Thank you Knopf, #partner, for the advanced copy of Our Last Resort in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Knopf
Published: July 8, 2025
Summary:
From the bestselling author of The Quiet Tenant comes an immersive new suspense novel: Fifteen years ago, Frida and her brother escaped a cult. Now her brother is the prime suspect in a murder investigation—and it isn’t the first time.
Innocence doesn’t bail you out; it just makes you easier to trap.
Frida and Gabriel arrive seeking a fresh start at the stunning Ara Hotel in the secluded desert of Escalante, Utah. Once so close they were able to finish each other’s sentences, they’ve grown apart in recent years after a sudden, unspeakable tragedy. Now, at the luxe resort, they are ready to reconnect between dips in the pool and hikes on spectacular desert trails. It all feels like paradise—until the dead body of a beautiful young woman who was vacationing at the Ara with her powerful, much older husband is discovered.
When the local police arrive and suspicion quickly falls on Gabriel, Frida is forced to revisit memories from their upbringing in a cloistered cult in upstate New York, their dramatic escape, and the scandal that followed. Frida’s belief in Gabriel’s innocence never wavered at the time, but now even she can’t ignore the evidence mounting against him.
Alternating between past and present timelines, Our Last Resort builds toward a shattering climax that uncovers the fate of the murdered Ara guest and poses the question: how well do we ever really know those we love? Multi-layered, gripping, and intense, Clémence Michallon’s latest suspense novel is a nail-biter until the last page, cementing her status as a major new talent in the genre.
My thoughts:
The Quiet Tenant was one of my favorite books, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this latest one by Clemence Michallon…and let me just say – it totally delivers on all levels. This author is now a must-read in my book!
This book had me with the sibling dynamics and cult vibes. I found the way the story was crafted, with flashbacks to their years growing up in a cult, that we got perfect insight into our characters and the necessary backstory to start forming opinions about them – opinions that led to more suspense as the story moved forward.
While I found myself completely invested in both characters, it was really Frida that drew me in. She is quite the complex character and I found I really couldn’t quite put my finger on her…was she completely reliable or not?
This book delves into a wide range of themes, which would make it great bookclub pick. As you can see from one of my photos, there was a lot I tabbed in this one…but I’ll just share this one line that really spoke to me:
“Once people hear one version of a story, it’s almost impossible to rewrite it, even if that version turns out to be wrong.”
I loved this one and that shocking ending really threw me for a loop! It was so satisfying and I could not have loved it more!!! As I said before, this author is now a must-read author and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!
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