This is the first Alex Finlay book that I picked up, but as soon as I finished I rushed to the library to pick up his other novels. I breezed through this one and didn't want it to end! Fantastically written, and a wonderful story!

This is a story about Ryan and Ali, and they were about to leave for different schools so they drove out to a favorite spot to say their goodbyes. Little did they know, their lives were going to be changed forever. Ryan woke up with a head injury and Ali was gone, and he was the number one suspect in her disappearance. All this time he is trying to find out what happened that night and where Ali may be.

I love that this book had multiple different points of view, at some times it was a little hard to follow and know which one I was reading, but as time went on that went away.

Definitely pick this one up if you love fast paced thrillers, with amazing and twisty endings!

What a gripping read!
From start to finish, I was hooked and was so invested in the story. The characters are believable and interesting, I love multiple POV, short chapters (which a lot of people love and makes for easy reading), and most of all, the plot is intriguing and so well written! This was my first Alex Finlay book, but will not be my last! I have heard so many great things about his books, and this book did not disappoint! I usually don't love a time span/jump, especially years, but this one worked and was so well done that it didn't bother me at all and I actually loved it. Also, it just makes sense! Some shorter books (under 400 pages), time jumps can come across as lazy or too fast paced. I would definitely recommend to readers who love thriller, suspense, and/or mystery! What an excellent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay!

This was a quick and interesting read! I was able to stay engaged throughout the story! I was able to guess a few of the plot twists in the story but still enjoyed! This story is told from multiple perspectives which keeps the plot interesting

What a quick, fun mystery. It captured my attention right from the beginning… I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for an advanced ebook copy to review.

Told from multiple perspectives, If Something Happens to Me, is a fast paced mystery novel by Alex Finlay.
I thought this was a quick, fun read. I did figure out the two twists before the reveal, but it did not take away my enjoyment of this book. This was my first Finlay novel and it did not disappoint.

It is the third Alex Finlay novel I’ve read, and I loved it—😍 Prepare to cancel your plans and anticipate a book hangover. If Something Happens to Me is exhilarating, taut, compelling, cleverly plotted. I suggest you go in as I did blind to enjoy the book and avoid spoilers. I am not going to elaborate more on the characters. 🤐

Anthony is bullied and humiliated at a party—the result is shocking, and he leaves his parents heartbroken and enraged with thoughts of revenge. That leads to a collision course with the main and secondary characters that is pacy with non-stop action: ‘Hauntingly heartbreaking scarifies, unforeseen twists, and an emotionally shattering conclusion.’

On a hot and humid summer night, Allison and Ryan drive to Lovers Lane (a popular place where teenagers go to make out). Ryan follows Allison to their favourite spot under a large oak tree and lays out a blanket. As they begin to kiss, a flash lights up the night sky and a drop of rain falls on Ryan's cheek. Allison and Ryan race to her car as the rain falls in a downpour. They pick up where they left off suddenly. The door flies open, and a man knocks Ryan out and pulls him from the car— he awakens on the wet grass; it's morning, and Allison and her vehicle have disappeared.

Five years later

Ryan has moved on with his life. While in Italy with his friends and classmates from Georgetown University, he hears a voicemail from his father informing him that the police retrieved Allison's BMW, submerged in Suncatcher Lake—

It's Poppy McGee's first day as deputy sheriff with the Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office; the Sheriff informs her that some YouTube Slueths posted a video of a vehicle submerged at the bottom of Suncatcher Lake. When Poppy arrives at the lake, they confirm that the car submerged is Allison Lake's BMW. Inside the car, they find among her personal effects an envelope written on the front in her handwriting — if something happens to me, inside the envelope is a cipher written on a piece of paper. Who is it for? What does this mean? Also inside were the remains of two men. Who are they? Did they know or abduct Alison? And where is Allison? Poppy is determined to solve this mystery and will stop at nothing until she gets the answers to her many questions.

It's a propulsive thriller that is taut, with secrets, lies, betrayal, non-stop suspense, and drama; well-paced with short chapters, gasp-worthy twists, and multiple storylines and timelines that Finlay seamlessly weaves together that will have you on the edge of your seat and keep you fully immersed until the final pages. I highly recommend you read this. You won't be disappointed! It’s my favourite thriller of the year.

<b> <br /> <br /> I want to thank St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ADC in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Finlay does it again! I was gripped from the start of this book and couldn't get through it fast enough.

Three different perspectives in varying times are told to create an engaging and suspenseful story. Ryan is accused of murder when his girlfriend Allison is kidnapped right out of a car he was in with her in Kansas one night. No one believes his story about what happened or why he couldn't save her. Five years later while on a trip in Italy, he spots the man he is sure is responsible for ruining his life. And that man reveals a shocking surprise-Ali is still alive.

Poppy is back in Kansas after being discharged from the military. With nowhere else to go, her dad's best friend, the sheriff, gives her a job on the force. And, on day one, a vehicle is found-and it seems to be Allison's car. Poppy dives down the rabbit hole and is determined to figure out what really happened, while trying to understand how her brother is involved.

Meanwhile, in Boston, a mob family is mixed in with all of the drama and mystery. No spoilers!

I couldn't put this book down. It might even be my favorite of all four of his books I've now read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

This one got me good. I was very invested from the beginning, but I couldn’t figure out how the different stories were connected. That plot twist was not at all what I was expecting!

I don’t want to give any kind of summary here because going in blind was best for me. I have loved every book I’ve read by this author, and this is no exception. I do believe it’s my favorite. There’s a lot that goes on in this book, and a lot of different PoVs and locations to keep straight, but it’s not at all confusing. The way everything comes together is very well done.

I loved it all. The small town sheriff, the big city mobsters, and the law student that travels to a bucket list of places throughout Europe. The characters were all great and well fleshed out. And did I mention a plot twist?

Not as gripping as Finlay’s other novels, probably because I was so turned off by the characters. Not because they were bad people, but because I wasn’t interested in where their story went, I’m glad I got to read this, but I’d rather read the absolutely bonkers prologue to THE NIGHT SHIFT on repeat for 300 pages than read this one again.

Boycott. As a Muslim and mother to black children. We demand an apology. It’s a shame such a big company will stand for such atrocities, end this boycott. Issue a public apology.

First off, Poppy’s obsession with Chipotle, is life! I live that life! This book was so good! I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of Alex Finlay books so far, I only have one left to read! I am SO grateful I finally got access to this book so I couldn’t resist picking it up right away! This one has multiple POVs, short chapters 🙌 and some likable and relatable characters! The plot get plotting and the twists be twisting and it was a fun story! I absolutely binged this one and I’m excited for whatever Finlay has next up!!!!

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