I loved everything about Finlay’s book, The Night Shift, so I had super high hopes for his newest one.

It started out strong, packed with interesting characters, a mysterious plot and lots of action from the very beginning. This is a good book if you like coming up with a million different theories and who dunnit scenarios.

…but things got a little crazy.
There were a loooot of characters & storylines and it was a little all over the place for me and tough to keep straight. I had trouble focusing on the main plot and figuring out what info was actually relevant.

Out of all the characters I was most interested in Jenna’s storyline- she was super fun to read about and I was most invested in what was going on with her.

I love a book where I can try to figure out how the crazy web of secrets connects- even with everything going on I was still able to play that game in my head so it was a win!

Normally I love flashbacks & multiple POVs but there were times I felt the time flip was too abrupt and I had to backtrack to see if I was reading a memory or something happening in the present. Just a bit choppy and I found myself more interested in the past (except for Jenna, I was all in her whole story!)

Chapters were super short and fast, making this a bingeable book!

I had high hopes for WHAT HAVE WE DONE after loving Findlay’s previous book THE NIGHT SHIFT. But I DNFed this at 42%. I found it to have not gripped me at all, I wasn’t invested in the story. Sadly, the book wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Whew! This was a thrilling read! It had multiple POV and timelines and had me tearing through the pages. None of the characters were particularly likable, but I was still rooting for them. The twists kept me going until the end. The ending was a surprise and I loved the worlds colliding!

This was fast paced, told via multiple POV’s and full of suspense, but there was something missing. The book started out strong but somewhere in the middle I lost interest in both the characters and what was happening. The ending had a lot going on and everything wrapped up a little too fast. It was a quick read and I really enjoyed the multiple points of view, but this one it wasn’t a page turning, keep you on your toes thriller. In my opinion it was just ok.

Someone is targeting a group of friends who, 25 years ago, all lived in the same group home., Savior House. Jenna, a stay at home mom with a murderous past. Donnie Danger, guitarist in a metal band. Artemis, a tech billionaire. Nico, a reality show runner with a gambling problem. Others from there group, like Donnie's best friend Benny, have already died. Can they figure out who from their past is methodically hunting them down, picking them off one by one, before they all, too, are dead?

This book...was just a mess. It was so bad, even worse than Finlay's debut, and that book tried to say a drop of MARINARA SAUCE resembled a drop of blood. It hops from present to past to present again with no warning, I had to reread passages multiple times to figure out what time the character was currently in. The characters are flat and unlikable, except for Benny. Except Benny is already dead, because of course the only black character in the book is dead before the book even begins. At least he was smart and respected? Artemis is a caricature of all the worst stereotypes of a person with autism. Jenna's plot is an amalgamation of every "kid bought/kidnapped and trained to be an assassin" movie and book out there. At least Finlay name-drops the one he stole the most from?
Then, during the denouement of the book, we're supposed to believe that not only does a cheap "I hope this doesn't turn her neck green" necklace is still in shiny, mint condition after being buried in a hidden grave for 25 years, but an equally cheap gun fires easily after being shoved in a hole in a tree for those same 25 years, allowing our main characters to ultimately defeat the bad guys in the end.

Silly me for thinking that since Alex Finlay's second book was marginally better than his first, that this one might be even a bit better than the second. It wasn't. It was a mess, and as much as I want to yell at whatever editors had this book go through their hands and THIS is what is published...but I know that editors are overworked and underpaid, so publishers, this book is on you. Pay your editors better, and employ enough of them so we never have to suffer through this bad of a book ever again.

Alex Findlay’s third book, What Have We Done, starts out with so much action that I could not turn the pages fast enough. The story centers around Jenna, Nico, Donnie, Ben, and Art who share a common childhood. All five are residents at Serenity House, a home for teens who have lost their parents. The first part of the book has so much action. Jenna was taken from the home when she was fourteen to be trained by The Corporation to solve problems for the C.I.A. She was allowed to leave and she married Simon who she met on a dating site and settled in as the step-mother of a teenager and her two-year-old sister. After working out one day, Jenna finds a cell phone in her locker. Someone wants her to carry out an assassination or her family will be hurt. Nico, is an executive producer of television reality shows including The Miners, While in a cave, he runs from someone who is after him. There is a cave-in and he is on the wrong side and can’t get out. Donnie is a has-been rock star who drinks and uses drugs. While on a cruise, he is pushed off into the sea and survives. Ben, a federal judge, is assassinated. And, Art has made a fortune in the tech world.

I need to tell you that Findlay’s first book, Every Last Fear, is one of my very favorite books, and his second book, The Night Shift, is right up there with his first book. I frequently recommend both books. I started out thinking his third book was going to be as good. The book started slowing down for me after the initial chapters. At times, it was confusing to figure out if the author was writing about the past or the present. It caused me to reread. I started not caring about the characters in the story. This book might work as a mini-series but the book just did not work for me. I do look forward to what Finlay writes in the future and will still definitely recommend his first two books. My thanks toast. Martin’s Press Minotaur and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.. The opinions in this review are my own.

I loved The Night Shift last year (it was actually my first NetGalley) so I was super excited for this one. I started with the audiobook and was quickly overwhelmed with the multiple and not always likable POVs. I switched to the e-book and found it was easier to follow that way and in the end I ended up really liking it. It was gritty, fast-paced and full of twists (none of which I predicted); I think you can definitely read it in one sitting. I still prefer The Night Shift but I still think this one is worth checking out.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
What Have We Done by Alex Finlay is a fast-paced thriller about the past coming back to haunt four people who spent time in the same group home as children.

My Reading Experience:
What a twisty-turny thriller What Have We Done turned out to be. The story takes a different direction when each past and present secret is slowly unveiled. I love a thriller that keeps me guessing, so I enjoyed that aspect of this story most.

Other aspects take a bit of a leap to buy into, such as the possibility that four foster children would grow up to achieve the types of successes that these four did. And also that no adults would have figured out the big reveal while it was happening. But I had no trouble making that leap and enjoying the story.

The story held my attention without fail from beginning to end, aided by the rapidly alternating points of view. I didn't have a chance to become bored or dwell on more challenging aspects. What Have We Done is a highly entertaining read that is not believable but has terrific twists and turns to provide the ultimate thrill ride.

Characters:
None of the characters are well-developed in the present-day plot line, though I felt I saw a bit more growth in the past plot line and would have liked to experience more overall. It is like each character is almost a caricature of the profession they are or were in as an adult. This story is a much more plot-driven story than it is character driven.

Narration & Pacing:
The narration switches focus between three of the former group home friends and also goes back into their group home days and returns to their present-day problems. The short chapters and the switches in time and perspective keep the pace very quick from beginning to end. I enjoyed the speed and the multiple mysteries that switching timelines created.

Read if you like:
Fast-paced, entertaining thrillers
Plot-driven stories
Plenty of twists and turns

“Survival favors the cautious.” This one started out on a very exciting note as the three narrators each escape an assassination attempt. But then it just got... Boring? It was OK but I didn't really connect with any of the characters or even care about "whodunit." Also I found it highly unrealistic that all these kids from the same group home would go on to have successful, remarkable lives. It did get more exciting again in the end and I enjoyed the epilogue.

Five kids at a group home band together to stop the violence and terror happening in the house. They end up killing someone and go their separate ways, never speaking of it again. When one of them winds up dead, they don’t think much of it- until all of them are being targeted. As they dodge life threatening obstacles, you learn that the secrets are stacked deep and someone traitorous is in their midst.
.
💭Thoughts💭
I don’t know how I feel about this book because it was captivating and well written, but also too confusing and kind of moronic at times. There were too many viewpoints and characters and the plot twists were too all over the place. It reminded me of the Spider-Man meme where there’s three of him and they all point at each other. The entire epilogue was a waste of time too- throwing in another obstacle at the end was really unnecessary.
.
⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
Not really a specific moment, but all of the action scenes were great. My heart pounded while Jenna was getting chased and it was written well, I could see it in my head like a movie.

-This was my first book by Alex Finlay and it wasn’t a bad one to start off with.
-Loved the multiple POV, the short chapters, with flashbacks to the past
-The story started off strong & chock full of action, and kept pretty even pacing for the most part (Donnie’s parts dragged a bit though)
-But man the ending threw a lot at you in a short amount of time, it got messy.
-And I can’t elaborate too much without possibly spoiling this for anyone, but there’s something within the book that early on gives away who’s behind the attempts to take out Jenna, Nico, and Donnie.
-I felt nothing for Nico or Donnie’s characters, but I loved Jenna. She reminded me of a female Ethan Hunt, or a Lisbeth Salander without the deep hacking skills. Major validation was felt when I read in the acknowledgements that Lisbeth was one of the sources of inspiration for Jenna.

Rating: 3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
FOR NETGALLEY ONLY:
Posted to Instagram: March 7, 2023
Posted to Goodreads: March 7, 2023

Honestly, I found this book to be very slow and repetitive for the majority of the middle 50%. The start of the book grabbed my attention and the last 25% of the book I literally could not stop reading. I enjoyed the different characters, their perspective and how the author seamlessly tied them all together. I was never confused by who was talking or what was happening in the book - I just found the middle to be very slow. The twists and turns were great - I didn't see many of them coming, but be warned that it was not the most realistic story. Overall, it kept my attention but was not a "stay up all night" kind of book.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

This was my second book by Alex Finlay, and it was a fun, quick read! I really liked the cat and mouse chase, and the mystery aspect of who exactly is targeting this group of people and why. I liked Donnie and Nico's characters, but I really loved Jenna and she more than made up for the parts of Donnie and Nico that I didn't enjoy as much. They all have difficult pasts, but Jenna overcame hers to create a happy life while Nico and Donnie aren't coping nearly as well and tend to hurt those around them. I do wish they would've stepped up a little bit and not have had Jenna do all the heavy lifting. I enjoyed how fast paced this was, and it was very much like an action movie in book form with the car chases and assassins with mysterious weapons that keep tracking down the main characters. I didn't see the ending coming, but when it was revealed it all made complete sense to me! The truth behind the disappearance of the kids from their group home was sad, but also unfortunately something I thought was easily something that can (and does) happen. Overall, this kept me engaged and was an enjoyable read, and I definitely recommend it.

Alex Finlay is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller writers. My quick take on his latest, What Have We Done, it’s another home run! Need I say more? Probably not, but I will. While it has a slightly different feel than his previous masterpieces: Every Last Fear and The Night Shift, I found it to be every bit as addictive. I think much of that has to do with Finlay’s writing style, which reminds me a great deal of early Patterson. Short, relentlessly engaging chapters, practically demanding you to read on to see what happens next. Rarely does the story slow down enough for you to catch your breath.

The story revolves around a group of friends that were bonded by an event that happened 25 years ago. And now that event is coming back to haunt them. (Or hunt them!) The vast majority of chapters are told from the perspective of three main characters: a stay at home mom with an amazing backstory, a washed up rocker who can’t get his act together, and a quasi-celebrity reality TV producer drowning in debt. Three very different characters with one common problem. Someone wants them all dead! We also get a few chapters from some of the villains’ perspective, and I will they these villains are delightfully twisted. Little by little, as we see these three characters struggling to survive, the past event that bonds them is revealed, culminating in a heck of a climax. I loved the pacing in the book, the near nonstop action. If this were a movie (which I’d love to see) it would be a fun summer action blockbuster popcorn flick. I wholeheartedly recommend this to thriller fans. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of What Have We Done.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3ONOP0NLGWA0R/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Alex Finlay has quickly become an instant buy author for me. His mysteries are easy to read, yet complex enough to not know what to expect next. The way he intertwines several points of view and/or timelines, without confusion, is my favorite!

What Have We Done follows a group of people who were fostered in a group home as teenagers. We know that they did something bad before leaving the home and it seems as though someone is trying to take them out now, one by one. There are multiple POVs and the flashbacks were great. I was hooked from the beginning and I did not expect that ending! I also loved the twist in the epilogue. I highly recommend picking up a copy!

Thank you to Alex Finlay, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange of my honest review. Happy publication day!

Another twisty thriller by Alex Finlay comes out tomorrow! Thank you @minotaur_books for the #giftedcopy of What Have We Done along with the super cute nameplate necklace! I couldn’t wait to read it to see how the necklace fits with the book, and let me just say it was the perfect swag!

This book is told in several points of view, and follows Donnie, Nico, and Jenna. They spent some of their teen years living at the Savior House, a group home where some weird things went down. Now they’re out if touch but have one thing in common: someone is trying to kill each of them.

There’s a few twists and turns, and overall I enjoyed the book. I wanted to know what happened all those years ago that is coming back to bite them, so to say. It didn’t have that unputdownable, edge of your seat quality that makes a thriller stand out for me, but it kept my interest and the end had a good bit of tension. There is a good bit of action, which was definitely entertaining. I liked the alternating POV chapters, although most of the characters aren’t exactly likable.

What Have We Done is available tomorrow, so check it out!

Source: DRC via NetGalley (St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books) in exchange for an honest review
Publication Date: March 7, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

Enjoying the posts? Buy me a “coffee” or become a member on Ko-Fi, or become a patron on Patreon!
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/angryangelbooks

Why did I choose to read this book?

If I’m being honest, I’m not really sure why. I haven’t read any other books by Alex Finlay and it wasn’t recommended to me by any of my bookish connections. I think I might have just been scrolling through the “Most Requested Books” list on NetGalley one day and it was on the first page of results. I must have liked the description and requested it. Sometimes books just happen to you and that’s ok.

What is this book about?

A group of orphans/abandoned children from a group home do something we are led to believe is a killing and burial when they are very young. The book jumps to the present day, where these friends are scattered around in various situations and jobs when assassins begin hunting them down and attempting to kill them. You are meant to assume that their past is finally catching up to them. The story encompasses the unraveling of this mystery, how they all come back together despite their myriad lives to save each other again.

What is notable about this story?

When I took this book to bed with me the first night, I zoomed through to the 25% mark. The story sucks you in right away, the characters are all believable and Finlay writes in a way that makes them sympathetic immediately, which hastened the investment that I love to have in the characters, especially in a thriller/mystery/murder story like this. Once the gun sounds in the first moments, you’re off to the races and you don’t get a moment’s rest.

This is not your orphan Annie foster care story. I appreciated that the author kept things dark, only allowing for the smallest glimpses of hope and happiness, because that’s how the system works for the majority of kids swept into it. The effects of being a part of this system resonate far into adulthood. Watching Jenna, Nico, Donnie, and Artemis try to bury their past while it tries to bury them in turn was so on point it was scary. I appreciated this very honest take on this type of issue.

Was anything not so great?

I mentioned that when I started the story I zoomed through, but then the book stayed at such a high pace for so long that I got used to it and grew complacent/a little bored? No breaks in the action can be very tiring. Granted I think that the interludes with Donnie and the ghost writer gave us a bit of a break, but I’m not sure it was enough to dull the high pitched whine that starts at the beginning of this book and just never goes away. I guess it’s kind of a double edged sword situation: the action is intense but too intense? It’s a small quibble but notable.

What’s the verdict?

3 stars on Goodreads. It was a good book and I liked it but it didn’t like, blow my mind. If you’re a thriller/mystery/Black Widow fan you’ll love it. This is one I would absolutely recommend requesting at your local library and reading first before you buy, just to make sure it’s your cup of tea.

I thought it started out really strong. It was action packed from the jump, the chapters were nice and short, and the pacing was great. Then, about halfway through, the story seemed to get a bit jumbled. There were a lot of different plot points thrown in that weren't always explained well, and the ending was pretty predictable.

I really enjoyed Jenna's POV and would love a whole story on her background. I also really liked Donnie as a character. The others I could have done without.

Overall, I didn't love it/didn't hate it... there were some great parts, and it was an enjoyable read. I think I landed around 3.5 with this one.

A unique thriller full of twists and turns.I was immediately drawn in by the characters I flew through the story till the shocking ending .An author to follow a book I will be recommending #netgalley#st.Martins

Who is an author that you've heard of but never read? In addition to reading many books each year, I spend a fair amount of time reading other readers' reviews. After all, how will I find my next great read if I don't check out what others are reading? Alex Finlay is an author whose work has come to my attention in recent years. Despite hearing great things about his standalone thrillers, I've never made it a point to read them for myself. When his publisher invited me to read his latest book What Have We Done, I jumped at the chance to see what this author is all about.

It happened nearly twenty-five years ago. They were all residents at a home for troubled teens. They thought that the past was behind them, but then one of them, a judge, was murdered. Another of the group, a troubled reality show producer narrowly escaped a similar fate. The remaining, a newly married stepmother and an aging rock star know that they must be next on the list. The three former friends will have to come together to escape the sins of their past.

To attempt to fully summarize the plot of What Have We Done would deny potential readers the thrill of this narrative unwrapping. With each new chapter, Alex Finlay meticulously peels back the layers of his mystery. He employs shifting perspectives and time jumps to lay the breadcrumbs to his twisty conclusion. As I read, I could easily see why so many readers enjoyed this author's work. He writes with a quick pace, never letting the tension cease. The deeper into the web of this mystery I fell, however, the more over the top I found it to become. This is sheer pulpy action fun, the kind that I rolled my eyes at a few times, but I couldn't stop reading. The characters serve the plot fine, but don't expect any deeper revelations into their emotions. They are here to drive the story, and they do that well. I'm left with mixed feelings about my first outing with Finlay. On the one hand, I couldn't stop reading. On the other, the action got a bit too unbelievable for my tastes. If you're the kind of reader who has trouble looking past outrageous plot points, this one may not be the book for you. If you are able, though, to suspend disbelief, you'll really enjoy the ride this book takes you on.