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dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely loved The Quiet Tenant, so when I saw this was out at the library I immediately checked it out.
It wasn’t bad. For a thriller, it was twisty, unpredictable but not truly outrageous, satisfying. But for this authors follow up, it was tremendously disappointing. The characters felt surface level, I wanted more background and I wanted more from the big reveal. I did enjoy it but the first half felt like a slog. By the halfway mark though I was pretty hooked and needed to know how it ended.
It’s unfortunate this book came immediately after The Quiet Tenant, which was/is an incredibly plotted thriller. But this isn’t bad, just a lot more of an airplane thriller than a thought provoking suspense novel.
It wasn’t bad. For a thriller, it was twisty, unpredictable but not truly outrageous, satisfying. But for this authors follow up, it was tremendously disappointing. The characters felt surface level, I wanted more background and I wanted more from the big reveal. I did enjoy it but the first half felt like a slog. By the halfway mark though I was pretty hooked and needed to know how it ended.
It’s unfortunate this book came immediately after The Quiet Tenant, which was/is an incredibly plotted thriller. But this isn’t bad, just a lot more of an airplane thriller than a thought provoking suspense novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder
Minor: Alcoholism
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(libby audiobook, randomly picked from skip-the-line section)
underwhelming thriller. the twist was predictable, i didn’t really care about any of the characters at any given point, and even the cult aspect wasn’t all that interesting. kind of impressive to make such good concepts so uninteresting
underwhelming thriller. the twist was predictable, i didn’t really care about any of the characters at any given point, and even the cult aspect wasn’t all that interesting. kind of impressive to make such good concepts so uninteresting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My new favorite thriller! I loved the background of the characters escaping from a cull, their relationship dynamic as survivors hardened by their trauma, the way past events are woven into the present narrative. Fantastic writing. Interesting twists without feeling far fetched. It’s just a really good story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maybe I had wrong expectations for this book. I didn't think the MCs' past in the cult would take up this much space. I expected the murder mystery to be, well, actually mysterious and not completely transparent. I felt like the chapters of the book that were set in the present didn't have a whole lot of plot and felt more like an afterthought for the author to write about people escaping a cult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Murder
Minor: Blood
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Would have never believed this was the same author as The Quiet Tenant. This was so formulaic and boring. I’m so bummed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Our Last Resort is a mystery thriller with multiple timelines——mainly the present and when the two main characters grew up in a cult. The writing is definitely strong even when it was slow paced. The twist at the end is very satisfying even though I did see it coming. Michallon wrote a well executed suspenseful story of trauma, survival and unconditional love. While I did enjoy this story I do prefer her other novel The Quiet Tenant more.
3.5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you NetGalley, Clémence Michallon and Knopf for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
The premise of this book sounded very interesting to me. It’s sometimes difficult reading books about cults, even fictional, but this was very respectful even with similarities to real tragic events.
While I really loved Michallon’s debut, this sophomore novel also delivers a gripping mystery, albeit a bit quieter, no pun intended!
Frida and Gabriel are siblings by circumstance, choosing each other while living in an unthinkable situation. The flashback chapters were an interesting character study, we see how Frida develops into the cunning and smart woman she is in the present. Despite her upbringing, I thought she was a very strong personality. While Gabriel suffered more emotionally and mentally in their life after. Even though they grew apart, the unconditional love and desire to protect each other is strong in them both.
The story unfolds slowly but I really liked the tension and Frida’s drive to absolve her brother of any wrongdoing. She was a better investigator than the cops! When I thought the story would go a certain way, it still surprised me a little. Sure you can see the result a mile away but I liked how the reveal was handled.
To talk about obvious triggers, both characters grew up in a cult. Lead by a single man Émile, there are moderate mentions of rape but it’s stressed the persons are 18 and over. I found similarities to real events that happened in Waco in 1993 so please read with care.
3.5⭐️
Thank you to Knopf for the review copy.
* I finished the last few chapters on audio with Saskia Maarleveld narration, she just has an awesome voice for mysteries so I highly recommend the audiobook!
While I really loved Michallon’s debut, this sophomore novel also delivers a gripping mystery, albeit a bit quieter, no pun intended!
Frida and Gabriel are siblings by circumstance, choosing each other while living in an unthinkable situation. The flashback chapters were an interesting character study, we see how Frida develops into the cunning and smart woman she is in the present. Despite her upbringing, I thought she was a very strong personality. While Gabriel suffered more emotionally and mentally in their life after. Even though they grew apart, the unconditional love and desire to protect each other is strong in them both.
The story unfolds slowly but I really liked the tension and Frida’s drive to absolve her brother of any wrongdoing. She was a better investigator than the cops! When I thought the story would go a certain way, it still surprised me a little. Sure you can see the result a mile away but I liked how the reveal was handled.
To talk about obvious triggers, both characters grew up in a cult. Lead by a single man Émile, there are moderate mentions of rape but it’s stressed the persons are 18 and over. I found similarities to real events that happened in Waco in 1993 so please read with care.
3.5⭐️
Thank you to Knopf for the review copy.
* I finished the last few chapters on audio with Saskia Maarleveld narration, she just has an awesome voice for mysteries so I highly recommend the audiobook!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Murder
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
SYNOPSIS
-Frida and Gabriel were raised in a creepy cult and basically trauma-bonded into becoming siblings.
-They haven’t seen each other in years but are reuniting at a fancy resort in the middle of the Utah desert to reconnect and maybe, you know, not hate life for five minutes.
-Everything’s going okay-ish until a young woman turns up dead.
-The book flips between their childhood in the cult and the present-day murder investigation, and neither timeline is chill.
⸻
MY THOUGHTS
-I was locked in from page one. I fully ignored life responsibilities for it.
-It’s suspenseful without being melodramatic. Creepy but not in-your-face. Smart and unsettling in a way that sneaks up on you.
-I loved both timelines equally.
-The cult stuff is super well done. It’s quiet and insidious and believable, not all wild robes and chanting. The vibe is more emotionally manipulative and terrifying in a slow-burn way.
-The murder plot at the resort gave me locked-room mystery energy, and I kept changing my mind about who did it every five pages.
-Frida and Gabriel are messy, broken, and totally compelling. I weirdly loved their weird little relationship.
-The writing is kind of beautiful? Like, it’s a thriller, but then she’ll throw in a line that feels like it wandered in from a literary novel and I was like… okay, flex.
-Solid pacing, no saggy middle, actual twists, and an ending that didn’t make me roll my eyes. I’ll take it.
⸻
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Spooky cult childhood meets luxury resort murder mystery. Sibling-adjacent trauma bonding. Beautiful writing. Great vibes. Weirdly heartfelt. Five stars, no notes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Gaslighting
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse