the book though-provoking in terms of the ways people damage one another (and themselves) and the somewhat dysfunctional families they belong to. There is ambiguity in the telling: are Tom and Kate charlatans making promises to their vulnerable guests that cannot be fulfilled? Or are they doing good work (manslaughter and missing person incidents aside) that really does improve the lives of others? This is deliberate and even at the close of the book, when the facts of the matter are revealed, the reader is, I believe, meant still to have questions about what is sincere and what is fake.

I love books that challenge me to do some thinking, and this is one of them. Part of me though would have liked the loose ends to be more firmly tied up; there is also an incident described in the first chapter for which we never get full resolution.

Great read though, exciting, well-written, thought-provoking and insightful.

The Lie is one of my favourite books ever and this one sounded quite similar so I was really excited to read it. I'm happy to report that it definitely lived up to expectations and is now firmly in 2nd place on my list of favourite C L Taylor novels.

I really loved the idea of the retreats being run by people out to make money by exploiting vulnerable people (I hope that after the events of the book they all sought professional help instead!). The inclusion of psychosomatic illness was something I really enjoyed. Having studied psychology at university I find the subject so fascinating.

The main characters were all very well described, even if I didn't particularly like them (Kate!!) and the side characters were fantastic as well. I particularly enjoyed reading about Phoenix and Tom, and even after the novel is over I still can't quite decide how I feel about Tom.

I really enjoyed the plot and whilst I did guess parts of it, other parts came as a complete surprise. I found the ending satisfying.

There's nothing about the novel I disliked. Sometimes Geri was referred to as Fran and Renata as Erica by people who weren't supposed to know yet but I'll put that down to this being an ARC.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this book, I loved it.

I just finished reading Her Last Holiday by C.L. Taylor and wow, I was impressed. I thought it would be a light, fun mystery, but this was immersive and dark. It kept me guessing.

When the opportunity is presented to attend a self-help retreatin Gozo, Fran goes for one reason- to figure out what happened to her sister. Two years prior, Fran’s sister Jenna went on the same retreat and went missing. Suspected to have killed herself, Jenna’s body was never found and Fran has questions. She is determined to find the truth. But what she finds out is a layer of secrets and lies from multiple guests. Who can she trust and is she in danger too?

Synopsis:

You come to Soul Shrink to be healed. You don’t expect to die.

Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong.

Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of 2 people. But he has never let on what happened to the third suspected victim: Jenna.

Determined to find out 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. The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive? Or does someone out there want Jenna’s secrets to stay hidden?

There is more to this fantastic story than what I briefly shared, and I highly recommend Her Last Holiday if you are into mysteries and thrillers. This comes out in April and you will want to put it on your To-Be-Read list immediately.

C.L. Taylor is one of my favourite authors of all time so of course I seized the opportunity to read her new book which is due to be published 29th April 2021.

This is a cleverly constructed story that had me hooked from beginning to end. I can’t help but to try and suss out the plot within the first few pages of any book but I genuinely didn’t see the ending of this story coming. The whole novel is full of secrets and lies that are all weaved together with well-built suspense throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed the cast of characters, especially the protagonist Fran and her ‘refreshing’ bravery but some of the side characters were equally likeable and dislikable which made for interesting reading. I thought the premise of this story was really intriguing and was delivered beautifully, as always, by the author. I find her writing style unique and gripping and she just has a way to leave you hanging on every word and telling yourself ‘just one more chapter’ until you’ve finished the whole book.

If you’re a fan of C.L. Taylor’s, you’ll know that with her powerful characters, tantalising twists and knack of immediately drawing you into a story, it’s the perfect package and Her Last Holiday is no exception. And if you’re not already a fan, you will be if you read any one of her books!

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My love for C.L Taylor is on going. Her last holiday is centred around the the sisters Jenna and Fran. 3 years earlier Jenna goes away on a self help retreat which leads to deaths and it seems Jenna has committed suicide. So when Frans mother begs her to go on the retreat in present day to get answers surrounding Jennas death reluctantly she goes and what she uncovers is a lot more than she can handle.

The characters in this story are all amazing, we hear from Jennas POV 3 years before hand, she's going through alot and when she meets Tom the retreat leader she finds an instant spark between them. I liked the past story however the present story was much better it has to be said.
Fran is the main character and I find her character to be so relatable. She's middle aged tired, fed up guilt riddled and still trying to and failing to please her mother. This is why she ends up on the retreat. She's a very to the point person which I loved so much! Her character is full of depth and I was really routing for her to find out what happened to Jenna. Her guilt for not listening to her sister has followed her making her believe she was part responsible for her suicide.
Kate is the wife of Tom who is the retreat leader. Kate has waited for Tom to come out of prison and is pushing forward the most recent retreat. Kate is our story baddie and I just loved her!
There are alot of side characters throughout the story that all add something to it.

I love that our leading characters are all strong women. They all have their own issues and this is clear and further gets dived into throughout the story. Fran is my favourite and her family dynamics I found very interesting to read. Especially the mother daughter relationship the idea that you can be 51 and still have a very torturous relationship with your mother.

What the book also looks at really well is how people who are in dark emotional places can be suckered in by aimed phrases like I can save you life. This is the tag line that hooks Jenna in and many others on the retreat. It just shows how low everyone is that they have turned to an unqualified life coach instead of seeking professional help. It's very interesting how this is used espically from Kate POV.

I really enjoyed this book. When I read the blurb and title I thought yes another book like The Lie by C.L Taylor, I must say I preferred the Lie and almost wish I hadn't read it before hand as I spent alot of the book comparing the two, I chastised half way through though!
I recommend this book great suspense and loved finding out how it all played out. I had guessed the plot twists but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. Happy to give 4 stars 🌟

Thank you first of all to C.L Taylor for yet again another fantastic read, Netgalley and Avon publications for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Another solid thriller from CL Taylor. Her Last Holiday carried me along like the tide, with the voices of Fran and Jenna hooking me in. I always feel that Taylor's novels are very character driven, and that she excels at creating multifaceted, intriguing characters - particularly women - and this book is no exception. A brilliant story to escape into.

This book is told through the perspectives of three pivotal women in the story and moves back and forth between the past and present. There are a handful of good twists and turns, although not necessarily a "keep reading even though your eyes are shutting" type of book. Overall, a good easy read.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Her Last Holiday" by C.L Taylor. Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fran is an English IVT teacher, whose sister Jenna went missing during a wellness retreat 2 years ago. The owner of the company, a self proclaimed self-help guru, who runs the retreats and his wife, are about to lead the first retreat since their last went terribly wrong. Fran's mother Geraldine begs her to go undercover to try to find out what happened.

Once Fran arrives at the retreat, she encounters a quite a cast of characters, and finds it difficult to know who to trust. Fran and an undercover journalist team up to uncover unexpected secrets as they rush to find out what happened to Jenna.

There may have been some mistakes in the ARC using Fran's undercover name, Geraldine, a few times it seemed that people who didn't know she was Fran called her Fran.

This is a thriller that will keep you guessing until the end!

I haven't picked up C. L Taylor's work before but will definitely keep an eye out for it now.
This was an enjoyable thriller with good character development and a decent plot.
We follow Fran, a woman in her fifties, who goes on a wellness retreat  to investigate the disappearance of her sister Jenna who had travelled to Gozo, as a part of the same retreat group a few years ago.
The prose was simple and easy to read and the multiple POVs really helped  strengthen our connect with the different characters.
The twists were decent though a bit predictable and the story was tied up with a nice bow.
Though the book was on the longer side, I didn't find myself struggling to finish it and was content with the pacing.
Yes, overall the premise did feel familiar, but it was still a pleasant read and I found myself quite engaged with the story.
I recommend it for a quick and pleasant weekend read.

I thought Cally's last book was my favourite but this one most definitely is. Cally's books just keep on getting better and better. When Fran's sister Jenna disappears from a wellness retreat in Gozo, people are suspicious as to what really happened to her. Fran sets out on a journey to see if she can piece together what happened to her sister, did Jenna have secrets to hide and will Fran get caught up in it all. Will Fran get the answers she so desperately needs. Expect drama, lies, secrets, twists and turns that I did not see coming. I thought I knew half way what had happened but I could never believe what I found out. The story kept me on edge the whole time reading it and my hand was over my mouth as I was shocked to discover the truth. An addictive read.

Sisters who have disappeared are a trend for certain. This follows Fran whose sister Jenna disappeared from a retreat 2 years prior. There’s a lot of back and forth from then to now, which gives us a good slow burn. I love the characters and the suspense but the best part of all is the ending. What a twist! You won’t see it coming!

This book was brilliant! I’ve always loved CL Taylor books so I was thrilled to get this ARC from NetGalley. She has outdone herself with this new book - It was such a great suspense thriller / murder mystery.

Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared from a SoulShrink wellness retreat that went wrong. Now she’s set to go on her own retreat to try and uncover what really happened to Jenna and why there are still so many secrets around her disappearance.

Lots of suspense, great characters that you can get invested in and a really psychologically twisted ending. I liked the flashbacks as they really let you get to know Jenna rather than the whole story being from Fran’s point of view. It was interesting to see how the two sisters approached the SoulShrink retreats with different opinions about how it could help them both.

There are some really great chapters full of retreat style activities (water rafting, trust activities, late night games and swims). I loved Joy’s character the most - no spoilers but I’d love to read a book where she was the main character! (With all of her crazy jumpers).

I would definitely recommend this to my criminology students who love a good suspense thriller book.

When Jenna disappeared it was ruled a suicide, but some think it may be a little more than that.

Frans mum co'erces her onto a soul shrink retreat, run by the same people that were running the retreat where her sister went missing. They just want the truth. Fran feels bad she didnt take more time with her sister and is working through that regret and her own upbringing, and the wife of the retreat lead is worried that Fran is an under cover reported.

Like all of Taylors book I couldnt wait to read this, couldnt put it down, and was annoyed with myself for how quickly I read it. The characters were interesting, and some clues to who poeple were became obvious with hindsight. I was suprised by some things the characters did, and where and they impacted Jenna or Frans lives.

I have recently read two upcoming CL Taylor books quite close to one another. One of them being The Island - Taylor's YA thriller, and then Her Last Holiday - which is her newest adult thriller offering. To say they are completely different would be an understatement. They both have Taylor's fantastic plotting and inevitable twists, and they are both written exceptionally well. But that is where the similarities end.

In HLH we meet Fran, who is still grieving the loss of her sister, Jenna. Jenna disappeared two years ago while on a retreat in Gozo. Fran finds herself at the retreat with the man who may or may not have had something to do with her sisters disappearance.

What follows is a rollercoaster ride of high energy, action packed thrills and you won't be disappointed if you pick this one up.

Fran's character is developed really well throughout the book. It feels like she really grows as a person the more she 'investigates' Jenna's disappearance. I wasn't keen on a lot of the secondary characters to begin with, they aren't all that likeable. But this is something I love in a book. It keeps you grounded - who likes everyone in real life?!

A life long fan of Taylor's work, this one will be coming home with me as soon as it is released. Congratulations Cally on another fantastic book.

Her Last Holiday by C.L. Taylor is another gripping novel that does not disappoint! Fran’s younger sister, Jenna, disappeared 2 years ago while on a wellness retreat. The wellness host was sent to prison for 2 deaths that happened that weekend. Now that the retreat host has been released from prison, Fran wants to see if she can get more details on her sisters suicide by attending the retreat. Great read with many twists.

Thank you NetGalley, C.L. Taylor, & Avon Books for the ARC.

This was my first time reading C.L. Taylor’s work, and I was impressed and will definitely be reading more.

The books tells the story of a woman and her search for her sister’s murder. There are countless twists and turns and it’ll definitely keep you on your toes.

You’ll be shocked by the end of the book! :)

Thank you to netgalley for the oppurtunity to read her last holiday by the brilliant C.L Taylor. Having read all her previous books, i knew this would be as good as all her others. I wasnt disappointed. The story follows Fran on her mission to find out how and why her sister Jenna died. There was lots of suspense and of course a twist was added in for good measure. I was hooked from the beginning and i my attention was kept the whole way through as i wanted to find out what was going on. Another brilliant read from C.L Taylor.

Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat, SoulShrink, in Gozo that went terribly wrong.

Tom Wade, whom we come to learn is the man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his 2 year sentence for the deaths of two people. Whilst he was imprisoned, his wife Kate has been busy planning the rest of their lives, a restart of SoulShrink - but will it have the same grizzly consequences?

Kate’s sister Fran books herself onto Tom’s upcoming retreat, wanting to face the man behind her sisters murder and to find out exactly what happened. The retreat isn’t all
It turned out to be, Fran learns more than she probably ever wanted too with regards to her sister, just exactly how did she die, or did she?

Told in the format of a then v now narration, the story jumps back and forth, reeling the reader in and along a lot of twisty, windy hops and skips within it. Not my favourite book of CL Taylor, but easy to read and keeps you guessing!

Great story with lots of twists and turns throughout making you wonder if anyone is actually who/what they say they are!!

4 STARS

This was my first read by C.L. Taylor, and I'm a fan now! This book was full of suspicious deaths, missing persons, secrets, crazy family members, and suspense! I liked the multiple POVs, and how the characters kept secrets and began to uncover everyone else's secrets for leverage...OMG!

It was a quick read with interesting characters. I enjoyed the mystery of the story, the suspense, and trying to figure out what was going on! I am adding this author to my watch list, and plan to read more from her in the future!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sharing this digital copy with me in exchange my honest opinions. This book publishes in the US on April 29, 2021.

I had so much fun reading this. It's a beautiful story about sibling's relationship and lost opportunities, while providing a clever commentary on the ins and outs of the wellness industry. I really empathised with C.L.Taylor's main character, Fran, but the author's deftness in characterisation means that she supplies us with a number of well rounded characters, as the narration shifts between three characters and over two timeframes (now and then, 2 years earlier). Rooted on the beautiful backdrop of Malta and Wales, the plot's twists and turns ensure you are unable to put the book down (I was literally reading this until the early hours every time I picked it up) – I also love how Taylor manages to balance tragedy with comedy - (certain comments and thoughts her characters made me laugh out loud).

Wow! Another fantastic book from C.L Taylor. I was hooked from the start and it didn't take me long to read through.

I loved how the story would go back and forward through time, so you get the view from both.
The character base was just right, so you didn't get lost with who was who. This also made it good, to not be able to guess who was up to no good. I'm normally pretty good at guessing a plot, but I had no idea with this one.
Great ending, to the point I was in tears!

Great work, Cally!

4.5 stars! I loved this twist turning book. So many twists and surprises. I will definitely be recommending this book on Goodreads! Thank you for this advanced copy of this book. I don’t think I’ve read by this author yet and I will definitely be looking for more. It was a fast and easy read and just the right length for this story.

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!

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!

"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!

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.

I read this book in one sitting. SO GOOD! I could not put it down. So suspenseful and some unexpected twists that made the story that much better. I even went back and re-read a few pages to see if I could catch the twist coming. Taylor's writing is just captivating and I'm so excited to read more!

I will start by saying that I am a big fan of C.L. Taylor's. Sleep was one of my favourite books of 2020 and I also really enjoyed Strangers. So I was really excited to see what she had done next with Her Last Holiday.
I particularly enjoyed the use of three narrators, as this gave you insight into the story from three pivotal perspectives.
It also had a really interesting plot and didn't feel particularly farfetched at all, as some other books can in this genre.
Tom as a character was especially intriguing and I found myself in Fran's shoes, trying to figure out what happened to Jenna and on the day that two other people had died.
Something that did irritate me was the amount of pseudonyms or alias names that were used throughout.
I understand that this was part of the plot, with many of the characters inhabiting a new name following the sweat retreat. But when you then add Fran and Caroline also using assumed names but also changing back and forth between their real names and fake names and it all got a bit much.
I also felt like Jenna felt/acted a lot younger than she actually was when she disappeared. I would easily have said that she was in her early to mid twenties, because of the way that she acted, instead of being in her late thirties.
The ending also wasn't as strong as it could have been for me. And it was a bit of an anticlimactic twist in the end.
Her Last Holiday is still one of the better books that I've read in this genre and I can't wait to read what C.L. Taylor does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and found it to be very engaging. It centers primarily on Fran, who joins a wellness retreat to try to figure out what happened to her sister Jenna, who disappeared on a similar trip over 2 years prior. You also get chapters from Jenna's perspective before her disappearance, and from Kate, the wife and business partner of Tom, who runs the retreats. I am a fan of alternating perspectives throughout a book and thought that it was interesting to see how various situations were seen from the different POVs.

I liked Fran and found her to be a realistic character- she was trying to investigate what happened to Jenna but is not a detective, thus she makes a lot of mistakes. There is also personal growth throughout the book, as she explores her relationship with Jenna and the rest of her family, as well as reflects on her current lifestyle. Some reviewers said there were plot lines left unresolved, but I actually think that was done purposely, allowing the reader to make their own decisions about the true motivations of some of the characters. The ending was tied up maybe a bit too cleanly, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who like mysteries and domestic suspense. I liked the other book I read by Taylor as well, and am planning on picking up a couple other books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Motivational speaker and mental health guru Tom Wade was nicknamed the Soul Shrink on social media for his ability to heal trauma. After two people died at one of his popular spiritual retreats in Gozo, his career was destroyed and he was jailed. Now, two years on, Tom has been released and plans to hold another retreat, this time in Snowdonia. Fran’s younger sister, Jenna, disappeared at the tragic Gozo retreat and now she wants to know the truth about what happened.

Although this story is told from multiple points of view, the main protagonist is Fran. Fran is an IT teacher in her fifties who is struggling after Jenna’s disappearance and presumed suicide. She has intense feelings of guilt after she brushed her sister off during their last conversation and she wishes she could make things right. Fran is a prickly character and her bluntness adds some humour to scenes throughout the book. The last thing she wants is to be near the man she blames for her sister’s death but after being emotionally blackmailed by her controlling mother, she agrees to attend Tom’s new retreat in an attempt to find out what happened to Jenna.

Kate, Tom’s wife, is ambitious and ruthless. She is determined to help make Soul Shrink a success and move on from the controversy caused by Tom’s prison sentence. She is constantly paranoid about her and Tom's lives being shattered again and is determined not to let anyone take away what she has rebuilt.

The past timeline of this story is told from Jenna's perspective. It gives some background to the tragic events that happened in Gozo and further explores Jenna's character. Both timelines are interesting and as some of the past characters also appear in the present timeline, it helps the reader to learn more about them.

The real strength of this novel is the attention to character development. Each character is drawn in such depth and even minor characters feel realistic and nuanced. Each person has complex motivations for their actions and although some of the characters are unlikeable, the reader can see how they became that way.

The plot is not disadvantaged by the character-driven nature of this book. The chapters are short, full of twists and turns, characters lying to one another and unsettling events that raise a number of questions. Several themes add depth to the narrative: toxic family relationships, mental health and emotional exploitation are all explored here. I have read some of C L Taylor’s previous novels and enjoyed them and this new release didn’t disappoint. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book - I was hooked from the outset. The plot moved quickly and the characters draw you in

This is a story that flicks between past with Jenna when she arrives at the retreat in Gonzo and present day with her sister Fran joining a retreat run by the same people but this time in Wales. I liked the difference between the two settings as it goes to show you don’t need to travel abroad for stunning views.

The retreat is ran by Tom and Kate. Tom has not long got out of prison and is struggling with events from the past. You can tell that Kate is very much the driving force behind the retreat and she is hell determined in making sure that everything goes well, as well as getting some much needed money in the bank.

Over the course of the story we get to know some of the characters at the retreats better. They aren’t the most likable of characters. I was kind of suspicious about quite a few of them. It all adds to the suspense though of what really did happen to Jenna of which there were some good twists that I definitely didn’t see coming.

Her Last Holiday is a book that has it all. Scenic locations, a gripping storyline and unexpected twists and turns. All in all it makes it an unputdownable read as I raced through it to see just what did happen to Jenna. Another great read from the queen of psychological thrillers.

I have come to expect something special from this author and I’m glad to say that this definitely did not disappoint. The plot was good and the story just kept giving. It goes between two sisters, Fran and Jenna, one who has disappeared, presumed a suicide, and the other trying to find out the truth, especially when she is told it was murder. All the characters are well thought out and have their own personalities. Their mother Geraldine is a nightmare! There are quite a few twists, red herrings and I was kept guessing right through. I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t stop reading. Thank you NetGalley.

I loved this book, I absolutely couldn't put it down and finished it in less than a day! I had read a few of the authors books a few years ago and enjoyed them, and this was no different. The chapters were told in multiple points of view and were short which left me flipping the pages and unable to stop. I was always disappointed when one chapter ended and it flipped to another POV, but only because each chapter left me wanting more of that character's story. I would finish Jenna's chapter to move on to Fran's wanting more of Jenna's story but then at the end of Fran's story wanting more or hers, it was a vicious cycle(in a good way). Highly recommend this book for a quick/fast paced read with well written characters

I need to circle back to the few books that I missed!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon for this advanced reading copy

Fran is a school teacher in her early fifties. Her Mother still controls aspects of her life. Her sister, Jenna, disappeared almost 3 years ago whilst on a retreat overseas and is presumed to have committed suicide. On that same retreat, two other participants died and the organiser, Tom, was jailed for his part in their deaths.

Tom has now been released from prison and his wife Kate wants to recreate the brand they started and organise more seminars and retreats. Fran’s Mother, Geraldine, gets wind of this and emotionally blackmails Fran into attending the next retreat in Wales in order to try to find out what Tom knows about Jenna’s disappearance. Fran does so incognito but will she discover the truth about her sister or is she in danger herself?

Another fantastic book by C.L. Taylor and one I stayed up until the wee small hours to finish. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

A clever use of two time sequences, unreliable narrators and intriguing characters kept me glued to this novel. Fran is seeking the real answer to how her sister died at a retreat and the only way to get to the truth is for Fran to go undercover at a follow up retreat run by the same two people with several of the same attendees. Fran quickly discovers she is not prepared for this emotional coaster roller and is completely overwhelmed with grief, anger and fear yet stays as she promised her mother. A massive twist happens and the answers are satisfying, unexpected and thoroughly surprising.

I have read a few of C.L.Taylors books and have loved them. I got stuck into this one and it was so easy to get settled in. The story flowed, nice short chapters and easy to get to know who was who. The only thing I think that was different in this one compared to the rest was the ending, it wasn't what I was expecting and think was totally different to how her other books have gone. It was a nice change and changed my views on a few characters as well

This was an exceptional book surrounding the death of Jenna at a SoulShrink retreat on the island of Gozo. The storyline was extremely captivating and the pace was steady until we ventured further into the dark and twisted chapters once the pace was set. The book allows us into the lives of Jenna, her sister Fran and Kate, Toms wife’s. Who is Tom I hear you ask. He is the lynchpin that holds it all together. We are party to events on Gozo two years previously and also the present day when Fran attends another SoulShrink retreat in North Wales to try and find out what actually led to the death of her sister. This was a very refreshing book to read, so different, thankfully, to the masses that are published at the moment where the prologue features a young woman who is held captive, is beaten and in hiding, is running away, the list could go on and on, and publishers try to entice us in by constantly telling us that if we enjoyed Gone Girl or Girl on a Train, then we will enjoy this too. Such a relief to escape from all that and immerse oneself into this brilliant piece of writing. When is her next one due out, I need more by this incredible author.

Fran’s sister is missing presumed dead. Jenna disappeared three years ago following a retreat in Malta. Fran has felt guilt since about not being there when her sister needed her. When their domineering mother sees a retreat run by the same organisation, she forces Fran to go with a view to finding out what she can about the disappearance.
And so, the madness begins. Kate and Tom, who run the company have their issues with each other and everyone else. This is the first retreat in three years, and she needs it to go well. Fran soon realises the dangers involved in the outdoor trust exercises and is struggling to get any of the information she came for.
There is never a dull moment in Her Last Holiday. If you need to wonder if any of this story is likely, then you are reading the wrong book. That said, it is well written and well researched, just in the event that this series of events could actually occur. I enjoyed the ride and am grateful to Netgalley UK and Avon Books UK

What a great read! I've come to expect solid storylines and well woven threads throughout from C.L. Taylor and this book did not disappoint. The right amount of mystery, thriller and intrigue to create a very enjoyable 4 star read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

During a spiritual retreat hosted by the enigmatic SoulShrink Tom Wade, two people die and one goes missing. This terrible tragedy lands Tom in jail.
Fran's sister, Jenna, is the one who went missing, and Fran blames herself for not being there for her emotionally fragile sister. Maybe if she had been, Jenna wouldn't have went on the retreat.

Two years later, Tom is released from prison and hosting another spiritual retreat.
Due to her mother's insistence and the weight of her own guilt, Fran decides to join the retreat and find out exactly what happened to Jenna all those years ago.

This story is more than meets the eye!
I thought it'd be a fast-paced psychological thriller about a charismatic cult leader. And while it is, it's so much more meaningful than that. It was also a poignant exploration of emotional manipulation, toxic family relationships and acceptance.

But perhaps the most captivating aspect of this story is the rich and complex characterization. All the characters (including side characters) are well displayed with strong emotional depth and character growth.

This is the most well-written and engaging book I've read in awhile.
Highly recommend for fans of psychological thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy C.L Taylor books and yet to read one I didn’t enjoy so I was eagerly looking forward to this one. Another excellent gripping novel that will have you racing through the pages to find out what is going to happen.

Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared two years ago on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong. The man behind the retreats, Tom Wade was recently released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of two people. But he has never let on what happened to the third victim, Jenna.

Fran is desperate to uncover the truth and books herself onto the retreat under a pseudonym so that she can come face to face with Tom Wade and find out what really happened to her sister. There is a lot of emotion surrounding the events of two years ago and a desire for the truth to remain hidden.

The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive? Or does someone out there want Jenna’s secrets to stay hidden?

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.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Avon Books UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is my very first waltz with the author! Suspicious deaths, missing sister at a wellness retreat, mental gurus or charlatans with deep secrets, dysfunctional family members who are obsessed to know what really happened the daughter/ sister, narrated by three different vivid women characters, alternating between past and present: this formula truly worked for me!

Here are our three POVs: middle aged Fran is still haunted from her sister’s memory who has been missing for two years. She attended to wellness retreat in Gozo but so many things went dangerously wrong! Thanks to the pressure and guilt tripping of her miserable parents who lost rest of their sanities after sudden disappearance of their young daughter, Fran attends to the same retreat because the same health guru couple Tom and Kate reopen the place after Tom has been set free from two years long prison time.

As she digs more about the past, she gets more tangle into web of lies. ( did I tell you there were so many spooky supporting characters in this book act like innocent but keeping their own secret agendas to themselves?)

Jenna is the sweet sister who attended the retreat where so many strange and unexplainable things started to occur incessantly as like she’s been trapped into a classic claustrophobic Christie story!

And Kate is the wife and resilient assistant of Tom who tries to keep together after murder accusations ruined their lives financially and mentally. She works hard to manage their ruined reputation but it’s not gonna be so easy and her lovely husband is not such a good help when he’s still stuck with the memories of Jenna.

You keep asking yourself as you observe several counseling sessions of these health gurus: are they conmen or are they really talented soul shakers who help the people get through their mental problems?

Both of the characters keep secrets and as they discover more lies of each other’s, they never hesitate to use them as leverage. It was a truly entertaining to be witnessed of their power game as if watching a challenging tennis game !

Overall: it was one of my quickest read with very unique and well developed characters! I think I enjoyed spending my time in their heads more than reading the mystery part of the story!

I’m giving four mysterious, dangerous retreat, lies, games, hidden agendas, delicious twist stars!

I’m so happy this book put this brilliant author on my radar. I cannot wait to read the lord works of her.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This book was really good. Lots of misdirection and suspense. I’m a recent reader of this author and I am going to read all the books in the back catalogue. This author is quickly becoming one of my favourites.

Amazing story. Well developed characters that are in a twisted engrossing thriller. Highly recommended. Super suspense that comes to a satisfying end! Highly recommended . A true roller coaster thrill ride

As always, this author totally brings the atmospheric thriller to its peak! The heroine is trying to solve the mystery of what had happened to her sister while on a retreat, and is not afraid of the dangers in her path...

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Fran's sister Jenna disappeared mire than two years ago after attending a retreat. T om who was recently released from jail is a person of interest in her disappearance. The list of suspects keeps growing. This book kept me guessing from the beginning.

A slow burning thriller which centres on two sisters . Their upbringing has been strange and the relationship with their parents is strained. The younger sister disappears during a retreat abroad. The investigation concludes that she committed suicide, but the grieving family have doubts about this. The retreat is run by a couple, he is attractive and appealing , she does the running around and lots of social media. The group on the retreat when Jenna disappears is diverse .. Some of the activities are extreme and all in all you get the impression that it is a bit like a cult . The death of a couple during an activity adds to this feeling and the male half of the couple ends up in prison for what happened.
Fran, the older sister is summoned ny her parents and told to find out more about what happened to her sister. They have booked her on to a retreat in Wales, the first one for 3 years (after Tom is released from prison) , under another name. Not ideal, she is not a talker and although she becomes aware that some of the group members were at the same retreat as her sister , no one will discuss it . This retreat involves mountain activities, canoing etc. Something is off though and she (and another group member who is a journalist in disguise) get the impression that some one wants them dead. I liked Fran and Caroline's cynical attitude to what happened at the retreat.
A couple of twists in the story as it reaches it's conclusion . Suspense is built up and towards the end I could not put the book down. In the earlier parts of the book I found it slow going.
Thank you to Net galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Frans sister Jenna disappeared two years ago from a wellness retreat in Malta. The police ruled it a suicide. Tom Wade the face of Soul Shrink retreat was convicted of gross negligence, two other people died that day under his care. After serving two years he is released from prison. Tom has never revealed what happened to Jenna his third victim.

Frans’ not convinced. Jenna didn’t kill herself. When she learns Tom is back to hosting wellness retreats. (I mean what? How is this guy not banned?)She knows she needs to go, confront Tom, get the truth of what happened to her sister.

Registering under a false name, Fran goes to the retreat the more secrets and lies she uncovers she unknowingly puts herself as risk of never returning home.

The book switches between the past and present – Jenna’s time at the retreat and the present with Fran. There are a lot of unlikable characters in this book, its laced with dysfunctional families, obsession, domineering personalities and creepy creepertons a plenty. The narrative is pretty twisted. This is a slow burn; the ending was a little underwhelming for me. I was so invested in the book and was looking for something more sinister.

Still very enjoyable read, Cally is an auto-buy author for me, I will pick up anything she writes.

CL Taylor's books are always deliciously readable. I seem to fly through them, and this one was no exception. The mystery kept me guessing, and even when I thought I *had* guessed something, well, I wasn't quite right! So that's always enjoyable. I also really grew to like the character of Fran too, and the slow untangling of the story kept me hooked.

I didn't love it quite as much as her last book, Strangers, but I think that may have been down to my own mental state whilst reading more than anything as it's still very cleverly plotted and written.

I was so excited to receive an early read copy of CL Taylor’s newest book. I have several of her books on my TBR shelf waiting for me. I am a huge fan and I was not disappointed. This was a twisty story about a past disappearance. I loved the time line switching back and forth between the past and present day. Without giving too much away, I highly recommend this book and this author. Can’t wait to read the next one. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the early release copy.

What a twisted web C.L. Taylor has spun for us to unweave.

This book is told by 3 narrators focusing on the now and the past (2 years ago) with some overlap.

The book begins nice and slow, introducing us to Kate (the power behind SoulShrink and the wellness retreats) and sisters Jenna and Fran.

Jenna attended a retreat 2 years ago, never to return. Police deemed it a suicide. Her sister Fran is unconvinced and is persuaded by her mom to attend one of the retreats herself to dig and find out the truth about what happened to Jenna.

I really appreciated all the character development and loved how the conflict unfolded in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC I’m exchange for my honest review.

Her Last Holiday is the latest psychological thriller from brilliant mind of CL Taylor.
An excellently written, character driven story that weaves events from the past and the present together to form the narrative of how Jenna disappeared nearly three years ago and the mysterious events surrounding her disappearance. The police in Gozo were convinced that Jenna committed suicide but her family believes otherwise and now, her elder sister Fran is attending a similar retreat to Jenna and is determined to find the truth. Several of the people from the original retreat are attending with Fran but as the story is narrated by three different women, with opposing points of view, that are plenty of twists to come and some truly exciting revelations. With manipulation and self-preservation at the centre of most actions, this story is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish and Taylor has done a excellent job by creating a twisty narrative to build up the tension and keep the reader on their toes.
In summary: a must read for fans and if you enjoy a well crafted thriller, with tension and twists, this is one for you.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of this author and have read all her work to date, so I was grateful to receive an ARC of this book for an honest review. I'll be honest, it wasn't as fast paced as her other works, and it took me a bit of effort to stick with it. But there is mystery from the off and I found Tom and Kate particularly intriguing. A good read overall, and I will always look forward to future releases from this writer.

I really enjoyed this book. Based upon a retreat for people who need to find themselves and move away from their troubled pasts it is less than tranquil when 3 people are dead. One of them is the main characters sister who goes on the next retreat to uncover what really happened to her sister. Good plot, good development of characters and when you think the end is near more keeps on coming. A great read

When Fran’s younger sister, Jenna, disappeared on a retreat it broke an already fractured family even further apart. The retreat leader, Tom, and his wife Kate are trying to rebuild their life after his jail sentence for the death of two other people on the retreat and when they start a new business Fran is posing as a widow to find out what happened to her sister. Told by Fran, Jenna and Kate this is one gripping book!
I really enjoyed this and found myself really hooked by it, thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for this honest review.

How nice it is to read a thriller from the POV of three women with their own distinctive voices, good character arcs, and not running around being overly emotional and silly.
They're not all likeable characters but I found them to be good characters and that was my favourite thing about this book 🙂

𝙁𝙍𝘼𝙉 - two years ago, during a wellness retreat, her sister Jenna died under suspicious circumstances. It was labeled suicide but Fran needs answers so she's attending the latest retreat by the same self-help guru as Jenna did.

𝙆𝘼𝙏𝙀 - manages and organizes the retreats. Her husband Tom is the guru but she's the woman behind the man and she knows how to pull the strings.

𝙅𝙀𝙉𝙉𝘼 (2 years ago) - heartbroken by some recent developments in her life she hopes Tom and Kate's retreat will fix her.

Her Last Holiday takes its time to pick up speed. First it builds it's base and makes sure the reader is cozy but it often drops little hints at what's to come and then the pace starts moving faster.

Also, lots of characters in this book!
There's the group that attended Jenna's retreat PLUS the group in Fran's retreat.
Some overlap but I still had one or two '𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵.... 𝘸𝘩𝘰'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯?' moments. Making notes would have helped ✒📒🙈

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘋𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 29 /2021

This was the first adult C.L. Taylor book I have read and I am going to read the back catalogue now. A great suspense thriller.

Her Last Holiday follows Fran as she books herself onto a self help retreat run by the man responsible for the dissapearance of her sister 18 months previously. It's filled with great characters and some fab twists. Took a little while to get in to but I'm glad I kept going as the story unravelled faster in the second half and before I knew it I was finished.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Avon for the opportunity to read and review.

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was an incredible way to start off the new year, Her last holiday had a steady pace throughout with some exceptionally written characters.

The three main characters – Fran, Jenna and Kate were all vibrant and lifelike, some likeable and others not. For me Jenna was 100% likeable, she had been dealt a really rough hand but still remained a good person. Fran in the beginning seemed cold and uninterested in everything and everyone but by the end her demeanour had completely changed and she became a lot more likeable, but Kate however was vile and vindictive throughout.

I loved the authors writing style, how the book was separated by the then and now chapters, I thought it really broke up the story, which progressed perfectly. It had me gripped by the end of the first chapter, remained at a steady pace throughout until the end part which left me with my head spinning.

This was another fantastic book written by C.L Taylor which I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend you to go and pre-order now. 😊

"Her Last Holiday" is the story of Fran, whose younger sister Jenna is missing, presumed dead, after attending a spiritual retreat in which two other people died. The handsome and charismatic retreat leader, Tom, was sent to prison for his role in the deaths, but now he's out, and Fran - or more accurately, Fran's mother Geraldine - wants answers about what happened to Jenna.

When Tom and his wife Kate advertise another retreat, Geraldine books a place for Fran to attend so that she can do some digging and try to find out once and for all what happened to her sister. Using Geraldine's identity, Fran is soon ensconced in a Snowdonian farmhouse with several other attendees, some of whom were at the ill-fated retreat where her sister went missing. Can Fran found out what happened to her sister? Or is someone intent on keeping that secret for good, no matter what it takes?

I really enjoyed this twisty, well-written thriller. It's well-paced, and I liked that it was told from two perspectives - Fran's in the present and Jenna's in the past - so that we got to see the whole story unravel. I also didn't guess the final twist, so bonus points for that! Would recommend this one - I loved the spiritual retreat aspect which gave it an original angle, and I liked that the characters were well developed and believable.

Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

C L Taylor is a go to author for me, I've enjoyed every book she's written. Whilst not my favourite, Her Last Holiday is a thrilling read with a great plot which keeps you hooked and a satisfying twist at the end.
4 stars

Her Last Holiday by C.L. Taylor was my first by this author but won't likely be the last.

I found this novel engaging and gripping but the downside was that I couldn't quite get into Jenna's mindset since I'm a bit dubious about self-help kind of things. I think those that are deep into it may get more from this book.

I feel it drug a bit during the story building but the awesome character of Fran made up for it. She's not your likely heroine (older single woman, no romantic storyline here) but is a badass none the less!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Disaster strikes a self help Guru's retreat leaving two read and one other missing. As the leader of the retreat leaves a short prison sentence he sets about organising a new venture. Among the first recruits are the sister of the missing person and an investigative journalist, both determined to find out what happened. Great story told through the eyes of three main characters.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, I am a regular reader of this author and this book had many turns and lots of tension. I loved the ending and could of had added epilogue to it. I fully recommend this book great edgy suspense tense novel

It took me a little bit to get into this book but when I did I really got invested. Switching back and forth between past and present the reader follows multiple characters on a wellness journey.

I was a little sad that I guessed the correct ending pretty early on into the book. But that didn’t turn me off from finishing the book. There were still so many small details to get and I enjoyed continuing to piece them together.

My favorite character was Fran. She was definitely rough around the edges at the start of the book. By the end I feel like Fran had blossomed and I loved following her journey. Fran and Jenna (sisters) struggled with a dysfunctional family situation which I found relatable. I also found the self help aspect of this story interesting!

This was my first C.L. Taylor book and I am looking forward to reading more!

I was hooked from the beginning and i my attention was kept the whole way through as i wanted to find out what was going on.
All the characters are well thought out and have their own personalities
This was a great book. It was very well written. And a quick weekend read.

Wow, this one was fantastic!! I just knew that it was going to be an amazing thriller and the suspense was there the whole novel!

A little slow paced but still a great story. I quite enjoyed the characters and the story plot. It was a good read during the lockdown!

Jenna went to Gozo in Malta to a retreat to find herself after some distressing news. She never returned with the police ruling suicide. Tom, the leader of retreat has been released from prison for the manslaughter of 2 other members of the retreat. Toms wife Kate arranges another retreat and enna's sister Fran is sent to by their mother to find out what happened to Jenna.
Ive read a few of CLTaylors books and I love them for the great storylines. She us very good at keeping the reader interested in where the story is going and this book is no exception.
I received this book from Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review

A well written plot and character development - this was a page turner that made me want to see what else the author has available to read.

I'm a big CL Taylor fan so was super excited to read this ahead of release. Two years ago, a woman named Jenna went missing presumed dead from a wellness retreat. The organiser of the retreat was jailed and held responsible for two other deaths at the same retreat and this book starts just as Tom is released from jail. His wife convinces him to run another retreat to try and make up for the money he lost during his sentence. Looking for answers, Jenna's sister Fran enrolls on the course. I found this a fun read and the ending definitely kept me guessing. It's well written and holds your attention throughout. Would definitely recommend!

What a rollercoaster ride. Twisty, turny. Just when you think you have the characters figured out, you don’t. A clever, intricate plot. A fantastic read.

I have liked all of the books I've read by C.L. Taylor, Her Last Holiday is no exception. It's a great psychological thriller. It's an easy read, nothing too heavy, but had few twists I don't see coming! The premise is one sister (Jenna) goes missing under cloudy circumstances during a spiritual retreat led by a self help guru (Tom) and a few years later her older sister (Fran) goes to a similar retreat led by none other then Tom I'm hopes to finally find out what really happened to her sister. If you like Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapeña and B A Paris this will be right up your alley.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Once again C L Taylor had me totally engrossed, a good storyline and again the twist at the end was so unexpected.
At first a couple of the characters were hard to like but that made the retreat setting a bit more realistic.
Look forward to reading more of her books.
Thank you Netgalley

This was a great book.

It was an unpredictable thriller in a health retreat setting. I enjoyed the multiple POV's from different characters, some likeable and some not so much.

I got through this book quite quickly, I couldn't put it down.

I definitely recommend this one to those who are fans of psychological thrillers.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ebook via Netgalley

‘Her Last Holiday’ -C.L Taylor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 4.5 stars
“You come to Soul Shrink to heal. You don’t expect to die.”

Shrouded in mystery, a young girl’s apparent suicide in picturesque Gozo causes irreparable wounds to her family: older sister Fran (under considerable duress from her emotionally devoid mother) agrees to visit Tom and Kate’s wellness retreat ‘Soul Shrink’- where her sister had met her demise three years prior.

This time the location is different (set in Wales) but the deceit, corruption and manipulation is ever prevalent... seeping it’s way into the visitors, grasping hold of their sense of logic and rationality, refusing to let go.

Will Fran get the answers she so longingly desires? Someone must know the truth behind what happened to Jenna?

Superb, tantalisingly tense writing by C.L Taylor- told predominantly through three female characters within two contrasting time frames- ‘then’ and ‘now’. You’ll never see it coming...

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon books UK for the opportunity to receive this psychological-thriller ARC.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it held my attention immensely. I thought I had everything figured out, but then I was proven wrong...twice! I was definitely anxious to get to the end to see who did what to whom and why. Right to the last page, it did not diappoint!

I am a huge fan of C L Taylor’s novels and was thrilled to have a chance to read her latest before it was published. The story starts of slow,, but by the end, you will be dying to know who did what. I thought I knew how the story was going, but like all her novels there was a twist you won’t see coming. I look forward to reading her next novel.

Fran goes to Gozo to attempt to find out the circumstances of her sister’s death but who to trust?
Interesting characters and intriguing storyline that I have come to expect from this author. A compelling read

I really like this author so when I saw she had a new book out I had to read it. If you like a good thriller with lots of mystery then you'll love this book.

Frank's sister Henna went missing on a retreat, she's presumed dead but no body has been found. When the man responsible for other deaths at the retreat is released from prison and sets up a brand new retreat, Fran decides to go and find out what happened.

Another brilliant thriller from a great author. I'd highly recommend this.

"You come to Soul Shrink to be healed. You don’t expect to die“
One to play with your head and spin you around- perfect! Fran is on a retreat at her mothers behest. The man running itTom Wade was let out of prison 9 months ago having been convicted of two deaths on one of his retreats in Gozo. At the same time Fran’s sister Jenna went missing, presumed dead. Fran has gone under an assumed name and her mother has insisted that the only way to get to truth is to confront Tom and see his reaction when Jenna is mentioned. On the first night there Fran receives a note addressed to her real name informing her that Jenna didnt commit suicide as the police thought but was murdered. Someone knows her real identity and more about Jenna.
This draws you in and keeps you there. A mystery as well as a thriller. That air of suspense and whodunnit, brilliantly written as ever. My view of whodunnit changed as I went through (and was totally wrong) something I enjoy to keep the grey matter active. A suspenseful read right until the very end. We get alternate chapters from Jenna and Kate (Tom's wife) in the past at Gozo and various other characters in the present. Each chapter is entitled with a name and time frame making this easy to follow. Guru or charlatan, wife or employee, friend or foe? A captivating gripping read to make you challenge everyone in the story.

(rest of links on publication)

This book was addictive and exciting because I really had no idea where it was going. I really enjoyed the three perspectives which helped build suspense, particularly towards the last section of the book. I do think the ending was a little anticlimactic, which was a shame, because the plot itself felt so unique and not at all expected. It was also less sinister than I anticipated and more focused on the relationships between the characters. However I enjoyed the unexpected direction the story took.

Overall a good book which I found very easy to get stuck into.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book, C.L Taylor sure knows how to keep the twists and turns coming. I had an idea of "who dunnit" but love it when you get to the end and it's all been turned on its head.
Thank you for letting me read this, I will 100% be recommending this to my fellow book lovers
Another 5 Stars for C.L.Taylor

With Cally’s books you always get a page turner and I defy you not to finish her books in a few days. This latest addition is no different for me although I feel the premise is a little similar to a couple of her books I have read.
I wouldn’t let that put you off though as she’s probably the best thriller authors out there and her twists will have you guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the advanced copy.

Her Last Holiday by @cltaylorauthor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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When young Jenna visits a retreat in a desperate bid to “find herself” she finds herself caught up with the hosts who are not all as they seem. Jenna subsequently disappears and it is ruled as suicide. Not satisfied with these answers, older sister Fran books herself into the same retreat (although the location is now in wales) where the same deceit and manipulation is occurring. Will Fran and her family get the answers they deserve?
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Another expertly written novel from Taylor which effortlessly slips between the main characters and two time period of ‘then’ and ‘now’. Definitely one to add to your TBR pile.
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Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books U.K. for this ARC

Another pacy book from C L Taylor, to be devoured hungrily so as not to lose track of any plot twists. I was sure I’d predicted the twists and outcome, but I was so far wrong!
I love all of C L Taylor’s books, but this might be my favourite yet. The story skips back and forth between present day and the holiday in which Fran’s sister went missing. She has been assumed to have committed suicide, but Fran believe last there’s more to this verdict than meets the eye. Fran’s overbearing mother is determined that she should find out what happened and so persuades her to attend a life retreat run by the man she believes is responsible for the death of her sister. Brilliant from start to finish. Highly recommended

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a number of this author's previous books, so was very keen to get started on this one too.

The story contained all the ingredients expected in a good pschological thriller.

The storyline regularly flipped from present to past, and was also told by multiple perspectives. Some of the characters also had past and present names, and some had aliases. The reader has to be on their mettle with this book, and I would recommend reading in one sitting or at least very quickly.

For me personally, I have to drop one star simply because I only read a few chapters a night, and I had a job keeping up!

coming out at the beginning of the year! So when I found out that we would have not one but 2 books by her I was over the moon!


And of course I was not disappointed! The plot is fantastic and captivating with this suspense slowly building up in an incredible plot.

I love the different points of view from the different characters and also enjoyed reading the stories from the past as well.

I was captivated from chapter one and I really love the complexity of the characters. They are not only realistic - which normally makes them quite relatable - but you can also see them grow throughout the book which makes the plot really interesting.

C L Taylor always leaves us with some food for thought and, although I tend to get a bit frustrated with books that may leave the ending or plot lines open to interpretation, I never feel that towards C L Taylor’s books.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book (and all others by C L Taylor) and can’t wait for her next book!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

As a huge C.L Taylor fan, I was looking forward to her next novel out, so when I saw it available to request on NetGalley I knew I had to. And then when my request was accepted I was beyond excited!

Like all her books, I’m hooked by the first page, and this was indeed no different. I read it within a couple of days as I couldn’t put it down. I’m so grateful to have been approved for this.

This should appeal to readers who enjoy the likes of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.

Rating: 4.0/5

Thank goodness for C.J. Taylor! Having recently battled my way through a couple of books that were less than enjoyable, it was a relief to get my hands on something that was a pleasure to read.

In her latest offering, Cally Taylor has produced a story that essentially has a mystery at its core, but which also touches on family (particularly sibling) relationships and the impact that unrevealed secrets can have on future events. The novel also questions the rôle and motivations of self-styled, self-help groups and the. often charismatic. people who run them.

The narrative operates across two timelines: The present day and also at a point 2-3 years earlier. Jenna, the sister of our lead protagonist, Fran, disappeared while attending a wellness retreat. The man behind the self-help retreat, Tom Wade, has since been serving a jail sentence as a result of two other people dying while they were in attendance. Jenna's body was never found, nor was she heard from again, and Tom has never revealed what happened to her. Following his release from imprisonment Tom is set to pick up where he left off and run another wellness retreat. So, Fran signs up for the course - and goes in search of the truth.

Along with her contemporaries, Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley, C.J. Taylor has an impressive knack of creating settings and characters that are authentic and relatable. As a result, the reader is more accepting of the world they are being invited into and the scenario being presented. She achieves that again with this novel and while it is, perhaps, not her best, it is still very good.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Fran's sister Jenna disappeared during a Soul Shrink wellness retreat two years ago. Two people were killed during an accident during that retreat and the man behind it, Tom Wade, was just released from prison. In order to discover what happened to her sister, Fran goes on Tom's Soul Shrink retreat. Now she is with Tom, his wife, and people that knew her sister. Will Fran find out what happened to Jenna?

I enjoyed this mystery and the characters in it! It's filled with unexpected twists and turns. Will definitely recommend it. Thank you, NetGalley.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This one was really enjoyable. A wide range of realistic, complicated characters with well-motivated actions and plot-turns. Twists are unexpected without being unbelievable. A solid thriller

When I first picked up C.L. Taylor’s Her Last Holiday, having read advance publicity material, I expected an Agatha-Christie-style ‘whodunnit’ where a group of people are cooped up together in enclosed surroundings until suspects are gradually eliminated one by one by the detective and the eagle-eyed reader. C.L. Taylor’s latest offering, however, expands this literary trope by providing a fresh, contemporary insight into the growing ‘self-help retreat’ industry and the lengths of sisterly loyalty.
School teacher Fran is desperate to find out what happened to her younger sister Jenna who disappeared during a self-help workshop on the Maltese island of Gozo run by the charismatic Tom Wade and his ruthlessly wife Kate. Although Tom has been forced to endure a prison sentence for the manslaughter of two other workshop participants, Kate is ruthlessly determined to re-launch his ‘soul shrink’ brand when he is released, and the couple organise a similar workshop in Cumbria that Fran books under an assumed name.
Initially I found the broken timeline and the many spotlights on ancillary characters difficult, as there are so many diversions from Fran’s search to take notice of. Eventually, though, Fran’s strategy crystallised, the deeply buried family secrets her parents have guarded emerged, and the motives of some of the family workshop participants became clearer, and as a result I enjoyed reading the novel more. I also liked seeing how the resourceful, determined Fran meets her match in an undercover journalist keen to discover her own narrative, and witnessing how the deeply flawed, unlikeable character of Kate was always several steps behind them with her suspicions. The ending of the novel is not only completely unexpected but also deeply satisfying, something that is rare in novels of this genre. I am sure that fans of C.L. Taylor’s previous novels will read this stand-alone tome anyway, but I hope Her Last Holiday will also garner her many new readers. Warmly recommended, and with my thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for the ARC provided in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This was an easy read and kept me wanting to read till the end. It’s also keeps you guessing up until the end you find out what happens to Jenna. Would recommend this to anyone

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc.

I absolutely adored The Lie by CL Taylor. She writes such pacy reads that have you hooked with chapters that end on cliffhangers and leave you gasping. Her Last Holiday is not different.
This follows three women across a Now and Then timeline. Now follows:
* Fran - 51-years old, an ICT teacher. Her younger sister disappeared on a retreat in Malta three years old. Her death was ruled as suicide, even though her body was never found. Fran has a strained relationship with her mother who bullies Fran into going to a retreat in Wales held by Tom Wade, who was released from prison 9 months after. It was on Tom’s retreat Jenna, her sister, was last seen before she disappeared...And it’s there that Fran will get answers.
* Kate - Tom’s wife. She organises everything - the architect behind Tom’s success - and she’s determined that the retreat will be success after her husband’s release. No-one will get in her way...
* Then - Jenna - 37-year old Jenna is going on a retreat to Malta. She has answers she’s seeking, and it’s not long before her quest for healing turns into something more unexpectedly passionate as she falls for Tom. But someone isn’t happy...And is falling Jenna. Leaving her life-threatening warnings...
The narratives combine nicely. I was on the edge of my seat constantly. The characters are fleshed out and your impressions of the characters change constantly throughout the story. I did think, however, that the last 20% had far too many far-fetched twists and the ending wasn’t as satisfying. But on the whole this is truly, a gripping read about family regrets and secrets, creepy retreats, and the bond between sisters. 4/5.

I am a huge C. L. Taylor so receiving an ARC of Her Last Holiday was a so exciting.

In typical fashion Taylor writes a gripping tale with so many twists. This plot driven storyline along with fantastic characters made for an exhilarating read.

I have absolutely loved reading this book and found myself racing through the pages to find out what would happen next!

Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a Soul Shrink wellness retreat in Gozo. The now infamous man behind the retreats, Tom Wade, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of two people. However, he has never spoken about what happened to the third suspected victim Jenna.

In a bid to uncover the truth, Fran books herself onto his upcoming retreat in Wales; the first since his release. She is determined to uncover the truth and speak to the man who might hold the key to her sister’s disappearance. But will she escape the retreat alive? Or is there someone who is desperate for Jenna’s secrets to stay hidden?

I really liked the ‘now’ and ‘then’ dual storyline in this book. The ‘then’ chapters were from the perspective of Jenna giving insight into the retreat in Gozo and her thoughts and feelings during this time. The ‘now’ chapters were from the perspective of Fran (Jenna’s sister) and Kate (Tom’s wife). These alternating narratives made this a really gripping read and I loved how there were so many hidden secrets which were slowly revealed across the course of the story.

The descriptions were so beautifully detailed throughout meaning I could really picture both the Gozo and Wales retreats. I also really liked the depth and mystery surrounding the characters and found the two things combined made for a really immersive reading experience.

I particularly loved the layers of suspense and the fantastic twists and turns along the way. When certain truths were revealed I was left speechless! I also really liked the final three chapters. They were the perfect ending to an incredible book and I didn’t see them coming at all! I honestly cannot recommend this book enough!

This was a race to the finish line I'm always gripped by C.L. Taylor's books and this one was no different, you get so invested in the story that you say just one more chapter and before you know it you've finished and it's 3am! 🤣

An intriguing story of troubled souls seeking relief in retreats with tragic consequences.

Full of suspense, suspicion, lies, tragedy, I raced though and enjoyed the twists and turns along the way!

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for a copy of “ Her Last Holiday “ for an honest review .

Another enjoyable read from C L Taylor that kept you guessing right up to the end..If I’m honest i didn’t like this as much as her previous books , but that’s only because they were so good. This book took me longer to get into, and I struggled a little with the name changes but I will definitely be recommending this as a perfect summer read..

I’ve always loved CL Taylor’s books and this was no exception on the whole but I did feel elements of it were a little far fetched at times and I didn’t feel as gripped as I normally do by her novels. That being said it was well written as always and I enjoyed the different POVs and the timeline jump throughout the book. I was going to give it a 3.5 but the more I think about it the more I realise I did enjoy it a lot so feel a 4 is fairest. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Avon for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I”ve read other books by C.L. Taylor and “Her last holiday” didn’t disappointed me. In my opinion this is one of her best books, with deep and believable characters that make the reader care about them. The story is engaging and updated as we have so many real life “gurus” claiming they can fix all kinds of problems, I liked try way the story unfolds and especially how Fran overcomes her fears and reunites with her sister. I highly recommend this book.

C.L Taylor has done it again! Yet another of her books I couldn't put down, read it in less than 24 hours and was rather sad to finish it in a way. I had great fun desperately trying to figure out what happened before I read the answers, nothing like a good mystery to engage my brain.

Following the lives of two sisters, Fran and Jenna, you slowly weave together a picture of what really happened in Gozo on the night of Jenna's disappearance.
Throughout the whole book, I found myself never quite sure who to trust. Everyone has their own secrets hidden just below the surface but you often have no idea just how damaging those secrets are behind the facade.

Right from the get-go, Tom Wade is painted as the villain, newly released from prison after serving 3 years for the accidental deaths of two of his clients at a wellness retreat. With Jenna assumed to have committed suicide, no one was held responsible for her disappearance, yet Fran and her mother were adamant to find Tom and get the truth.

The more you learn about Tom, his wife Kate and the others on the retreat, the less sure you can be about anything that's going on. Tom is not the villain he seems, Kate is no saint and no one seems to be telling the truth about their motives for being there.

C L Taylor is one of my favourite authors so I’m very happy to be reviewing her upcoming book “Her Last Holiday”.

She’s a master of twisty shocking tales and this is no exception!

Francs sister Jenna went missing / presumed dead on a retreat a few years ago, now the man in charge has been released from prison and he’s started a new retreat. Of course Fran has to go but there’s some shocks along the way...

Thrilling! Loved this. I really enjoyed how Fran was not a likeable character, she’s harsh and takes no shit but not in a likeable way...I feel like this really added to the story and really showed the differences between her and Jenna. I loved to hate Kate! What a character!

A fantastic 4/5.

Loved this! Read it in a couple of hours. A well conceived plot, I didn't guess the ending until just before it was revealed. Definitely will be recommending this!

Fran is determined to find out the truth behind her sister Jenna’s disappearance and supposed suicide. She went missing on a retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong after two people died. It was run by the charismatic Tom Wade who went to prison for the deaths but never explained what happened to Jenna.
Fran sees that on Tom’s release he is running another retreat and books on to it hoping to find the truth and come to terms with her sister’s death. She is convinced that Tom is to blame and wants to make him pay.
Full of suspense this kept me gripped to the end, loved it!

My first CL Taylor book! This book had me hooked from the outset and deserves every good review given to it! I thoroughly enjoyed reading his and was really disappointed that it had to end!

Fran’s sister Jenna has gone missing (and presumed dead) after she attended a retreat in Gozo run by Tom Wade and his wife Kate. Never having been that close to Jenna due to the age gap and family circumstances and pressure from her overbearing mother, Fran decides to sign up for the next retreat to investigate what happened as she feels something untoward went on. The story is told from Kate, Jenna and Fran’s perspective and hovers between past and present.

Great writing and character building from the author. Also, there is a big twist at the end of this so be prepared!
Thanks to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I spent most of this booking thinking I had the whole thing figured out and that it was so predictable and obvious, but I was completely wrong and now I am laughing at myself. The last 20% to 30% of the book is chock-full of explosive surprises that I didn't see coming! I would describe this thriller as a slow burn. There was definitely mystery and suspense throughout the book but the end had me glued to the page.

This was my first C.L. Taylor book but it definitely won’t be my last. If you have never read any of her books my only advice would be to read the whole thing through, don’t give up on it because you think you have it all figured out. It took me a little while to get into this one but the end is so good it completely makes up for it. With my next C.L. Taylor book, I will dive into it with a fresh mind knowing that she has all kinds of tricks up her sleeve.

I love CL Taylor - her novels never fail to grip me, and Her Last Holiday was another great read!

I must note though that it took me a good 30% of the book to learn who was who though, as several characters have two names (one in the past and one in the present), and the main character shares her false ‘current’ name with her mother, making things quite confusing at times!

However once I got into the book and learned the characters, the book drew me in properly. It’s worth persevering with the first quarter or so, as it’s an enjoyable escapist read**

Set both in modern day wet wintery Wales and 3 years earlier in Gozo in healing retreats, it was the perfect antidote to ‘retreat’ into away from the news etc (from wet wintery Wales however!) which dominates our lives so much at the moment. It has a great mix of goodies, baddies, and downright odd people - and some who will take you by surprise. I couldn’t put it down in the second half of the book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

**Read the first quarter in one go if you can for the continuity!

Fran books herself into Soul Shrink Retreats to try to find out what happened to her sister who visited the retreat a few years ago and disappeared. Is Tom Wade the man behind the retreat innocent and as nice as he seems. This is another gripping book by CL Taylor who never disappoints and takes you on a thrilling adventure. Read and enjoy.

An interesting, slow paced mystery with a lot of drama. I loved the premise of a sister looking into what happened to her sister. With a cast of several excellent suspects at the retreat, I was entertained, even if I did guess the twist. A light beach read.

An excellent read - as usual with this author. An intriguing plot line, which builds up throughout the story, creates tension. Would recommend.

I absolutely loved this. The story was so well written and each of the three characters had such distinct and individual voices, i was completely engaged by them. While not all of them were what you would call likeable, they were very good characters and i find unlikable characters to be (sometimes) far more interesting. I never imagined the ending or the twists, i thought i had it all figured out but once again Cally threw me for a loop with an epic game changer.

This was a fascinating story based around a self help group holiday. The descriptions in the story were excellent and I felt as though I was there. I managed well with the time changes in the story as they were clearly defined and the interactions between the participants was very good. I loved the conclusion..

This was my first introduction to books by C.L.Taylor and I shall certainly go back and read the others.
This story was told from the perspective of 3 people over 2 time periods.
The interesting plot kept me wanting to find out what happened
I really enjoyed it and if you like a who dunnit then this is the book for you.
Thanks to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reading a C. L. Taylor novel has the same effect on me as watching Criminal or The Alienist 📺 it is absolute comfort zone time, at its best. “Her Last Holiday” was my third book by this author & I have read it over the period of 10 days, enjoying it in little bits every day.

Tom Wade, infamous guru and leader of self-help counselling group SoulShrink, has just been released from prison after being sentenced for his involvement in the mysterious deaths of two people. Tom’s wife Kate seizes this opportunity to arrange for a new SoulShrink 💬 retreat session on the country-side. What neither of them knows is that one of the participants has applied using a false name – Fran is not here for the counselling, she needs to solve a very important question.

Her Last Holiday
By C. L. Taylor
My Rating: 4 🌟
This book came with strong “Sleep” vibes (for fellow readers of C. L. Taylor novels) – I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a thriller that reads like a cosy mystery and is a real “who dun it”.

Thank you very much @avon_books for the kind NetGalley ARC; I have enjoyed this novel a lot.

A most enjoyable multiple character viewpoint mystery that kept me guessing for a long time. There are plenty of twists, turns, roundabouts, suspicious and never a dull moment from start to finish.

My first book by this author and after a slow start I enjoyed it. Two years ago Fran’s sister Jenna goes missing on a wellness retreat in Gozo, their mother has a hard time accepting her presumed death and signs up to go an another retreat run by the same couple, Tom and Kate. When her mother has an accident she persuades Fran to take her place to try and discover what happened to Jenna. There are plenty of red herrings and twists as Fran struggles to find the truth and solve the mystery.

What a fun, twisty read! Her Last Holiday kept me second guessing myself the whole time! With alternating POVs, Taylor keeps the reader on their toes. Family secrets, marriage secrets, death and a missing woman makes this book a delicious read!

I received #HerLastHoliday as an ARC courtesy of #NetGalley and #HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

A corkscrew roller coaster is how I would describe this book. What a read it was that I enjoyed and I could not put down. Tom and Kate run a posh sweat lodge retreat for people with "problems." Fran, who goes by the name of Geraldine, books a stay to try and find out what happened to her sister who disappeared from there 3 years prior. Caroline, who goes by the name of Joy, is a reporter wanting to write a story about Tom who was recently released from prison. There are a lot of strange, dysfunctional characters in this story that is told is a then and now format with different narrators. Fran (Geraldine) and Caroline (Joy) add to the confusion by using there alternative names. Overall, it is a good read with a lot of suspense and surprises in it.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC of this very exciting book that was a real page turner in exchange for an honest review.

When Jenna attends a retreat, her family are devastated to hear she has committed suicide. Her mother doesn't accept the suicide verdict and sends Jenna's sister Fran on the next retreat to discover the truth. Fran has to learn who she can trust and who is a suspect as she desperately tries to discover what really happened to her sister.

A really good read. The characters come to life and the plot is interesting. There are enough twists to keep the reader turning pages and to throw you off the scent. The writing style is excellent. I was impressed by the authors ability to create an image without being overly descriptive as some do. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for the ARC of this book.
I found this book a really unusual and great read. The way it explores the relationship between siblings and an overbearing mother was really well done. I am sure there are a lot of people who spend far too much time and money on the type of “retreats” that Kate and Tom organised to find a way to correct their dysfunctional lives. The twists and turns in the book were really well written and kept you turning the pages. Only thing left unfinished was were is Tom now?
Looking forward to more please.

This was quite an interesting read It centers around missing (presumed dead after having committed suicide) Jenna, who was last seen at a retreat, and her sister Fran, who goes on the hunt for answers.

Apart from the story itself, which drew me in, left me incredulous, then amused, I found myself thinking about it for quite a while after reading the last page. The twists and unexpected turns are very clever, and I especially enjoyed Caroline, and also Fran. Frankly, Tom, Kate, Geraldine and even Jenna needed a good kick up the jacksy for the most part. And that sweat lodge! Holy cow, do people actually go in for that sort of thing? I'm amazed, ain't no way you'd get me in there, soul searching or not! Just goes to show how gullible people can be, and why people (like Kate) make a lot of money if they play their cards right.

In her acknowledgments, the author says that if this is the first of her books the reader has picked up, she hopes it inspires a second, and by Jove it has. I look forward to delving into a few more C.L. Taylor offerings in the near future. I give this a solid 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Thanks to C.L. Taylor, Avon Books, and NetGalley for my ARC.

Read this book all in one sitting. Loved the complexities of the characters and their surrounding relationships. Also liked the way the author led you down one path, then another, leaving it impossible to know who the villain or hero/heroine would be in this story. Liked the twists at the end too!

I really enjoy reading CL Taylors books. They are all unique in their plots and take you on a journey. This book was definitely one of my favorites from her. I really enjoyed how the story was told from 3 different points of view. I didn't love all of the characters, but I truly appreciated their perspectives and why they did what they did. I enjoyed reading about Kate's perspective and how she spiraled down as the book progressed. Never thought that she would be that devious! I was happy that Fran and Jenna made up with their parents at the end. I liked how that part of the book ended. I almost felt like with the Kate ending that we might see another book about her?

Wow I have no clue how C. L. Taylor does this time and time again and comes up with books that leave you unable to put them down, and leaving you opened mouths in awe and shock by the end!

But it's one hell of a skill to have, and this is another triumphant book that had me scratching my head. Ok I had a tiny inkling about one part of the resolution, but I wasn't ever completely sure, nor could I work out the hows, whys etc...

We are treated to three ladies perspectives, Jenna from her time at the wellness retreat in Gozo, Fran and Kate in the present day, where ultimately we are on a retreat run by the same man responsible for deaths at his previous one in Gozo, and that has just been released from prison.

Fran is on the quest for truth as to just what happened to Jenna, two years ago, as her family are refusing to believe the verdict of suicide. However the sheer act of asking questions could be rather dangerous it appears.

And in the chapters from Jenna's points of view, I was utterly gripped into what went on, and how so many people believed in Tom - the soul shrink. Tom suffers from a condition that is actually quite fascinating and his welcome talk on the new retreat sounded really impressive, but how much of that was really true I'm not sure!

I read this book in two sittings, with the need for sleep the only thing stopping me from reading it in one go. It was addictive, unpredictable, gripping and just C. L. Taylor at her very best. It keeps you guessing, keeps you thinking and is just a fabulous reading experience.

I've said it before, and I'll happily say it again, that C. L. Taylor writes absolute masterpieces, always so different but with the most amazing of storylines and twists that come out of nowhere. Just wow!

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I loved reading this book, especially about Fran. Fran comes across as a woman who goes to work does what she is paid to do before returning home to comfy slippers and hot chocolate by the fire. When she is summoned home, by her mother, it is still to take second place to her absent sister Jenna again! Jenna was the much younger sister of Fran, and they had never been close.


Jenna had gone missing while attending a retreat in Gozo, at the same time as two other guests had died. Tom Wade, the head of Soul Shrink Retreats, was being released from prison after serving a two-year manslaughter sentence for the two that had died. Jenna was still missing.
A very reluctant Tom and his pushy wife Kate had organised a new venue in Wales, and Fran’s mum was insistent that Fran goes to find out what had happened to Jenna.

This book was very entertaining, with characters that are larger than life. Fran is hilarious, not comfortable mixing with people, and has a lousy memory for the identity she has taken on. I had to cringe and giggle at her.


The story is told by three women, first Fran, secondly Kate whose memories go back to the last retreat and everything that went wrong to present day and finally Jenna leading up to what had happened to her. These three were perfect narrators and held all the answers.


This story is more of a Miss Marple than Peter James, easy reading, engaging and loved the end!


I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Oh wow! This is a straight from the headlines thriller. The sister Jenna disappears at a retreat by a guru jailed for the death of two and the sister of third retreat goer ends up trying to get to the bottom of it. Amazing plot and twists and a satisfying ending.

Jenna goes to a retreat to heal, but she never comes home.  Now her sister, Fran, is trying to find out who killed her.  Will Fran finally get to the truth or will she never return home just like her sister?

This is another belter of a book from CL Taylor.  Yet again, you are transported into a world with twists, turns, secrets and lies and I loved it.

I really enjoyed Fran.  She is not your usual lead character in crime/thriller books.  She is sassy, but in a way your Mum gets sassy when someone cuts in front of her in a queue and she ends up muttering "youths" as she walks past a teenager.  She is slightly square, slightly older, and slightly rude, but that's my favourite personality combination of seems!  But most of all, she stands up for what is right, and you see that in the opening of the book, which just cemented my enjoyment of her early on.

I really found the family dynamics interesting too as well as the subjects within the story about domestic abuse (both marital and relative based) and really liked how in both cases it was flipped on its head from the "usual" stereotype of men being the perpetrator.

It's a book that I absolutely flew through, and like the other books I've read from CL Taylor, it's a another fantastic page turner.

Thank you to Net Galley and Avon books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just finished this and I feel like I have a book hangover. Great book, I really liked the characters and C. L Taylor always sets the scene and describes her characters perfectly so that you instantly like or dislike them. I didn't really like the main character Fran at first but as the story went on I warmed to her. This book is packed with lots of drama and twists which made it hard to put down. Definitely a 5 star book perfect for summer

Fran's sister, Jenna, disappeared two years ago on a wellness retreat in Gozo.
When Tom Wade, the man behind SoulsShrinks Retreat gets out of prison after serving a sentence for the death of two people, Jenna's mother forces Fran to book a place on his upcoming retreat.
Will Fran find out what happened to her sister?

As expected CL Taylor doesn't disappoint, and produces another unputdownable book.
I found myself sucked right in, even though the plot details were doled out slowly. It is a book full of suspense that keeps you racing through it to find out what happens next.
My only reservation is that I found the twist a bit far-fetched, and the whole story, overall, had a familiar feeling; I must have read another book about a wellness retreat before.
Nonetheless, this was a really good, and gripping read, and I highly recommend it, whether you're new to CL Taylor's work, or whether you've read some of her books already.

Be prepared for a brilliant, clever, crime thriller/suspense you will not want to put down. This latest book from CL Taylor is brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The suspense grabs you and trust me you won't want to stop reading until the final page. The characters are awesome and the plot is unexpected, the twist are mind blowing. CL Taylor has truly written a masterpiece, it will shock and end with a killer twist. The main character Fran is certainly determined to find out what happened to her sister at the wellness retreat and that's where the twists and shocks come in. The book just absorbs you and it's one of those where you say "just one more chapter" well that chapter just doesn't happen and before you know it you have finished the whole book. I really loved it and it deserves more stars than five. I would highly recommend because you won't be disappointed.

C.L. Taylor has done it again...A gripping story full of suspense. 5 stars!
I first came across C.L. Taylor's books a few years ago when someone donated 'The Accident' to a book swap shelf. Ever since then I have been addicted to her books. So I was over the moon to say the least when I got accepted to review her new book!
'Her Last Holiday,' is full of twists and turns from the beginning right until the end. Just when you think you've got it there's another twist!
When you think of a wellness or health retreat you think of spa days, motivational speakers, delicious food, relaxation and happiness. However, this book completely flips this view and turns 'paradise' into a nightmare!
I loved the variety and mystery of the characters and how their different personalities played a role in the story. They are described in so much detail and I could imagine each of them clearly in my head.
I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put this book down.
If you love mystery, a gripping story with plenty of twists and turns I would 100% recommend this book.
Thank you to C.L. Taylor, Avon and HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I always love Cally’s books, she has a way with words that manage to drum up excitement and anticipation about what’s going to happen next. I thought I had this story figured out - I was wrong! The ending!!!

I give this book 4 stars because it felt a little samey and similar to other reads, it really did remind me of Sleep in a way (people who don’t know each other staying away in a house together on a retreat) I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and I’m so pleased I’m getting back into fiction again, I found that so hard in 2020! Thanks Cally!

I went into this book thinking, “who would let that man host another retreat?” I ended up loving the book though.

I loved the mystery in it, which I cant talk a lot about because of *spoilers*, but I really enjoyed it.

The characters were also great—and some of them also mysterious—and i really enjoyed learning about them as well.

'Learn how to heal your trauma, free yourself from anxiety and fact the future with optimism rather than fear’

Packed with mystery, wonderfully twisted characters and told in two timelines Her Last Holiday by C.L. Taylor is set in a wellness retreat in Snowdonia, Wales and another in Malta. The face for the SoulShrink Retreat is Tom Wade a motivational speaker and anxiety survivor and he’s just been released from jail!

Fran Fitzgerald is a teacher with attitude and Tom Wade from SoulShrink was the last person to see her much younger sister Jenna alive! Jenna went missing at a SoulShrink retreat that took place in Gozo, Malta.

On his release from jail Tom had decided he wasn’t going to run another retreat but his mind has been changed, it’s back to business and one will be held.

Seeing online that Tom has been released and within three days he's begun tweeting again, Fran’s mother Geraldine is bloody angry! Geraldine decides Fran should try and find out what happened to her daughter Jenna as she doesn’t believe it could of been a suicide. So Fran books herself on the next retreat to confront Tom and look for answers. Will Fran get her answers and will she get out alive?

There are many characters in this story (keep a notebook!) as the story is told from both Jenna’s and Fran’s point of view at each different retreat.

And we have our third narrator, Kate. Kate is the organiser, business partner and the drive behind the retreats. She has held everything together and pushed on after the murder accusations ruined them financially.

The story begins with a great dynamic and later in the story the tone and pace changes with many red herrings and secrets. I think to enjoy this story one hundred per cent you have to realise it's fiction so it doesn’t have to be believable!!!

The story is tantalisingly character driven. An entertaining psychological thriller!
Release date is 29 April 2021!

I have read all the books this author has written and this book did not disappoint. Great storyline and relatable characters. Highly recommended.

Fran’s sister Jenna visited Gozo on a self-help retreat with a group of people. A tragic accident happens resulting in two people from the group dying and Jenna going missing. Her disappearance is later ruled as a suicide. Tom the leader of the self-help group is sent to prison. Fran and her family are left struggling to come to terms with Jenna committing suicide.
Almost three years later when Tom is released from prison and begins to get his life back on track, Jenna’s family are shocked to see Tom has organised another self-help retreat. Fran is booked onto the retreat under a pseudonym to investigate her sisters death. Will Fran get the answers she desperately craves?

For me, this book was full of excitement, so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, half the time I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I loved the mysterious backgrounds to all the characters and I really became invested in the hunt to find out what happened to Jenna. I was absolutely gripped from start to finish.

If you have read Taylor's previous books and liked them you will definitely like this. Everything about this book was great, I mean everything. Highly Recommend

Two tears ago something happened in Gozo. We know two people died. And we know Jenna, Fran's sister hasnt been seen since.

Tom Wade has spent two years in jail for his 'crime'

Kate, his wife has been planning Tom's comeback. Now that hes out will SoulShrink rise from the ground again?

Fran has decided (well been pushed by her mother Geraldine) to go on the first SoulShrink retreat since Tom the leader has been released from prison. Will Fran find the answers she's looking for? Or is she putting herself in the line of danger?

C L Taylor has done it again, I love her writing style. She doesn't divulge too much information too soon. We barely know the background of what happened in the SoulShrink retreat in Gozo, but we know enough to want to find out more.

The reinvented retreat is being held in Snowdonia. Now being a North Walian girl 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 the locations mentioned in the book aren't very far from me. I kind of squealed when the A497 got a mention even 🙈

Her Last Holiday is full of mystery and intrigue. Prepare to play detective as you try to unravel the secrets, plus keep your wits about you on who's who?



Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for my gifted digital copy.

Good suspenseful book. A new author for me. I will definitely read more from this author. Love the story. Couldn’t put the book down.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Her Last Holiday by C.L. Taylor offers an intriguing premise that, for me, fell a little flat in its execution. I suspect that I may be the outlier here, but I felt myself becoming frustrated at my inability to really connect or empathize with any of the characters, which was unexpected as there is a cast of many. That being said, perhaps my expectations were set too high by the tantalizing promise of a sun-drenched holiday in Malta.

Fran, a woman whose sister disappeared two years earlier at a wellness retreat in Gozo, has decided to go looking for answers to the unsolved mystery. Booking herself into the Soul Shrink retreat, Fran hopes that by infiltrating the group from the inside, she will discover what really happened to her sister Jenna once and for all. Upon her arrival, Fran meets Tom Wade, the founder of Soul Shrink, and perhaps the only man who can provide answers to her many queries. But having recently been released after serving time in prison for his involvement in the deaths of two people, can Tom be trusted to explain what really happened to Jenna? And is Fran herself safe at the Gozo retreat, where those with secrets will stop at nothing to keep them hidden?

This is a novel that cunningly and admirably unravels its many secrets, and I was certainly intrigued enough to follow it through. I am anxious to read much more from this author but, unfortunately, this one didn't quite hit the spot for me. 3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC of this title.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have read a few books by this author and have enjoyed them all. This had great storyline and great characters and kept me hooked from the beginning to the end. Enjoyed it.

This book was a little hard to get into but once I did I was hooked. The characters in the beginning are a little hard to keep straight but after the story developed it was an enjoyable read with a suspenseful story!

This book is about a woman, Fran, who is investigating the suspicious death of her sister while on a wellness retreat 2 years ago. Forced into this by her mother, Fran attends her own retreat with little hope of finding any new info, only to find that there are several suspicious characters there with her.

I found this story intriguing, a little slow paced at times, but something that I was excited to finish. There were parts that were not believable, but if you can get past those, it's a fine story. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

I have read all of C L Taylor’s previous novels and have always loved her cleverly crafted plots and how they weave in and out. This was no exception.

Fran’s sister, Jenna, went on a wellness retreat, SoulShrink, in Gozo two years before and did not return, having been declared as dead by way of suicide.

Fran, encouraged by her mother, Geraldine, is encouraged to go on the latest retreat run by the same couple as the leader, Tom Wade has just been released from prison charged with the deaths of others on that same trip. Fran intends to find out what happened and if her sister really did kill herself or had she been murdered.

The story is told from Kate (Tom’s wife), Jenna and Fran’s perspective alternating between the present and the past. It is clear that not everybody is telling the truth but there are numerous twists and turns throughout, a few of which left me gobsmacked.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and C. L. Taylor for my ARC of Her Last Holiday in return for my honest review.

Excellent Read. Recommended.

I'm getting more and more into thriller and mystery/suspense, and I loved that this one had a slow-burn kind of a feel to it. It included everything I love in my books: sisters, long-held secrets, family drama, and it was told in multi-POV. The setting of a wellness retreat in Gozo was great - the perfect escape! This is a fun, quick read for when you just want to get away.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book I requested and received in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. 2 years ago, Fran's sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat on Gozo. She had apparently taken her own life, though her body was never found. Tom Wade, the wellness guru who organised the retreat has just spent time in prison, and is now out and hosting another retreat in north Wales. Fran books herself in and is determined to find out what happened to her sister. This is a real page turner which will keep you on the edge of your seat. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Fran has a busy life and has little time for her family who she finds quite annoying. When her younger sister Jenna seeks her out to urgently speak to her she brushes her off saying she’s too busy. It is the last time she sees her. When tragedy strikes at the retreat Jenna is attending it is assumed she committed suicide but fast forward a few years and Fran makes her mission to get to the truth. A story that seemlessly switches from past to present and from the perspective of different characters it gradually unravels the truth with many a twist that has the reader guessing throughout. There are some quite detestable characters, others that garner sympathy and those with hidden secrets and agendas that make the book interesting from the start. Another imaginative book from the talented Cally Taylor.

Again, as always, C L Taylor spins another winner of a read!

Fran, living a "regular" lifestyle, misses her sister, Jenna, who died 2 years ago. One day while on the tube, Fran meets another commuter, Stella,. (who the reader immediately wonders about)..

BEFORE - On an airplane, Jenna is excited to go to a retreat. Of course, this may have something to do with one of the group leaders. Tom. may have mutual feelings for Jenna, but he is with Kate.

NOW we find out that Tom is being released from prison.

What did Tom do?

...and more importantly what WILL: Tom do?

It is always such a pleasure to read and review a C L Taylor book. Many Thanks to AVON Books, UK and NetGalley for a wonderful story!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
A tense and intriguing read, cleverly written with lots of twists and turns. This is a compelling mystery with well developed characters. I would recommend as a good read.

This was such an addictive book as I followed the story of Fran to discover the truth behind her sisters death. It is told in a dual timeline format and this worked so well for the story. The past gave me details of Jenna, Frans sister, who she met while on a retreat. The present is Frans part of the story.

The retreat is supposed to be a safe place, a place to overcome fears, tackle the lurking memories and demons and should be a positive and life affirming break. Jenna, unfortunately doesn’t come home from this break.

When another retreat is advertised Fran is cajoled into a place. The who and the why is gradually revealed and it gives an insight into both the lives of the sisters.

This is such a good story and one that had a great amount of intrigue. As I was reading I did wonder who was the main instigator and also who could I trust. I have to say the characters in the main are not that trustworthy or that likeable. In some ways this adds the suspicious side to their nature.

This had an excellent pace and quite a few twists. If you are a fan of crime and mystery books then you will probably read one or more of this authors books already. If you haven’t then you really should. A interesting and intriguing story that I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to C.L Taylor, NetGalley and Avon Books for the advance review copy of Her Last Holiday.

Two years ago Fran's younger sister Jenna went to a Soul Shrink self help retreat in Gozo with famous therapist Tom Wade - but sadly never returned. After the deaths of two of the attendees during the Gozo retreat, Tom was sent to prison for 2 years on a manslaughter charge, Meanwhile Jenna was missing under suspicious circumstances and her body was never found. The Police ruled that troubled Jenna had committed suicide.

When Tom is released from prison, his wife and business partner Kate has been planning his return for weeks. His big comeback, his return to hosting therapy retreats and a plan to rebuild their business empire. Within days of his release she has tweeted from his social accounts expressing his sorrow, hoping to gain the support of his heavy following who always supported his claim of innocence. Whilst Tom would have happily never hosted another retreat ever again, Kate is determined that they should go ahead to regain his reputation.

When Jenna and Fran's Mother sees the retreat in Wales advertised, she is furious, convinced that Tom murdered Jenna and desperate for answers. She books Fran on to the retreat, telling that she must stop at nothing to discover the truth. Fran eventually agrees creating a new identity in her Mother's maiden name to head to the retreat incognito. When some familiar characters arrive on the retreat who were also present in Gozo, is this Fran's opportunity to discover what really happened to her sister? Can she trust any of them?

Her Last Holiday kept me reading late into the night, with a great tension build up willing you to read on and learn more. Told through the differing perspectives of Jenna in Gozo during the retreat, Fran in the present day and Kate (the business partner), I really enjoyed flicking between the present day and the events that occurred two years ago in Gozo. As some of the characters were present again, I found myself doubting and questioning everyone. I also loved the fact that seeds that were planted early on grew to be crucial parts of the plot, but were done so subtly that you didn't even notice them at the time.

I really warmed to the slightly rude, no filter Fran - an unlikely lead but someone who I found myself rooting for - the guilt she felt at telling her sister to 'come back later' as there last meeting was relatable and heartfelt.

I read Her Last Holiday from cover to cover in 12 hours, stopping only to sleep! I believe this is my first read by C.L Taylor, but definitely not my last.

(This will be shared on realmumreview.com in March ready for April release)

I really enjoyed Her Last Holiday by C.L Taylor. Jenna attends a retreat in Gozo and never returns, her family are devastated to hear that she committed suicide but her body was never found. Jenna's sister Fran decides to attend one of these retreats two years after her sister's death, she wants to find out exactly what happened and why her sister would do such a thing.
This is a really good read, the plot keeps you interested the whole way through and you can't put it down. The narration switches from Fran now and Jenna then, so you slowly get to find out what happened while Jenna was at the retreat and the same time as following Fran as she tries to unearth the truth.
A great gripping and thrilling read. I would recommend this book.

I absolutely love this author’s books, and I was so excited to get the chance to read and review this book. Well, just be warned, don’t read this book until you have cleared your diary, because you won’t be able to put it down! Yet again, this author has caused me a late night, as “one more chapter” became the rest of the book.

Everything in this book lends itself perfectly to the element of suspense and the atmosphere of trepidation and fear.

There’s a feeling that Fran is entering the lion’s den by going on the wellness retreat, given what happened to her sister. I was on tenterhooks the whole time, fearing that she would be found out, and that something awful would happen to her. There certainly seem to be a lot of secrets about, and not everyone is who they seem.

We get a dual timeline, with snippets of what happened to Jenna on her retreat. Just enough to whet the appetite, and to make you need to find out what the conclusion was, but all is not revealed until near the end, in a series of shocking and heart-pounding twists and turns.

Yet another triumph from one my favourite thriller writers, this book will have you totally enthralled and riveted. Can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s out in April, available to pre-order now.

Another great book from Cally Taylor! She has a knack for keeping you guessing. Set in the world of self help groups with this one seeming to prey on vulnerable people. The main two characters are sisters Fran and much younger sister Jenna who seem to have a somewhat difficult relationship. Jenna disappears from a wellness retreat run by Tom and Kate. in Gozo. Tom ends up in prison charged with the deaths of two other attendees but he has never commented on what happened to Jenna. Once Tom is released from prison, Fran encouraged by her domineering mother books herself onto Tom's new retreat in the hope of finding out exactly what happened to her sister.

With. a cast of people who I changed my mind about several times you finally find out what happened to Jenna. This is a story with twists and turns and sometimes you are not sure who is telling the truth! Although I did guess one of the twists (maybe we were supposed to?!) I wasn't prepared for the major twist at the end which I thought was a great way to finish Fran and Jenna's story,

I also enjoyed the development of Fran's character who obviously was the type of person that was clearly uncomfortable in discussing her feelings and baring her soul, but to be undercover at the wellness retreat she was forced to reveal more about her real self and her true feelings.

Fans of Cally Taylor's will not be disappointed!

Thank you to Cally, Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Every book I’m blown away at the skill and intricacy of Taylor’s work. Her Last Holiday is told from the view points of three women and each one has a very clear and distinct voice, something which other authors have tried and failed to do well. There are so many layers to this story; grief, loss, control and a need to find yourself and belong. All these come together to create a brilliant mystery that left me guessing right to the end. I loved this!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy of Her Last Holiday.

I really enjoyed this book overall. I didn’t realize this had multiple POVs going in but I think it really kept you on your toes to see how things change be misconstrued from person to person. This book definitely had me guessing for a majority of the book on who done it. (I can normally pick the killer out a mile away but not with this one. However I did guess it before the actual revile)

I enjoyed the concept and the characters felt well fleshed out and real. The only thing I didn’t like was that I felt it was drug on after the climax. I understand the purpose of the last few chapters but at the same time I could have enjoyed the book just the same without them.

If you are a fan of mystery’s and who done its. I think you’ll enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First, I really REALLY enjoy C.L Taylor's books, however this one fell a little flat for me. I loved the idea behind it..a sister looking for a sister and she signs up for the same retreat that her sister disappeared from. The creator of the retreat has been in jail and is just being released.

It your classic who done it mystery, but I felt like it was a little too neat and too easy to figure out. Usually Taylor's books keep me guessing but this one was a little blah for me.

Absolutely incredible read. I was hooked in right from the start and wanted to know everything right away! I couldn't decide who to feel for, who to trust and the whole tone of the book was uneasy and enticing.

It was a completely pleasurable experience to read through these amazing pages and yet again C.L Taylor has smashed creating a masterpiece for fans of the genre.

This was a really good book. Plenty to keep me reading. Great author. I will recommend others read this book too.