What an amazing book! This fast paced thriller about how one wrong decision teenagers make can affect them for the rest of their lives

I didn’t love The Night Shift, but when I saw this on netgalley I figured I’d give it a try. I’m glad I did! It was very different than TNS - think trained assassins - but I was here for it. It definitely got absurd at parts, but it worked for me.

I have enjoyed several of Alex Finlay’s books in the past, so I was excited to see this new one. However it fell short for me. It was more murder mystery than psychological thriller. And the ending was not satisfying. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I love Alex Finlay books and although I did enjoy this one. I didn't like it quite as much as the others. It centers on a group of now adults who were friends at a poorly run orphanage when they were teens. They are harboring a secret from that time that seems like it has come back to get them all of these years later. The story is narrated primarily through the POVs of Jenna, Donnie, and Nico, with some flashbacks to previous times and some chapters focused on those who are chasing them down.

On the good side, the book is extremely action-packed at moves at a very fast clip. There is always a lot going on and it's easy to race through the chapters. On the less good side, though I liked the characters, there was something that felt vaguely unrealistic about the lives they were currently leading. I had an inkling of who the villain was but wasn't fully sure until it was revealed, and I wasn't sure I fully understood all the various events that led that character to make the decisions that were made.

All in all, good book that I probably would have liked better if I didn't have Finlay's previous 2 books to which to compare it. I'd recommend it for those who like thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own.

Let me first start by saying that I am a big fan of Alex Finlay. Night Shift was the first book that I read and LOVED it. Every Last Fear was only slightly less for me. With that said, What Have We Done would have to be my least favorite of those three books, but I didn't hate it.

It was fast paced and kept you wanting to turn the pages, but I just didn't feel satisfied with how it all came together at the end. I was a little disappointed, but not fully. I feel it could have been better, but that is just my opinion. I would still recommend it because I feel like the things I didn't like are not things that everyone will dislike - just my personal preferences.

The story is fast-paced, the writing style is on point and the characters are likable and relatable, for the most part.

What Have We Done
Alex Finlay
St Martin’s Press
March 7, 2023

What Have We Done is presented in three parts: 1) The Targets; 2) The Reunion; and 3) The Truth. It opens with a gloomy scene from twenty-five years ago. Five orphans from the Savior House (a run-down disgrace of an orphanage)stand in the rain taking turns shooting into a shallow grave.

The five children—now adults—are the targets: Jenna, Ben, Donnie, Nico, and Artemis. Each has survived Savior House and have gone on to careers: Ben, a judge; Donnie, a fading rock star; Nico, a reality show executive producer named The Miners; Artemis, a tech billionaire; and Jenna, an assassin for The Corporation.

But, Ben has been murdered and the others have escaped attempts on their lives? Who is behind the murder and attempts and why?

Mr. Finlay has written an exciting thriller that was hard to put down. His clever twists are seamlessly woven through each of the characters’ experiences, culminating in a satisfying, twisty ending.

I highly recommend this book to thriller-lovers. The chapters are short and the action keeps you turning the pages.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is one of the greatest action packed books I’ve ever read. Holy moly, just when you think the drama/fighting/twists are over, BAM! There’s so much more!
Even the epilogue had me on my toes hahaha!

This book has Bourne Identity mixed with IT vibes. Four friends with a secret from 25 years earlier all all being targeted by female assassins. The main character, “Jenna” is the female version of Jason Bourne which is IMO is one of the better action packed thrillers out there.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Normally I’m into psychological thrillers but this one got me good!

Highly recommend! And I will definitely be reading more of Alex Findlay’s work!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Confession: I have been loving what Alex Finlay has been doing with his last couple books and am totally on the bandwagon for anything he puts out. I was excited to see that he was ready to drop another book and the description sounded like another great ride.

What Have We Done is a story about a group of friends who all spent time in the same group home. We know that something bad happened during their time there, and now 25 years later three of them are paying the price and running for their lives. Overall, it was a typical roller coaster ride with non-stop action. However, this one ended up being slightly predictable. I could tell who the person was behind everything by the middle of the book, so I lost momentum and patience with the back half just to find out if I was correct (hint: I was).

Overall, another good yarn and a good weekend read, but not on the same level as his two previous endeavors.

If you are looking for a suspenseful, edge of your seat thriller, look no more. This book captures your interest immediately, and is hard to put down. The perspectives from the different characters gives the book a well rounded view of the story….and you come to know each character very well. It is an eclectic cast of characters, but they fit well into the storyline. Jenna is a strong female protagonist that you can’t help but route for. The story is full of twists and turns and just when you think you have it figured out, you run into a plot twist you never saw coming.

I was super excited to get an arc copy of this book as I was a big fan of The Night Shift. This book to me would be 3.5 stars rounding up to four as it didn’t keep me guessing in the way The Night Shift did. Still a fun thriller with a few twists that had you guessing.

This was my first foray into Alex Finlay's writing, so I was excited to give "What Have We Done" a try! The novel unravels the story behind a group of children who grew up at Saviour House, a group home for orphaned teenagers, all of whom have grown up and taken their own paths in life. There's Jenna, currently a stay-at-home mom to two children has worked a career at "The Corporation" as an assassin; Nico, a successful television producer of the hit reality show "The Miners" with a gambling addiction; Donnie, a rock star still clinging on to his successful past and his drinking habit; and Artemis, a self-made tech billionaire. Their separate lives take a startling turn, however, when all of them are almost killed and they discover that the death of their friend and fellow Savior House resident, Benjamin, has been murdered.

The novel moves between their different perspectives and histories, laying out their pasts and presents. We get a chance to delve into Jenna's current family and her struggles to become close to her two stepdaughters; we watch Nico address his past and the debts he worked to pay off; and we see Donnie come to terms with his present state and battle the ghosts of his pasts. There are flashbacks to their time at Savior House as children as well, and a secret they all worked to hide.

I thought the plot of this novel was intriguing and Finlay's writing was strong enough to keep be interested throughout. What I struggled with, however, were the constant shifts between perspectives and timelines; perhaps the ARC version of this novel missed some formatting updates, but it was hard to tell when it made these skips between past and present. The overall pacing wasn't consistent either; the ending felt a little too rushed, and the last few pages a little too clean in tying up the loose ends.

While an overall enjoyable read, "What Have We Done" wasn't a favorite of mine.

Alex Finlay is back with another quick paced book, this time about five people forever linked by a secret they thought they long ago buried. When each of their lives are threatened and one of them now dead, they’re forced to confront their last and find out who is behind it before they all get taken down.

Short chapters and changing perspectives kept this book moving along nicely and again I appreciate how Finlay features a smart, brave female lead character.

If you’ve enjoyed his other books you’re sure to enjoy this one. Thanks to NerGalley and the publisher for an e-book version of this book.

I was given this book by NetGalley for my unbiased review.

Very good story. Bunch of kids living in a group home doing what they have to do to survive.

Years later the past comes back to haunt them.

It took me a little bit of reading to get the main characters straight. A lot of twists and turns and a surprise at the end. Well written and kept a high level of interest. The only thing that was a bit incredulous is that all the main folks end up being very successful in their chosen fields. Quite an accomplishment coming from the early struggles.

Looking forward to read more from Alex Finlay!

3 foster home root stars

This one features the overused trope of childhood tragedy and secrets coming back to haunt the adults. We have a set of characters who lived in a group home as teens but are now successful adults. There’s Jenna, now a stay-at-home mom, but with a secretive past career. Donnie is a rock star who was recently kicked out of his band and, Nico is a TV star hiding gambling debt. And Artemis is the nerdy teen who has become a billionaire tech genius.

We learn bits and pieces of their lives and slowly begin to learn about the tragedy from 25 years ago. What really happened back then and what has changed to push the truth out in the open? And who is trying to kill them, one by one?

It feels like this one was written as a screenplay because I could picture things happening like a summer blockbuster movie. I’ve really grown to like this author, but this one was a departure and is not my favorite. It was a struggle for me to believe that all these kids would grow up to be wildly successful adults. I didn’t grow to love these characters and root for them to survive.

I’m hoping this author brings back Sarah Keller, FBI agent, now there’s a character I grew to love and root for in past books!

I'm a little disappointed. I've read the author's two great previous books. I don't know what happened here, but reading this was entirely out of emotion. The characters were not as well developed as in the previous books, and the plot was quite predictable.

What do a gambling tv producer, a stay at home mom, a has-been rock star, a tech billionaire, and a federal judge have in common? They all were former residents of Savior House, a home for orphaned children, and they are all in danger now. Events from the past have come to light, as something happened many years ago at the group home, and someone is desperate to have their secrets stay buried. Told through multiple narrators and alternating timelines, the reader learns about the secrets of the past and the present.

I loved this dark, twisty, suspenseful thriller. I have enjoyed the author’s previous work, and this book is different but also excellent. The narrators were all likable but flawed and revealed bits of the past as the story unfolded. The plot was fast paced and the final third of the book had me turning the pages as fast as I could to uncover more and more secrets. I didn’t guess any twists in this one, which always makes a thriller more fun! I loved the references to Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, To Kill a Mockingbird, and “that’s what she said” jokes. There are a number of characters to keep track of, and by the end I felt like I finally could keep everyone straight. However, that didn’t keep me from enjoying the book. Overall, it is a wonderfully suspenseful, wild ride that will keep you guessing!

Thank you to Minotaur books, Netgalley, and Alex Finlay for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends as kids, brought together through their residency at Savior House, a group home for teens. Despite the pious name, the home was anything but a safe oasis. After several girls went missing, the home was shut down, and the group was separated. Defying the odds, each went on to live a successful life, although their trauma was never fully healed. Twenty-five years later, the group is reuniting, but it's not a happy occasion...they're coming together because someone is trying to kill them. To find out who, they must relive a nightmarish night from their past, one that will forever bond them.

I loved everything about this book. It was part thriller, part action-adventure, and part deeply nostalgic coming-of-age story. Each character was uniquely crafted, but Donnie was my favorite. I'm a sucker for a washed-up rocker from the 80s, and his mannerisms reminded me so much of some of my favorite front men from a bygone era. It wasn't until I read the author's notes that I found out who he was modeled after. Well done!

Although the plot had a lot of details and moving parts, it never meandered, and every detail was important. I was invested in the outcome from the very first page, and the ending was just so gratifying. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my early copy. WHAT HAVE WE DONE will publish March 7, 2023.

What a rollercoaster of a ride! Alex Finlay does it again with a twisted and enjoyable read! The past never stays hidden as the friends from Savior House begin to realize. The story jumps from the past to the present and it all ties together at the end. 4.5 stars

BookReview 📚📚

⭐⭐⭐
A big thank you to @netgalley for this highly anticipated ARC !

This is the 2nd book I've read by Alex Finlay and I really enjoy his style of writing. This book had me hooked with suspense from the 1st chapter. Completely action packed. Honestly this gave me IT vibes by a Stephen King because of the characters. 5 teenagers with a troubled past meet up in the future and have to deal with the problem.
One thing that i wasn't a fan of is the switching between the past and present.. With the mix of characters, this was quite confusing at time and had A lot going on 🤷‍♀️
This Is definitely worth the read and I would have finished it a lot sooner but I'm having a rough reading month. 🤷‍♀️ #lifehappens

Publication date March 7,2023

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*Publish date 3/23. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced e-copy of this book*

Alex Finley's best yet! What Have We Done is the story of 5 residents of a group home, Savior House, when they were younger to the current day where it appears someone is trying to kill them all. One is a stay at home mom. One is a reality TV star. One is a rock star who is now on the cruise ship circuit. One is a judge. One is a media mogul. And they all share a secret. The twists and turns kept me guessing - and turning pages. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Trigger warning - the root of the story revolves around some disturbing abuses in the group home.