This read was hardly a simple murder mystery and is instead, riddled with heavy themes and beautiful character development. What decisions do we make when we know what is happening is wrong, but no one has ever acknowledged its reality? Can we really blame ourselves for compartmentalizing our own actions/thoughts/feelings when everyone else has.


The narrator is relatable while following her in and out of flashbacks to her upbringing in a cult and how she has dealt with finding herself and who she is - with her brother and without her brother. The entire read reminds you of first experiences then perfectly details them, turning the read into a sensory experience where you relish in reliving your own firsts or reliving the panic and stress of decision making for yourself for the first time ever.


Clémence Michallon’s The Quiet Tenant was a book that first got me back into reading. Some may critique this author’s writing style as “too YA” - but I would argue that the writer perfects the youth voice in order to connect us to the narrator’s experiences. She saves the adult voice for mature matters, as an adult might truly process the stressors presented.

I am grateful to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for allowing me access to an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a pleasure to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the free eARC.

“One Last Resort” is about Frida and Gabriel. They were raised together in a cult, and became nearly inseparable during their childhood and adolescence. They leave the cult and start lives. They slowly drift apart over the years after leaving the cult, and decide to try to reconnect at the Ara resort in the desert of Utah. During their stay, a young woman winds up dead, and Gabriel seems like he may be involved. Frida takes it into her own hands to try to solves this murder.

This presents itself as a twisty thriller, but it just never gets very suspenseful. I figured out the big twist fairly early in the book. It was a struggle to finish at certain points. I may have just had the wrong expectations going into it. The writing g itself was fine, but the characters weren’t very likable. I’m not sure if it was meant to be this way, due to their strange upbringing, but the author makes multiple references to Frida being fairly well-versed in pop culture and more “normal” things. If you have nothing better to do, give it a try, but it was nothing memorable.

Michhallon is definitely an auto buy author for me! Our Last Resort was very entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed the main characters and the dual timelines throughout. A lot of reviews compared this to her first novel, and while it was excellent, they are completely different from one another. With The Quiet Tenant I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Our Last Resort was a little bit of a slow burn with more complexities. The transitions from past to present were seamless and kept me turning pages. Fiona and Gabriels bond and history brought an emotional element to this book that kept me wanting more even when the killer was revealed and the book ended. This authors writing is beautiful and I cannot wait for her next book!

I could not put this book down!! Twists at every corner, I was at the edge of my seat. The Quiet Tenant was one of my favorite books and so when I saw Michallon was coming out with another book I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. With that being said, I loved this one just as much! Such a great thrilling story, did not disappoint.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I loved Clémence Michallon’s The Quiet Tenant and was excited to read her second book. However, the story fell flat for me. The present day story was long and drawn out with not a lot happening other than the death of a female guest. The past story line of the cult was interesting.

This one was just okay. In the beginning it was fast paced and I had a hard time putting the book down. Then the pacing slowed and with the dual timelines things just got a bit confusing. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and ended up guessing the twists. Maybe that’s why it didn’t hit for me, but I don’t know. I think a lot of people will love this one, but it just wasn’t my vibe.

I really enjoyed this twisty psychological thriller. The multiple POV and the dual timelines kept me engaged and curious how the story would unfold. The testament to the author’s incredible writing is that the characters are not particularly likable but because of their traumatic childhood you feel empathy for them even though they make terrible decisions. Overall i really like this book and found myself unable to put it down.

I wish the font and formatting was adjustable. Due to my limited ability to make these formatting changes I unfortunately can’t read this book, which is unfortunate as I was so looking forward to reading Clemence’s second book. This is the only reason for so few stars in the rating.

Thanks to the Knopf publishing and Netgalley for this OUTSTANDINGLY captivating eARC.

Clémence Michallon's "Our Last Resort" is a poignant reflection on cults, control, rape, social justice, and the enduring power of shared human connection (which the protagonists in this story will protect by any means necessary).

This novel follows a young woman and man involved in an insidious cult, where they are prevented from involvement with any part of the "outside" world, they are even prevented from obtaining medicine for health issues.

Faced with the imminent threat of their "leader" and with the young woman suffering repeatedly raped by their cult patriarch, the woman and her "brother" resolve to strike out on their own. Before they leave, they take the matter of the only justice they will ever receive (for the theft of their innocence and their childhood) in their own hands.

Michallon masterfully weaves together the tapestry of this fascinating story. The characters are complex and nuanced, grappling with their own fears, regrets, and the lingering effects of past traumas.

"Our Last Resort" is a powerful meditation on the human condition, a reminder of the importance of empathy and compassion in the face of adversity, and the control megalomaniacs so easily exert, which is readily reflected in the current political environment in the United States.

Recommended for readers who enjoy thought-provoking fiction, character-driven stories, and novels that explore the social complexities of control, abuse and freedom.

An outstanding read, 5 stars from this reader, and this is my first by this author, after I post this I am buying a copy of her earlier blockbuster, "The Quiet Tenant".

5 stars from this grateful reviewer, and I predict nothing but even more outstanding success for this amazing author; the lessons in this story remain with the reader long after they have finished this story.

I absolutely LOVED the quiet tenant so I knew that Clemence Michaellon’s new book Our Last Resort was definitely my next read. If you enjoy slow burn, cult element books with multiple timelines then you’ll love Our Last Resort. Our Last Resort is a perfect vacation or flight read (finished this one in a day) I personally love slow burn books and while the twists weren’t as crazy as some books that I’ve read I really didn’t see the ending coming. Can’t wait to read many more of this authors books in the future.

3.5 Stars rounded up

Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon is an ambitious novel with an intriguing premise, but it didn’t fully come together for me. I skipped Michallon’s previous book, The Quiet Tenant, but after seeing so much praise for it, I wonder if I should have started there instead.

The story alternates between two timelines: in the past, we dive into the inner workings of a cult, and in the present, we follow a straightforward murder mystery. On their own, each storyline has moments of intrigue and tension. The cult chapters, in particular, are rich in atmosphere and detail, offering a fascinating look at manipulation and power dynamics. Meanwhile, the murder mystery unfolds with all the twists and turns you’d expect.

However, when these two narratives are combined, they feel disconnected. When I was reading about the cult, I found myself eager to return to the murder mystery. But once I was back in the present, I wanted to go back to the cult scenes.

That said, Michallon’s prose is undeniably beautiful, and there are moments of real brilliance scattered throughout the book. The writing is vivid and evocative, with a strong sense of place and atmosphere. But despite the gorgeous language, I struggled to connect with the characters. They felt distant, making it harder for me to become fully invested in their journeys.

Ultimately, while I can appreciate the ambition and artistry of this novel, it fell a bit flat for me. That said, I’m still intrigued by Michallon’s work and plan to read The Quiet Tenant—perhaps with a fresh perspective, I’ll come back to Our Last Resort and see it in a new light.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I felt the storyline was long and drawn out and slow moving. It did hold me until the end however because I wanted to find out ultimately how it ended. I felt it hard to get to know the characters and like them well enough to invest in them properly. The twists were not that shocking.

3.5
This was one of my most anticipated books of the year after quite enjoying the Quiet Tenant. I have to say, it was a bit of a let down though.

First of all, I live in Utah and I've been to Escalante and many of the other Southern Utah small towns so I was very excited about the place this was set. Granted I have not gone to this fancy resort, I felt that she captured the idea of it decent.

The book rotates timelines of current at the resort and years previous in a different location. I felt like because of this constant change at each chapter it broke the story up for me. I was never fully engaged or on the edge of my seat about what was happening. While there were some interesting aspects in each timeline, there was too much drag within each of them. There was never a sense of urgency that I felt should have been there based on the content. The mystery itself, felt pretty flat.

I am still super curious to see what she writes next and plan to read her next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the gifted e-ARC of this book.

A tale of childhood survival wrapped around a psychological whodunnit, OUR LAST RESORT is a taut and twisty exploration of how far we might go to save the people we love the most. Clémence Michallon is the real deal; from her nuanced characters to her hypnotic prose, readers who enjoyed her dazzling debut will be delighted to find that her sophomore novel packs the same powerful punch.

I love a cult thriller book and I love an unaliving mystery. This book had so many things I would typically love in a book.

There’s a dark past, hidden secrets coming to light, betrayal, and all of that… but for some reason I just didn’t click with this book.

I really genuinely have not one bad thing to say about it, in theory it should’ve been a slam dunk for me, but even after days since reading it I cannot put my finger on why it didn’t work for me.

I really don’t think I’ve ever come across a book that I feel really confident in recommending even though I didn’t like it. I rated it 2 stars but I really don’t want that to discourage anyone from reading it.

4⭐️

I absolutely loved the author’s debut The Quiet Tenant so was excited to read this book.

It blends the disturbing past and present lives of Frida and Gabriel whose lives became entwined as children and explores their early life and an event in the present.

I can’t really say anything specific about the theme covered in the book to avoid spoilers, it’s one that I often struggle with in books, this is one of the best in the way that it’s presented.

I was rooting for both of the main characters who are damaged by their experiences but find stability and solace with each other.

It’s reasonably dark and gritty but I didn’t feel that it pushed the boundaries to being graphic. I found the pace in this book to be quite slow. I found that it took me a long time to read, which I think disturbs the flow and therefore the book’s impact. At the moment I’m struggling to concentrate on reading so I can’t blame the book for that.

I’m not sure how well the present element blended into the storytelling for me.

I enjoyed Our last Resort, but I didn’t love it as much as the first book.

this was a perfectly fine thriller—I read it in one sitting and it’s quick paced and pretty engaging, with short chapters. I really enjoyed The Quiet Tenant, and thought it brought something different to the thriller genre that made it stand out. This was pretty run of the mill though, and while the cult aspect was a fun addition, it didn’t amount to a whole lot in the present day plot. I wish it had been a bit longer to add some characterization to our main characters. Strong writing and I’ll still be back for her next!

The Quiet Tenant, Clémence Michallon’s first novel, was a disturbing edge-of-your-seat thriller and Our Last Resort follows the same playbook. The novel has a creepy/abusive cult backstory and a Flowers In The Attic-ish vibe between the two main characters, who (while not siblings by birth) were raised together in the creepy/abusive cult. While it’s not quite as compelling as The Quiet Tenant, I still kept wanting to turn the pages. 3.5 stars and I’d certainly read her next one.

Thanks so much Knopf and NetGalley for my review copy!

Ugh. I wanted to love this so much! I loved The Quiet Tenant so my expectations were high, and unfortunately I was let down. The cult story wasn't really necessary and it took up A LOT of pages. I didn't like either of the main characters, or the side characters.

The location was a major let down (and I was very excited about that because I love Escalante). It's set in Escalante but the cover is Monument valley (egregious!). As egregious as that is, I do love the cover, it's beautiful. None of the twists surprised me even a little bit and I was only a little entertained.

I obviously didn't hate it enough to DNF but the more I read, the less I liked. I wanted to love this so much but it just wasn't for me.

Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon is the perfect thriller for anyone who loves locked room-esq mysteries set against the backdrop of a luxury resort with a lot of personal secrets sprinkled in.

Frida and Gabriel are siblings who have decided to take a nine day vacation to a new luxury hotel and spa in the desert of Utah. Frida and Gabriel were not born into money and feel a bit uncomfortable rubbing shoulders with some of the worlds wealthiest and most affluent people. As they start to settle into their vacation, a woman is killed and Frida is convinced her husband is the culprit. Unfortunately, this woman's husband is extremely wealthy and connected, and he quickly turns the eye of the police on the two of them. Frida is furious, just because Gabriel's wife was found killed a few years earlier does not mean he is going around murdering women he doesn't know -- plus, he was never convicted of his wife's death. As Frida works to exonerate her brother's name and figure out who did in fact kill Sabrina Brenner, she is also forced to begin reckoning with her own memories of their childhood and its impact on their present. Both Frida and Gabriel are also forced to acknowledge that neither one fully trusts the other.

I thought our last resort was an engaging, fun and well balanced story that seeks to explore trauma, toxic relationships, and family loyalty. Michallon does a great job balancing the book between the past history of Frida and Gabriel and the present day whodunit.

I want to thank NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advanced ready copy in exchange for my honest review.