Our Last Resort is a slow-burn mystery, delivering emotional depth and a tense sibling dynamic, between a brother and sister who escaped from a cult, that is gripping and atmospheric.

Frida and her brother Gabriel escaped a cult when they were in their late teens. They have an unbreakable bond until a tragedy keeps them apart. After a few years they try to fix their relationship by going to the Ara, an exclusive resort. Finally, they have a chance to reconnect and unwind, until a woman is found dead and Gabriel is marked a suspect.

I found this to be a quick popcorn thriller type read. I predicted a few things in the book and I thought it was ok. I didn’t love reading about the cult chapters, I thought they were a bit boring and didn’t really add too much to the actual murder plot line. I would read from this author again, because I liked her writing style, but I thought this was an average thriller.

Thank you Netgalley and Elliott & Thompson for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Fifteen years ago Frida and her brother Gabriel escaped a cult. Once so close they were able to finish each other's sentences, however a sudden, unspeakable tragedy caused them to drift apart. Now on holiday at the stunning luxurious Ara Hotel, they finally have the chance to reconnect between dips in the pool and hikes on deserted trails until a young woman is found dead!

I loved The Quiet Tenant so was looking forward to this one but it was a very different read. Our Last Resort read like I was lazing round the pool on holiday (well I was actually), but what I mean was the story languished and small snippets of information are delivered slowly throughout. The cult aspect was the most interesting part of the book and flowed well, however the present day hotel storyline felt disjointed and I'm still none the wiser how and why Frida and Gabriel went there. I should have been gripped by the mysterious death at the hotel but instead I was eager each time to get back to the pair's cult past. I wanted to love this one but in the end it felt like more style and less substance.

In Clémence Michallon’s Our Last Resort, we follow Frida and Gabriel who escape to a secluded luxury resort in the Utah desert, hoping to rebuild their fractured relationship after a devastating tragedy. But when a young woman is found murdered and suspicion falls on Gabriel, Frida is forced to confront the secrets of their shared past in a cult—and question how well she really knows the man she once trusted completely. Told in multiple timelines, the story peels back layers of trauma, loyalty, and deception, building toward a harrowing, emotional conclusion.

Unfortunately, the set up is more interesting than the execution. While it is instantly readable, with strong atmosphere and compelling character work, there were times I struggled to stay engaged. There’s so much packed into this that I often felt like I had to wade through pages of minutiae just to get to the meat of the story. The dual timelines, emotional weight, and dense detail occasionally made the experience feel more exhausting than immersive. I wish I could say the destination was worth the journey, but I am struggling to see past many of my issues. Thanks to NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for the ARC.

Children of the cult, Gabe and Frida, manage to get away. But at what cost? Their secret follows them in to adulthood and throw shadows into their present. Written in two timelines, this thriller switches back and forth between the past and present seamlessly. I didn't really connect with the characters--I never "felt" them but the plot was good with an unexpected twist at the end. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC and the opportunity to be an early reader. This review is my own thoughts and were not coerced in any way.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for gifting me a digital ARC of the sophomore book by Clemence Michallon, after her wonderful debut, A Quiet Tenant. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Frida and Gabriel grew up together in a cult, barely surviving together after their escape. Years later, they meet at an upscale hotel in the Utah dessert to try and get their relationship back on track. But then a dead body is discovered and suspicion quickly falls on Gabriel.

Told from Frida's POV from both the past and present, I couldn't put this book down. Cults are fascinating to read about, with a leader's complete control over the members. Especially difficult to think about are the children forced to grow up like this. Michallon does a fabulous job of showing the effects of the cult during their time there, as well as long afterwards, as they try to have a more normal life. Each of the timelines was gripping and tense, and that suspense just kept rolling until the shocking reveals at the end. Don't miss this one!

I absolutely loved this and I felt like it was even darker than The quiet Tenant. It's really a book about sibling love and what lengths we go to for the people we love the most. Following their upbringing in a cult, it follows the lives and loves of a brother and sister's adult lives and the damage they have to live with. It's emotional and I found it easy to.connect with the main characters. One of my favourite reads this year.

This novel starts at a hotel in the Utah desert where Frida is staying with her brother Gabriel. While they are there, a hotel guest is found dead and before long suspicion falls on Gabriel who was suspected 9 years earlier of killing his wife Annie though never charged. And we also learn that Frida and Gabriel grew up in a cult which we see in flashback chapters. So there are three mysteries running throughout the book - what happened to the hotel guest, what happened to Annie, and what happened at the cult and how did they escape.

And all three strands of the plot are interesting and good, as is the literary writing and the characters. It’s not heart-pounding suspense like Michallon’s debut The Quiet Tenant (a top ten of the year for me a few years ago), but it still was compelling enough in its quieter way that I couldn’t put it down!

Growing up in a cult pulls two young children, Frida and Gabriel, together in a tight bond that will last a lifetime.

This is a  physiological suspense book that is a slow burn, but it will keep you wanting to read more.
Its told through different timelines - from the past where we learn about the cult and their escape to present where they are moving on with their lives.

The characters are explored in sych a great depth and detail, both individually and then as a duo.

The only downside for me is that it was very slow. It was more about the characters and the suspense that built from that.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you Netgalley and Elliott & Thompson for this ARC!

I did love The Quiet Tenant, so I was delighted to be able to read this book, as well! I admit, I did dive into it reather blindly. I have a love-hate relationship when it comes to stories involving cults, but this here was a good one - maybe also because it was more a murder mystery in the end, and those things I do usually enjoy.

I am giving this one solid 4 stars, because since I enjoyed going onto this journey with Gabriel and Frida, it was a little slow at times, but still gripping enough to make me keep reading until the last page was finally turned!

I did enjoy this author’s previous book better than this one, but I still found it where to read. This one to me was more of a mystery than a thriller, as it has several different mysteries ongoing and I also enjoy the fact that it has two different timelines, which is great as you’re able to get to know the characters based on their past.. this also has a cult element which normally I’m not a fan of but because of the multiple timelines I actually enjoy this one.

Our Last Resort was more of a character driven thriller than I normally read, but I really enjoyed it. It is a slower paced book as we learn about our 2 main characters in the past and the present. For me there weren’t any twists that I didn’t see coming, it was more of a story of friendship and that unbreakable connection between these characters.

Frida and Gabriel grew up in a cult and know each other back to front and inside out. They have been through some dark times and had that unconventional upbringing that only they understand. In a bid to reconnect after being estranged for a little while they travel to a high end resort in Utah. Nothing to do but relax, swim and talk. But when a guest is murdered, the pair find themselves persons of interest and puts their relationship in jeopardy.

I enjoyed how we see everything through the point of view of Frida, both in the present day and in the past. These two had a connection that was hard for outsiders to understand but made perfect sense to them. It shows just how far they would go for each other.

Thank you to Elliot and Thompson for my advanced copy of this book on NetGalley to read. Out on August 7th.

Clémence Michallon’s Our Last Resort is a tightly written, propulsively paced thriller that crackles from the first chapter. Siblings Frida and Gabriel—survivors of a New York cult—reunite at Utah’s luxurious Ara Hotel to reconnect after an estrangement, only to be drawn into a murder investigation when another guest is found dead.
Alternating between past and present, Michallon peels back layers of trauma, family loyalty, and suspicion. The narrative doesn’t let up—it rushes toward a shattering climax that keeps the pages turning, all while probing whether we ever truly know those we love. A gripping and emotionally resonant summer thriller that kept me awake, vowing "just one more chapter," before I gave in and binged the whole thing.

Decent but didn’t quite deliver…

Our Last Resort was an okay read for me. The story alternates between present day—where two siblings reconnect at a wellness retreat—and flashbacks to their childhood in a commune that doubled as a cult. While I appreciated the premise and the potential for emotional depth, the execution fell a bit flat.

I found the book to be pretty predictable, and the writing style was overly wordy at times without adding much new or necessary information. I kept waiting for a twist or a moment that would pull me in, but it never quite got there.

I absolutely loved the author’s previous book The Quiet Tenant, so maybe my expectations were a little too high. That one had me hooked, while this one just didn’t have the same grip. Overall, it was a decent read, just not the engaging, twisty experience I was hoping for.

Dark story about unhealthily co-dependent relationship.

Frida and Gabriel are brother and sister but not by blood, by choice. They grew up in a cult and their life has been unseperated ever since they were 10 years old. But as in every family there were things that united them and things that separated them, and then there was a tragedy. Nine years later both are going to the last resort ro restore their relationship but can they make it? And what happens when next to them another tragedy ensues?

The author tries to make us see how trustful are relationship between both main characters but she doesn't try to hide the unhealthy part of it too - they both are not good for each other. Maybe in the earlier years after escaping the cult but not anymore so it was interesting to read how they are trying to fool themselves that they are perfect as a family.

I liked the murder mistery part on the resort but the cult part seemed lacking depth, i would love to read more about that part of their lives.

It was an ok read but more suited for murder mistery fans than for those who would like to dive in the darkness of cults.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Growing up in a cult pulls two young children, Frida and Gabriel, together in a tight bond that will last a lifetime.

This slow burn physiological suspense will keep you wanting to read more.
Told through different timelines we learn about their journey in the cult, their escape and moving on with their lives. But not all is as it seems even when your lives are so intwined. Do you really know those closest to you?

We are given great in-depth look into both the main characters individually, and as a pair and witness their characters build throughout the book while they come to terms with their past and present.

My only downside was at times it felt a little too slow.

Thank you NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for the ARC copy to review.

I really enjoyed this author’s first novel and was excited to read OUR LAST RESORT, but it was ultimately a dud. The premise was interesting and I was intrigued by the setup and the dual timeline into the past, but neither plotline really came to fruition. It felt like nothing of any substance occurred in the first two thirds of the book; by the time the plot developed, I was bored out of my mind.

I did like the twist that made me do a reread to make sure I caught it, but wish the novel was much shorter.

Thanks to NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for the opportunity to read and review OUR LAST RESORT.

This is the second novel by Clemence Michallon. It follows Frida and Gabriel who are siblings from a cult. They are relaxing at an exclusive resort when a murder occurs. The novel has two timelines and goes back and forth through the chapters of the book. This novel is less thriller and more mystery.
I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. Thank you Knopf publishing and Net Galley

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.

I found the book had good writing, it was clear, and the idea was a solid effort but I found the story over all lacking.
I didn’t feel gripped, or taken into the story like I would have hoped.

I have read this authors previous work, and it was also a 3 or 4 star. So maybe it’s just me.