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.

I enjoyed this as a thriller novel, it had that element that I was looking for and thought worked with the characters. I was invested in what was happening and thought the overall storyline worked together. Clémence Michallon has a strong writing style and was glad I got to read this.

Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.
3.5 rounded to 4. While I loved The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon, this story fell a little bit flat for me. This felt more like a murder mystery than a psychological thriller. The twist was predictable and a bit underwhelming as well as the ending of this book. The past tense chapters in my opinion were not fully needed and didn’t truly add much to the original plot line. I did enjoy the quickness of this book and the writing.

Frida and Gabriel go to a hotel in Utah for a fresh start, but after a dead body is found, the hotel is put on lock down. they revisit the past..

Having loved The Quiet Tenant, I was thrilled to get my hands on this ARC!

I’ll admit, books, TV shows or movies about cults are my
Jam, so the premise immediately pulled me in. The story was engaging, well-crafted, and kept me curious about how everything would eventually tie together. The setting of a luxury resorts as we moved between three distinct time periods with three different events.

However, I did figure out one of the two big twists pretty early, so the ending wasn’t a total surprise for me. While it didn’t have as many twists as I expected, I still appreciated seeing how it all played out.

It was an enjoyable read overall, though I was hoping for a bit more impact in the final stretch. That said, I finished it in a single day, so it’s safe to say it held my attention!

A murder during the family reunion at a luxury resort? Doesn't that sound fun? Well, I thought it did. That premise gave me also White Lotus vibes.

I did find this a bit slow, I wanted a bit more oomph to it.

This is a more domestic-leaning thriller with a past and a present timeline (I am not the biggest fan of multiple timelines) and characters with interesting and dark pasts (even though I didn't find the characters to be too interesting).

And the characters didn't really seem all that connected when it seemed like they were supposed to be. Maybe it was supposed to be more metaphorical? But if your reader can't tell that, I think that's kind of an issue. But maybe that's just a me problem. I don't know.

There are cult elements to this book, which is what excited me the most about it. That part of this story was the best part, and I do wish it was explored more. So much could be done with that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I read his last book so I was really excited for this one and it did not disappoint. His writing is easy, yet rich and his stories a bit dark and unique. Recommend

This was a good book with a great premise. It kept me engaged and overall I really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to more from this author.