This was such a good story! It really kept me intrigued and had an excellent cast of characters. Wasn't predictable as many thrillers have been of late.

The narration was great, and I enjoyed that it was a multicast. That's always a huge bonus in my book!

I look forward to reading more from Alex Finlay! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Combine three childhood friends with troubled pasts, the secret that haunts them, and a few assassins, and you have the recipe for Alex Finlay's latest book. I read (and loved) Finlay's "The Night Shift", so I was thrilled to have been given access to an advanced readers copy of his latest release.

Like "The Night Shift", this thriller is heavy on action and nostalgia. The story moved quickly, and I loved the flashbacks to the characters' time spent at the Savior House Group Home. I didn't, however, feel as much of a connection to his three main characters in this latest release. Out of the rock star, television producer, and step-mom with a thinly veiled past, I felt most connected to and interested in Jenna's story. Her story line is incredibly well written, and her family situation/the cast of characters that surround her are some of the most likable in the book.

I'm sure this book will be another hit for Finlay as it has all the makings of a thriller that will be enjoyed by women and men alike. I can even see it potentially making it's way to the small (or big) screen. As others have mentioned, the narration definitely already cuts from scene to scene much like a television or movie script.

*I'd like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC of this book they provided me in exchange for an honest review*

What Have We Done is a fast paced thriller about a group of friends with a deadly secret. When the sins of their last come back to haunt them they will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhood to find out why someone wants kill them.

I read The Night Shift last year and didn’t care for it but this one makes up for it! This thriller is told from multiple points of view and each is voiced by different narrators. I thought all of the narrators were great and did a good job of bringing the characters to life. The story alternates between the present and twenty years earlier. The author slowly reveals the events of the past creating a high level of suspense. The action starts right away and the author keeps a fast pace throughout the novel. There are plenty of twists and reveals to keep the readers attention. What Have We Done is an entertaining and compelling thriller that would be perfect for some experiencing a reading slump!

Aw, here's where I do the deep sigh and try to figure out exactly what a star rating is in my mind, and what ya'll might think stars mean. Sometimes I wish we didn't have to click the stars and could just give a general book opinion. In general, What Have We Done was an interesting book told in multiple POVs (a downside here due to unloveable, undeveloped characters) and back and forth timelines.

A group of former residents of a terrible youth home did something bad a long time ago and reunite in present day. Vague enough to give you an idea without destroying too much.

My star hesitancy is I went into this one because author Alex Finlay has written some great books and I expected this one to be great. Alas, it didn't click with me. I just didn't like the characters and felt the story kept shifting too quickly, with too much going on. Given the mental gymnastics required as a listener to keep track, I plan to revisit this one in paper form where I set the speed and can pause and ponder and keep up. That said, I'm a 58 year old woman having trouble keeping track of my car keys, so maybe this was just too big an assignment for me.

Give it a read and definitely check out Finlay's earlier work.

I kept switching back and forth from a solid 3 star to rounding up for at least keeping me to the end, but it doesn't break the 3.5 mark.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to listen in advance of the 3/7/23 release date.

I really enjoyed this book. This book was written from multiple perspectives, and each was narrated by a different person on the audiobook which I appreciated. The narrators did accents as necessary, and it helped to feel like the character(s) were reading it.

This novel was well written. It kept me guessing and invested from start to finish. There were a lot of main characters but all of them had a firm storyline and a distinct purpose. Finlay is good at bringing heart to his characters and making you feel invested in their story and compassion for their plights. In some whodunit-type novels, the bad guy is easy to spot from the start, but this book had me wondering and second-guessing all the way through. It has suspense and intrigue till the final minute. I highly recommend it.

Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Nico and Donnie buried a secret. As orphaned teens in a group home, they bonded over this secret but then their lives took different paths. Now, decades later, another friend has turned up dead while all three of them have had their own close calls as well. To save their lives, they will have to confront the past secret that literally left them asking, “what have we done?”

This was an action-packed drama! The chapters were quick and the points-of-view alternated between Jenna, Nico and Donnie as their shared past became uncovered while they tried to resolve the present day problem of someone trying to kill them. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about these characters; at first they seemed so unrelateable to me, but as their stories continued to unfold, I was finding myself empathizing for all three of them. The excitement and anxiety was palatable as the story headed towards its conclusion.

I listened to the this on audio and enjoyed the different narrators! Thanks to Netgalley, Minotaur Books, and Alex Finaly for the ALC and ARC! “What Have We Done” releases March 7th!

This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly 😊

I'm not sure why this audiobook didn't grab me. Actually, I think it was the multiple POV and a bit of difficulty following along with the audiobook. Alex Finlay is a very gifted writer and story teller. This book just wasn't for me.

4.5/5

“What Have We Done” is by far my favorite Alex Finlay book and that’s saying a lot considering the hits he’s released.

WHWD is definitely a thriller but more than that it’s an exploration of the trauma and bonds of our childhoods. The characters aren’t always the most likable but you can understand why they do the things they do.

There’s really two mysteries to WHWD and it has you speeding through to figure out what exactly happened 25 years ago and why the past has come to haunt them.

The audio:

The narrators for this novel do an excellent job of narrating their respective characters. I will say that I thought the narrator for Donnie and Nico probably could have been switched but still thought they did the characters justice.

Excellent read from Alex Finlay! Thank you to Netgalley and Alex Finlay for the advanced read in exchange for an honest review.

Told in multiple POVs, I unfortunately wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters. It’s a fast pace read with a lot of moving parts but it just wasn’t for me.
The narrators, Brittany Pressley; James Patrick Cronin; Jon Lindstrom; Maggie Thompson were great. They elevated the story for me.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the gifted ALC.

Pub Date: 7 Mar 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️

After a childhood friend suddenly dies, a group of estranged friends must face the horror that they’re being hunted by a killer for a crime they committed long ago.

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay has some very unique characters, which I enjoyed! I loved that there were three different POVs and so many narrators to distinguish between the characters. In the group of friends you have a stay-at-home mom, a washed-up rockstar, a TV producer, a tech entrepreneur, and a federal judge.

This felt more like an action thriller than a psychological, mystery thriller. Unfortunately it wasn’t advertised as such and action isn’t really my cup of tea. ☕️ It felt like it dragged on for me and if I hadn’t been traveling with nothing else to listen to, I probably wouldn’t have finished it as quickly as I did.

I’d recommend this to anyone who loves fast-paced action thrillers with a little bit of mystery.

This was a great, fast-paced thriller and my first from this author. We follow 3 people who were in a group home together as teens, who are pulled back together 25 years when their past comes calling. This is told in multiple POVs which I love. I would have liked if the flashbacks were more distinguished from the present day. I listened to the audiobook of this and it wasn’t always clear. It didn’t take long to figure out, it just would have eradicated the brief seconds of
confusion trying to figure out. I highly recommend the audiobook, the narrators were amazing. This isn’t the most complicated plot line with characters you will love, but it was entertaining and fast-paced with some twists and turns sprinkled in. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Ok, I really liked this! The action starts right away and for the first third to half of the book you’re thinking, “I have no idea what’s happening but this is just so exciting; I’m just really happy to be along for the ride!” You start making connections as pieces to the puzzle are revealed only to realize you’re wrong. So wrong! The twists in this book just keep on twisting. And then another twist!
In the audiobook, the different points of view each had their own narrator which really helped bring the characters to life.

I really liked Finlays previous books. This one wasn’t my favorite. I am not sure if it’s because there were soo many different people involved and sometimes hearing from their multiple alternating perspectives got a bit confusing or what. I liked the premise and was excited to listen to it but have def preferred other stuff more.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

Alex Finlay does it again! This plot is woven together perfectly with phenomenal characters and even better plot line. Who's trying to kill them?? What have they done and who knows??? Read it to find out!

2.5 stars!

This novel was really lacking character Development. I was only looking forward to Jenna's narration and the story lost me whenever we switched to one of the male protagonists. Maybe if this wasn't so many POV's, mixed with multiple timelines, I would have enjoyed it a bit more.

I thought the premise was great! Im okay with suspending disbelief a little but know that can be hard for other readers.

It was just so different than Alex Finlay's other novels. I actually wouldn't have guessed this was his work at all. It was a lot more action than anything else and I don't usually look for a book like that. I can definitely see how this book would work for other people. There isn't anything wrong or bad about this novel, it just was not for me.
I would recommend this to James Patterson fans!

I was excited to read this one but I ended up having so much trouble connecting with the characters. While I think the backstory was interesting, the characters were pretty farfetched. I did really enjoy the audio though, the cast and the narration were all splendid.

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the complimentary advance readers’ edition of WHAT HAVE WE DONE by Alex Finlay.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE follows a group of people who once upon a time were in the same abusive group home. Each of them came to Survivor House from a different background, but they soon bonded with a very close friendship as they realized that it was them against those in charge. In the years since their time together, they have gone on to separate but successful lives with family and careers.

When one of them is killed and threats begin, the group reunites to try to figure out what is going on. Through flashbacks to what happened during their time at Survivor House and the present day action, many secrets come to light as they try to figure out who is out to get them and why.

The premise of this book hooked me in right away, so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to review it. I wound up bingeing the entire audiobook in one afternoon because I needed to know what was going on. We’re getting multiple points of view in this story between the core group of Survivor House survivors and those out to get them and this kept the momentum moving quickly.

This is a book that requires you to suspend your disbelief and there were places where the action felt a bit over the top. It also isn’t a book where there was a particular character that I was pulling for, though to some extent the trauma they have all been to makes it clear that they aren’t supposed to necessarily be overly likable. The fast pace worked well for the story. There were a few times where it slowed down, but those pauses never lasted too long for me. I was left with a few questions in the end that I didn’t necessarily feel like were fully answered.

This was a good time for me overall and a quick binge read. It is one I’d recommend to those who want a quick, action packed read.

"What have we done" are the words spoken by a teenage boy after a group of youths from Savior House, a foster home, find themselves in an unimaginable situation. Fast forward twenty-five years and the group is brought back together because they are trying to be killed by someone who knows what they did over two decades ago.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE is a thriller in which three individuals are being hunted for something they did in their past. It is an unpredictable book with flashbacks to the experiences of each while living in the foster care system. It always makes me sad to hear about the foster care system and how some are failed because of it. I know it is not always the same situation for everyone. The descriptions of the circumstances these teens find themselves in while in the system do not hold them back entirely as they do overcome the hurdles to make their lives a success.

The narrator of this audiobook is good. The voice was strong and provided a nice rhythm of reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

OK... I just love Alex Finlay.... have to admit I did have a confused moment here and there with the characters.
He didn't disappoint me with this one!!

This was an excellent & compelling read! I loved that the story was told from different perspectives as well! The twists had me reeling & had me thinking long after I finished the story! Such a thrilling read & I can’t wait to read more from Alex Finlay!