Two years ago at a wellness retreat ran by Tom Wade and his wife Kate, two guests died, and one went missing, presumed dead. Tom finds himself jailed, while Kate is left to pick up the pieces of their ruined business. But what about the missing guest, Jenna? Her death was reported as a suicide, but was evidence of her murder covered up? Was Tom actually responsible for her death as well?

When Tom is released from prison, a new retreat is arranged. Jenna’s sister Fran is forced to attend by their mother, who is desperate for answers for Jenna’s death, but does this move simply put Fran in danger?

I enjoyed the pace of the book and thought it started quite well, if you could get past the fact Fran’s mother is forcing her to go on a retreat with the people she suspect of killing her other daughter. You could not help but question her motivation.

I liked how three female characters told the narrative: Jenna, Fran and Tom’s wife Kate. I think it helped to develop the story and gave us a better indication of their different personalities and motivations. However, there were too many minor characters because of this, so I could imagine some people might find it confusing.

The novel was at times OTT, and I found some of the plot points quite ridiculous and unbelievable, especially some of the activities held at the retreat. I also found it quite predictable, and some of the main twists that were supposed to create shock, I’d already worked out.

The ending somewhat spoiled it for me, becoming even more farfetched and farcical for my liking. At the beginning, the three individual voices were quite strong and interesting, but then the perspective of Kate became quite repetitive and dull and I found myself wishing we weren’t hearing from her.

I also struggled to warm to Fran at times because I found her quite selfish and cold to other people, especially her sister and her mother. I also found the character of her mother frustrating; although I could understand she was grieving, she just appeared obnoxious and unlikeable.

Despite all this, I would pick up another book by this author, because they showed a good pacey writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was sooo good! I enjoyed the characters and book. Kept my interest all the way until the end, didn’t want it to end. Thank you Avon, Netgalley and CL Taylor for this book in exchange for an honest review. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating from me.

I have read all of CL Taylor's books and I love the fact that her stories are so different each time. This one is set in the seemingly dark world of self-help/motivational groups. The characters in the book suck you in and there are several plot twists to keep you hooked right until the end.

Another cracker from Taylor that I highly recommend!

New author to me, but what a well written and well paced novel. I was engaged in the story from the very beginning. There’s one central mystery, along with the story of the self help guru Tom. A real whodunit, many possibilities and kept me guessing all the way through. Would recommend!

This book was an interestng take on a missing possibly dead sister told in multiple perspectives and timelines. The ending dragged a bit but did resolve the different storylines. It also looks at leaders of self help movements and how they are idolized and propped up by their followers

another great book by CL Taylor.
I enjoyed the frinedship of the neighbours and the way it changed.
All through the book you are lead to believe one thing and then at the end you are blindsided by the truth.

I really enjoyed this and would not hesitate to recomment this to everyone,

This is my third C.L. Taylor novel, and I've never rated one higher than three stars.

I think it's safe to conclude that she's simply not the author for me...and move on. Her Last Holiday did not work...on any level. The characters were awful, the writing was clunky, implausibilities abounded throughout the book's entirety, and worst of all, it was simply boring. This was not a book I was ever excited to pick up and read.

Historically, what I've found with Taylor's work is a huge build up, only to get to a conclusion and fizzles pitifully. With this one...the whole story fizzled. It was like a carbonated beverage that's been sitting out (and opened) for too long.

You guessed correctly that I won't be recommending Her Last Holiday.

Available April 29, 2021

Despite my unfavorable review, I'd still like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my review copy.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. I literally couldn’t put this book down and finished in one reading. A loved one has disappeared and she needs to find her. So she goes on the retreat to find answers. And she finds more than she could bargain for. Amazing character development and integration. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Two years ago Jenna went to a wellness (aka sweat lodge) retreat in Malta. Doesn’t that sound great?
But she never returns. Her disappearance is rule a suicide, Authorities believe she probably jumped off one of the many cliffs. When two other accidents happen, Tom Wade, the organizer is blames and ends up in prison.
Now this same retreat is organized by Tom’s wife Kate. Jenna’s mom sends her other daughter Fran on this same retreat???? Hmmmm

Psychological Thrillers are my “go to” stories. The more twists and turns the better. Not a fan of f-bombs unfortunately some authors like to put them together.

I did like reading the author’s ‘Acknowledgements. She lets us readers know what is based on reality, pure fiction as well as events, where she took ‘artistic license’! ⭐⭐.5 rounded up


Want to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this early release granted to me for a honest professional review. Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 29, 2021

This is an entertaining and twisty psychological thriller, told from three perspectives and two timelines.

It’s dark and full of secrets, lies which creates a lot of suspense and keeps you hooked to find out what will happen next.

Part of the end surprised me and overall I found it wrapped up nicely.

I found it to be a quick and fun holiday read.

I would read another book by C.L. Taylor..

Thank you NetGalley,Avon Books UK and C.L. Taylor for this ARC.

Fran books a wellness retreat with three friends. Her sister Jenna went missing there two years prior. No one knows what has happened to her, the police suspect she committed suicide but Fran's mom believes it's something more.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

Wow I loved this serious pager turner!
It was one of those thrillers that after every chapter, you couldn’t bring yourself to put the book down.
Hearing from three POVs was great, but got a little confusing halfway through, which I feel was my fault for not being able to read for a few days due to work.
This was super mysterious, twisty, and I loved it. Will be keeping an eye on the author for sure.

When Jenna disappears on a retreat and is presumed dead. Two other people died on that trip and now the organiser is back out of prison and ready to start again. Her sister is persuaded to go on the next trip to see if she can find out what happened. Was it suicide or murder and where’s the body ?

Cl. taylor is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors! This is another really enjoyable book to read. i felt like i got to know the characters well, and i loved all the twists and surprises along the way!

This book definitely is the 'things aren't always as they seem'. The unfolding of the story seemed straight forward until some of the others who witnessed the horror began to unravel and it become much more complicated and highlighted how people can manipulate situations to their own gains. All slightly unnerving!

I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. Another good read from C L Taylor well plotted will keep you guessing to the end

Two years ago, Fran's sister Jenna went to a wellness retreat in Gozo to find herself. Things went terribly wrong on that retreat, with two people dead and Jenna having gone missing. The retreat's self help guru Tom Wade spent time in prison for the deaths of the two retreat participants, and now he and his wife Kate are trying to give it another go with the retreats. Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Fran creates an assumed identity and signs up for the retreat, trying to infiltrate it and learn its inner workings. Fran soon realizes her life may be in danger also, as there may be someone who wants keep secrets hidden. Told in alternating narratives, the story unravels as the voices of the present converge with Jenna's voice from the past.

I enjoyed this title, although some parts of it were a bit hard to believe. Not to given any spoilers, but the ending seemed a bit farfetched, it was enjoyable nonetheless. I did enjoy trying to figure out who was genuine throughout, and who was putting on an act. Determining between Tom and Kate to see who was the mastermind in the end made for an interesting ride as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title.

Her Last Holiday is a non-stop drama thriller set on an island retreat where the protagonist, Fran, tries to discover the secrets of her sister's disappearance. I read one CL Taylor book a while back, and from what I remember the two are very similar in terms of pacing and how it constantly leaves the reader on edge.

This is another book that I've read this year that's a very character-driven story. On paper it doesn't sound like a lot is going on but under the surface you do get a fair amount of interesting narration from Fran, Kate, and Jenna.

My main issue with Her Last Holiday was that there were too many characters. This book works with just a few main parts and the three alternating perspectives because the concept itself isn't that complex. This isn't a novel where you're going to be trying to put the pieces together or analyzing every event, but it is one where you'll get really intriguing monologues from the few characters. Anyone else who was featured were just names that I was trying to remember while still trying to grasp the main plotline.

This for me was an ok read but one that failed to grip me and I did struggle at times to keep myself interested in the story. The plot itself I found to be a bit far fetched and sadly I didn’t like the characters either but I did finish the book quickly and I think as I read a lot of thrillers perhaps I was expecting too much from this read as it didn’t hold many surprises for me at all.
The pace of the book was good and it was told in a then and now format with points of view from Jenna and Fran which kept the pages turning. I just felt that the book lacked something but then again perhaps that was just me and we can’t all like the same books can we.
So only a three star read for me and one I liked but didn’t love.
My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh I do love a good C.L. Taylor thriller and this one is another classic. I tore through this in a single day, intrigued by the premise and determined to find out what really happened to Fran's sister, Jenna, all those years ago. I must admit to being prone to more than a small amount of scepticism when it comes to self-help gurus and retreats such as the one depicted in this book, and having spent time with Tom Wade, Karen and 'Soul Shrink' I'm not readily inclined to change my mind. Not that they are all as dangerous as this retreat turns out to be, I'm sure, but the book has done little to convert me to the dark side.

The story is told from the series of three women - Fran, a teacher and whose sister went missing at Soul Shrink's final, fatal, retreat in Gozo; Kate, financial and marital partner to soul Shrink's resident guru, Tom Wade and Jenna, Fran's sister, and whose disappearance is the catalyst for the story that is about to unfold. Set both in the present day and on that fateful week three years earlier, the author slowly allows the truth to unfold, keeping tension high and readers completely guessing. We know something happened to Jenna - her family and the authorities suspect she committed suicide - but with no note, no body and nobody who can give them closure, the question remains, why? Why did she disappear and, if the worst did happen, why did she do it. Well ... the truth is all laid out there but clues are drop fed, suspicion awakened and the shocks are all set to be unleashed at just the perfect moment, as CL Taylor is well skilled at.

I kind of liked the character of Fran. She is far from perfect - spiky, intolerant of others and generally anti-social to be fair. She is my kindred spirit, which is possibly why I was happy (ish) in her company. There are reasons behind her defensiveness, least of which being her overbearing mother who coerces her into going to Soul Shrink's latest retreat in the first place, but seeing her determination and her natural suspicion of everything and everybody, her in built cynicism, really brought a smile to my face.

Kate - well now she is quite the character. The author has pitched her perfectly, her obsessive and controlling nature combined with a less than healthy dose of paranoia making for a heady mix. At times she appears to be the perfect wife, devoted to her husband and sticking by thin through. thick and thin, yet you are always made to wonder if there is more lurking under the surface. As for Jenna, she is far from perfect but the groundwork is laid throughout so that we can see her as part victim and part orchestrator of her own fate, however awful that may finally become. And the charismatic Tom wade - conman, victim or saviour. Well - jury's out here to be fair. There may be some acute observations hidden in in his therapy sessions, he certainly pushes Fran to the limit. Or it may just all be psychological guff and hokum. He certainly charms the pants off the ladies in the book but you should read it and decide for yourself.

The many characters who lurk around the periphery of the two retreats leave us with a whole host of suspects in the event that Jenna's fate was as awful as we may suppose. They are the perfect blend of the neurotic, the angry and the larger. than life eccentric, and when some of them appear on the latest incarnation of the Soul Shrink retreat in Wales, you know the scene is set for quite a dramatic finale. The author uses setting perfectly, from the atmospheric climate of the Welsh countryside and the relative danger of the pursuits the residents undertake, through to the more sunnier but seemingly no less threatening setting of a luxury hotel in Gozo, each location adds to the drama and the tension of their particular aspects of the story. You can feel the threat quite overtly in dull, occasionally wild and often chilling Wales, the beauty of Gozo serving to hide some of the biggest shocks of all.

It certainly wasn't what I expected, a mixture of deep psychological probing in which all of the characters' fears and flaws are laid bare, leading to a dramatic and pulse pounding climax in which all of the secrets of the past are revealed, but I certainly enjoyed it, completing the book in a single sitting.Pacing is perfect and the mystery kept me hooked. If you're a fan of the author this is definitely recommended.