If Something Happens To Me was a story about high school sweethearts Alison and Ryan and one fateful night that separated them forever. Ryan was suspected of murdering Alison but there is no body and no proof. The book starts off setting the scene of the night in question from Ryan’s perspective. Throughout the story we become familiar with Poppy, the detective on the case when Alison’s car is recovered years later under water in a town lake. Inside a cryptic message sends everyone on the hunt to see what Alison meant when she wrote, “If something happens to me…” It was a good read. It had several twists. There were a lot of characters to keep up with but it was a great story.

This was another fun thriller from Alex Finlay.

It was very fast-paced and I really liked the different povs. It had some nice twists and surprises.

I thought the storyline was really interesting, and I really enjoyed how the characters' lives intersected with one another.

What do I think of Alex Finlay’s newest book?

I loved it! He always brings his A-game to his stories, and once again he blew me away with this fun, fast-paced, pulse-pounding, mafia-laced thriller!

In a story epitomized by secrets, lies and revenge, it’s nearly impossible to know who to trust, and when the dead bodies start piling up and secrets are slowly revealed, it’s a race to see who’ll make it to the end!

No one was more surprised than me that I enjoyed this so much. I’m not a super huge fan of crime family stories, but this pulled me in from the jump with super speedy chapters and a constant flow of action and intrigue. I couldn’t wait to get back to it every time I had to step away. With great characters, world travel and a wildly engaging story, I can definitely see this making its way to the big screen at some point, and I’ll be in line for it!

You may be tempted to think this is just a fluff action story with one-dimensional mafia goons, naive small-town characters and young adults in peril, but the thing I loved most about this story is how wonderfully human and accessible ALL these characters are. It would be easy to just say mafia = BAD, but Finlay shows a vulnerable side of every character that allowed me to feel empathy, though not approval, of even the worst actions they took. That’s a tough trick to pull off, but he did it beautifully. I finished the story having liked or sympathized in some way with every major character!

I highly recommend it!

5 stars

I went back and forth between the audio and the ebook. I'm so happy I had access to both because I couldn't stop this one. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Trying to figure out how all the different POVs fit together was just a puzzle that I couldn't get enough of. I always go in blind and I would recommend that you do the same if you can. I feel going in blind with thrillers just makes the twists that much twistier and the turns that much more curvier. You don't know where you're supposed to go. You don't have any preconceived ideas of what the book is about.

Normally I have some sort of idea what's going on and start picking up on little things, but, honestly, idk if the book was just THAT GOOD or if I'm extra tired from work being crazy, but I didn't see this one coming until right before it happened. My jaw literally dropped. I had to pause the audio and just stared at my phone for a few seconds. I then grabbed the ebook to make sure I didn't hear that wrong.

The twists! The turns! The heartbreak! Picture it, I'm Charlie Day with red string all over my mind trying to piece everything together. IYKYK. I literally just finished and maybe the excitement/sadness of it being over (THAT EPILOGUE) is heightening my love for this book, but I hope not.

This is my first Alex Finlay book (although his entire catalogue is already on my TBR) and this book just made me oh so very excited to dive into the rest of them. Helen Laser, John Pirhalla, and Paul Dateh did such good jobs narrating this book. All the characters were brought to life in such a believable way.

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the ARC and ALC of this wonderful book.

If Something Happens to Me introduces us to Poppy, ex-military/current police officer, and I hope to have the opportunity to read more featuring her and her world! I will also seek out more by Alex Finlay if this is indicative of his work!
This action-packed, rollicking thriller is perfect for shutting out the world, forgetting your problems and falling into a different world from your own (hopefully 😉) I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks to #netgalley and #minotaurbokks for this eARC to read.

I’ve got to say, I was quite impressed with this one! I’m not usually one for books involving crime families but I really enjoyed If Something Happens to Me. It just took me 2 days to read it once I started, with breaks to work and sleep. This is my second book by @alexfinlayauthor and I’m definitely a fan! The characters were well developed and relatable, and I was rooting for Ryan! This book is told through multiple POV throughout and that really helped to keep me invested and to get a better understanding of the characters.

Listening to the audiobook of “If Something Happens to Me” by Alex Finlay was an unforgettable experience. The story’s gripping narrative and complex characters had me completely immersed. Ryan Richardson’s harrowing journey to uncover the truth behind his girlfriend’s disappearance is both heart-wrenching and exhilarating. Finlay’s skillful storytelling, combined with the excellent narration, made for a thrilling listen that I couldn’t pause. The twists and turns kept me guessing, and the emotional depth of the story resonated with me deeply. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves a good mystery with a strong emotional core

wow. i must say i was not expecting anything but this book gave me everything.

this was my first approach to this author and it didn’t disappoint, i enjoyed it so much!

unputdownable and intense, this book grabs you from the start and it doesn’t let you go until you hit the end.

full of twists and turns with characters that are so well developed, this should be your next read.

This is my 3rd Alex Finlay read and when I think of him I know I’ll get a twisty story with characters I like and root for...well maybe not all of them but you know what I mean. If Something Happens To Me was that kind of read.

Beginning with that mysterious night 5 years prior I read a story with multiple POVs (that weren’t confusing), lots of characters, locations and intrigue.

If Something Happens To Me is the story of Ryan and his search for the truth of what happened 5 years ago and why. There were many twists, red herrings and a nice fast pace that kept me turning the pages. It has a release date of May 28th, I highly recommended for those that love to get lost in the pages.

My thanks to Minotaur Books for a digital arc (via Netgalley) in exchange for a honest review.

Pretty Good! It gave Lee Child vibes with a dash of Freida McFadden. My only comments are that there were many times in the book I wished for more details. I wanted to know what the scene looked like exactly, what the characters facial expressions were like, and to know what kind of tone they were using when they spoke. There were several chapters that were detailed with extensive vocabulary, and then there were others that I read that almost felt like it was written by someone else.
Overall, I loved the book. I feel like the characters could have been written in more depth. I wanted to know them better.

I really love thrillers and this book reminded me why I love them so much. The book starts off with a lot of suspense with Ryan’s girlfriend Ali gone missing and he has no recollection at all.
I loved the aspect of 3 different main POV’s and how they all come together in the end. I really liked Poppy as a character. I would say that the twists are semi-predictable and not super surprising but I still enjoyed them. This book is a definite binge read!

This author is a must read for me he never disappoints!
Ryan Richardson and Alison Lane are parked in the quiet area near Suncatcher lake for some time together it’s called lovers lane. They both will be leaving soon for college and hoping their relationship will last after they say goodbye.
Suddenly the passenger door being ripped open, and all he can hear is Ali’s piercing scream while being struck on the head as he is pulled from the car!! Everything goes back. Later he will come to remember only one thing about the attacker and it’s creepy- I promised you will find out what that this is!
Ryan was never found guilty of Ali’s disappearance but the town secretly everyone thought he was guilty, but he soon finds himself being hounded by podcasters and the press. His only option was to changes his name and enter law school and he hopes he can get a fresh start.
Five years later - Poppy McGee is starting a new job as the deputy sheriff in Ryan’s hometown, she was recently discharged from the army. On her first day on the job she’s called to a submerged vehicle being pulled from Suncatcher lake. What they find inside are two dead men and a cryptic note.
Ryan is on a school trip to Italy, when he gets the news about the submerged vehicle being pulled from the lake, he’s hoping to finally get answers, but when someone from his nightmare reappears he finds himself following clues to find what happened to Alison.
There is another POV in this novel, that is Anthony O’Leary who has just started in a new academy. His father is Shane and is the leader of a mob family.
How are all these lives connected and what happened to Allison? I loved this book and I highly recommend it!!

A really tense thriller that keeps you guessing as you turn each page. The action is on going as we delve into the underworld of gangsters, a missing presumed dead girlfriend, a young boy, Ryan, carrying the word guilt over his head throughout his lifetime, and a group of known to each other people from a small town. When a phone call from Ryan's dad brings it all into terrible focus once again, it's game on to see if his lost girlfriend, Ali, may possibly be alive.

Mr Findlay makes his characters come alive as he intertwines their stories and makes them come together. However, he also tapped into one of my pet peeves, that of making current topic that one really doesn't need a place to be included.

Thank you to Alex Findlay, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this book which publishes at the end of this month.

I love a book like this one that surprises me with its twists and turns. This story would make an very suspenseful movie. Ryan has been under suspicion for the last five years for the disappearance of his high school girlfriend. He switched colleges and changed his name in hopes of a more normal life. Now in Italy on a summer trip with fellow law students, new evidence has popped up back home. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love that the book is told from many points of view. I love how Ryan has put his life back together and works hard to keep it that way. I also love the new sheriff's deputy Poppy who wants to dig to find out what's really going on. This is a wonderful mystery with interesting characters and an intriguing story.

This has been my favorite Alex Finlay novel. He gets better and better with each one. I was hooked from the very start. Though we find out the twist fairly early, it doesn't distract from the compulsive readability of the story.

Alex Finlay is one of my auto-buy authors and I was thrilled to see If Something Happens to Me drop in my inbox.

And wow, this did not disappoint.

With short, action-packed chapters, expertly-woven plotting, a cast of interesting characters, and humor running throughout, this might be my favorite Finlay yet. If you're looking for a cinematic thriller with a splash of mystery and an international bend, this will definitely be the read for you. Smart, engrossing, and whiplash fun, If Something Happens to Me is an instant favorite.

Big thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

I have mixed feelings about this one.

There were a lot of characters and a back and forth plot that could be too much at times. Just a lot of details, dialog, and a plot that was very heavy in it all.

There was thrill, drama, family dynamics, and lots of murders.

I didn’t love the ending, but all in all it was an okay book.

This was my first Alex Finlay book and I really enjoyed it! It has so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The multiple POV with dual narration was very engaging. I went in blind and was happily surprised with all of the connections. Definitely fast paced if you’re looking for a quick read/listen!

I love Alex Finlay books. They are always action packed and full throttle, If Something Happens to Me was another one sitting read for me. Going into Alex's books blind is my preferred method, just buckle in for a wild ride! This one is told in alternating POV's and timelines so it might be handy to have a physical copy to use along the audio if you're an audio girlie like me. The narration by Helen Laser, John Pirhalla, and Paul Dateh was fantastic! If you love an edge of your seat thriller full of revenge, mystery, and suspense, look no further. This one comes out May 28th, 2024 so preorder it now, and while you wait I'd recommend checking out The Night Shift by Alex Finlay which is my personal fave from him! Thank you to @macmillan.audio @minotaurbooks and @netgalley for my gifted eARC and ALC.

It's been five years since the night Allison was taken, Ryan's only memory of the car door yanked open, then blackness until he woke up in a field... alone. With no clues other than a vague memory of a nondescript man with both pinkie fingers missing, the case has gone cold, but many in his hometown still blame him, forcing him to change his name. But now, Allison's car has been discovered at the bottom of a lake with two unknown bodies and an envelope with the words, "If something happens to me" written in the outside in Allison's handwriting. What really happened that night?
In chapters told from the perspective of many different characters, the pieces of the puzzle slowly start to fall into place. There are so many seemingly unconnected storylines until that aha moment when you start to understand, and then can't stop flying through the pages to find out what happens. This is my first book by this author and I loved it! I highly recommend to any thriller lover!
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. The opinions in this review are my own and given voluntarily.