This thriller is a rollercoaster ride of suspense that will keep you guessing until the very end. Ryan's haunted by a traumatic event from his past, and things take a crazy turn when a shocking discovery reignites the nightmare.

The story unfolds from multiple perspectives, including a small-town sheriff's deputy and a Philadelphia mobster (talk about unexpected allies!). Each character brings a fresh angle to the mystery, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Finlay is a master of the unexpected twist. Just when you think you've figured it out, BAM! The plot takes a sharp turn, leaving you wanting more. This isn't your average whodunit – it's a mind-bending exploration of trauma, guilt, and the lengths we go to for those we love.

Alex Finlay has set the bar high in the twisting mystery thriller If Something Happens to Me.
It is brilliantly written from high schoolers point of views, to gangsters dealing with unexpected consequences, to a fantastic unexpected conclusion.
I am exhausted from holding my breath at the breath reading the last couple of chapters at the end!
Definitely 5 stars from me.

It's always the boyfriend, the husband, the significant other...so when Ali and her car disappear from a Lover’s Lane, suspicion falls on the last person to see Ali, her boyfriend, Ryan, who remembers nothing but the kidnapper’s “plain face” and unique hands. Five years later, amateur sleuths find Ali's car at the bottom of a lake, and Ryan, on an overseas trip with law school classmates, comes face-to-face with the captor. But things are not as they seem.

As a self-proclaimed thriller aficionado, If Something Happens to Me did not disappoint! Finlay’s ability to weave in twist after shocking twist and somehow still wrap the storyline up with a bow is incredible. There are several storylines following characters in different locations, and a few times, I found myself looking back at previous chapters to remind myself who was who. Stick with it because the characters, the locations, and the story lines all come together in a shocking and beautiful way.

The characters were well-developed, and you will love them and hate them. I was rooting for the newest Deputy Sheriff, Poppi McGee, and I loved Ryan’s law school classmates. It becomes clear that friendship is a major throughline — old and new friendships.

Don't miss this fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing until the end -- just make sure you set aside enough time to read it in one sitting because you won't want to put it down!! Finlay nails it again!

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this advanced copy! All opinions are my own.

#netgalley #stmartinspress #alexfinlay

There are so many secrets and dangerous and sinister characters wreaking havoc throughout Alex Finlay’s latest thriller, “If Something Happens To Me.” From Leavenworth, Kansas, to Philadelphia, to Paris, we encounter the good, the bad and the survivors. Mr. Finlay has created a storyline and characters that are intriguing, complex and full of surprises. He reaches back to the past where it all began and weaves an intricate tale of family, devotion and revenge.

At first I thought the crimes began in Kansas, with the disappearance of Ali and the accusations against her boyfriend, Ryan, that he had played a part in this mysterious event. His explanation of what happened that night was foggy, he couldn’t prove anything, and he only had a faint recollection of an unknown man reaching into the car. Ali was the love of his life and Ryan was never the same after that horrible night. The real question is why was Ali targeted and who was behind this diabolical scheme? We are given a trail of breadcrumbs that take us around the world as we meet the individuals who had the most to win and lose from finding Ali, because in the end, that is where it all started. I love all of Mr. Finlay’s books because they are thought-provoking, they stimulate my mind, and always leave me wanting more!

First, a thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy of “If Something Happens to Me”. This as my first time reading an Alex Finlay novel but, I can assure you, it will not be my last! The plot revolves arround a high school girl, a night out with her boyfriend and the unexpected happenings that go from there. But…do we really have the whole story? The plot has twists but they are believable and really add interest to the story. The characters were well enough developed for the roles that they played and you feel sympathy for them and the situations in which they find themselves. Without any spoilers, the twists continue until the end.
I actually picked this book up and sat out in the sunshine, not expecting too much from it. Instead, I read the entire book in one day and, while it is not a literary classic, it is a book that you will enjoy!
Happy reading!

I loved this book! I gasped so many times I think I was starting to bug my husband—oops! There were just twists on twists on twists and I couldn’t help it, haha!

The story is told from 4-5 different POVs and that could easily become confusing but I didn’t find that to be the case at all. It was really easy to follow along and when everything started to slot in to place, it was soooo satisfying.

My only little issue was that there were a couple points while I was reading that I was like ‘ooooh, this was definitely written by a man.’ The most apparent point was while discussing the ‘frivolity’ of women being obsessed with social media and applying makeup to look like the Kardashians. It was unnecessary and made me roll my eyes but it was just a small blip so it didn’t affect my overall feelings about the book.

Book review: if

I heard lots of buzz about this book and was very excited to dig in.

I found I wasn’t connected enough to the characters to care deeply. I found them to be a bit flat.

Redeeming elements for me:
I did appreciate dipping into the power of bullying. I think this is a tricky topic that often isn’t portrayed.

Female police officer. Love her determination and persistence to solve the case.

Parent care. I think this narrative gave more strength to Poppy!

The end did have me eager to see how it ends, and did not forecast the plot twist, which I often do.

Appreciate the early read.

2.5⭐️

This thriller wasn’t for me - it was more of an action mystery thriller, whereas I prefer psychological thrillers. The reason I didn’t care for it besides the plot was the writing. It was really confusing at times and I had trouble keeping up with the characters. I also didn’t care about any of them.

I received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

If Something Happens to Me is a great thriller that I couldn't put down. The story is about Ryan, whose high school girlfriend was abducted and presumed dead five years prior. Ryan insists that he saw a man with no pinkies before he was knocked out. Fast forward five years, when Ryan is in law school, he sees the man with no pinkies and a chase ensues.

This is a great story about a new sheriff that is trying to solve this crime. There are bad guys, crime bosses, and corrupt FBI agents. This is the first book I have read by Alex Finlay and I look forward to reading more. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

My first book by Alex Finlay and I loved it! Will try this author again for sure.
Honestly this is the kind of book that reminds me why I enjoy a good, easy to read thriller so much. It had everything, including a gripping start and ofc fab twists (that actually worked and made sense.
When I say I couldn't put this down, I mean whenever I HAD to I really really didn't want to &. This was one of the occasions where I could not figure out where the story was going at all.
I was impressed that, despite the many characters, it was easy to follow with good character development.
Suspend disbelief is necessary but it all worked so well.
Would recommend this book, especially if you're in a bit of a reading slump! Added bonus is the short chapters, which IMO always keep books moving at a faster pace.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I devoured If Something Happens to Me! I could not put it down. There were twists and turns everywhere. I was hooked from beginning to end.
Honestly, I don’t typically like 3rd person pov, but this author did a really good job organizing the book so that I didn’t mind the pov. It was fast paced and very easy to follow each characters part in the story. Thank you so much for this e-arc!

» 4 stars ᯓ★

➞ this is my formal apology to anyone who's told me to read alex finley before because i thought i would hate his books but here we are, one book and four stars later, and i look like a FOOL.

🧸┊the plot: literally can't even begin to describe what was going on here. to put it shortly we follow different storylines that seem totally unrelated but all end up coming together at the end. & plot twists galore!

💐┊my thoughts: this is definitely the sort of book that you can sit down and just absolutely binge in a day. i did it in three with a ton of stuff going on so that's that. the writing is so catchy and easy to read, you can tell finlay was made to write thrillers and thank god that he found that out! was literally on the edge of my seat for a good portion.

the characters fell a little flat for me? i don't put much thought into characters in thrillers but i didn't really care about any of them. they all had their what the actual fuck are you doing moments but .. idk. not much to say other than i just didn't really like any of them, which is kinda crazy considering there were so many.

➞ a quick n fun thriller! yay! i have such hit or miss luck with this genre so anytime i find a 4 star i feel like the universe has declared me its favorite person for the day of course it has.

🏷️┊tw: death, gore. keep in mind there may be more that i forgot here! ur mental health matters <3

Overall, wasn't my favorite Alex Finlay book. I didn't really connect with Ryan as a character and his group of traveling friends in Italy weren't really necessary for the overall plot--they just added more characters. The character I liked the most was Poppy, the deputy sheriff--she had spunk. Overall, I think the wow moments for this book weren't really wow moments and I didn't love the whys and hows of the thriller. Mediocre read.

Before I can write my review, I'm going to need a minute to catch my breath.

Ok, so, here we go. Pulse pounding? Yes. Action packed? Oh, yes. Edge of your seat thrills? Hoo boy, yes. Characters that come to life, horrify you and bring you to tears? Check, check, and holy buckets, yes.

Mr Finlay has written a non-stop roller coaster of a suspense tale. We start out with what we assume are the main characters, in Leavenworth, KS. Next we travel to Philidelphia to meet a new set of characters, and then off to Italy, where we revisit one character and meet another fresh set of characters. I'll grant you, at first it all seems pretty daunting, There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to these events or the various people inhabiting them. But slowly, slowly the different threads come together. The brightly colored purple yarn twists into the muted tan of twine, and both braid themselves into the shiny silver chain. You end up with a fascinating work of art that you can't take your eyes off of.

This novel is the very definition of a page turner. Run, now, and get it for yourself.

Helloooo. Man, I loved this book. I recently read Alex Finlay's The Night Shift and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to start on his new novel. I was not disappointed at all. 

This book is told in many different POVs ranging from Ryan, Poppy, a mobster, and a few sporadic others. It's written similarly to The Night Shift and I liked the writing style there, so this felt familiar. Be warned, though, considering that there's mobsters, there are some pretty gut wrenching scenes. 

So, our story is basically about several different people as they all follow down the same thread. You have the mobster and his wife (both brutal in their own ways), you get the mobster's right hand man (who becomes a particularly interesting character, you get Ryan (the brooding boyfriend of the abducted girl who actually gets accused for her murder), you get Poppy (think badass woman who doesn't take other people's shit). All characters were important and so vivid in the way they were built. Poppy is following the leads on Ali's cold case, Ryan is following his own lead in Italy, and the mobster is following leads that don't fully make sense until closer to the end (which I totally appreciate because you get to try and figure it out on your own). 

My favorite part about this novel was definitely the plot. It was woven together so seamlessly that I literally was following the tracks of the mystery as all of our characters were. There comes a point about 70% of the way through the book where you know more than the characters did overall (unless you're really good at solving mysteries). This is the first time I've read a mystery and really went "wow, it all makes sense" because you get every piece of the mystery slowly enough to play detective on your own. 

Overall, this novel was so much fun to read and an absolute thriller. Mysteries are one of my favorite genres and Alex Finlay's If Something Happens to Me is the perfect example of why I love this genre so much. A huge thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this novel in exchange for an honest review.  

***This review (along with my thoughts on some spoilers) will be posted on my blog on May 17th. Spoiler-free versions of my review will be posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and BookBub on this novel's publication day.

What a ride! Finished it in less than 24 hours. The story grabbed me from the very beginning and the pacing was great! As soon as you’d start to settle into a theory something would happen to surprise you or get you guessing again. I enjoyed the relationships in this story. Yes, there were a bunch of characters but they were introduced in a way that made them easily identifiable. There was a point about midway through where something was revealed that caused me to literally have to talk it out loud with myself to grasp it. Well done! Loved it! ♥️

I really enjoyed this book. I have enjoyed other books from this author. It was really well written and easy to follow. It had enough twists to keep me engaged.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay is a spectacular thriller!!! I was hooked from the first chapter and actually read this book in one day - I couldn’t put it down. Multiple POVs are a must for me in any thriller & Finlay delivered that in this book. This was my first book by this author but it definitely will not be the last!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, & Minotaur Books for an ARC copy of this book.

This thriller is absolutely incredible. This is my first Alex Finlay book and I cannot wait it read more.

The author did a superb job of gripping you from the start with a high action beginning and then did a terrific job of weaving a highly creative story across continents and timelines. There were quite a few times I had to pick my jaw up off the ground and I definitely did not guess what was happening. The characters were all built really well and the story was unique and interesting. I don't want to share too many details aside from the synopsis but this thriller was awesome!!

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Weaving several story lines together, author Finlay takes us on a journey over the years with Ryan Richardson, who was a teenager accused of the disappearance of his high school sweetheart. Although never prosecuted, Ryan has been the victim of "guilt via social media." Now enrolled in law school and under a different name, Ryan is pulled back through the years when the car they were in that night is discovered in a local lake and the mysterious man who attacked them that night (and who has haunted his dreams for years), is now stalking Ryan across Italy, France and England.
Meanwhile, back in the states, young Sheriff's department officer, Poppy is finding that the evidence in the decades old disappearance of Alison just isn't adding up. She goes against the advice of the Sheriff and starts digging into the past and uncovering links to not only the Sheriff, but also to her own father and brother. When the FBI gets involved, Poppy must figure out who is on her side and who is steering her investigation away from themselves in order to find the truth. Using a coded note left behind by Alison, Poppy and Ryan are determined to solve this case once and for all....but at what personal cost?
The tension builds as readers start to piece together what exactly happened that night and the chain of events that led to the attack on two teenagers parked in a "lovers lane" on a dark and rainy night. A fast and exciting read.