I won't lie: I was so curious to see how Clèmence Michallon followed up her first book (it was just so good!)!!! And I'm so impressed with how she did. I read this book in 2 days flat, which for a busy mom, is saying something. Told in dual-timeline, you see Frida and her brother, Gabriel, both in the present after a decade apart--and in the past, when they lived in a cult. In the present, they're kind of trying to figure out their relationship and who they are these days, when someone is murdered. In the past, you see how they get to know one another and eventually escape. I won't spoil the final twist, but let me tell you, it's a good one.

Interesting point of view from two former cult members navigating another tragedy. It was slow at times but overall enjoyable.

3.5 stars!
The alternating timelines in this book were done excellently! The scene setting was so clear that even if the chapter titles didn’t state when and where Frida was, could tell by the first couple sentences of the chapter. Sometimes I struggle distinguishing if I’m reading the past or present in books with alternating timelines so this was a plus for me. The backstory was very well written. I could picture the cult compound in my head and the grooming was written just as I would expect from a child’s point of view. As disturbing as some of the cult memories were, it was written so well.
The only portion of the book that did not impress me was the big reveal. The reveal itself was great but it felt anticlimactic. I didn’t feel the build up, it happened at an odd spot in my opinion.
Overall, Our Last Resort was well written, engaging, and clearly well researched in the cult department. Thank you for the opportunity to read the advanced copy!

I loved The Quiet Tenant so I was super excited to read this book. I thought Our Last Resort was really good. It’s a beautifully written story about a brother and sister who were raised in a cult. I love the alternating timelines. It was fast paced and an easy read. The last half really hooked me!

Big thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one early in exchange for an honest review.

Like many others, I loved THE QUIET TENANT. It was a powerhouse through & through. It had my expectations soaring at the mere thought of this new release, but thriller readers please take note.. This is not that.

I repeat.. 📢 This is not that.

OUR LAST RESORT was one of my most anticipated summer reads this year so it pains me to say it was a bit of a bust. Despite the synopsis' claim to be "a nail-biter until the last page" I didn't find it to be the least bit thrilling or even interesting for that matter. I couldn't get into it and quite frankly, I couldn't wait to finish it.

Thank you, next!

Respectfully ♥️

This was a highly anticipated book for me after reading and loving her debut book “The Quiet Tenant”. But with high hopes in hand and time to binge a new thriller… I had hoped for a better result.

What happened for me, was disappointment. Because the story felt like it went nowhere. It’s about “siblings” who escaped a cult (normally love books like this) but who found themselves in the middle of a murder investigation at a hotel when another guest winds up dead.

The situational secrets were flat. I didn’t get the coyote part (maybe just filler) and it just didn’t get off to the completely engrossing way that her debut did .

It might just be me but it wasn’t a win. That said I’ll still pick up what she writes next because of the love I had for her last book.

May this one find many hands and hearts…

After the quiet tenant I knew I wanted to read more from this author and I am glad I was able to. Big thanks for sending me this ARC. It was really really good. Perfect amount of suspense and plot and I was left guessing till the end

I always like a good thriller and this one does justice. This is my first Michallon novel and I am definitely going to read more of his work.

The book is told in two timelines and has a sibling relationship at its core. Go into the book blind and I'm sure you would love it.

Thank you Elliott & Thompson and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

Absolutely love me a good thriller! And this cover is perfect. I love a good, quick read in the summer time that keeps me on the edge of my seat! Autoread author for me!

It took me a few times of starting this bok before I got into it, which was weird since I love cult books! Once I got futrhter in to the book,it got easier to keep reading. Tis one did not suck me in as wellas the quiet tenant but I still enjoyed it. The writing was great, she is a very good writer!

3.5 stars, can't quite round this to 4 stars.
This is a good murder mystery/thriller. It isn't my favorite that I have read, but it was enjoyable.
The MCs grew up in a cult and escaped when they were young.
Frida and Gabriel are the MCs. The two are approached about a documentary.
They decide to reunite at a resort where someone ends up dead. Lots of mystery surrounds the murder. Mystery surrounding how they escaped from the cult. Also, Gabriel's wife died a few years prior to this incident, and he was a suspect, however, he was never charged.
The book kept me engaged enough that I wanted to know what was going to happen and if Gabriel could be trusted. However, the plot was a bit predictable, and I figured out what happened before the end.
The plot structure was excellent. With the flashbacks to when they were in the cult and then to the present, I thought the author did a good job with this. The pace was okay; there were several areas that felt a bit slow, but it quickly recovered.
Character development was there, but I needed more. I felt like I needed more information about their lives in the cult to have a better understanding of who they were in the present day and how that impacted who they are today.
Overall, this is a quick read, definitely one to read by the pool this summer!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!
Happy Reading!

This book has opened the doors to a whole new rabbit hole for me, and I am so ready to dive headfirst into cult thrillers. I really enjoyed the mix of timelines—the “before,” while living in the cult, and the current story post-escape.

Some books that jump around like that end up feeling messy or confusing, but this one handled it with total perfection. The transitions were smooth, and the storytelling felt intentional and well-done.

I really liked the characters and how the story unfolded. I did figure out the whodunnits pretty early on, and normally that would bug me—but honestly, it didn’t take anything away from the experience.

A fantastic and super enjoyable read!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Our Last Resort is a dark, gripping thriller that blends past trauma with present-day mystery in a way that kept me hooked from start to finish. Frida and Gabriel, once bonded like siblings in a controlling cult, have gone their separate ways—until a luxury vacation in Utah brings them back together. But when a woman is found murdered at the resort, old secrets resurface, and the bond between them begins to crack under the weight of suspicion and long-buried truths.

Told in dual timelines, the novel expertly weaves together the siblings’ chilling cult upbringing, a suspicious death from Gabriel’s past, and the current murder investigation. Clemence Michallon does a brilliant job building tension, developing flawed but compelling characters, and delivering twists that genuinely surprised me. With its steady pacing and emotionally resonant ending, this is a smart, suspenseful read that solidifies Michallon as a must-read author for fans of layered psychological thrillers.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Elliot & Thompson for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Our Last Resort is a taut and gripping suspense that skilfully weaves past and present to explore the fragility of trust and the shadows cast by secrets. Clémence Michallon takes the reader deep into the striking desert setting of the Ara Hotel, where a couple’s attempt to reconnect is shattered by a chilling murder.

Frida and Gabriel’s fractured relationship is convincingly portrayed, especially against the backdrop of their shared, traumatic past within a secluded cult. The emotional tension is palpable as Frida wrestles with her unwavering belief in Gabriel’s innocence while facing mounting evidence that challenges everything she thought she knew.

The story moves deftly between timelines, gradually revealing layers of mystery and complex character motivations. The writing is sharp and immersive, keeping the reader hooked through to a shattering climax that asks a haunting question about how well we truly know those closest to us.

Our Last Resort is an intense and compelling read that confirms Michallon’s skill in delivering suspense with emotional depth. It is perfect for readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with a strong sense of place and character.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

Thank you, Elliott & Thompson for providing the copy of Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon. I was excited to read this book because I loved The Quiet Tenant and I was happy that Michallon’s writing was as gorgeous as I remembered. I loved learning about Gabriel and Frida growing up in a cult and how the dual timelines explained how Gabriel and Frida ended up staying at an exclusive resort. When Gabriel is suspected of murder we learn more about Gabriel and Frida’s relationship and how they escaped the cult. I can’t say I was totally surprised by any of the reveals, but the writing and the characters made this a book I couldn’t put down! 5 stars

If I had to sum this up in one word: atmospheric. I am wary of dual timelines because they often feel like a cheat, a plot device to hold information back from the reader to build suspense. But this was an example of it being done well. The story takes some time to get going, but it was enough for me to persevere and I’m glad I did.

The only bad thing was the usual Kindle formatting—all over the place with line breaks, and not even knowing when the novel ended and the author’s note began (that was one confusing couple of paragraphs, I can tell you!)

Anyhow, time to check out the author’s other book.

Thanks for the review copy, NetGalley.

Thank you for the advance copy! This book was so gripping and intense i stayed up until 1:30am to finish this! Im so excited for the publication day to purchase the physical copy!

This was a beautifully written disappointment.
I really liked The Quiet Tenant so I was excited to pick this up. I really wanted to love this. The writing is gorgeous - Ms. Michallon can WRITE. But about halfway through I realized very little had actually happened.

This book is like 75% emotional processing, 20% trauma, and 5% actual plot.

The cult stuff was repetitive. The dual timelines felt disconnected. The characters were deeply damaged yet somehow still boring.

Again, the writing was beautiful. The story, though, was lacking.

Thanks to NetGalley and Elliot & Thompson for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this. I was a huge fan of Clemence Mchallon's first novel, The Quiet Tenant, so I was very excited to read this. It didn't disappoint. This is a beautiful, moving story of loss and trauma and the different ways people survive terrible things.

The story focuses on Frida and her brother, Gabriel, who escaped from a cult fifteen years ago. In a bid to reconnect with each other, they book a holiday at a luxurious resort. But shortly after they arrive, a woman is murdered and Gabriel becomes the prime suspect in the police investigation. As Frida races to prove her brother's innocence, she is forced to confront the difficult memories she's spent years suppressing.

This is a brilliantly paced novel that really will keep you guessing. I loved it!