What a great popcorn thriller! This fast-paced thriller takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of suspense, with unpredictable twists and turns, making it impossible to put down. “Night Shift" was undoubtedly a standout for me by this author, but "If Something Happens To Me" stands shoulder to shoulder with it. From the gripping opening scene where Ryan Richardson's life is shattered, to the heart-pounding conclusion, the story keeps you guessing at every turn.

Ryan's journey is one of redemption and reckoning, as he grapples with the trauma of losing his girlfriend, Ali, and the cloud of suspicion that has followed him for years. The author weaves together multiple points of view, creating an array of characters whose lives intersect in unexpected ways.

Imagine your whole world turning upside down so quickly and so inescapably, that you’re left with more questions than answers. Well that’s exactly what happened to Ryan Richardson while he spent his last night before college with his high school sweetheart, Alison, at Lovers Lane. With no memory of what happened after a blow to the head, Ryan was deemed a person of interest in his girlfriend’s disappearance and his life has been a shadow of the opportunities he had prior to this event. But he’s never given up hope.

Then Poppy McGee returns home from a short stint in the military and is hired as a deputy sheriff in the same town she grew up in. Her first week on the job changes the course of her life, as Alison’s car was found submerged in a lake. How did it get there? Who are the two men, deceased, in the front seat? Is there any evidence to help find Alison’s whereabouts?

“If Something Happens To Me” was such an intricate web of multiple storylines coming together to make this 5 ⭐️ masterpiece! Alex Finlay did a superb job of creating each character, then putting them in a blender- along with your emotions, and mixing them all together. Each time the POV changed, I felt anxious of the character that I left in the previous chapter, but without doubt, started empathizing with the current character. It was a back and forth, fun ride that deserves all the praise!

As always, thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Publishing group for this advanced readers copy!

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finley was a really fast paced and suspenseful read. If you’re looking for a story with multiple character point of view, that pieces together a mystery with a well thought out plot, this one is for you! We follow along different points of view telling the story that sees a young girl kidnapped…possibly murdered…then the aftermath years later of picking the puzzle together on what really happened and who did it. There are clues and suspicions thrown in that had me questioning almost every character. Theres likeable characters, with realistic life experiences as well as wild action movie type moments. Not a boring moment anywhere!

*4.5 stars rounded up*

Ryan is just trying to move on with his life & is on a law school class trip in Europe when he sees the man who kidnapped his girlfriend five years ago & several thousand miles away in Kansas…

Poppy is having an eventful first day as a sheriff’s deputy due to a car being pulled out of a lake…

A Philadelphia crime family may finally get the revenge they’ve been craving…

I did not understand how some of these storylines were going to connect, & when I finally put together the pieces I was blown away (side note, please check trigger warnings as some content was difficult to read about). The various changing settings kept things even more interesting, & I loved the little details in this story (like how Ryan had trouble navigating some aspects of travel due to his basketball-player height); I also really enjoyed Poppy’s character as she doggedly pursued the truth. I found many of the characters in this book to be complex & multilayered individuals (the brief mention of the young podcaster might be my favorite!), & the struggles some of them faced in parenthood in particular were moving.

Thank you to NetGalley & Minotaur for the ARC (& chance to play in the cipher sweepstakes!) in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Finley does it again!!!!! This book was so good. Ryan and his girlfriend Alison are parked on Lovers Lane when the unthinkable happens: Alison is kidnapped. Desperate to find answers, Ryan tries to discover the truth about what happened that night. But it definitely wasn’t what he expected. This book was full of twists and turns, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This thriller about a teenage girl's disappearance is a page turner from start to finish. It's told from multiple points of view but was still easy to follow. If you're a fan of short chapters too, you'll love this one. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review - pub day is 5/28/24!

I love a book with a great story and lots of twists and turns. This was a nail-biter for sure. I definitely will recommend it to my friends.

This thriller was SO good!! A ‘stayed-up-way-too-late’ to read this propulsive book I couldn’t put down, good.

Finlay brilliantly builds suspense by weaving plot lines from small town Kansas to a mob family in Philadelphia and across the Atlantic to England, France and Italy.

A 5 year old missing person cold case is split wide-open when a true crime podcast team finds the local girl’s submerged car in a local lake in small-town Kansas. Ali is not in the car, but two executed men and a cryptic water-proof note are discovered. On the night Ali was kidnapped, all her boyfriend, Ryan, remembers from the attack is the ‘monster’ who grabbed her because he had missing pinkie fingers. Now in law school, and on a European trip in Italy, the ‘monster’ has returned right when Ryan gets the news from back home about the located car and Ali’s note to him titled ‘If Something Happens to Me.’

Back in Kansas, the new local sheriff, Poppy, is assigned the Ali case and must wage through old case files, information from her KBI contact, and decide whether or not to trust a mysterious FBI agent who appears offering intel to the case. Short chapters, multiple POVs, and a fast-paced plot masterly weaves these characters closer together as they attempt to finally solve what happened to Ali on that fateful night. There is action, assassins, hidden identities, and shocking twists, making this a perfect page-turner and I would love to see it as a screen adaption!

Thank you to Minotaur books for my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This blockbuster thriller releases May 28, 2024!

Alex Finley always knows how to draw you in until the very end.

Ryan’s girlfriend disappeared 5 years ago and he’s always been one of the suspects. No one believes his story until now.

This is a fast paced story. We are working with 3 different POVs in 3 different locations. This is a mafia crime thriller which I didn’t except when I was started reading this. We get one of the POVs from the mafia.

This isn’t a thriller with a bunch or even a huge twist at the end but it still keeps you gripped until the very end. But the epilogue was 🤯

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 336
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

Thank you St. Martins Press for a free copy for an honest review

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay
Publishing date - 05/28/24
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, & Alex Finlay for this eARC!

This one hooks you right away…the prologue tells the story of Ryan and Allison who are saying goodbye to one another other as they leave for college. Ryan is hit over the head, removed from the car, and wakes up to the car and Allison missing.

Five years later the car is finally discovered in a lake Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…

Told in alternating timelines and POVs, this is a suspenseful, mysterious story. Fast - paced and addictive. The action never stops and the twists keep coming. This is my new favorite Alex Finlay book and I eagerly await his next one!

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay

In this story we meet several groups of people and for a large part of the story I couldn't figure out how they connected to each other. I loved learning the connection and how everything fit so well. That aspect of the story is just one of many that made this story work so well for me.

I won't mention everyone we meet because it's better to meet them as you read the book. Ryan Richardson is pivotal to the story and my heart went out to him after his girlfriend of four years is kidnapped while he was with her on "Lover's Lane". Thus ensues years of accusations against Ryan that he was the one who disappeared his girlfriend Alison, causing Ryan's parent to go into debt to protect him and Ryan to change his name and drop his promising college basketball pursuits and change schools. Even five years later, Alison is always on Ryan's mind, that night haunts him, and he's forever in fear of others finding out his real identity.

The pressure does lessen once evidence is found that a serial killer took Alison. None of that makes up for Ryan's losses and when Alison's car is found with dead men in it but no Alison, Ryan can't help hoping she is still alive. Then he sees him, the man who Ryan remembers attacking him the night Alison was taken...Alison's kidnapper.

There are a lot of characters in this story but it's amazing how well we get to know so many of them. One of the many themes running through this story is how far a parent will go to protect their child. Good guys, bad guys, gray area guys, good dads, bad dads, gray area dads, all seem ready to do anything for their child when they realize they need help.

Another main character we meet is red headed Poppy, a brand new sheriff's deputy who takes it upon herself to go way farther than an extra mile to determine the identities of the dead men in the car. When I call her brand new, we meet her on her first day as a deputy but her newness doesn't slow her down. She sees a problem and she attacks it hard and fast.

There are other very interesting characters, lots of violence and gore, and even the chance to feel a bit of empathy for some really bad people. Bad people seem to beget more bad people. But there is some redemption here and there and I would not mind seeing Poppy and Ryan again someday.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for this ARC

Ryan and Ali are parking at Lovers Lane when Ryan is knocked out and Ali and her car go missing. Primary suspicion is placed on Ryan and while a good lawyer prevents him from being charged by the law it doesn't stop social media from hounding him. He is haunted by the images of that night, Ali's scream and the man with no pinkies. Fast forward five years and he's in law school away on a trip when he gets a mysterious note and sees his attacker.

This book was one I could not put down. Fast paced and just complex enough to keep it interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If something happens to me
Alex Finlay
Mystery
July 2024 release
2024-32❤️❤️❤️❤️4.8
📚📚 📚In one evening, a small town Kansas high school basketball star’s life changed. Ryan went from having a girlfriend the loved and a promising college basketball career to being accused of murder when his girlfriend Allison goes missing while with him. All he remembers is a man without a pinky taking her and being knocked out. Now, 5 years later, he has changed his name and is about to graduate from Georgetown Law School. When Allison’s car is found with two dead men, the past comes racing back. Suddenly he sees the man he has only seen in his nightmares. And back in Kansas, a young deputy is starting to unravel what happened that night 5 years ago.
Fans of Harlan Coben will love this fast-paced, twisty mystery. Just as you start figuring out a portion, another twist is on the way.
❤️❤️❤️JJ’s last words. Didn’t see it coming!
Disclaimer: St Martins and Minotaur (with NetGalley) publishing gave me access to this advanced readers copy on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

"If Something Happens to Me" is a masterfully executed thriller that will satisfy fans of the genre and newcomers alike. Alex Finlay proves once again why he is a force to be reckoned with in the world of suspense fiction, delivering a pulse-pounding story that will haunt readers long after they've finished the book.

High schoolers Ryan and Ali were parked at Lover’s Lane when they were attacked, Ryan knocked unconscious, and Ali and her car went missing. Suspicion followed Ryan causing him to change colleges and even his name. Skip ahead five years, he is now visiting Tuscany with a group of students from his law school. Back in his hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas, soldier Poppy has returned home and it is her first day as deputy sheriff working under a close military buddy of her father when Ali’s car is discovered under a lake with two adult male bodies in it. A cryptic note is found in Ali’s pocketbook which was in the backseat of the car. What happened to Ali?

As Poppy tries to solve the mystery, she is seemingly stymied by her boss and has questions about not only his involvement but also her family’s. Meanwhile, Ryan races across Europe to try to determine if Ali is really still alive. When he spots the man he thinks was involved with her abduction, his and other lives are in danger.

Told in alternating timelines and POVs, this is a suspenseful, mysterious story. Fast paced and addictive, there is action, violence, and interwoven plot lines that take the reader on a thrilling adventure. Although a little over the top, this is another solid addition to Finlay’s growing body of work.

This is a mystery involving a disappearance of a teenage girl. It is action packed from start to finish. I can’t say too much about the plot without spoiling it.

At first the book is seemingly 2 different stories being told where it goes back and forth and I kept wondering how it all connected. I was very surprised and did not expect what was going on at all. This author really keeps up the mystery!

I really enjoyed everything except for towards the very end there were a few scenarios that felt very far fetched to me that diminished the story for me, but only slightly. I would say this is what took it down to 4 stars for me.

I thought this was a really good book though and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes mystery.

Well, another night of lost sleep thanks to Alex Finlay making me binge a book. That’s probably more my lack of responsible adulting more than anything, but he’s still to blame.

In Finlay’s signature style, he expertly weaves together multiple story lines, If Something Happens to Me is a twisty, page turning, action packed, and binge worthy thriller. With three distinct story lines, Finlay had me guessing up until the end how they would tie together. With a well-developed plot this is a perfect thriller to get you out of a reading slump. I highly recommend going into this book blind and make sure you have a few hours to spare because you won’t want to put it down!

Now if only someone would pick this one up and make a mini-series of it, I’d binge watch this in an instant.


If Something Happens to Me comes out May 28, 2024! Huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books or on Tiktok @speakingof.books

I really enjoyed this book, excellent plot, good execution, and characters that you can relate to.
Everything wrapped up well.
I'm giving it a solid 4 star rating.
The only reason that I didn't give it a 5 star rating is because I figured out pretty much every twist.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

This was a fast paced read with multiple points of view and different characters that kept me guessing how they would come together.
Ryan and Alison were high school sweethearts who were about to leave for different colleges. While sitting in her father’s car, a man yanks open the door and drags Ryan out. When he wakes up the car and Alison are gone. Five years have passed, and even though a serial killer is blamed, people still suspect Ryan is guilty. He has changed his name, and is trying to stop living in the past, but when that car is found, and still no sign of Alison, Ryan set off on a journey to find out what really happened that night.
There are several characters whose POVs slowly reveal the truth. I’m not going to say more and risk falling into a spoiler filled lake. I enjoyed the ending, though I do wish that things had worked out a bit differently for some of the characters.

Wow! This book was utterly fantastic. I read it in one day because I was on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough or the screen technically since I read an e-book. Each chapter tells the story from a different location/perspective. This helped progress the story from all sides and kept the pacing on point. The different chapters almost felt like two different stories were being told and the reader had to figure out if/how they were connected. The chapters were short which I prefer. There are several different main characters and plot points but I never once felt confused. The author did a great job of keeping everything straight while making the reader think deeper. This is one of those thrillers that you won’t want to miss! I wish this book gets turned into a limited series, it is already written perfect for the screen. Won’t say too much because I only knew the synopsis before I read and that was the right amount of information. Stay away from spoilers so you can truly experience this story!

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for my gifted copy on netgalley. All opinions are my own.