Cover Image: Her Last Holiday

Her Last Holiday

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A most enjoyable multiple character viewpoint mystery that kept me guessing for a long time. There are plenty of twists, turns, roundabouts, suspicious and never a dull moment from start to finish.

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My first book by this author and after a slow start I enjoyed it. Two years ago Fran’s sister Jenna goes missing on a wellness retreat in Gozo, their mother has a hard time accepting her presumed death and signs up to go an another retreat run by the same couple, Tom and Kate. When her mother has an accident she persuades Fran to take her place to try and discover what happened to Jenna. There are plenty of red herrings and twists as Fran struggles to find the truth and solve the mystery.

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What a fun, twisty read! Her Last Holiday kept me second guessing myself the whole time! With alternating POVs, Taylor keeps the reader on their toes. Family secrets, marriage secrets, death and a missing woman makes this book a delicious read!

I received #HerLastHoliday as an ARC courtesy of #NetGalley and #HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

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A unique plot with a dark gritty undercurrent. I enjoyed the storyline immensely. The characters were well written. I found the story to play out a little slower than I would like and as such it took me a bit longer than usual to complete it. The ending however gave the story an extra bit of oomph and made it more enjoyable. There were lots of twists and turns and surprises around every corner. Overall it was a good read.

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A woman wants to discover the truth about her sister's mysterious death in a group retreat two years ago... Who's lying? Who's telling the truth?

I'm sorry to say this book is another thriller I'll forget real soon, despite the interesting idea of the group retreat... Unfortunately, the author never managed to grab my attention. Also, there were too many characters and I never felt close to any of them.

I only finished it because I'm curious by nature and wanted to know how it would end. I finally skimmed through the second half and, just as I thought it got better, there was a twist about a culprit that totally fell flat.

I have a couple of C. L. Taylor's books on my TBR and I'm still gonna read them. This one just wasn't for me.

2.5 stars

Many thanks to Avon books UK and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Publication date: April 29, 2021

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A good setting, a good start but a disappointing book. Everything started so well, a bit of mystery set in England, the appeal of a countryside retreat and revenge! A perfect cocktail to read cuddled up under the duvet! It just did not live to expectations, the ending is still unexpected but feels really far fetched when you were led consistently one way. Not a bad book , but one just worth filling up time sadly.

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A corkscrew roller coaster is how I would describe this book. What a read it was that I enjoyed and I could not put down. Tom and Kate run a posh sweat lodge retreat for people with "problems." Fran, who goes by the name of Geraldine, books a stay to try and find out what happened to her sister who disappeared from there 3 years prior. Caroline, who goes by the name of Joy, is a reporter wanting to write a story about Tom who was recently released from prison. There are a lot of strange, dysfunctional characters in this story that is told is a then and now format with different narrators. Fran (Geraldine) and Caroline (Joy) add to the confusion by using there alternative names. Overall, it is a good read with a lot of suspense and surprises in it.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC of this very exciting book that was a real page turner in exchange for an honest review.

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Fran books herself into Soul Shrink Retreats to try to find out what happened to her sister who visited the retreat a few years ago and disappeared. Is Tom Wade the man behind the retreat innocent and as nice as he seems. This is another gripping book by CL Taylor who never disappoints and takes you on a thrilling adventure. Read and enjoy.

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An interesting, slow paced mystery with a lot of drama. I loved the premise of a sister looking into what happened to her sister. With a cast of several excellent suspects at the retreat, I was entertained, even if I did guess the twist. A light beach read.

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An excellent read - as usual with this author. An intriguing plot line, which builds up throughout the story, creates tension. Would recommend.

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Normally I am. a great fan of this author but I struggled with this novel. But it’s possibly a case of it’s me, not you syndrome as I have just had hip replacement surgery and am in a degree of pain.

I found the problem with this novel is that it jumped around too much and I got confused with who was who and on what timeline. The two sisters tended to blur in to one too. And none of the characters were likeable.

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C.L Taylor has done it again! Yet another of her books I couldn't put down, read it in less than 24 hours and was rather sad to finish it in a way. I had great fun desperately trying to figure out what happened before I read the answers, nothing like a good mystery to engage my brain.

Following the lives of two sisters, Fran and Jenna, you slowly weave together a picture of what really happened in Gozo on the night of Jenna's disappearance.
Throughout the whole book, I found myself never quite sure who to trust. Everyone has their own secrets hidden just below the surface but you often have no idea just how damaging those secrets are behind the facade.

Right from the get-go, Tom Wade is painted as the villain, newly released from prison after serving 3 years for the accidental deaths of two of his clients at a wellness retreat. With Jenna assumed to have committed suicide, no one was held responsible for her disappearance, yet Fran and her mother were adamant to find Tom and get the truth.

The more you learn about Tom, his wife Kate and the others on the retreat, the less sure you can be about anything that's going on. Tom is not the villain he seems, Kate is no saint and no one seems to be telling the truth about their motives for being there.

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C L Taylor is one of my favourite authors so I’m very happy to be reviewing her upcoming book “Her Last Holiday”.

She’s a master of twisty shocking tales and this is no exception!

Francs sister Jenna went missing / presumed dead on a retreat a few years ago, now the man in charge has been released from prison and he’s started a new retreat. Of course Fran has to go but there’s some shocks along the way...

Thrilling! Loved this. I really enjoyed how Fran was not a likeable character, she’s harsh and takes no shit but not in a likeable way...I feel like this really added to the story and really showed the differences between her and Jenna. I loved to hate Kate! What a character!

A fantastic 4/5.

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Loved this! Read it in a couple of hours. A well conceived plot, I didn't guess the ending until just before it was revealed. Definitely will be recommending this!

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Fran is determined to find out the truth behind her sister Jenna’s disappearance and supposed suicide. She went missing on a retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong after two people died. It was run by the charismatic Tom Wade who went to prison for the deaths but never explained what happened to Jenna.
Fran sees that on Tom’s release he is running another retreat and books on to it hoping to find the truth and come to terms with her sister’s death. She is convinced that Tom is to blame and wants to make him pay.
Full of suspense this kept me gripped to the end, loved it!

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My first CL Taylor book! This book had me hooked from the outset and deserves every good review given to it! I thoroughly enjoyed reading his and was really disappointed that it had to end!

Fran’s sister Jenna has gone missing (and presumed dead) after she attended a retreat in Gozo run by Tom Wade and his wife Kate. Never having been that close to Jenna due to the age gap and family circumstances and pressure from her overbearing mother, Fran decides to sign up for the next retreat to investigate what happened as she feels something untoward went on. The story is told from Kate, Jenna and Fran’s perspective and hovers between past and present.

Great writing and character building from the author. Also, there is a big twist at the end of this so be prepared!
Thanks to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I spent most of this booking thinking I had the whole thing figured out and that it was so predictable and obvious, but I was completely wrong and now I am laughing at myself. The last 20% to 30% of the book is chock-full of explosive surprises that I didn't see coming! I would describe this thriller as a slow burn. There was definitely mystery and suspense throughout the book but the end had me glued to the page.

This was my first C.L. Taylor book but it definitely won’t be my last. If you have never read any of her books my only advice would be to read the whole thing through, don’t give up on it because you think you have it all figured out. It took me a little while to get into this one but the end is so good it completely makes up for it. With my next C.L. Taylor book, I will dive into it with a fresh mind knowing that she has all kinds of tricks up her sleeve.

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3.5 stars

Tom Wade, the public face of SoulShrink is about to be released from prison after serving two years following tragedies at his last retreat in Gozo. His wife Kate is waiting for him, anxious to reboot SoulShrink and get their lives back on track. Fran, an ICT teacher watches proceedings carefully as her younger sister Jenna disappeared from the Gozo retreat. When Tom and Kate offer another retreat in Wales, Fran attends to try to find out what happened to Jenna. The story is told from two years ago and now and from Kate/Fran and Jenna’s points of view.

This is a ‘game of two halves’. I like the first half of the book which looks at the dynamics of several relationships especially Tom and Kate. You can see how brittle and strained things are between them which is heightened after Tom's prison release. Fran and Jenna’s relationship is interesting as is their dynamics with their absolute harridan of a mother and you appreciate their struggles to cope. The characterisation is one of the best elements of the book as you try to work out each of them. Is Tom a fraud, a player or genuine? Is Kate controlling, manipulative, domineering and jealous or is she used? Fran struggles so much but as you grow to understand her you realise why she is so socially awkward and a boiling cauldron of anger and regrets inside and of them all, she is the one I grew to like. I appreciate her sense of humour too. It takes a while to get to understand Jenna, her confusion and reasons for her issues. The pace in the first half is good and a number of unsettling events occur, there’s a lot of suspicion in the Welsh retreat and a good puzzle to unlock.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the second half is as good. The retreat events become rather longwinded and overlong and so it gets a bit dull. There are a lot of characters to get your head around too and some of them change their names which gets confusing. It’s the end though that I have the biggest problem with as it just doesn’t work for me. As the ‘string puller’ is revealed the motivation seems spurious and it feels implausible.

Overall, it’s a pity the book tails off as I was enjoying the first half and I usually really like this authors books but I don’t think this one is up there with her best.

With thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the arc for an honest review.

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I love CL Taylor - her novels never fail to grip me, and Her Last Holiday was another great read!

I must note though that it took me a good 30% of the book to learn who was who though, as several characters have two names (one in the past and one in the present), and the main character shares her false ‘current’ name with her mother, making things quite confusing at times!

However once I got into the book and learned the characters, the book drew me in properly. It’s worth persevering with the first quarter or so, as it’s an enjoyable escapist read**

Set both in modern day wet wintery Wales and 3 years earlier in Gozo in healing retreats, it was the perfect antidote to ‘retreat’ into away from the news etc (from wet wintery Wales however!) which dominates our lives so much at the moment. It has a great mix of goodies, baddies, and downright odd people - and some who will take you by surprise. I couldn’t put it down in the second half of the book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

**Read the first quarter in one go if you can for the continuity!

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Jenna went missing, presumed dead after a spiritual retreat three years ago. The organiser has been in prison during this time and is released to find his wife is ready to start their retreats again, while Tom is not particularly excited to return after the horror of his last retreat they start again.

Fran is Jenna’s sister, bullied by her mother to find out the truth she is enrolled on the next retreat. Completely out of her comfort zone she is determined to find the truth.

Quite slow paced, but very good writing.

This was a good thriller, twists that I didn’t see coming but it lacked a bit of excitement.

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

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