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!

I’ve read every Finlay book and unfortunately this one falls short. I didn’t feel anything toward any of the 3 main characters and they weren’t really likeable. The story didn’t captivate me. I will still keep Finlay on my tbr list.

A small group of children gathers at the horribly misnamed Savior House, a residence for adolescent orphans. The environment is filled with bullying and unsuitable adult supervision. Some girls disappear, never to be found.

Some of the teens are shown at the beginning of the tale standing over a hole in the ground. Another unfortunate event has occurred, but who was responsible for it this time? We then get to see some of those teenagers as adults. What grownups they have developed into. incredibly prosperous in their respective industries. It would be difficult to identify a bunch of teenagers who could have achieved such heights outside of a tale like this one.

Now that one of them is dead, it appears that someone is attempting to assassinate the others as well. To halt what is happening right now, these grownups will have to go back to their earlier years. The plot is plenty of excitement and occasionally bordering on silliness. The assassin's go-to weapon is more than a little disgusting.

Although they occasionally have snicker-worthy humor, no one in this cast is particularly likeable. These could be described as cliched caricatures. If you like that sort of thing, the characters do, however, fit the action extremely well.

This is a very readable, fast-paced, action-packed novel. There is also some humor woven in. The ending is wild and chaotic, and I found myself liking the contract killers. I had fun trying to figure out what in the world was going to happen; however, it was missing the tension and subtlety I expect from Finlay.

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay is a thriller about a group of friends that went through a tragedy 25 years ago, and now that event has come back to haunt them. This story was a fun, nostalgic read, but it was a bit over-the-top. I have enjoyed this author's previous works though. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I usually love this authors books, but unfortunately this one was not for me. Did not finish. I was bored and kind of confused throughout the first 100 pages.

I really wanted to like this book but it wasn't as good as I had anticipated from the summary. I really enjoyed the writing style, multiple narrators and learning how they connected (Jenna, Casey and Haley were my favorite). I honestly would love a book just covering the origin story of Casey and Haley. Unfortunately their connections were not very deep and 50% of the book was just characters traveling. It took forever to read through the middle section of the book because the characters were driving. I felt like the ending was rushed and that the "twist" was told to the reader rather than shown through clues or interesting plot points. Interesting story and I would recommend to anyone looking for a simple thriller that they don't have to put much thought into.

Thanks to Alex Finlay, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for allowing me to opportunity to read and review this book.

4 Stars!

We're all capable of the unthinkable when it means protecting our families.

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.

This was my second read by this author and my fave so far. I previously read Every Last Fear which I devoured, but found the ending to be weak.

What Have We Done grabbed me immediately. That prologue will sink its teeth into you! These three characters were connected in childhood. Twenty-five years, someone is trying to kill them.
I love this type of thriller with a back and forth, now and then timeline surrounding a mysterious tragedy or secret. I found all three of the main characters' stories to be really interesting but Jenna was by far my fave.

I really can't say much else without being spoilery. This story just kept my attention the whole time and I never saw the twists at the end coming. I do think I had to really suspend reality for a few things, and I wish we got more about some of the main characters at the end.

This was an action-packed read that would make a great movie. Very Jason Bourne!

Not providing feedback because I’m no longer interested in reading this book — there have just been so many “meh” or negative reviews from other bookstagrammers I trust that I don’t want to read it. I’ve been looking for an engaging thriller and this doesn’t seem to be the one — many complaints about the ending especially. Thank you for the advanced copy but I will be removing this book from my TBR.

4⭐️

One night on top of a knoll, five teenagers take a shot with a .22 that makes one of them ask “what have we done?” 25 years later, the events that occurred at their group home, Savior House, come back to haunt all of them when they are each hunted down. Benny is murdered, Donnie is pushed off a cruise ship into the Atlantic ocean, Nico is trapped in a mine after an explosion, and Jenna’s family is threatened when she misses the kill shot on her target: Arty, the fifth member of their group. This book follows the characters as they try to figure out who is after them, and what it has to do with what the did 25 years prior.

This was a gripping read that was very entertaining. The different points of view helped to understand each character better and added to the mystery of both the events of the past and the present. It was also cool to read a story set in an area that I’m familiar with! Overall a good read if you’re in the mood for something thrilling

Quite in interesting story. This took a direction I didn’t see coming. It could happen, right? The description of the book does not do it justice. There is so much more going on than just the little bit of info you see before reading.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a pretty wild read for sure! Really enjoyed it and the story, would recommend and possibly reread in the distant future.

I got an arc of this book from netgalley and I was so intrigued. Love the dual poverty. Love the detective aspect is discovering why someone is hunting the orphans and why. I enjoyed the characters and seeing how they have grown. It's intense and interesting and I have it on loan to read again at my library

Riveting action packed story with a great plot that kept me invested in the story. I enjoyed the mystery and how it all wrapped up in the end

Okay normally I love Alex Finlay but this book didn't do it for me. I truly just don't think I got as invested in the characters as I anticipated that I would. The writing style is still very much something I like but the overall plot was lost on me.