I loved The Quiet Tenant; it was my favorite book of the year. So when I saw that another book from this same author was going to be published, I was so excited, especially when I was given access to this free ARC copy.

I wont go on and on telling you how great this book is, how much I loved it. I will just say, do yourself a favor and read it. You won't regret it. Another masterpiece story. I love her writing and the 2 POV's, going back and forth between the past and the present.

Thank you Knopf and Netgalley, for the free ARC copy, in exchange for an honest review.

For me, this was a perfectly passable thriller that was quick, easy to read, and fast paced.

There wasn't anything too groundbreaking and the reveals/twists were a little underwhelming and I did see the major one coming.

I liked the short chapters, the dual timelines, and it was a quick read for me - I *almost* finished it in one setting and I found the writing to be easy to follow and had enough of a hook to keep my attention.

Murder mystery with a cult twist! Very engaging read!
Frida and Gabriel are on a trip to Utah after falling out of contact for many years, where another guest is killed. Who did it? While trying to determine who is the killer, we are taken through the traumatic pasts of Frida and Gabriel and what they had to do to survive.
The dual timeline is well written. Characters have depth and I found myself empathetic toward them. There were so many twists and turns that I did not see come and ending surprised me. What would you do for your person??

Overall, this was a great read and I wish I had read it sooner!

A haunting thriller that lingers like desert heat.
Our Last Resort is a chilling exploration of sibling loyalty, buried trauma, and the shadows we carry. Clémence Michallon masterfully entwines past and present, pulling us through the sun-soaked façade of a luxury resort into the dark heart of a decades old wound. With a gripping pace and a quiet ache beneath every sentence, this novel kept me questioning the truth and the cost of believing in it until the final, devastating twist. A must-read for fans of psychological suspense with real emotional stakes.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Our Last Resort was a fast-paced mystery about "siblings" Frida and Gabriel. They formed a family bond while growing up together in a cult. This story is told in a dual timeline so we learn about their upbringing and present day where they are being investigated for a murder. We also learn that Gabriel has possibly killed before...

3.5 Stars

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House Publishing for an early copy of Our Last Resort by Clemence Michallon

Our Last Resort is both a dark tale and a reflection on the depths of human behavior. Can crimes be committed for the right reasons and must those crimes continue to haunt someone now denied a normal and satisfying life?

Frida and Gabriel have been raised in a strict commune in the Hudson Valley led by an enigmatic Frenchman committing serious crimes that go unpunished. When Frida and Gabriel as young adults set fire to the compound with the goal of killing the leader, the result is an unexpected horror that haunts them both as they attempt to live lives in a normal, social world. Their friendship will be tested when on a trip to a desert resort in Escalante, Utah, a murder occurs which will set them at odds immediately with the local authorities.

Beyond the crime-solving plot, author Clemence Michallon develops the main characters so completely that one realizes that Frida and Gabriel are almost two sides of the same person, always there for each other, sometimes at great risk.

Take this at a slow pace for a thriller. The tendency is to move along rapidly to the murder's conclusion, but there is so much to understand about the characters' thoughts and actions that every page counts!

Frida and Gabriel, who were raised as siblings, have drifted apart since they broke free of the cult that defined their childhood. Now they're hoping to reconnect at a five star luxury resort in the Utah desert. However, the death of a fellow guest quickly turns their retreat into something much more tense.

After Michallon's twisty, tense debut, The Quiet Tenant, I was excited to get my hands on her sophomore novel. I'm pleased to say that it didn't disappoint! The tension, which builds consistently throughout these pages, and atmospheric setting combine with spectacularly developed characters to make this book memorable. Michallon reveals twists and turns over the course of this well paced novel, which kept me on my toes (and on the edge of my seat!) every time I thought I had something figured out. My best advice is to go into this novel blind and let the layers fall away as you move through the story. The fast pace and tight pacing made this a very quick read for me.

I would have classified The Quiet Tenant as a literary thriller, and I feel that Our Last Resort leans more into the murder mystery subgenre. Michallon clearly has talent for writing in both subgenres and I've added her to my auto buy author list. Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the chance to read this book prior to its publication in exchange for this honest review. I'm looking forward to seeing what this author has in store for us next!

I read The Quiet Tenant by this author last year and thought it was clever and well-structured. It had this quiet intensity that kept me turning the pages. It wasn't for everyone, but I enjoyed it so much, I named it one of my favorite reads of 2023. So when I saw that Michallon had a new book out, I was genuinely excited. I had high hopes for this one. A desert resort, a sibling duo with a traumatic past, a murder? Yes, please.

But, sadly, it never really took off for me.

The story centers around Frida and Gabriel, a brother and sister who, years ago, escaped a cult. We meet them in the present day, checking into a luxury resort in the middle of the Utah desert. They’re meeting up to talk about the possibility of participating in a documentary about the cult and the murder that happened there. It'll also be a chance for them to reconnect after some time apart. Of course, because this is a thriller (at least on paper), a young woman ends up dead, and Gabriel quickly becomes the prime suspect.

We jump between the past (cult days) and the present (murder fallout), which I usually love in a story. I’m a sucker for a good dual timeline, especially when it builds tension. And the structure here is done pretty well. The transitions are smooth. The writing itself is clean and purposeful. But despite all that, I just couldn’t bring myself to care much. Nothing really gripped me. I didn’t find the mystery all that mysterious, and the suspense never built to anything that felt surprising or unsettling. I kept waiting for a moment, be it a twist, an emotional gut-punch, something, but it never came. Even the reveal felt muted.

As far as the characters? They’re fine. Frida didn’t annoy me, but I didn’t feel particularly invested in her, either. Same with Gabriel. I liked the idea of exploring the aftermath of a cult upbringing. How that shapes your future relationships, your trust issues, your entire sense of self, but it never got deep enough to make me care. There’s a lot of potential in their backstory, but it stays mostly on the surface. Even the resort setting, which should’ve been eerie or at least a little atmospheric, felt kind of flat. I wanted the heat, the isolation, the silence of the desert to really seep into the tension of the story, but it mostly sat in the background. It never became a character the way I hoped it would.

Honestly, the word that kept floating around in my head while reading this one was: fine. The book is fine. The writing is fine. The premise is fine. The execution is fine. But it didn’t leave much of a mark. It’s one of those books that I’ll probably forget in a few weeks—not because it’s bad, but because it just didn’t stick.

Now, I do think some readers might enjoy it more than I did. If you’re not expecting a twisty, edge-of-your-seat thriller, and you’re more into slower-paced stories about siblings, trauma, and buried secrets, you might vibe with this one. It’s a quiet book, more introspective than pulse-pounding. Just go in with the right expectations. As for me, it was just okay. I’m still excited to see what Michallon writes next. She clearly knows how to structure a story and create a mood. I just wish this one had taken a few more risks, or at least pushed a little harder on the emotional front.

Would I recommend it? Maybe. Depends on what you’re in the mood for. But if you’re looking for something you’ll be thinking about long after the last page, this probably isn’t it.

I had high hopes going into this book because I had really liked another book from this author. I am glad I can say it lived up to my expectations. This book is a great thriller and I think others would really enjoy it. Also, as someone who is from Upstate New York, I was definitely drawn to the book. I will definitely be recommending this book to others. I also highly recommend reading this authors other book, The Quiet Tenant.

Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and Clémence Michallon for the copy of Our Last Resort.

I really enjoyed this author’s debut thriller, and this one was no different. I became very invested in finding out what happened and couldn’t wait to get to the ending. Great read!!

- I am sad to say I am throwing in the towel. DNF @ 31%
I wanted to love this book so much. It had all the things you’d love in a book Mystery, Murder, Cult & hidden secrets but just fell so flat. I felt like there wasn’t much to the story & it just kept dragging on. I’ve been reading it for 2 months, had to restart it once & just didn’t want to go back to it. I also didn’t find it very exciting or thrilling at all.
I’m not saying others wouldn’t enjoy it but I did not. It didn’t keep me interested enough to even want to come back to it. (30% was hard work!)


Thank you NetGalley for the chance at this ARC read.

Innocence doesn't bail you out; it just makes you easier to trap.

Frida and Gabriel arrive seeking a fresh start at the stunning Ara Hotel in the secluded desert of Escalante, Utah. Once so close they were able to finish each other’s sentences, they’ve grown apart in recent years after a sudden, unspeakable tragedy. Now, at the luxe resort, they are ready to reconnect between dips in the pool and hikes on spectacular desert trails. It all feels like paradise—until the dead body of a beautiful young woman who was vacationing at the Ara with her powerful, much older husband is discovered.

When the local police arrive and suspicion quickly falls on Gabriel, Frida is forced to revisit memories from their upbringing in a cloistered cult in upstate New York, their dramatic escape, and the scandal that followed. Frida’s belief in Gabriel’s innocence never wavered at the time, but now even she can’t ignore the evidence mounting against him.

Alternating between past and present timelines, Our Last Resort builds toward a shattering climax that uncovers the fate of the murdered Ara guest and poses the question: how well do we ever really know those we love? Multi-layered, gripping, and intense, Clémence Michallon’s latest suspense novel is a nail-biter until the last page, cementing her status as a major new talent in the genre.

Frida and her brother Gabriel escaped a cult 15 years ago. Now they are back under scrutiny when Gabriel is the prime suspect in a murder, and sadly, this isn’t the first time. Now Frida must work to clear her brother’s name while also fighting back the memories from their childhood.

I’ve been looking forward to this book, since I really loved Michallon’s first book The Quiet Tenant. This did not disappoint. Something of a locked-room mystery, the murderer is someone at the resort. Frida and Gabriel are struggling to deal with their past that continues to haunt them both. The story is told from Frida’s point of view, flashing back to their childhood in the cult and modern day.

Don’t miss this! It’s compelling and I read it over two days. It will keep you intrigued for sure!

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

Available July 8, 2025.

First off, I would like to thank Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor| Knopf and author Clémence Michallon for allowing me to read this novel, Our Last Resort, via Netgalley. All opinions following are my own.

This novel follows two main characters, Frida, the narrator, and Gabriel, her brother. Both escaped from a cult about 15 years before the novel's inception. Ten years ago, they were both living on the East Coast together. Gabriel was married to Annie, a wealthy heiress, and Frida was working in finance. They all spent a lot of time together until Annie went missing and was found two weeks later. Immediately, the investigators honed in on Gabriel, but after three interrogations, he was cleared. However, the damage to his reputation had been done. Not able to escape condemnation from those around him and craving a fresh start, Gabriel moved across the country to Seattle, WA. Over the next decade, he and Frida slowly become estranged. When a documentary film team reaches out, though, to talk about Annie, whose murder has remained unsolved, Gabriel emails Frida saying they should do it together. She agrees but wants to spend some time with him before to get to know him again. They decide to vacation at the luxurious Ara Hotel in Escalante, Utah.

At first, everything seems to be going well. That is until Frida stumbles upon an argument between a wealthy tabloid owner, William Brenner, and his much younger wife, Sabrina. Obviously intoxicated, he is getting rough with her and calls her a who** and liar. The next morning, Sabrina is found murdered.

It seems obvious to Frida who murdered her, and she talks to a detective about what she saw the previous night. However, when William is released from custody, evidence starts pointing at Gabriel, who also begins lying to the police.

Frida desperately wants to believe her brother is innocent, but not many men have one, let alone two, women get murdered around them.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. Some things I didn't figure out, and I liked the fast pace of the book. That being said, I felt like some of the plot was almost too obvious, and so I ended up giving this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️. It releases on July 8.

I really enjoyed the whole cult aspect of this. It was really interesting and I would have loved to hear more about it. I liked that it showed their troubles growing up before and after the cult.
I didn’t love this as much as The Quiet Tennant but it was still a good read and I would recommend it.

Although there are some surprising twists and turns along the way, the main character, who is somewhat hard to like from the start, becomes less and less likable as the book goes along. Ultimately, she has committed some actions that are selfish and unforgivable and cannot be dismissed merely because of her difficult upbringing. This makes it hard to like her or the book.

I was a huge fan of Michallon's previous novel, The Quiet Tenant. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this novel early. The first half of the book drew me in. Both timelines, past and present, had me hooked. I felt invested in Frida and Gabriel's past and in finding out what happened to Sabrina Brenner. I never felt like one timeline dragged down the pacing of the book, and that they were equally interesting. However, I felt that the ending felt a little short. While there were twists, the ending felt rushed and unsatisfying. Overall, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy a quick mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Frida and Gabriel are at a luxury resort when someone is murdered. We then find out they grew up in a cult. What follows is a white lotus-esque murder mystery alternating between their time in the cult and their escape. What unfolds is how traumatized these 2 are as a result of living in the cult.

This had me hooked! Lots of wild twists with this locked room thriller. Couldn’t put it down! 4 stars!!!

Our Last Resort is the second novel I've read by Clemence Michallon. I was a huge fan of her book The Quiet Tenant so I was very excited to get my hands on this new release. Siblings Frida and Gabriel have had a rift for the past almost decade, and they've decided to mend it at an exclusive resort in Utah. However, they encounter some devastating unforeseen circumstances that place them as the main persons of interest in an investigation. They soon discover that they might now know each other as well as they've always thought they did. Secrets are not their friends. I enjoyed the quick pace of this book, and the setting was a fun aspect. The author did a great job describing the environment, and that truly added to the storytelling. Read and enjoy!

What's better than a cult story, a murder mystery, and gorgeous prose? This is going to be a big one. In the coming weeks, I'll be sharing a review on my instagram account (@stressiereads) and Goodreads profile.

I highly recommend marketing this one as a literary thriller (i.e. God of the Woods, Wild Dark Shore) because I see it in that realm more than popcorn thrillers. It does not hook the reader the way mass market thrillers do, so if someone is expecting that, they'll be disappointed.

Thank you for the copy!