Thank you to NetGalley & @minotaur_books for the ARC of What Have We Done

I was so happy to have the chance to read this highly anticipated book! Though, I have to say that some of the characters were just too unbelievable. It was a solid 3 star read, whereby I did have to finish it to find out what happened, but it just did not grab me like I thought it would when I read the synopsis. I will be sure to give Alex Finlay another try since this is the first book, that I read by him. I would categorize it as more mystery, suspense that is action packed.

When your past becomes your present your whole life gets turned upside down. Meet Jenna, Donnie and Nico friends who grew up together in Savior House a place for teens with no parents. They eventually move out because multiple kids have gone missing, many years later as adults they re connect, not for fun but for safety as they realize someone is trying to kill them.

I liked the idea of this book but the execution was not there for me. It was hard to keep track of the characters and what the real premise of the book was. I enjoyed the short chapters and the hustle and bustle of the story but this one fell flat for me overall.

A Retired assassin, tech mogul, rock star and tv producer are being hunted in retribution for their past. Can we trust everyone or is does someone know more than what they are saying?

What a thriller! Alex Finlay draws us in from the very start, Kees us on our toes and manages to give us a great epilogue.

Not a love. But it held my attention long enough to not finish. I loved The Night Shift so that could be where my downfall was with this one. High hopes.

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

Okay, I’m not going to lie: This book is a whole lot of fun and a real page-turner. I found myself swept up in the story right away and kept reading unless something necessary pulled me away.

I’m also going to be honest once again and say: I had to force myself to completely suspend disbelief in order to enjoy this book. If I tried to enjoy it as a regular suspense thriller, I’d just end up laughing. The circumstances of the book, the characters, and the plot are all so close to outlandish–like something out of a graphic novel–that I just couldn’t take the book seriously.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, though! I had to take a beat, let myself come to terms with the fact I wasn’t reading one of the usual books in this genre, and embrace the extravagance before I could dig in first.

Reporting on the plot would reveal a minefield of spoilers, but be reassured it is equally entertaining and ridiculous. The characters are all ridiculous in their makeup but written well. The pacing is well-done and the way the story is constructed you don’t have time to think too hard about what’s going on. Enjoy the thrill ride and all its eccentric glory and try not to think too hard. Just go with it.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, views, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Suspense/Suspense Thriller/Thriller/Suspense Mystery/Crime Fiction/Crime Thriller/Murder Thriller

I loved this book. It had so much going on that it took my breath away. The ending I did not see coming at all. Still wondering where the twins came from but it's not relevant to this story. It was just an all around good edge of your seat story.

Children in the system. Living in a group home for foster children. Teens. At the right age for adults to basically take advantage of them. There was five children who you meet in this story. Each one coming from some type of loss to be left here by the state. Under the care of who I saw as a very uncaring man. His son was a bully and he did nothing to stop him.

The story is told from several different characters. Each explains what is happening to them at the time. Someone is out to kill them and it takes them a bit to understand that it has something to do with the house they lived it.

It starts out with someone being shot. Multiple people shoot this person. You know who is pulling the trigger so no surprise there. Five children who live in this group home. Each pulls the trigger. Sealing them together with this secret forever. Thus the title: WHAT HAVE WE DONE!

You'll meet Jenna. She's married to the love of her life. She has two step-children and she once worked for an organization that took out people. She was groomed from the age of fifteen and finally got out. Finally has a good life. Then it all starts to fall apart. Someone is threatening her and her family if she doesn't do what she is told. She has to take out someone or else!

Donnie is a musician. He is also a bit of a drunk. He never truly got over his life. He's been drinking since he was a kid. But one night he falls off a cruise ship. One that he was playing in a band on but was fired from said band. Did he jump or was it something more sinister?

Nico is a tv personality. He is in charge of a reality tv show called The Miners. Someone tricks him and leaves him for dead in the pits of the dark mine. He knows there is not much time and he has no cell signal at all. Very little battery life also. What will become of him?

These three will have to work together to find out who wants them dead and why. Could it be linked to what they did twenty-five years ago. Could it be the son of the man they killed?

Ben was on track to be a federal judge when he was murdered. He was one of the children from the group home also. He worked very hard to pull himself up and do what he did with his life. He left behind a wife and child that he loved dearly. He had no secrets from his wife either.... Who killed him and why.

There is also Artemis. Artemis was the quiet one. The inventor. The one that grew up to be very rich. He was also in the group home. You'll get to know him also.

Then you get the twins. Casey and Haley. Both evil to the core. They love inflicting pain and horrors on people. They seem to get off by tortuous acts. Who are they and where did they come from. What do they have to do with the children, now grown ups, from the group home.

You'll find out everything. You will cringe from some of the things that happen in this book. You'll root for the kids to make it. For the grownups to make it. For some to live. I have to admit that I wanted a couple of these characters to be killed. They really do deserve it.

I loved the three initial story tellers. Jenna, Nico and Donnie. They are solid and very likable in their own ways. I don't think any one of them deserved to go through anything.

This book is very good. It's edge of your seat good. It's not what I thought it was going to be after reading a few other reviews. It wasn't dark. It contained no acrobat actions. Nothing out of the ordinary for a good thriller. Lots of fighting and some bloody parts sure. What did you expect. It's a Finlay book. A good Finlay book.

Thank you #NetGalley, #AlexFinlay, #StMartin'sPress, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4.25 stars. Grab it. It's that good.

This was not my favorite, and while the premise was intriguing I just don't know that I personally connect with Alex Finlay's writing style.

But for those of you who do and who read mainly thrillers and similar books, you'll probably enjoy this.

Pulse pounding, thrilling, nerve-wracking. I would use all of those to describe Alex Finlay’s newest novel.

This book had me flipping the pages as fast as I could to follow the threads between grownup orphans from the hellhole orphanage of Savior House, and the twin assassins trying to take them down.

My jaw dropped several times, and the final twist? Mind blowing and heartbreaking.

This is phenomenal and I highly suggest everyone read it.

Thank you so very much to NetGalley and Minotaur Books/ St. Martin’s Press for letting me read this absolute gem. My opinions are my own.

I was looking for something different and I sure did get it with What Have We Done. Additionally I have never read anything by Alex Finlay and I'm not a big fan of multiple points of views. What I do enjoy? A good thriller, action and larger than life characters with over the top plots. I got most of that in this book. I would have added another star if there had been more character development of the four central characters and I did have to adjust for the various points of view. It would make a good movie and I would watch it. So, yes, I'm glad I requested the ARC and I will have to check out his other books as I have since been told that his previous books are not to be missed.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetHalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mm, I could not get into this.

What Have We Done has an intriguing premise and starts off at a breakneck pace... but it keeps that pace up for the entire book, leaving barely any time for the reader to catch their breath and process what's happening.

There's also a lot of characters and the chapters rapidly switch between POVs, so I felt like I couldn't get invested in any of the characters other than Jenna. Thankfully, everything was 3rd person- otherwise, I don't think I would have been able to understand anything that happened.

Some might like this, but because of the intense pacing and minimal development, I just couldn't get invested in the story and this was not for me.

Thank you @netgalley and @minotaur_books for my gifted e-arc!

The amount of action in this book would make for a great movie!

The 3 different POVs and short chapters kept the pace fast! The three are connected by their pasts which has them being targeted in the present. We don’t know why or by whom…and that is what kept me reading. I needed answers!

This was definitely suspenseful with the constant pursuits and the main characters barely escaping! Although I didn’t guess the ending, I felt it was a little underwhelming.

At times, I felt like I had a hard time keeping up. It jumped around a lot, and had lots of characters and information. You’re given little snippets of information at a time, so it was hard to piece everything together. I enjoyed Jenna’s POV way more than the other two, and her background intrigued me the most.

It was definitely entertaining, so I would still probably recommend it if it’s on your radar.

~3.25 stars

I read this in one sitting. But, despite its unputdownable-ness, I felt overall 'meh' about it at the end. I've read both of Finlay's other books, and this one is definitely not my favorite.

I will say, this started out pretty strong. The action starts pretty much immediately, and the short chapters kept me engaged and eager to go on. However, I became less interested as the plot continued, and overall the mystery felt pretty lackluster. We were told the who and why of the past mystery pretty early on, and I found the present-day whodunit relatively easy to predict.

We follow three narrators, and in my opinion Jenna was by far the most interesting. I found myself eager to get back to her POV during the other characters' chapters. In fact, I think I might have liked this better if this was just the origin story and adventures of Jenna. If Alex Finlay wants to give her a prequel novel, I'd eat that up.

All in all, I don't think this was bad, but it certainly was a straightforward thriller that had plenty of action but still lacked suspense. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the arc! All thoughts are my own.

This story starts off with a bang! It’s engaging and complex. But the plot is a llittle *too* complex. There are many characters to keep track of and as the pacing intensifies, there are too many things going on.

After reading and loving The Night Shift I had high hopes for this one but it was too much and just didn’t work for me.

There’s a cast of narrators for the audiobook but I wouldn’t recommend reading it that way with the excess numbers of characters; it becomes confusing at times.

Another twisty thriller from Finlay! The characters are fantastic. What a disparate group. This isn't just a thriller, it's also a coming of age/reckoning with your past novel. And it's a fun read.

"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."

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

What Have We Done Review

In Alex Finlay’s latest novel, we follow the points of view of Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. The trio spent time at Savior House, a foster home, together as children, and are reunited under less than ideal circumstances.

As the reader, we waste no time with background before diving into action. Within the first couple of chapters we’re already alongside Jenna as she reveals her talents as a hired sniper. Similarly, Donnie is pushed off a cruise ship, and Nico is trapped in a mine after an explosion. After the initial drama, we begin to learn a bit about our main characters and their pasts.

While the action is non-stop, the scenarios that unfold are not exactly believable. Prepare to suspend belief in order to enjoy this story. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, but I thought Jenna had the most interesting story. I wasn’t very invested in the antics of a has-been rockstar or a reality show tv producer.

I give this book 3 stars. It held my attention, but I don’t see myself picking it up again or reaching for any of the author’s other books any time soon. I would recommend this to fans of action and spy novels, rather than thriller readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

This is the book I needed when I needed it.

A tale of victims of circumstance as children are bonded by a secret that they believe they have buried. Alas, we know that sins committed no matter when always come back to haunt you. & boy did it come back to haunt these friends 25 years later.

The book is told by multiple narrators, and at times flips between the past & present. I was really nervous at first due to not usually enjoying the flip-flop of timelines & characters. However, I was pleasantly surprised! Every time a chapter ended on a cliffhanger that left me afraid the narrator would change I was greeted with the continuance of the story. This is most helpful as there have been other stories where the author would leave you in peril with the previous narrator wanting resolution with an entirely new narrator telling their story. I would get lost. That didn’t happen within What Have We Done. You could see the scene even across chapters.

I also had the pleasure of consuming this not only digitally but on audiobooks as well. The performance of the actors was outstanding. The audiobook alone is 4.5/5 stars. I highly highly recommend both versions.

Beyond the mechanics of the story, I enjoyed the wrap-up. As the story progressed I had suspicions of who the antagonist would be and while my initial guess was correct I was thrown by a red herring that had me second-guessing myself & going with another. Very sly Alex Finlay.

Kudos to Alex Finlay for writing two of the most unlikeable, ruthless, and evil villains I’ve ever read. You win at villains.

Overall this was 4 out of 5 stars read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, Macmillan audio for an ARC & Audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion

After finishing What Have We Done, I have now read all three of Alex Finlay's books, and all I can say is that I love his writing! I adore finding an author that works so well for me, and I think at this point I may be emotionally attached to his books!

With this one, I really noticed just how well Finlay's characters are written and researched. We have Jenna, Donnie, and Nico with a shared past in a group home for teenagers called Savior House. These three characters are as unique as they come, and even Savior House becomes a character, looming in their memories. As I read, I got distinct Lisbeth Salander vibes from Jenna, which is probably why she was my favourite of the three. (I will say that I do miss Special Agent Sarah Keller, however, as she is in both of Finlay's other two thrillers).

The book concept as a whole is well done, although I am not a lover of this specific plot. I'm not sure exactly what I didn't enjoy about it, but I think this may come down to a case of comparison - I just preferred the plot of Finlay's Every Last Fear more! (It's really hard not to compare books by the same author!) The story line all makes sense, it flowed really well and it was explained well., so I know this was a me issue, not a book issue!

Finlay's books are executed masterfully and they're just beautiful works of art. I honestly can't wait to see where he goes from here, and I will be eagerly anticipating his next novel!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy to read and review.

I love this author! Now having said that, I really liked this book. Liked, not loved, as in the previous two. This one was a little harder to get into for me. Jenna, Donnie and Nico grew up in a group home. They are now adults, and someone wants them dead. I appreciated the characterization, especially Jenna, and the short chapters. I'm also a fan of multiple POV's, though there is a lot going on and it got a little difficult to keep straight at times. Great twists and turns and a lot of action. Maybe a bit too much action for me. I prefer more of a psychological-type thriller. Still really enjoyed this and definitely looking forward to the next book!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Alex Finlay and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

An improbable cartoonish plot and paper-thin unlikeable characters makes What Have We Done a miss for me.

Five teenagers meet in a horrendous group home and do something drastic to save themselves from its horrors. Twenty-five years later, all five have achieved various levels of success: a judge, a tech billionaire, an aging rock star, a reality show producer, and (I kid you not) a retired assassin. Now, psychotic female identical twins are killing, or attempting to kill them, using outlandish methods like blowing up a mine and shoving a person from a cruise ship. The twins have a unbelievable backstory of meeting accidentally in college after being separated at birth because…why not?

I enjoyed the complex plots and believable characters of this author’s previous two books, The Night Shift and Every Last Fear. However, What Have We Done is not recommended. It seems almost like a parody of thrillers. 2 disappointed stars.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Donnie, Nico, and Jenna became best friends while living in Savior House, a home for parentless teenagers. After several residents went missing, the home was shut down and the friends were split up.

Now, years later, they are reunited in a common goal – who is trying to kill them? Is it because of what happened when they were at Savior House? What did they do?

What Have We Done is a story that is intertwined with multiple points of view, different time lines, and plenty of suspense. It has a well-written and well-executed plot with strong main characters who are almost bigger than life. There is lots of action, it’s fast paced, and the suspense is sustained throughout the story.

Alex Finlay is master at creating a mystery thriller and What Have We Done is a highly entertaining book that his fans will certainly enjoy.