Our Last Resort is a quick, well-paced mystery that kept me engaged from start to finish. I especially enjoyed the alternating chapters between past and present. The past chapters, set in the cult, added depth to the characters and enriched the present-day mystery.

I did find myself wanting more from the cult storyline, as it was the most intriguing part of the book for me. The mention of a documentary being made about the cult early on piqued my interest, but it disappears for most of the story and only resurfaces at the end.

Still, this was a strong, enjoyable read. I’ll definitely be checking out more of Clémence Michallon’s work!

Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for the DRC!

I love stories about cults, so this was perfect. It was a great blend of mystery and cult-life story that had me hooked. I really enjoyed that either story, past or present, was so well written, and had me hooked. I love when these types of novels balance well, so you're not more excited for one side of the story. Really enjoyed this and hope to share with others.

I am assuming this is a super slow burn because I made it about 20% then DNF - If others stuck it out, kudos.

Loved Clémence Michallon's first book, so was excited to pick this one up!

Enjoyed it -- quick read and definitely did not expect the twist at the end.

This is quite different to her last but still intriguing! I enjoyed this slow burn with lots of twists and turns.

There were two main story arcs here - the cult and the resort. Neither were developed fully. I was much more interested in the cult, but we didn’t get enough context there, nor did I have an in depth understanding of how that experience shaped the characters. This was slow and one dimensional, which was so unfortunate since I loved The Quiet Tenant.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Unforgettable Journey of Love, Secrets, and Second Chances

Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallo is nothing short of breathtaking. From the very first page, I was completely swept up in the atmosphere—lush, emotional, and beautifully written. Michallo crafts a story that feels both intimate and cinematic, filled with raw vulnerability, slow-burning tension, and characters so vivid they feel like old friends.

The setting itself becomes a character, evoking deep emotion and nostalgia, while the plot balances romance, heartbreak, and healing with effortless grace. Every twist feels earned, every revelation lands with impact, and the chemistry between the protagonists is absolutely electric.

This book made me laugh, cry, and stay up way too late flipping pages. If you're looking for a story that grabs hold of your heart and doesn’t let go, Our Last Resort is it. Clémence Michallo has written something truly special.

Frieda and her brother Gabriel escaped a cult as teenagers, in the years that followed they slowly drifted apart. Gabriel has a dark past and his wife died in a tragic accident… one that everyone thought Gabriel had something to do with. Now the siblings are on a vacation together at a swanky resort, and when a woman turns up dead all eyes look to Gabriel.

We jump between the timeline of their childhood and growing up in a cult and present day as Frieda rushes to prove that her brother is innocent in the other guest’s death.

The Last Resort was SO well written, and the characters were intense. It’s a little dark, a little twisted but such a great read. Highly recommend.

I thought that this was ok but I didn’t really enjoy it. I wasn’t wowed by it at all. I found it to be dull in fact.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a gifted copy of this novel!

I picked this one up because I enjoyed the author’s debut novel. If you were a fan of the last book, I think you’ll enjoy this one too! This one is also written in “popcorn” format, where you won’t want to out it down. Because of this, I found myself reading this book quickly. I also really enjoyed the backstory of the MCs and although not the central part to the story, the author did a great job at detailing this to make it believable and the characters well-rounded. This backstory is unique and reminded me of the uniqueness of the setup of the author’s previous novel. Everything is definitely not what it seems here! Giving this one 4 stars as the ending did fall a bit flat for me, but not so much that it eclipsed the rest of my reading experience. I recommend giving this one a read!

Was in the mood for a suspenseful book and really enjoyed this one. I hear that The Quiet Tenant is also great and will be checking that book out soon. A gripping page turner that had unique twists to keep readers engaged.

Our Last Resort - @clemencemichallon

“Fifteen years ago, Frida and her brother escaped a cult. Now her brother is the prime suspect in a murder investigation — and it's not the first time."

This was the tagline that made me want to pick up this book. Michallon's sophomore novel is a well written story that explores trauma, relationships, survival and the lengths someone would go to to protect those they love.

This was a slower paced mystery, but I enjoyed the writing and the unreliable narrator taking us on our journey in this dual timeline book. I would suggest picking up this book if you enjoy a slower paced mystery with heavy family relationship drama and a story that wont keep you up at night.

This is a compelling story about two people with a deeply shared past, raised in a cult and unexpectedly pulled back together when a woman turns up dead during their stay at a resort. The alternating timelines—past and present—really help you understand their connection, what they’ve endured, and how those experiences shaped their lives.

While I didn’t connect with this one as strongly as The Quiet Tenant, it’s still a solid thriller. The writing is strong, and the pacing keeps you turning pages. Though the cult elements felt familiar, there’s real emotional weight in seeing how trauma lingers and how bonds can both heal and haunt. Worth a read for fans of character-driven thrillers.

Ever since reading The Quiet Tenant, I have been anxiously awaiting a new novel from Clemence Michallon. Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of Our Last Resort. This one did not disappoint. I was particularly intrigued about this one by the cult aspect which is mentioned in the synopsis. The characters are so real that it reads like a real life story. The idea of cults fascinates me; it is so hard to imagine what life would be like. This book was full of suspense and tension, and it is totally bingeable. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop. Our Last Resort is already out, so make sure you pick up your copy today!

🥰Thank you so much to @aaknopf for the gifted book.

📖Title: Our Last Resort
✍️Authors: Clémence Michallon
📅Pub Date: July 8, 2025

🧡Like many of you, I absolutely loved her debut book, THE QUIET TENANT. It shocked me, it creeped me out, and I can still remember so many details! Those are just a few signs of a winner for me, especially when it's a debut!

🌞Maybe my hopes were too high for this one, but it fell short me sadly. There were still parts I enjoyed, such as the culty aspect, the dual timelines, gorgeous setting, etc. Ultimately, I felt it dragged too much for a 9 hour audiobook and never felt as connected to the characters as I'd like.

🧡I'd still recommend giving it a shot if you're in the mood for a culty thriller!

i really adored this author's previous book so i was excited to give this one a try. while i could still get a sense of the same author, this one just did not resonate with me in the same striking way that the quiet tenant did. i find cult-centric books to be fascinating opportunities for mysteries, but this one fell flat in that regard. the incidents from the past and the incident from the present are easy to piece together very early on, so the narrative felt pretty slow and unexciting for me, despite the frenetic timeline jumps. i wish i could have liked this one more.

thank you to knopf for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was one of my most anticipated reads, and it delivered! I love a good dual timeline with a cult aspect, and this one did a great job weaving the past and present. The pacing was a little uneven early on, but once it picked up, I was hooked. Frida and Gabriel’s cult backstory added depth, and watching Frida question everything she thought she knew brought solid tension to the plot. The ending was worth the buildup.

Thank you NetGalley & Knopf for the gifted copy.

While this has very much been the year for debuts and contemporary and lit fiction, it’s very much not been the year for thrillers. After absolutely devouring Michallon’s debut, The Quiet Tenant, I was crazy excited to dive into her newest, Our Last Resort. And although still enjoyable, I did not feel the same connection to the characters, nor feel as immersed in the story as I had hoped to.

Let me preface this by saying, cultist thrillers are not my favorite sub-genre. Cults have never really interested me and have generally been overdone, and all in an almost cookie-cutter fashion. I cannot say the same about the cult featured in this story. Feeling quasi true to life especially considering current events, à la Epstein and his island, the cult, while important, is only a small fraction of this story. And yet it did set the tone of the story to me, whether fair or not.

The story was also insanely slow burn. With such an action-backed beginning, it surprised me just how much the pace of the story slowed until we neared the end. In a sense, this is good— it allows for more character exploration. However, I still struggled to see these characters as fully three-dimensional. It felt as though they kept slipping through my fingers; their story not as meaningful to me as I had envisioned it would be going into it. By the time I reached the end, I felt more disconnected than enmeshed, leaving me feeling a little disappointed.

Is this bingy? Yes. Is it atmospheric, fairly. Can it be enjoyed, especially on audio narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, one of the best in the business? For sure. That said, for me, though not bad, this one missed the mark.

Read if you like:
▪️domestic suspense
▪️cultish vibes
▪️resort setting
▪️slow burn
▪️complex “family” dynamics
▪️dual timelines

Thank you to Penguin Random House Audio for this gifted audiobook!

I really enjoyed this author’s previous book, so I was excited for Our Last Resort, but unfortunately, this one fell a bit flat for me. I’m usually all in for a good cult storyline, and while that element was intriguing, I actually found myself wanting more of it—the present-day timeline dragged a bit and lacked the urgency I expected from something billed as suspense. To me, this read more like a slow-burn literary mystery, and while the writing was solid, I never felt fully connected to the characters. That said, Saskia Maarleveld’s audiobook narration was excellent (as always), and I’ll absolutely keep reading whatever this author writes next. Not bad by any means—just not one that’ll stick with me for long.

Frida and Gabriel grew up as brother and sister in a cult. Once they left the cult, they were each other's best friends while they figured out how to survive in the world. They have grown apart in the last 10 years, but they are taking a relaxing trip to a desert resort in Utah to reconnect. While there, a guest turns up dead. With their history, Frida and Gabriel are very nervous about this investigation. There is so much no one knows about them, and it turns out there's even more they don't know about each other.

This was such a twisty thriller with dual timelines that keep you guessing on how all the pieces fit together until the very end. This is a good thriller if you want something fast paced that you can't put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC of Our Last Resort.