Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC of What Have We Done in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty five years ago, something dark was happening at Savior House, a group home for orphans in Chestertown, Pennsylvania, and several girls went missing. That is, until five teens—Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Arty, and Ben—found a way to put a stop to it. But now, in the present, someone seems to seeking revenge on those five. Ben has been murdered, and attempts have been made on the lives of the other four. Will they be able to figure out who’s hunting them down, and why, before it’s too late?

As is Mr. Finlay’s style, the story in What Have We Done is told by shifting narrators, mostly in the present but with occasional memories to relate moments from the past. The alternation of narrators does a nice job of slowly revealing little morsels about what happened, the characters’ various secrets, and the occasional red herring. The writing is strong, and the short, staccato chapters propel the story forward.

That said, What Have We Done didn’t work for me as well as Mr. Finlay’s earlier novels. What happened in the past was largely predictable, and the one piece of it that wasn’t predictable was never adequately explained. What was happening in the present was far too dependent on debatable choices (especially the one that put the whole story in motion), and several unrealistic characters (Jenna, Haley and Casey).

What Have We Done has an interesting premise (though not necessarily an original one). But I think the story sacrifices some emotional depth and logic, and leaves some complicated ideas unexplored, focusing instead on creating lots of action sequences. It’s not a bad book, just a bit underwhelming. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I'll be honest, I saw Alex Finlay's name and immediately requested without even reading the blurb, which is totally my fault. The whole premise of this book is not one I really enjoy... It was DEFINITELY action/adventure which I know some people love, but I don't. Not loving the genre is not a reason for a lower star rating (imo), so my reasoning for that is down below.

I want to start by saying I LOVE this author. I mean hello, I requested this without reading the blurb 🤣 I have absolutely loved his other two books, Every Last Fear and The Night Shift. I was SO excited to read this one, and while I did enjoy it quite a lot - I did not love it. I felt that the writing was a bit chaotic and hard to follow, especially with all of the random flashbacks happening. I think 'chaotic' was the point, however that's not really a style of writing that I enjoy.

I do think MANY people will love this one! Thank you for my gifted e-ARC.

I'm going to call this one an Action Thriller in the vein of the TV series, Alias, with Jennifer Garner playing Sydney Bristow. If that is your jam, this is the book for you. Lots of implausible action to propel the storyline of a group home called Savior House and the teens that ran from it 25 years earlier. The body count rises as do the amount of villains that get more outlandish as it goes. A quick read for those that want to jump on the ride.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for access to my early copy. All opinions are mine.
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3.75 rounded up. Held my interest and the twists were good. Just felt a little long. But was fast paced and engaging enough that I stayed up late reading every night.

New author to me and I liked parts of this book - but sometimes the subject matter was a bit too heavy. I'm not usually a fan of books with multiple perspectives but in this book it worked better than some. The action kept the book moving and made it a good read. I will definitely read this author again and look forward to the next book. Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins press for my advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another fast paced and entertaining read from Alex Finlay! Twenty-five years ago a small group of children did something horrible. Now as adults they are being reunited because someone is trying to kill them.

I enjoyed this from start to finish. It’s action packed and hard to set aside once you start reading! Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy.

Thankful to have had an opportunity to read this book! I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Following each of the characters separate stories chapter by chapter and how it all came together in the end made this book both suspenseful and interesting. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller. Alex Finlay is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Looking forward to what he comes up with next!

3.5 rounded up. 5 teens have a secret and have done their best to live life and not think about that night. 25 years has gone by and it now seems to be coming after them, attempting to end each of their lives, who is behind these attacks? Does have some over the top story lines, very twisty and told from 4 different perspectives that flow pretty well without causing confusion. Not my favorite by the author but definitely worth a read!!

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins press for my advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for my honest review!!

ARC from NetGalley.
Not my favorite. Could not get connected enough to finish. Seemed too unrealistic for my preference.

Wow! This book was such a wild adventure. From the minute the first character was introduced the story took off and didn't slow down until the very end. I loved how the characters were explored from their past to their current lives and how those experiences shaped who they are as well as how they responded to the current threat in their lives.

I had no clue who the mastermind behind the situation was until it was revealed in the book! I also loved the strong female characters.

When a group who grew up together in an abusive group home gets targeted by a couple of wannabe assassins, they need to band together to figure out who is after them and why. All signs point to this being revenge for a crime they committed together back in the group home after they look into the disappearance of their friends. A aging rock star, a gambling tv producer, a tech mogul, and an assassin turned stepmom need to work together to escape whoever is after them and stop them before they all get killed.

A fast paced and twisty thriller. Kept me guessing until the end and I was shocked by the end.

My favorite person was Jenna because she manages to be one great mom and a stone cold killer. I liked how out of them all she was marked as special.

This fast paced novel had me flipping through the pages to figure out what was going to happen next! Loved the connection between the characters and how they all helped each other in the end.

Alex Finlay's junior novel is another gripping, suspenseful read. He captivates his audience in all the right ways!

a lot of this being set in Delco was really fun for me, but otherwise it’s my least fav of Finlay’s so far. I enjoyed the setup but once we got halfway through I felt kinda lost and the story didn’t really go in an interesting direction for me

Super high energy book. It grabbed me from the first page! Unforgettable characters and unspeakable secrets. I'd highly recommend this book! 4 out of 5 ⭐️

Twenty-five years ago, a group of teens from a sketchy group home commit a crime and decide to never speak of it again. The home closes, and they move on and create successful, yet unsettled lives for themselves. Eventually one of them spills the beans and someone has taken it upon themselves to kill all of them.
The story is fast-paced and mostly interesting even though I didn't really like any of the characters. Jenna, a stay-at-home mom with a past was the most likable and well-developed. Nico, a T.V. show producer, and Donnie, a washed-up rock star were so lost in their addictions and trauma that it was hard to distinguish them at times. I was also disappointed and disturbed by the sexy assassin storyline. It was too sexist and over the top in my opinion.
Overall, I thought the story was interesting but I won't be singing its praises from my rooftop.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

I haven't read anything else by Alex Finlay, and I don't think I would continue after this one... it was.. fine. Just fine. The characters were underdeveloped, and the pacing was choppy, but it was still readable. It was definitely a thriller beach read-- the kind you use to escape that does not reflect on reality at all. I think there was some potential in Jenna's character and story, but there were just too many viewpoints to be able to absorb any one perspective.

Overall, I would not recommend this book.

Being a fan of Alex Finlay’s other books - ‘The Night Shift’ and ‘Every Last Fear’, I was eagerly anticipating this read. It came as a surprise, but this wasn’t what I was expecting (I went in blind without reading the synopsis). This read was action packed and included assassins. I wasn’t a fan of the character development. This was fast paced with short chapters, it kept me interested in the plot. This type thriller (action packed) isn’t my favorite, I prefer his other books which were more suspenseful thrillers. I will continue to read all of his future books. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

This book had a difficult start for me, it took some time to grasp the characters and the flow of the writing, but once I did, I was in for a wild and crazy ride.

A little too far-fetched at times for my taste, but overall an entertaining read. And there were some really sweet passages referencing Calvin and Hobbes that I adored.