A 4 star psychological thriller read!!

This is a psychological thriller that features multiple POVs, multiple timelines, and old college friends with huge secrets. The pacing of this novel was good, and kept me entertained the entire time. I am a sucker for old college friends with secrets - so this was like catnip for me. These aren't super likeable characters - there's a little bit of "rich people behaving badly" mixed in here. There are also elements of a crime thriller.

Overall, I was really pleased with the twists and turns of this novel. I enjoyed getting to know our cast of characters, and see what truly makes them tick. There is also a bit of a locked room mystery vibe as all of the friends are gathered together on a campsite - and the murderer had to be on the campsite.

The last 25% or so of this novel was extra thrilling, and I do wish that the pacing had been a little quicker in the first part; but that didn't stop me from being interested! I am definitely excited to read more from this author!

The narration was great, but I do feel this could have *really* benefitted from more than one narrator. But I was impressed by the narrator anyways, it was a good job with so many characters.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and Amy Sheppard for this audio advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a really great thriller. A group of friends go on a family holiday camping together and chaos reigns....we spend the whole book trying to figure out who knows what about each other, who's betrayed who and which one of the friends is messed up enough to commit murder. I was left guessing right up until the great ending!

The Last Holiday was a great read by Amy Sheppard. This is their last holiday together, but unfortunately one of them will not make it home. No one really wanted to go on the holiday but they did for Rose who turned eighteen. They are at a caravan park in Cornwall where secrets that were hidden for years threatens to come out. Everyone except Nate, who is Stella’s fiancee, were friends for twenty five years. Charlotte and Tristan are there with their four year old son Theo. Annie and her daughter Rose are there as well as Jack and Kelly who are there with Jack’s fifteen year old son Oliver. They sit around the campfire with wine flowing and secrets spilled. Annie has always been the keeper of the secrets but she asks a question that starts to worry Charlotte. She knows that there is something she can’t allow Annie to surface. Annie is murdered and someone there is responsible for it. I enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more by the author.

Multiple POVs and timelines make this thriller exceptionally twisty. It took sometime over the roles of all the friends at the camping holiday. No one really trusted Annie - but who would kill get to keep their secrets? After a relatively slow start, this thriller was able to throw be for a loop.

The Last Holiday is a captivating novel written by Amy Sheppard. It revolves around the life of the protagonist, who embarks on a transformative journey after receiving life-altering news. The story is narrated by Naomi Frederick, whose eloquent narration brings the characters and their emotions to life, making it a compelling listening experience.
The narrative skillfully explores themes of love, loss, and self-discovery, making it a poignant and thought-provoking read for upperclass students. Sheppard’s evocative storytelling and Frederick’s compelling narration make The Last Holiday a standout addition to contemporary literature.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

A group of 42 year old friends go camping together and one of the women is murdered. The book is told through multiple POV and goes back and forth in time. Interesting audiobook. Lots of secrets between this group of friends, some of them deadly.

I enjoyed the narration by Naomi Frederick.

This was fun and totally kept me guessing (until right before the reveals, of course). Lots of twists, but not ao many that it feels overcontrived. I enjoyed the narrator of the audio, even though I occasionally forgot which character I was listening to when I paused and came back to it. There were usually enough clues frequently enough (partners, children, who they were talking to) that it wasn't hard to find my place again.
So thankful to Netgalley for letting me listen!

How far will you go to keep your secrets hidden?

When five friends;
Annie, Stella, Lisa, Jack & Tristan decide to go on a family camping trip to celebrate an 18-year-olds birthday, what can possibly go wrong?
Well a lot, since one of them is dead.

Told in a multi POV this book was gripping right from the beginning and kept me intrigued.
However, it got a bit confusing to tell the characters apart. I think multiple narrators would have made this more enjoyable.

The editor could have done better as the grammar in this book was bad.

That aside, it was still enjoyable.

I must say the twist near the end was shocking. Not once did I suspect that ..... was the killer.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this audiobook.

5 childhood friends, some with their spouses and children, go on a camping holiday in Cornwall. It has been 25 years since they left school, but their friendship is still strong. However, the reader/listener soon finds out that they all have secrets that they have been hiding from each other. When one of them is found dead, a local DCI (who also happened to go to the same school as them) is tasked with finding out what happened. The story is told from multiple POVs and toggles from the past to the present at regular intervals. Good plot. Well narrated.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the audio copy. This is my honest review.

This group of friends who had known each other for twenty five years were spending a week at a caravan park in Cornwall. Most of them didn't want to be there but went to support their friend Annie's daughter who was turning 18. With their tents and a yurt, the alcohol was flowing, and with drinking games, secrets were bound to come out. The group was made up of Stella and her fiancé, Nate the newcomer to the group; Charlotte and Tristan with their little boy, four YO Theo; Annie and her daughter Rose who was going to celebrate her 18th birthday during the trip; and Jack and Kelly, recently married with Jack's 15 YO son, Oliver. Over the years their lives had taken different paths, but this trip was to bring them back together as friends. The weekend was nice and as they relaxed a bit, secrets were revealed. The tension developed quickly between them and when one of them is killed, they know there is a murderer in their midst.

The Last Holiday is the first book I have read by Amy Sheppard and although it was not a five star read, it captured my interest enough that I will be watching for more books by this author. The story is told in three POVs: Stella, Charlotte and Annie. The story moves back and forth to their university years, but it is easy to keep track of what is happening. Once the murder is committed, we also get the voice of the police detective. The author does a great job developing the characters and I must say most of them were unlikable. With all that developed during the weekend, there were a lot of cracks in the friendships and although it was a bit of a locked door mystery, everyone was a suspect. When the final twist came, my jaw dropped, but it fit this story perfectly. There was some dragging in the middle and the back and forth caused some pace change, but overall, this was an enjoyable thriller. The narration on the audiobook was by Naomi Frederick, a new narrator to me. She did a good job with the book and added to my enjoyment of the story.

The Last Holiday
By Amy Shepard

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this audiobook.

Our good friend Annie is murdered on our camping trip. Who is responsible for this crime?
Everyone is excited to reunite with their college friends while camping. But are they all ready to reveal their secrets to expose the murder? Come listen to this amazing narrator tell the tale of murder, secrets and college friends.

I loved this psychological thriller, which is about a group of college friends going on a camping trip in Cornwall, when one of them is murdered, and we are then trying to work out who the killer is. I really enjoyed reading about Stella, Nate, Charlotte, Tristan, Theo, Jack, Kelly, Annie and Rose. The story was full of twists and turns, secrets to be revealed, suspense, tension and much more! I was quite surprised when I found out at the end who the killer was, as I hadn't guessed. The audiobook narrator was very good, and I enjoyed her narration. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This mystery thriller is definitely a slow burn. It took me a while to become invested in the broad cast of characters that propelled this intricate whodunnit. The last third, however, ramped up the action and made it worth the wait. From that point on I was intrigued and interested in finding out the true identity and motive of the killer. There were an unexpected plethora of twists, and turns toward the shocking conclusion. The narration added a layer of complexity and suspense to this tale of revenge, betrayal and deception. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook.

This is the first book i listem from this author and I’ve really enjoyed it. The narrator was very good and the plot very intriguing. I’ve guessed the end, but it was still a very elaborated my plot and had compelling characters.

The Last Holiday is a twisty psychological thriller about five childhood friends whose camping trip ends in a murder. The story covers the lead up to the incident as well as the aftermath including the police investigation. As secrets are revealed, lots of red herrings are thrown in so the reader is kept guessing the identity of the murderer until the very end.
The relationships between the characters were engaging and believable with different dynamics between them all. I listened to the audiobook and felt the narrator added to my enjoyment of the book.

Very much enjoyed this audiobook however to keep my attention and clarity, it would have benefited from several narrators to differentiate the characters.
Great story, with great twists and turns.
Definitely recommend a listen

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review

I really liked the premise of this book! It kept me guessing the whole time. I would’ve given it 5 stars if the narrator was better.

Absolutely loved everything about this audio book, brilliantly written, nice narration and fabulous plot. Second book I’ve read by this author & loved them both highly recommend them both.

I honestly don’t think I would have finished this book if it hadn’t been on audio because it was just a little too slow for me.

This was a great read and hooked me from the jump! Amy Sheppard does a great job of setting the scene and bringing it all together and wrapping it all up! These friends were all kinds of fucked up! I can't wait for the next book she puts out, she is on my always-read list!

#TheLastHoliday
#NetGalley