Although I have read most of Alex Finley‘s books I found myself putting this book down and not wanting to pick it up. The characters were undeveloped and the plot just seem to go on and on. I have to admit I did scan some of the pages. I will continue to watch for her new arrivals, I have not lost faith in this author.

So buckle up because unfortunately this review is going to be as scattered as the plot of this book. There is just a lot going on and I’m not quite sure it all comes together in the end. The basic premise of a group of friends from a children’s home keeping a dark secret is great and I felt really invested at the start however it all quickly devolves into chaos and not in a good way. There’s so much setup for this big mystery that ultimately never gets properly explained and I had so many unanswered questions that were never addressed. I wish I had enjoyed this more but in the end it just didn’t do it for me.

From the minute I opened this book I was completely hypnotized. The story follows 4 individuals as they try to put together a mystery of someone who is trying to get to them. It flips back and forth between their memories from their adolescent day to present time. Normally I would hate having to keep track of several characters but Alex Finley made is easy to follow. I devoured this book in a couple nights. I haven't had a book captivate me like this in a while so I will definitely be reading more from this author!

I love Alex Finlays other books but this felt different. More action movie than thriller mystery, I prefer his other stories much more, this one was too much for me.

This was an exciting book and thought it was well written. The author did a great job with the characters. 4 star read!

Amazing from beginning to end. This author is becoming one of my go to/auto buys and for good reason. You will be guessing until the very end of this read but you will be so enthralled that you’ll finish it in a day

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

A big thank you to this book for reinvigorating my interest in reading thrillers. As of late, many of the thrillers I have read seem to follow the same outline and pattern. But this story reminded me how a great author who builds a story slowly and surely can keep me captivated throughout. It felt like a true thriller!

This story is told through multiple POVs - but it is easy to differentiate between them. Four characters who met twenty five years before the story opens, when they each were living in Saviour House. Each character was living there not by choice, but by devasting circumstances beyond their control. After a traumatic night where there is an obvious secret that is being hidden, the characters part ways and each builds a life outside of the others. Nico becomes a hollywood producer with a gambling problem, Jenna becomes a step-mother of two hiding a previously forced career as a hitwoman, Donnie is a has-been rock and roll star with a drinking problem, and the story opens with Ben, a federal Judge found dead.

With insight into each character's life, this story opens with Ben's murder, followed by attempts on the other's lives. Since they haven't kept in touch, the characters don't realize the connection to Saviour House immediately. This book is action-packed while also telling a very interesting story. None of the characters are overly likeable, but your will still root for them. Each has their own hurdles to overcome, but the reader also learns how those hurdles were formed. There were good twists in this one and an ending I had an inkling about, but was still pleasantly surprised.

Definitely recommend. I have to admit that I still liked Night Shift better (one of my only 5 star thriller reads) - but this solidifies Alex Finlay as an auto-buy author for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC to read and review. Publishes 3.07.23. Preorder now!!

I have devoured Alex Finlay’s previous books and I remember loving them so I was excited to get approved for her latest book “What Have We Done”. I found myself hooked at first but then I got bored with it at the halfway point and found myself skimming the pages. I really didn’t care for the characters or the plot line so this one was a DNF for me. Just not for me I guess. Looking forward to her next book though. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published March 2023.

“We’re all capable of the unthinkable when it means protecting our families.”

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay is a psychological thriller following three teenagers that met – due to circumstances beyond their control – at Savior House, a home for abandon children. Jenna is now a housewife with two stepchildren, but has recently left a life as an assassin working for The Corporation. Donnie is a Rockstar, now beyond his prime but still performing, that likes to drink too much. Nico works on a reality TV show and has a gambling addiction. Years have passed since they have seen each other, but when someone tries to kill all 3 of them, it becomes obvious that it goes back to something terrible they did on a fateful night 25 years ago.

Manipulation, mind games, control and strategy lead us down a mysterious path involving other children, now grown, from this curious house that shaped its occupants in peculiar ways.

This fast-paced book had it all! I found myself quickly turning the pages (I did like the short, to the point chapters) and all of the characters – though vastly different – meshed together in a way that surprisingly made sense. I was intrigued, captivated, and enjoyed that there were multiple villains – though not as expected.

The characters evolved, and you could tell how their priorities had changed. While entertaining, there was also a depth that could be found and a lesson we could learn from every character – even the minor players. I loved how Jenna reminded me of Nikita, though how many assassins can we have in one novel?!

This was my first Finlay book, and I will definitely be going back to reading his others. This book had many layers and though it may have been over the top and unbelievable in some ways, it was a great, action-packed fiction that lets you escape into a different world – as a good book allows. You are left questioning how choices we make when we are younger can come back and haunt us as adults. I give this 3.8 stars rounded up to 4!

Thank you NetGalley for this thrilling novel! All opinions are honest and my own.

“You can thank me by taking care of your problem without it taking care of you.”

To NetGalley only and not on my posted reviews - I have to say, I never comment on mistakes because I know the book isn't fully being done with edits, but Chapter 72, in the beginning says that Donnie "snacks himself in the face," instead of smacks. I thought this was one of the best things I've ever read and definitely laughed a lot due to it - snacks in the face was classic and I enjoyed the misprint!!

I am a huge Alex Finlay fan! I loved Every Last Fear and The Night Shift is one of my favorite books of 2022. What Have We Done starts out strong and immediately hooked me. I kept asking myself, What is going on here? How are these people connected? I was on the edge of my seat and flipping digital pages frantically to get some answers. My favorite kind of thriller!

However, the story started to lose momentum for me around the halfway mark as things started to come together. As someone who works in public education it was rather unbelievable to me that an adult would be able to waltz into the school to access their child’s locker without assistance from a school official, especially when this school is described as having extra security measures due to the high profile children in attendance. Additionally, kids who disappear from a children’s home and are dismissed as not having ever lived there would have easily been verified by their attendance in public school which is described multiple times in the book. Where were the educators who would wonder what happened to these children? Major plot hole here.

There were still a few surprises toward the end that were interesting, but nothing jaw-dropping. Overall just a middle of the road book that had promise, but ultimately didn’t wow me. It pains me to say that this book just didn’t really hit the mark for me based on my love of Finlay’s previous books. Thank you to Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.

A federal judge was murdered, a mining “accident” occurs in West Virginia,
an assassention attempt of a rich businessman is made, and a rockstar falls off a cruise ship. The common thread is that all of these victims were children together at Savior House decades ago and these events are not a coincidence. It is clear that someone is targeting them, but who and why? A dark past brought these kids together at Savior House where they all partook in a nefarious activity, one they’ve been keeping secret ever since.

I have mixed feelings on this one. I was intrigued by the storyline because it was unique compared to other mystery/thrillers. The execution of the storyline was mediocre for me and at times just too unbelievable to thoroughly enjoy. There were numerous times throughout where I was more confused than I figured I ought to be trying to put pieces together and remember bits from 200 pages prior. It came together in the end, albeit a bit choppy. This one is action packed for those loving that type of thrill.

✨Ｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ✨

What Have We Done 📚 by Alex Finlay

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Thank you @netgalley
for this #advancereaderscopy!


Unfortunately this was probably the worst book I read this year. I had heard great things about The Night Shift, so I was excited to read this one. This book was so unrealistic and the writing style was lacking for sure, with some pretty cheesy lines. The plot follows a group of people who experience different events after being in an orphanage together as kids (I don't want to give too much away). The characters, plot, and writing style all lacked and I reallyyy struggled to get through this one.

On to the next book!

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This wasn't my favorite Alex Finlay book but I still found it to be an enjoyable read that kept my attention.

Great read! Well developed characters, and I was guessing until the end! Have read books by this author before, and this did not disappoint!

Easy read. Overall enjoyable. Wasn’t a page turner but the storyline kept me going. Look forward to reading more books by the author

If you like thrillers, this is the book for you! It constantly had me guessing who was the bad guy. I must have changed my mind at least 5 different times!

I really liked this book. Great character development. The plot line moved at a good pace and kept me guessing. I really liked the past timeline better. Kinda gave me Stephen King vibes about the friends when they were young in the group home. The ending i could not guess and did not see coming.

I absolutely love Alex Finlay. I have read everything but I have to say this wasn’t my favorite unfortunately, almost seemed like it was written by a different person.

I shouldn't admit this, but What Have We Done is my first Alex Finlay read! Yes, it took me two other total hits in the bookstagram world to say okay, I'll give him a try, and wow am I glad I did. What Have We Done is a standout, multi-narrator thriller that I could never have guessed the ending for. In fact, I could have never guessed where this plot was going to take me. Action-packed and incredibly unique, What Have We Done follows three individuals as their lives are threatened by a contracted killer. As the three fight for their lives they begin to connect the dots, finding themselves back at the house that brought them together in their youth. Five kids did something bad and 25 years ago they'll find themselves paying for it.

A Rockstar, a mom, and a tv producer cross the road... to get away from a sadistic killer who will do anything to take them down. Written in a distinctive way, What Have We Done is one of those thrillers that will check boxes for thriller fans of every type. While the characters are older, and in incredibly different careers now, their past was once shared and it's that past that has come back to haunt them. With alternating narrators and dual timelines, readers see the abusive foster home and the monster in those walls that shaped the adults they are today. Twisted and totally a read that's impossible to untangle, What Have We Done was a fun, fast-paced read for me that I could not put down.

What Have We Done is the 3rd book by Alex Finlay and was one I was extremely excited about receiving an ARC for, since I loved his previous books.

I was unfortunately disappointed by this book. It was extremely fast paced, to the point where it was difficult to follow and all over the place. The lack of detail really made it difficult to connect with the story and characters and took me out of the atmosphere. It almost felt like there was a word limit on the story and parts were deleted after-the-fact to ensure the main plot points stayed in, which lead to the ending feeling very underwhelming.

The assassin/Corporation storyline was also not something I enjoyed, however that might be up to personal preference. It felt far-fetched and over-the-top to me, especially compared the more realistic settings of Finlay’s last two books. While reading, I was reminded of the whole storyline on Scandal with the B613 covert assassin agency, because like this book, I truly had no idea where the storyline was going or what purpose it served, and it took away from more interesting aspects of the plot.

It felt like the storyline of the missing girls at Saviour House was really glossed over, when, if framed differently, that story could have really been much more interesting and likely could have carried the whole book.

Overall, if you’re expecting a thriller like Every Last Fear and the Night Shift, this isn’t it. If you enjoy action/spy/assassin stories, maybe this is for you. I will still absolutely read the next book Finlay comes out with, but I hope it’s more of a return to the thriller genre.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my review.