Ehhhh. Just not my fave. I usually love Alex’s writing but this was disappointing. Predictable but yet hard to follow somehow. 2/5 stars

I love Alex Finlay's writing style and find myself ignoring all other duties when I pick of one of their books. What Have We Done was ingenious and as well-written as always.

I was so pumped and excited for this book but it didn't meet my expectations. It's not a horrible book but I definitely had hopes for it to be something that I couldn't put down. It didn't have the excitement that I crave for in the books that I read. I felt like it was slow and drawn out.

I’ve been waiting to write this review because I’m still wrapping my head around it. Alex Finlay has been an instant request for me, I’ve been a huge fan of the former books. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. It was so different than the other two books that if I didn’t know Alex wrote it, I would have never guessed. I will continue to be a huge fan as this can happen. I encourage everyone to give it a shot and make their own opinion!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of this novel!

It was a real bummer to not enjoy What Have We Done because I loved Alex Finlay's last book, Night Shift. I just didn't care about any of the characters and only finished it because I wanted to know what happened.

This is the third book of Alex Finlay’s that I have read and loved. They are nice fast paced thrillers that keep you guessing until the very end. I loved the story being told from multiple POVs, as well as flashbacks to when the main characters were teenagers living in a group home together.

I can’t wait to read what Alex Finlay puts out next. I’m sure it will be another amazing read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a big fan of thrillers but in a lot of ways this one didn't really do it for me. I loved the alternating perspectives, and the overall premise of the story was intriguing enough. I did enjoy picking up the book and reading more, as it was very fast-paced, and I think we got enough breadcrumbs of info along the way. But I just found Finlay's writing to be a bit flat. It was entirely immersive, and the characters started to bleed together at the end. I was getting Donnie and Nico mixed up frequently in my head as I read. I may pick up another Finlay at one point, but I'm in no rush to do so.

I'm not sure why the summary only says three kids from Savior Home, because there were five of them! And the other two were just as important even if they didn't get POVs. Well, and of course one of them has been killed and it looks like the other four are targeted for the same. I loved the diverse backgrounds each of the characters and where they found themselves in the present. I would have loved more character development. But this book was plot heavy to keep the action moving. And it did move! Sometimes so fast I almost felt like it was tripping over itself. I think some of the many moving parts could have been trimmed back just a bit and still have been a crazy thrill ride, but it all still worked. Maybe all that action is what kept me from figuring it all out too early?

This one is told from the 3 POVs of former foster home children, now adults. We meet each of them when an attempt on their life is made and then follow them as they try and figure out what is going on. It almost felt like a spy thriller?

I loved all the twists and turns and I was on the edge of my seat as we neared the end!

This suspense/thriller novel throws everything including the kitchen sink into it, but still manages to work. Is the plot fully believable since it has all the things, no. Does it still hook you and make you want to know what the is going on, how did we get here, and how will this end, yes!

I'm a big fan of Alex Finley, who has written two of the best suspense novels I've ever read.

The book begins dramatically, with five teenagers who lived at a horrible home for children, Savior House, standing over a grave. Each one of them shot into the grave. But who was in it? Eventually, Savior House was closed, and the teenagers were moved to other living situations. Only a few of them stayed in touch.
Then many years later, some of the survivors began having fatal or near-fatal accidents. One is not suspicious, two is an odd coincidence, but three?

This one fell a little short for me because the characters and their relationships to each other were not explained near the beginning of the book. I kept searching for names and looking back to see if the person was mentioned earlier. After I figured out the character relationships and their histories, I enjoyed the book very much.

I never guessed who was behind the murders and attempted murders. It was a complete surprise.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Alex Finlay, and publisher St. Martin' s Press for an advance reader copy. It was my pleasure to voluntarily read and review this book.

This book was an interesting read for me. I really struggled to get into it at first, there were so many perspectives in the book that I had to put it down pretty frequently. But after a while I kind of got used to it. I never fully was invested in the book, the only character I kind of liked was Jenna. Everyone else was not very likeable.

Despite the two criticisms, I thought it had a solid plot. I just wish we could have gotten it from two people instead of five.

Overall I think it’s a very middle of the road book. The ending isn’t super predictable, but getting there can be hard.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in an exchange for an honest review!

I have to be honest that I was slightly disappointed with this book. Alex Finlay is one of my favorite Thriller authors so I was jump at the chance to read his new books. I think the characters in this story just didn't work for me and the format of the story was jumping around a bit too much for my liking.

I still think, if you like thrillers or want to get into thrillers, you should check out Alex Finlay books!

What Have We Done was a really quick read filled with a ton of action and short chapters. I enjoyed both the past and present timelines and liked the main characters. Written from multiple perspectives that often switched really quickly, I thought that the main characters of Jenna, Nico and Donnie were unique though we didn't get too much character development as this book felt much more plot focused. I liked how we got a bit of each of their backgrounds and I liked the group home aspect that I thought made the plot unique. I found myself most invested in the first half of the story. So much happened in the book, which at times felt slightly unrealistic, but it kept my attention the whole time and was an engaging read. By the end of the book, I did have a hard time keeping track of some of the details, which was partly due to me reading this book over a two week period (thanks to a reading slump, and not because I wasn't enjoying it!).

Overall, I liked this one and rated it 3.5 stars. If you are looking for an action packed and plot driven mystery/thriller with multiple POVs and flashbacks to the past, check out What Have We Done, out now! This was my first book by Alex Finlay but I plan to check out more of his work.

Thank you to NetGalley, St.Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ooof. I really enjoyed The Night Shift so I was excited about What Have We Done, but it was a miss for me. I was hoping for more of a psychological thriller and this was a bit more action-packed than I typically enjoy. The characters were also pretty stereotypical. I felt like they were more caricatures than well-developed people. I think this will appeal to a certain audience—folks who love any kind of thriller—but it was unfortunately not for me.

Growing up with friends that know you better than anyone else ever will certainly comes with some responsibility.

As soon as I started reading this book I realized I was in for a few sleepless nights because I didn’t want to stop reading. One word? Wow.. This is a friendship that spans several decades. Secrets kept as kids have resurfaced and someone wants all the answers. It is clear that things that happened in the past, friendships formed, and secrets kept may not be the same today. Someone is not happy with the past and wants everyone to be a part of the present and finding the answers that were never discussed when they were young kids.

We meet the characters as adults. Each chapter features the different characters. Then we meet the young kids they were. Then what I thought was the answer was definitely not the answer.

The author has done a great job of keeping me wrapped up in this book. Never once did I guess how the book would end. Well written and fast paced. I can’t wait to discuss this book with friends.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! Yikes, this was not for me. I really wish I DNFed this one. It was so over the top, it felt like I was reading an over the top action movie script that a studio probably wouldn’t buy.

In the prologue, we the reader see 5 teenagers standing over a grave together taking turns firing into it. One says the title 🙄“what have we done?” We jump 25 years in the future and get to know these teenagers all grown up. There’s Jenna: she’s a stay at home mom who used to be an elite assassin; Donnie is a washed up alcoholic musician; and Nico is a reality tv producer who’s a secret gambler. All have narrowly escaped a run in with a mystery woman brandishing an unknown lethal weapon and end up back at the group home they resided in as teens. They are trying to help each other stay alive and figure out who’s after them - and knows their secret.

There were too many characters to care about anyone deeply and the action was so over the top, I chuckled throughout much of this book. I don’t mean to be mean, this was just nothing thing. I haven’t read any Finlay before and hesitate to now. 😬

✨Trigger Warnings: Murder, Violence, Bullying, Child Abuse, Child Death, Torture, Animal Cruelty, Homophobia, Sexual Assault

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay is a thrilling novel that follows the lives of five complex and intriguing characters who first met each other at a foster home they called the Saviour House. Fast forward many years and all of them are living their own lives. They are forced to confront their past when someone starts blackmailing them and trying to kill them.

The characters are well-crafted, each with their own unique backstory and motivations. Donnie is a rock star, Jenna is a former contract killer, Nico works in Hollywood, Ben is a judge, and Artemis is a tech billionaire. As the story unfolds, their secrets are revealed, and they are forced to work together to uncover the truth behind the blackmail and stop the person who is trying to kill them.

The plot is well-paced, with plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader engaged. The writing style is descriptive and immersive, bringing the characters and their world to life. The themes of redemption and forgiveness are woven throughout the story, making it a thought-provoking read.

Overall, the book is a thrilling and captivating story that will keep you guessing until the very end. It's a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good mystery and complex character development.

3,5 ⭐️

After Every Last Fear, a surprising and thrilling debut that I found much better than some books from well established authors, and The Night Shift, a fast paced thriller that I read compulsively, Alex Finlay became an auto-buy author for me. Having gotten his two previous books 5 ⭐️ from me I was so excited to read What Have We Done but, after doing it, I was left a bit dumbfounded. Although over all I enjoyed it, it strayed pretty much from his other work and I wasn’t as crazy about it.

A few teens stand over a hole in the ground. Something bad has happened but, what? Who was the victim? They were all residents of a group home called “Savior House”, and now, after years without contact, they get reunited after one of them is killed and the other suffer attempts on their lives. The secret they’re holding on to is coming back to haunt them, and they’ll have to dive into the past to find out who’s trying to kill them.

While his previous books were more suspense, What Have We Done is an action packed thriller right from the get go. Reading it was like watching a movie. Both the plot and the characters trespassed into OTT terrain some times. The three main characters, an aging rockstar with substance abuse problems, a reality TV producer with gambling debts, and a mom trying to leave her past as a contract killer behind, felt a bit cartoony, but their predicaments were compelling enough for me to keep on reading. Not very believable, but very readable!

Short chapters, a “cat and mouse chase” kind of plot, and a well sustained rhythm all throughout the novel, made of What Have We Done the perfect popcorn read.

Even though it wasn’t my favorite from the author, it still kept me engaged until the last pages. Obviously I’ll still be reading anything he comes out with next, and hopefully we’ll get to see FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller again soon (no, sadfully she doesn’t feature in this one ☹️).

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What Have We Done
By Alex Finlay
Review and Rating 3 ⭐️

After having read previous Alex Finlay novels, I was so excited to read What Have We Done. Night Shift was really good and I loved Every Last Fear. What Have We Done just didn’t quite hit the same mark for me but I still enjoyed it.
Jenna, Donnie, and Nico survived the group home called Savior House, and all the neglect and trauma that went along with it. Now, twenty five years later, they are reunited for a reason no one expected, someone wants them dead, and they must confront the secrets and nightmares of their shared past and the reasons why someone is after them.
What Have We Done is an action packed thriller, with an interesting and unique plot. I think I just never really connected with any of the characters and found myself suspending disbelief a little too frequently to thoroughly enjoy the story.
I want to thank Alex Finlay, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.




Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!