Having enjoyed Finlay’s first two novels, I jumped at the chance to read his latest offering. But like Finlay’s third novel, I found If Something Happens to Me a bit disappointing.

Similar to Finlay’s third novel, What Have We Done, I found If Something Happens to Me too gimmicky. I mean an assassin in the last novel, and now an Irish Mob boss seeking deathly revenge for an accidental suicide. Really?

The novel started with a cliffhanger. But as the story unfolded, it became a tedious read with confusing timelines. And I didn’t quite catch on to the multiple aliases of a couple of the characters until close to the end. So unlike Finlay’s style where the multiple storylines converge at the end for a surprising conclusion, If Something Happens to Me didn’t have any surprises and the conclusion was lukewarm at best.

Hopefully, Finlay’s next novel will be as good as his first two novels. But his latest, If Something Happens to Me, just didn’t cut the mustard. Two okay stars.

I was invited to read a DRC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

I thoroughly enjoyed If Something Happens to Me. It took me awhile to get into the story, to figure out who the characters were, but eventually everything came together. Once I figured out what was happening, I also figured out how it would end. It was a fun, quick read with a lot of twists and turns. I also loved all the mafia talk!

3.5 stars for me. Definitely recommend.

Thanks, NetGalley for this ARC!

If Something Happens to Me is an easy read to binge, with an intense plot and short chapters. There are three storylines and a lot of characters, which made me feel overwhelmed at first, but it ended up being easy to keep track of everything.

Unfortunately, it was almost too easy to keep track of everything. I had the mystery figured out in the first half and not much surprised me in the second half. Though what did surprise me was I found myself sympathizing with some of the “bad guys.” A couple of them were layered, and not all bad; and considering what one of their families went through, I understood their motivation (though I don’t condone their actions.) And even though the story was predictable, I still ended up enjoying it.

If you enjoy action-packed thrillers that entertain more than they surprise, you may enjoy this one.

3.5 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you, NetGalley for an early copy. All opinions are my own.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay was my latest read. Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books, the author and NetGalley for my ARC.

This story focuses on an incident that happened to Ryan when he was younger. Ryan was abruptly taken from the car that he and his girlfriend, Ali, were in and she and her car have never been located. Ryan finds himself a suspect in her disappearance and the internet and media believe he did it. However, Ryan gets a good lawyer, changes his name. and is never convicted of any crime.

One day, Ryan gets a call from his father. Ali’s car has been found submerged in a lake that was previously searched. There are two men suspiciously in her car along with the note, “If Something Happens to Me” written by Ali.

The reader then goes on a whirlwind journey to discover the truth about what happened to Ali and more about her past.

What I liked about this book:

-The chapters are quick.
-There are many cliffhangers to keep the reader guessing.
-The ending surprised me.

The title of this book is the first clue that the reader should prepare for a thrilling ride. Beginning with alternating stories in various locations, the author keeps his readers guessing as to where he is heading. Then suddenly the pieces start falling into place to tie the stories and characters to each other. I can easily visualize this book being turned into a movie or series that I would be eager to watch. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

Ryan Richardson cannot forget the night his high school sweetheart, Ali, was taken five years ago. He was knocked unconscious while Ali vanished without a trace. The aftermath turned his world upside down, as he was under mass public scrutiny. Forced to change his name, he moved away from the public eye to become a lawyer. However, five years after Ali’s disappearance, his past comes back to life when Ali’s car is found with two dead bodies in it and a note inside that says “If something happens to me.” It is now a race to the clock to find out what happened to Ali, who did it, and why.

I enjoyed the premise of the book a lot, and was excited to give this author a try. I did like the first part of the novel, and was pleasantly surprised by the twist. It was. thankfully, a very quick read. However, I felt like the next parts dragged on quite a bit with what felt like little gain. I love it when a thriller has me on the edge of my seat the entire time with many twists and turns, but in this case, I found myself being less invested because I knew what had and will happen. I also was not really into the action scenes.

Additionally, the characters felt a bit on the shallow side - they just didn’t have a whole lot of depth or complexity/nuance to them. I felt a bit let down, especially with all the hype this book has received. Personally, I just don’t think this book or the author are really for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This was an entertaining read. It was fast paced, keeping me engaged the entire time. The different viewpoints kept it interesting, and all of them ended up connecting in the end which I love. My biggest complaint is that there were so many characters it got confusing at times and took away from development on the main characters. The ending was also bland in comparison to the rest of the book in my opinion. I would have liked it more if the author stuck to the main characters for the points of view and was more detailed with their personalities and backgrounds. Overall though I still really enjoyed this read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If Something Happens to Me
By: Alex Finlay
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books
Pub Date: 5/28/24
Another phenomenal thriller from Alex Finlay.
Ryan Richard’s still struggles with the events from 5 years ago. His girlfriend Ali was ripped out of his car at lovers lane. Everyone in their small town believes he killed her. Ryan’s family hires a good lawyer and he was never charged. The torment he went on through, with everyone believing he’s a murder. He ends up changing his name. He’s now studying to be a lawyer.
When a YouTuber locates Ali’s car in Suncather lake with two unidentified men in the front seat and a note that needs a cipher to decode, Poopy, a local sheriff deputy, begins to dig into the case. What she finds is a hornets nest that involves a lot of people including her dad and brother. Will she figure it out?
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press Minotaur books and Alex Finlay for the ARC of this book.

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure I do not enjoy plots involving organized crime so I am probably not the best audience for this.

That being said, I still feel that this book could have been much better. It was trying to do way too much from the very beginning. Too many static characters with ridiculous motivations. Too many coincidences where the stars had to randomly align so the plot could happen.

I did like the surprise time jump. I felt that it was well written and a fun and unexpected way to weave the story together, but it unfortunately was not enough to save this book for me.

Wow..! This book had me on the edge all the time from beginning to end. It’ really kept me wondering what’s going to happen next, great thirller!

I've been binging thrillers recently. I just love the anticipation. This book. This book burned me not once. Not twice. But THRICE.

This is my first Alex Finlay book so maybe seasoned fans would know better but I've never seen such a unique writing style. I couldn't figure out how the stories were connected at first. It took a while. And then everything fell into place and I locked my phone, stared at my husband, and said "what just happened?".

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy, I thoroughly enjoyed the whiplash.

Five years ago, Ryan and his girlfriend Ali were attacked. Ali disappeared and most people thought Ryan was responsible. Now in present day, he is in Italy for a college trip when he sees the mysterious man who attacked him. Meanwhile, back in Kansas, deputy sheriff Poppy starts to investigate when Ali’s car is found in a lake with two dead men in it.

Pros: this book was super easy to read and fast paced. I also really liked Poppy’s character.

Cons: I don’t love books where the solution heavily ties into organized crime. It just isn’t an interesting plot line for me. I also thought the big “twist” was really obvious and not surprising. For a thriller, I was hoping for more suspense and/or a bigger unexpected twist.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked as soon as I started reading this. Lover’s Lane in the rain… finally going to bring their relationship to the next level then a scream and she is gone. Definitely grab this book on May 28 and find out for yourself what happened to Ali. Full of twists and turns this book will keep you guessing and turning pages.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast paced thriller with short chapters that made for a very hard read to put down. I enjoyed all of the different POV's and would recommend you dive into this blind for maximum enjoyment. It keeps you on the edge of your seat with a wonderful twist.

This is my first time reading anything from this author, and I LOVED this book. This was a dark and gritty crime thriller that I devoured. I like that it was fast paced and that the short chapters ended in a way that made you want to keep reading on to the next chapter, and so on. This is what I would consider a "bingeable" read. The action, multiple settings, and multiple povs were also some things I loved while reading this. I thought the plot was interesting and clever how it all comes together. Overall, this was an action-packed, enjoyable read and I would definitely read more from this author in the future!

Read if you like:
#️⃣ Multiple POV
🧮 The Accountant
📚 Short Chapters
🔀 Twists and Turns
🔫 Mobsters

This book is very fast paced in the way it was written with short chapters that end with cliffhangers and then as the chapter ends moving into another POV that you can’t figure out how they all come together and connect, until bam! It all connected!

I feel like the amount of different pov, timelines, locations, and what not created a hard to follow plot with keeping everything straight which reduced my enjoyment of this thriller, but it definitely played out like a movie as I read.

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ALC and ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

Five years ago, Ryan and his girlfriend Ali were assaulted in his car and the last thing he remembers is her piercing scream as she is taken. She disappears without a trace, as well as her car, leaving Ryan as the prime suspect. The only thing he remembers is the man from that night. He’s never charged thanks to a good lawyer and no proof of his guilt. Years later, while Ryan is on a trip in Italy, he receives a call from his dad saying that Ali’s car has been found submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME… What really happened that terrible night and WHY? Ryan races through Italy, the UK and Paris to try to piece together the answers; he’s not alone though, a young sheriff’s deputy and a mobster are also out for answers.

BRAVO, Alex Finlay. 👏🏽 This was a pulse-pounding thriller with such an intricate plot and riveting characters whose paths intersect in the most explosive way! It’s twisty, with despicable characters and action packed scenes. This reminded me of a KARIN SLAUGHTER thriller, so well-plotted (if you didn’t know, she’s one of my FAVORITE writers.)

My only note is a small one - on audio, it was difficult in the beginning to keep track of all the characters (there are many) but it all comes together without confusion in the end. Overall, excellent execution, easily binge in a day!

Rating 4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgally for an ARC of If Something Happens To Me!

Unfortunately, this just wasn’t for me. It took me 3 separate times to try and start this book before I just finally sat down and forced myself to get through it.

It starts off very intriguing and with a bang - very reminiscent of a real case where a girl is taken from her boyfriends car and the boyfriend is assaulted and left with no idea what happened to his gf, but I found myself never fully invested in the story/characters or any of the plots. I wasn’t a huge fan of where this story went or what happened to Ryan’s gf, Allison.

The chapters are very short which makes this super readable and easy to get through!

Overall, wasn’t my fave, but if you like Alex Finlay and his writing style, give it a go!

CW: suicide

If Something Happens to Me is the latest thriller by Alex Finlay.

Told in multiple points of view, this story is follows several characters as they navigate the fall out of an apparent abduction from five years ago.

Poppy was a teenager five years ago when Ali Lane went missing. Now, she has returned home from military service and has taken a position as a deputy sheriff. In her first day, Ali’s car is pulled from the lake and two bodies are found inside. Suddenly, Poppy finds herself immersed into the investigation of what really happened to Ali Lane

Ryan was with Ali the night she disappeared, and, as her boyfriend, was the main suspect in the disappearance. He’s changed his last name and now is in law school. While he and his law review buddies are in Italy, he gets a note from a stranger saying “I know who you are” and asking to meet. Ryan is desperate to find out what this stranger knows and to possible clear his name once and for all.

This is an unputdownable thriller. Thanks to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This fast paced thriller surrounding a cold case of a mysterious disappearance, and the tangled web of those caught in the middle.

I’ve been an Alex Finlay fan for a while now and this one did not disappoint! I do believe that this one is best to dive into blind, so for that reason, I won’t be going into too much depth.

As a seasoned thriller reader, I did in fact piece this one together- but I still enjoyed it immensely!

Be sure to check this one out, it comes out on May 28th! Thank you to Minotaur books for the gifted arc.