Our Last Resort is a multilayered, character-driven thriller, a great 1-day read on the deck on a sunny summer Sunday!
Gabriel and Frida grew up together in a cult, and escaped together when they were 18 years old. Although not actually related, they are brother and sister in spirit, but they have grown apart in the past few years after Gabriel escaped to Seattle after being wrongfully accused (but never acquitted, in the public eye) in a tragic death. The pair has met up at a high-end spa resort in Utah, but when one of the other guests is found murdered, Gabriel and Frida find themselves "persons of interest", bringing back the tension and fear of their past experience. Can they prove their innocence? There were a couple of well-done twists (caught me by surprise, anyway) and the characters were well developed; although I didn't really relate to them, that did not detract from my enjoyment of their story.

This was underwhelming but still well written. I like the cult parts of this story more than the resort parts. It all felt predictable and anti climactic

Frida and Gabriel grow up in a cult as "sister" and "brother" just trying to to survive. Years later we find them as adults in an exclusive resort trying to reconnect and catch up on each other's lives. A murder happens here and both of them are "persons of interest". As the reader is taken back and forth between the two timelines, we wonder what happened and if both of the were involved, one of them, or neither.

Although the story was interesting enough, I didn't find it a compelling story line.

My thanks to Knopf and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this e-book.

Frida and Gabriel are "siblings" that grew up in a cult together, escaped, and are meeting up to discuss their involvement in an upcoming documentary. They meet at an exclusive and isolated resort in the dessert but never find the time to actually discuss their past or the documentary when another guest in found dead and everyone suspects they were involved. Because Gabriel not only escaped the cult when he was 18, but he went on to marry Annie, who was later found dead, and he was the main suspect. Frida and Gabriel have gone on with their lives and decided to never look back.

I liked this book, despite its issues. Frida is the narrator, and she was kind of whiny and annoying. I would think someone so strong would come across a little, well, stronger. I also wanted more cult and less present-day resort. I liked the dual timelines but felt like the older one was more interesting. I was happy they were not a couple and kept it platonic. Overall, I did really like this book (and the audio version is very good). It didn't like it as much as Michallon's previous book, The Quiet Tenant, but that was a high bar.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Frida and Gabriel are siblings in the sense that they both grew up together in the same cult. Twenty years later they’re free from it and on a luxury resort vacation when a woman is found dead. Gabriel was talking to her, but couldn’t have anything to do with it….right?

I liked this one! It’s hard to compare with The Quiet Tenant because that one to me was a heart-pounding thriller while Our Last Resort was more of a slow burn mystery. I really liked all the chapters set in the past in the cult, more than the present day storyline. I’ll still read anything this author puts out in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Usually all you have to say is that a book includes a cult and I'm all in. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with this one.

I found the story to drag and be rather dry. The non-linear timeline wasn't bad, per say, but I did feel that the real story got skipped over, like the book started in the wrong place, and it kept giving me the stories around the story. None of the characters were relatable - not necessarily not likeable, but just not relatable.

Based on this book, I'm not sure I'd give Michallon another go, but perhaps I can be convinced.

**Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the eARC.

This book was filled with characters who were deeply flawed and super interesting. I loved the back and forth timelines and locations. Really enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I had high hopes for this book because I loved Clémence Michallon’s, The Quiet Tenant. Our Last Resort did not disappoint. In the beginning, I was not compelled to care about the characters but as the story progressed I came to care about Gabriel and Frida and how their lives were shaped by their past. The way they stick together and their loyalty to each other was very endearing. This book is thought provoking and shocking. I would absolutely recommend it to readers that love a good mystery thriller.

Frida and Gabriel escape the cult they were raised in and years later find themselves mixed up in a murder investigation while staying at a resort. This book went between the present time and the past when they were in the cult.

While this book was good it just wasn’t as good as this authors first book. I think if I didn’t go into reading this with the expectations of the first I would have given it a higher rating. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

📚: Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon
⭐️: 3/5

Freida and Gabriel — siblings with a tortured past that weighs on them as adults. They escaped a cult 15 years ago, and are now trying to find a new start after drifting apart after yet another tragedy. The setting is the beautiful Ara resort - peaceful and serene, until a dead body appears with unexpected connections to them.

This book has a lot going on. Far too much, in my opinion, leading this read to feel disjointed. (Is it a cult plot line? Is it a murder mystery? Is it a murder mystery of now or of 9 years ago?) I found the twist to be predictable — for a story with so much going on, I somehow felt like it was lacking by the end.

Thanks to Knopf via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Our Last Resort is out now.

I’m honestly not sure how to feel about Our Last Resort. It took me a really, really long time to finish, which is unusual for me. The premise is great—a luxury resort in the Utah desert, a murder, and two people, Frida and Gabriel, who grew up in a cult and formed a sibling-like bond because they found safety in each other with a connection that is intense and complicated.

The writing is strong and atmospheric, and I liked the dual timelines from Frida’s POV. The story flows well and there’s definitely a lot going on under the surface. But even with all that, I just felt disconnected. I kept waiting to feel more invested or pulled into the suspense, but it never quite clicked for me emotionally.

I also felt like there were a lot of intriguing threads and details that I wished were explored more deeply or tied back into the main plot. A few plot points seemed significant early on but didn’t really get revisited, which left me wanting a bit more closure and clarity.

I don’t think this is a bad book at all—it’s well written and has a unique setup. It just didn’t fully work for me, though I can definitely see how others might love it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.

Our Last Resort by Clemence Michallon is a slow-burn mystery that combines a view of the Utah desert with the lingering weight of a shared past. Frida and Gabriel, once deeply connected, arrive at an isolated luxury resort in hopes of rebuilding their relationship after years of emotional distance—and a tragedy that still haunts them. But when a young woman turns up dead and suspicion falls on Gabriel, buried secrets begin to surface, putting trust and loyalty to the test. Told through dual timelines, the novel moves between an upbringing in a cult and a present-day murder investigation. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This thriller is a slow burn with a great setting. As I was reading, I could feel the heat of the desert radiating off of the stone patios. Frida and Gabriel are sharing a room at a luxury resort in the desert in an attempt to reconnect after years apart, but they're both realizing that they aren't nearly as close as they once were. The plot moves back and forth in time between a murder at the resort and the past, where Frida and Gabriel made their way out of an isolated cult and struggled to manage the outside world. I was intrigued by the whole thing until, gradually, I found myself not caring anymore.

📜Quick Summary: Frida and Gabriel grew up together in the grasp of a cult lifestyle. After escaping, growing up, and growing apart, they find themselves back together at a fancy resort. A documentary is coming out regarding their upbringing, and for the first time, Gabriel wants to speak. At the Ara Hotel, they are hoping to reconnect. But when a woman is found murdered, things don’t go to plan. Gabriel becomes a prime suspect, and Frida doesn’t know what to think. She starts to think back on her childhood, and things start to resurface…

❣️Initial Feels: This seems like two separate stories, with the chapters alternating timelines, but I’m intrigued to see where it goes.

👀Trigger Warnings: traumatic upbringings, cult lifestyle, sexual assault

🌶️Spice Level: none

📖Read if you want: cult lifestyle, dual timelines, unreliable narrators

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: I don’t think I really liked either of our main characters, which hurts to say. Not that I didn’t like them… I was rooting for them and their painful upbringing, but I didn’t feel much depth to either of them to truly feel like they were a character off the page.

💡Final Sentiments: I loved Our Quiet Tenant so I was really looking forward to this novel! Part of this novel fell flat for me. It was hard for me to relate and really feel deeply for these characters, so that played a role in truly enjoying this murder mystery. I wish one of the stories was flushed out more, and that would have made for one great novel, instead of two stories that were intertwined. I think I was expecting more in depth cult-life, more deep dark secrets of the cult, when it almost felt like more mini stories thrown in the mix. I really feel like most readers will like this, and will devour it like I did. I will say, I enjoyed the ending more once it started moving and motives were uncovered. That was when I felt like Frida and Gabriel were really making choices and laying it all out there.

🌟Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

🔉Special thanks to Clemence Michallon, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf and NetGalley for this arc of Our Last Resort.

📘Grab yourself a copy on July 8, 2025!

I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting but this was a pretty solid thriller I’d say? I was confused at the start given the nature of the siblings’ relationship, but the story grew on me over time and I love a good mystery whodunit! I was also never fully sure where the story was going which was nice that I couldn’t predict it.

I loved the Quiet Tenant so I had high hopes for this one. I enjoyed it and it kept me turning the pages, but the ending left a little to be desired. A good read all in all

When I saw that Clémence Michallon had a new book releasing, I was beyond excited. I adored her debut novel, The Quiet Tenant so much. I was truly hoping that The Last Resort would be in the same vein. Sadly, for me, it wasn’t. And when I tell you I was sad, I was so so sad. I loathe writing negative reviews. So it pains me to say that I did not enjoy this book. I’m so sorry Clemence!

The story follows Frida and Gabriel in the as they have a reunion after many years at a resort. While they are there, there’s a murder and that’s when things start to unravel. Told in dual timelines, the story is told in present day at the resort and past, when Frida & Gabriel met as children when they were born into a cult.

Even though I’m not a huge fan of books/movies involving cults, I did find this part of the book interesting. While I don’t think it completely melds with the plot, it’s necessary in order to show how Gabriel & Frida meet, and to convey the “trauma bond” they share. However, even though I did find this part of the plot interesting, I often felt like I was reading two different stories. I didn’t feel like it flowed as well as it should have.

I also didn’t feel anything for Frida or Gabriel. While their past was obviously difficult and I felt like I should have been able to feel for them, there was just no connection there for me.

I will say that I do truly enjoy Clémence Michallon’s style of writing. She’s an amazing writer and I’m sad that in this case, that wasn’t enough for me. But some books just aren’t for everyone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What I love about Clémence Michallon’s thrillers is that you’re getting so much more than a page turner you can’t put down. You’re getting deep prose and a unique point of view. A closer look at how devastating situations might shape a person, or people, as it does in Our Last Resort. Definitely pick this one up!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishing team for this ARC!

I thought Our Last Resort was an okay read. It held my attention, I wanted to know how it ended, and I liked the writing style. My favorite part was definitely the cult aspect of this book. I wasn’t shocked or surprised by the ending and that’s ultimately why I’m not giving it a higher rating.

I was given an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Short synopsis: 15 years ago, Frida and her brother Gabriel escape a cult, now Gabriel is accused of murder.

My thoughts: I absolutely devoured Michallon’s debut “The Quiet Tenant” so I was very much anticipating this release, and I was pleasantly surprised. The story reads different than your typical thriller, it was more literary and had my attention gripped in a different way.

I loved the past/present timelines, the inside look into the cult was compelling but completely heartbreaking. I couldn’t wait to see how they were able to escape and what the final pushing point was. And in the present timeline, I was on the edge of my seat trying to unravel the mystery.

I flew through this story via audio, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, who really added to the ambience of the story. I highly recommend.

Read if you love:
* Sibling relationships
* Cult vibes
* Past/present timelines
* Mystery on vacation
* Remote resort locations