A page-turner from the start, I was thinking “just one more chapter” well into the night. The settings and characters made the story shine so much that I could feel myself right along with Frida and Gabriel at every twist and turn. I enjoy a novel with suspense coupled with beautiful prose. I look forward to reading more of Michallon’s work.

I think I went into this with super high expectations since reading the debut of this author. I found this to be slow, stunted, and very disjointed. Sad to say because this started on such a good foot but I found myself losing interest in the characters about halfway through.

I love how this book flipped back and forth between the present and their past lives when they were in the cult. The characters were great and well written, and I flew through this, trying to see what happened next. It's a great story about childhood survival and a psychological thriller all in one. Their story about growing up in a cult and escaping their bad situation is compelling. I was super excited to read it and devoured it in one day.

I read this so quickly because I just wanted to know what happened next!! The characters were very well written, the action was immediate and very suspenseful, and the twists kept the plot super engaging! The only thing that I didn't like was the murderer reveal was a bit too sudden and clean, but it didn't take away from the rest of the book! I really loved this one and would highly recommend to all thriller lovers!

Overall was a good book had a good plot with a slight twist at the end. Definitely got my wheel spinning in regarding to cult, life, and how people live that way.

Another amazing Thriller by Clemence McMihllon. I was fully absorbed into this book. Once I started reading I simply could not put it down. I loved the dual perspective in timeline, the complex relationship between Frida and her brother. I also loved reading about the cult they were a part of when they were younger. This story had the perfect mix of suspense, fear and mystery. An absolute stellar read.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one and will absolutely purchase a hard copy for myself once it’s available.

Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed The Quiet Tenant so I was hopeful for Our Last Resort, but something about it just didn't hit the same way that Quiet Tenant did. I enjoyed my time in this story, but I much preferred Quiet Tenant.

What a nail biter this one is!

Siblings looking to connect are booked in at a fancy resort in the desert. Time away, getting to know each other again while enjoying the pool and sun.

Until a guest is murdered. The younger wife of a rich guest and suddenly all the evidence is pointing to Gabriel. Which forces Frida to face their past and how they escaped from the cult they were raised in.

Is her brother a killer? Is she?

This author is an expert at building tension! Great summer reading!


NetGalley/ July 08, 2025 Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/Knopf

I was so confused reading this book. I wanted to love it so much because I really loved the quiet tenant by Clemence. But this just fell shot for me unfortunately. Maybe I’m just not into cult murder stories but I felt like the plot was all over the place.

After loving The Quiet Tenant, I was super excited to get the ARC for Michallon's sophomore novel. Our Last Resort is quite a bit different from her first book. This one takes place in a luxury remote spa in the Utah desert. Frida, the narrator, is vacationing there with her brother, Gabriel when one of the guests is murdered. This is told in dual timelines. The present day, in Utah, while the police investigate the murder with Gabriel and Frida as prime suspects, and back when the two were children who grew up in a cult. Frida explains how the two grew up in their secluded environment, how they managed to get away from it, and how their relationship has changed over time. It's highly propulsive, and very well written. Michallon is now a must-read for me.

I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to receive this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I rate this 3.75 ⭐️

This is a wonderful book! It is told in a dual timeline past and present about 2 “siblings” that are supposed to be enjoying a vacation and discussing some matters when a murder happens and it brings up past events. This has cult history in it so if you dont like that this book isnt for you. Overall, I really liked this book

Not released till july 8, 2025

Where are my thriller fans who enjoy books about cults?? Michallon’s newest release centers on Frida and Gabe; estranged siblings who have agreed to vacation together in a lush resort in Escalante, Utah. When another guest is found dead, the resort is locked down, and Frida and Gabe are named as persons of interest due to their brief interactions with the victim. This brings up memories the siblings would rather keep buried and private. Told with flashbacks to Gabe and Frida’s past lives growing up in a strict cult, readers learn more about the bond between them, the fiery crime they committed to escape the cult, and the risks they are willing to take to keep one another safe.

This is a high stakes and tense thriller; Gabe and Frida are experts at keeping secrets so there is a great balance of an unreliable narrator, morally ambiguous characters, and secrets! Tightly plotted, Michallon perfectly jostles readers back and forth between the past and present with increasingly shortened segments that had me flipping through the pages as record speed. There is an excellent sense of foreboding and claustrophobic writing that kept my hackles raised until the end. I think thriller readers who enjoy mystery books with dark secrets, trauma bonds, and cults will love this next thriller by Michallon.

Thank you to Knopf for my early ARC! This summer thriller released on 7/8/25.

Frida and Gabriel share a childhood past spent in a cult where they bonded as "brother and sister." Once they make the decision to escape the cult, they only have each other to rely upon while having to quickly learn everything about the "outside" world. Through the years, they go their separate ways, only to reunite from time to time or in times of crisis for either one of them. When Gabriel is accused of his wife's murder, Frida is there to help fight off the police and public opinion, having full faith in Gabriel that he didn't do it. Years later, a documentary film crew wants to chronicle their experience during and after Annie's murder. Gabriel and Frida meet in an exclusive desert spa hotel to discuss the proposed film only to have Gabriel accused or murdering one of the hotel guests. Once again, Frida must come to the rescue of her "brother." What they don't know is that each of them has been keeping secrets from the other about their present situation and Annie's murder all those years ago.
Tenacity and family are the two driving forces in these character's lives. Having to scrape by all their lives and only having each other builds an unwavering trust between them. But is that trust as solid as they each believe?
An interesting take on characters coming out of life in a cult and learning the skills needed to survive in the modern world. Frida is the stronger of the two characters. Gabriel just seems to float through the story even when he's been accused of a second murder.

This book has a little bit of everything…cults, murder, mystery, multiple timelines. Frida and Gabriel grew up together in a cult and consider themselves brother and sister. They decide to leave the cult in order to have a normal life so they devise a plan to leave. Once away from the cult, they slowly adapt to life in the real world and Gabriel even ends up getting married. Frida and Gabriel eventually lose touch after he moves across the country so they decide to reunite at a fancy hotel in the desert. A murder takes place at the resort and the race is on to figure out who the murderer is.

This is my first book by Clemence Michallon and I enjoyed her writing style, even though the twist wasn’t as jaw dropping as I would have liked.


Thank you, Knopf, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Siblings Frida and Gabriel grew up in a a cult. At the beginning of this story, we find them as adults and reuniting at the bougie Ara hotel in Utah. Soon, someone at the hotel will be dead and Frida may have been the last to see them alive…

I’m am so sorry sad to say, I honestly just thought this was a bad book. I rarely if ever say that, but this just wasn’t good. I really liked this author’s previous book (THE QUIET TENENT) which was for of a literary suspense read. But this was was very much a basic thriller, like the author has to churn something out for a deadline. It felt so formulaic to many other thrillers I’ve read and never once was it surprising or thrilling.

The reader jumps back and forth in time to the days these two lived in a cult as children and then present day at the hotel and there was so much telling and not showing.

This book was very readable and for that reason I’ll give it two stars but *sad face*

Before I get into it, I'll start this review on a positive note. I think this book would be a fun read on vacation or on a plane as it is a wonderfully quick read and does keep you fairly engaged with the story. That being said, this book has two timelines that it explores - the past and present - and normally, I love when books include this type of format as it often gives great insight into the characters' backstories and contains fun clues and connections the current mystery at hand; however, in Our Last Resort, I felt the separate timelines to be just that, SEPARATE. They do not really have all that much to do with each other and thus, both timelines ended up feeling underdeveloped and not cohesive. The outcome was very predictable and lacked any sort of wow factor and the suspense was definitely lacking. Unfortunately, compared to The Quiet Tenant, this book doesn't really come close for me.

3 ⭐️

So, I just finished reading this book and wow—it was a rollercoaster. But it’s a book that will not stay with me. I didn’t find anything unique or different about this thriller and it was a bit predictable

It’s about 2 people named Frida and Gabriel, who head to a super fancy hotel in the Utah desert to try and patch things up after not talking for a few years. They're dealing with this huge unspoken tragedy, and you can feel the tension between them. Just as they're starting to reconnect, drama hits—a young woman is found dead, and the resort goes into lockdown.
But it’s not just a murder mystery. The story flips between the present and their past in this crazy cult they escaped from years ago. The layers of secrets between them and the way everything unravels—both about the murder and their own lives—kept me totally hooked.

The cult aspect of the story didn’t really do it for me. It felt underdeveloped—like I wanted more details about Frida and Gabriel’s lives while they were part of the cult. I think there was room to dig deeper into that side of the story, and it kind of left me wanting more.
Also, compared to Clémence Michallon’s first book, The Quiet Tenant (which I absolutely loved), the writing in Our Last Resort didn’t feel as sharp or complex. The suspense was there, sure, but it lacked the same depth and elevated storytelling that really hooked me the first time around. It was good, but not quite on the same level for me.

I am glad I read it but it’s not a book I would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review

page turning, fun, impressive book with strong ideas. discusses flipping back and forth between the present and the past about these two self-proclaimed siblings who grew up in a cult. 4 stars. tysm for thea rc.

The Quiet Tenant was one of my favorite reads last year so I had high hopes for this novel. Michallon did NOT disappoint. This books swaps timelines but it is done in such a way that isn’t confusing or overcomplicated. Interesting premise that kept me guessing.

Frida and Gabriel grew up under the tight grip of a cult an upbringing far from ordinary. After breaking free, they drifted apart, eventually settling on opposite sides of the country. Years later, a lavish five-star vacation brings them back together. But when a woman is murdered at the resort, buried secrets begin to surface. The book alternates between present and past timelines, the story paints a vivid picture of Frida and Gabriel’s childhood within the cult and how it profoundly shaped their lives.