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!

I have a lot of mixed thoughts about this one. I hadn’t read Finlay’s other works before this one, so I went in not really knowing what to expect (although, I have heard some raving reviews about The Night Shift). While I enjoyed the fast pace of the novel, I got a little confused about what was going on at times, especially in the beginning, and didn’t enjoy that there were so many different points of view. This is a personal opinion, though, as I never really like reading books that are told from too many different perspectives. It also took me a while to get used to the transitions between flashbacks and current day, because there often wasn’t any clarification in the text when Finlay would transition to a memory from the present; it was usually more clear when he jumped back to the present, because there would be a comment about the character being drawn from the memory. This made it confusing to understand what was happening in the beginning, but I eventually was able to figure out when he was shifting easier as I learned more about the characters and had more context. I don't have any strong emotions toward any of the characters or their wellbeing and couldn't find ways to connect with them, but I did not find them dislikable.

Ultimately, I think I would give What Have We Done a solid 3.5 stars. Not one of my favorite thrillers that I've read, but I was still enthralled by the fast-paced plot and wanted to know how things would end up.

Thanks so much for this copy!

Jumping back and forth between past and present, What Have We Done tells the story of childhood friends who bonded during their time at an abusive group home. The friends went their separate way as adults, each of them surprisingly successful in their own way - the group includes a rockstar, a judge and a TV producer - and they have all moved on from their traumatic experiences at the group home. They lead separate lives until someone starts trying to kill each of them. They reunite to try and figure out who might be behind it all. The only thing that still connects them is the crime they committed as children - is this why someone wants them dead?

This book sucked me in. I couldn't put it down. It was suspenseful and engaging, and I cared about most of the characters. Alex Finlay did a great job bouncing between past and present, putting all the pieces together. I would have loved more details around Jenna and her past as a contract killer - I found this part to be so interesting and I wanted to know more about her training and how she grew into the role before ultimately getting out of the business. This could be a book all on its own, I would read it!

The ending was a miss for me. Without giving too much away, it felt like one last attempt to add in intensity and suspense. It wasn't needed - there was a very natural ending right before the final twist.

Overall I really enjoyed it, it was a fast paced thriller that made me want to keep reading.

Book Title: What Have We Done
Author: Alex Finlay
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
My Rating: 3.3 Stars!

This is only my third novel by author, Alex Finlay. I like "Every Last Fear" but really liked "The Night Shift".
I went into this story with high expectations and really didn’t know anything about the story ~ I often do that when I like the author!

POV of Jenna, Nico, Donnie and later the Twins –
These three knew each other 25 years ago when they lived at ‘Savior House’ a group home for children who lost their parents. These children were all good kids but got bullied by some other kids who have issues. There is also someone hanging around haunting the girls and then they vanish!
Five kids Nico, Donnie, Ben, Art and Jenna decide to team up against the ‘someone’ who is taking the girls - they do something bad and buried their secret on the grounds of “Savior House’.
They have each gone their way~
Ben is now a federal judge;
Nico, a television producer with gambling debts;
Donnie, a fading rock star whose attempts at sobriety are mostly unsuccessful;
Art, a successful tech entrepreneur and
Jenna who is a suburban homemaker.
A bit later in the story Twins Haley and Casey have a voice. They are aware of what the others did all those years ago and they are out to get them.

Hmmm it isn’t that this story isn’t good as I know it will find an audience that will love it ~ however, it didn’t work for me.

But - - - I am looking forward to my next Alex Finlay novel!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~Minotaur Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 7, 2023

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for the ARC of “What Have We Done” that will be published on March 7, 2023.

“What Have We Done?” starts with a group of kids in a group home and the covering up of the bad things happening there. Then, 25 years later the kids, now adults are being targeted and killed. In trying to save themselves and figure out what is going on they unite in a sort of reunion.

This story was a quick read, and I liked the thrills that came with it. My problem at the end is that I was left confused not being sure what they had done (also in the title). Maybe if I read it again it would become clearer, but after a first read I ended the story confused. And with that my review for this is 2 stars.

Themes: 🤫, 💀, 🔪, 🔀

My thoughts: 🙃😏😕🫡

#readmorebooks
#netgalley
#goodreads
#readersofinstagram
#mybookishlife

This one was a little slower than I am accustomed to with Alex Finlay, but still overall very well done and engaging. While the super secret spy stuff was highly unrealistic in an otherwise VERY realistic setting, it worked for the story, and was well enough written that I could suspend disbelief to enjoy it. I was left with a few loose ends that I would have liked to see tied up, but all in all this was very enjoyable.

25 years ago, five friends living in a group home, buried a secret. As adults, they have gone on to live successful lives. But now, one friend is dead, and the other four have experienced failed murder attempts. The friends must reunite and band together to figure out who wants them dead and why.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC.

Friends from years past come together in a mystery thriller. Someone is trying to kill them all, but why? Is it something they did? Is it tied to the foster house they all grew up in? A good thriller! 4.5 stars!!

If I had to describe What Have We Done in one sentence or less, it would be: a bizarre book with an even odder ending. Maybe that seems up your alley, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.

Finlay’s last two books have been 50/50 for me. I disliked Every Last Fear but The Night Shift was a solid thriller, so I was excited to learn he was releasing a new novel in 2023 and was thrilled to be granted an ARC. What Have We Done seemed like a huge departure from his previous two works. Twenty-five years ago, five teenagers shared a group home and a huge secret that has tied them together ever since. When one of the friends ends up dead and the others are targeted one by one, it appears someone is trying to take them all out as punishment for their involvement in this mysterious act.

Told from the perspective of three of the teenagers involved in the mystery from back then – Donnie, Jenna, Nico – both in the present day and 25 years ago, the reader finds out what exactly they were involved in and slowly, we put together who is out to get the survivors. The storyline was unnecessarily complicated and instead of mystery/suspense/detective fiction, this was more of an espionage action thriller with not one, not two, but THREE contract killers. It was honestly just too much for me. I had some huge issues with the epilogue; instead of wrapping up the story, it rolled back the story and made the ending feel pointless.

I am sure there will be many people who enjoy this read – probably people who enjoy action and spy thrillers – but this was a miss for me. I hope Finlay has plans to bring back FBI agent Sarah Keller; I would be willing to read another book with Keller in it but I think I will be a little more discerning when picking up Finlay’s books in the future. 2.5 stars, rounded up

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.