This was my first book of Taylor and won’t be the last one. This is a slow burn mystery, hooked me from the first page. Secrets were revealed at appropriate moments and nothing prepared me for the innumerable twists in the last quarter.

Fran’s sister Jenna has gone on a wellness retreat in Gozo island run by self-help guru Tom and his assistant/wife Kate. Jenna along with the other two guests died there; their deaths have been ruled as unfortunate accidents, and Tom has been sentenced two years.

Present story starts two years after aforementioned events, Fran books herself for the retreat organized by the same people. Fran is on a mission to uncover what happened to Jenna. Three of the original guests also come to the retreat.

Told in Kate, Jenna and Fran’s perspective in short chapters alternating between present and past times at the retreats.

The motley crew of characters are the best feature of this book. They step on each other’s toes all the time, each one considers other as stupid, tries to exploit and falls flat on their face and this had me burst into cackles of laughter. Some characters come under false pretenses and hidden motives, always check their backs in order to avoid their covers being blown.

Loved how the main characters indulge in competition to unravel each other’s secrets. Watching this mad cap unfolding is so much fun. Enjoyed reading Fran’s POV for her no-nonsense approach. Kate is also strong and resilient.

Taylor’s writing is fluid and effortlessly deters confusion despite having quite a few characters in different timelines. I’ve pinned my suspicions on one particular character but was gob-smacked when Taylor wickedly unveiled the offenders.

The retreats at the beautiful isolated locations added a mysterious atmosphere.

Overall, a compelling mystery with well-developed characters. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every second spent on it.

Thanks to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net galley and Avon Books for the eARC.
Two years ago, in Gozo, at a wellness retreat, Fran's sister Jenna went missing.
Her parents are still devastated and want Fran to find out what happened. Not really sure she wants to, she gives in to her mother's pleas and goes to the new retreat in Wales. There she meets the motley group of the other retreaters and the couple who run it. Over the length of the book, we follow Fran in the present and Jenna two years ago.
It gets more and more intense as the story unfolds and the characters are fascinating, some appealing, but most of them are quite creepy.
When we finally find out what really happened, it's quite shocking with a great ending. Highly recommended!

I have read most books by this author and loved them all, unfortunately, I found this book underwhelming and struggled through 75% of it. It did all come together in the last 25% but still left me feeling disappointed.

Two years ago Fran's younger sister Jenna went to a wellness retreat in Gozo... but she never came home. Determined to find out the truth about what happened to her sister, Fran joins Tom Wade's latest retreat. Can she find out the truth from Tom or one of the others who attended the previous retreat? Or could her search for the truth cost Fran her life?

Another fantastic book from C.L. Taylor. The plot was thrilling and tense, the characters interesting, and the twists and turns brilliant. A really gripping read - recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

I love CL Taylor books so was extremely excited to get my hands on this courtesy of NetGalley this week!
The story is set at a retreat attended by Fran who is determined to find out how and why her sister Jenna disappeared from a previous retreat led by the same hosts. Jenna’s story is told alongside Fran’s and one of the hosts, Kate, and the reader has to piece together what happened to a Jenna, whilst Fran does the same.
This book kept me gripped and I loved the way it had a number of red herrings as well as twists along the way. Would recommend.

C L Taylor takes us into a world of needy people in this tale of discovery and self-discovery, as a woman (Fran) sets out to discover what happened to her much younger sister who went on a holiday/extended therapy session two years earlier but never returned. The official verdict was suicide but with no body discovered and the fact that the organiser of the event, Tom Wade, was imprisoned for the manslaughter of two others at the same event, there is every reason to suspect that the full story has not been told. When Wade is released and organises a new retreat, Fran attends under an assumed name, determined to find out more.

The novel is billed as a psychological thriller, the tension builds as strange and scary things occur on the retreat and you cannot figure out who is really responsible. It reminded me of one of those Agatha Christie stories where a bunch of people are all in a lovely house together, with surface politeness but all sorts of friction and emotion underneath. The desire to know more kept me turning the pages. The story is told through the eyes of three women: Fran, her missing sister Jenna, and Tom’s wife Kate. We jump back in time for the Jenna sections, with helpful chapter sub-heads saying “two years ago”. Several people on the current retreat were also at the previous one, so we gradually learn more about them from these different perspectives.

Tom and Kate pitch their holiday retreats as “soulshrink”, events for hurt people to give them a new start. We join some of the counselling sessions, and in describing these the author shows deep knowledge of the subject; they are convincingly told and make the book though-provoking in terms of the ways people damage one another (and themselves) and the somewhat dysfunctional families they belong to. There is ambiguity in the telling: are Tom and Kate charlatans making promises to their vulnerable guests that cannot be fulfilled? Or are they doing good work (manslaughter and missing person incidents aside) that really does improve the lives of others? This is deliberate and even at the close of the book, when the facts of the matter are revealed, the reader is, I believe, meant still to have questions about what is sincere and what is fake.

I love books that challenge me to do some thinking, and this is one of them. Part of me though would have liked the loose ends to be more firmly tied up; there is also an incident described in the first chapter for which we never get full resolution.

Great read though, exciting, well-written, thought-provoking and insightful.

The Lie is one of my favourite books ever and this one sounded quite similar so I was really excited to read it. I'm happy to report that it definitely lived up to expectations and is now firmly in 2nd place on my list of favourite C L Taylor novels.

I really loved the idea of the retreats being run by people out to make money by exploiting vulnerable people (I hope that after the events of the book they all sought professional help instead!). The inclusion of psychosomatic illness was something I really enjoyed. Having studied psychology at university I find the subject so fascinating.

The main characters were all very well described, even if I didn't particularly like them (Kate!!) and the side characters were fantastic as well. I particularly enjoyed reading about Phoenix and Tom, and even after the novel is over I still can't quite decide how I feel about Tom.

I really enjoyed the plot and whilst I did guess parts of it, other parts came as a complete surprise. I found the ending satisfying.

There's nothing about the novel I disliked. Sometimes Geri was referred to as Fran and Renata as Erica by people who weren't supposed to know yet but I'll put that down to this being an ARC.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this book, I loved it.

I just finished reading Her Last Holiday by C.L. Taylor and wow, I was impressed. I thought it would be a light, fun mystery, but this was immersive and dark. It kept me guessing.

When the opportunity is presented to attend a self-help retreatin Gozo, Fran goes for one reason- to figure out what happened to her sister. Two years prior, Fran’s sister Jenna went on the same retreat and went missing. Suspected to have killed herself, Jenna’s body was never found and Fran has questions. She is determined to find the truth. But what she finds out is a layer of secrets and lies from multiple guests. Who can she trust and is she in danger too?

Synopsis:

You come to Soul Shrink to be healed. You don’t expect to die.

Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong.

Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of 2 people. But he has never let on what happened to the third suspected victim: Jenna.

Determined to find out the truth, Fran books herself onto his upcoming retreat – the first since his release – and finds herself face to face with the man who might hold the key to her sister’s disappearance. The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive? Or does someone out there want Jenna’s secrets to stay hidden?

There is more to this fantastic story than what I briefly shared, and I highly recommend Her Last Holiday if you are into mysteries and thrillers. This comes out in April and you will want to put it on your To-Be-Read list immediately.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Avon/Avon Books UK for providing me an advance copy of C.L. Taylor’s latest mystery novel, Her Last Holiday, in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by C.L. Taylor and I can certainly see why she receives rave reviews. The chapters are short and intense, making it an easy choice if you are looking for a book to entertain you for several hours.

The story is told through the perspective of three different characters: Fran, Jenna, and Kate. Fran is an ICT teacher in her 50s who is sent on a retreat by her overbearing mother to find out what really happened to her sister, Jenna. Jenna’s story is told from the past leading up to current events. Kate is the wife and PR/manager of her ex-con husband Tom Wade’s retreat experience, Soul Shrink.

The plotline alternates between what happened during the retreat that Jenna attended in the past, to what is presently occurring at the retreat where Fran is now searching for clues about her sister.

There are a handful of good twists and turns, and quite a few humorous remarks. However, there was nothing that struck me as “extra” to award it another star. While it definitely was not a bad story overall, this is not necessarily a book that will stick with me, but it could resonate with other readers.

Basically, if you are looking for a quick, enthralling beach read, then I would recommend checking it out.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Her Last Holiday" by C.L Taylor. Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fran is an English IVT teacher, whose sister Jenna went missing during a wellness retreat 2 years ago. The owner of the company, a self proclaimed self-help guru, who runs the retreats and his wife, are about to lead the first retreat since their last went terribly wrong. Fran's mother Geraldine begs her to go undercover to try to find out what happened.

Once Fran arrives at the retreat, she encounters a quite a cast of characters, and finds it difficult to know who to trust. Fran and an undercover journalist team up to uncover unexpected secrets as they rush to find out what happened to Jenna.

There may have been some mistakes in the ARC using Fran's undercover name, Geraldine, a few times it seemed that people who didn't know she was Fran called her Fran.

This is a thriller that will keep you guessing until the end!

My love for C.L Taylor is on going. Her last holiday is centred around the the sisters Jenna and Fran. 3 years earlier Jenna goes away on a self help retreat which leads to deaths and it seems Jenna has committed suicide. So when Frans mother begs her to go on the retreat in present day to get answers surrounding Jennas death reluctantly she goes and what she uncovers is a lot more than she can handle.

The characters in this story are all amazing, we hear from Jennas POV 3 years before hand, she's going through alot and when she meets Tom the retreat leader she finds an instant spark between them. I liked the past story however the present story was much better it has to be said.
Fran is the main character and I find her character to be so relatable. She's middle aged tired, fed up guilt riddled and still trying to and failing to please her mother. This is why she ends up on the retreat. She's a very to the point person which I loved so much! Her character is full of depth and I was really routing for her to find out what happened to Jenna. Her guilt for not listening to her sister has followed her making her believe she was part responsible for her suicide.
Kate is the wife of Tom who is the retreat leader. Kate has waited for Tom to come out of prison and is pushing forward the most recent retreat. Kate is our story baddie and I just loved her!
There are alot of side characters throughout the story that all add something to it.

I love that our leading characters are all strong women. They all have their own issues and this is clear and further gets dived into throughout the story. Fran is my favourite and her family dynamics I found very interesting to read. Especially the mother daughter relationship the idea that you can be 51 and still have a very torturous relationship with your mother.

What the book also looks at really well is how people who are in dark emotional places can be suckered in by aimed phrases like I can save you life. This is the tag line that hooks Jenna in and many others on the retreat. It just shows how low everyone is that they have turned to an unqualified life coach instead of seeking professional help. It's very interesting how this is used espically from Kate POV.

I really enjoyed this book. When I read the blurb and title I thought yes another book like The Lie by C.L Taylor, I must say I preferred the Lie and almost wish I hadn't read it before hand as I spent alot of the book comparing the two, I chastised half way through though!
I recommend this book great suspense and loved finding out how it all played out. I had guessed the plot twists but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. Happy to give 4 stars 🌟

Thank you first of all to C.L Taylor for yet again another fantastic read, Netgalley and Avon publications for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Another solid thriller from CL Taylor. Her Last Holiday carried me along like the tide, with the voices of Fran and Jenna hooking me in. I always feel that Taylor's novels are very character driven, and that she excels at creating multifaceted, intriguing characters - particularly women - and this book is no exception. A brilliant story to escape into.

I haven't picked up C. L Taylor's work before but will definitely keep an eye out for it now.
This was an enjoyable thriller with good character development and a decent plot.
We follow Fran, a woman in her fifties, who goes on a wellness retreat  to investigate the disappearance of her sister Jenna who had travelled to Gozo, as a part of the same retreat group a few years ago.
The prose was simple and easy to read and the multiple POVs really helped  strengthen our connect with the different characters.
The twists were decent though a bit predictable and the story was tied up with a nice bow.
Though the book was on the longer side, I didn't find myself struggling to finish it and was content with the pacing.
Yes, overall the premise did feel familiar, but it was still a pleasant read and I found myself quite engaged with the story.
I recommend it for a quick and pleasant weekend read.

This was a pretty solid book. If you like mystery books, you are surely going to enjoy this. I did, although I do have to say that it also wasn't anything special.
The premise of the story was very good, and I was really excited to see the execution. However, I felt like the story was pretty predictable in the end, and although there were some nice twists I never quite felt the suspense. I think that was due to the fact that I never quite felt the atmosphere that a good thriller needs to have for me. I certainly wanted to know how it ends, but it wasn't as much of a page-turner as I hoped it would be.
I liked the characters, Kate especially, she was really fun to read and I loved her chapters most. The duel POV was a good choice, though, and I also liked Fran's narration. The side characters were all decently developed and interesting, too.
Overall a pretty average read, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

C.L. Taylor is one of my favourite authors of all time so of course I seized the opportunity to read her new book which is due to be published 29th April 2021.

This is a cleverly constructed story that had me hooked from beginning to end. I can’t help but to try and suss out the plot within the first few pages of any book but I genuinely didn’t see the ending of this story coming. The whole novel is full of secrets and lies that are all weaved together with well-built suspense throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed the cast of characters, especially the protagonist Fran and her ‘refreshing’ bravery but some of the side characters were equally likeable and dislikable which made for interesting reading. I thought the premise of this story was really intriguing and was delivered beautifully, as always, by the author. I find her writing style unique and gripping and she just has a way to leave you hanging on every word and telling yourself ‘just one more chapter’ until you’ve finished the whole book.

If you’re a fan of C.L. Taylor’s, you’ll know that with her powerful characters, tantalising twists and knack of immediately drawing you into a story, it’s the perfect package and Her Last Holiday is no exception. And if you’re not already a fan, you will be if you read any one of her books!

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought Cally's last book was my favourite but this one most definitely is. Cally's books just keep on getting better and better. When Fran's sister Jenna disappears from a wellness retreat in Gozo, people are suspicious as to what really happened to her. Fran sets out on a journey to see if she can piece together what happened to her sister, did Jenna have secrets to hide and will Fran get caught up in it all. Will Fran get the answers she so desperately needs. Expect drama, lies, secrets, twists and turns that I did not see coming. I thought I knew half way what had happened but I could never believe what I found out. The story kept me on edge the whole time reading it and my hand was over my mouth as I was shocked to discover the truth. An addictive read.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I always get drawn into these books by the cover and think they will be really good. Sadly I just can’t ever seem to get into them. Fell short for me. Not very interesting.

I love reading (and listening to podcasts and watching documentaries) about self-help gurus and cults, so this book sounded right up my alley. Overall it was a good story, but it fell a little flat for me. The main murder mystery at the heart of the story was interesting, and the story itself was suspenseful - I had absolutely no idea who Fran could trust. There was even a nice little twist at the end!

The main issue I had was with some pretty obvious mistakes that I hope will be fixed in editing before publishing. There are multiple characters that are using different names or false identities, and only some characters know who is who. But Fran, who goes by Geri for a good chunk of the book, was called "Fran" by multiple characters who were not supposed to know who she was (in fact, there were only two characters that knew her true identity, though I believe there were a total of 4 characters that called her "Fran" at some point during her false-identity stage). Since the story hinges on these characters being known as their alter egos, seeing the wrong name printed pulled me out of the suspenseful story multiple times - and one of those times was near the climax of the story. With the names fixed to reflect the proper place in the story, though, I am sure I would enjoy it much more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

4.5 stars

I enjoyed this book for so many reasons, and they were mostly unexpected.

The novel operates in three perspectives: Fran's, Jenna's, and Kate's. There are two primary time periods happening as well. At first, I worried this could be tough to balance, but I found that this really enhanced the pacing and complexity of the characters and central mystery. Points for style and format!

Fran is such an intriguing character. From the first scene, readers know that she's capable of more than she thinks she is. I love that she is painted in a relatively untraditional way and given so much room to both grow and shine.

There's a lot to enjoy here: mystery, thriller, women's fiction elements, and a really functional style. I recommend this to fans of any or all!

#HerLastHoliday #NetGalley
Clever writing.
Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong.Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of 2 people. But he has never let on what happened to the third suspected victim: Jenna.Determined to find out the truth, Fran books herself onto his upcoming retreat – the first since his release – and finds herself face to face with the man who might hold the key to her sister’s disappearance. The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive?
I loved it from middle to end but the beginning was slow. It's a result of clever writing. How a Guru turned out to be a liar. I liked the plot.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller.