Our Last Resort by Clemence Michallon

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⭐ 3.5/5 — Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon: A Cult, A Murder, and a Very Complicated “Sibling” Bond

👉 Buy Our Last Resort on Amazon (affiliate link)

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⚠️ Trigger Warnings

This book includes depictions of:

• Emotional abuse

• Physical abuse

• Rape & sexual assault

• Cult dynamics

• Bullying

• Mental illness

• Graphic violence

• Animal cruelty

• Death

Please read with care if these are sensitive topics for you.

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📚 Initial Thoughts

I’ve read one other book by Clémence Michallon, The Quiet Tenant. It was marketed as a psychological thriller but… let’s just say my eyebrows were raised higher than my blood pressure during tax season. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t get the psychological-thriller punch I was promised.

So when I picked up Our Last Resort, I was prepared to be skeptical. It was marketed as a straight thriller this time — but funny enough, this one actually reads more like a psychological thriller. Go figure. At least I wasn’t tricked this time 😄.

I ended up enjoying it more: the writing is sharp, the storyline involving a platonic bond between a man and a woman is refreshing, and the exploration of cult trauma is handled well. There are twists, but the marketing doesn’t highlight them, so they hit as pleasant surprises rather than gimmicks.

Overall: solid. Not mind-blowing. But solid.

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🚨 SPOILER WARNING: Full Plot Summary Below 🚨

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🧠 Overview & Set-Up

Frida and Gabriel grew up together in a horrifying cult run by Émile — think charismatic monster with a God complex. They bonded like siblings to survive their childhood. Years later, they reunite at an upscale resort in Escalante, Utah, to talk about participating in a documentary on their cult experience.

Frida can’t sleep one night and steps outside, only to overhear media mogul William Brenner viciously arguing with his much younger wife Sabrina. William grabs her by the wrists before noticing Frida watching. 🚩

Next morning? Sabrina turns up dead. ☠️

And then Gabriel — dear, complicated Gabriel — decides to lean over the corpse and grab Sabrina’s hand. Cue massive suspicion from William, the other guests, and the police.

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🔥 Cult Flashbacks & Secrets

The narrative weaves flashbacks of their cult childhood throughout the present-day murder mystery. We learn:

• The cult raised children communally, so no one knew their parents.

• Émile routinely raped and abused the girls. On Frida’s 18th birthday, he raped her while another girl, Edwina, held her down.

• Frida and Gabriel escaped by setting fire to Émile’s quarters, accidentally killing Edwina in the process.

In adulthood, Gabriel married Annie, Frida’s college friend. But he spiraled emotionally. He confessed to Annie that he killed Edwina. Annie threatened to go to the police. Frida killed Annie to protect Gabriel. 😳 (Yes, Frida did it.)

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🔪 The Murder Investigation

William is briefly arrested after Frida reports seeing him fight with Sabrina, but he’s quickly released — money talks. He then starts photographing Frida and Gabriel, clearly recognizing Gabriel from old tabloid stories about Annie’s mysterious death.

Meanwhile, Gabriel lies to detectives about his whereabouts and his relationship with Sabrina (they’d had a brief affair). Frida finds Sabrina’s hair clip in Gabriel’s bag, and later Sabrina’s phone. The phone has Gabriel’s contact info, deepening police suspicion.

Gabriel is eventually arrested after the alleged murder weapon is found in his backpack. Frida spirals into full defense-lawyer mode.

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🧩 Twist Time

Frida investigates William’s car and discovers bloody clothes — the real evidence. William is arrested for Sabrina’s murder, and Gabriel is cleared.

But that’s not the end. Frida confesses to Gabriel that she killed Annie all those years ago. He’s shaken, but ultimately tells her he’d have done the same thing. Their bond, forged in cult trauma and sealed in blood, endures. 😬

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✍️ My Final Thoughts

• ✅ Loved the focus on a platonic male–female bond at the center of the story. So rare.

• ✅ The cult backstory is fascinating and well-written.

• 🤷 Marketing is weird. Why not just call it a psychological thriller from the start?

• 🤔 The pacing is a little slow in spots, but I never lost interest.

• 🌀 The twists aren’t wild, but they work.

⭐ Rating: 3.5/5. A well-written, twisty psychological thriller (even if Goodreads doesn’t admit it).

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📚 If You Liked This, Try These…

• 🧠 The Girls by Emma Cline — cult, manipulation, dark coming-of-age.

• 🔥 Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn — psychological suspense, complicated family bonds.

• 🏞 The Survivors by Jane Harper — small community secrets + murder mystery.

• 🕵️‍♀️ The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell — cultish dynamics + psychological thriller elements.