Stuck between a 3.5/4

Five students and their parents are preparing for Parents Weekend at a small college in Northern California. The plan is dinner and cocktails but the kids never show. At first the parents think the kids ditched them for a party or even forgot about the dinner completely but as the hours and a full day passes with no communication from any of the students, fear sets in. The police, the FBI, search parties and reporters swarm the area. Rumors are abuzz on the local campus and online. The media calls them #theFive. The story unfolds through multiple points of view and flips between past and present. It's a race against time to rescue the students, figure out how they are all connected, and what happened the night they went missing.


I liked it. It kept me engaged and entertained. For a thriller I felt it was lacking the red herrings, twists and turns, and shocks that typically are in this genre. The conclusion had me thinking "that's it?". There is a large cast of characters as well which led to confusion at first because I couldn't separate which student belonged to which family. It started to become more cohesive mid way through and the pace picked up once the investigation started. I love Keller, the main FBI investigator and her family, her POV was my favorite. I wouldn't have minded if the whole book was told from her perspective with small chapters from the students thrown throughout. My favorite from this author is The Night Shift and I'd place this one in second.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Look for this book to hit shelves May 2025

I adored the story's tempo, brief chapters, and variety of points of view. Anyone who enjoys a good thriller should read this book; it was a true page-turner. In order for us to learn more about the characters, I almost wish it had been longer.

Thank you for the ARC. I enjoyed reading this book, especially how it jumps into the problem and slowly unravels the story through each family. Everything i thought I knew what was going on, Finlay threw a curve at the reader and the story took another turn. Really made for an exciting college weekend for elite college kids.

This read was a huge victory for me. During the wildly famous Parents Weekend, five prominent freshmen go missing, and one is discovered dead. What connections exist between them all? To find out, our favourite FBI agent, Sarah Keller, is assigned to the investigation. There is a lot of action in each chapter, and I always finished wanting more. Even though the plot revolves around a lot of different characters, I had no trouble following them all. I was surprised by the ending, as is common with Alex Finlay's books. When the audiobook version is released next spring, I can't wait to listen to it because this was such a great read. I am very grateful to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for my candid review. I highly recommend you put this one on your TBR! 


**I will be adding this to my Instagram wrap ups for the month of November**

This is my first Alex Finlay book and I really liked it.

5 collages kids from Northern California were suppose to meet up with their parents for dinner during parents weekend, but they never show up….what could have happened to them?

It was fast paced and kept my attention , it definitely hooked me from the beginning. It was hard to keep track of all the characters since there was a bunch of different character lines which can be confusing for some!
I liked how everything came together in the end.



Thank you NetGalley and St.Martins Press for the ARC review!

I am such a big fan of Alex Finlay and all of his works! I was so glad to see the return of Sarah Keller and her husband Bob. Parents Weekend was a hell of a ride that I devoured in one weekend.

3.75 stars rounded to 4.

This was an action packed thriller that had me hooked from the beginning. I ended up reading this book in one sitting. The lead up to the ending had a few twists but all the loose ends were tied up. I thought most of the ending was good but I still am not sure about Felix's part in the ending. I think the story would have been better with a different outcome. Also, I found there to be too many characters in this book and at times it was hard to keep everyone straight. Overall, it was a solid thriller.

In Parents' Weekend, the families are invited to join their kids for a dinner at the University. 5 students never show up to the dinner which leaves many questions. Did they ditch their parents or is something more sinister going on? Police and the FBI are called in to help investigate which is where we meet FBI agent Sarah. She is on a temp assignment in California and quickly becomes a valuable asset to the investigation. With multiple dead ends, will the students be found alive?

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love when a good thriller hits! Parents Weekend follows the kidnapping of 5 college kids during, you guessed it, parents weekend 😉 We get multiple POVs from each of the families and of course they all of their own dirty laundry that could be the reason for this kidnapping.

The pace of this one was perfect - kept me on my toes and interested throughout. The ending didn’t feel rushed and perfectly tied up all the loose ends. Safe to say Alex Finlay is another thriller author for me 👏🏼

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for this eARC!

Alex Finlay writes suspense novels that can be read in a day, and that you want to stay up late to finish reading. My one push for this book is that there are almost too many characters, with each family having time dedicated to their story. There is a good mix of families, including kids with parents who have been incarcerated, parents who work in law, and families who work at the school the students attend. I would not consider this Finlay's most compelling or well-written work, but I would still recommend it for library purchase and for patrons looking for another thriller/mystery.

📖 ARC Book Review

PUB Date : May 5 2025

My Rating : ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ 3 Rip Roaring Stars

Happy Saturday Book Pals 🫶🏼

I almost didn’t finish this one , but I’m glad I stuck it out !

This book is a busy thriller , that’s the best I can come up with .

At first I really struggled with this one, there was too much going on, so many characters and lack of character building made it difficult to navigate.

At about 22% this is where things start to get interesting 🤨 so buckle up because the whip lash is gonna hurt as your catapulted into a wild goose chase !

Read this if you like :
🚐 Police Procedurals
🚐 Multiple POV’s
🚐 Academia’s
🚐 unlikeable Characters
🚐 Lots of Red Herrings
🚐 Busy reads
🚐 Short Chapters

I don’t want to give too much away , but we find ourselves on Parents Weekend at a university with 5 groups of parents who are the most unlikely of friends gather for a dinner in honor of their children….BUT those 5 children don’t show up 👀

In comes FBI detective Sarah Keller who is new to town who is catapulted into this investigation without a minutes warning .

If Keller doesn’t act quickly will these students be found alive or worse will she be in danger herself?? You need to read this yourself to find out 🕵️‍♀️

And if you need a little more convincing check out my aesthetic photos for inspo !!

QOTD~ Rave me your favorite Dark Academia book !!

Thank you NetGalley, St.Martins Press & Alex Finlay for this wild ARC!

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

Alex Finlay nails another one! I have enjoyed several of this author's books and they never disappoint. This captivating thriller opens by introducing the reader to five families, and then moves on to a college campus where everyone is excited for Parents Weekend. The families are to meet up for dinner on a Friday evening, but five students never arrive.

The story is told through multiple points of view, including that of the students, parents, and law enforcement; slowing building tension and providing insight into the lives of each family. Finlay deftly portrays the impact of alcoholism, death of a child, and infidelity on the family and individuals within the family. Where are the student? Are they dead or alive?

This was a real page turner and I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller. Anxiously awaiting your next one Finlay!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press- Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you are looking for a quick and entertaining read you can’t go wrong with an Alex Finlay thriller. Parent’s Weekend is set in Northern California at a small private college. A group of five students who are supposed to meet their parents for dinner all together over parents weekend never show up. Each chapter is narrated by each of the five different families and the FBI agent called in to crack the case. Get ready for a fun and twisty thrill ride.

This book takes place at Santa Clara University during parents weekend. The students of the families go missing around the same time as a separate student is found dead. There are 5 different families so it was a bit hard to keep everyone straight. I really didn’t know where it was going but it kept my attention the whole time. The short chapters were great and I liked the main FBI agent. I wouldn’t say this was a twisty, intense thriller but it was enjoyable and quick.

Alex Finlay has been a hit or miss author for me, but Parent’s Weekend marked the return of Special Agent Sarah Keller and re-cemented Finlay as a favorite thriller writer.

My only real complaint is that there were so many characters with different point of views that it was difficult to remember who was who. If I hadn’t of read the entire thing in one sitting, I think I would have been incredibly confused trying to keep everyone straight.

Overall, this was a fast faced and entertaining read. I wouldn’t exactly call it twisty, but its “reveals” were well done despite being semi-predictable.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had such a good concept and would've been soooooo good if the author didn't insist on making random comments about "woke" culture and soooooo many callbacks to his old books. It really took away from the story and I wanted to like it sc bad!!! Thank you netgalley for the early copy :)

Fast-paced, delightfully twisted read -- ideal for a plane ride or vacation reading. Loved the pace of the story, short chapters and the multiple POVs. Alex Finlay is a writer you can trust to bring the goods! Recommended for readers who enjoy suspense/thrillers. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the ARC. Pub Date is May 6th, 2025.

#ParentsWeekend

It's parents weekend at Santa Clara University in Northern California, and the parents of five freshman make their way west for the weekend. Little to they know the quiet dinner is going to turn into a weekend they'll never forget.

I found that I quite enjoyed this book. It's an easy read, but it keeps the reader interested. The author throws plenty of red herrings in to keep you guessing, and I found Special Agent Keller (really the main character) interesting and likeable. Some of the other characters weren't so likeable, but I don't think they were supposed to be. The author uses different point of view through out the book...each chapter is about a different character...which I typically don't enjoy as it disrupts the flow of the plot, but it was used in a way that made the story flow nicely.

Overall, a book I would recommend! Look for it May 6, 2025.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC!

This book is a winner! 5 college students go missing during Parents Weekend and their parents are desperate to find out what happened to them. Each family has their own unique issues and there are lots of twists and turns to uncover the truth.

This book has short chapters and is an easy read. This is the first book I've read by this author but I will definitely be looking for more of his titles. I absolutely loved this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy!

I devoured this one! There's multiple POVs and at first I was nervous about keeping track of all the families, but it was easy to follow and each one was very distinguishable. Packed full of secrets and drama keeps the pace moving forward quickly. There's an unexpected emotional aspect to the story and it really packs a punch. Definitely not one to miss!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My favorite author is back with another amazing 5-star read! Alex Finlay is so consistent. I just love his books. Parents' Weekend is full of action, tension and suspense. The short chapters keep the pace moving quickly and it never felt like there was a dull moment. There is a large cast of characters, and it took me a little while to remember who everyone was, but it worked because it allowed for a fuller and more complex story. The families pretty much all have some kind of baggage or secret they are keeping which makes for a lot of clues and red herrings. I did eventually realize what was happening, but not until towards the end since I couldn't quite figure out how all the puzzle pieces fit at first. There were still some surprises though! The ending ties everything up nicely but I thought it was so sad. It made me cry. Overall, I loved this book and found it practically impossible to put down. I highly recommend it, along with all of Alex Finlay's other books!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!