
Member Reviews

This book starts with 7 strangers that all have been told that they have been selected to go to an all-expense-paid retreat while being paid a large sum of money - sounds too good to be true? It is!! When the plane takes off they all fall asleep because someone gassed the plane and when they wake up they are on a mysterious island. There they meet Harvey and he puts trackers on their ear that can read their mind and communicate with them. He leaves them and they discover that this tracker knows all their deepest, darkest secrets. They start out on a journey to get to the house for a party at the end of the day but little do they know that not all of them are going to make it that far.
This premise was so intriguing and although it was a good read I wasn't completely in love. Maybe it's because I'm not a huge Sci-Fi fan and all of it just seemed so unbelievable and by the time I got to the end i was like...really? The writing was very good and the book was a good idea but just not the book for me.

A group of strangers with dark secrets are invited to a resort where things go wrong. Since And then there were none, this has been one of my favorite premises. The Last Resort started out great. Amelia, who has dedicated her life to helping others, is the main character, since her presence doesn’t make sense among the rest of the rich and fabulous guests. She is likable and smart. We get chapters written from the POV of the rest of the guests/victims. There is a technological twist which required a considerable suspension of disbelief but worked well. The plot is nicely paced, and it’s hard to figure out exactly what’s going on, so I kept turning the pages until the last twist which unfortunately spoiled it for me. My disbelief was suspended so far out that it overloaded and the whole explanation seemed too extreme. Also, the baddie’s motivations were too contrived, more in line with a James Bond villain than with a believable character. To the first 75% of the books I give 5 solid stars because I was engrossed. The rest of the book gets 2 so I’m rounding them up because I actually enjoyed the novel.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Amazon Publishing UK!

This has got Hammer Horror written all over it. It's absolutely bonkers. I loved every syllable of it. I've read other stories by Susi Holliday but this is so over the top it's in a field all of its own. It's well paced, it's compelling. For all that much of the story happens outside in the sunshine I was constantly reminded of a film called The Old Dark House based on a JB Priestly book called Benighted. Great stuff, thoroughly entertaining.

A group of strangers are on a plane, headed to a remote island, to experience a luxury all expenses paid retreat. But, when they land they have no recollection of the journey and that's when things become weird.....
This is a book with a very different premise and I was enthralled. It's an interesting read that held my attention throughout as each individual's 'secret' is revealed.
I don't want to give anything away, so I'll stick to; it's about secrets, consequences of actions, incredible and scary technology and murder. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and will definitely be looking out for more from this author.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Susi Holliday for the opportunity to preview and I wish this book every success. Definitely recommend.

I was really excited to receive this from NetGalley as I love this kind of book. After recently reading Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert and The Guest List by Lucy Foley, I was ready for another thrilling adventure set on an island. I read the book quite quickly as it was fast paced and the end of each chapter made me want to keep reading more. On the whole, this was a fresh take on the 'locked-room mystery' and was an engaging read but often the plot became a little far-fetched. I would certainly read more books by Susi Holliday.

The premise of this book was intriguing to me, being a locked room mystery, but it completely fell flat. The characters were flat, and I just could not connect to any of them. I honestly didn't care about reading about testing a product and I just got bored.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion

A trip to a secluded island sure sounds like fun but the story tells us different. I loved getting to know each characters dirty secret throughout the story and thr twist at the end certainly was not expected.

Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One perfect crime.
When Amelia is invited to an all-expenses-paid retreat on a private island, the mysterious offer is too good to refuse. Along with six other strangers, she’s told they’re here to test a brand-new product for Timeo Technologies. But the guests’ excitement soon turns to terror when the real reason for their summons becomes clear.
Each guest has a guilty secret. And when they’re all forced to wear a memory-tracking device that reveals their dark and shameful deeds to their fellow guests, there’s no hiding from the past. This is no luxury retreat—it’s a trap they can’t get out of.
As the clock counts down to the lavish end-of-day party they’ve been promised, injuries and in-fighting split the group. But with no escape from the island—or the other guests’ most shocking secrets—Amelia begins to suspect that her only hope for survival is to be the last one standing. Can she confront her own dark past to uncover the truth—before it’s too late to get out

Creepy thriller that had me guessing! Reminiscent of Agatha Christie! Very engrossing- kept me guessing. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Seven strangers are invited to an all-expenses-paid retreat on a private island, the mysterious offer is too good to refuse.
On reaching the island, they are told they’re here to test a brand-new product for Timeo Technologies. But the guests’ excitement soon turns to terror when the real reason for their summons becomes clear. Each guest has a guilty secret. And when they’re all forced to wear a memory-tracking device that reveals their dark and shameful deeds to their fellow guests, there’s no hiding from the past. This is no luxury retreat—it’s a trap they can’t get out of.
Unfortunately for me this book did not work out. I was intrigued by the cover and the premise but after a few chapters into the book, I did not find it much exciting.
The technology described in the book is something unique and amazing. I just felt that the plot had a lot more to offer especially in terms of the ending since it was kind of weird.
Thank You to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC!

Seven...yes seven strangers and they are all on a luxury trip for the weekend, except that their plane crashes and they are stuck on a weird and creepy island. So weird!!! I had to read and keep reading, find out what was going on with the trackers that they all had.
The characters are....interesting...flawed.... and layered. There are characters that I immediately liked (Lucy) and characters I felt sorry for (Twiggy) and others I was just not sure about (Amelia). There were also characters I did not like (Giles) and characters I felt that I would never really understand (Brenda). James and Scott, well I wasn't sure what to think about them... but more than anything, I wanted to see how they were connected. I kept reading and reading and the ending- well, I did not see that coming!
If you are up for a suspense novel that at times is creepy and at other times is high tech - then The Last Resort should be added to your list.
Thank you to NetGalley and Susi Holliday for this advance review copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

Great idea with loads of action and suspense which kept me reading.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Interesting premise. I love the locked room atmosphere and multiple characters. I also liked the technology aspect.

3 for neutral, as I was not able to finish, since it didn’t seem to grab me. I don’t know if it was my mood or what, but I tried a few times. Will update if able to finish at later date, as it was one I was really looking forward to.

this book was kind of hard for me to stay interested in. it took too long for it to get to the good bits and when it did get to them, they didn't last as long as i would have liked. i will try and give it a second shot closer to the spooky months in hopes that it will help me make it through this entire book.

I was really enjoying this book... Until the last 50 pages when the book wrapped up. It was a great story line.. Like something from a movie but the ending was so strange and left me feeling like it needed an additional few chapters to really wrap it up.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, strangers trapped on a remote island. The ending really fell flat for me though and it was a real let down.

I loved the premise of this book. Seven strangers get invited to an island with the promise for luxury. Only to find out things are not as they seem as soon as they arrive. Everyone has a hidden secret and these secrets are to be exposed along the way.
There is also use of advanced technology in the story, which I found interesting. It reminded me a bit of the film Cabin in the Woods. Having the technology aspect definitely made it a fun book to read. I constantly wanted to know what was next and what did the island have in store for the characters.
Along the way you are wondering how the characters are connected, if at all and who knows what. It is a bit of a 'who's done it' mystery, which is an easy and fun read. It was definitely different to the usual books that I read but I loved it and would read more books like this.
I do wish the ending was better than it was. It felt like the author just wanted to wrap it up quickly once you had a few answers. But I also don't feel that everything was answered. There were moments several characters recognised the island, but this was never explained at all. I love the idea of this book, I just feel a bit more could have been done with the story and more questions could have been answered a long the way.
I will definitely check out more books by Susi Holliday as I did still enjoy reading this. I hope she does more similar books in the future.

The premise of this book had me so interested to read it and unfortunately (for me) it was a bit of a let down. The characters are all tricked into coming to this island, drugged so they don't know where they've been sent, required to sign a non-disclosure agreement about their time there, hooked up to a new 'neuro based' technology and somehow it just was not what I expected. It had all the right elements, but the flashbacks and the connections between characters were a little weak. I wanted there to be something more to this whole premise but was left wanting more.

3.5/5 Fun quick read provided you can suspend disbelief enough to enjoy the story. Interesting story line and good suspense build-up, but the ending was rather far-fetched and abrupt.