Finlay is a master at a twist as I did not see one of the biggest ones in this book coming. If Something Happens to Me is the story of a five year old missing person case and how it breaks open again when the missing girls, Ali's, car is found at the bottom of a lake with not her, but someone else in it. I enjoyed this story for the most part, more so reading it myself since the narrator for Ryan threw me off track though I wasn't really convinced by the ending. Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read and enjoyed two of Alex Finlay's previous books, "The Night Shift" and "Every Last Fear," so I was looking forward to another good psychological thriller with "If Something Happens to Me." I wasn't disappointed. If anything, I think this is Finlay's best book yet.

Five years ago, while Ryan Richardson and his girlfriend, Ali, were at a secluded place, Ali was abducted. Both she and the car vanished that night, and Ryan became a person of interest in her disappearance. Ryan was never charged, but the suspicion and notoriety has haunted him. Now a law student with a different name, Ryan's past comes back to haunt him when Ali's car is recovered from a lake with two dead men in it, but still no trace of Ali, just a coded note with the words "if something happens to me" on the envelope.

Newly appointed sheriff's deputy Poppy McGee is assigned to the task force attempting to figure out who the two dead men are and what is in Ali's note. As Poppy digs into the old case about Ali's disappearance, she doubts the quality of the investigation and suspects a coverup--but why?

The story, told by several characters simultaneously, combines a classic psychological thriller and a twisty, suspenseful murder mystery. Finlay deftly intertwines the characters' lives with plot twists into a seamless story of love and revenge. It is a fast-moving and engaging read that never disappoints. 5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is May 28, 2024.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio + Minotaur Books, for the gifted copy of If Something Happens to Me {partner}

Genre: Mystery
Trope: Missing Girl
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 5/28/2024
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

Dang it! I desperately wanted to like this one. I started it on my Kindle and was feeling meh about the storyline, so I started the audio. While the audio was entertaining, there was just too much going on. It was fast-paced and twisty, but it almost pulled me in too many directions, ultimately making the plot too far-fetched and unbelievable. Because I am who I am, I figured out where the story was headed from a fairly early point, but I didn't enjoy the path the author took to get there. 

💨 Fast-paced
📝 Multi-layer story
🔀 Twisty plot
🗣️ Multiple POV

⚠️ Torture and extreme bullying of a teenager

My opinion on this book might not be popular, but that's the beauty of reading, not every book is meant for everyone. If you're a fan of high-octane, action-packed stories, then If Something Happens to Me might be your cup of tea.

BOOK: If Something Happens to Me
AUTHOR: Alex Finlay
PUB DATE: 5/28/2024 by Minotaur Books
PAGES: 336
RATING: 4.5
GENRE: Mystery & Thriller

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley, Alex Finlay & Minotaur Books for gifting me this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: Alex Finlay writes another unputdownable novel that comes out May 28th! From the very start, this is a compulsive, action-packed story – full of mystery and of course… a cliffhanger! I had to keep reading to find out what happened to the female main character! I kept guessing throughout the book to see how all ends would be tied up! With many twists and turns, this made for an excellent thriller! He sure knows how to write them!

Happy Reading!

“Ryan is outside on the wet grass. The car is gone. And so it Ali. ”
Here are reasons to read the thriller book:

Kidnapped Girl - Ryan wakes to find his girlfriend Allison gone
Submerged Car - and 5 years later, Allison’s dad’s car is found, but she is not in it
Deputy Sheriff - Enter deputy sheriff Poppy who starts looking into the case and finds a message left from Allison
Boyfriend - But Ryan has moved on in his life, until an unsuspecting visitor compels him to find the meaning in her message

This book was on my most anticipated list for the month. The story is broken into 4 parts, and in the first we follow a few different stories, and it’s a little unclear how they connect. But at the end of Part 1, I exclaimed “Oh Dang!” and then I couldn’t put it down. It’s fast paced and extremely entertaining. While it’s not my favorite Alex Finlay book, it is a book that pulled me out of my mediocre reading month!

A global thriller that starts with an event in Kansas where two high school sweathearts are pulled from their car, with Ryan being knocked unconscious and Ali going missing. Though Ryan is not arrested for the murder, he is obliged to give up his basketball hopes and has to move away with a new name. Five years later on a law school trip in Italy he sees the guy who attacked him and follows him on a crazy mission which takes him to the UK and finally to France. The story is told from several POVs and is fast-paced. A quick but enjoyable read.

Another twisty thriller from Alex Finlay! In this multiple-POV story, we meet a slew of characters around the world who are connected, but we have no idea how. Each person and each storyline is a piece in a puzzle that trancends time and place, eventually merging to solve a mysterious disappearance. As the story unfolds, we travel from Kansas to Pennsylvania to France and beyond, meeting a young deputy sheriff, students, military buddies, high school basketball players, mobsters, and FBI agents, to name a few, but must stay one (or two) steps ahead to see where the clues are leading us. Though the characterizaton is spare for the sake of plot movement, this is nevertheless a fun, clever take on the usual missing persons story.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 - Fast paced entertaining read that I enjoyed for the most part. Way too many characters (most unnecessary) and if I remember correctly this is common with Finlay's books. I did enjoy the first half much more than the second and it almost seemed like his writing style changed around the half way point. The twists were so over the top obvious that I thought I would be wrong, but I wasn't. Entertaining but that's about it. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If Something Happens to Me will be available on 5/28/24.

Alison and Ryan were high school lovers when one evening they were attacked. Ryan was knocked out and Alison was abducted in her own car. The police didn't have enough evidence to convict Ryan, but this haunted him enough for him to move and change his last name.

Years later while Ryan is on a school trip to Italy, Alison's car was just found in the lake with two men in it, but she is not. However, there is this cryptic note that is found, but no one knows how to decipher it and it starts with "If something happens to me..."

The story is unbelievable, but twisty and enough to keep me reading. Overall I enjoyed the book and appreciate the ARC. A solid 3 1/2 stars

I like the Schrödinger's cat of timeline Finlay creates: is it one timeline or are there multiple? Are we talking about same people over the years or are these all different people? He makes your mind work overtime. But if you read his other books before, you know what's coming your way!

Ryan's girlfriend was abducted right before him. A guy came and snatched her. No one knew who that person might be or what he wanted. Ali was not hated; she should not have any enemies. On the other hand, this mob boss had a lot of people who would want him or his son dead. Yet, his son ended his own life. He was bullied in his new school. He didn't have right support system to help even though therapy was made available to him. Somehow these stories got tangled and Ryan found himself in the middle of this mess that marked him murderer when he was clearly not.

I liked the surprise culprit at the end. I'm not going to lie I expected that person to do something scandalizing, and bit out of order. This person had nothing to lose, no one else to fight with and no fear of gaining more enemies. I would prefer to have more time in the end to connect all the dots instead of dropping bombs on us, readers, and go.

I loved this twisty and pulse pounding thriller! The brief chapters and multiple points of view kept me hooked from the beginning, and I couldn't wait to see what happened. I'm not usually one to reach for a mobster storyline, but I'd say this is Mobster Lite. It had enough other characters and plot lines that the mob portion was easier to digest (although there is some violence that was a bit yikes!).

Alex Finlay is a great storyteller and his plotting is quick. Because of this you don't get as much insight into each character, but by the end you do feel something for (or about!) all of them.

I really enjoyed this!

PS-- I also had the audio version, and I found the narration wonderful.

Wild and stunning story of danger and dedication, Finlay’s newest thriller is a crazy ride!

While the disparate story lines made for a confusing start to the narrative, I was eventually sucked in to this twisty tale. There were so many layers that added to the dense plot and the characters had very satisfying arcs.

I think you’ll love the progression of the characters, the intense revelations and the satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

How do you ever forget the night your girlfriend was abducted and you were left for dead on the side of the road? Those are the nightmares Ryan lives with along with the fact that most people thought he was involved in the abduction.
The narrative in this book spins a tale of deception that runs deep in the local town with some good twists and turns you won’t see coming. The characters are well developed and abundant in number, but you can easily keep track of them all. The book is packed with action, mystery and intrigue. It’s a book that will keep you engaged and quickly turning the pages.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Alison Lane and Ryan Richardson were high school lovers when one evening they were attacked. Ryan was knocked out and Alison was abducted in her own car. The police couldn't convict Ryan, but this haunted him enough for him to move and change his last name.

Years later Ryan is on a school trip to Italy, there is a new sheriff in town, Poppy, and Alison's car was just found in the lake with two men in it, but she is not. However, there is this cryptic note that is found, but no one knows how to decipher it and it starts with "If something happens to me..."

If Something Happens to Me follows, Ryan, Poppy, and Shane, a hit man from Philly. You learn how the three tie together and what actually happened to Alison.

I am a huge Alex Finlay fan and this book did not disappoint! I was engaged from the beginning and couldn't wait to figure out what happened next. I can't wait for Alex's next book!

Thank you Alex Finlay, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Finlay’s latest thriller follows three different main characters in three different parts of the world. We follow the perspective of Poppy, a deputy sheriff, who has returned home to Kansas to support her ailing father. We follow Shane O’Leary, a mob boss who lives in Pennsylvania, and has taken over the family business. Our third perspective is from Ryan Smith a.k.a. Ryan Richardson, who has finished his 1L year of law school and is traipsing around Europe with a group of his peers. But Ryan has been keeping a secret and has changed his name to get away from the speculation that he has endured since his high school girlfriend went missing and everyone assumes he killed her. So, how are 3 people living in different parts of the world connected? You’ll have to read the book to see how the author weaves these individual's lives together.

This was my first time reading this author’s work. I’ve seen a lot of buzz surrounding his last couple of thrillers. When I was given the opportunity to read an ARC, I decided to jump on the train and see what all the hype was about. 

This thriller didn’t disappoint. This book was fast-paced, and its short chapters kept me turning the pages. While the book kept me engaged, it was at times predictable. This didn’t take away my enjoyment of the final reveals. The characters were fleshed out well enough that you felt the motivation behind their decisions— even if it was a character you probably shouldn’t be rooting for in the end. I've read plenty of thrillers that left me scratching my head as to why they did something, so to understand the whys of a thriller is refreshing.

If you are a fan of a thriller that weaves multiple story lines together, I think you will enjoy Finlay’s latest release.

4.5 stars!

This was chaotic in the best way! Cliffhangers left and right, short chapters and a wild plot twist? The best recipe for a solid thriller. The multiple storylines had me questioning the outcome of this book for a quick second, but I couldn’t put it down. It was intoxicating in the best way and I truly ate it up. Another solid thrilller from Mr. Finlay who is quickly becoming an auto buy author for me. I’m grateful for this ARC and the opportunity to read it before its pub date!

3.5⭐️ rounded up!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the e-ARC of IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME by Alex Finlay in exchange for my review. This novel will be released on May 28, 2024.

CW: abduction, murder, parent death, cancer, bullying, suicide, addiction, gambling, drug overdose, child death, dementia

I tried to pick this up a few weeks ago, and soft DNFed it when I wasn't in the mood. I wasn't going to come back to it. I DNFed one other book by the author and thought maybe the author just wasn't for me. But, I kept seeing good review after good review pop up on my feed, so I decided to give it another chance.

I thought I had the twist figured out, but I was so wrong in a great way. There are a lot of characters, and I had trouble keeping track of who was who. I wish each character's name was stated at the beginning of their chapter so we could remember whose POV we were in. Also, the epilogue was three chapters long, and it didn't need to be. All of those things slowed the book down for me. Most of the reviews I've been seeing say this is fast-paced, but I found it to be more medium paced. Despite what I've mentioned, I did enjoy this and was intrigued to find out what happened next every time I had to put it down. I'll be going back to the book I DNFed by the author at some point, and I've also added his other books to my list and look forward to picking them up in the future!

There was a lot of buzz about this book and I was very excited to read it. It got a lot of really good reviews and high star ratings, but I found it really wasn't my thing. I think I definitely read this wrong.

There are so many 4 and 5 star reviews for this book on here so when I was granted an ARC of this novel on Netgalley I was super exicted to dive right on in. For me, this was a very low, very meh three star rating. I actually thought about giving it a 2.5 but the readability factor made me reconsider. Because even with my very lackluster reaction to it, it was a thriller and suspense-y and very readable. I honestly just found it predictable and cliche.

My boyfriend has watched Goodfellas about a million times. He turns Casino or The Departed on anytime they are on television (which is A LOT lemme tell ya). He has seen the entirety of The Sopranos at least three times. Quotes Scarface and The Godfather like they are part of the Bible. So just by association I feel like I have had a lot of exposure to mob stories and mentality just from living with someone who is superduper into the genre. And I think that is a big reason why this one didn't work for me.

In my very humble opinion, if you are an author who wants to write about the mob in your latest and greatest summer thriller, you probably need to do more research than just by watching an episode of Law & Order: Organized Crime. The mob parts of this book really are what dragged it down. I found them implausible, predictable, and cliche. The mob boss's behavior was particularly eyeroll worthy and if he were real, would have been killed off within a week of gaining power. And I only know that from watching The Godfather in my rearview mirror. You think Michael Corleone would have become the character he was by being pussy-whipped by his wife? By spending exorbitant amounts of time and funds to hunt down someone he blames for his son's suicide? No, I got that wrong. He spends exorbitant funds and manpower to find a so-called bully that his WIFE thinks is responsible for their son's death. My god parts of this were like Thirteen Reasons Why: Philly Mafia Edition. It really really didn't work for me.

And honestly I read so many reviews talking about "The Twist" and "This is how you write a thriller" and I honestly just don't get it. I really truly don't. I figured out every single twist this book brought to the table. Easily. Without really even trying. It was predictable. And also for the record, this one got added to my list of "books with stupid epilogues." Seriously. The last chapter was really just unnecessary.

It was decently written I guess, and immensely readable (I read the last half in one sitting), but I don't think there is anything new here that you cannot find in every single summer blockbuster thriller that will be hitting the bookshelves in the next three months. I think there are going to be people out there who love this, because they love these kinds of books, and that's great. If I had read it 5 years ago I probably would have liked it more also. But for now, it just wasn't meant to be.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. If you can suspend disbelief long enough to buy the outlandish twists and convenient timing of everything in this book, you will enjoy it. All told, it’s a wild fast-paced ride that will probably make for a fun limited TV/streaming series.

I just could not put this book down. The more I flipped the pages, the more I had to know the answer to each new lingering question. This is definitely the book to pick up if you are in a reading slump.

It’s five years after Ryan’s high school sweetheart disappeared during an evening rendezvous between the couple. Everyone fears that Alison is dead and Ryan may have had something to do with it. Ryan has changed his last name and is in Italy on a law school trip when he sees the man that took Ali. Ryan has never gotten over that night five years ago when his life changed drastically. Is this his chance to find out what really happened that night? Or is his mind playing tricks on him?

Meanwhile, back home, Ali’s car has been found submerged in the lake with two dead men and an unexpectedly well preserved cryptic note thought to be written by Ali. Ryan is the only one that can decipher the note and when he does he knows exactly where to find Ali…in the clouds.

As the book flips between now and then and several different seemingly unconnected characters, the thrill factor escalates. I heard myself gasping out loud and, at one point, had to pick my jaw up off of the floor. Do yourself a favor and set aside enough time to read this one in one sitting. You won’t be able to put it down.

This expertly crafted enigma deserves all the praise. Well done Alex Finlay. I loved every gripping moment of this masterpiece! This is one I’ll be recommending for years to come.

Thank you to Minotaur Books, NetGalley and the author for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest review.