Parents Weekend
By Alex Finlay
Release Date 05/06/2025

It's parent's weekend at a small private school in Northern California, and the couples below are on their way to celebrate with their children. It’s the evening of the capstone dinner, and all the parents have arrived; however, none of their children show up. The amount of turmoil that happens to these couples in three days is insane, and how it all links together is intricately woven in this fast-paced 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️S̤̈T̤̈Ä̤R̤̈ read.

Parents Weekend Attendees
The Roosevelts - divorced mom Cynthia, a high-ranking government official who comes with a detailed security team, her X husband Hank, are parents to Blane.
The Maldonados—David, a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Nina, have many marital issues and are visiting their daughter, Stella.
The Goffmans—Alice is the dean's secretary, and her son Felix attends the school.
The Akanas- Ken, an LA superior court chief judge, and his wife, Amy. Both, still grieving the loss of their son, are visiting their daughter, Libby
The Kellers—Bob and Sarah—they don’t have a kid to visit at parents' weekend but play an integral role in this book.

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3 ⭐️

PARENTS WEEKEND by Alex Finlay brings together the parents of four students at a private college in Northern California. One mother is a high D.C. official while one of the fathers is a judge on a high-profile court case. What are the odds of such famous parents? As the parents get together at the appointed restaurant, the students never arrive. Sarah Keller from the FBI swoops in and uses her skills to figure out what is going on.

➕ Quick, propulsive chapters
➕ interesting details, like the van, the masks, the interests of the “bad guys”

➖ Not a lot of depth to the characters or even the plot
➖ A lot of characters are thrown at the reader. Just let them wash over you. The characters are pretty one-note, so they actually are easy to keep track of.

This is a fast-paced popcorn thriller that would make a good beach read. It was an easy read, but at the end I had a bit of trouble comprehending it all. It was difficult to connect with the characters, even the detective Keller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

It publishes May 6, 2025.


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Alex Finlay has written some of my favorite thrillers with The Night Shift and Every Last Fear being great suspenseful mysteries but since those he has definitely delivered diminishing returns in my eyes. I thought Parents Weekend could break the streak of mediocre books but sadly I have to say I did not enjoy it. Being a continuation of the the prior two books with Sarah Keller coming back I hoped for greater things but Finlay lacks good characters, interesting mysteries and overall suspense in this new book.

3 stars
Expected publication date - May 6, 2025

A group of five college students have their parents arriving for a parents' weekend. They are kicking off the weekend with a group dinner, but none of the students arrive, causing much alarm after a students body has just found. It is soon apparent that the students were taken, and the whole dysfunctional group has to reveal secrets during the investigation as to who took them and why.

This was a pretty typical thriller, with the only likable characters being the FBI investigator and her family.

The premise of the story circles around a group of families gathered together for a parents' weekend. As they gather for a special dinner, the kids are all no shows. At first it's assumed it's just typical teen behavior, but soon becomes clear something is seriously wrong. This comes shortly after the death of another student and has the parents frantic and demanding answers.

Told with the same finesse as his other books, Finlay gives just enough detail to keep us guessing. Told through the multiple POV'S of the families, kids and FBI agent, the chapters are short and flow seamlessly. Though there are many characters, it's easy to keep everyone straight. I tore through this in record time.

I found this read a little anticlimactic, and was never fully invested in the storyline. It was many many characters to keep straight and the vibes weren’t different enough to make it easy to do that. Married couples felt like other married couples with a job change.

I do think the plot itself was well thought out, it just had a bit too much going on character wise. I think I would’ve enjoyed this more with fewer POV.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

It is parents' weekend at Santa Clara University and five friends are looking forward, in varying degrees to see their parents. A cloud is over the school as a student was found drowned in a cave near campus-she had been missing for several days. The parents and the five friends are to meet for dinner, but none of the students show up. Agent Keller itemporarily assigned to the FBI in Santa Clara from the New York office and she is requested to help in the search.

Another Unputdownable read by @alexfinlayauthor - I loved the setting, short chapters and the multiple POV and it definitely kept me guessing until the end.

The college setting, and the drama with the students kept me HOOKED. Trying to solve a case using TikTok’s, The Rizz, and other social media platforms was so fitting, and I ate that all up! The only reason this was not a 5⭐️ read for me, was because there were A LOT of characters to try to keep up with - but this could just be a me thing 😂

Anyways, this comes out 5/6 and it is going to be a must read thriller this summer!

Parents weekend at a prestigious California college. Such luminaries as a celebrity judge, an assistant Secretary of State, a plastic surgeon to the stars.

Then the unthinkable: five students from the same dorm go missing just as they were to meet their parents for supper. Initially written off as "kids being kids", local police and return character Sarah Keller do not have that luxury under the circumstances. Earlier in the week, another student and associate of these same kids was found drowned. There is a seemingly endless stream of unfortunate personal situations within the families as well, which may or may not tie to the students' disappearances. But minutes count in a missing persons case, and Sarah Keller--dealing with her own family crisis--knows that she must delve into every lead, no matter how intimate.

I love a rotating point of view, and I also love the character of Sarah Keller (and her husband, Bob). I did find it a bit hard to keep the other characters separate--thankfully, Finaly included the surname at the beginning of each shift of perspective. I also really admired how damned awkward a lot of the "big reveals" were; their inclusion and handling really added to the suspense and the sense of reality. The end was a bit cliche, but you can't have everything.

Parents Weekend is a great addition to this year's suspense novels and Finlay's growing list of titles.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this advanced reader copy. This is the first book I’ve read by Alex Finlay, but I plan to check out others now. This was an easy read that kept me guessing! We are in Northern California at a small private university. Santa Clara is hosting parents weekend, but sadly, a missing student is found deceased. It’s a rough start for the university as they welcome parents. Five families are eagerly awaiting their children at a local restaurant, however the students don’t show up. Is it college students being airheads? Is it a prank? Or could something more worrisome be afoot? Hours turn into days, and things don’t look good. We soon learn more about the parents - one mom who has Secret Service with her and another dad who just served as the judge in a high profile case. Could their children be the targets and the others only victims of wrong place and time? FBI Agent Sarah Keller gets involved, and the story jumps around with multiple points of views. Soon every Tik Tok is blowing up with rumors about the five missing students. Good read! Publishing in May, this is a great beach read! #bookstagram #whatsinyourbeachbag #whatiread #bookgram #reading #bookworm #alexfinlay #netgalley #goodreads #books

Thank you for the early copy of Parents Weekend. I really enjoyed this one and it definitely kept my attention the whole way through on where the missing students had gone and why they just all happen to disappear without anyone knowing what happened to them. It was fast paced which I enjoyed. This one has about 5 POV's which is not my favorite when it comes to reading books but I was still able to keep track most of the time on who was who and what family belonged to which student they were talking about. I definitely didn't expect the certain people who did what they did to be the ones so I was shocked by that part as well. Overall I thought it was a good mystery thriller that I think many will enjoy!

3.5 stars! The story follows several interconnected characters, including college students, their parents, and Agent Keller, a determined FBI agent. As secrets are revealed, these characters’ lives begin to intersect, bringing hidden truths and buried emotions to the surface. The tension builds throughout the book, and I really enjoyed the storyline.
The large cast of characters was a bit overwhelming at times. With so many personalities and backstories to keep track of, it was hard to feel truly connected to everyone, which kept me from getting emotionally invested. However, Agent Keller was definitely my favorite character. As a strong, no-nonsense FBI agent, she provided much-needed depth and focus in the story. I really appreciated her role throughout the book, and I found myself rooting for her to crack the case. Her character is relatable and well-developed, which gave me something to latch onto amid the chaos of the other characters.
The first half of the book was devoured quickly—I couldn’t put it down. But, as I got deeper into the second half, the pacing slowed, and it started to feel a little drawn out. It felt like there were too many characters and storylines to juggle, which at times made the book feel a bit bogged down in details.
Overall, Parents Weekend was still a thrilling, worthwhile read. The mystery kept me hooked, and Agent Keller’s presence was a highlight. If you’re a fan of suspenseful thrillers, it’s definitely worth picking up.
Thanks to Minotaur books for the ARC provided through NetGalley, for my honest feedback.

Ok, loved certain aspects! I’m a big Alex Finlay fan. This one for some reason didn’t hit as well
As others. I had a hard time getting really into it, it might have been that there was such a large cast. That being said, I still fully enjoyed, and made my husband read as well so I could talk about it!

Alex Finlay does not disappoint in his newest novel, Parents Weekend. Set in California, this is the story of five families from all different walks of life who have gathered together to celebrate the end of their kids' first year of college during parent's weekend. The parents meet at the restaurant as planned, but the children never show up. Thinking the kids must have been waylaid by a party, the parents have some fun of their own, but when time passes and none of the kids have been heard from, they begin to worry, and an investigation gets underway.

Told from the perspective of the different families and the FBI detective on scene, this book had me hooked from the moment I started. With secrets spilling out right and left, the reader is left guessing up until the very end.

The author's attention to detail painted the scenes in such a way that as a reader made me feel as though I was right there with the characters, experiencing all the action firsthand. The combination of flawed relationships and relatable characters made the story easy to connect with from the college shenanigans to the panic and concern of the parents over their missing children.

Parents Weekend was the perfect cozy afternoon read during a snowstorm. It was entertaining and action packed with a side of scandal and mystery. There was no shortage of twists, but the nice part was that none were so unrealistic that it would make the reader think, " yeah right!"

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance copy of this book. It was an absolute treat to read!

4.25 stars rounded up. I wonder what drugs Alex Finlay put into this book. It was definitely unputdownable! While the ending didn’t completely shock me, the predictability didn’t affect the overall storyline. I love how Finlay mixes both college-aged and adult characters during this Parents Weekend at a private university. Parents have come to visit their freshman scholars for one special weekend. Among these prestigious parents, all their college children go missing. Is this disappearance connected to the dead girl found only a few days earlier? Is this a vendetta against a “higher-up” parent? Or is it a twisted revenge plot from an incarcerated victim?

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars. A nice mix of young and old characters. An easy to follow story. No real complaints but also nothing groundbreaking. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Parents Weekend takes place at a college in California where five families are getting together for dinner and drinks. However, their kids (students at the college) never show up.
This book is told from multiple perspectives. Big surprise there is infidelity, lying, cheating, and death. While, this is only the second book I’ve read by this author I wasn’t overly impressed to be honest. It was just as ok read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review ☺️

My second ever read by Alex Finlay and it was such an entertaining and addicting book. Absolutely an action packed book that had me putting off sleep to try and keep reading. I loved the short chapters for sure. I think they really helped move the book along. With there being so many characters I was a bit nervous but the different groups in each short chapter really helped tie it all together and made me enjoy this book! So excited to read more by this author!

Alex Finlay has done it again! This thriller quickly pulled me in and kept me engaged! Secrets and lies abound and so many marital cliched issues which was actually the main reason for not giving this 5 stars. And even with the amount of characters it was easy to follow along.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc!

3.5 Stars

What should have been a celebration for students and parents at a small college in Northern California becomes a hunt for five mischievous residents of Campisi Hall. Left to question whether their own failures and inadequacies resulted in their children’s peril, the parents experience a brutal and path-altering awakening. Infidelity, jealousy, and disintegrating matrimony drive PARENTS WEEKEND and save the novel from obscurity.

While I enjoy multiple points of view, too many tend to bog down a story and take a reader out of it altogether. There’s also the risk of creating flat characters; I found most of Finlay’s cast interesting, particularly FBI Agent Keller, but felt some of the students lacked detail—distinctive personalities and/or compelling backstories.

Had I not been expecting a thriller brimming with rollercoaster action and shadowy villains, I’m certain I would have enjoyed the book more. I would recommend PARENTS WEEKEND to cozy mystery fans or those who prefer their whodunits half-baked. Much appreciation to Mr. Finlay, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the ARC.