⭐️Rating: 4/5
✍🏼Author: Alex Finlay
📖Genre: Thriller

::My thoughts:
This was a fast paced, action filled thriller about 5 kids that have done something that will forever connect them. This is a three person POV, so it was a little confusing at times, but the characters are from 3 of the 5 original kids who are now adults. I think the author did a great job building each chapter and developing the characters from kids to adults. I recommend this book, but you have to pay attention to the details for the story to make sense.


*Thank you to the Author and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my review.

This was action-packed from the very beginning! I have heard so many great things about Alex Finlay’s writing and was eager to give this book a try. This book follows 3 individuals that all resided at the same children’s home during their youth. They are all finding themselves in danger now and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was really going on.

This story is told from three main points of view. Jenna is a wife and stepmother who worked as an assassin in the past. Donnie is a down on his luck rock star. Nico works as a television producer. All three of these individuals lived in a children’s home, Savior House, and it appears that they are now in danger because of the things that happened all those years ago since one of their friends from that time is already dead. The story comes together both in the present and in flashbacks to the past from each of the characters.

I loved the cast of narrators that came together to tell this exciting story. With so many different points of view, I really am happy that several narrators were used since that made it so much easier to determine which character was the focus. I thought that each of the narrators did a great job of bringing the characters to life and that their voices worked well together. I am certain that their performance added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. This was an entertaining and exciting thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio.

If you're in the mood for a dark, twisty murder mystery with a side of assassins, then you can't go past this one. Seriously, I couldn't put it down once I started—I had to find out what a stay-at-home mom, a washed-up rock star, a federal judge, a reality TV producer, and one of the richest men in the world had in common, and what was happening to all those kids who were going missing.

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico forged a bond while at Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When kids started going missing they decided they needed to take action. Cut to 25 years later and someone is trying to kill them. Can they figure out who before it's too late?

This was split timeline, and I thought the pacing was spot on. I loved the way pieces of information were revealed to us over the course of the book, as well as watching the characters piece it all together.

Even though there was no doubt in my mind what had happened after the first scene in the book, I was riveted. The story wasn’t really about finding out what the secret was, but rather who had killed Ben for it and how did they find out?

When the book opens with a shallow grave, you think that’s where this book is going, only it’s not. After one of the five, Ben, is killed, the rest of the group become targets. It’s told mostly from the perspectives of Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. I liked Jenna the best; despite her choices and the life she’d been forced to lead, she tried to stay a good person. To me, Donnie and Nico were characters that have some ineffable quality that makes you like them despite their very big flaws. It’s hard not to feel for them all, even when you’re irritated with them. They all came from Savior House, which, to be honest, was more like Hell House. Little by little, you learn why they did what they did through flashbacks that hurt your heart. They were kids violently stripped of any semblance of innocence that was left, and they did what they thought they had to do because they were desperate.

I felt like the whole book was haunted by the ghost of Ben. We were always trying to find out where he’d been or what he’d said or done. He was a character just out of reach–smart, likable, kind, and funny. I would have loved to have seen some from his perspective. But perhaps that’s the point, that Ben haunts the book like Savior House haunts Jenna, Nico, and Donnie. That just like Ben, the answers are just out of reach. The things that they saw, did, and endured make them unable to face their problems and make healthy decisions.

This book was compelling and thought provoking. The writing just seemed to pull you in–then keep you there hostage until the chilling conclusion.

This was a fast paced thriller that never dragged. I got caught up in the who wants to kill who, so I found some of it a little cluttered but it was a good story. I enjoyed the pace and the twists! I wasn’t totally surprised in the end but I hadn’t pegged the culprit initially. I liked Jenna best as she seemed to be the most relatable character. 3.5

Alex Finlay is probably one my favourite thriller authors. His books are original, plot lines are interesting, have depth and keep me guessing the whole way through. I will say that the more I sit on this review, the less I liked this book and the more questions I have, even after finishing it. I was told that I’m putting too much thought into this thriller and should take it for face value, but I just can’t stop thinking about certain things that were too open-ended for me to really buy into it.

What Have We Done still takes you for a wild ride. With 3, sometimes 4, POV’s and flashbacks, the book builds suspense and tension until you finally get some insight to what is happening to everyone. This book has short, quick chapters which made it really easy to binge read which I loved. I do think maybe I’d rate this closer to a 3 at this point, I do still think I’d tell those who love plot driven thrillers to check this one out!

This was not my favorite Alex Finlay.

I’ve read all three of his most recent novels.

They all have been just okay thrillers.

I love the way he writes them. They’re extremely fast paced and addicting. But the reveals always seem to fall short. I don’t know if he’s making his mysteries too obvious or the way he gets to them is not as twisty.

There is just something about his books that are very entertaining but they’re nothing mind blowing.

They’re great quick reads. This one had fun and interesting characters. I loved Jenna. She was super bad ass. I can't wait for you guys to meet her. She's sick! I just want a series about her, Sabine and Michael kicking cheek.

It just fell flat for me. There were a lot of details that were added that I felt were so random. O’Leary’s chapter could have easily been taken away from the book and would have been just fine. It was really random and it felt like Finlay emphasized the man at the bar yelling about cancel culture for no reason. It didn’t relate to the story and he rambled about it for three pages. It felt so random. On top of that, I thought it took WAY too long for the characters to figure out that they were being duped. They all seemed like intelligent characters yet it took them all about 25 chapters to figure out all of their attacks were connected because of their past. I was baffled.

I liked the audiobook. It was fine. I really did not like the narrator for Nico’s character. His voice was very flat and monotone. His chapters were never fun to listen to. It didn’t seem like the narrator was interested in producing it at all.

I wouldn't go out of your way to seek the audiobook. I would maybe even skip it.

I feel bad but I just feel like I need something different from him. I want brain melting twists. I want cool characters. I want constant action. I want reveals that will shock me.

I haven't seen that from him yet and it bums me out.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the advanced audiobook and copy of the e-book. Finlay's latest book is out now! Visit your favorite book store to get yourself a copy. Follow him on Goodreads. Don't forget to support your favorite authors on all platforms!

Wow. I am so glad I requested this ARC! The last few mystery-thriller's I've attempted have thoroughly let me down, but man oh man! Alex Finlay has himself a new fan. Please excuse me while I go read his backlog.

What Have We Done is a fast paced, action packed mystery that had me turning page after page. We follow Jenna, Donnie, Nico, and The Twins and get to experience chapters from each of their perspectives. Something happened twenty-five years ago between five kids in a group home. Now one of them is dead and three of them are being targeted out of nowhere. It's time for a reunion no one wanted.

Through each character's perspective we learn what happened all those years ago and how they get to where they are now. I really enjoyed each POV with Jenna's being my favorite. She was incredibly badass while still showing she had grown over the years. She was cunning and could definitely kick my ass - probably with both hands tied behind her back.

What I absolutely went nuts over was the fact that we get chapters from the killers perspective. Oh my god what a treat. It was thoroughly entertaining to get both sides as they hit and missed one another. And the twist involving them! Genius and unexpected until it's revealed.

I cannot wait to shill this book to anyone and everyone willing to listen. Seriously. This is the best mystery-thriller I've read this year. I can't wait to see more from Alex Finlay!

The characters are complex and well-drawn, with realistic motivations and flaws that make them feel all too human. The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end. The author's writing style is taut and evocative, with vivid descriptions that bring the story and setting to life. Overall, What Have We Done is a gripping and thought-provoking novel that is sure to appeal to fans of suspense and crime fiction.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Alex Finlay shows that what happens in our youth, can come back to haunt us:

Jenna, Donnie and Nico have come a long way from the group home for parentless teens where they all met 25 years ago. They have all gone their separate ways and made something of their lives that is far away from where they started and the trauma that they shared. But an event from their past has come back to haunt them, with someone trying to kill them and in order to try to stay alive they have to revisit a past that they want to stay hidden. It's a reunion no one wanted that turned into a cat and mouse game with deadly consequences.

I mistakenly started this book on my lunch break at work and let me tell you it was hard to return to work after reading the first five chapters. This book really sucks you in right away, with multiple murders / attempts and you as a reader need are wondering how they all are connected. I did not want to put this book down, even though I was able to figure it out, I wanted to know how everything was going to play out. I think at Finlay did a great job laying out the plot both in the past and present where it keeps the reader interested and has some suspenseful moments too but I will admit that it became a bit muddled in the middle of the book. The manipulation in this book is on point, and it starts from the very beginning and does not stop until the book is over. I liked that Finlay had the manipulation occurs in both the past and present timelines.

If you like multiple POV then this is for you. I personally like multiple POV so I am here for it. I will say that I kind of missed a law officers POV, more specifically Agent Kelley’s from Finlay's previous two books. I think having the FBI perspective would have added an additional dimension to the book as well. I mean the FBI are hinted at here and there but I think I would have liked to see their POV and why they did become involved in the case, that aspect was never explained.

I really like that Finlay is not afraid to write strong female characters and this one is no different. From the assassins in the book to who i will call the action star of the book Jenna, all the women in this book are strong in their own way, even if they are a little bit psychotic.

Three books in with Finlay and I have enjoyed every one of them. I'm glad that he decided to write a different style of book to change it up a bit. I look forward to reading what Finlay puts out next.

Enjoy!!!

Alex Finlay is probably one my favourite thriller authors. His books are original, plot lines are interesting, have depth and keep me guessing the whole way through. I will say that the more I sit on this review, the less I liked this book and the more questions I have, even after finishing it. I was told that I’m putting too much thought into this thriller and should take it for face value, but I just can’t stop thinking about certain things that were too open-ended for me to really buy into it.

What Have We Done still takes you for a wild ride. With 3, sometimes 4, POV’s and flashbacks, the book builds suspense and tension until you finally get some insight to what is happening to everyone. This book has short, quick chapters which made it really easy to binge read which I loved. I do think maybe I’d rate this closer to a 3 at this point, I do still think I’d tell those who love plot driven thrillers to check this one out!

I loved Finlay's last novel, The Night Shift, so I was so excited to receive an ARC copy of What Have We Done. Unfortunately, it feel a bit short for me.

This novel was very fast paced and action-packed. I loved the three main POVs, although I enjoyed Jenna's POV the most. The story started off with a bang and left me wanting to know what the heck was going on. I loved that the chapters were short and usually left on a cliffhanger. I was definitely intrigued to see how this was going to end.

At times, I felt very confused about the characters and who was who. There was mention of a lot of "secondary" characters (Artemis, Mr. Brood, Derek Brood, Ned Flanders, Simon, Reeves/Hemingway, Ben, the Russian lady, etc.) and it was just a lot to retain and figure out. The timelines seemed to switch very abruptly and sometimes I didn't realize the timeline had switched and had to go back and re-read a few sentences. It just felt very disjointed at times.

For me, the characters were very exaggerated. Donnie was THE ROCKSTAR and Jenna was THE ASASSIN/HITWOMAN and both were just HEAVILY leaned into. I felt like there wasn't enough character development and we were just thrust into the action without much to go one.

By the end, I was just ready to figure out what happened and move on with my life. Like I said, this book wasn't bad, it just wasn't particularly good.

My rating explained (CAWPILE method):
Characters-5, Atmosphere-5, Writing-6, Plot-6, Intrigue-7, Logic-6, Enjoyment-5=40/7= 5.7= 3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for my honest review (opinions are my own).

I loved getting to read another Alex Finlay thriller! The multiple POVs, the time jumps from the past and back to the present, it all worked so well! I absolutely did not see the twist at the end, but it felt like everything clicked into place and all those small details you notice while reading came together. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

This was a wild and crazy ride - and I enjoyed it a lot! A real thriller full of suspense and twists and turns. There are three main characters with their own points of view to follow around. They haven't seen each other in 25 years but they have a shared history of living in a group home called Saviour House.
Something happened there and this deadly secret from 25 years ago has come back to haunt them. But who has a reason to drag it all back up? Who even knows?
This book is fast paced, with short chapters and twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat bingeing this book. There are issues with plausibility but as long as you are in it for the compelling thriller this is the ticket! My favorite character was Jenna, a now stay at home mom of two with a very different skillset her family doesn't know much about. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a page turner - a book to take your mind of things.
I had a great time reading this book!

25 years ago, Jenna, Nico, Donnie and Artemis became fast friends at Saviour House, a group home for kids without parents. The home was eventually shut down, and the friends went their separate ways. Now, the murder of another close friend throws them back together, wondering if someone wants them all dead.

Y’all, with this book, this author has become an autobuy author for me. I just love the pacing of his books - multiple POV and *action* that *moves.* As I was reading, I was imaging this story as a blockbuster action flick in my head. The story kept you always guessing, always wondering what happens next, but it’s not contrived - the storyline make sense but it’s not tied in a perfect bow. And y’all - I did *not* guess the ending!

The Night Shift was one of my top reads for 2021 so I was so excited to receive an eARC of Finlay's latest thriller What Have We Done. What do a retired female assassin, a federal court judge, a tech mogul, an aging rock star, and a reality tv producer have in common? They were all foster kids at Savior House in their teens, and they are all running from a hit woman trying to uncover the secrets they buried all those years ago. This is a super fun and fast paced, suspend reality, action movie book. I was a little mad at myself for not figuring our one of the twists sooner because it was pretty obvious but I was just too entertained to notice. Gave me Ace of Spades vibes. Go into it expecting that little will be realistic and just enjoy the ride. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

I truly enjoyed the pacing of the story and the well-written characters. This book took me by surprise. It kept me interested throughout the story and I needed to see what was going to happen. I would recommend this story to all thriller and who-done-it lovers.

1.75 stars
Audiobook review copy obtained by Netgalley, approved by publisher Minotaur/Macmillan Audio. Thank you!
Well... that... was... terrible?
This is likely my last Alex Finlay book. I enjoyed EVERY LAST FEAR and didn't finish THE NIGHT SHIFT. I really should have quit WHAT HAVE WE DONE as well but I made it too far in to quit and I also requested it from Netgalley for review, so between those two, I figured I may as well finish it. Long story short, I didn't really like anything about it.

Firstly, this is MAJORLY a popcorn thriller. It is over the top in basically every way, and sometimes I'm here for the entertainment, but this wasn't one of those times. If you enjoy those types of thrillers and are ready for this to be over the top on everything, then this one might be for you! It definitely wasn't for me.

I also felt like there was zero character development. The characters were stereotypes, each one a special snowflake with ridiculously high profile jobs and along with the one thing that bound them all together as kids, those are the two things that define them. They never came alive, didn't develop much at all, and were pretty boring. There's some action to keep the pacing moving but the whole plot was all over the place, picking at random threads to connect them eventually down the way... But again, so over the top that it was just stupid and I didn't like any part of it.

I basically felt like this was trying too hard in every possible way. Too many POVs (at least four, maybe five or six with some random ones in there) that also switched back and forth between the present and the past. The writing felt amateur, sloppy, and absolutely horrible female characters. I really think this would have been WAY better if it was only from Jenna's POV and we got to know her more, played up the former assassin concept, let her to most of the leg work for the book (since she really did anyway), and let her part of the book be the one over the top concept.

The more I think about this book, the more I'm hating it, so I'll leave you with all those thoughts and move on here.

Leave It- What Have We Done- normally I love Alex Finlay writing, I’ve read everything by them. But this one did not work for me. I really loved first third of the book, it was action packed. But the last 2/3 of the book were just kind of a hot mess. Plot was all over the place, tons of side characters, hints at an accident that happened in the past that was never really fully explained. I found myself skimming toward the end despite expecting to love it.

What a wild ride!

This was my first foray into Alex Findlay’s work and I will definitely be sure to pick up his other books as well.

Would you make a promise as a child with a hope or a conviction that you’d actually keep it for your entire life?

There is so much going on in this book. There are lots of POVs as well as timeline changes throughout. And, with such short chapters, it really keeps you on your toes by changing perspectives pretty much every chapter. I will say, since they are short, you only get little snippets of the storyline in each chapter so, to know what happens, you need to keep going.

Similar to other reviews, I did find that character growth was a bit more subtle and not extremely in your face, but I’d like to think that I could see a slight progression of character by the end. Due to so many perspectives and changes of scene, I felt like we got an overall picture of what happened, but not necessarily a lot of details on how the characters ended up where they were.

What I enjoyed were the descriptions; I really felt like I was there. It really helped to set the scenes and provide a vivid backdrop to the story.

Thank you so much to the author, Alex Finlay, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur books and NetGalley for an eARC of What Have We Done in exchange for my honest review.