Alex Finlay has written his best book yet. If you liked "Every Last Fear" and "The Night Shift" (as I did) you will likely be pleasantly surprised (as I was) that this book feels like a 100% Finlay thriller while also feeling completely new and different from his previous two books.

I thought the characters were well-formed, and especially appreciated the juxtaposition of seeing how they came to be who they are (from childhood scenes) against the race for their lives in the modern day scenes. Settings were fresh, as well, and helped showcase the urgency of the situations the characters found themselves within.

The book is fast-paced and, unlike other books with multiple characters, easy to follow each storyline as they march toward lining up. I highly recommend this book and am already looking forward to the next Alex Finlay thriller!

This novel is such a perfect example of the fact that we can never truly outrun our past no matter how hard we try… this book had me from the very first pages!!!

Someone is trying to kill the former residents of Savior House, a group home for teens that was shut down twenty-five years ago after a bunch of kids disappeared and the facility's director disappeared.

I was not a fan of this book. It was told through multiple POVs, which I usually love (and which Finlay has done really well in previous books), but it was discombobulating here, especially when coupled with the time switches -- some kind of indicator in the heading about the section's timeframe (like a NOW/THEN) would be helpful and make the story seem slightly less jumpy. The plot didn't make a ton of sense and was more of an action thriller than a mystery. That genre is fine, but not what I was expecting from this book. I can't get into much detail about what I disliked plot-wise without spoilers, so I will leave it at: confusing and not my favorite.

I've really enjoyed Finlay's first two books, especially The Night Shift, but this one was a miss. That said, I still look forward to reading whatever he comes up with next.

🔹 I just about broke my fingers requesting this book on NetGalley! I loved Finlay’s last 2 books, and I absolutely couldn’t wait to read this one. Sadly, it is not anywhere near the caliber of his first 2 novels.

🔹 The book started off with a bang! Crazy things are happening to different people and you have no idea how any of it is connected. It was intriguing because it was mysterious and confusing. I was dying to know more!

🔹 But once the connections started making some sense, that is where the story fell apart for me. The story had no depth, no heart and soul. I had no emotional connection to the characters at all. We have this group of people who lived together in a group home as children who apparently experienced things there horrific enough to impact their future lives; but, what these horrific things were & how these events truly impacted the MCs as children was never satisfactorily explained. The synopsis notes this story is “…a gut-wrenching coming-of-age story”. It was nothing of the sort. The MC’s backstories were extremely underdeveloped, and this had a huge negative impact on the rest of the book.

🔹 The story dragged. I read the first 30% or so at lightning speed… then I started getting bored. It took me over a week to finish this book & that is way out of the norm for me.

🔹 The plot was convoluted and unbelievable. I’m all for a great twist, but even with twists there is usually foreshadowing. Some of the things that happened in this story came out of thin air IMO. I wasn’t buying it.

🔹 I’m sorry that I didn’t like this book. I wanted to love it… I really did. Hopefully the author will return to his stories with FBI Agent Sarah Keller (from the previous 2 books) because he does those very well.

Thank you @NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This wasn’t my favorite read of the year. I wish there was a little more to it. Reading previous books from this author, this was a little different. I’m giving it three stars because over all I did want to finish the book

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

The death of a judge, once a resident of Savior House, brings Jenna, Donnie, and Nico together again. Ben Woods was their friend, their fellow resident at the group home for orphaned teenagers. And now he’s dead . . . murdered.

And now, someone, anxious to keep the secrets of their time in the abusive home, is trying to kill them.

Will the secrets of the past condemn them to the same fate as their friend or can they identify the one who wants them all dead?

=========

Told from several viewpoints, including Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Artemis, and the twins, the telling of this tale takes place in three parts . . . The Targets, The Reunion, The Truth. The unfolding narrative takes place in the present, with backstories slowly revealing their pasts.

Suspense builds as the compelling tale reaches a denouement readers simply won’t see coming.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#WhatHaveWeDone #NetGalley

I loved this book. It had me hooked from the beginning. I was immediately stunned by the unexpected storyline and it never seemed to taper.

I found this story a bit hard to follow. The characters would be present day then back in the past. We never really found out much about what happened to the kids in the past.

There are a few authors I will read no matter the subject matter and without reading the description. Automatic reads. Alex Finlay is now one of those authors. Three best friends from a group home haven't been in touch in 25 years. The stay-at-home mom, the has-been rockstar with an addiction problem, and the reality TV producer all share a secret. And they have all survived recent assassination attempts. They've long wanted a reunion but not like the one in What Have We Done.

As mentioned above, I had no clue what was in store with What Have We Done and the further I delved into the story the deeper Finlay pulled me in. You can tell which authors influenced Finlay, most notably Gregg Hurwitz. Finlay takes a thread from Orphan X and turns it on it's head. There is nothing better than a book which completely surprises you.

With rich characters and a lightning-fast plot, fans of Hurwitz, Baldacci, and Connelly will not want to miss What Have We Done.

My Sincere thanks to Alex Finlay, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of What Have We Done.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Loved this! This book is fast paced and kept me guessing until the end. Nico, Ben, Donnie & Jenna all spent time together growing up and becoming close friends at the Savior House (a group home for teens who had nowhere else to go). Fast forward to present day, when Ben is tragically killed. As they work to find out who killed him, they realize they are all targets themselves. Someone from their past wants them all dead…but why? And who? The secrets from their past have finally come back to haunt them. The chapters alternate between characters which keeps the pace moving quickly. Would definitely read another by Alex Finlay! Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

3.5 stars. I didn’t hate it, but my gosh, it took forever to get through!! A group of orphans commits a terrible act as teenagers, and 25 years later their sin is back to haunt them. I didn’t find the story at all realistic but the action kept it going and kept me from dnf-ing it. It was fine.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

“What Have We Done” by Alex Finlay is an enthralling thriller about ‘friends’ who are reunited under less than ideal circumstances. 25 years after a murder is committed, the characters find themselves victims of assassination attempts. Despite living very different lives, if they want to survive they’ll have to confront their forgotten past.

What it got right:
This story is incredibly well thought out. All of the characters had developed backstories. It felt as if a lot of care went into researching and formulating accuracy of everything involved in the book. I noticed in the acknowledgements that Alex Finlay took inspiration and got advice from people who’ve lived similar lives to the characters in his books. I think this is really what makes each character feel authentic. Even though there wasn’t much in terms of psychological disease and medical injury / incident, anything that was included in the story was accurate.

Despite the book being written from multiple perspectives, I felt that the story line was clear and easy to follow. I didn’t have trouble confusing the characters. Multiple POVs in a story can be tough to pull off, but this was an excellent example of how interesting a book can be if it’s done correctly. I also enjoyed the short chapters, which I think works well for the multiple POV technique.

What it could improve on:
Honestly not much. I really enjoyed the story and writing. There weren’t any technical or grammatical errors that I noticed. It wouldn’t have hurt to include FBI agent Sarah Keller in the story, but it was still good without her.

Overall Thoughts:
Let’s be real, I read this book in one sitting and would happily do it again. This book hooked me in from the first chapter. There was so much action and excitement that I did not want to put this down. I believe Alex Finlay’s third novel lives up to the hype of his other two. I’m excited to see what he’ll write about next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC of “What Have We Done” .

Very suspenseful with twists and turns abounding.
Jenna, Nico and Donnie spent time together as youths in a group home. They were separated and went on to lead successful lives. Today,as adults, they are reunited when attempts are made on their lives by someone seeking revenge for something they did, as young teens.
As they search for the person or people stalking them, the intrigue heightens and the suspense grows quickly with murder and mayhem in equal doses.
A great story with really good character and plot development.
The only negative for me was the rapid back and forth of chapters, between characters and dialogue, making it a bit difficult , at times, to follow smoothly.

After reading Every Last Fear and The Night Shift, I was so excited to be approved for Finlay’s newest book! I was more than ready for an action packed, twisty thriller/mystery.

Three teens who lived in a group home grow up to be a rockstar, TV producer, and a hit woman turned housewife. Things are great, until they realize someone is targeting them over a secret from their past.

I had a hard time connecting to these characters. I disliked… well, all of them. Maybe not Jenna, her transformation was interesting. It took me a little over a week to finish this one - it was very easy for me to put down and hard to pick back up. I wish the MCs interacted more and more to their relationship. There are flashbacks to their time in the group home, but the way it’s written made it hard for me to transition with the timelines. I had to go back and reread a few pages.

I don’t think this was Finlay’s greatest work, but I look forward to reading what is published next! I’m sure this one will have its fans, I am just CRAVING a fast paced THRILLING thriller. I got super busy with work this month and spooky season ended up being a bust for me this year 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Five teen orphans at the "Savior House" make a pact to do away with the cruel house master. That one act which changed their lives forever was kept a secret for the next 25 years. But now someone has decided to track down the five and kill them one by one. TV producer Nico, Rock star Donnie, Judge Ben, programming genius Artemis and former contract killer Jenna are all trying to unravel who told their secret and exactly who is after them. Could it be their childhood tormentor Derek, son of the man they murdered, an old case or a crazed fan, or is it one of them? Author Finlay leads us through the motivations and backstory of each character and keeps the reader guessing. After the Judge, Ben, is murdered who will be next and who is the mysterious murderous woman who seems to be stalking them all? This novel will easily translate to a script and movie adaptation with a lot of action, various settings and teen characters whose personalities with which we can identify. The resolution will come as a surprise and the ending we expect is suddenly changed when one of the characters must face yet another life or death situation. Pass the popcorn and wait for the movie to appear!

I am a huge fan of Alex Finlay and his latest novel does not disappoint. Super fast pace, action packed, secretly dark past, and a gripping "who done it" make for the perfect formula for a must read for thriller lovers.

6/10

Mystery-suspense authors are like American Express card holders. Anybody can write the green card if you really want to but they are a dime a dozen and not that interesting.

A smaller few can put out the platinum card version and only the cream of the coo can put together a black card.

Ok, that was a poor analogy to tell you that I think Alex Finlays writing is nothing special. This is the second of Alex’s books that I’ve read and, honestly, they are like the green card of American Express. Sure it feels like it’s something unique and special, but once you start getting into it you realize the effort is greater than the value and you kinda wonder why you’re reading it in the first place.

Here’s the story:

A bunch of kids met each other in a horrendous orphanage when they were in their teens. Oddly and miraculously, which has nothing to do with the story, they all emerged 25 years later in life as incredible talents - like nationally recognized stars.

Then somebody tries to kill each of them. And the story unfolds as the kids go back to the horrors of 25 years earlier.

If your a big Finley fan, go for it.
As for me, I’m jaded and expect more.

#netgalley #whathavewedone

I really wanted to love this one! But I just didn’t. Night Shift was such a fun read for me, but this book was not. I kind of found it boring and ridiculous. It felt unorganized and too far fetched. Too much going on in this one. I will continue to read more by Alex Finlay because I really enjoyed his other books. This one just didn’t do it for me.

Jenna, Donna & Nico grew up in a group home, also known as Savior house. Several teens disappeared from the house, and as suspicions and awareness grew, the house was shut down and the three became separated.

Fast forward twenty five years later, they are all finding themselves protecting a secret from their pasts. They must work together to uncover a current and past mystery.

This book was more of an action thriller than a murder suspense book, although it was very well written.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

Five kids at a group home band together to stop the violence and terror happening in the house. They end up killing someone and go their separate ways, never speaking of it again. When one of them winds up dead, they don’t think much of it- until all of them are being targeted. As they dodge life threatening obstacles, you learn that the secrets are stacked deep and someone traitorous is in their midst.
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💭Thoughts💭
I don’t know how I feel about this book because it was captivating and well written, but also too confusing and kind of moronic at times. There were too many viewpoints and characters and the plot twists were too all over the place. It reminded me of the Spider-Man meme where there’s three of him and they all point at each other. The entire epilogue was a waste of time too- throwing in another obstacle at the end was really unnecessary.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
Not really a specific moment, but all of the action scenes were great. My heart pounded while Jenna was getting chased and it was written well, I could see it in my head like a movie.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Donnie drank a ton of alcohol- whiskey, beer, Irish car bombs, you name it. They also frequented a steak house. This book gave off Nikita vibes- binge the show or a Jack Reacher movie!