I love the way Finley write a thriller. The plot keeps moving & keeps me engaged. The characters are enjoyable. The mystery is entertaining. The way this book was put together with the clues was fun. Def recommend for a fun thriller!

WOW! This is the third book I have read by this author. He certainly knows how to set the stage, giving the book amazingly realistic settings that it times are also grim.

There is a lot to take in here. Many of the characters are flawed with somewhat dysfunctional home lives. The students seem to be typical college students, until lots of things change in everyone's life. The characterization, to pull everything together is extremely well done, and it was easy to get wrapped up in this story.

The suspenseful events kept me glued to the story. It's one of those books that are hard to put down. Things are going south, but I didn't know why,, just that they are, and this one kept me up at night.

Well done!

Alex Finlay has mastered the short-chapters that keep you guessing from minute to minute as you fly through trying to figure out what is happening and who is to blame. I found this one to be a little more obvious, but I still enjoyed the ride of getting there. It was wild reading some very modern and up-to-date references (Rizz? X?) in a novel already, but I'm here for it. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my ARC!

The plot of the book was exciting and the multiple points of view gave great insight into the family dynamic of each of "The Five." However, I thought the book was lacking excitement. I did keep reading because I was interested in learning what happened, but I wasn't on the edge of my seat. Finlay did a great job of bringing Agent Keller into this novel, and I enjoyed the callbacks to previous books of his. The major twist in the end was predictable and the book in general was a bit lackluster.

I was given a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved this. Popcorn thriller vibes. It was fast paced, easy to read and the multiple POVs held my interest.
The twist was a bit predictable, but I enjoyed following along through the different perspectives enough that it didn't really impede my enjoyment.
I would read more from this author

Drama, secrets and murder! Oh my!! This was a good one, but I expect no less from Alex Finlay! The story begins with five families meeting for dinner at Parents Weekend at their kids' college. Problem is that none of the five kids show up. After 12 hours, they are declared missing. Oh yeah, and another student has turned up dead. Uh oh. We also find out that none of these families are normal and all have issues. Are any of these issues part of the reason for the disappearances? We have a lot of POV's here, all of the parents, missing students and there are also all of the podcasters and true-crimers in the mix. It did get to be a bit to keep up with at times, but overall, a quick, suspenseful read that came together nicely. I look forward to more from Mr. Finlay!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Alex Finlay and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Facebook and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of May 06, 2025.

I was drawn to Parents Weekend because I've taken part in two parent weekend events with our college daughter, and the premise felt intriguing.

The story follows five families who gather for a fun night of dinner and drinks, celebrating their kids' first year of college. But when their children - dubbed "The Five" by the media - never show up and go completely silent, worry turns to panic. As the search unfolds, secrets about the students and their families start to emerge, making everyone wonder what really happened that night.

Told from multiple POV's and shifting between past and present, the book kept me engaged with its twists and suspense. I liked the mix of family drama, mystery, and social media speculation. At times, the story felt a little drawn out, but overall it was an exciting read. And most importantly, it felt a little too far-fetched and nothing at all like the parents' weekends we experience with our own kid, so my anxious mama heart wasn't thrown into any major tailspins.

This book was such a fun read as a Bay Area local with a family member that has attended Santa Clara. I love the way this thriller referenced recent current events and the way it was handled by the media. Overall, this book was a really easy read and kept me hooked throughout. I didn’t quite understand the organization, for each family story, but it came out to be cohesive in the end. It had a heartwarming ending with graduation for each character, and I really appreciated ending on a high note.

I always enjoy reading Alex Finlay books and was so excited to be approved for an early copy of Parents Weekend. It was a super fat, twisty and suspenseful read that I powered through in 2 days. Lot is characters to remember and relationships to keep track of but they were all pretty unique so that was not a drama.

I loved the appearance of FBI agent Sarah Keller, who has temporarily moved to California with her husband and the twins she was carrying in The Night Shift. She is called in when 5 students from Santa Clara University all disappear on the same night, the night of the parents weekend dinner.

Now all these parents were hiding secrets, and some were in quite big profile jobs. The kids were equally keeping secrets. This gave plenty of suspects and reasons for the kids to go missing. It was a wild ride as always with this author and so fun to read.

Thanks so much to St Martin’s Press on NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on May 6th.

Alex Finlay has become a bit of a fave for me. I've read most of their books and was excited for this one. This is probably sitting around a 3.5, but I rounded down.

It was super fast paced, which I always love in a thriller. It was about five college kids who mysteriously go missing the weekend their parents come to visit. Lots of things seem to be related and everything seems really suspicious. I thought the plot was pretty clever, but there were ALOT of characters to keep track of. At times, it got a little confusing and I found myself not remembering who was who, or how things were connected. This is pretty much my only reason for a bit of a lower rating. Overall, it was entertaining. But I needed a better way to keep track of the characters for me to give it a higher rating.

Title: Parents Weekend
Author: Alex Finlay
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: May 6, 2025
My Rating: 3.5 Stars!
Pages: 320

Libby Akanas, Blane Roosevelt, Mark Wong Felix Goffman, and Stella Maldonado are all freshmen at Santa Clara University living at Campus Hall. It is Parents Weekend and their parents are on campus.
Friday night starts with opening festivities of dinner and cocktails. The five sets of parents are waiting for their students to join them however they never show up.

The Parents; Ken and Amy Akanas, Cynthia and Hank Roosevelt, Andrew Wong, Alice Goffman and David and Nina Maldonado,

I always enjoy stories on a college campus. I have been to Santa Clara University and pleased to say it is a top –rated university however near Stanford so seems to get lost in a Bay area fog! I was sooo disappointing with these students and their nasty attitudes and foul language, however after meeting the parents I wasn’t surprised.

However, once the students had been taken I was interesting ~ Whodunit!
The end was good so I was glad I hung in there.

This was my fifth novel by[author, Alex Finlay. Since I liked the others I read, I went into this story with high expectations - I didn’t know anything about the story. I often do that when I like an author! I liked FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from "Every Last Fear and The Night Shift" so was pleased she was in this story. Additionally loved that we readers got introduction of her twins Heather and Michael.

However, I felt like ~ Oops - typically I am not disappointed- however I struggled with this one with so many unlikeable characters.

Awww Alex Finlay saved this from a 2 rating in his ‘Reader’s Note’~ He tells us his son is attending Santa Clara University and his story in no way bears resemblance to reality. It was meant to be a thriller on a beautiful campus. He personally attended Parents Weekend and got this bright idea1

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~Minotaur Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 6, 2025.

Parents Weekend was an enjoyable thriller/mystery, and I love a school setting. I felt like Keller had a few too many chapters, although I understand we needed that crime solver perspective. I just wanted more of the family dramas. I appreciated that I didn’t figure out whodunit until Keller did: it’s always disappointing when I figure it out too soon. I enjoy Alex Finlay’s books, and this was no different. Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the ARC! Roller coaster ride told from several POVs. Because of that it takes bit to figure out where everyone fits but it comes together. Solid book that reminds you that you don't always know your kid as well as you think.

This was an interesting read. I was hooked and finished it within 2 days. There were a lot of characters to follow but they were all developed well. I did not find myself lacking any information.

This was not what I expected it to be, I prefer to go in blind to a book.
It was even better than I thought it would be Yeah!!!
Parents weekend is where college parents come for dinner and to see their kids.
When 5 students never show up to the dinner, after 12 hours pass they've been officially missing.
FBI Keller is called in from her family vacation as she's in the area to take the lead in finding the students. It's filled with domestic drama, affairs, lies, murders, revenge, secrets and more

If you’re looking for a popcorn thriller with multiple POVs and short chapters than I suggest adding this book to your tbr. I did like that this book, Parents Weekend, brought back Special Agent Sarah Keller from Alex Finlay’s previous books. She’s a solid character and is still human not jaded and harden by her time in law enforcement.

The short chapters and multiple POVs really move this story along and the sprinkling of various crumbs throughout can lead you astray if you aren’t paying close enough attention to who’s behind the disappearance.



Thank you publishers and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

I was really excited to dive into Parents Weekend, especially after loving Alex Finlay's Night Shift and enjoying Agent Sarah Keller's character in past books. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The premise was intriguing, the execution felt a bit lackluster. The alternating points of view from multiple characters and couples got confusing at times, and I struggled to keep track of who was who—especially with the dramatic side stories for each parent. Some of the girls’ perspectives were so eye-roll worthy, making it hard to stay engaged at times. The pacing felt off, and by the end, the story was underwhelming, with a rushed and predictable conclusion. Agent Keller was, as always, a strong female lead, but I’m not sure I’ll be picking up another one of his books anytime soon. I’m hopeful Finlay's next book will have more depth and a more satisfying story.

This book was SO good and got me out of my perpetual reading slump. I loved everything about it and have already recommended it to several friends!

I have read several books by this author, and he always tells a good story. This is a good one! It’s parents’ weekend at Santa Clara University. The book features a small group of freshman students and also their parents. Lots of suspense and twists. Recommended!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the eARC.

Ahh, I was so excited to receive this one, as I absolutely LOVE Alex Finlay, but this one fell flat for me (at least relative to his other works). This was a quick read, but each chapter was from the point of view of a different character or couple, so it got a pretty confusing at times. I had a hard time keeping all the parents straight, and of course there were dramatic side stories for each of them as well. Cue having a hard time remembering who's the judge vs. the surgeon, vs. etc. etc. etc.

The main character though, Special Agent Sarah Keller, is a favorite from books past, and a strong female lead, which I can never resist. Keller becomes embroiled in the search for The Five, a group of freshmen students who don't show up to a group dinner with their parents one evening. Have they gotten sidetracked by a party, or is foul play at work here?

Overall, I found the book to be intriguing but lacking in substance, and the ending was underwhelming, if not a little rushed and slightly predictable. Here's hoping Finlay's next read is more fleshed out (and features Agent Keller again!).