The Last Holiday by Amy Sheppard and Narrated by Naomi Frederick was a great psychological thriller. The audiobook was brilliant especially as it just kept you guessing till the end, it has some really great twists and turns throughout, that had you hooked from the beginning till the end.

The narrator Naomi Frederick was superb, she was excellent for this audio book and did a job of bringing all the characters and the story to life.

I highly recommend this book and the narrator.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book.

So this is going to sound weird, but you have a bunch of old friends get together for a holiday reunion and they all seem to be sleeping around on their partners and spouses, but it doesn’t read like a housewives book. None of the characters are likable, but that isn’t a deal breaker for me in a thriller/mystery. As long as the story makes me want more. In this one I wanted to know who killed Annie. As the detective, who happens to know this group of friends from school, tries to solve the case in the present, it’s really the time in the past that gives us insight to the characters and their personalities.

There is no shortage of suspects as the group of friends isn’t small. They have been through a lot together over the years giving many of them a motive for murder. I’m always a little leery of spoiling things by telling too much. This is multi layered and complex. It is not fast paced, but you are rewarded when finished with an ending you won’t see coming. At least I did not.

I both read and listened to this one and enjoyed both versions. I am a huge audiobook fan because it allows me to continue a story when conventional reading isn’t possible. While this doesn’t have multiple narrators to go along with the large cast of characters, Naomi Fredrick does a good job of trying to differentiate the characters. I did find I could get a little confused if I did not pay attention as the chapters changed, so if you find audiobooks a little challenging, then you might want to stick with an eBook/book copy. But for audiobook veterans, this is a great way to keep “reading” this one when things get in the way of reading time.

If you’re a fan of character driven mysteries with a lot of drama, you should pick this one up.

On a Saturday night old friends are telling secrets around a campfire, but soon lives will be changed forever and one will end up dead.

This is a novel that any reader will not put down, told in the first person through multiple points of view, I found myself captivated by this narrative, constantly questioning what happens next.

This was a fast-paced and unique narrative, full of suspense and tension throughout.

This is definitely an author I will be looking out for and picking up again.

This one was immersive, the story told from several points of view. When old college friends decide to get together for a camping trip after being apart for some time you know there are going to secrets. There's too much shared history and experience for there not to be. But not everyone is going to make it home alive.

There are several twists in the book, and they don't let up until the very end. To say much more would risk spoilers.

The Last Holiday is a twisty domestic suspense that takes you on a wild ride between the past, present, and future.

I read an uncorrected proof. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

My Review
I didn't hear about author Amy Sheppard until this her second book and I am thrilled to know I have her debut waiting for me.
I absolutely loved her second book The Last Holiday.
Her style of writing I took to immediately.
Each of her characters I found interesting with something secretive about each and every one of them.
Her storyline had me hooked from the turn of the first page.
Isn't that all you want in a great novel, to be hooked from the very first page.
We meet school friends Jack, Charlotte, Tristan, Annie & Stella in this story.
I quite enjoyed each of their stories, their background and their family life.
When a camping trip is organised for their great meet up, I felt each of them wanted to show their best side to the group but were a little apprenshive that secrets might come out.
Jealousy and resentment went hand in hand with this group of friends and while they all loved each other in their own way, too much distance was between them, too many secrets were being hidden.
You could feel the tension bubbling away under the surface and I felt at any moment it would explode. I loved that feeling...
An absolutely brilliant read, this author has shone in her second novel.
I always feel a second novel is hard. If you've had success with your debut, then a follow up has so much expectation.
So, so well worth your time...

BLOG TOUR REVIEW



Review for 'The Last Holiday' by Amy Sheppard.



Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Amy Sheppard, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous



Publication Date 30th May 2023.



This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Beach Party' which I would also highly recommend.



I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching beautiful cover and intriguing as well as intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'A totally gripping psychological thriller that will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and have you gasping at the twists. Fans of The Housemaid, Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be turning pages all night long!' I am a huge fan of Gone Girl and The Housemaid so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I also loved Amy's 'The Beach Party' and if this is half as good as that was it is guaranteed to be a page turner!!! I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).



This novel consists of a prologue and 54 chapters. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


This book is based in Cornwall, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually been on holiday to and visited Cornwall many times and am going back next year so will definitely be intrigued to see if I recognise anywhere or get ideas where to visit or avoid!!!



This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonists being Charlotte, Annie, Stella, DCI Melanie Price. The benefits of books written in first person perspective with multiple protagonists are, as long as they are well written, it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.



WOW!! IF YOU WANT A BOOK WITH AN ENDING THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND MAKE SURE YOU PICK THIS ONE UP!!


This book was very fast paced, unique and addictive. I devoured it in one sitting and was completely absorbed throughout!! The storyline is rammed with suspense, jealousy, twists, secrets, betrayal, adultery, shocks, tension and mystery and everything you could ask for in a page turning thriller!!! Amy's fantastic evocative writing skills whisks the reader away to Cornwall leaving you feeling the breeze on your face, smelling the ocean air and tasting the sea salt. It genuinely felt like I'd dropped back into Cornwall again and made me want to jump straight back!! I was gutted when I came to the end and 'unpack my suitcase' as it felt like a holiday had come to end, even though it was one filled with murder and secrets!!!! We meet Annie, Stella, Charlotte, Jack and Tristan who have been friends for 25 years when the majority of them met in college. They all decide to go on a holiday to Cornwall together. Charlotte and Tristan are married with a son called Theo who also comes along. Annie is a single mother to Rose who turns 18 on their holiday. Stella is in a relationship with Nate and Jack is in a relationship with Kirsty who both also join them on the holiday. Tensions run high as the alcohol intake increases and it only gets worse when a body is found. Who won't be returning from the holiday? Will it stop at one murder or will there be more? Amy takes us from the present to the past and weaves the characters history and present together perfectly slowly giving the reader just the right amount of information to get to know the characters without giving too much away. What happened to lead to a killing in the campsite? This is one of those books where I kept telling myself just one more chapter but then something happened meaning I had to read another and then another until I devoured it in one sitting. I enjoyed 'The Beach Party ' but I absolutely loved this book and I could definitely see that Amy's writing skills and storytelling has improved and I really cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!!! I kept on trying to work out who the killer was and thought I had worked it out so many times but Amy proved me wrong time and time again and I never did work out what was going on. A HUGE congratulations to Amy for this!!! I have read hundreds of psychological thrillers and crime books so it is getting harder and harder to shock me yet that ending completely blew me away!!! There was no way I had any idea that was coming!!!! I will add that I actually shed a few tears which shocked me as very rare I cry when it comes to psychological thrillers, unless an animal dies 😂, but I was absolutely gutted about a certain event so it may be worth getting the tissues ready in case!!!


It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture

This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Naomi Frederick who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Naomi did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Amy but also to listening to more books narrated by Naomi!


I was completely invested in the storyline and the characters throughout. The characters were all strong and realistic making them easy to picture. However, I can't honestly say I particularly liked many of the characters which given that I was hooked on the storyline surprises me. Normally if I can't relate to or don't like the majority of the characters I struggle to get into the storyline but this was not a problem here, not only because there were a couple of likeable characters but because of the addictive and explosive storyline. I found Annie to be quite self obsessed at times and the more I found out about her the less I liked her. I really liked Rose and my heart went out to her for everything that was going on around her and for what happened on her 18th birthday. I hated kirsty, annoying in itself as my name is Kirsty lol, and found her to be stuck up and just a nasty person in general. I liked Charlotte and found her to be a good friend but she wasn't truly innocent. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the majority of them Amy ensures the characters are realistic with different flaws which is more important to me (a realistic storyline ) than likeable characters. They all came to life with the storyline and they all played their parts perfectly. My favourite characters had to be Rose and DCI Melanie Price although I won't say anything else as I don't want to spoil it for future readers but I will say regardless of whether you love or hate them each character played their part perfectly and made this book as addictive as it is!!!

Congratulations Amy on an explosive success!!! Absolutely mind-blowing ending and cannot wait for your next addictive page turner!!!!

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and the first three chapters of Amy's page turning 'The Beach Party' which is another explosive page turner and one I have read myself and would highly recommend!!

Overall a page turning, addictive psychological thriller filled with twists, emotions and an explosive ending!!

Genres covered in this novel include Women's Psychological Fiction, Crime, Thriller And Mystery Adventures, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Literary Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Psychological Literary Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Noir Fiction, Womens Psychological, Domestic Thriller, Mystery ,Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Crime Thriller, Suspense Thriller, Psychological Suspense, Murder Thriller, Domestic Fiction, Domestic Thriller and Thriller amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, The Housemaid and The Wife Between Us and just anyone looking for an epic read with a twist. What are you waiting for?? Go grab your copy now!!!

345 pages/ 10 hours 46 minutes


This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free on kindle unlimited, £8.99 in paperback and £20.03 for the audiobook via Amazon at time of review, which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


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This is my first read by Amy Sheppard. The story is told between Stella, Charlotte and Annie, both in the past and in the present. Once they were all very close friends, and now they have grown apart. There is a reason that everyone could have wanted Annie dead, but the secrets that are revealed and the person responsible was jaw dropping. Sheppard skillfully created unique, but fully developed characters. I really felt for Charlotte, was rooting for Stella, and definitely distrusted Annie. I think the ending was unique, and I appreciated that I was kept guessing the entire time. I really enjoyed this book and will be reading more by this author. This is a great book for anyone that loves a good, keep you guessing, thriller.

Enjoyed this book about a bunch of friends meeting up and the interaction and history they have in each other's lives.Very unexpected ending that you wouldn't expect.

The Last Holiday is an intense psychological full of lies and secrets.
Each time I thought I had it figured out….nope, I was wrong. I never did figure out the ending until it was revealed.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of. After awhile it gets easier figuring everyone out.
What a twisty, tangled web of secrets, lies and mistakes!
Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

When a group of friends reunite for a weekend what can go wrong? Apparently a great deal. Secrets burst to the surface and lives are changed forever.

This was my first read by Amy Sheppard and I really enjoyed her writing style. She did a wonderful job of creating these characters and helping you truly feel their depth or shallowness as the case may be. She also did a bang up job of creating people that I didn't particularly like but it didn't keep me from needing to know how this book played out. It just made me sad that people could treat each other this way and still call themselves friends. It was pretty revolting and kind of depressing.

The story is told from alternating viewpoints and timelines. This helps you to gather a variety of information without just seeing it from one person's vantage point. Also, you deal with present day, the days leading up to the murder and years ago when another major event impacting the friend group took place. The intricacy of the web that the author weaves is really pretty brilliant and yet makes so much sense at the same time.

As with most stories like this, I hate to say much for fear of giving up some clue - - so I'll just say to read it.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I loved the audio for this book. It was done well and felt very performance-like. I was entranced by the storyline from start to finish and found this a great way to enjoy the book. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for both the ebook and audiobook early copies. I voluntarily chose to review them both and the opinions contained within are my own.

Friends from their college years go on holiday together camping to celebrate Rose’s 18th birthday, it doesn’t seem that they really wanted to be there and were only there for Rose.
During the evening a game of Never Have I Ever, turns from fun to not-so-fun, and it isn’t long before something bad happens.

The Last Holiday is told in multiple POVs and timelines, and it seems everyone has a motive and the twist, OMG! I am still reeling about it.
Someone of the characters were likeable, some, not so much but that’s what makes a good book, you can’t like everyone, especially in this genre.
Amy Sheppard has written a fantastic book here, that sucks you in from the very first chapter.
I will be reading more from her, I have The Beach Party on my Kindle already!

Several college friends gather together on a camping trip for the eighteenth birthday celebration of Rose. Although all of them were friends at one time, their relationships are quite strained. In fact, their friendships are questionable. Secrets and lies are stronger bonds than that of friendship.

One of them dies on that camping trip, indeed making this the last holiday, at least for her, and now the fragile threads that were holding the friendships together has finally snapped.

Quite naturally, the list of suspects involves the group of friends. With various points of view in this intriguing novel by Amy Sheppard, it proved to be quite interesting to see who the killer was, and what the actual motive was.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I absolutely LOVED this book Amy Sheppard created a large cast of characters who each had different personalities that I really enjoyed. The past and present aspect of the story was really cool and the group of friends were a delight to get to know and the setting all of the friends going camping was a delight! The short chapters I absolutely loved them!!! The twist at the end of the story I absolutely did not see it coming!! I will definitely be Reading Amy’s backlist books!!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Amy Sheppard and #Bookouture for the opportunity to read this novel, to be published May 30, 2023. Secrets and more secrets, but what can you expect from college friends who’ve maintained a relationship together for more than 20 years? This suspenseful novel was from various POVs, including the DCI who led the case in Cornwall on a farm during a week long camping trip. The characters were believable (although conniving) and it made me want to get to the end to figure out who the murderer was, which was unexpected. Five stars. #NetGalley. #Bookouture. #AmySheppard

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

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

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

Holy Plot Twist!

The Last Holiday, put me on a dark and twisted ride of a lifetime.

I cant even begin to describe the way this book was skillfully crafted to come together with an explosive ending that no one will see coming. Talk about twisted! Cue the jaw drop.

This was my first book by Amy Sheppard, but there is no way I will stop now, I just want more more more! Amy, is a true storyteller that will have us all eating out of her hands if she keeps delivering books like this.

Teaser :

One last holiday together. One of us wouldn’t come home…

Saturday night: It starts as an innocent holiday game amongst old friends. As we sit around our campfire, the evening sky streaked with peach, my little boy sleeping peacefully in our tent, the wine flows and secrets are spilled.

It should be harmless fun, but Annie’s questions worry me. She’s always been the keeper of our secrets. She knows all the infidelities, the indiscretions, the stolen kisses…

I just hope she knows when to stop. Because there’s something I can’t let her bring to the surface…

Wednesday morning: It’s the little things that stay with you. The hurried rip of zips being opened. Figures stumbling into the cold night air. The screams echoing across the campsite as flashlights scour the ground. That’s what happens when someone you love is murdered.

One of us is responsible for Annie’s death. One of us will stop at nothing to keep our secrets hidden…

A longtime group of friends get together for a few days of camping and one of them ends up dead. In this closed room mystery each of the group is under suspicion because the police know no one in the group left the campsite in the time around the death. The story is told in multiple POV and timelines before and after the death. Each chapter is titled with the character’s POV and where it fits in the timeline. I absolutely loved that because it makes the story easy to follow and gives the reader information at just the right time. This is a very character driven story and I loved it. If you love characters and relationships with a lot of history who drive a great plot you will enjoy this book.

Told from the point of view of Charlotte, Annie and Stella moving back and forth from past to present with different backstories thrown in. There are a good few characters to get to grips with but it’s not long till you have the lay of the land. I did like the majority of the characters but just couldn’t take to Annie or Charlotte. The pace at which the story progressed was perfect and worked well to build the suspense for how the story unfolds and comes together. Well developed storyline and characters. I really like when I’m kept in the dark till the final moments and you don’t see it coming.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read #TheLastHoliday

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I also listened to this one as an audiobook as well as reading it. I enjoyed both.
The ending was a complete surprise as well.