Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC. I loved every minute reading this. All the twists and turns kept me guessing until the last page.

Imagine your older brother being in prison for a murder you don’t think he committed and then your mom, dad and 2 younger siblings die in Mexico. That’s what Matt Pine’s life ended up like.

I loved that this story takes place in both the present and then the past leading up to the deaths in Mexico. It is also written from multiple POVs which makes you want to keep reading after each chapter.

I can’t wait to read more by this author.

Review of electronic ARC provided by NetGalley.

Matt Pine has been living with his brother's incarceration for years. Older brother Danny was convicted of murdering his girlfriend after an argument at a house party. Matt's family had a hard enough time dealing with his incarceration on their own until the Adlers got involved, a husband and wife director duo who created a documentary for Netflix about Danny's case, a film that proclaimed his innocence and portrayed their hometown as a cesspool of hicks marching around with pitchforks and torches. The Pines-- Liv, Evan, Maggie, Tommy, and Matt- were forced to relocate and their lives were upended by Danny's case.

Now a film student at NYU, Matt learns even more devastating news. The rest of his family, having taken a spur of the moment vacation to Mexico, have been brutally murdered. With the help of FBI Special Agent Keller, Matt tries to unravel his family's last days, figuring out why they went to Mexico in the first place and, more importantly, why they became the target of this heinous crime that was clearly staged to look like an accident.

This book is a nail biter. I stayed up late trying to finish it because I could not put it down and was absolutely not prepared for the twists and turns. I'm generally able to figure out who the real perpetrator is early on in a novel but this book kept me guessing until the very end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 — Matt Pine is living “Every Last Fear” that one has in their life — he no longer has a family. First, his oldest brother is sentenced to life in prison for the murdering his girlfriend, though he denies any involvement. Then, the rest of his family - mom, dad, sister, & brother - all die from an apparent accidental gas leak while on a trip in Mexico. But, when the FBI shows up & he has encounters with some suspicious people, Matt begins to realize maybe his family’s deaths weren’t an accident after all... & could they also be connected to his brother’s imprisonment?

Every Last Fear had me hooked from page 1! I enjoyed the simplicity in the writing & the short chapters. The characters & the plot were fun to follow along with! There were also quite a few subplots that I enjoyed too! It’s told from MANY points of view & jumps from past to present, so you’ll need to pay close attention to the chapter headings! When it came to #whodunit, there were many possibilities. I did consider the correct person, however I still had my doubts & it kept me guessing!!

Set a reminder to get your hands on this one in March!!!

Spoiler alert: this book was BRILLIANT. An excellent debut, I’m already excited to read what this author comes out with next! The writing was top shelf with a well executed and well placed plot and a great cast of characters. The big reveal had me gasping - I did NOT see that coming! I will be posting a more detailed review on my blog closer to pub but leave you with this:

If this book isn’t on your radar, change that ASAP. This is going to be a thriller blockbuster this year and you’ll definitely want to add to the buzz I can guarantee it will make. Hurry and RUN (don’t walk) to pre order your copy NOW!

Thank you Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Every Last Fear is not my normal book - I just don’t read a lot of thrillers, mainly because most remind me of my husband’s movie picks - all action and no plot. Every Last Fear is action and suspense but it also has heart and a plot.

Danny Pine is in prison for killing his girlfriend, his father and sister are obsessed with clearing his name. Following a lead, the family, minus Danny and Matt (who is in college), go to Tulum. When they are found dead, it’s initially ruled an accident. But it’s soon clear it’s not an accident and Danny and Matt may also be in danger. With the help from the FBI and clues left by his sister, Matt must solve who killed his family.

What I liked: This felt like a movie plot. The characters are likable. You can tell Matt is conflicted by what he saw that night and his father’s obsession.

The story is fast paced and suspenseful; I wasn’t sure if the main characters would survive. By the end, I didn’t want to put it down.

What didn’t work for me: There are a lot of characters, POVs and timeline shifts. Finlay does this to drop hints and build suspense but it’s a little hard to keep track of everyone and if things are before the murders, after or happening concurrently.

Do the teen characters act older? Yes, but I’d argue with a brother tried for murder, they have to grow up faster.

Who should read it: fans of suspenseful thrillers will not be disappointed. If you don’t normally read thrillers this one is a good starting point since the plot and characters are pretty fleshed out.

TW: murder, sexual assault, discussion of child sex rings (not detailed though).

Thanks for hosting our discussion #2candidbabesbuddyread

This was a very good story told from multiple points of view and it started off with a bang, a family of four has been found dead in Mexico, victims of a suspected gas leak. Matt Pine, the son and sibling of the family is told this the morning after a late night party by an FBI agent who tells him to go to Mexico to release the bodies. In flashbacks we find out that the father, Evan and daughter Maggie have never stopped believing that oldest son Danny, who is currently serving time for murder, is innocent of the killing of his girlfriend, a new lead is what had brought them to Mexico. Danny was the subject of a documentary that chronicled his crime and caused people in the small town they lived in to, mostly, believe he was guilty and caused the family to move. As the story progresses details of the crime are slowly revealed, red herrings abound! The conclusion was very good, I had a small inkling on who might be the guilty party and I was on the right track, but it was still a revelation on why the murder happened. A highly recommended read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I seem to be in the minority of not having been blown away by this one. This is getting a ton of pre-release hype so maybe I just had too high of expectations and i've had a really good run of thrillers lately. The story follows Matt who's family is found dead while on vacation in Mexico and leaves him wondering if they are linked to his brothers incarceration for murder. The family was previously in the headlines as the brothers case was the subject of a crime documentary. And they are now thrust into the spotlight again.

Told in alternate point of views past and present, I found the story interesting and refreshingly different from a lot of what's out there. It was fast paced and held my interest enough to keep going but I felt it was bit a disjointed. There were multiple parts in the story that didn't seem to really connect but rather felt it was just filler. While it was a fun read it's not one i'd be reccommending from the rooftops. Fans of James Patterson might enjoy this one.

Thank you @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Every Last Fear will be available 03/02/2021.

Review of Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is what a thriller looks like. It was fast paced with many intriguing subplots and I can honestly say I didn’t guess the end until the last few pages... when I was reading it!

Matt is a college student at NYU when he gets the news from the FBI that his family has been found dead in Mexico.. well, not his entire family; his older brother Danny has been in jail for many years following his conviction for murdering his high school girlfriend.
Matt has to travel to Mexico to claim the bodies, and things immediately seem off and go wrong.

Returning to the US, Matt and FBI agent Sarah Keller try to figure out what exactly happened to his family.. and if Danny is really responsible for his girlfriend Charlotte’s death.

I enjoyed the flashbacks from all the characters inter dispersed with the present day action. This book kept my attention throughout and will be a great read for any thriller lover! I will look for more books from
this author in the future.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing me an advanced digital copy.

Matt Pine is a student at NYU. When he is informed that his parents and two younger siblings have died in Mexico, he becomes involved, along with the FBI, in seeking answers to what happened. Is this somehow related to a murder his older brother is serving time for committing? This was a great psychological thriller and keeps you guessing until the end. Great read!

The book begins with tragedy. The Pine family has been found dead while vacationing in Mexico.

Matt, the son and brother, is informed of their death. But was his family really vacationing?

That’s the big question.

The Pine family had it hard. Their oldest son Danny was convicted of killing his pregnant girlfriend. Then, moving her dead body to the creek using a wheelbarrow.

Yet the father, Ethan Pine knows in his heart, his son is not guilty and he has spent the last few years trying to prove it.

Maggie, Ethan's daughter and Matt's sister, is soon going to MIT. She is a tech whiz and is helping Ethan collect clues to prove Danny's innocence.

After Danny is taken to prison, his mother finds comfort in her new pregnancy and when Tommy is born, she dedicates her time to take care of the baby of the family.

Then all four are gone. Matt becomes the sole contact responsible to reclaim their bodies. Travelling to Mexico and realizing that something is amiss.

I thought it was a very intriguing and interesting way to tell their story. Knowing they were all dead didn’t diminish how important they were. It made my heartache to know they were all gone and Matt was all alone.

It’s hard to say anymore without letting the cat out of the box.

Each chapter captivated me and made me want to continue reading. I did guess the ending but I enjoyed the delivery.

4/5 fangs

Cliffhanger: No

A complimentary copy was provided by Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is going to be one of the best thrillers of 2021! I requested it because I have seen it all over social media when talking about the best books of 2021. I LOVE that it took place in my state of Nebraska. It was very fun to read about the story which took place in New York, Mexico and Nebraska.

You know how book quotes lean towards hyperbole? A knife edged thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat…a riveting page turner you won’t be able to put down…in the case of this book, believe the hype!

A family made famous by a true-crime documentary is found dead, leaving their surviving son to uncover the truth about their final days. If that were the only burden left to him this would have been a quicker, and far less impressive read. But he also has to unearth the truth of what happened the night of his brothers’ girlfriends murder. A murder his brother is currently imprisoned for.

This brilliantly written and structured debut novel reveals new plot elements with each chapter, adding more layers to the story with the turn of every page, compelling the reader to ceaselessly adjust whatever theory’s they may be congratulating themselves on having sussed out.

Don’t mistake this as just a riveting thriller, it’s also a poignant and heart wrenching story of family. The characters in this book are flawed and unique, with their humanity captured adroitly in the hands of this author.

Every Last Fear is a suspenseful page turner that had me wanting to devour it but also enjoying it so much that I didn’t want it to end.

When I saw recommendations from two of my favorite authors, Jennifer Hillier and Allison Brennan, I knew this book would not disappoint. Would definitely recommend this one without hesitation to anyone who loves a good suspenseful read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Alex Finlay for the chance to read Every Last Fear in exchange for my review.

This book caught my attention from the opening. It was fast-paced and excellently written. It opened with a college student who found out his entire family had died in Mexico. Was it murder or a wild accident? As the story unfolds, the characters are developed well, and you start to get an idea that this event was beyond the immediate family. This is a book you won't be able to put down. I couldn't recommend it more.

Wow! Every Last Fear had me on the edge of my seat until the very last page.

We follow the main character, Matt Pine, a student at NYU and brother to Danny Pine, the subject of a Netflix true crime documentary. Danny was convicted of killing his high school girlfriend but his family and the filmmakers believe he’s innocent. When Matt receives a fateful phone call informing him that his family was found dead while on vacation in Mexico, his life is turned upside down yet again and he needs to uncover the truth.

I really enjoyed this book, the premise was intriguing and there were so many twists and turns that kept me guessing. There are multiple viewpoints and the mystery is slowly uncovered as we progress throughout the novel. This is a solid read, yet I did give it four stars because a few aspects weren’t quite plausible in my opinion. Overall though, 4 stars and I recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a page Turner! I definitely got some "Making a Murderer" vibes and could practically hear my favorite podcasters'commentary as I was reading this! From the first line ("They found the bodies on a Tuesday." Like, what?!), I was sucked in and couldn't wait to read more every time I had to put this down. I'm sure I would have read this is less than a day if it wasn't for work!
So almost every chapter is a different perspective and I loved that! You'd get some information from one person, then the next would have different information and you didn't know which side to believe. I kept wanting to read the next chapter to find out more and to get back to whoever's perspective to see what they did with the information they uncovered. And the plot twists! 🤯 Loved them all and didn't see them coming! I was at 92% and still had no clue how it was going to end! This was such a great physiological thriller. If you're into true crime, thrillers and mysteries, definitely check this out!

A great debut. This mystery will keep you guessing right up until the conclusion. It's fast paced, and the alternating between before and present timelines, as well as, the Pine family and FBI Agent Keller points of view sucks you in. This story of a family trying to prove the wrongful conviction on the eldest son, and their participation in the true crime documentary seems so plausible thanks to shows like "Making a Murderer." The fallout afterwards also feels very real. The characters develop more and more as you read the book, and you can't help rooting for Matt and Agent Keller to figure out what happened. It does cause you to question how much can one family go through, but never does the story feel so far fetched that you don't want to continue. If you're a fan of twisty mysteries, and enjoy true crime pick up this book.

I loved this book. The best I’ve read in a while and my favorite of the 2021 pre-releases I’ve been fortunate enough to read and review. And considering how strong all of this year’s offerings have been, that’s a high compliment. I couldnt put it down, and if I hadnt had to work I’d have likely pulled an all nighter to devour it as quickly as possible! I cannot say much without spoiling things but I thought the way the storylines all built up and then converged for the climax of the story was brilliantly done. An awesome read.

I finally found a thriller to get excited about!! Such a rare feat for me lately and I was so hopeful this one would be a hit for me and I’m so glad it was. Even more impressive that it was a debut and I have such high hopes for this author now.

I don’t even really wanna discuss the plot at all because this was twisty and fun, if you read the description and it sounded good just add it to your TBR immediately. It’s super fast paced, told from various points of view and interspersed are excerpts from the Netflix documentary that was a huge hit. Solid characterization and and strong ending, really nothing lacking in this one for me, highly recommended.

Super interesting thriller, and an impressive debut! The Pine family just can’t catch a break. Matt Pine is a college student, with a family who is reeling from the murder conviction of his older brother Danny. Matt then receives more tragic news.. his entire family has died while on vacation in Mexico. Is it an accident? Could their deaths be connected to Danny’s murder case?

This is a fast paced page turner, with very likeable main characters. We follow the story through 6 POVs, which was helpful to connect with the characters more, but it felt a bit excessive.. it sometimes took a little while to get the plot moving along, and in turn felt a tad disjointed. At the same time though, I appreciated learning more about the character’s backstories and their personalities

There’s a lot going on here, and there’s a lot of side characters. It’s extremely well thought out, and all the pieces end up coming together. I think there was maybe too much going on though, and too many characters that didn’t really contribute to the main plot. I found it hard to follow at times.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story and look forward to Alex Finlay’s next novel!

I also think this would make a fantastic movie/mini series!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.