I always look forward to C.L. Taylor's books and this one is one of her most addictive yet. It takes a little while to get to know the characters but soon the plot draws you in and will keep you gripped.

It flicks back and forth between Jenna, who supposedly disappears from a wellness retreat and her sister who, in the current day, is trying to find out what happened to her. Is she dead? If so, who killed her? We also follow the story from the point of view of Kate, struggling to regain the ground lost when her husband was accused of being responsible for two deaths around the time Jenna disappeared. He's out of prison now and she desperately wants things to go back to the way they were. She's a brittle character and doesn't always read situations correctly and is all the more realistic for it. In fact, the characters are one of the strengths of this book. All very human and very believable. Just the mix of people you'd expect to meet at a retreat! In fact, despite the murdering and the irritating people, it made me really miss going on spa breaks... Fran is a great character. We find out what makes her the way she is and we also empathise with her struggles and her attempt to soften and to adapt.

I was thoroughly invested in this story and was sorry when it came to an end, even though I raced through it to see what happened. A great read!

Thanks to #Netgalley and #AvonBooks.

After previously reading ‘Strangers’ by this author I was interested in reading this latest offering.

‘Her Last Holiday’ tells the story of Fran, a woman in her fifties that likes her own company, wants to do her own thing and hasn’t really got time for anyone or anything else. When her sister Jenna goes on a self-help retreat and doesn’t come back, presumed dead after committing suicide, her mother refuses to accept this and, when the man who ran the retreat is released from prison (for two deaths that happened at the retreat Jenna was on), Fran is sent on the latest retreat in Wales that he is running.

The story flows well and you are kept guessing right up until the end. I had guessed a part of the ending (even though a red herring was thrown in to deter this thought at one point!) and the way the story in uncovered from different character viewpoints and timings is cleverly done.

There were a few mistakes in the proof copy I read where the wrong character name was used, I re-read pages again and again to make sure I hadn’t got mixed up with characters but it seems there has been some confusion but I am sure this will be sorted by the final published version. An easy thriller read that would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for the advanced reader copy of this title.

I enjoyed this one although I felt the end let it down a little and I can't say I loked any of the characters but it would make a great TV show.

Well CL Taylor does it again with this novel about self help experts and a missing sister. When Tom is released from prison after serving time for the death of two participants in his retreat Fran is yet again forced to confront the fact she does not know what happened to her sister and the last person to see her alive Tom is the only person she can get answers from. When the retreats are restarted Fran attends in the hope of finally finding out the truth but maybe the truth is darker and more twisted than she can ever imagine and is she risking her own life to find out.

Super twisty and enjoyable read.

I enjoyed the way the book had several perspectives and the characters were interesting and well developed.

The premise makes it stand out as it uses places that are supposed to help people but possibly aren’t.

I enjoyed this book - it was an easy read although I did find that I got a bit confused about the different character names - and the whole retreat situation seemed a bit far fetched at times. That said, it was entertaining and wrapped up well at the end - so I would recommend it.

C L Taylor never disappoints. Her Last Holiday was another incredible read that was difficult to put down.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the characters and the interesting setting - very new and different.
I also enjoyed the twists and turns - this book will keep you guessing!

Another fantastic C.L Taylor thriller!

As with all C.L Taylor's thrillers, I love her writing style. They are always so engaging and interesting. This book was no different.

This book kept me hooked till the very end. I did not see the ending coming at all.

I loved the concept of this book. Even though, I've read a few thrillers based on wellness retreats, there was lots of mystery and twists in this book to keep it interesting.

C.l Taylor's books never fail to disappoint.

Highly recommend if you are looking for an engaging, interesting and gripping psychological thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat.

TW: violence, suicide references, sexual assault and murder

A great who done it mystery/thriller. A fabulous read. I could honestly not put this book down, I was intrigued to find out who had taken Jenna away from her family.

We meet Fran, Jenna and Kate in this book, told from all of their points of views. Fran is Jenna's sister, Jenna has disappeared three years ago whilst on a retreat and Kate is one of the retreats leaders. It was said that Jenna killed herself but her sister Fran feels like this is the wrong outcome of Jenna's disappearance, so goes on a retreat with the same leaders as the ones Jenna went on. We are taken from the present to the past throughout this book....and wow it makes for a really good read.

I enjoyed the thought provoking characters and how they were portrayed within the writing.

I loved the twist at the end of the book and will be reading more of C L Taylors books.

Her Last Holiday runs in the vein of the current trend for books set in retreats, groups, and places where strangers are brought together. It's a trend I'm enjoying and Her Last Holiday certainly works well with it.

I've enjoyed most of C. L. Taylor's books and found this novel is one of her best. I liked the juxtaposition of locations from the exotic to the more mundane. I also enjoyed the variety of well described characters with their foibles and secrets.

Fran is an interesting character who acknowledges her flaws. I find this refreshing in writing as it's honest and relatable. I particularly liked how she described her complex relationships with family members, including her missing, presumed deceased sister.

This is the perfect book for some escapism along with many secrets revealed. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my early copy. Publication date is 29th April 2021.

Thoroughly enjoyed this. An intriguing plot and had me picking it up at every opportunity. Full of twists and turns and narcissistic personalities.

Remember what you see is not always what you get. Some of the characters were portrayed in such a way that left you uncertain of your intentions. We’re they genuine or were they out for themselves and one outcome certainly surprised me.

The main character had an aversion to one thing in particular and I felt it was not fully explained. Not sure if I missed it. I would have liked to know.

As with all her books, I would recommend.

Okay, I was eager to read this book mainly because I loved 'Strangers' by the same author. But this book disappointed me for various reasons.

First a few points that I liked: The book starts a little slow but picks up soon, mainly because of author's engaging writing style. The story has been told from three points of view and it has been handled well. So, I enjoyed the first half, even though I didn't like the characters.

Now, as I said, I didn't like the characters. Fran is an odd character. Just because you are a reserved person and you like to be in your own world (work n solitude) doesn't mean you have to be selfish, dull and insensitive (and the character is a teacher). I didn't really understand Tom. Kate is annoying. And Jenna...I don't know. And Fran and Jenna's mother is selfish (she pressurizes her elder daughter to visit a place where her younger daughter was possibly murdered to investigate?). And then there are so many characters.

The second half (especially the ending) ruined it for me. It's quite meh. Too repetitive and unnecessarily descriptive and too fabricated.

Overall, an okayish read.

I have read afew books by this author and found this to be another well paced read. There was the right amount of suspense and intrigue plus a great ‘whodunnit’ which you would not be able to guess and I always enjoy this.

Some concentration is required with some of the characters having two names and the different timelines so I would say don’t try to read this alongside other books at the same time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the arc of Her Lat Holiday by C.L Taylor.

4 star read- This follows Tom Wade whom is the public face of SoulShrink and is set to be released from Prison!. after he has served 2 years following some certain tragedies back in Gozo. Kate whom is his wife is waiting for him and as well as this anxious about rebooting SoulShrink and get their lives back to some normality. Then there is Fran whom is a teacher in ICT and her younger sister named Jenna disappeared two years ago in Gozo. Tom and Kate then decide to offer an retreat to Wales, Fran tries to go on this retreat to try find out what happened to her sister. Story is told from the past as in 2 years ago and there are 2/3 POV'S including Fran's as well as Tom/Kate's.

A great gripping and interesting thriller made you want more, read within 1 day.
Highly Recommend

4 STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was by no means bad, but I think it had the potential to be so much better. Some parts were just way too over the top to be believable. I did like the multiple POVs of this book. I would definitely still keep reading this author, just with this one had been a little more realistic.

This book had a lot of promise. I’ve read this authors novels before and loved them so knew I’d enjoy this.

The storyline was promising with a retreat into self-help combined with two murders and a missing person.

This novel had all the elements of surprise during the first two thirds of the book. Lots was going on with the founders of the Soul Shrink Retreat. I loved the storyline and finding out whether all my suspicions were correct.

The mystery element of a psychological thriller was missing for me. I like the surprise and shock this genre offers and unfortunately the storyline fell a little flat for me for the last third, which resulted in a lower star rating than I’d normally award. All the surprises and loose ends were tied up but the remaining third felt more like a word count fill, as a prolonged explanation of how everyone’s lives had changed following the revelations.

I’m not sure whether my love for crime and thriller novels means it has to be something special to shock me but unfortunately this book didn’t.

This was a light and fun mystery read but it required a little too much suspension of disbelief for my taste in thrillers. I enjoyed the dialogue and characters but the plot and mystery itself was too thin for me.

I enjoyed C.L. Taylor's 'Her Last Holiday.' Told through alternating points of view in two different periods of time, Her Last Holiday was an exciting mystery that kept me engaged until the end. The story revolves around Fran (in present day) attempting to solve her sister's mysterious disappearance from a retreat two year earlier. The reader gets to watch the mystery unfold through the narrative from 2 years ago to the investigation today.

I feel it is more a mystery than a thriller, though there are some nail biter moments. C.L. Taylor introduces us to some very complicated characters and not all of them are what they seem. Her Last Holiday had me guessing until the end with a very satisfying conclusion. I definitely enjoyed this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two people died on a wellness retreat in Gozo, hosted by Tom and Kate.  Fran's sister Jenna also disappeared on the same treat, investigation and media both declared her dead. But their mother believes she is alive. Tom Wade is out of prison after two years. Kate is planning to restart Soul Shrink retreats. Fran is forced to join it and figure out what happens to her sister without revealing her identity.

I really enjoyed the first part of the book, there were different POV, every character had too much on their sleeve. The mystery was everywhere and many things were kept unfolding. There were so many characters and I struggled to remember each of them. The second part seemed dragged and dull, I didn't like Jenna's side of the story it was over the top and things were just told to the audience. It is not that kind of book where you'll get hints and a chance to connect things. It is that kind of book where you just have to sit book and wait for the author to unveil everything, which is not that my type and I find it hard to feel for characters. The ending was rushed and loose.