Clemence Michallon does it again! Her debut was one of the creepiest books I’ve ever read and this follow-up is no exception.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC of Our Last Resort in exchange for an honest review.

I had a good time with this one! I haven't read her first book The Quiet Tenant yet but I heard good things so thought I would request this one. It has a dual timeline between past and current day, which is always risky because a lot of times one storyline is more intriguing and easier to read through than the other. While I found the modern-day timeline a little more fast paced, getting the backstory of the two main characters and how they grew up remained interesting as well. I liked the two main characters. Their relationship was complex after everything they experienced together. I love me a story about survival and resilience.

I have no complaints about the writing - it wasn't the most literary book I've ever read but I also wasn't rolling my eyes with extreme disbelief either. The twists weren't the most original, but they were well done and I think fit the story well.

Overall, no complaints. Out of all the thrillers I've read in the last year or so related to cults, I think this one is my favorite.

Gabriel and Fredia escaped a cult. 15 years later Gabriel is accused of murder while they are on vacation.

Disappointed in this one. Michallon’s first book, The Quiet Tenant, was so gripping from start to finish. I was so excited to get this ARC but quickly lost interest. The characters were boring, the book didn’t get somewhat exciting till 70% through, and the climax was predictable. It lacked the thrills and twists.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book releases July 8, 2025.

4.5 stars. Omg.. this really lived up to what I’d come to expect from Michallon (remember The Quiet Tenant)!! So good!! Raised as siblings (not by blood) in a commune for mothers and children, Frida and Gabriel reunite as adults at a luxury resort in the Utah desert, hoping for a fresh start in their relationship. But the illusion of paradise is shattered when another guest is found dead and Gabriel becomes the prime suspect. To clear their names, Frida is forced to confront their pasts — namely, the fallout from their childhood in a cult. If you’re looking for a great mystery, to gasp in horror.. and be kept on the edge of your seat.. this is the story for you. I find cults so engrossing to read about and this takes you back to the beginning when Frida and Gabriel were traumatized as children while living within a cult led by its manipulative leader, Emile. To say this is a heart-pounding experience is an understatement and I loved every spine-tingling minute of it. Is fantastic! Pub. 7/8/25

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ — A Solid Thriller with a Split Focus

This was an overall good thriller that kept me engaged, though I wish the story had focused more clearly on either the cult or the afterlife aspect. The back-and-forth between the two made the pacing feel uneven at times. That said, this is my second book by this author, and I still enjoyed the ride.

Some parts dragged a bit, but the fast-paced sections really delivered and made it worth pushing through. While I found the plot a bit too predictable, I appreciated the subtler elements that weren’t so in-your-face—they added a nice layer of depth.

I finished it in about two days, which says a lot about its readability. Overall, a good pick for fans of thrillers who don’t mind a few bumps along the way.

I read her first book and absolutely loved it. This was a great follow up. Good storyline with compelling characters!

While I loved The Quiet Tenant, this book didn’t resonate with me quite as much. I enjoyed the twists but getting to the point where anything truly starts to be revealed is some what painful. This book is told both in the past and the present. You can tell that past lived trauma truly bound Frida and Gabriel. However, all of the back story really took you out of the present murder investigation and I personally feel ate up too much of the plot line. Yes is it necessary, to an extent, but I wanted more current day plot. Overall, this is an okay book, not quite as powerful in my opinion as her last novel. I will recommend this only if people tell me they liked The Quiet Tenant.
Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon Vintage and Anchor and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Frida and Gabriel became siblings in a commune and stayed close after running away from the commune, holding each other's secrets close. Decades later, taking a vacation together at a luxury spa, tragedy finds them again. The big question: are they involved and will this pull them apart or strengthen their bonds? I was never really sure where this story was going and kept turning pages despite needing to do other things. However, I did not feel that this story had the depth of intrigue and suspense that I was expecting. Not sure why, because it was a very solid plot, but maybe I was expecting too much from it? Needless to say, the character development and story were excellent. A worthy read!

Thank you Knopf for the gifted digital ARC.

There was something about this one that just fell flat for me unfortunately. I was only interested in the present day story, so the flashback chapters had me kind of checking out, and I didn't feel particularly connected to the characters at all. There were a couple big reveals that fell quite a bit flat for me as well. It was very well-written, I just felt like I had read variations of this plot several times before.

I will definitely continue to read this author in the future, regardless.

Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon is a beautifully layered thriller that hooks you from page one. It’s equal parts haunting and heartbreaking as it unravels secrets from a cult-tinged past and a murder at a remote luxury resort. Michallon masterfully weaves the timelines, keeping you questioning characters and their motives. Definitely recommend!

This is the most compelling, absorbing thriller I’ve read in a while. It’s told from the point of view of a woman who was born into a cult - the kind where the people are completely cut off from the outside world by their leader. She becomes close friends with Gabriel, who she sees as her brother. The author tells their story with two timelines: their time together in the cult before escaping at age 18, and many years later as they spend time together at a desert resort where another mysterious death happens.

There are multiple mysteries going on here as well as the protagonist’s reckoning with her upbringing and her relationships since leaving the cult. I was eager to see both timelines unfold. The author’s writing kept me absorbed in the various settings of the story, and I could find myself relating to multiple characters. Highly recommend this for readers interested in psychological thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Our Last Resort by Clemence Michallon. All opinions are my own.

Frida and Gabriel are our main characters in this dual timeline mystery, thriller. They have come together, after several years apart, to vacation at a secluded hotel in Utah. Between hiking and swimming, they both are hoping to reconnect and rekindle their closeness and friendship. After a few days of fun in the sun something terrible happens, a young woman is found dead. Police arrive on the scene and very quickly Gabriel becomes a prime suspect. This tragedy brings back many memories and secrets that are better left alone.

I wanted to read this novel especially because I loved her first book, The Quiet Tennant. This new story is very different. As I mentioned before we are in a dual timeline. Without giving too much away one timeline is when Frida and Gabriel are children growing up and the other is the current timeline at the resort. The story is following Frida's point of view. I liked the timeline in the past best and found Gabriel to be an unlikeable character, for me anyway. I didn't seem to contact with either character very much, therefore not necessarily rooting for them as well. The book was entertaining and a pretty quick read. Our Last Resort will be available at all major retailers on July 8th. Happy Reading,

I was a huge Quiet Tenant fan, so I was already excited for this one, and I loved it even more than I expected to!

Unconventional brother and sister Frida and Gabriel are enjoying time together at a luxury resort in Utah when one of the residents is found dead. As Frida unwinds what happened in the present, their traumatic childhood as kids born into a cult is revealed.

Frida and Gabriel are meticulously characterized and their arcs are extremely satisfying while navigating two suspenseful timelines. Our Last Resort is one of the rare mystery thrillers that mines deeply into its characters and doesn’t abandon that depth for the sake of twists.

SYNOPSIS
-Frida and Gabriel were raised in a creepy cult and basically trauma-bonded into becoming siblings.
-They haven’t seen each other in years but are reuniting at a fancy resort in the middle of the Utah desert to reconnect and maybe, you know, not hate life for five minutes.
-Everything’s going okay-ish until a young woman turns up dead.
-The book flips between their childhood in the cult and the present-day murder investigation, and neither timeline is chill.
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MY THOUGHTS
-I was locked in from page one. I fully ignored life responsibilities for it.
-It’s suspenseful without being melodramatic. Creepy but not in-your-face. Smart and unsettling in a way that sneaks up on you.
-I loved both timelines equally.
-The cult stuff is super well done. It’s quiet and insidious and believable, not all wild robes and chanting. The vibe is more emotionally manipulative and terrifying in a slow-burn way.
-The murder plot at the resort gave me locked-room mystery energy, and I kept changing my mind about who did it every five pages.
-Frida and Gabriel are messy, broken, and totally compelling. I weirdly loved their weird little relationship.
-The writing is kind of beautiful? Like, it’s a thriller, but then she’ll throw in a line that feels like it wandered in from a literary novel and I was like… okay, flex.
-Solid pacing, no saggy middle, actual twists, and an ending that didn’t make me roll my eyes. I’ll take it.
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TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Spooky cult childhood meets luxury resort murder mystery. Sibling-adjacent trauma bonding. Beautiful writing. Great vibes. Weirdly heartfelt. Five stars, no notes.

The synopsis had me at the word cult. I know it's fiction, but that kind of lifestyle is fascinating to me. This book follows two people that escaped a cult and are now maybe involved in a murder. At its core, this is a story about friendship and trust. Definitely a good read.

I didn’t read the synopsis of this, something I like to call my toxic trait LOL. I enjoyed the culty vibes this had, however it wasn’t something I was itching to pick up?! I did enjoy the relatively short chapters. I also guessed pretty early on the “twist” and that was a bit of a let down. Overall, this was a quick read. I need to go back and read her first book!

Thank you Knopf for the free advanced copy of this book.

Two siblings, Frida and Gabriel, escaped a cult fifteen years ago and have reunited for a luxury vacation at an Utah resort. When a woman is found murdered, suspicion falls on Gabriel whose wife died under mysterious circumstances 9 years ago. As the police work to uncover who killed her, secrets are unburied that will leave the siblings reeling.

I’ve heard such good things about the authors first book, it was excited to receive an ARC and ALC of Our Last Resort. It had all the makings of an excellent thriller, and initially had me hooked. Short chapters and alternating timelines sucked me in and I was eager to uncover the siblings’ backstory. Unfortunately the second half of the book lost steam, and ultimately left me feeling very “meh” about the book.

I do think it was a fascinating exploration of how our upbringing affects who we become as adults, and the ways we can break cycles. I also appreciated. The ways is explored familia bonds, and the lengths we may go to protect those we love.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and to PRH Audio for the alc.

This book was just ok in my opinion. I was interested in the book in the beginning, but unfortunately, that interest did not hold. Saskia Maarvelad did a great job with the narration though as always

Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon is a very highly recommended mystery/thriller following two cult survivors embroiled in a murder investigation. This is an excellent second novel after her debut novel, The Quiet Tenant.

Frida and Gabriel are on a vacation at the luxurious Ara Hotel in the secluded desert of Escalante, Utah. The two shared a traumatic childhood as they live in a cult under fanatical leader Émile until they escaped fifteen years ago when they were 18. They consider each other brother and sister. Ten years earlier Gabriel's wife Annie went missing and was found dead. He was the main suspect. Nothing connected him to the crime, but tabloids had a field day trying to indict him. The two drifted apart after this but are trying to reconnect.

Late one night Frida overhears a fight between wealthy, aging tabloid tycoon William Brenner and his very young, beautiful wife, Sabrina. The next morning Sabrina is found dead. Frida tells a deputy about the argument she overheard. William is arrested but is soon released and the focus seems to be on Gabriel.

The writing is exceptional in this engrossing literary mystery/thriller which unfolds through Frida's point-of-view. The pace is fast, allowing the narrative to build suspense and tension with each page and each new twist. Chapters alternate between the present day murder investigation and Frida and Gabriel's life growing up in the cult. There are actually several different mysteries within the plot.

The dual timelines work very well, are equally compelling, and help develop and provide insight into the characters. Frida is a fully realized, complex character with both her strengths and weaknesses displayed. Growing up in the cult helped shape both Frida and Gabriel's personalities. Understandably, they are both deeply flawed individuals who had to overcome a lot to learn how to live in the world. The final denouement was a shocking surprise.

Our Last Resort is an excellent choice for those who enjoy a well-written mystery/thriller. Thanks to Knopf/Doubleday for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

After loving Michallon’s debut, The Quiet Tenant, I was thrilled to receive an early copy of her latest novel. Our Last Resort follows Frida and Gabriel, two siblings who grew up in a cult and escaped together. They’ve been estranged for a few years and are using this trip to reconnect, but things take a turn when one of the other guests is found murdered.

This story is told in a past and present timeline, and I was hooked on both for the first half of the book. The past timeline in particular grabbed my attention since it focused on their upbringing in the cult, and I wish we’d gotten more of this in the back half of the story! These were the best chapters in the whole book for me, and they kept me highly invested early on just waiting for the next one.

But as I continued to read, the back half did not sustain the momentum from the first half for me. By the end, I’d lost some interest, didn’t care about the characters as much and found the big twist unsurprising by the time it was revealed.

It’s a good thriller (3.5 stars), but I think after such a phenomenal debut, my expectations were maybe a little too high and this one didn’t quite hit that mark for me. That said, I’ll definitely continue to read more from this author in the future, and I’d encourage you to read The Quiet Tenant if you haven’t already! It’s one of the most unique thrillers I’ve read to date from the points of view of three women in the life of a kidnapper and serial killer: his victim, his girlfriend and his daughter. It’s a book that has stuck with me since I read it, and if you love thrillers, it’s a must-read!