I was drawn to this book after reading The Silent Tenant. It started out a bit slow, but my interest picked up about 1/3 of the way through. I read the last half in one sitting because I needed to know what happened. The plot was a bit predictable but it didn’t take away from the quality of the story. I really liked the cult flashbacks and honestly wish we had gotten a bit more of it, mostly because I find cults so interesting!

3.5⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. I had a hard time getting into this at first but it picked up a lot in the second half! Interesting premise, did not expect the twist.

After enjoying the author's last book, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Our Last Resort! A culty murder mystery at a luxury desert resort - what's not to love?

This was a wild ride! The time jumps forward and backwards took a little getting used to, but I liked hearing about both then and now. I didn't particularly connect with either main character, but I did enjoy their interactions and sibling bond. The first half was a bit of a slow burn to set everything up, but the second half flew by. I felt like a lot of the book was surface level - both the characters and the cult stuff - so unfortunately it fell a little flat for me, though the twists towards the end were great. I gave this 3.5 stars rounded down, as Frida, Gabriel, and their terrible decisions grated on me as the book went on. I would recommend this one when it comes out, and am excited to see what the author does next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy!

I was really excited about this book! A thriller with a cult story too...!!!

I loved the story of these two characters and them growing up in this cult. But, the mystery, thriller part was lacking for me. I figured out the plot and who did it really early on.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC for my honest review.

#NetGalley #OurLastResort

I’ve always enjoyed books centered around cults, and this one strikes a compelling balance between a dysfunctional family thriller and classic cult tropes. Frida and Gabriel find themselves at a luxury resort, only to become entangled in a murder investigation after another guest turns up dead. Their pasts and unexpected ties to the victim quickly place them under suspicion.

On the surface, the mystery feels somewhat predictable—it’s fairly easy to guess who the killer might be. However, the author's writing adds enough nuance and tension to keep the story engaging. The author's previous book was outstanding, so expectations were high for this one—and while it doesn’t quite surpass it, it certainly comes close.

This dual-timeline thriller follows siblings Gabriel and Frida from their childhood in a cult to a secluded luxury resort in the desert, where they attempt to reconnect. When a guest ends up dead, they're forced to reexamine their past and decide how far they would go to protect each other. A gripping exploration of friendship, family, and the flexibility of our own moral compass.

I absolutely loved The Quiet Tenant, so I was quick to request Our Last Resort.

Frida and Gabriel escaped from a cult fifteen years ago. They drifted apart after the mysterious death of Gabriel’s wife but have been brought back together at a luxurious resort seeking to reconnect.
But when a guest is killed at the resort, old secrets are about to bubble to the surface and Gabriel is once again a suspect

This book it is told in both present & past timelines. It was an interesting & entertaining read but not my favorite. I would have loved to have been privy to more background on their cult upbringing.
Thank you to Netgalley, Knopf, Panteon, Vintage & Anchor for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available July 08, 2025.

Took me awhile to get invested, but the last half hooked me!

The beginning of this book caught me at the beginning of a slump, so I can’t really judge it too harshly. By the time I made it to the halfway mark I was feeling happier to read so I enjoyed it much more. I think this is a great story for fans of more domestic or cult like thrillers. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. Would recommend!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

This one was just okay for me. I don’t think I was the right audience, as I tend to prefer a faster pace and more momentum in the plot. There were moments that felt a bit slow, and I found my attention drifting at times. That said, the writing was solid and I can see how others might really enjoy it. While it wasn’t a perfect fit for my tastes, I’d still recommend it to readers who appreciate a more leisurely, character-driven story.

I love this author, but I struggled a little bit with this one.

The Quiet Tenant was a 5 star for me, so maybe my expectations were just too high but my biggest struggle with this book was that I didn't like a single character. I enjoyed the part of the story concerning the cult but neither of the characters felt especially real or interesting (which is odd considering their background) to me and I absolutely hated all of the characters at the resort so the whole thing just fell flat for me on that dimension.

That being said, I loved the setting and the parts of the story concerning the cult, and I think the writer's style is awesome. I'm still going to be looking forward to her books and her style, I just wish the characters hit better.

Release: July 7, 2025
Author: Clemence Michallon
Publisher: Knopf

Rating: 3.75 ★ 

Our Last Resort is a slow-burning, character-driven thriller that blends a haunting past with a tense present. The story follows Frida and Gabriel, two people with a deep, complicated bond formed during their childhood in a cult. Years later, they reunite at a luxury desert resort in Utah, hoping to heal from a shared tragedy. But their plans for peace are shattered when a guest is found murdered—and suspicion quickly zeroes in on Gabriel.
What I appreciated about this book was how it weaves between timelines, peeling back layers of their traumatic upbringing and how it still haunts them. The cult aspect is chilling and fascinating, and it adds real emotional weight to the story. Frida’s loyalty to Gabriel is tested in gripping ways as new evidence forces her to question everything she thought she knew.
While this book doesn’t rely on nonstop twists, it keeps a steady tension that builds toward a powerful ending. It's less about shock and more about psychological depth, guilt, and the blurry lines between truth and trust. If you enjoy thrillers with a strong emotional core and a bit of a slow burn, this one is worth picking up.
Our Last Resort had a premise that immediately caught my attention—two people raised in a cult reunite years later at a luxury resort, only to find themselves entangled in a fresh murder mystery. The story unfolds across two timelines, switching between their disturbing childhood in a manipulative cult and their adult lives as they navigate trauma, secrets, and suspicion.
The cult backstory was definitely the strongest part of the book for me. I found Frida and Gabriel’s bond and their survival of such a dark upbringing to be really compelling. Their dynamic—like siblings, yet full of unanswered questions—gave the story emotional weight. I was especially invested in how their past continued to shape them.
However, I did find the present-day murder plot less engaging. While it kept me curious enough to keep going, I felt it lacked real suspense and the twists didn’t quite land. The pacing also dragged a bit at times, and I saw the ending coming well before the reveal. That said, I appreciated the atmospheric writing and the desert resort setting, which added a nice layer of mood and tension.
If you’re drawn to stories about cults and psychological trauma, there’s definitely substance here. It’s not the most shocking or tightly plotted thriller I’ve read recently, but it still offers an interesting exploration of character and past trauma. While it didn’t quite measure up to the author’s previous work (The Quiet Tenant), I’d still be curious to see what she writes next.

Favorite Quote:
"sometimes, the escape isn't about running away. It's about learning to live with what you can't change."

This was my first by this author - I’d heard amazing things about The Quiet Tenant so I was thrilled to start this one! She’s undeniably talented at stringing a story together in a way that keeps you totally enthralled from the get go. Also let’s be so for real - if it’s got a cult plot point I’m in. I also really love stories that bounce back and forth timeline wise, so another point there! The plot itself was really unique, and I loved how it focuses so much on the characters bond through chosen family. I just felt like a lot of the tiny details got lost in the mix. When I got to the end and a bunch of little things got brought back up I went “oh. Forgot about that” because they were so minute and didn’t add a ton to the story. But the overall plot definitely made up for it! Excited to pick up The Quiet Tenant soon and continue this authors work!

2.5 stars rounded down

I'll be the first to admit that I was hesitant picking this novel up given I didn't love this author's debut. Fool me once, that's on me, but twice...

This story felt very disjointed and underdeveloped to me. The two storylines never fit together until the end, at which point the cult plotline seemed to only exist to justify our two main characters' strange behavior/choices. Neither of the two nonlinear plotlines felt like they were drawn out to their full potential, and honestly neither of the two main characters were either.

I think this book fell short because the author somehow didn't do enough while simultaneously trying to do too much. The writing was easy to follow, it just felt bland since the characters lacked depth. I would categorize this as a drama over a thriller, the plot twists were pretty predictable and unsatisfying.

I think it's safe to say I learned my lesson: this author's style just isn't for me.


**Thank you to Netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be the last! The story covers a span of time from when a young girl and a young boy were raised in a weird, abusive cult, to their lives as adults after they escape when they were teens. Although they always considered themselves brother and sister, neither one of them knew who their actual parents were. There was violence when they left, and they had secrets to keep. It's a fast-paced, twisty story with more than one mystery that kept me rooting for them, despite their flaws, after all the dysfunction in their lives.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

Good plot

This was kind of a sad story. Two children were raised in a cult and bonded as siblings. Years later, they went to a plush Utah resort for a little re-connection and relaxation. The "brother" lost his wife nine years previously. Although the general public thought he killed her, there was no proof and he was never charged. The "sister", Frieda, became successful and was the one who paid for the trip.

They noticed a pair of other guests, a young, beautiful wife and her much older, wealthy husband. Frieda heard them arguing one night and the next day the wife was found murdered.

The book alternates between their life as children and current times. Both are a little sad. But the plot and characters were interesting. I preferred the author's previous book, but this is still a solid read.

It does deal with sexual and physical abuse if that is a trigger.

I usually LOVE cult related books but for some reason... I just could not get into this one. The characters didn't feel believable to me so I ultimately didn't really care about them. The dual timeline was a nice addition to the story telling though. But overall, I just didn't really enjoy it. With so many thrillers out there these days, my standards have gotten really high. So unfortunately, this one was just not for me.

Frida and Gabriel were children raised in a cult (same ol, same ol, charismatic man who takes advantage of women) and as they grow up begin to realize that life is not as perfect as it seems. Once Frida turns 18, well, you know what happens. So Gabriel and Frida decide to escape. The book begins many years later at a fancy resort where someone is murdered. The chapters alternate back and forth in time where you see how before and after cross paths. I enjoyed the book and it will make a quick summer read, but her debut, The Quiet Tenant, is a hard act to follow as it made my top 10 list in 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. After Michallon's debut novel, which I was blown away by, I knew I needed to keep an eye on whatever she published next, and I was so thrilled to receive an ARC copy! The writing in this one is just as beautiful as it was in her first novel, and you can really tell when you read that Michallon takes the time to think about every single word she is putting on the page. The setting of the hotel with the desert backdrop is a shining star in this one. The mystery(s) within this one are where I think the book lacked a little bit. I don't think this was meant to be a very twisty book, and yet I was still somewhat disappointed by what I saw as an extremely predictable ending. The backstory of the two main characters being in a cult and how they escaped was absolutely fascinating, and I was more invested in that storyline than I was in the current day one. I will definitely still be reading Michallon in the future, but this one was not as strong as her debut, in my opinion. Yet, I do think it is worth reading if you like a thriller/mystery with a bit more substance/ character building.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC copy of this book.

The story is told in dual timelines, which I usually enjoy. In this case, the flashbacks to their childhood in the cult were the most compelling part for me. Their bond and the strange, isolated world they came from were genuinely interesting.

That said, the pacing dragged at times, and the overall plot felt predictable and a bit too simple. It wasn’t a bad read—I stayed intrigued enough to finish—but it lacked the tension and shock factor I was hoping for.

I was looking forward to try this one, especially after reading the author’s debut, The Quiet Tenant. Unfortunately, I walked away feeling much the same: intrigued, but ultimately underwhelmed.

Our Last Resort by Clemence Michallon

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Michallon at the Hamptons Whodunit. I talked to her about how wild our imaginations can be to come up with these stories about some of the most unhinged things. I was specifically talking about her last novel, The Quiet Tenant, but she’s done it again.

Fifteen years prior, Frida and Gabriel escaped a secluded cult. Now, they are looking to reconnect at the gorgeous Ara Hotel in the isolated desert of Escalante, Utah. To Frida, it feels like heaven, until the body of a young woman turns up and both of them saw her alive the previous day. Now, a local police investigation is underway, and Gabriel is the prime suspect due to the mysterious death of his wife, 9 year earlier.

Our Last Resort explores Frida and Gabriel’s life growing up in a cult, the aftermath, and how it shaped their lives now. You can clearly tell the bond between Frida and Gabriel is that of siblings: they become frustrated with each other but would do anything to protect the other. The story progresses through dual timelines, slowly unveiling secrets and deceptions making you question everything surrounding these two. The building tension had me ravenous for the climax and satiated with the ending. I would highly recommend grabbing this book for one of your first summer reads that will have your heart in throat during the wild ride.

Thank you Netgally and Knopf for my eARC!