“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.

What do a suburban yoga mom, down and out rock star and a television producer all have in common and why is someone trying to kill them? “What Have We Done” is a story that will answer these questions and take you on an action packed wild ride. As the story unfolds we discover that Jenna, Donnie and Nico had once been very close friends when they all lived in a group home for teens and share a dark secret. The three have not seen or heard from one another in twenty years but are reunited when it becomes apparent someone knows their secret and wants to ensure that no one is left alive to tell it. Told from three perspectives in duel timelines it is sometimes confusing trying to comprehend if their thoughts are in the past or are part of their current situations. If you’re a fan of fast action thriller and can put reality aside, this may be for you.

What do a federal judge, a TV producer with an addiction, a has-been rockstar, a tech entrepreneur and a stay-at-home yoga mother have in common?

More in common than you’d think! All five are being targeted by assassins and all five have been keeping a secret for the past 25 years. One would never believe it, but as teenagers, these 5 became forever linked when they buried a secret on the grounds of Saviour House, a foster home for homeless teens.

I was immediately pulled into the story shared by three of the friends and the mystery killer. I was making note of potential suspects and trying to decipher fact from fiction. Somewhere along the way, though, I was wishing for more tension/suspense and better development, both in the characters and their pasts. When I got sidelined with whiplash trying to switch gears between past and present, and a lull in the pace, it took a toll on my interest. However, I really wanted to know who was targeting them and who’d be the next victim and was glad I stuck it through to the end. This was one reunion I’d never want to experience or look forward to! For Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Arty and Ben…it’s the only way forward…and the only way to save them all.

Finlay shows that the past will always come back to haunt us if we don’t bury it properly.

If you can suspend disbelief and like a mystery to sink your teeth into, this is a good read. It was very different from the writing style and tauter plotting of The Night Shift and had some unexpected lighter moments.

Fabulous cover and title!

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I was greatly looking forward to reading this novel after reading other books by Alex Finlay, but sadly this disappointed. It sadly did not stand out from the pack, and while I wanted to love it, certain sentences sounded forced and scripted. While the read was enjoyable, it was not captivating. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but hoped for more. The storylines were predictable - the aging rocker was banal, and it was just not a great read. I will, however read his new books, should he write more, as his previous books have been fantastic!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Alex Finlay novel and from what I've read, that may have been a mistake. <i>What Have We Done <i/>is what I imagine a James Patterson novel would feel like- there's a lot of unrealistic action in a fast-paced novel about people trying to figure out who is trying to kill them.

You have an assassin (think: Nikita), a washed-out rockstar, and a reality TV producer, all bound together due to their time at a group home, Savior House, and all being forced to come together to figure out who is hunting them down, one-by-one.

It's not that this book was <i>bad</i> but it also wasn't something I'm usually into. I thought this would be more of a mystery/thriller vs. the action/thriller book that it was. With all that said, though, I really felt like I understood each character so I'd be willing to give his other books a go.

What Have You Done is an action packed thriller told through 3 POV & flashbacks to the dark past. Three teenagers meet in a group home & go their separate ways after a horrific secret - Now they must meet again because someone wants them all dead.

Excellent, captivating story that pulls you in from the very beginning. I read it in one sitting!

5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Great mystery.

Okay, so for the first quarter or third of the book I was rolling my eye quite often. Everything was just over the top, or at least it seemed that way to me & I kept thinking to myself “I doubt this is really how this works?” But, then again, I have NO idea how any of that really works, so who am I to question it!

Well, as I kept reading I came to realize that it didn’t matter because the book had so much action that I was completely wrapped up in the story! I found myself feeling like I had to rush back to “watch the end of the movie!” & I think this would make a great movie.

I really enjoyed the characters, especially their childhood and learning how they came to be who they are. I just really wish we had gotten more of Ben, their memories of him made me love him. I definitely enjoyed this read!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and the author for an ARC.

Alex Finlay has quickly become one of my favorite writers. His novels are fast-paced and engrossing, and WHWD is no exception. It might be his best work yet. The characters leap off the page, flaws and all. It’s impossible not to empathize with them (even the antagonists!). From the very beginning, WHWD takes off at breakneck speed. Told through alternating viewpoints and short chapters (a pacing trick I love), it’s a thriller and coming-of-age tale rolled into one. The POV characters all resided at Savior House as children, an experience that left them traumatized but also made them who they are as adults. What is the decades-old secret that ties them together? And who wants them dead because of it?
While Finlay is great at edge-of-your-seat pacing and red herrings and other genre conventions, it’s his masterful character work that sets him apart.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the eGalley of this book!