If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay

Thank you to @minotaurbooks, @netgalley, and @alexfinlayauthor for the opportunity to read this #advancedreadercopy in exchange for my honest review! This thriller will be available May 28 so preorder now!

Alex Finlay has done it again - What Have We Done and The Night Shift both left me shook and wanting more (my reviews for each are available on my IG). In If Something Happens to Me Finlay strikes the perfect balance of action packed scenes that leave you on the edge of your seat and intricately woven plot twists that require concentration to sus out. His storytelling is such that my mind choreographed the scenes before my eyes like I was part of the action. I highly recommend this for action-packed thriller fans!

TWs: mob activity, bull*ing, double cross, fr*ming, more

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ - 4.5/5

I could NOT put this book down! I read it in hours and not days. From the get go I was sucked in and fully engrossed in the story. I’ loved the mystery and all of the characters in it. Even afterwards I feel like there are no plot holes or anything to nitpic. A rarity with mysteries! I did receive a free ARC copy of this book, but all opinions are my own.

If Something Happens to Me is an addictive story. Ryan Richardson's life was thrown off track the night he was assaulted and his girlfriend Ali disappeared. There was no evidence to charge him for wrong and he has worked hard to rebuild his life. Now five years later Ali's car has been found submerged in a lake. But this seems to bring more questions than answers. Where is Ali, who are the two dead men in her car, and what really happened that night? With chapters switching between locations and perspectives, we slowly begin to see the picture of events. The story is complex and ingeniously woven together. With satisfying twists and reveals, I enjoyed this one from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was really good! I’m not typically a fan of mysteries/thrillers that deal with mob families, but Alex Finlay did a great job weaving multiple perspectives together to create a twisty mystery that speaks to how far we will go for the ones we love. The pacing was really good, and it’s definitely a mystery that you won’t want to stop until the last page!

Absolutely Amazing! A story so full of twists and turns, drama, action and of course betrayl. I absolutely loved it from the very beginning. The way everything comes together makes this fast paced thriller seem to just fly by. Great characters and amazing world building for just a phenominal book. I was completely captivated and wish I could read it again for the first time!

I received a free copy of, If Something Happens to Me, by Alex Finlay, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Ryan changed his last name after the attack, when he was pulled out the car and his girlfriend Ali is kidnapped. This book is a little to violent for me. This book was a little confusing having 3 points of view. It was an ok read confusing at times though.

Thanks to Netgalley & St Martins Press for the arc of this awesome upcoming thriller!
I'm LOVING how many 5 star reads l've had lately!
late this one up! The beginning had me hooked and I didn't want to put it down. I really liked how this book had multiple POVs but not too many to where it was hard to keep up. When the timelines came together at the end of part 1 for the first big twist, my jaw hit the floor. Like let me go back and read that again lol. More twists kept coming and the storyline kept getting more intense and interesting. I loved how everything came together in the end and how all the characters were connected.
But that epilogue man.... These authors are killing it lately with the epilogues. So many book epilogues I've read this year have left me flabbergasted when I've finished.
I've only read this book and The Night Shift by Alex Finlay but this one is def my favorite between the two.
Put this book on your Ibk for May because you don't want to miss out on the excitement!

My review post is live on my Instagram, @acourtofbooks_. The link has been added along with my Goodreads review.

formal review to come. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and storylines that all eventually came crashing into one another.

I enjoyed this one! It was a quick thriller that kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed Poppy McGee and would like another book featuring her. Although fairly predictable, it had everything I like in a thriller. Characters to root for, good pace and plotting, and a nice tidy ending.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review.*

This was a book I devoured in one day. It was put together so well. The flow and pacing of the book worked so well I never really ever lost interest. I was so enthralled. Twists and twists and twists.

This is my first book by the author so I wasn't completely sure what to expect, but now I know this won't be my last by them.

I love the cryptic message plot line. I'm so intrigued when it comes to deciphering things and I love the feeling when it's finally revealed. The plot as a whole may have been a bit over-the-top and not totally realistic, but I was still eating it right up.

🔍 So fast-paced
🔍 Twisty!
🔍 Multiple POV
🔍 Cryptic message
🔍 Who can you trust?

I never really guessed what was happening, but I also wasn't shocked when it was revealed. The story built up well to the end and the ending/twists all seemed to fit well in the story.

I didn't particularly care about the characters. It's a thriller book, so that's not really the goal, but the characters just seemed a bit dull and under-developed.

Overall, this was a fun and fast read and I can't wait to dig into some other works by the author!

Real page-turner

This caught my attention right form the start. I read until I couldn't keep my eyes open, then woke up in the middle of the night and finished it. The plot is doled out slowly. You know a girl, Ali, was captured while she and her boyfriend, Ryan, were at a lover's lane type of location. Her body was never found, but the boyfriend was considered to be a suspect. Five years later a true crime podcast finds a car with two dead bodies in a nearby lake. Brand-new sheriff deputy Poppy is assigned to look into the case of the missing girl. There is also a mob boss whose bullied son committed suicide many years before the book takes place. You know who most of the good guys and bad guys are, but the suspense lies in knowing what will happen to everyone.

I wasn't crazy about who Ryan ended up with, but enjoyed Poppy's relationship.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and St Martin’s Press for the early review copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I read this last week at the beach and thought it was GREAT. This book will publish at the end of next month, and I recommend checking it out for a fun twist-filled thriller!
If Something Happens to Me is all over the place location-wise - from Leavenworth, Kansas, to Philadelphia and also Tuscany, England and Paris! The author mentions in his note at the end of the book that he has spent time in all of these locations. I love when authors explain their reasoning for details like that!
As the locations vary, the book tells the tightly-woven story of the disappearance (and aftermath) of Ryan’s high school girlfriend. Ryan was knocked out by the kidnapper, and when he woke up his girlfriend was gone. Many people assume that he was involved in the kidnapping in some way, Years later, when Ryan, now with a different last name, is in law school, training to defend others going through situations similar to his past, his girlfriend’s car is located, along with new clues to her possible location.
I really enjoyed the different characters involved in the search, and I truly was clinging to my kindle, trying to figure out the mystery myself. I did foresee two plot twists (and felt so proud of myself for predicting them), but there were plenty more that I missed. I enjoyed how succinct this book was - it’s 336 pages which felt full of action.

This is my second Alex Finlay book, and knowing that I gave 5 stars to Every Last Fear gave me high hopes for this one. Unfortunately. I thought this one was just okay. It felt like there were way too many characters, and many didn’t need to be introduced (most of the Italy crew). I wish there was a little more depth to the characters so I could feel for them rather be told how they’re feeling. There were so many parts about the mob and it would have been better (in my opinion) if they didn’t show up so often and so easily.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Overall Grade: B
Story: B
Ending: B
Characters: Many of them and some were great and some dull.
Best Aspect: Part one was awesome.
Worst Aspect: Everything after part one was dull.
Recommend: Yes. (release 5/28/24)

Wow, this would make a great movie! This was my first time reading anything by Alex Finlay and he did not disappoint. If Something Happens to Me is the story of two high school seniors one night at the local make-out spot. They rush back into the car when a rain storm rolls in and all of a sudden the doors fly open. Ryan is hit on the head and dragged out the car, Alison was taken and there are no traces left when he comes to the next morning. Next we flash 5 years later where Ryan is off in Italy on a trip with his law students friends when he gets word the car finally has turned up. Inside the makeup bag that was discovered has a note that says, "If Something Happens to Me," which really re-opens the case.  A new deputy takes on the case locally, while Ryan hunts for the answers too while abroad as he believes Alison is still alive. This story has great POV's from all the major players. There's a lot to digest in the first part, but  hang with it, part two and three it all comes together and was quite the ride. If you are into small town thrillers or books featuring different mob type groups I think you'd really enjoy it! Knocked this one out in just over 2 days. Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.  3.5 stars rounded up!

This is the first book of Finlay's that I've read, even though he has other books that have been published that have been popular in the bookstagram world. Given that I have heard good things about him and his previous books, I decided I would give this book a try. Part one started out strong with the prologue and the backstory with Alison and Ryan at Lover's Lane and her disappearance. It made me want to dive into the story and learn more about what happened. When the author brought in Poppy's storyline I thought "oh, great, she's going to help investigate Ali's cold case and get to the bottom of her disappearance." When O'Leary's storyline was introduced, I was intrigued with the mobster boss idea but I wanted to learn more. Ryan's storyline was the only one that I wasn't vibing with. The twist at the end of part one was one that I didn't see coming, but the twists at the end of parts two and three were a bit more predictable, without giving anything away.

I felt that towards the end of the book, especially in parts two and three with so many different storylines and so many different people to try to merge into one ending, it sort of seemed a bit chaotic and hard to follow at times, like driving down the interstate in an incredibly busy metropolitan city. I'll just stick to my traditional thrillers I think.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Alex Finlay for giving me a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed previous books by Alex Finlay and was really excited to read this one but to be honest it fell flat for me. I felt like the writing was rushed and overall wasn't for me.

Poppy has just returned to her home town and is in her first day as a deputy sheriff when a shocking discovery is made related to a missing person case from 5 years prior. Poppy tries to unravel the case and figure out the truth behind the discovery, and the involvement of those close to her.

There are a lot of characters and I enjoyed switching plot lines often - it kept the pace of the book moving. I feel like all the characters acted much older than they were, especially Poppy. I think it would have made the book more realistic if they were a little older, especially her.

It was very fast paced and I enjoyed the short chapters and felt engaged. I enjoyed the cipher and loved things like that when I was a kid -- that part was really interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

If Something Happens to Me is a fast-paced thriller that begins with Ryan and his girlfriend, Alison, who are on Lovers' Lane one night. Ryan is knocked unconscious and when he comes to, Alison is nowhere to be found. Fast forward several years, Ryan is now in law school and on a class trip to Italy. Alison's car is found in a lake with the bodies of two unknown men and a strange note that she wrote. The chapters are short, and the plot moves along quickly. It's a fast read that keeps you guessing till the end. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of Alex Finlay's latest novel.

This was a quick and engaging read with a timely inclusion of a podcast style investigation. I enjoyed this and will continue to look for more to come from Finlay.

An intriguing book, so much so I couldn’t resist reading one more chapter. But that lead me to another pulse pounding scene. Fast paced, a newly minted deputy sheriff, a cold case of a missing girl, paybacks and a lot of bad characters. Plan on clearing your time to read this thriller of revenge and more revenge. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press Minotaur for an early copy. This review is my honest opinion.