Wow x129843920 is what I have to say to describe this book. It's emotional, tricky, conflicting, scary, and just so good. Definitely going in the record as one of my favorite books I have ever read.

Matt Pine is a NYU film student that is navigating adulthood with an intense amount of family baggage from his brother being convicted of murder in high school. Following a breakup, he's locked out of his dorm, and lost his phone he doesn't think things can get any worse; until an FBI agent shows up to notify him that his family has been found dead in Mexico.

This is a book that you will not be able to stop turning the pages. You have multiple narrators, multiple timelines, and absolutely no idea what happened and what didn't. The Pine family pulls your heart in all directions.

Thank you Alex Finlay, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"They found the bodies on a Tuesday..." Now Matt finds himself alone, except a brother in prison for murder,, and going home to a hostile community to say goodbye and figure out his familys' deaths. Very good. Enjoy a good thriller/suspense once in awhile to mix things up!

Fast-paced thriller with an engaging plot.

From the outset, we know that a family of four, mom Liv dad Evan, and their two youngest children MaggieandTommy, died while on vacation in Mexico, leaving behind two sons: Matt, a student at NYU and Danny, in prison for killing his girlfriend Charlotte. We don't know if the family's death was an accident or foul play and, if the latter, why they were killed and whether it was related to Danny's conviction. With this backdrop, the author utilizes multiple narrators and past and present timelines to get to the bottom of this mystery.

In the past, Evan, Liv, and Maggie tell the story of the time Before; from the night Charlotte was killed to the night of the family's death in Mexico. During the Before, we get to know these characters quite well as each relates their experiences and feelings dealing with the aftermath of Danny's incarceration and their ongoing quest to prove his innocence.

In the present, Matt and FBI agent Sarah Keller tell the story of the time After; the period from when Matt learns most of his family has died to the conclusion of the story. Both are likeable characters. Strangely, one character we don't get to know well is Danny. His wrongful conviction was the impetus for the story and cause of much strife between characters but he isn't a central character, his POV is immaterial. That isn't necessarily a criticism of the author's choice to focus on other viewpoints but presumably it is important for the reader to care about Danny if only to believe it is worthwhile for all other characters to invest their the and energy in saving him.

Overall, it was a quick and worthwhile read but I do have some critiques. The use of so many narrators creates confusion. The author also relies on too many angles (too many alternate explanations, too many alternate killers) in effort to keep the reader guessing but that makes for a lot of moving parts and it can be difficult to keep all the players and different stories straight. I also thought the outcome was predictable having guessed who the bad guy was about halfway into the book. Even so, the story moves at a quick pace and keeps the reader engaged to the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for honest review.

Pub date: March 02, 2021.
I love a good suspense and Every Last Fear will have you on the edge of your seat! Stayed up late to read this one. I never would have guessed the ending, no hints at all! I love that in a story... not predictable at all!
If you enjoy suspense, be sure to add this on to your list.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded to 5.

“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.”

Every Last Fear had me hooked from this very first line. I read an excerpt on BookishFirst and I knew right away that I needed this book. It is a fantastic twisty thriller/mystery/crime book that I could not put down. There are so many elements that come together perfectly in the end and I can say I was definitely surprised.

The story alternates back and forth between different timelines as well as between different character’s perspectives yet it was never confusing. It added to the element of suspense and Alex Finlay did an excellent job of giving me enough information to keep me interested and guessing while withholding enough to keep me flipping through the pages.

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. It will grab your attention immediately and keep you hooked. Things come together in a believable way in the end. The story is heartbreaking but leaves on a hopeful note for the future.

Put this book on your list now for March 2021! Thanks to BookishFirst and Minotaur Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oooh but this was a twisty, dark, incredible tale!! Finlay did an incredible job here, crafting a world that is full of secrets and lies, misdirection and misfortune... It's hard to write too much without giving things away, and I wouldn't risk doing that for anything - this was an intense and marvelous whirlwind of a story and one I think you need to approach cold so you can work your way through all the layers on your own. There's pathos on an epic scale here. Finlay taps into the fears of family and loss, hate and blind spots (intentional and subconscious) and does so with a delicate touch. The shifts in perspective and time were managed deftly, keeping the reader guessing about where things were headed and what revelations would come next. This was a marvelous tale and I'm DEFINITELY keeping Alex Finlay on my "to watch" list!

I appreciated the premise of this story, and enjoyed most of the twists; however, overall it wasn’t for me. The multiple narrative voices, and dual time lines impacted my reading experience & left me feeling detached from the characters, and less invested in the story as a result.

I will say that if you are someone who doesn’t need to feel connected to characters to enjoy stories, this is a solid thriller with some unexpected twists.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you so much Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC!

Every Last Fear will play on every last fear a parent has for their children. What one family will do anything for their wrongly accused son/brother. I was on the edge of my seat until the shocking finale. Twists and turns that will make your head spin. Well written with a plot that could be ripped from today’s headlines. Highly recommend.

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

#bookreview "Every Last Fear" by Alex Finlay (Thank you @minotaurbooks and @netgalley for the gifted copies) 4⭐! Out March 2!

NYU student Matt Pine has just received the news that his whole family has passed away from an accidental gas leak, while vacationing in Mexico. He also has an older brother, Danny, in prison for murdering his girlfriend. His family always believed in his brothers innocence. After a Netflix documentary is released, people now also believe in Danny's innocence. But Matt had seen something the night of the murder and he does not think his brother is innocent. FBI agent Sarah Keller, tells Matt he needs to fly to Mexico to claim his family's bodies and sign documents. The FBI wonders if the deaths of the Pines family, and Danny's case could possibly be related!

I loved how this book alternated time lines and POV. One POV after the Pines family murders with Danny and the FBI agent Sarah. The other POV from the family, getting bits and pieces of what was going on in their lives before they died! I loved the twisty plot, and I really had not guessed what was going to play out. This was such a great debut novel and definitely recommend it for thriller fans!

Wow. I don’t think there’s any better description for Every Last Fear, just- wow. This book is absolutely everything a thriller should be. There’s intrigue, action, mystery...everything. Alex Finley wrote this book superbly, it’s literally the best book I’ve read this year.

I loved this book! It had just enough twists to keep me guessing until the very end. Told from multiple points of view, you will get a well-rounded story from all characters. I especially liked how the POVs switches from before and after the murders. It was really interesting to hear from the victims leading up to their very lasts breaths. What appears to be two completely separate murders years apart, Matt Pine stumbles on the truth and won't give up until his family's name is cleared.

This is a great, fast-paced thriller. You're drawn in from the first page. I enjoyed reading about each member of the Pine family and the true crime element.

Every Last Fear lived up to the hype for me. This story about the Pines grabbed me right from the beginning. The story is told from multiple Pine perspectives so the story unfolds beautifully which each perspective giving you a new piece of the mystery. It is suspenseful and thrilling and one I would highly recommend going into blind as the story is better that way.

The story follows Matthew Pine and his quest to find out what happened to his family. The story is full of twists and turns and I loved every page of it. Told from multiple points of view the story is full of twists and thrilling turns. A great one.

OOO-MMM-GGG! What in the heck just happened? I cannot say enough about how twisty and great this book was to read. I can see this being one of the best thrillers for 2021. It starts out with a shocking opening sentence and really does not dwindle from there. This is worst than a vacation going bad. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Alex Finlay and St Matins Press Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 3/2/21

This had all the ingredients of an excellent thriller, as mentioned by many other reviewers. The plot moved along quickly, with alternate settings and time periods. Several different characters narrated, which doesn’t always work well, but very much did in this book. The only negative I really have is that I found the twist to be predictable. I figured it out early on and was, therefore, not at all surprised by the ending.

I really cannot believe this is a debut novel! It is so well written, and the plot moves at a break neck speed. Buckle up and clear your day when you start this one! I truly could not put it down.
The Pine family has been through a lot. The oldest son, Danny, is serving a life sentence for the murder of his high school girlfriend. Even though his parents never gave up on him, little light was shed on the case until a documentary was made seeming to prove his innocence. His father finally felt vindicated, seeming to lose himself in proving his son's innocence. However, Matt, the second oldest son Matt, saw his brother that night, and knows he is guilty. This is a thought he has kept to himself and has driven a wedge between him and the rest of the Pines.
This is the reason Matt is at NYU, and not with his family for spring break in Cancun. A trip none of them would come back from. As Matt returns to his hometown, he begins to look into the death of his family. Could it be related to his brother? What really happened that night?
An amazing thriller!

"The sheep spends its life worried about the wolf, only to be eaten by the farmer"

This book was BANANAS!
I was hooked right from the very first sentence, "The found the bodies on a Tuesday." You've got conspiracy theories, a true-crime documentary, a possibly wrongly convicted teen killer, family drama and secrets, politics and policing, and an FBI detective who truly deserves her own series!

If you like fast-paced psychological thrillers YOU NEED THIS! Also, its a debut? Wtf!
I don't even know what else to say, but this was like reading the best and most twisty Law & Order SVU episode ever and I loved it!

"“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears.

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why.

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. . . .Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison—putting his own life in peril—and forcing him to confront his every last fear."

Oh my GOSH - this book is excellent! The pacing, the twists, the mystery. So impressive for a debut novel. Many of the characters were fully realized - you really understand Matt, Evan, Keller, Liv, and even have great sense of lesser characters like Ganesh, Noah, and Danny. I pride myself on always solving the mystery well before the book ends. In this case, I figured it out right before the clues were big enough to make it almost obvious.

This is what thriller reader dreams of made of! Matt is in college when he gets the devastating news that his family has been killed while in Mexico. He returns home to a town that is angry and bitter at him. Full of twisty turns that kept me guessing. A must read.

Oh look here...its a book that will be on the BEST BOOK of 2021 List!
Oh look again...Alex Finley is an author we are all going to want to follow!

Every Last Fear was everything I want in a psychological thriller. I refuse to give away anything because I think you just need to read it. Don't read anyone's summaries, spoilers, etc. I held back from reading reviews on goodreads and just dove right into this and WOW. Mr. Alex, you are freaking awesome! I found myself hiding under my blanket at 1am to keep reading without waking the husband and dogs. My heart was pounding and I thought I had it figured out many times but those threads and stickies connecting everything on the wall in my mind kept falling down!
Mark my words...author and book are going to be hot in 2021.
Thank you #Bookcouture, the author and #Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.