This was a solid, suspenseful read with some good emotional layers. I absolutely loved the author’s first book, The Tenant, which was one of my top reads last year, so I was really excited to get the chance to read her newest release early.

This one follows Frida and her brother Gabriel, who escaped a cult fifteen years ago and are now trying to reconnect at a luxurious Utah hotel. But when a murder occurs, Gabriel becomes the prime suspect. I loved their messy sibling bond and how old secrets slowly unravelled. The shifting timelines worked so well and made the mystery really satisfying to piece together.

The cult aspect was excellent and had me hooked from the start. Where it fell a bit flat for me was the character development. Frida and Gabriel didn’t feel fully developed, which made it hard to care about their journey or the outcome. The writing often felt surface-level, and the pacing dragged in parts, especially in the middle, which made the story feel a little disjointed overall.

I still enjoyed it and thought it was an interesting story. I’m excited to see what this author writes next, as this one felt very different from her debut.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for the ARC.

3.75 stars rounded up

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an early access copy of ‘Our Last Resort’ in exchange for my honest review. This releases on July 8th.

I LOVED the author’s first book, ‘The Tenant.’ It was one of my favorite books of the year and I was recommending it to everyone! When I saw that she had a new release coming, I knew I needed to have my hands on it. Maybe my hopes were too high but this did not give me the same feelings her first book did. This one was quite meh in my opinion.

There are two timelines we follow, and it’s difficult at times to follow along with the story when the timelines alternate. The main characters were decent, but nothing to write home about. The cult aspect of course was excellent and had me intrigued immediately. I guessed one of the major twists at the end, so it left me feeling bummed for the rest of the book, even with another twist that came and was kind of what I was expecting.

The format for this was awful. I know it’s a review copy but the spacing was all weird and some random letters in words were capitalized. I imagine that the published physical book won’t have these errors but I am taking away a star just for that because it made it difficult to read at times.

Overall this was a decent thriller but did not meet my high expectations. I won’t give up on this author yet! I feel like a lot of authors fall victim to the sophomore slump when they release their second novel.

2.5 Stars – Disjointed Mystery with Untapped Potential

Our Last Resort had all the ingredients of a gripping psychological thriller: a luxurious resort setting, a mysterious death, a traumatic past rooted in a cult, and fractured relationships weighed down by grief and secrets. But despite its promise, this story never quite came together.

Frida and Gabriel travel to the remote Ara Hotel in Escalante, Utah, seeking a fresh start after an unspeakable tragedy. Their fragile reunion is interrupted when the body of a young woman—married to a wealthy, older man—is discovered. As suspicion falls on Gabriel, Frida is forced to confront their past: a childhood spent in an insular cult and the aftermath of their dramatic escape. Told in dual timelines, the novel attempts to peel back the layers of their relationship and the secrets they've buried.

Unfortunately, the book felt like three different plotlines competing for space: the cult backstory, a mysterious earlier crime, and the current murder. Each of these narratives had real potential on its own, but together they felt underdeveloped and disjointed. The cult storyline, in particular, seemed unnecessary and never delivered the emotional or psychological impact it could have.

The characters themselves were difficult to connect with. Frida and Gabriel felt like outlines rather than fully realised people, and as a result, I found it hard to invest in their journey or care about the outcome. The writing often felt surface-level, and the pacing dragged in several places, especially in the middle. While the premise suggested suspense and tension, I found most plot points predictable, with little in the way of genuine twists or surprises.

In the end, this felt like a thriller that tried to do too much without fully delivering on any of its ideas. The concept was intriguing, and Michallon’s writing shows promise, but the execution left me disappointed.

Thank you to Clémence Michallon, Elliott & Thompson, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I adored this book. Flitting between 'then' and 'now' it's absolutely gripping as you try to understand the relationship between Gabriel & Frida and wonder how they ended up where they are and how they are. And also, what secrets they're hiding. A brilliant book!

This was a thriller where halfway through I definitely guessed what the outcome was going to be. It was entertaining and I didn’t want to put it down because I needed to know if I was right. I enjoyed The Quiet Tenant and was so happy to have gotten to read this one early as well.

I just couldn't get into this one. I admit I'm not a fan of cult storylines but I just didnt feel invested in the story. I loved this authors first novel so I look forward to trying the next one!

This was one of my anticipated reads for 2025 after loving The Quiet Tenant. Unfortunately, I didn't connect as much with this book. Admittedly I am not a fan of cult books either so that didn't help. I was very underwhelmed. Please still read as you may find you may love it. This is my opinion only.

15 years ago, Frida and her brother, Gabriel, escaped a cult. Fast forward to the present, the siblings are on vacation in a luxury hotel located in the Utah desert. Things take a turn when one of the hotel guests is murdered. Gabriel quickly climbs the suspect list. Despite the growing evidence against Gabriel, Frida does not believe her brother would commit murder....or at least she is pretty sure.

This books alternates between the present and Gabriel and Frida's past life in the cult and post-escaping the cult. Overall, it was not a bad read, but it was not my favourite. It was a bit slow and dry at times. The final "twist" was not surprising at all - seen it coming from a mile away. Very anticlimactic. I wish there was more suspense, thrill, and escalation. We also do not get to learn a lot about the characters; the character development felt very superficial.

Thank you Elliott & Thompson and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good!! I enjoyed reading it and getting engrossed in the back and forth plot. I did not think this author could top the last book I read by them but they sure did!

This is a story about trauma, memory, and survival, but also about the complicated love that can grow from darkness.

At the heart of it are Frida and Gabriel, two people who once escaped a cult led by the terrifyingly calm and controlling Émile. They’re not related by blood, but their bond is deeper than most families. That relationship co-dependent, protective, damaged was the most moving part of the book for me. Frida, now a woman, is still shaped by what she went through as a teenager. And Gabriel he’s a mystery even to her now. I felt the same unease she did, not knowing whether she could still trust him.

The setting of the Ara Resort, isolated and surrounded by desert, was both stunning and chilling. It felt like a place where time was suspended where the past could reach forward and grab you by the throat. The murder that takes place there adds tension, yes, but it’s the emotional tension between the characters that really carries the story. Every conversation is layered. Every silence feels meaningful.

I loved how Michallon reveals the truth slowly, in fragments, mirroring how memory works after trauma. Some scenes from the past, especially within the cult, were hard to read not because they were graphic, but because they were psychologically sharp and believable. Émile’s presence looms even when he isn’t on the page, which made everything feel that much more fragile.
If I’m honest, the pacing dipped just a bit in the middle, and I would have liked a bit more closure between Frida and Gabriel by the end—but I also understand why Michallon chose to leave certain things unsaid. Some wounds don’t heal in a straight line. Some relationships can’t be neatly wrapped up.

What this book gave me was a feeling I didn’t expect: that survival itself can be a story of love. Not romantic love, not easy love but the kind of love that’s built through shared fear, shared resilience, and a desperate longing for safety. It made me think about how we carry our pasts, and how sometimes the people who hurt us still live inside our minds in ways we don’t always notice.

Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon is a haunting and emotionally layered exploration of trauma, survival, and the inescapable pull of the past. At its core, the novel follows Frida and her brother, two siblings who escaped a cult as children—but Michallon challenges the notion that escape equals freedom.

The story unfolds with a dual focus: the tense and heart-pounding night of their escape, and the fractured, uncertain life that follows. As Frida begins to question whether her brother may be involved in a murder, the psychological tension sharpens. Their past, filled with secrets and manipulation, threatens to resurface as law enforcement begins to probe into their history—raising the chilling question of whether one can ever truly outrun what they’ve left behind.

Michallon delivers a gripping and original narrative that blends psychological suspense with emotional depth. The pacing is tight, the atmosphere charged with unease, and the stakes rise with every chapter. What makes this story stand out is not just the mystery, but the nuanced portrayal of life after trauma—and the realization that survival doesn’t guarantee peace.

Our Last Resort is a powerful, unsettling novel that lingers long after the final page.

I received this as an ARC - thanks NetGalley!

This was just okay for me. I liked the past and present telling of the sorry, especially getting the back story of Frida and Gabriel. However, I found the whole thing to be kind of boring. The twist at the end was good but the lead up didn’t have that wow, thrill factor.

Frida and Gabriel grew up in a cult. They refer to one another as siblings, even though they know they aren’t biologically related, but they are the closest either has to a family, they escaped the cult and have been asked to do documentaries over the years. When Gabe calls and says he is going to do one, Frida says she will too. So they meet up for the first time in a decade a very nice resort to spend some time together before the interviews. When a woman shows up dead, they become people of interest…not a place they wanted to find themselves after the way they grew up.

I love a good cult story. I love that this book didn’t veer from how difficult life after a cult can be for people. So much of life is about survival, particularly after you are raised in such a shrunken world. This is a fantastic story of struggle and the meaning of family.

🏝️Our Last Resort by Clèmence Michallon

I’m so glad I gave this author another chance. I found The Quiet Tenant so slow and frustrating but decided to try her latest book anyway.

Our Last Resort is told in alternating timelines, going between a traumatic childhood spent in and escaping from a cult commune and current day as the brother and sister find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery at their vacation resort.

This one was still a bit of a slow burn, but it really worked for me. I loved how each alternating piece of the timeline unraveled the story of what happened in the cult, and the shocking revelations of two different murders. Michellon has really hit her stride with this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Elliot & Thompson for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

LOVED IT!

I loved the dual POV from the past of the sibling's with the cult setting ambiance, and the murder suspision in the NOW.

Clémence is a wonderful authors, this was very well writing and captivating from the start.

I really loved The Quiet Tenant last year, so I was super thrilled to read this early. Now, I won’t say this is a bad book per say. It just was NOTHING compared to Michallon’s previous work.

The cult aspect was done well, and I found it extremely interesting. I wish we had gotten a book JUST about that. Everything else was painfully slow, boring and obvious. I thought the MC’s to be flat and lacking depth. It was also wildly unbelievable. Normally that doesn’t bother me, but the cult aspect was done so well that it really highlighted the rest of its “meh” factors if that makes sense?! I will pick up her next work as I do think she has talent.

thank you @netgalley for my advance copy***

👀 T H R I L L E R T H U R S D A Y review 👀 featuring “Our Last Resort” by Clemence Michallon!

15 years ago, Frida and Gabriel escaped from the cult that they grew up in and are bonded by trauma. After their escape to the “outside”, they lived through homelessness and barely scraping by due to having no proper identification and finding under the table jobs.

Now in present days, they have met at a luxury resort in Utah to catch up and rekindle their relationship that has been strained for the last couple of years after something horrible happened.

The vacation doesn’t last for long after one of the resort’s guests winds up dead and Gabriel quickly becomes a suspect. This isn’t the first time that he’s been involved in the unusual death of a woman!

💭 I am fascinated by cult themes in thrillers and enjoyed the dual timelines between what happened to them growing up in the cult and what is happening right now at the hotel. As the past and present blend together, so do the secrets and darkness that the siblings have tried to keep buried!

“I didn’t realize until years later that this is how the story always ends. For people like me, who grew up in this kind of world. A world with a man at its Center, a universe shaped by his presence, his ideas, his wants”.

Thank you kindly to @clemencemichallon @knopfca @penguinrandomca @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on July 8, 2025!

This gripping page-turner the author masterfully intertwines two timelines: the past, exploring the lives of Frida and Gabriel, two self-declared siblings at a cult, and the present, where they reunite at a hotel in Escalante, Utah, only to find themselves entangled in a murder investigation. Both the characters had depth and their loyalty towards each other, trauma, grief, guilt was showcased very well. This is my first read by Clemence Michallon, and I am looking forward to read her other books.I was in a reading slump for a week this book got me out of it. I would suggest this for all thriller fans. I thank netgalley and elliottandthompson for the eARC copy.

Siblings Frida and Gabriel are staying at a posh resort filled with wealthy people and influencers. Frida witnesses an altercation between 2 of the guests and the next day one of them is dead and the other arrested for the crime. Frida starts to question her brother when the victims belongings start to turn up in the most inconvenient places.

There were flashback chapters that told us the backstory between Gabriel and Frida and how they escaped the cult they were in as children.

This started with a bang and kept me on the edge of my seat the beginning of the book. I did find that some of the flashback chapters were a bit slow or full of information that wasn't really needed. The last 20% of the book really picks up again. That being said, I wouldn't label this a fast paced thriller but I did enjoy it.

You know it’s going to be fantastic when Lisa Jewell says it’s good! I could not put this book down. It was so intense! I loved the characters, the setting, and how it kept me on the edge of my seat.