instagram post to come shortly!

3.5 stars

Pub Date: May 28th

If Something Happens to Me is a fun thriller with an interesting storyline and a few twists thrown in here and there. There are multiple POVs, which I always LOVE in thrillers.

I would HIGHLY recommend going in blind because there are so many aspects to this one that would be best to let them unravel organically as you’re reading. I didn’t see so many of the sub-plots coming and I really enjoyed that part of the reading experience!

I definitely want to pick up some of Alex Finlay’s back list to try out!

I did feel like this one was a bit cheesy and it read as if it was a Matt Damon or Ben Affleck movie

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Minotaur Books for my copy of this!

I've enjoyed every book I read from this author so I was really looking forward to this one. I'm glad to say it did not disappoint. I actually think this is his best book yet. It's a similar genre as he usually writes; but this one just had more to it. I read this really quickly as I couldn't put it down - even sneaking in a chapter or two at work. It really did keep me guessing but still, once I figured some things out (or they were told), I was still engrossed and needed to know how it all played out. Really enjoyed the ending as well. I think it really fit this book. Thank you!

THIS BOOK WAS GIVING. We had a dash of crime family, reunion, murder, vacation, etc! If you liked What Have We Done you will probably like this because it was the same vibe of a story but with slightly less storylines. I honestly love Finlay, he has such a way with crafting a story. I don't know if this makes sense but I think he tends to write books more like movies than books? but in the best way?

I was thoroughly entertained. Cancel my plans to stay home and read entertained. It got me right out of my slump and I loved it. I think it's definitely more thriller than mystery but I find when it leans thriller I usually find them serious page-turners. There are lots of well-developed plots and characters and I felt like I was reading multiple books that fit together super well.

The last thing I’ll say about Finlay is that he’s an author who knows how do deal with characters and isn’t afraid to make bold decisions!

Anyways, super entertained and I love a complex plot!!

This is a wild and action-packed book! At first, it seemed somewhat overwhelming because there are so many characters introduced and there is no real way to decipher a connection between them all. I felt that it was overly descriptive at times and the frequency of changing of POVs left me feeling frustrated. Some parts were a little unbelievable. The timeline on some parts of the book were not clear; however, that did make for a twist I didn’t see coming and it helped make the connections between characters. Overall it’s a good book with a lot happening, but most of it comes smoothly together in the end. I would recommend this book and look forward to reading more books by the author!
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Abduction, allies, and apprehension.

This story is separated into 3 different locations and characters to follow throughout.

Ryan (relocated Italy), a traumatized kid/young man after experiencing his girlfriend being ripped from him in an intimate situation. Now in law school, still in pursuit of his trauma. Yes, he is still reeling from his past, and goes after leads on his own.
Poppy (small town in Kansas), is the new town detective. Little does Poppy know what she will be investigating in such a short time on the job. A missing woman case, and much more quickly emerges.
Shane (Philadelphia), is caught in some rough business. They have just recently moved to town, where their son experiences the unthinkable, and acts in a tragic manor.

Then as a good story does, the author does an incredible job intertwining all the stories. It took me a minute to catch on, but this book has been fast paced, thought provoking, and a nail biter till the very end. I love that Alex Finlay, NetGalley, St, Martin’s Press gave me the opportunity to read this novel for my honest review, thank you! This mystery/thriller will be published May 28, 2024 (soon)!

This was a great read. The only thing that made me question the credibility was a single crime Family from Philadelphia having such tracking skills and organization.

Great characters, suspense. It will keep you guessing, keep you reading.

This is my first book by Alex Finlay and I loved it! The story starts off immediately with a prologue that hooks you right away. What I love in a thriller/mystery is multiple timelines which we got and was excellently executed by Alex. The way he brought so many characters and plot lines together was seamless and had me wanting to keep reading to the very end. Ryan, Poppy, and Shane were all great characters to follow in their POV’s and while they weren’t the most three dimensional characters, they provided enough for me to root for and be interested in. This book is a bingeable thriller and I want to read more by Alex Finlay.

This was honestly a 4.5 star read for me. This face-paced thriller followed the life/death/drama of Allison, and everything that happened to make her write a cryptic “if anything happens to me” note. This book held my attention the entire time, and I had a hard time putting it down. At first, I was thrown off by the time shifts between chapters, but once that was detailed, it made so much sense. This is definitely a great easy read - highly recommended!

THIS WAS SUCH A FUN READ!

The different POVs, timelines, and locations were everything! Not to mention how everything comes together in the end, is just perfecto! I love Finlay’s writing style - this is my 3rd book by him and he knows how to write fast paced thrillers with twists! You’re going to want to read this one!

I'm really conflicted on this one. This is my first Alex Finlay book, so I didn't have any expectations going in. The man knows how to write a twist! The truth is, I didn't love this book primarily for two reasons:

- There were too many characters. I seriously thought about diagramming everyone so I could keep them straight. Instead, I just ended up accepting that I didn't know who I was reading about half the time. It got even worse towards the last half of the book when aliases and true identities were starting to be revealed.
- The three POVs messed me up. Not because they weren't good stories, but because not knowing how or if they were related, combined with the excess of characters mentioned above, meant I was often just completely lost. I'd forget what the book was about when I set it down. Picking it back up, I'd try to remember the plot and it was challenging.
- The twists were very twisty, but a little overwhelming in the last quarter of the book as all of the characters and all of the POVs started converging, and everything was twisting rapid-fire.

All of that said, I can tell that the author is able to write a good thriller, I think this one just wasn't the one for me. I'm going to pick up some of his other work and see if that's more my speed.

This was my first Alex Finlay read and I really enjoyed it. The book was fast paced with short chapters- which is always a win in my eyes. There are three POV which end up coming together toward the end in a shocker.
After Ryan’s girlfriend, Allison, goes missing one night while they’re together, his whole life is changed. Some 15+ years later, he finds out news that maybe she’s still alive?
There are parts that seem rushed and overlooked. It might be because the character isn’t relevant but still felt a little off.
Either way, really enjoyed this read because of how quick it was and it really pulled you in.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay hits the shelves May 28, 2024.

5 big stars for If Something Happens to Me. This is the first Alex Finley book I've read, and I will definitely read more! This book was fantastic. Ryan and his girlfriend are in high school and parked on Lover's Lane, where they grab a blanket to go lie under a tree. A storm comes up and they race back to the car. Not long after they're back in the car, the doors whip open, Ryan is hit on the head and Ali is taken. The book skips between high school and 5 years later. 5 years later, Ryan is in law school on a trip to Italy when he gets a phone call from his dad that they finally located Ali's car in a lake. However, in the car are 2 dead men plus an encrypted note that says If something happens to me from Ali. That night has been weighing so heavy on Ryan's mind. He was never charged for the crime, but small town gossip made him feel like the perpetrator. Soon after the call from his father, Ryan sees the man who attacked him. This sets off the story.

There are a lot of characters in this book and it's good if you meet them yourself. The author did a brilliant job of tying them all together with the story. Sometimes so many characters can get confusing, but not in this book. Also, we have Poppy, who is a new Deputy Sheriff at the police station. She's convinced of Ryan's innocence and is set out to do everything to prove it.

There is a lot of suspense and intrigue. The author does a wonderful job describing the different settings and creates a story I felt I was part of. I highly recommend this book. Definitely one of the best books I've read this year. Thank you to Netgalley, Ar. Martin's Press and Minotaur books for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it.

This was a really fun book! Fast paced thriller that kept me hooked quickly and captivated throughout.

I thought the format was pretty cool, but bc of all the characters, one thing I noted is that it was difficult to really go into any one character in great detail. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. I thought it was interesting to see the story from so many characters across time.

I’m also not sure if I missed something but the ending felt rushed, or at least the epilogue part. The person who killed the new gang leader, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to know him but his name carried no weight, and I had no idea how he fit into the story.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Alex Findlay for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a very enjoyable and solidly written thriller. I saw good reviews on this author so I decided to give it a go and I was not disappointed. The story has three main POV that at first seem to be unrelated but as the story goes on the stories and characters start to come together and intertwine. I thought the plot was well thought out and the twists were well done. The short chapters made this book really binge able and the pace was excellent. I would recommend.

4/5 Stars

What a page turner!! Finlay is an incredible story teller and takes you on a journey that is full of suspense and twists and turns, and never once, even remotely predictable.

When Alex Finlay comes out with a new book, I can’t wait to get started reading. This one started out great but somehow lost me in the middle to the mob and there were so many characters to keep track of, I felt lost during the last 1/2 the book. Probably just me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. I’m giving it 3 stars.

I read this book in a 12 hour window. I had not been finding a lot of inspiration to read lately and this book renewed my faith in tight editing, clear plot lines and the art of the twist.

Like his other books preceding this, If Something Happens to Me follows Alex Findlay’s fast paced format of multiple character viewpoints in both past and present. Sometimes this hurts the experience, as I found myself wishing for a deeper dive into what was going on, but overall I enjoyed this very much.

It largely follows the terrible night that Allison Lane was kidnapped while on a night out with boyfriend Ryan Richardson. A cloud of suspicion always hung over Ryan, and he was forced to change his name to escape public eye.

Now a law student on a trip to Italy, he’s floored when he’s approached by the man he recognizes as being one of the kidnappers. But that’s not the worst of it: he’s already gotten a call saying that Alison’s car has been found submerged in a lake. She’s not in it, but what officers find are two dead men and a note in Alison’s handwriting with the book’s title as its clue. And finding the truth about that fateful night proves more dangerous than anything.

This was a heck of a ride, but the over the top action will require you to throw aside all reason and logic—in particular a high speed car escape put into action by a teenage girl. But if you’re looking for a quick read full of action and twists, this is a great place to start. I didn’t care about how unbelievable it was—it’s just a fun story.

Thanks to the publisher for making this book available to read and review through NetGalley.

bone chilling story of an abduction and reliving the terror over and over again. absolutely excellent plot and writing!!!!

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC. While I did not love the plot, it was a fast paced read that kept me reading to the end.