Really enjoyed this from start to finish. Didn't want it to end. Will definitely read more of this author in the future.

When Neil and his wife Sacha are forced to spend the holidays with her family, tensions quickly rise. Neil has already been struggling with depression and drinking, and the three days spent in a confined space with an excess of alcohol proves to be a recipe for disaster. With long-held resentments between family members already simmering, it looks like this could be more than just one family member's last Christmas.

The book was slow to start but then turned interesting. It gives you POV from three different characters and definitely will keep you guessing till the end, even though I didn't find any of the characters likable. I don't think it's necessary as actors win Oscars for being hated but I also wasn't too invested in them and just the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and to Maria Frankland.

Stuart is diagnosed with cancer and his wife pressures the family to get together for christmas. Every single one of them has their own respective problems and this mashed into one holiday where you ought to put on your best behavior , fights are bound to erupt. What doesnt help is that the first person we get to know is a son in law who is jobless, dealing with infertility and started self medicating with alcohol. He has horrible depression and irritable whenever someone picks a fight with him. As things go on he is found dead and it all opens a whole new can of worms of what happened to him.
This book is a hidden gem and I'll be sure to get a copy for myself to reread in the future.

I really enjoyed this book! It was twisty and kept me from wanting to put it down! I will say that the end was pretty predictable, but I overall enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC

A good read, enjoyed the characters and the journey of the main one. I've read a couple of books by the author now and will definitely look out for more.

A Christmas time mystery which was mainlt enjoyable however felt the ending spoilt the book a little.

Maria Frankland’s Last Christmas is a poignant and heartfelt tale that beautifully captures the complexities of love, loss, and the spirit of the holiday season. The story follows a protagonist grappling with the memories of a past Christmas that changed everything, as she navigates her grief and the challenges of moving forward.

Frankland’s writing is deeply evocative, blending moments of joy and sorrow with skillful sensitivity. The characters are richly drawn, making their emotional journeys relatable and compelling. As the protagonist reconnects with family and friends, the narrative unfolds with warmth and sincerity, highlighting the importance of connection during difficult times.

The pacing is steady, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the character’s emotional landscape. Themes of healing, hope, and the enduring power of love resonate throughout, reminding us that even in the face of loss, the spirit of Christmas can bring light and renewal.

Overall, Last Christmas is a touching and uplifting read that will resonate with fans of emotional holiday romances. It’s a beautifully crafted story that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the magic of the holiday season.

A brilliant Christmas book. If you are looking something to get you into the Christmas spirit this is the book for you , I loved it. Such a well written story with brilliant characters it had a bit of everything, humour, romance and intriguing story . I would highly recommend this book for a nice cosy winters night read by the fire .

Quick entertaining read spoiled by an amateur ending that involves the culprit explaining the story, a little bit odd

Last Christmas is a holiday themed mystery that was about Sacha and how she goes to visit her family during Christmas with her husband but what happens when tensions quickly rise. This was a quick page turning book for me that I enjoyed and would recommend to any reader who loves a good mystery. My only thing with this book was that their was a lot of family drama and the characters were okay. Overall the author wrote this book well and I enjoyed this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for this book in exchange of my honest review of Last Christmas.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was a heck of a ride! The story was not for the faint of heart! Terrible people doing terrible things but I loved it! Highly recommend

Filled with twists I didnt see coming, this is not a fell good book. Let me tell you. Full of unsavoury characters and told by multiple POV's. I couldnt put this book down.

Maria Frankland's Last Christmas is a tense psychological thriller ... kicking off with a couple visiting family for Christmas (always tense!). Add in depression and too much alcohol and you've a recipe for disaster. And a disaster it is ... with a terrific twist at the end.

I deeply inhaled everything about this book. It's a festive drama filled domestic thriller and it's one of those books I am planning to read more than once because it is so good.

Neil and Sasha are struggling with problems in their marriage; infertility, depression and Neil’s reliance in alcohol to deal with these issues. When Sasha’s parents ask them and her sisters, with their partners, to spend Christmas with them they cannot refuse. It will be the last one for Sasha’s terminally ill father.
Bickering breaks out almost immediately and Neil and his brothers in law fall out, a row which leads to a death, an attempted murder and so much more.
Well written and interesting, this was a good read with lots of bit part characters, some of which I felt I wanted to know more about but they didn’t feature as much.
Recommended to those who enjoy a family drama, set in the festive season where everything seems more tense and heightened.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Hands down for the perfect Holiday thriller. When families get together for the holidays, sometimes hatred, lies and devious behavior tag along too!

When three sisters and their families go home to spend one last Christmas with their terminally ill father, another unexpected surprise happens and will forever change all of their lives.

This book sucked me in pretty quickly and kept me questioning every single character. It was a brilliant read, perfect amount of twists, likable and unlikeable characters, sadness, remorse and relatable family dynamic issues.

This one is a must read!

Wow....what an incredible read! This has to be one of the best domestic thrillers I have ever read. I enjoyed the well written and somewhat relatable characters, the plot, and the twists....oh the twists! I have to say, I did not see some of that coming! This was a rollercoaster of a read right from the first page and left me wanting at least a hundred pages more.

#LastChristmas wow what did I just read. What a dysfunctional family but I enjoyed every bit of the lie, cheating and murder.

Sacha and her husband Neil are celebrating Christmas at Sachas parents new home. Sacha and Neil are having fertility problems which has put a strain on their marriage. Her father is terminally ill and this will be his last Christmas. Neil is struggling with depressing and drinking. He and his brother in law have a squabble which ends in mother in law telling them to take a walk and make up! The problem is only 1 will make it back home alive.

I love my family thrillers to be festive so this hit all the marks for me! Who killed her husband?? All the twists and turns enticed me. I could not stop reading.

Trigger warning regarding depression, bully, suicide related discussions, topics should have been raised somewhere in the summary - If I had known that, I would not have started with this one. I was looking for a Christmas Winter vibe nice suspenseful thriller, not a "dragging-down" book. I did not like it at all. It earned by me 2 star for the 1/3 of the book, that was constructed very nice and brought me into Christmas atmosphere: Sasha and his husband are preparing for traveling to Sasha`s family for Christmas, since this will be the last Christmas with Sasha`s father, who is terminally ill.
As the bookcover states already the husband of Sasha will die on Christmas Eve and several other miseries hit the main character Sasha, up to a point that it is just unbearable. The twists were forceful and did not make much sense.