Such an excellent slowburn mystery, full of beautiful prose and explorations of the ties that bind us.

I was already captivated by Michallon’s writing in The Quiet Tenant, so when I saw she had a new release, I couldn’t wait to dive in. Our Last Resort is a fast-paced, twisty thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The well-crafted cast of characters and the alternating timelines between past and present really added depth to the story. The book is packed with dark secrets and trust issues, keeping you guessing at every turn. This is a thrilling beach read that you'll want on your summer tbr!

Ahhh I really struggled with this one. After loving THE QUIET TENANT I was really excited to pick this one up but it just felt all over the place. It jumps between past and present. Two young kids who grew up in a cult jump between their time in a cult and a current vacation they are on. The problem is the characters were never fleshed out, so I had no care in the world about them. The cult part and the current day part, while they were interesting at times, just never brought me into the story. Right as I was getting invested in one part, it jumped to current day and I was over it. The ending felt unsatisfying as well, which was the cherry on top of the book for me. Overall, this just wasn't for me.

Our Last Resort is about a brother and sister who were born into a cult and escaped. As adults the two find themselves at a resort at the same time as a famous man's wife is murdered, They quickly become suspects. Moving between past and present, the novel tells of the pair's traumatic and dark past as well as some of the secrets they'd rather not share.

I really enjoyed the Quiet Tenant by this author, but Our Last Resort lacked something for me. I wasn't invested in the characters and parts of the story seemed a bit far fetched. It was an entertaining read, but only just.

Compared to Michallon's debut novel, A Quiet Tenant, her second book didn't quite hit the same way for me. The story goes back and forth between the present, where self-proclaimed brother and sister, Gabriel and Frida, are away (for reasons that I don't think are very well stated) at a high-end, secluded resort in the desert, and the past, where the "siblings" live and eventually escape from a cult. I felt like I was more interested in the cult part of the story than the present one at various times - there felt like more depth, personality of the main characters, a problem and solution, than there was during the resort part of the story. I felt like the stories did seamlessly fit together in parts - where issues resolved or unresolved resurfaced during the present - but the ending felt like there were also plot holes, almost forced. Frida was just allowed to break into William's car with seemingly little to no repercussions because she found the true murderer? It felt like it skipped over some of the reality that Michallon did so well in other parts of the story.

When I got early access to Clemence Michallon’s second book, I jumped on it. I was blown away by the writing and plot of her debut novel and was eager to see if the praise held up. It does.

The very first sentence of Our Last Resort pulled me in. Michallon has a way of blending profound, complex writing with short, impactful sentences. I have so many highlights in my Kindle to prove it, but honestly, I’m too lazy to pull them up. You just need to read this book yourself.

The Before chapters read like a memoir of two kids leaving a cult. The writing style was deliberately crafted to reflect their limited worldview, starting with childlike phrases that matured as they grew up, especially once they left the cult. It had the raw, immersive quality that makes a memoir great, and seeing that in a novel was such a delight. Every stage felt emotionally authentic. I’ve obviously never been in a cult, but I do have severe childhood trauma, and this book transported me back to those feelings of confusion and unsafety. Michallon did this in her first book too. She’s incredibly skilled at drawing out visceral connections, making you feel and understand.

The Present plot wasn’t as strong. My least favorite thriller trope, refusal to communicate leading to unnecessary confusion, was too present here. Given the background established in the Before chapters, I understand why the characters struggled with communication, but I still found myself wanting more dialogue between them. I know the author intended for their silence to reflect a deep, unspoken bond, but it didn’t quite land for me. Maybe if we had the MMC’s perspective or more insight into his current life, it would have helped.

Another issue was the shift in believability. The book started with a plausible interaction with police, but by the end, the heroism complex felt too outlandish to be convincing.

That said, the writing is undeniably beautiful. The twists are well-paced and unpredictable, and the emotional depth makes the story resonate. While some aspects of the plot didn’t fully work for me, there was so much I did love. It’s hard to pin down a rating, but I’d say maybe 4.5 stars. I’m still completely enamored with Michallon’s writing and will continue reading everything she writes. An excellent read.

Frida and Gabriel, who grew up in a cult environment as children, meet up at a luxury resort in Utah. A hotel guest is murdered. This book, through interweaving storylines, tells the story of two people who will forever be connected, even when living on other sides of the U.S. It was an interesting book. 4 stars.

This one didn’t shock me quite as much as the quiet tenant but the author has a way of sneaking in darkness and shocking details throughout that keep you engaged. This one wasn’t different although it definitely felt a bit all over the place at times.

Frida and Gabriel are siblings but not by blood. By cult. And shared childhood trauma. Born into a cult where no one knew who their own parents were and run by an enigmatic snake oil salesman, the pair cling to each other from a young age. Trauma bonded and fiercely protective of one another, they escape to the real world after a shocking end to the cult - only to be met with the reality of the world.

Flash forward to the anniversary of the end of the cult and they are together in a high end resort, about to speak with documentarians about their childhood experience. Except while they are relaxing, a guest is murdered. And Gabriel is the primary suspect…because it’s not the first time a woman has been murdered in his orbit.

This story was on a whole other level! I started reading and got so sucked into this story so hard! With the time jumps, cult life, dynamic between “siblings”, and that twist at the end?! Wowww, I am loving this author. Her first book was incredible and this book is just as impressive in different ways!!! Five glowing stars!!!

The story is told in the past and present. The past is told when Frida and Gabriel were in a cult run by a man named Emile. They decide to leave.
Years later Frida and Gabriel meet up at a resort where a young woman named Sabrina is murdered. Sabrina is there with her older rich husband William Brenner. Gabriel was a person of interest in the death of his wife Annie. Frida and Gabriel consider themselves siblings but aren’t.
The story gives an inside view into a cult and the psychological control of a cult and one man. It showed the trauma Frida and Gabriel endured and had to overcome later in life. It showed the sibling bond they had throughout all they experienced including trauma. The story showed how childhood trauma affects adulthood and relationships. Frida and Gabriel had the strength to leave the cult and survive all they went through afterwards which included no identity, no money, no food, homelessness, etc.
The ending was predictable. The reasons for both murders were predicable. The story was slow and anticlimactic. There was no shocking twists. There wasn’t any mystery to figure out.

After loving her debut The Quiet Tenant, I was so excited for this one! This is another literary mystery, not thriller, with excellent character development that kept me compulsively turning the pages. There are two timelines and for me this made it feel like two completely separate books. I loved the past timeline as the two main characters Frida and Gabriel flash back to their traumatic childhoods growing up in a cult. I enjoyed the brother- sister relationship dynamics and the psychology of their lives with the cult. I would have liked to just stay in that timeline. The book also alternates with a present day murder mystery when the siblings reconnect at a luxury resort where one of the guests turns up dead. For me, I wasn’t as invested in the outcome of that mystery since I didn’t feel enough connection to the victim (this does end up tying in to the rest of the story). Along with that murder, we get flashbacks to the mysterious disappearance of Gabriel’s wife, which kept me intrigued (more so than the present day mystery). While this was not a 5 star read like The Quiet Tenant, I did love the writing, the main characters, and the many elements to this story and highly recommend it for those who enjoy a great literary mystery.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

A worthy follow-up to The Quiet Tenant. The novel jumps forward and backward in time between the two siblings' early lives as part of a cult and their present day situation of being sequestered in a hotel after a guest has been murdered. When one of them becomes enmeshed in the murder investigation, his sister must find a way to save him from being arrested for murder.

While this novel is completely different from Michallon's first book, it has the same sense of foreboding and surprise in the leadup to revealing the killer(s) in the story. It won't disappoint!

A solid sophomore work from Michallon. Not as scary as her debut, but still a great thriller. Loved the atmosphere of the resort and the background of the two main characters of escaping a cult as youth. Will be recommending to others!

I enjoyed the beginning of this book, the authors last book was a slow burn type of read so I wasn’t going in to this expecting a fast paced story.

There is a twist I did t see coming but I’m usually bad at that. I loved the cult aspect of this story, and feel that it could’ve been a whole plot by itself. Even though it was expected this was incredibly slow, a lot of unnecessary details and almost ramblings.

I rated it 3 stars because I did eventually finish it, so it did keep me intrigued enough.

Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

Sadly this one fell flat for me. I wasnt a huge fan of the story. The back and forth timelines were nice but the story kinda just felt all over the place. Also Im not a huge cult fan with books and this one involves that so another reason it was just an ok read for me. I definitely preferred The Quiet Tenant way better than this one.

So, I consumed this book in 24 hours. I don’t even know how long I’ve sat in the bath reading it tonight—I just couldn’t stop.

I loved Michallon’s debut novel. When she announced that ARCs were up on NetGalley, I had to make an account just for this. I kept checking my approval and was so thrilled when they gave it to me.

This second novel has just cemented her as an instant-read author for me. I love the way she weaves together plot lines and character arcs. This is a gripping thriller hitting all the right beats—but it’s more than just a twisty plot. She writes with vividness and beauty, and her characters are fascinating. The setting is an entity of its own, only adding to the story. I wish I would’ve been more emotionally connected to the characters, but still found them interesting.

I’ve searched for thrillers like these for so long, and this fits the bill perfectly. Thank you to the publisher for a free ARC—now I’ll go recommend it to all of my crime-and-cult-loving friends.

I only rated this three stars because I had such high expectations but felt a bit let down, I would’ve given it a 3.5 if I could.
I pretty much love any thriller/ mystery that’s based around cults.
I really did like the main characters and reading about their past and how they were inseparable.

I still really enjoyed the entire story from beginning to end but felt like it wasn’t nearly as suspenseful as it could’ve been.
I would still highly recommend this to anyone who likes murder mysteries or cults.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

First things first thank you in advance for the advanced readers copy all opinions are my own.

When I can see the ending at 60% , that’s the signs of a poorly executed twist

I never found myself wanting to pick up this book and I’m very disappointed because I really liked her debut novel, but unfortunately, her sophomore novel just did not hit for me

I will give her a try again in the future

I really loved the characters in this, the sibling bond was beyond intense & I liked the two different timelines going back & forth. I haven’t read many books that begin with kids growing up in a cult so that POV was extremely interesting to me. The Quiet Tenant was one of my favorite books from last year so Our Last Resort was very highly anticipated for me & it didn’t disappoint! Good twists, good writing, good overall setting for a novel. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next, thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for giving me this ARC!!!