Michallon writes with elegance, capturing both the beauty of the setting and the weight of complicated relationships. The atmosphere is immersive—sun-soaked terraces, lingering wine glasses, the ache of memory pressed into every scene.

That said, while the writing is undeniably lovely, the pacing sometimes felt uneven, and a few character choices left me more frustrated than moved. The novel has moments of brilliance that shine, but they’re scattered between stretches that felt slower to unravel.

This isn’t a book I regret reading—it’s heartfelt and thoughtfully crafted—but it didn’t grip me as tightly as I hoped. Still, for readers who enjoy quiet, reflective stories with a strong sense of place, Our Last Resort will be a worthwhile getaway.

This one wasn't super great for me. Nothing overly remarkable and I feel like the concept of the "locked door room/resort/vacation/island" is really overdone these days.

After loving The Quiet Tenant, I ran to request an ARC of Our Last Resort—and while this one didn’t hit me quite as hard, it was still a ride worth taking.

This story is layered with family secrets, cult survival, grief, and the haunting question of what we’re willing to believe about the people we love. From Frida and Gabriel’s heartbreaking childhood in a cult to Gabriel’s unimaginable loss and the shocking discovery of a dead woman in paradise, Michallon sets the stage for a slow-burn “whodunit” that constantly kept me guessing.

I’ll be honest though—while the plot had depth, there were stretches that didn’t grip me as tightly as The Quiet Tenant did. THAT one had me in a full-blown chokehold; this one… not so much. But the payoff? The ending? Whew. You won’t see it coming.

Clémence has a gift for exploring the complexity of sibling bonds, fractured trust, and buried trauma, and that’s where this book shines brightest. While it didn’t dethrone The Quiet Tenant for me, I’m glad I stuck with it and experienced the twists, the tension, and the emotional unraveling firsthand.

Huge thanks to Clémence Michallon, NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, and Vintage for the ARC. If you love atmospheric suspense, tangled family dynamics, and endings that leave you second-guessing everything you thought you knew, Our Last Resort deserves a spot on your TBR.

I usually love a good cult story, but this missed the mark for me. The pacing was extremely slow, with more focus on character backstories than the current mystery taking place. I did enjoy the chapters that explored the characters growing up in the cult, but I really wish there was a better balance between what was happening 'now'. I never really connected with any of the characters and the few reveals we did get were extremely underwhelming.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. guess I could recommend this book to any readers who enjoy thrillers about cults and siblings' drama. If you've read The Quiet Tenant and loved it, maybe you should go into this book with lower expectations. But if you haven't enjoyed that book, maybe you'll enjoy this one better.

I loved this! I truly didn’t see the twist coming. I felt like this was the perfect murder mystery. It almost felt like playing Clue.

Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon is a taut, psychologically layered thriller set against the eerie stillness of a luxury desert hotel in Escalante, Utah. The story centers on Frida and Gabriel, estranged siblings reuniting after years of silence, their bond frayed by a traumatic childhood spent in a cult. Their reunion is shadowed by the unsolved murder of Gabriel’s wife and the arrival of another troubled couple tabloid mogul William Brenner and his young wife, Sabrina whose volatile relationship soon erupts into violence. Michallon masterfully uses the isolated setting to heighten tension, turning the Ara Hotel into a crucible where secrets simmer and long-buried truths claw their way to the surface.

What makes the novel especially compelling is its dual timeline structure, which alternates between the present-day investigation and flashbacks to Frida and Gabriel’s upbringing under the manipulative cult leader Émile. These glimpses into their past are chilling and deeply affecting, revealing how psychological control and moral manipulation shaped their adult lives. Michallon doesn’t rely on sensationalism; instead, she explores the emotional residue of trauma how it distorts memory, erodes trust, and binds people in complex, often destructive ways. Frida’s hypervigilance and Gabriel’s guilt form the emotional backbone of the story, making their attempts at reconciliation both heartbreaking and suspenseful.

As the murder investigation unfolds, Michallon keeps readers guessing with deft misdirection and morally ambiguous revelations. Frida’s own secrets particularly her role in past tragedies add a layer of psychological complexity that elevates the novel beyond a standard whodunit. The final chapters deliver a haunting meditation on culpability, survival, and the cost of silence. Our Last Resort is not just a thriller; it’s a study in how the past refuses to stay buried, and how even the most luxurious escape can become a battleground for truth

This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and I love her writing style! She knows how to draw you into a book, and this book wasn’t like anything I’ve read before. I enjoyed the alternating timelines with a present murder investigation and a past life in a cult, and I kept trying to guess how the past would foreshadow the present timeline.

This book while somewhat intriguing, couldn't hold my attention. I really wanted to know more about the characters time in the cult. In this dual timeline novel, the past caught my attention the most. It had plenty of suspense and a few twists. It just wasn't in my must read list. Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my ARC.

3.7 I admit that I couldn't finish The Quiet Tenant because it was just to creepy. But this second book by Michallon was an easier read while still suspenseful. Frida and Gabriel are children at a Cult when they become such fast friends that they consider themselves sister and brother. The cult contributes to that labeling by claiming one man, as father. The story is told in alternate settings and times from the cult days to the meet up at a resort after years of separation. A murder builds the suspense with some unforseen turns. Drew me in from page one. Good read.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I was completely obsessed with Clémence’s first book that I needed to get my hands in this one. And I was not disappointed! I love the slow burn thriller, not really knowing what to expect but gripping you the entire story and this was exactly that.

I loved this author's debut novel, The Quiet Tenant, so I was thrilled to receive this ARC from NetGalley. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite hit the same way.

This novel follows two characters dealing with the aftermath of growing up in a cult, and is told in alternating timelines. I was more invested in the cult timeline, and would have probably enjoyed this more if that was the main (or even only) storyline. I was much less interested in the present-day storyline, and I never felt invested in the main characters as adults or in solving the mystery.

To me, this book was good, but not great. I will pick up this author's next book, though, since I enjoyed her first one so much!

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

I listened to this book and read this hardcover; it was good!  I love books about cults. It doesn't matter if they are fiction or non-fiction. Books about cults always intrigue me! Points for this book being about a cult!

This is a slower paced thriller. I think most thriller lovers expect the fast-paced twisty thrillers. I feel that it is very important to point out before starting this book so you know what you're getting in to. I read her first book so I knew it would be a slower paced thriller. I could appreciate this book so much more knowing that. The details added to round out the story.  It was a single POV and a dual timeline. That's one of my favorite things to point out. I'm excited to see what she writes next!

* 2.5⭐️0🌶️
* Estranged siblings who escaped a cult as children reunite at a desert resort, only to find themselves embroiled in a new murder mystery that reopens the wounds of their traumatic past.
* For me this book just fell flat. It was predictable. I did enjoy reading it though and it was a page turner but I just felt like I’ve read similar stories before.
* Read if you like: dual timelines, brother/sister dynamic, cults, intertwined relationships, deep dark secrets, predictable ending

Ohhh you know your girl loves a book about cults!

I adored The Quiet Tenant, and I fully recognize that adored is a weird word to use about a seriously creepy thriller, but it is 100% accurate for how much enjoyment I got out of reading it. So, to say the least, I was excited for Our Last Resort. Michallon is a fantastic storyteller, giving you just little bits of information to keep you wondering what the heck is really happening and Our Last Resort was no different. Are we reading about a strained sibling relationship, a murder in a gorgeous resort, or about a cult and the way its shaped the people long out of it now? Hard to tell, but there's police everywhere and it's not just the present day murder that Frida and Gabriel are worried about.

Our Last Resort is a layered story that switches between past and present. We get to know Frida and Gabriel as they were in the cult as children and now as adults with a strained relationship. The death of a beautiful woman at the resort brings up the question they've both long held onto, do they really know one another? We also have the pleasure of seeing the life they shared as siblings post-cult and what really tore them apart. This isn't a fast paced thriller, this is a character study with a heaping pile of murder. It remains tense from start to finish, with you, the reader, even unsure of who to trust.

I enjoyed the deep dive into Frida and Gabriel's childhood, the cult and the way it shaped their adulthood choices, the fierce protection these two feel towards one another, and the absolutely suspenseful crime investigation. If you like a tale that has multiple storylines woven together, this one is for you.

Really disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this one after loving The Quiet Tenant.

I found this one to be really obvious, but yet a slow plot. I wish it was less predictable and had a bit more character building to make it more interesting.

Thank you to Knopf (Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor) and NetGalley for providing me with this gifted eARC. ✨

This read centers around duo, Frida and Gabriel, who had a close knit relationship that has now raveled a from what it once was. They endured a difficult upbringing that has shaped their past, present and future. They also get thrown into quite the hurtle when Gabriel becomes a suspect in a murder case!

You get to experience this story in dual timeline, and while it was interesting seeing a little of the background of our main characters, I did find myself struggling to keep up with what was happening (and when it happened) as the story went along. I would personally classify this book as more of a mystery rather than a thriller.

However, the ending was not what I expected making this an overall nice, quick, and suspenseful read!

I was not a fan of this book. I unfortunately had to DNF it almost halfway through because it was just a bit too slow and boring for my liking. I wasn’t a huge fan of the dual timeline and I felt like it just took too long to captivate me.

Very slow moving story. Took me longer than normal to finish because I was just not connecting with any of the characters.

Cults, cults, cults! After THE QUIET TENENT, I could wait for another read from Michallon. Like her debut, this had complex characters grappling with demons. My favorite storyline was getting into the cult backstory which ultimately kept me a little out of the main mystery. There were a few plot points that truly shocked me. I did a few chapters through the audiobook and would recommend either format.