I really didn’t enjoy this one. It was hard to follow, it was difficult to care for the characters and it seemed to be all over the place. I dnf’d around 40%

Alex Finlay is one of my auto read authors. I enjoy her stories and the crazy adventures that she writes for her characters. There was a lot going on in the book and at times it made it a little hectic to try to figure out exactly what was supposed to be happening. But I just kept going knowing that it would come together in the end. Sometimes you just have to go along for the ride.
I enjoyed the aspect of trying to figure out the mystery and what the heck was going down. Plus there was some badass female energy.
There was also some characters to hate, which is great.
Definitely different than Alex's other books, but not one to skip entirely.

I've had luck with Alex Finlay in the past but this book was just not it for me, I was bored and confused and I couldn't feel for any of the characters. There was no connection so I was really disappointed with this book. I had high hopes but it fell flat for me...

This book was much more action packed than I really care for in my thrillers. Most of the characters were unlikeable, but it worked in this case. The story felt just a bit drawn out towards the end and slightly unbelievable with some of the assassin plots. This is not my favorite Alex Finlay book, but it was decent.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Whew! I am behind on my reviews, but I wanted to start with one of my favorites. Anything Alex Finlay writes I will absolutely be obessed with, there isn't a doubt in my mind.

I absolutely loved the dark secrets that were buried deep within the pages of this book. Action packed, dark, and enhralling. What Have We Done is a winner! I was kept hanging on until the ver last page. While I wasn't able to connect with the characters, I still found myself intrigued and wanting to know more. Think the Losers club, but something much scarier than a killer clown chasing everyone around.

Well plotted and written, Alex Finlay isn't to be missed!

Five foster children share a secret, and one of them has just been murdered. It's been 25 years of keeping a dark secret, and Jenna, Donnie, Nico, and Artie now have to come out from the shadows. Who killed their friend, and why? Has someone discovered what happened back in Pennsylvania? Finlay takes you on a pretty wild ride, but it keeps you entertained. The ending was a bit convoluted, but the rest of the book was great. I love a good secret from the past comes back type of story, but I think anyone who likes a good thriller will enjoy. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jenna, Donnie, Art, Ben and Nico were all residents of a group home called Savior House. When multiple girls went missing, the home was shut down, separating the five teens. As adults, they went on to live some-what successful lives.

This book was a thrilling and chilling !! Full of secrets, deceit and mystery. I was engrossed in the story and couldn’t put this book down. I’m always up for a good thriller and this did not disappoint. Perfect read for spooky season!!!!

Alex Finlay is quickly becoming an author I will autobuy. What have we done follows 5 adults who made a horrible decision when they were foster care teens in a small town. Someone is out to get them now, having put hits and attempted assissinations on all 5 of them, with one actually dying. Now they are trying to figure out who knows and why.

I love Finlays writing. Short chapters. Multiple points of view. It takes the reader on a journey of information. He does a great job of giving every point of view their own voice and also moves the story along. Finding the culprit was a bit twisty and I was impressed. The manipulations were consistent from childhood onward. I'd recommend this book to others. It was easy and fast and fun.

This book was amazing, The cover drew me in and I was so excited to read this, I was blown away with the thrills and the story line. I definitely have bought copies for my family and friends to read!

I received a free copy of What Have We Done from Netgalley and St Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.
What Have We Done is a mystery thriller about the survivors of the residence known as Savior House and the childhood bonds they formed – and how those bonds are stretched and tested over the past twenty-five years.
Twists and turns are abundant in Alex Finlay’s new thriller. I never knew what would happen next and my jaw dropped more than once before the final page. It was exciting and terrifying, dragging the reader along with the reluctant protagonists.

What Have We Done is a thriller about a group of teenagers who met in a group home and the terrible secret they keep between them. Now adults, someone appears determined to make that secret come to light by any means necessary. This is my second Alex Finlay novel and I really enjoyed it. To be honest, it started a little far fetched for me with one of the first main characters being an assassin and starting off right away with an order for a crazy hit. However, the novel quickly became so engaging, I had difficulty putting it down. I enjoyed the duel timelines and learning all the connections of the characters. Alex Finlay is a master of twist and turns and engrossing stories that will keep you guessing to the very end.

I dabble into the spy and assassin thrillers from time to time and usually enjoy them. Though I typically like my psychological thrillers to be character-driven—and that’s not usually what we find in more action-packed thrillers—Alex Finlay’s latest book What Have We Done somehow manages to be both. A heart-pounding thriller about a group of former foster kids who have put the past behind them, until someone is bringing it back with deadly motives.

My Thoughts

This is a departure in style for Alex Finlay, though he does tend to have some killer (pun intended) plots for his books. I found this to be more action-y, like watching a good action thriller. The book is more plot-driven than character-driven, though the characters were well-developed enough to keep me hooked.

Twenty-five years before the events of the book, Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Ben, and Arty lived at Savior House, a home that takes in kids whose parents have passed away or left them. While in some ways Savior House saved them—it gave them a place to stay when they had nowhere—it was also their tormentor. Girls at Savior House seem to disappear. Maybe they got placed with families like the administration said, but it seems unlikely. We learn about Savior House and their time there through snippets of story and memories. Savior House looms over the story as a dark entity. Even before we learn exactly what happened at Savior House, it’s clear this was not a happy home.

But it did bring our central five characters together. As adults, they don’t keep in touch as much as they should. Jenna is the central character of the book, and in my opinion by far the most compelling (though I think I would have also thoroughly enjoyed Ben if he had been alive for the book). Jenna was “recruited” (and I put this in quotes because she was definitely not old enough to consent fully to this) into a shadowy organization known as The Corporation. Among the many skills Jenna learned, she also became an assassin.

When the book begins, Jenna is retired from her life of crime and adventure, married to a lovely man with a teenage daughter. She’s happy. And that makes the events of the book particularly terrifying, because Jenna receives a calling card that must be from The Corporation.

I loved reading Jenna’s story. It was entirely unrelatable—something that can at times be frustrating—but in this case it worked because Jenna herself was relatable. She’ll do anything to protect her loved ones and the quiet, content life she has finally achieved. Jenna isn’t naïve though, she has safe guards upon safe guards built around their life to trigger if any threat gets too close. And sure enough, they all get triggered one by one.

The third-person narration worked well so we could get glimpses from a few different character’s stories. Donnie and Nico were less compelling and developed than Jenna, but equally as important to the broader story. They hold some pieces of the story we wouldn’t get if we only heard from Jenna.

The book moves fast and it becomes clear early on that someone is targeting this group from Savior House. While the characters seem like caricatures in their descriptions, they actually had some interesting development to them. Jenna is not your average former-assassin. Donnie may be a washed up musician, but he has more going on than you think. And Nico has a lot more details to uncover about what is going on in his life and his gambling addiction. The history of how he became the person he is fascinated me.

Though the book takes place in the present, this is a book grounded in the past. A lot of what we are trying to figure out is not just who is behind this, but what happened all of those years before? The past never stays in the past, after all. And secrets have a way of resurfacing.

Entertaining, lightening-fast, heart-pounding—What Have We Done may be different from Alex Finlay’s prior books but it is no less engrossing. A must-read if you are looking for a fast-paced thriller!

I was so looking forward to this book. I have read both the books by the author and loved them. Infact, The Night Shift was one of my favourite thrillers last year so I was so hyped for this book. I enjoyed it but did not love it as much as I had hoped I would.
The plot isn't new, we have a ragtag group of individuals that are linked through a shared secret when they were children.
Now, 25 years later, one of the members of the group gets murdered and each one of the group is under threat.
The premise is fine and should have worked but somehow it didn't come together for me. What should be thrilling I found forced. There are a few characters to follow and each has two timelines so it bounces around a lot, but not enough detail is presented.
Everything does come together in the end but the villain and the motive just didn't add up for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Oh how I loved this one! It was such a fast paced read totally binge worthy! Would make a really good fall time read

This book was very different than I was expecting it to be and definitely a lot more unhinged than I was anticipating. It was a quick, action-packed ride with one crazy plot. I’m still not even sure how I feel about it. It was good as a mindless adrenaline ride, but the plot was so far-fetched that it was hard to take serious.

The book follows Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. As kids, they were connected by the foster home they lived in together and unfortunate events that occurred during that time. Now, as adults, they have drastically different lives. Jenna is a stay-at-home mom who is hiding a big secret about her former life. One that comes back to haunt her and her family. Donnie is an aging rockstar with a addiction problem whose life takes a turn when someone tries to kill him. And then there is Nico, a TV producer for a mining reality show with an addiction of his own and whose life literally crumbles around him. These misfits must come back together to figure out who is trying to kill them and solve the mysteries of their past. The character development was actually really solid in this book and probably the best part of the story.

This plot included A LOT. And by A LOT, I mean A LOT! Missing girls, gambling addictions, drug/alcohol addictions, assassins, vengeful twins, abuse, and corruption. I don’t even know how to describe this book without giving things away so I’m just going to leave it at this. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was entertaining. If you like action thrillers then this is absolutely a book for you. It’s fast-paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

What a book. This was a shocking ending. I really thought that I had figured this one out mid-way through but the whole ending was jaw-dropping. The story is fast-paced and keeps you interested and hooked the whole time with multiple twists. Each chapter is pretty much a different character POV, but overall it is easy to keep up with and keep track of everything.

Easily one of my favorite from Alex Findlay! This book was action packed with a lot of twist and turns!