How had I left this book on my TBR pile for so long? I’m sure I originally had an ebook and an audio of this one. I’m finally reading it via audiobook. What can I say? This is a truly unique concept for a book that kept me hooked from start to finish.

We have three different voices of three different women. Each of them were extremely different and all of their stories were extraordinary in different ways.

Her Last Holiday will keep you guessing right until the end. I had so many lightbulb moments when I thought I had worked it out. Each time when I realised I was wrong I was eagerly listening for more.

Cally Taylor is a wordsmith like no other and I truly loved listening to this chilling tale. I’ve always been really intrigued by self help probably because I’m 99% a pain but we’re not talking about me. In creating this retreat an ideal has been formed and the people that flock to this sort of retreat are helpless and feel like they cannot speak to anyone in their lives. This is where soul shrink capitalises on the loneliness of this bunch. We have the Then with Jenna and the group she was with and then the Now with Fran and the group she’s with and then we have the third voice…

I loved getting to know these individuals, they truly are a dynamic bunch with a number of characters. I won’t say anymore than that as I don’t want to sway any opinions. But what I will say is I got so many of them wrong…

There’s so much I want to say and so much I cannot say. Fran is a truly fascinating leading character and I loved deciphering her layers. That was a revelation in many ways and made me realise and fully appreciate why she is the way she is. I also really enjoyed reading about the weird family dynamics that Jenna and Fran have, as this unfolds you can see why both the girls are the way they are and what drove them to being that way. It also made me think a lot about communication – not only within families but with anyone you truly care about.

Her Last Holiday is a tale that will take you on a journey of self discovery. If you are looking for a book that will pick you up and suck you in from the off, look no further. I loved the chat with C L Taylor at the end of the audiobook. She always comes across so well and this just added to the experience of this book.

C.L Taylor is a great UK Author. I usually enjoy reading their books, However, With this audiobook, I just could not really understand the Narrator. The accent for my american ears was to strong and I just couldn't finish this audiobook. I had tried 3 times and finally gave up at 15%.

This book was only redeemed by the narrator. I definitely would have give up if I was actually reading it.
The storyline was poor, with boring characters and unrealistic dialogue.
I was also shocked by her descriptions of mental health.

I will not be reading more from this author.

Thrillers are my favorite genre to read, but I had a bit of a hard time getting into this one. Maybe it was because I listened to the audiobook that I had trouble connecting to this story, I'm not sure. I found there to be lots of details to keep straight in order for the story to make sense, which at times was difficult for me given the dual timelines. I didn't particularly like the characters, and found the believability of the story to be a reach. It was an interesting premise, however it wasn't a standout book for me.

Her Last Holiday tells the story of Fran who's Sister Jenna went missing whilst on a spiritual retreat a few years back and is now presumed dead. Fran's Mother convinces her to attend one of the same spiritual retreats under a false name to try to do some investigating. Both of the retreat leaders and also several of the other attendees were at the same retreat where Jenna went missing. Fran gradually gets to know each of them and starts uncovering suspicious secrets. She starts to suspect that some of them know exactly what happened to her Sister.
Unfortunately I didn't find this book interesting or intriguing. The idea of plot was actually quite interesting and sounded like it would be a good thriller. However, what really brought the book down for me were the characters. I just found almost all of the characters quite bland and dull to the point where I just didn't care why Jenna was missing or what had happened to her. And as the story went on it became more and more unbelievable. The retreat leaders had the participants taking part in pretty risky activities with no training, The leader presenting himself as some sort of counsellor and people trusting him with their secrets despite having only just been released from prison after he was blamed for 2 previous retreat guests' deaths!
Overall this just wasn't a book for me. I have seen that other people have really enjoyed it but I can only give this book 2 stars.

Her last holiday by C.L Taylor
This book is a brilliant dual time line book. It captivated from the very start. I just love books full of twists and turns and this book didn't disappoint me. When you think you know whats going to happen next your wrong. The ending is so shocking I was shouting no way! Its brilliant in every way. The characters are so messed up and so hard to figure out it increases the books unpredictability.
Its a brilliant book and im sure you will love it.
This is the second book I have read by this author and I can't wait to read more.
I read the audio version of this book and enjoyed listening to the narrator. It seemed to make the depth and atmosphere of the story come alive.

I love C L Taylor book and there isn’t one that I have read that hasn’t excited me but the narrator for this audiobook just isn’t very good and I find she spoils the story for me. Cannot fault the story but recommend the book only.

This is a really well paced novel and the perfect summer read for all of you thriller fans! Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of three different characters and jumps back in forth to the retreat then in Gozo and the retreat now in Wales. We get to see how the story unfolds from different angles, and see the truth, the lies and the misunderstandings unfold along the way. I particularly like that each woman’s voice and character is quite distinctive. They are each motivated by different things, and I enjoyed seeing how each of them interpreted some of the same interactions in completely different ways.

This is a book that will keep you guessing throughout on exactly what happened to Jenna, who was involved and where they are now. This is my second novel from C. L. Taylor and I enjoyed it as much as the one I read last year, so I will definitely be picking up more of her works in the future.

Her Last Holiday by C.L. Taylor and Narrated by: Clare Corbett was a good read and I was hooked within the first few pages. What could go wrong whilst on a vacation! Everything!!! This book is full of twists and turns that will have you hooked and will kept you guessing right until the very end.

I highly recommend it I really enjoyed it .

Big Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for my advanced copy of this audiobook to listen to

The book started off OK but sadly the last few chapters let it down.
I listened to this on audio and had to keep flicking back as I was getting confused with all the characters as it flicked between 2 retreats and apparently repeat attendees from the 1st one
As part of a spiritual cleansing at retreat 1 some of the people at the original retreat had changed their names so that didn't help my confusion
Jenna the main characters disappeared during the first retreat and had never been found and it was assumed she had committed suicide
Tom Wade the man behind the self-help retreat has recently been released from jail as a result of the two other people dying while they were in attendance,
Tom has never revealed what happened to Jenna. Following his release from imprisonment Tom is set to pick up where he left off and run another wellness retreat. So, Fran signs up for the course - and goes in search of the truth.
Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book for an honest review

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Avon Books UK/HarperCollins UK Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Fran never found out what happened to her sister when she disappeared from a self-help retreat two years ago. When the man responsible for the retreat is released from prison after serving time for the deaths of two other people, Fran's mother is determined to find out what happened to her daughter and sends Fran to go investigate. Told between the present day and flashbacks to Jenna's time at the retreat, slowly you begin to uncover what actually happened to Jenna and what might still happen to Fran.

It took me a few chapters to get into this book but once I did, I enjoyed it immensely. There is a lot of information to take in but once the story starts, it really is a cracking plot with plenty going on to keep you entertained. The audiobook was fantastically narrated and I found both easy to listen to and to follow. I always knew which timeline I was in which made keeping track of the story very easy.

The plot focuses on a closed setting with a set group of characters. They were all fairly decent and, while I could see some of the plot developments coming, I was genuinely surprised a couple of times. I think this would be the perfect book to read on holiday as it has that kind of atmosphere which would work brilliantly if you're sat by the pool or travelling somewhere. Overall this was a solid thriller with a believable, enjoyable plot and plenty to keep you interested.

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Fran determine to discover what happened to her little sister during a retreat organised by Tom Wade, decides to join the next one undercover so that she can finally learn the truth.

The dual timeline, shifting between Jenna time at the retreat and Fran undercover mission, is well played and entertaining.

With this being my first C.L Taylor book, I can’t really compare it to any other of her works, but I found the pace of the story pleasant and quite fast paced.

The character were definitely all likeable and I became really curious especially by Jenna and her story, what brought her to the final decision. However the ending I found it to be a bit too predictable.
But I would still recommend this read, especially if you have read and enjoyed The Therapist by B A Paris.

Jenna goes on a spiritual retreat to Malta and doesn't return. She is missing, presumed dead but was it suicide or something else. Her sister Fran is on a mission to get to the bottom of her sister's disappearance and expose the group leaders who she believes may be involved.

This is a perfect beach read, a little bit different to the normal holiday read so if you like books with a little bite but still want something to get you in the holiday mood this is it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to listen to a comlimentary copy of this audio book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the first book I have read (heard) by this author and while I found it hard to suspend my belief for most of it, it was an okay book. I like my storylines a little easier to believe, the characters did questionable things that made no sense. The premise of the story was good, I just did enjoy the way it was told..

Fran is desperate to find out what happened to her sister, Jenna who vanished from a retreat two years ago. Her body was never recovered but blood was found at the edge of the cliff. Of course what else would you do after your sister goes missing and is presumed dead, of course, you would decide to attend the to same retreat and see if you can discover what happened. I quickly deduced the end game and al;though there were a few surprises, the storyline was weak.

The narrator did a good job and was easy to understand., she had a pleasant voice.

Unfortunately I missed the e-mail telling me I was able to listen to this audiobook and it has been archived without me being able to hear it - it sounds awesome so I hopefully will get another copy

Another great book by C.L. Taylor
Frank sister Jenna supposedly committed suicide when she was at the retreat Soul Shrink in Gozo.
Two other people where killed and Tom who ran Soul Shrink was imprisoned.
Two years later Tom is realised.
Fran wants to know what really happened to Jenna . She doesn’t think that Jenna would take her own life but does she know her own sister.
So Fran signs up to go to his latest retreat.
Can she uncover what really happened to her sister.
Brilliant
Well narrated
Thanks NetGalley

3.5*
Fran and Jenna are sisters who aren’t particularly close but when Jenna goes missing – it seems she has taken her own life – on a new age retreat in Gozo, Fran leaps into action, cajoled by their mother, Geraldine.

At first I thought “Soul Shrink” (the name of the organisation behind the retreat) was a good, innovative name for a bit of therapeutic ‘time out’ (given that shrink is a slang term for a psychotherapist), but then it soon dawned on me that shrink might not be about psychology but more about the process of diminishing and cowing a soul, which then added a creep factor early on to the proceedings.

Tom is the face behind the organisation but the enabler is his wife Kate (they try to keep the fact they are married hidden). Jenna wasn’t the only one to suffer in Gozo, as two people died, and as a result Tom faced a prison sentence whilst Kate had to keep body and soul (oops, there is that word again) together on the outside. Now, the couple is planning a repeat of the Soul Shrink experience, but this time in Wales, and Fran, now posing as a woman called Geraldine (aka her mother’s name), joins in. Kate is wary of all the participants in case they are journalists in disguise, who, she surmises, are hoping to get more of a lowdown on what went on in Gozo, and who have perhaps chosen to be on the Wales retreat to experience the schadenfreude should Soul Shrink in Wales fail this time around. She is not one to be deterred because the couple’s vocation is certainly her be-all and end-all and she is going to make this retreat work, whatever the cost. Fran/Geraldine is there to see if she can find out more about Jenna because she really does not believe her sister would have actively chosen to die.

There are lots of sessions and some outward bound activities (where Fran/Geraldine nearly drowns, so Soul Shrink is on the cusp of getting into deep water once again) but they all plough on with the retreat, as feathers are ruffled, secrets unfurl and events take a darker turn.

There are also personal therapy sessions with Tom, who holds them in his bedroom (that is SUCH a no-no in the therapeutic world, it just underlines how the safe boundaries for the clients attending are shot to pieces).

A good thriller relies on storytelling with a knife-edge thrust but for me this was just the wrong side of plausible. I listened quite happily to it as an audiobook and it is a story well told, written by a creative author. As it comes to the end it just loses direction and takes twists and turns that beggar belief. It almost came to a credible end but then I discovered there was still an hour to go and at that point I felt that it had gone beyond being a cohesive read. Engaging in many ways, but a little drawn out for my taste.

This book was just about saved by the excellent narration. If I haven’t been listening to it on audio, I don’t think I would have finished it. The story was clumsily plotted, with uninteresting characters and clunky unrealistic dialogue. It got almost ridiculous towards the end. Don’t think I will be reading more from this author.

With crime i often find them predictable. BUT not with this book. Your taken on a journey with a grieving family looking for answers.

The book has two timelines then (before jennas disappearance) and now (Fran looking for answers and closer).

The story is so well written with characters you instantly like, dislike, then unlike, which leads to you going on a journey down a very bendy road, and not knowing the destination.

I was gripped and wanted to know what happened but same enjoying enjoying and not wanting it to end.

The narrator was clear and loved the accents, and character voices which helped follow who was talking, but you also could hear the emotion that you felt as you was listening which i think made this even more enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publishers for providing me with a copy of the audiobook to provide an honest review.

Although it appears here as my having had access to this book, it never came up on my Netgalley app so I was not able to hear it or therefore leave a review.