This book gave me the chills and is edge of the seat kind of stuff. When Frida and her brother escaped from a cult, they did not realise many years later there would be repercussions. When they arrive at a beautiful hotel on their holiday everything seems serene and calm until it doesn't. A woman is found dead and the police are putting Frida's brother down as the killer but is he? long ago memories come back to haunt the two of them, can they ever be rid of what happened all those years ago? It was a good story that keeps you captivated. It flits from past to future and is easy enough to follow along with. It is full of drama and mysteriousness until you find out what really happened. I am stunned how good it was.

It took me at least the first 20% to really get into this one, until I got used to the authors writing style which seemed a little janky, but once I did, I was very intrigued

Overall I enjoyed the story, it’s a good solid thriller, although, I wasn’t blown away by it. The plot twist wasn’t hugely twisty or surprising either. All that being said, it was still an enjoyable read.

Thanks NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Frida and Gabriel escaped a cult as teens and now are on vacation together when another guest is found dead. This flash’s between their lives in the cult and the present. I loooved Clémence Michallon’s first book and this was a really good sophomore one.

Shout out Netgalley and Elliott & Thompson for sending me this ARC!

I wanted to read this because I LOVED the Quiet Tenant. While I did enjoy this book, it was a lot slower than her other book. This books starts out with a murder right off the rip so it had my attention. Then it adds in a dual timeline now I can’t stop reading! However in the middle it gets a little dry but the information is necessary. And then wham! Back to attention grabbing and the ending is just chefs kiss! I would never have guessed it!

I really enjoyed this book. The lure of an uber rich retreat in the American desert, a past belonging to a cult and a few murders thrown in was very interesting!

The characters had many layers and the swapping between time lines was done seamlessly.

This is my second Clemence book and I am definitely a fan. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this advance copy before publication.

No spoilers!!!

Thank you netgalley for sending me an early release e book of Our Last Resort for my honest review🫶🏻

Give me a thriller with cults and a past/present timeline and you'll have me hooked, and this book did just that! From the get go I was engaged and constantly needing to know what happened next😍

I found the chapters in the past so interesting; both of the main characters have been through something so unique yet traumatizing, it was hard to imagine how I would even begin to process going through something like that. The present timeline also had an intriguing plot with lots of twists and turns. I just wanted to keep reading to know what actually happened!

Although the end was predictable and didn't wow me, it made sense to the story and I can honestly say I couldn't put the book down when I was reading it. If the plot twist had me shocked then I can imagine this being a five star read. Nevertheless it was still a good book☺️

Put this on your summer tbr if you haven't already! A great summer thriller to read in the sun☀️

This novel was very different from her first novel, The Quiet Tenant. But this was a good read. more a mystery than a thriller. This book is about a childhood in a cult and what that does. It comes with murder. is was a kind of slow-paced. Certainly, if you look at her first novel, which was very fast-paced. Well, that being said, it was a good one.
the book goes from past to present and back. the book gives you an unsettling vibe, which i always like in a book!
If you want a slow burner mystery about murder and cults, read this one!

Thank you to Elliot & Thompson and to NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

*Our Last Resort* by Clémence Michallon is a captivating psychological mystery that blends a chilling cult backstory with an immersive narrative. Set against a lush, luxurious backdrop, the novel follows a complex heroine caught between the weight of her past and the lengths she'll go to protect the ones she loves. With sharp prose and intricate characterization, Michallon delivers a haunting exploration of family, survival, and the dark corners of the human heart.

It seems that I, like many others, was expecting a book along the lines of Michallon's debut novel The Quiet Tenant. I didn't find that Our Last Resort had the same feel to it. Less psychological thriller, more mystery. That being said, I did enjoy this novel, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good mystery with a dual timeline theme.
*rounded up from 3.5*

Great book! Very different from her debut novel The Quiet Tenant but in a great way. This was more mystery than psychological thriller. Great character development. The cult part was very interesting. Would definitely read and recommend anything by this author.

The alternating timelines almost felt like two different stories. It was an entertaining read but the plot just felt silly at times.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 rounded up! After reading Clémence Michallon’s debut novel, I was eager to get my hands on an advanced reader’s copy of Our Last Resort. If you’re hoping to read a heart racing thriller like The Quiet Tenant, this may not be the book for you. BUT, if you like dual timelines, cults, moral dilemmas, and murder mysteries that keep you guessing and even tug on your heartstrings, I think you’ll enjoy this!

I read for pleasure and therefore am not a harsh critic; however, I wanted something more from these characters. I didn’t feel connected to them and had a hard time figuring a picture of them in my head like I normally do. I enjoyed hearing their stories, but don’t think I’ll be thinking about them in a week.

Overall, this was a fun book set at a resort in the Utah desert AND a compound. Murder in the past and the present, and fingers pointed in a number of directions. Tear jerking moments. A delicious recipe.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for allowing me this ARC! Snag this on its release day (7/8/2025) and share your thoughts!

The main characters, Frida and Gabriel, escape a cult together when they are young. Years after the escape, they meet up at a fancy resort in Utah to rebuild their relationship. While there, Gabriel is accused of murdering another hotel guest. It isn’t the first time Gabriel has been accused of murder and Frida is determined to prove his innocence. The story goes back to time in the cult, Frida and Gabriel’s time outside of the cult, and the present time at the resort in Utah. The pace of this book was very similar to The Last Tenant by Clémence Michallon. It’s a slow burn for the first 3/4 of the book. But when you get to the last 1/4, the pace really speeds up and you’re racing to read what happens next. I enjoyed the book but I wish the pace picked up earlier on. I rated the book a 3.5 but will round up to a 4.

This ARC was provided by Elliot & Thompson via NetGalley.

Michallon’s writing keeps you fully engaged in this story. OUR LAST RESORT is drenched in emotional trauma, as well as murder and the disintegrating relationship of two old friends.

Frida and Gabriel grew up in a cult. They became close due to their shared traumas and lifestyle. When they finally decided to escape, their method of doing so left them both with even more confusion and heartache.

In the outside world, they grow apart and live very different lives. In order to regain their bond, Frida invites Gabriel to a resort to spend some time together, however, their vacation is anything but joyful when another guest is murdered. When Gabriel gets accused of the crime, Frida does everything in her power to prove his innocence.

I loved Michallon’s first book, I loved this book, and I’m quite sure I’ll like every other book she writes. Her characterization digs deep and her plotting is suspenseful. I highly recommend this 5-star read and give many thanks to NetGalley and Elliott and Thompson for the advanced reader copy.

This book was a slow burn for me-I really enjoyed the cult aspect, as well as the aftermath of kids turning into adults when living in those environments. I also really liked the murder part of it, and our narrator as sort of an unreliable narrator.

A big thank you to Elliot & Thompson, Clémence Michallon and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025.
It pains me to say this, but as much as the premise is absolute perfection, as much as I just couldn't put it down until around 50%, in the end, I was disappointed. The books feels... underdeveloped? Unfinished?
A jumble of great ideas, but so many plots left standing/twists that ended up flat and a lackluster ending.
I'm giving it 2.5⭐, rounding out to a 3. 😭

This was probably the most vanilla mystery/thriller I’ve ever read. Predictable, the characters are unlikable, a miscommunication trope. I didn’t care for a Quiet Tenant but I thought I’d give her another shot. If you like cult books, it may be worth a read.

*second review. Not sure how I ended up with this book twice

A book that combines a childhood in a cult with a current day murder mystery? Yes, please!

Alternating between the past and present, Our Last Resort explores the complex relationship between two siblings, Frida and Gabriel. Being brought up in a cult together made the duo close, but even those closest to us have secrets, right? This question is explored after a woman is found dead at the same luxury hotel that Frida and Gabriel are staying at to reconnect with one another after years apart.

This was a unique premise that I was sucked right into! I love that the murder mystery was intertwined with the cult flashbacks. The isolated setting of the luxury hotel in the middle of the desert helped to set the whodunnit vibes perfectly.

I do wish the cult aspect was expanded upon even more than it was. Although there were plenty of flashbacks to set the scene, I felt myself wanting more info, especially about the cult leader and their "purpose". Overall, I found the ending to be satisfying despite seeing aspects of it coming.

I was so excited for this book because of A QUIET TENANT. This one unfortunately felt pretty average. The two storylines felt disjointed. I just wanted the past storyline to be the whole book

Rating: 🙂/3
Review: The ARC format was frustrating and took away from the flow of reading. Michallon’s writing style is constantly tense and serious. It’s a dark place to be in without relief. The main characters never grabbed me but the multiple mysteries kept me skimming to the finish. Not a thriller at all, more slow paced literary mystery.
Format: 👩🏻‍💻
Source: #netgalley
Posted on Goodreads and The StoryGraph 5/4/2025