I was thrilled to receive a free ARC of Our Last Resort by Clemence Michallon from Knopf and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. After absolutely loving Michallon’s debut, The Quiet Tenet, my expectations were sky-high—and this book did not disappoint.

I’m giving Our Last Resort 4 stars. It’s a quick and enticing read, especially if, like me, you find cults endlessly fascinating. The novel unfolds through two interconnected timelines: Frida and Gabriel’s past as children of an unnamed cult and their present-day entanglement in the fallout of a murder at a high-end desert resort. The dual narrative kept me hooked, with each timeline revealing its own set of twists and emotional depth.

Michallon’s portrayal of the cult is chillingly realistic, evoking echoes of real-life groups I’ve read about, and it’s clear she’s done her research. The resort murder mystery is equally compelling, with plenty of surprises to keep readers guessing until the very end.

One of Michallon’s greatest strengths is her ability to craft characters you genuinely care about—a quality that’s often lacking in thrillers. Frida and Gabriel’s struggles and resilience felt deeply human, and I found myself rooting for them even when the stakes were high. I also couldn’t help but appreciate the sly nods to “the mob show,” a recurring reference that made me smile as a fellow fan.

With its gripping pace and evocative setting, Our Last Resort is tailor-made for summer reading. It’s out on July 8, 2025, and I highly recommend packing it in your beach bag—or better yet, devouring it while sipping a cocktail at a luxury resort in the desert.

Told in two timelines; a bond forged by the trauma of their cult upbringing, too many secrets, and a murder are the basis for this unputdownable and gripping story of the reunion between estranged siblings, Frida, and Gabriel.

I enjoyed the brother sister story since I have not read many books about that. I also love a dual timeline so that amped up my reading. This was a good murder mystery and I liked the set up from the very beginning. The author knows how to write a great story. It was not really twisty or a thriller but I did not mind. I wanted to know the characters and their backstory and how they got to where they were which the author provided in great detail. I enjoyed this story and think you will to especially if you liked The Quiet Tenant.

I enjoyed reading this novel Our Last Resort by Clemence Michallon. A brother and sister, whose lives began in a cult have planned a reunion to spend time together at a resort in Utah but upon arrival a murder occurs. Suspicion falls upon the brother because his wife also died under similar circumstances.
A twisty thriller with plenty of suspense and surprises makes this for a great and entertaining read!

I was completely hooked on Michallon’s last thriller, The Quiet Tenant and was so excited to dive into her next novel.
Our Last Resort covers Frida and Gabriel as they grow up and end up escaping from a cult. They survive their childhood and life after escape by clinging to each other and we follow their bond as they grow up and learn to manage life on the outside. Then Gabriel’s wife goes missing and turns up dead. Things fall apart but they end up connecting in present time at an upscale resort to reunite and discuss doing a documentary. At this resort another woman ends up dead and Frida and Gabriel must decide if they truly trust each other.
This second novel was very well written and the cult history was interesting but semi surface level. The characters could have been more insightful but overall this was an interesting read and definitely drew me in.

I was a little wary since I was probably in the minority on The Quiet Tennant, but I really enjoyed Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon. It wasn’t what I expected and that was definitely a good thing. We are introduced to Frida and her brother, Gabriel. We find out through dual timelines that they grew up in a cult and have a hard life. We have “then” and “now” which creates an interesting dynamic and allows for in depth character development. With tragedy in their past, and new drama unfolding around them on what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation, this creates an interesting plot.

I do think the beginning was a little slow, but it was setting up for the rest of the novel. It was well written and interesting. The slow burn led to an interesting climax, which I was able to predict part of (which of course we know I like being right). I like the premise that family isn’t always about blood, and there are lengths that people will go to in order to protect those they love. This was a solid 4 star rating thriller for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Panthen, Vintage, and Anchor I Knopf Publishing and Clémence Michallon for the eARC of Our Last Resort in exchange for an honest review. Publication for Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon is set for publication 08 July 2025. I would recommend grabbing this one when you can!

The premise of this story was great: 2 ex cult members, survivors, back in present day who are once again surrounded by murder and scandal. This forces them to revisit the horrors of their past and we go back and forth from the present to the past cult days as we get to know the characters intimately.

I enjoyed the story, but for me it wasn't amazing. The cult storyline has been frequent in books lately and I felt like that aspect lacked the depth to make me really care for these characters, I needed that part of the plot to dig deeper. 

As a thriller lover I'm always trying to solve the "whodunit" and I was able to halfway guess the answers by 60%. The ending also felt like it was a bit anticlimactic, wrapped up too neatly given the circumstances. 

Overall I enjoyed the story and do recommend!

Thanks Netgalley for the free ARC! I was very excited to receive this ARC because I was highly impressed with Clemence Michallon’s first novel The Quiet Tenant. This novel in comparison to previous works was a bit mediocre. I did enjoy the storyline, but unfortunately it was not gripping or memorable.

Absolutely loved this thriller! The writing and dialogue is so descriptive, you feel like you are a part of the book! The twists and parallels between the different POVs were perfectly tied in. Definitely recommend this book to lovers of thrillers and mysteries!

First of all, thank you to Net Galley for the ARC copy of this book.
I devoured this book and really enjoyed the writing style. We follow Frida and Gabriel through dual times lines of their childhood being raised in a cult and adulthood that brings many challenges including 2 suspicious deaths. I wouldn’t call this one a thriller but a murder mystery. I didn’t see the twist coming at the end until it was almost obvious. But in the end, they teach us a lot about family.

Not what I was expecting, but in a good way. So many books lately are about friends/groups/couples/families going to a resort, or an island, or a secluded hotel, and mysteries ensue. While a resort was in the storyline, it is not THE storyline. The storyline spans years, from when Frida and Gabriel were children in a cult, to when they are adults trying to navigate separate lives. Do we ever really overcome our childhood traumas? Do the traumas shape our way of thinking for life?

"The Last Resort" initially presented a slow progression during the first quarter, leading me to nearly abandon the book. I struggled to connect with the characters until I reached about the halfway point. It took that long for me to acclimate to the author's writing style and the narrative's rhythm. However, once I found my footing, I became captivated by Frida and Gabriel’s experiences growing up in a cult and their subsequent adaptation to the outside world. The introduction of a couple of murders transformed the second half into an exhilarating page-turner that I simply couldn't set aside, ultimately earning it a well-deserved four-star rating!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected ebook ARC of 'Our Last Resort' by Clemence Michallon - expected release date 07/08/2025

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I was OBSESSED with Michallon's debut, so I had really high hopes and was really excited for her second book. This one left me feeling... underwhelmed? Her first was so riveting, and such a psychological mind mess, but this one just didn't have that same umph to it. The writing is kinda messy and there really wasn't any big mystery to figure out... We pretty much knew that William, the husband, killed his wife Sabrina and I figured that Frida killed Annie, I just didn't really know why (even that was predicable though once explained, so I can't believe I didn't put it together). It wasn't a terrible read, just don't go into it expecting a similar one to her debut.

I really did enjoy this book, however, I think I was so blown away by how good her debut The Quiet Tenant was that this one fell a little bit short for me. Tenant was such a powerhouse and my expectations of this one were too high. I loved the cult aspect to it and the flashbacks to their previous life. Clemence is an amazing author!

Our Last Resort follows Frieda as she vacations at a hotel in Utah with her brother. While on this vacation a woman at the hotel is found murdered and blame starts being passed around. Overall I enjoyed the story and the dual timelines. It was interesting peeling back each layer of Frieda’s life and understanding how she got to where she is today. It was a little difficult to get into at the beginning due to the way Frieda thinks in very fractured and distracted thoughts. This is probably due to the OCD and trauma, but it still took a bit to get used to.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the ARC of Clémence Michallon’s 2nd novel Our Last Resort. I devoured her first novel The Quiet Tenant and was beyond excited to receive another ARC for this author. The story was fast paced and kept my attention the whole time. I will say I did see the ending coming from the very beginning and that I enjoyed this authors first novel more but honestly it was a wonderful easy going thriller with enough drama and storyline from current time to past time that I still very much enjoyed it. Will absolutely continue to read more books by this author going forward!

I devoured Michallon's The Quiet Tenant, and was so excited to read her newest book, Our Last Resort.

This book has a lot going for it- cutting to the action immediately, a cult, going back and forth between the past and present. Siblings with a dark history and lies. Now there's a dead guest at a hotel and secrets are going to come out.

... However...

This felt more domestic thriller/murder mystery than the beautiful, suspenseful book that was Michallon's debut.

Our Last Resort was a good whodunit, but I would not call it overly twisty or thrilling. I also struggled to care about any of the characters, and felt like parts of it did nothing to propel the story line.

A solid 3.5 rounded to 4. Solid book, but felt like a letdown after The Quiet Tenant.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!

This took until nearly halfway through to really get my attention- definitely a slow burn. There was a small twist that I enjoyed, but the ending felt a little anticlimactic. Overall I would give it a 3.5

Pain. Pain is what I feel reviewing this book after loving Michallon’s previous work so much.

Whereas The Quiet Tenant was more literary thriller, Our Last Resort is more murder mystery making it—I think—much more accessible and enjoyable to those who enjoy the genre. However, it felt underdeveloped and elementary compared to Michallon’s debut. Our two main characters were uninteresting and I failed to ever connect with them (and therefore, care about them); they didn’t feel real to me, rather reading like the fictional characters that they are.
The story is written in two timelines, past and present, but I’m not sure that was needed as it felt like reading two different stories. When I read a story about a cult, I am immediately interested because there is so much fascinating and terrifying psychological horror that can be explored. In the case of Our Last Resort, the past timeline about the cult felt lackluster and, frankly, was not all that necessary to tell the rest of the story in the present timeline. There was a lot of telling rather than showing, especially in the past, and it led to a story that read flat and dry.

Is it worth reading? For plenty, it will be. Many will find this book enjoyable but let's just say that I won't be running out to buy a copy.

Thank you Knopf for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available Jul 08 2025

ty netgalley and aaknopf for the ARC!!

3.5 stars rounded up. it was less of a whodunnit and more of a story of siblings. the murder itself was just meh, gabriel was just meh, but i do like frida and her character development through it. it’s less thriller and more mysterious lit fic. not a bad read at all!