I liked this one. I also think that people are going to expect one kind of book and get another entirely.

I sort of expected a murdery suspense thriller and I got more of an action thriller…with murder. And I really didn’t get the coming of age part promised in the description at all.

The story is tragic, the characters entertaining, and the plot is full of surprises. And a couple of the characters (bad ones) were iconic.

Fun book. Very unexpected and very enjoyable.

• ARC via Publisher

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the ARC of this book!

I absolutely loved The Night Shift by Alex Finlay last year and it was an EASY 5 stars for me. I was so excited to receive this one and had similar expectations.

It pains me to say that this one didn't do it for me. While it caught my attention quickly with the short chapters and multiple perspectives, the storyline was flat and discombobulated. It seemed like a hodge podge of plot lines and absurd characters but overall, I lost interest in the characters and the story.

The positives are that it was very readable and a super fast read.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for Goodreads.

This will be available on March 7, 2023.

Alex Finaly's thrillers are a must-read! This book will suck you in until you forget everything going on around you. If you enjoy Every Last Fear and the Night Shift then this is a must-read for you!

This book was a whirlwind of activity. I felt that the author tried to do too much with too many characters.
I liked the fast pace of this story, but felt that it was too sloppy.

Five friends decide to kill a caretaker for taking girls away from the group home. They promised to keep the secret forever.
However, someone has found out and hired a contract killer to take them out. One friend is already dead....who is next?

The book meanders through how each of the remaining friends might be killed, a mine cave in, a fall from a cruise ship, an assassination attempt...yet the remaining 4 survive.

For instance there was two main mystery points:
1. Who was blackmailing people and who hired the assassins.
2. The FBI Agent trailing the 3 friends.

This book was so sloppy in the fact that the FBI agent was a pretty big side point and yet when it came time to resolve his storyline, it was glossed over.
Then the person who was blackmailing was revealed and then nothing happened?! Everyone just forgave him and then the reader never learns why he was blackmailing in the first place.

This could have been a five star book if the author had fleshed out more of the two points.

What Have We Done is the third book I have read by Alex Finlay, and I have loved all of them!
The novel is told in three different points of view- Nico, Donnie, and Jenna, who were best friends growing up in a group home twenty five years earlier. Now, their lives are in danger, and they need to revisit the past to try to figure out who is trying to kill them before it's too late.

I loved it- quick paced and surprising enough and had some scary af characters. We need to set up Casey with the dude from No Country For Old Men. Jenna was really the only one I cared about getting a happy ending and she was an assassin. I forgive easily though.

I just reviewed What Have We Done by #AlexFinlay #NetGalley

Lots of twists and turns keep you guessing about what is really going on. What do these murders have in common? Murder, blackmail, and a bit of madness. It's a darkly compelling story. Suspenseful and well-plotted.

I really really liked THE NIGHT SHIFT so I was psyched to read this new one. Unfortunately, this one read super differently; more like a fast-paced mass market thriller than the psychological mystery I was expecting. I'll continue to look for Finlay's novels, because I think that even if this one wasn't for me, he's got style.

Although very frustrated in the beginning in my inability to follow the plot, as the book progressed, I could not put it down. My rating reflects the slow seemingly disjointed beginning of the book.
The story of five orphans who grew up together in a fictional group home in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For some unknown reasons are being targeted for murder later in life. The story is told with each chapter being about one of the five at different times in their lives, coming together at the end in the resolution of the issues. Fast paced, well written telling a disconcerting story about five disadvantaged children who despite life dealing them horrific blows grew up to be successful only to have their past come back and haunt them.

I was immediately pulled into this Alex Finlay novel by an action-packed opening. The action never let up, and in the alternating POV chapters, each character's back story was filled in, making the book more captivating. Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Ben, and Arty knew each other when they were young kids. They had lived in many foster homes and wound up in Savior House. Things happened, and secrets were agreed on, which could never be broken.

Action is the name of the game in this fast-paced novel. With the death of Ben, the plot unfolded with seedy characters and the FBI chiming in to try to understand what, why and who created havoc in the present and the past. I enjoyed every page. This is my first Alex Finlay novel, and it won't be the last.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

enna, Donnie, Nico, Ben, and Artemis were residents of Savior House, a group home for teens without parents. Mr. Brood was abusive and made their lives miserable. All they had were each other. Before they left, they all participated in a crime. Some of the children from the home vanished and they still wonder what happened to them. Twenty-five years later they are brought back together because someone wants them dead. Jenna, a housewife, is commanded to kill a person and if she refuses her family with be killed. Donnie is an old rock star and while performing on a cruise ship, he is forced to go overboard. Nico is filming in a mine and while he is in the mine, an explosion nearly kills him. Ben, a judge has been killed. Jenna, Donnie, and Nico decide to stop whoever is trying to kill them as well.
I really liked this book. The characters are so different yet special to one another. Jenna has unique skills to maybe save them all. I love how her husband was aware of her life before him and still supported her. They all had secrets and to find the killer will take effort on all their parts. This book moves quickly, reflecting on their life as teenagers and how their current lives hold secrets from their past.

Alex Finlay has done it again writing such a riveting story. A rollercoaster from the first page ; I ended up reading this al in one sitting. I did not wanna sit my tablet down for a moment. I am so grateful for this ARC and am excited to buy this and put it on my shelf.

I enjoyed this fast-paced novel so much, I read it in one sitting. This is the first novel that I have read by this writer, and it won't be my last. I enjoyed getting to know the three main characters and events told through their POVs. The many plot twists kept me on my toes and kept me guessing. I look forward to reading Alex Finlay's other books.

"Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, a bond forged as residents of Savior House, an abusive group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down―after the disappearance of several kids―the three were split up.

Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live successful, if troubled, lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them.

To save their lives, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their past―a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead." Publisher's Excerpt

This book is a wonderful read. I was hooked from the beginning as alternative perspective narrative is my absolute favorite. I thought the characters were well-written, the settings were atmospheric, and the dialogue was engaging. While I did only give it four stars, it's more due to the fact that I really try to give five stars to the VERY BEST books, rather than any negative reflection on Finlay's novel. I recommended it to several other reviewers and have suggested it to other friends to snatch up when it becomes available.

I have to say that the best part of this book was the ending, even though it progressed so fast it was almost a let-down when it occurred. The twists the ending took were actually not even on my radar and so I was pretty impressed with the author's ability to get one over on me! This is a great read and I'm really looking forward to the next work by Alex Finlay.

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of this work.

My first book by this author and not my last, this was a fun read. This book is twisty& action pack in the best way possible to the point there was never a moment when reading this that I thought I was bored. I would recommend this book to lovers of thrillers, short chapters, and action packed books.

Wow! This was nonstop action from the start! Kept me engaged throughout. Easy to follow different perspectives. Couldn’t put it down. Suspense and mystery, what more could you want? Good twists and a satisfying ending. Highly recommend!

I finished Alex Finlay's [book:What Have We Done|60784578] in one day! This book is labeled as a thriller/suspense and it definitely has MANY twists and turns! My overall rating of the book is a 3.5 leaning towards 4 stars and I will explain below!

First of all, a quick synopsis: 25 years ago, a group of kids in a group home for orphaned teenagers made a decision that would alter not only their lives but those around them. We meet the characters at that 25 year future mark and get a glimpse at the seemingly successful lives. The past comes back to haunt them full force and not all of them make it to the end.

What I liked: Alex Findlay does a wonderful job of choreographing an intricate story that is both complex and easy to follow and remember previously learned details. His writing style and attention to tethering the past and present well makes this such a fluid book to read. When I read a thriller, I hate when plot twists become too obvious either through cliche or an overabundance of foreshadowing. While I was able to predict SOME of the twists, others were able to completely shock me.

What I disliked: Most of the chapters that cut to the twins were over the top in a way that I would equate to a macho action movie. It was 1) a complete vibe shift from the rest of the book and 2) took me out of feeling that seamless weaving that was building with all of the other characters chapters. I also was unable to completely wrap my imagination into every single child growing up to be insanely talented and/or famous. In some ways this detracted from the overall story as it seemed too fantastical.

In the end, I went into this book expecting a thriller and suspense book. While those components were definitely there, I would classify this as more of an action novel. This book gave me more Die Hard type vibes than what I would traditionally consider a thriller or suspense novel.

This book was a complimentary ARC through NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur books and Alex Findlay and was provided in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book was a wild, intense ride! I couldn't put the book down because I had to know what would happened at the end. I couldn't help but think of what actually happened to thr missing kids and who was behind it all but I was totally wrong.

Jenna, Nico, and Donnie were in a group home called Savior House when they were children. They were bullied, threatened, and scared for their lives. Then one night they decide to fight back and it ends with the words "what have we done?". Now twenty-five years later, each one is in danger and running for their lives from a sadistic killer. As they fight to survive, they try to find out who knows what and which one of them is next.

From beginning to end, this was a wild, action-packed ride. This was not what I was expecting from this author but it was such a good surprise. It was one of those stories that I pictured as a movie as I read it and an amazing movie at that. Each character had their flaws but they also had more likable, good traits to go along with them. The only thing I didn't care for was the number of times the characters would "tap eyes", it was stated a bit too much for me. Otherwise, I absolutely loved yet another one from this author and cannot wait for the next one.
Four Solid Stars.

4/5 stars - this was a solid thriller with some strong characters. I liked this much better than The Night Shift and would recommend to anyone looking for a well crafted thriller.