This was such a strong thriller novel and had that storyline that I was looking for when reading the description. The feel was suspenseful and was engaged with what was happening. Alex Finlay wrote this in a way that hooks the reader from the first page. I enjoyed everything overall and left wanting more.

3.75/5⭐️
“In the glow of their children's exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids— five residents of Campisi Hall-never show up at dinner.”

Parents Weekend follows five families who arrive at a college for Parents Weekend, only to find that their children are missing. This book had suspense and twist and turns. It did get confusing with having so many families/characters and it was slow at times, but overall a decent thriller.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoy Alex Finlay’s books and writing style. This book kept me guessing and interested the whole time, and when I thought I figured it out…I was wrong! I will say that I felt like the ending was a little rushed in this one, and I was hoping for more of an in depth explanation of what happened. But overall it was a really fun, fast passed read that I didn’t want to put down. Absolutely worth the read! Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

This is a mostly-hit hit-or-miss author for me, so I was glad to get a copy of his latest from NetGalley. Usually some good popcorn thriller stuff happening. Not so much this time.

Five college kids don’t show up for dinner with their parents. It’s a fast read, just super boring. Like, who cares about any of these parents or these kids? Not me. And the resolution is just, like… that’s it? Ok then.

Look, it’s an easy read and I guess it’s not awful, but it’s not that good either. I wanted to round it up to a 3, but I can’t. It’s so basic, so boring, so formulaic. There isn’t anything here. Miss this one.

PARENTS WEEKEND was a fast-paced and entertaining read with an interesting premise about a group of college students disappearing together. The setup was well done between the various characters, which made it mostly easy to track the stories although there was a plethora of names to follow. The story developed well enough with some interesting reveals; however, the ending didn’t feel very original and the epilogue chapters were overdone and cheesy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review PARENTS WEEKEND.

Actually a 3.5. This wasn’t my favorite Alex Finley book but still a fun and easy mystery that keeps you entertained.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200705251

This was such a good thriller! A whole bunch of teens at a private college campus stop responding to their parents. The mystery isn’t trying to figure out why. It was captivating, it was thrilling, and it was terrifying. Alex Finlay Is an auto read for me!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a great book!! It had me hooked from page one! I couldn’t put this down. I finished it in one sitting. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. This was a first for me by this author but it will not be my last!!

Thank you St. Marten's Press, NetGalley, and Alex Finlay for the advanced copy of this book!

Overall, another decent read by Alex Finlay. Parents Weekend is about a group of parents heading to their kids college for, you guessed it, parents weekend, where they are scheduled to meet up at an small dinner hosted by the dorm their child is assigned to. When all 5 kids don't show up for the dinner, their parents become worried that it isn't just a case of 'they got drunk and lost track of time'. Special Agent Keller (who you meet a few times in a few of Finlay's other books) is assigned to the case and works tirelessly to interview anyone that may have come into contact with the kids the night of the dinner. Without giving the rest away, I have to say I figured out what happened to the kids fairly early on in the book and wish it wasn't so predictable. It was also very hard to keep track of the long list of characters, which family was associated with which student, etc.

As a parent of recent college students and a fan of Alex Finlay’s previous novels, I eagerly expected to be enthralled by his latest endeavor. However, it was not to be! The college students turned out to be a distinctly uninteresting group who find themselves in unexpected situations and the parents run the gamut from an important government official with an entourage of bodyguards to a single parent of a scholarship student. This reader found the plot rather insipid and actually struggled to finish the book. I expected more from Alex Finlay and I thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

I normally enjoy books by this author, but this plot didn’t hook me. I felt there were too many POV’s with frequent switching and that the plot didn’t get interesting until the very end.

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids five residents of Campisi Hall never show up at dinner! Wow! Great read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! I have kids and it gave me chills! It had great suspense, intriguing, action, murder, fantastic mystery, kidnapping, a great who done it and a few crazy twists! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Loved it. Great story. Great characters. Plot made sense and didn't feel fake. I really enjoyed this book.

thank you net galley for this arc i really enjoy book by this author. this was no different easy,solid read, about 5 friends who are in danger from an unknown source. each family has there own problum. it was really good to have agent sarah keller back . plenty of unreliable clues. really good

This is a solid thriller from Finlay that I really enjoyed. I saw another reviewer say that they wished the reveal was a bit more sinister, and I kindof agree. I really enjoy Keller's point of view and her family dynamic. It's very heartwarming.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Where to begin? I am a huge Alex Finlay fan and was thrilled to get a eARC for his latest. Sarah Keller has been in three books at various times through her career. In this book she is dealing with a cross country move and being low man at this fbi office. My favorite thing about Alex Finlay books is the character development that happens as the story progresses. Multiple different perspectives that come together to tell an impressive story. Also Sarah’s husband Bob is the supportive man we all need, especially in the day and age. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Another solid read by Alex Finlay - this time bringing back the character of Agent Keller to solve the disappearance of 5 college students during parents weekend.

The beginning was hard to follow for a bit as so many characters were introduced and it felt a bit jarring. However, over time I was able to get a grasp on who everyone was and orient myself.

Definitely numerous false starts and tbh I felt like the bad guy was a little bit it of the blue in someways - not mentioned much and then bam 💥

No matter what, it kept me engaged and I while I didn’t read it at a blistering pace, I definitely felt Keller and her fam were the best part

“Parents Weekend” by Alex Finlay is a fun and entertaining thriller that’s hard to put down. The story revolves around five college students and their parents planning to have dinner and cocktails to celebrate Parents Weekend. The kids never show up and the parents have no communication from them. As fear for their safety sets in, they also find out a student was found dead the very same week.
The mystery unfolds through multiple points of view including a fantastic female FBI agent, the parents, campus security and the students themselves. Lots of intrigue follows which makes for a very fun and quick read. I recommend to all who enjoy this genre!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a winner. Each chapter is action packed. This is an easy read that flows well but keeps you wanting more.

the premise of this book sounded great but i wasnt entirely a fan of the execution of it. there were entirely too many povs to really focus on caring about any of them and made it kind of hard to remember who was who.

im thinking that since i havent read any of alex’s previous books that its possible if i had done a previous sarah keller novel i would have enjoyed it better??? i dont know, but this wasnt my favorite read thats for sure