What Have We Done is both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and a gut-wrenching coming-of-age story. And it cements Alex Finlay as one of the new leading voices in thrillers today.

Review:
This book is a case of interesting premise, poor execution. I DNF’d pretty early on. I had heard about Alex Finlay’s other books being amazing, but unfortunately this was not one of them. This feels like a second draft. The characters were not multidimensional, the pacing was off and I didn’t feel connected to the story. Maybe if I reread it, I’ll have another opinion. As for now, 2/5.

What can I say Alex has done it again with another great read. So glad thst I found this author. Can’t wait for another from him

This read was devastating for me, not because the book was sad, but because I unfortunately didn't enjoy it.

I'll start by saying Alex Finlay is one of my favorite authors and I will literally read anything that he puts out. But compared to his other thrillers, both of which I gave 5 stars, this one didn't hit the mark for me.

What Have We Done follows a group of foster siblings and the mystery that brings them all back together. My main issue with the book was the plot. It felt like it was all over the place and didn't make a lot of sense to me. There were side characters who felt like they were shoehorned in and no real "mystery" that we were trying to solve.

While I didn't enjoy What Have We Done I will still read each and every one of Alex Finlay's books and I highly recommend both The Night Shift and Every Last Fear.

I loved Alex Finlay’s first two thrillers, Every Last Fear and The Night Shift, but What Have We Done was less to my taste.  

I enjoyed parts of it, and it’s not a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.  I originally DNFed it back in February, and went back to it this week to read the entire book.

What Have We Done is an action-heavy book centred around a former hitwoman, Jenna, and several of her friends from a group home where they lived as teenagers. Jenna is forced back into her old life when her husband and children are threatened, and she's told to assassinate an old friend.

Because the emphasis is more on the action and less on the characters and mystery, the characters fell a bit flat for me.  It was fun uncovering their previous lives and secrets at the group home, and I particularly liked Donny, the rock star, but the mystery didn’t have as much emotional impact as I liked.

The scenes with twin sorority-girl type hitwomen were over-the-top but I wound up really enjoying them.  Once I leaned into the silliness, I liked the book more, and I’m glad I gave it another try.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for my review copy of this book.

3.5 stars. Unique story but the characters didn’t feel all that believable. I would have preferred fewer characters or fewer action/chase scenes and a little more character development to be able to relate to and root for someone to win. Definitely a fun thriller read though - I sped through it!

DNF at 30%. I think this is a case of right book, wrong time. I had trouble following plot and characters.

Alex Finlay writes thrillers that keep you guessing and this is no exception. What Have We Done is fast paced and full of action, but I was disappointed with the ending.

A group of teenagers connected by a terrible secret from their time in a group home for parentless teens. Fast forward 25 years and they are being hunted by twin contract killers. This one had a very different tone from the author’s prior novels and I would say it is one of his weaker novels. The action packed story kept me engaged, but I found the story to be generally ridiculous. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm just going to say it: I think Alex Finlay might be my favorite author now in this crime/thriller genre. He is most definitely an auto-purchase and auto-request. loved the plot. I thought the character development was perfection. the twists & turns throughout kept me turning the pages late into the night. I really enjoyed the West Virginia references/setting as well. Something bad happened 25 years ago at The Savior House. After too many kids went missing and also its director, the doors were shut and the kids were sent their separate ways.
Today, someone is killing or attempting to kill these kids (now adults). The story is told through Jenna, Donnie, and Nico, the three best buddies, alternating between the past and the present. Through this time we learn the backstories of Jenna, Nico, and Donnie. We also learn how they are living in their present day lives. How has their past brought them all back together? Will they ever be able to move on? I don't want to spoil anything - but this will surely be in my top[ reads of 2023!
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Thank you @stmartinspress @netgalley for the advanced copy. Officially out now! 🎉
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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After reading 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗙𝗧 (my fave) I knew I had to read this one. If you love action packed movies with assassins, then you’ll love this book!
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𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳-𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭, 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯: 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.
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I loved witnessing the different POV’s from everyone. Jenna was my FAVE! Although I do give credit to all of them. Each one of them paint a great picture for the past and present timelines. I also loved the D.C. setting; it’s not used often so I appreciated the DMV shout out. Does some of this story abandon reality? Sure - but it wouldn’t have been as good if it didn’t!
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This was super fast paced and kept me guessing until the very end. I will definitely keep reading Alex Finlay’s work!

This one just didn’t work for me. I loved Jenna’s POV, but couldn’t get into the other two …and Jenna’s POV isn’t keeping me hooked enough to continue. DNF’ing pretty far in because I’m bored.

2.75 stars

This is my second book by Alex Finlay and I was sad to be disappointed by it. It's been some time since I read it (maybe a month or two) and the only thing I remember is that I literally had to skim the ending because I stopped caring. There were some absolutely ludicrous portions, and the villains were just doing entirely too much. I hope that Alex Finlay's next novel isn't as ridiculous as this one because it made me annoyed, but I guess we'll just have to see.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so fast paced and so much fun to read! Shoutout to the short chapters. In this story, we follow three main POVs. I really enjoyed reading from each character’s point of view. They were all so different, and going through wildly unhinged circumstances. I will always love a fight for your life story, so it was fun following multiple characters in a life or death situation! The twist and explanation was a bit rushed, but I still enjoyed where the story went!

I loved Alex Finlays first book so I was excited to listen to this one thanks to Macmillan Audio/Netgalley and pretty much listened the first chance I got. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the story. The narrators did a great job, but the whole story to me just felt very disjointed. As a vegetarian I didn’t like all the mention of the cattle prods, or whatever they are called, there was a lot of mentions. And overall, I just felt lost in the story. There is a ton of action which I think a lot of people will like, but this one just wasn’t for me. I think if I read this one it might have been a DNF. But the audio helped me finish it in a few days. I think the only part I enjoyed was the audio narrators. There were 4 different narrators for the different characters and they all performed the story very well. If you are an audio fan I think you should def try this one out on audio.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for an advance copy of this title! Alex Finlay is on a roll! I have been singing the praises of his last two books!

Really exciting page turner that does a great job of blending the past with the present & leaves the reader racing towards the conclusion!

Publisher Description

A stay-at-home mom with a past.
A has-been rock star with a habit.
A reality TV producer with a debt.
Three disparate lives.
One deadly secret.

Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, having forged a bond through the abuse and neglect they endured as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down—after the disappearance of several kids—the three were split up.

Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live accomplished—if troubled—lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them.

To survive, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their shared past—a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead.

It’s a reunion none of them asked for . . . or wanted. But it may be the only way to save all their lives.

What Have We Done is both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and a gut-wrenching coming-of-age story. And it cements Alex Finlay as one of the new leading voices in thrillers today.

This is one of those books that I enjoyed listening too but in the end I gave it a 3.5 because I just could not get behind the level of unbelievability. It was well written and plotted. It held my attention and I wanted to know the ending but there were a few eye rolls while I listened. The cast of narrators chosen for this project were spot on though. Each one did a fantastic job capturing the essence of who each character was and it was easy to keep track of the distinct voices. I liked the simple narration, without the over dramatization that many audiobooks feature. The ending was a good twist but overall this one was enjoyable but still lacking.

What a great book ! Totally riveting story that flips between present and past . Would highly recommend this book

Alex Finlay is a captivating author. I love his way of creating a story of suspense. I enjoyed this read and how it kept me on the edge of my seat!

In this story we have the focus of three main characters. We have Jenna, Nico, and Donnie. All three of these characters knew each other 25 years ago from their time together in a group home called Savior House. Life has pulled these members of the home, as well as others, in several different directions and they have all gone their separate ways. Now, a chain event of tragedies has linked these three characters back together.

Through this time we learn the backstories of Jenna, Nico, and Donnie. We also learn how they are living in their present day lives. How has their past brought them all back together? Will they ever be able to move on?

I highly recommend reading this newest release, especially if you are a fan of action packed thrillers full of excitement! There were times when my anxiety was little high, but that’s what happens when you are kept on the edge of your seat! This is a fast read, and the chapters are nice and short which is a major bonus!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, and the author for an ARC of this book. Publication date is: March 07, 2023.

I received a free ARC of “ What Have We Done” through Net Galley . Thanks to the author , publisher and Net Gslley for the chance to read the fine thriller.

The story begins with a scene of a group of young people burying something or someone in a deserted field near on the grounds of an orphanage near Chestertown, Pa ( which I assume is a fictional place.) The scene shifts with a young wife living the good life in a D C. Suburb .Jenna is at breakfast with her family when she gets a text that sends her back into a life she thought she had left behind. A long time ago, Jenna was rescued from that orphanage and taken to a place where she was trained as an assassin for a secret government agency. She has been un-retired.
Intrigued and more than a little frightened, she follows the orders, quickly finding out that she is the target.
From here on, the reader is taken on a swirling dangerous trip into Jenna’s secret past, one that involves the other orphans from that awful place they were brought up, what they did that dark night. The reader does not learn what happens then, but the author introduce the others, all of whom have have had their lives endangered.
This is an action filled thriller that moves rapidly to a climax that answers the question of what was going on back at the orphan school, where kids were abused and some, especially the girls were disappeared. Different chapters involved different survivors: Donnie, Nico and , of course, Jenna. All of them will finally meet up and unravel the secret of the orphanage.
“ What Have We Done “ gives the reader an adrenaline charged romp- mysterious killers, car chases, elite soirées and dive bars are included. The reader, setting his or her credulity aside and takes the dish served, will enjoy reading this thriller.