My Thoughts

There is a saying the truth will set you free.

Well for Jenna, Donnie and Nico their search for the truth may be what proves to be the opposite.

The truth may just get them all killed.

To say that this author served up a twisted tale is an understatement of epic proportions.

The more I read the more fascinated I became with each new reveal and that final one, well let's just say never expected it at all but it was very well thought out all the way to its finale.
[EArc from Netgalley]

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity!

This was a totally unexpected but fun as hell ride. I never expected to love it as much as i did cause I’ve been let down by this genre one too many times but this was everything I wanted and i loved it.
It obviously could have been better like any book in the world but nevertheless i can gladly recommend this to people who are trying to find a new fave. Especially those who are in a reading slump should definitely check it out!

I am becoming a fan of Alex Finlay. This is the second book I've read by this author. I really enjoyed how the book started with each character's point of view. You don't know the connection until a little ways into the book, so your mind is trying to guess all kinds of scenarios. I definitely became invested in figuring out the mystery and what the heck was going on. Jenna was my favorite character because she was such a bad ass! I ultimately was surprised by the ending and enjoyed how the author took the reader on a windy path to the conclusion.

Wow! This book will take you on a rollercoaster ride. It’s pretty much non stop action from start to finish. So many intense moments and I loved the mystery/suspense throughout. There are so many pieces to the puzzle and so many secrets to uncover. You get to read from multiple character perspectives and past and present timelines. It’s so well done and this is a crime thriller everyone will be talking about!

Thank you so much NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for the advanced early copy!

I read and loved both Every Last Fear and The Night Shift by this author. But this one just didn't do it for me, it didn't even feel like Alex Finlay wrote it. I am used to his books being more on the mystery/suspense side of things and this title was more like an action movie.

Five teens find themselves in a group home and become fast friends, 25 years later the secret they've been keeping has been let out of the bag and someone is after them for it. We get multiple points of view from all involved and we also get two timelines. This is my favourite format but it did not work with this book. The past timeline was a little more interesting and believable to me, but when it came to the present it got a little too over the top.

I don't mind books that are over-the-top action-packed thrillers and this one started out okay but somewhere around the halfway mark, I started to find it a little too repetitive and unrealistic. I don't mind having to suspend belief for entertainment's sake but having the same thing happen over and over again gets boring. There was just a lot going on and I mean a lot. There was just too much action and not enough plot or character development for my liking. This book will be a hit for many, I am just not one of them.

Seriously kids, what have you done?! I understand that you think that was the best way out, but come on! Do you think it wasn’t going to come back and bite you when you least expect it?!

Children are trusting and impressionable. They believe anyone with a smile because they don’t know better. They approach everyone with no prejudice. It’s easier for monsters hiding behind smiling faces to use them for their evil plans. It takes awhile for that frontal cortex to fully develop and make proper decisions. And if that frontal cortex was molded by a monster, logic doesn’t mean much. So should I ask what have you done kids or what did they do to you?

There were twists and turns making you question everyone’s intentions. I was able to pick up some clues along the way, but you won’t be so surprised if you know what are the requirements to keep a secret

The book is told through the different perspectives of three individuals who grew up with one another in a group home and are now targeted for murder. Think of your classic secrets-back-to-haunt-you trope, but with an exaggerated wild ride. When I say this book was action-packed, I REALLY mean action-packed. I've never had a book play out like a movie in my head quite like this one. The thing about action movies, though, is that I find them quite over the top and, unfortunately, I think that is why this book reminded me so much of one.

I liked all the characters perspectives enough, but I didn't really LOVE any of them. I found Jenna' to be the most interesting and her backstory could have been a very *fictional* book of it's own. Even still, all the action really took away from the character development, and I never felt connected to her or the others. The plot was quite unbelievable to me, which is not what I expect in a edge-of-your-seat thriller. Part of the reason I love thrillers so much is because you can at least imagine it happening in your real life. Though, If you love action movies and fast-paced plots, I say you have a high chance of enjoying this one more than I did!

Thank you stmartinspress/@minotaur_books and @netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twisty with a unique (if a little hard to believe) fun!

This latest by Alex Finlay, an author becoming more and more known for twisty summer reads, is a page turner. The story centers on a group of former group home members who have done pretty well leaving their past behind, until that past comes to hunt them down, literally.

While some parts were far-fetched, I enjoyed the characters enough that I let it go, and enjoyed the ride. This is a perfect thriller for getting over a book slump or if you love action.

"What Have We Done" opens with several kids from a group home doing something terrible. We then reunite with them as adults and see how their experiences in the group home shaped them into who they are today. But when the past catches up with them they must reunite and face their demons together.

I consistently love everything Alex Finlay writes and "What Have We Done" is no exception. I really liked he took these kids in the group home and grew them all into anything but ordinary adults. I loved Jenna, I loved where she started, what she went through and where she ended up. Seeing how each character ended up where they were in life was really interesting. My only complaint is a moments I got confused because there are a lot of characters/names in this book. I ended up making a "cheat sheet" just to keep track,

Overall this is another great book from one of my favorite go-to authors! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication; it was a pleasure!

One of the years most anticipated thrillers of the year is the latest from Alex Finlay, author of Night Shift and Every Last Fear. When I saw it on the Minotaur affiliates email, it was an auto-request for me. I hadn't read anything by this author, but I had heard so many good things about his previous work that I felt sure it would be a slam dunk thriller. Perhaps I should have started with one of the other books after all because this was just okay for me. I liked it, but honestly, I was disappointed. It wasn’t what I was expecting from someone of Finlay’s caliber.

Let’s start with what I liked. I liked the female characters, who were simply more interesting than the male characters. I actually ended up quite liking Casey and Haley, sociopaths though they may be. The story had a decent plot, but while there were a few tense moments, it wasn’t the thriller I was expecting. Too much of the story was too over the top to be believable and it needs to be believable to be suspenseful.

Still it was an enjoyable enough read. Even though this is my first of his books, I liked it well enough to try another of them. I’ll probably give Night Shift or Every Last Fear a shot. If you have read those and loved them, I still think you might like this one, but I don’t know if it will live up to them.

I don't know what I expected going into this book honestly. The last Finlay book I read was more of a detective mystery but this one was a full-on action-packed thriller. The short chapters made it super easy to fly through and it was super entertaining!

The characters were interesting - I didn't expect to have a hitwoman in the book let alone all these other unique characters. (I almost never read the synopsis except when I first decided I want to read the book so I can go in surprised every time - this system never fails when it comes to being absolutely surprised by every book I read). I loved that all of them had this huge secret and it we definitely have to wait to find out what it is. I did think the main secret was a little predictable - but the ending had me shocked over who was the one out to kill them all. Even down to the last page there were little twists that I never expected.

The writing style alone made it so hard to set this book down - it seemed something was always being revealed that made me want to continue reading. Combined with the short chapters, I managed to read this book in two sittings and loved it. I liked this one the best out of Finlay's other books I have read.

I highly recommend this one if you love a good thriller. This one was easily a 4.5-star read!

What Have We Done is the third book I’ve read by Alex Finlay and sadly, this is the first one that didn’t quite work for me. The plot follows three former friends, Nico, Jenna, and Donnie, who bonded during their time at a group home for teens. In present day, they all have secrets and someone sinister is targeting them.

What I enjoyed about this book was the quick pace and the action but overall, the plot was super over the top. The assassin aspect is unrealistic and you really need to suspend believe to enjoy this.

A quick paced thriller that isn’t super memorable. 2.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the short chapters and the fast pace of this book. I did struggle at times to keep up with all the characters. Overall, I would say it’s a 3 star book…it was good but nothing over the top….definitely kept my interest.
Thanks to @netgalley for allowing me to review this book!

I absolutely loved Alex Finlay’s last book “The Night Shift” and I was thrilled to receive an early copy of his upcoming release, “What Have We Done.” He has taken the psychological thriller to the next level by adding a bit of suspense along with fast-paced action scenes. I always try to solve the mystery before the final scene has played out but in this instance, I was tricked by the many twists and turns and the shocking ending.

Long lost friends, Jenna, Donnie and Nico’s lives are in danger and it is soon apparent that secrets from their past have come back to haunt them. Mr. Finlay delves into the backgrounds of the friends as they narrowly escape death at the hands of an unknown assailant. They met as teenagers at the Savior House, a disreputable home for wayward teens and little did they know that their actions twenty-five years ago would resurface, and turn their worlds upside down.

Jenna was my favorite character because I could understand her desire to lead a normal life with her family in suburbia. She was tricked into becoming involved in the nefarious activity that ultimately resulted in a reunion with Donnie and Nico. All of them had targets on their backs and they had no one to trust and every reason to worry. Friends always take care of each other and it was up to Jenna to convince Donnie and Nico that working together was the only way to come out of this nightmare alive.

What Have We Done is very different from Alex Finlay’s previous books. I adored both Every Last Fear and The Night Shift, so I was convinced the third time would be extra charming. Sadly, What Have We Done wasn’t my favorite, but I do think the bar was set extremely high.

What Have We Done is action-packed. I know I have said that before about a thriller or suspenseful read, but I really, really mean it this time. Characters with a shared past and a big secret are reunited when their lives are threatened and absolute chaos ensues.

I think what I struggled with was the shifting timeline. Occasionally, characters would reveal memories, which I usually love, but the way they were written into the storyline confused me. That being said, this was an incredibly fast paced read and the alternating POVs worked really well. I love when the reader is treated to little morsels of information from different sources. Since this is Finlay, there’s obviously a great story here. I personally found all the action a bit over the top but I think the right reader will love this one!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to be an early reader.

This is a twisty and action packed book. I loved that it had shorter chapters so it made you feel like you were flying through the book. Sometimes with longer chapters you feel like some thrillers just drag on. But I didn't feel that way with this book. This was a first time read for me by this author and I will be reading more books by Alex Finlay.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press (Minotaur Books) for allowing me to read this ARC in advanced.

Alex Finlay (The Night Shift) is back with another thriller and another set of characters haunted by their past. Jenna, Donnie, and Nico all spent part of their adolescence at Savior House, a group foster care home. The trio has had varied levels of success in the 25 intervening years - a successful housewife and step-mother, a once famous rock star, and a reality show producer with a gambling habit - but the death of their mutual friend Ben Woods (a successful federal judge) has the trio revisiting their past. Unfortunately for them, a member of that past is seeking revenge. Finlay creates an engaging cast and uses alternating viewpoints to allow their individual perspectives to shine and keep the pace moving quickly. The overall plot is clever and entertaining, but is unfortunately hampered by an unrealistic pair of sociopathic antagonists.

Alex Finlay has made their mark as a dependable thriller writer. What Have We Done features twists, turns and lost of action but took a little too long for the story to come together.

3 stars + 1 because the book takes place in the area where I work which was pretty cool.

This is my third read from this author and while it wasn't my favorite, I did enjoy it. It is a very fast paced story that was hard to put down at times. I did feel that there were certain elements of the story that were unnecessary and felt a little forced. For example, the identity of the hired assassin was odd to me. It was an interesting concept and may have been better as a fully developed story on it's own instead of a side story to this one. The other characters were great and I definitely felt invested in their backstory. I wanted very much for them to come out on top.

Overall a great, quick read!

What makes a good thriller? Fast pacing, concise chapters, expert plotting. You'll find these things and more in Alex Finlay's latest novel, What Have We Done. This would make a great film if you're into action and rapid pacing. Because I enjoy a bit of a slow burn, or more of a mystery (taste is subjective), I was hoping to find more of this in the read. But the many characters are interesting, and the friendships formed are tender. I'll be on the watch for the next Finlay novel.