Unfortunately The Last Resort by Susi Holliday just wasn't for me! I've tried to finish it a couple of times without success!

Unfortunately I was unable to read this in the suggested time frame.

Star rating is my falling having read this since the book left netgalley.

Many thanks for the opportunity to read this book.

I’m a big fan of locked room murder mysteries, but this one was simply disappointing. It had some potential but ended up becoming a poorly done episode of Black Mirror. So many writers attempt to do what Agatha Christie did well, but many fall short. This story definitely could have been fleshed out more with more development of its characters, which were clearly designed to be completely unlikeable.

While looking through NetGalley, this book had definitely caught my attention. Seven strangers invited to an unknown luxury retreat, and all had to sign non-disclosure agreements, what could go wrong? The plot of the book I found really interesting, however I found the characters fell flat. I didn’t find myself having any connection to them, and didn’t care on their outcomes. A little disappointed but I would still recommend this book to those who enjoy a thriller read.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

I actually tried to finish this book, but I couldn't. While it started off okay, I just never went back to it. Maybe I'll try another book by this author someday soon.

I would rate this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I unfortunately just really didn't enjoy this story. I thought the premise was really strong but I was left feeling really disappointed and let down by this story.

All of the characters felt incredibly one-note and had no real depth to them. The story failed to create any suspense or really build up the story and then after all that the ending was really poor in my opinion.

This was one of the typical ‘locked room’ mysteries which I love. There are only a few characters thrown together in an isolated place, and we have to work out the mystery as to what is happening to them and if any of them are responsible. I quite enjoyed this and could connect with some of the characters, there were a few twists some I could see coming and some I couldn’t. I didn’t guess the main twist or the ending. This was an ok thriller with that mystery locked room vibe that keeps you guessing.

Mysteries set in isolated places are popular in thrillers these days. In this book, the story is set on a private Island. Amelia arrives here along with six strangers and soon finds out that the stay is not at all what she expected. Inspired by Agatha Christie´s "And Then There Were None", this thriller unfortunately did not appeal to me and I ended up putting it away before I was finished reading. The suspense was lacking, and I lost interest in what was happening to the characters. Since I did not finish the book, I will not be reviewing it on my other channels.

there were a lot of plot holes, the premise was weak in my opinion, and nothing ever really made sense/added up.

The premise of this book sounded interesting from the very beginning. It was a quick, easy read and I was surprised by some of the twists. I feel like there could have been more character development, but if you are looking for a quick, entertaining read then this is a great book for you! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book has a bit of an Agatha Christie feel to it with its set-up and atmosphere: Seven strangers find themselves boarding a small plane to test out a mysterious luxury vacation resort during a weekend retreat that they’ve all been carefully selected for, with strict instructions not to share the reasons for their invitation or the incentives they’ve been promised. The guests aren’t even off the plane before it becomes apparent that this isn’t an ordinary vacation. Things quickly go from bad to worse when it become apparent that their mysterious host isn’t the only one who they may not be able to trust.

The premise is obviously super intriguing, and the further you get into the book, the better it gets as things become more tense and more secrets are revealed. There’s some great tech elements to the story that really make it very Matrix-y creepy and that really made things more “on-edge.” I also liked that everyone in the story was potentially a “bad guy.” I don’t want to give anything away, but no one in the story is a perfect person, shall we say, and so that puts a different spin on things.

The only things that really made this four stars instead of five was that I thought the ending was a little weak. I wish we would have got to explore the motivations and reasoning behind the villain a little bit more and also some of the stories with the other guests. Some of it felt rushed. Especially the ending. But I was definitely pulled in. I couldn’t look away. I just wish I had a teeeeensy bit more to look at, you know?

Either way, this was a good thriller, and I enjoyed reading it. I would read another from this author in the future.

I'm not really sure what to say about this book. It was strange. A group of people are chosen and compensated in some unknown ways for a "luxurious," adventurous vacation. The "vacation" is neither luxurious nor adventurous. Strange things begin to happen that don't really make sense. Though the story moves along quickly, there are so many things that don't tie together. And the ending ... makes even less sense! I just didn't get this one!

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

This book just got me all intrigued with its premise and when I started it I was immediately interested to find out more, to keep reading and see how it unravels. For the most part I enjoyed the only thing that was underwhelming was the ending. It took away from the story. It has a great concept but deserved more brilliant ending.

The Last Resort is an entertaining read with a cast of unusual characters. Seven people are chosen for a luxurious getaway to an island to trial some new technology. On arrival the guests find themselves being fitted with trackers and sent on their way to explore the island but things aren't as they seem. Soon the body count starts rising and the guests begin to panic! With thanks to NetGalley for my digital copy of this book.

I Loved the idea of this book - a group of strangers are invited on an all expenses paid retreat to a luxury island - sounds too good to be true?? and it appears it is ! They are there supposedly to help check out some new software for a company and there is a big party at the end of the day. One by one there deepest darkest and shameful secrets are exposed to the rest of the group . They all begin to wonder what they are really doing there ... I enjoyed it but I wasn't gripped ..

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have read Violet one of the authors previous books and loved it, so I was really looking forward to this one. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped to. The characters were all very shallow and unlikable and the story got a bit silly and unrealistic. It started off well and had a great premise, but ultimately it fell flat for me.

I really struggled with how to rate this one... ultimately I think it's a 2.5 for me which I've generously rounded up. The book just didn't land on multiple accounts, and even going back to reread the cover copy, the book feels like a bait & switch. I was expecting a taut isolation thriller with clear personal stakes, and it just didn't deliver on that.

First, the book is weirdly speculative--but in an overblown way that feels silly rather than well-supported and fun. Meaning, while of course the copy mentions a tech company, I didn't expect so much of the book to be predicated on characters having a device embedded into their brains. We're meant to believe the book takes place now, in our reality, but the fantastical nature of the tech meant the book never sat quite right for me. It also meant wide swaths of the book are literally just characters describing video projections, and ALL the tension of the book is derived from that. It's a wait-and-see, re: when will this crazy tech project a memory-secret?! There are also no real stakes, re: people dying until the bizarre finale. The book kept walking it back like "oh no we're sure he's fine" so I found myself simply feeling impatient, re: what ARE the stakes here?

The blurb promises a perfect crime--not really. It's a ridiculous "crime" and I'm not entirely show how the hell the villain pulled it off (or why). "Amelia begins to suspect that her only hope for survival is to be the last one standing." Also literally not true--this never crosses her mind? Again, there are no real stakes, re: we are going to die one by one. The book simply doesn't do that. Yes, they are isolated on an island but it doesn't feel like an isolation thriller.

And what are the stakes? What's the whole point if it, re: the twist, what is going on? Well, none of it really makes sense. I didn't find anything about the "big reveal" particularly satisfying, and the entire climax is the villain monologing at a dinner table with the MC (it's multi-POV, but come on Amelia is the main character) and it STILL doesn't make any real sense. Motives are thin and supervillainy which, again, weirdly sets the whole book against the reality it apparently takes place in. I was reminded of Fantasy Island, the Blumhouse remake more than once... but neither really lands. I like soap usually, but this execution fell flat for me. I wanted there to be SOME foundation in something real, something tangible, and what we're given just lacked that foundation.

So sadly I cannot recommend this one to fans of isolation thrillers--the reason I picked it up myself--but if you like speculative suspense with cool tech, it might be a good read. The tech was indeed cool, and it had some fun "wtf is going on" moments--I mean read the whole thing in a few days; I was compelled to read. The writing itself was fine and it had some interesting characters, I was just too let down by the "twist" for this to land wholeheartedly as a rec.

During the first chapters of The Last Resort by Susi Holliday, readers will be reminded of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery,And Then There Were None. Amelia, as well as six others, have been invited to an all expense paid vacation at a resort under the guise of testing new technology. Early on, readers learn that each has a secret, and with the technology, the secrets are disclosed to everyone on the island. While reading, it is evident that this is a dystopian version of a nightmare for the participants, and it is not certain that any of them will survive. As the novel progresses, it is evident that the plot goes in different directions Christie’s classic, but it is a good premise, all the same, and follows a different path with good incentive to keep reading.

The characters are well developed, and they are under plenty of pressure, leading to interesting interactions among each other. None of the characters are particularly likeable, and as the secrets are revealed, readers will tend to like each one even less. There are plenty of interesting scenarios, especially with the fantasy technology that is being used, and the novel and the plot are compelling, keeping readers on the edge most of the time. Not a fan of dystopian and fantasy, it was a surprise that this novel flowed and kept my attention. The dénouement was surprising, and made for a good novel that was not only fun to read, but also quite fascinating and in the end, different from Christie’s classic. Recommended for readers who enjoy a good suspense novel with a few different twists.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Absolutely adore a good and carefully plotted locked room mystery — or locked island, in this case, and this book was no exception.

Seven strangers are invited to a luxurious island to test out what it has to offer, but it quickly becomes clear there's more to what's going on than they first thought.

I loved the chapters that followed the guests as they sized each other up, even as they all got their wishes. But when they start to realise why they're really there, things got a bit Black Mirror-y -- and took a much, much darker turn.

There's plenty of twists and turns that will keep you on your toes throughout the book.