Totally obsessed with this new book by Alex Finley! His books are always so suspenseful and weave this real life stories that keeps you totally engaged and wanting to read it all at once so you know how the book ends. In Parents Weekend a group of college students families come together to visit their kids who are all in the same group only to have the student not show up and disappear. I like how this was told through the views of both the parents and the kids because I feel like it added a lot of depth to the story and was able to really dig into what was happening! If you me looking for a good suspense/ thriller book this is a great choice!

Parents weekend by Alex Finley

At a small school in North Carolina families gather for a parents weekend to see how their children have been doing in school. As the parents of five families come together, and the children don’t show up. The hours pass by and the students still don’t arrive, parents start to panic as the story rises of a missing girl just weeks previous. FBI Detective Sarah Keller gets involved in the case. And starts unfolding the dysfunctionality of the families involved. Which makes everyone suspicious.
This book was interesting as there were multiple POV’s. I enjoyed the book but wasn’t thrilled. I had an idea of what was happening early on so I didn’t have the ah-ha moment. It was a good book to pass the time. Thank you, NetGalley and St Martins Press

Having enjoyed his last book, my expectations were high. While I do love his short chapters and multiple POVs, the story kind of meandered for me. It does come back to a point and make sense, it’s just a little disappointing for me. Alex Finlay is an auto buy author for me and I have one left in his backlist!

ARC provided to me by St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much!

Like Finlay's previous book, Parents' Weekend is an extremely fast-paced and unputdownable thriller. Every chapter in this is action-packed — I found it hard to take my eyes off the book until we solved for the mystery surrounding the disappearance of five college students during Parents' Weekend. As the story progressed further, you slowly realize just how MESSY their lives and their family's lives is.

The only major gripe I had with this was the large ensemble of characters — it was tough at times to keep track of who was who. The mystery and the perpetrators were predictable, and the ending felt a little rushed in my opinion but I would definitely still recommend this for those looking for a quick read/palette cleanser.

When five college students don't show up to the dinner with their parents, things get a little intense, especially after another student is found dead a few days prior. Alex Finley writes good thrillers that make me want to keep turning the page. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, but the story was written in a way that was manageable. The mystery was good and only slightly predictable. I found myself unsure of exactly where the story was going to go. I'll continue to read books by this author! Thank you, netgalley, for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion .

I have had mixed experiences with Alex Finlay’s books over the past couple of years. I really enjoyed The Night Shift and now find myself comparing all of his subsequent novels to that one. Neither What Have We Done or If Something Happens to Me were favorites of mine, but I was hopeful to give this latest novel a try since it was the return of Agent Keller from The Night Shift.

While I don’t think it was as good as The Night Shift, I did enjoy it more than his other most recent books. The multiple POVs really worked and I liked the setting a lot. There were some interesting twists but it was missing the “wow” factor that I hoped it would have. 3.5 stars rounded up for this one. I think I’ll continue to read Finlay’s Agent Keller novels but might forego any others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press- Minotaur Books for an ARC of this novel.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Parents Weekend” by Alex Finlay delivers a suspenseful, multi-layered mystery centered around the disappearance of five college students during a university’s parents’ weekend. FBI Agent Sarah Keller, familiar to readers of Finlay’s previous books, is back with her family and on a temporary assignment in California. While this book stands on its own, fans will appreciate the further development of Keller’s character, as she balances her investigative prowess with her role as a mother. There is also more development of Keller’s husband, Bob, which I really appreciated as he is my favorite character from Finlay.

The story is told through a range of perspectives—those of the missing students, their families, and Keller herself—creating a tangled web of family secrets, hidden agendas, and dark histories that slowly unravel as the investigation unfolds. Each family brings its own set of issues to the story: a divorced State Department official, a disgraced writer, a Superior Court judge, and more. These characters reveal messy personal lives and flawed relationships that add depth to the plot and highlight the lengths parents will go to protect their children, which is the overall focus and theme of this book.

The book opens with high-stakes tension, plunging you into a whirlwind of fast-paced chapters and alternating points of view that keep the pages turning. The dynamic narrative structure offers glimpses into the hidden lives of the characters, capturing not only the parents’ personal struggles but also how these affect their children's identities and behaviors. As Agent Keller dives deeper into the case, you witness a compelling blend of psychological tension and emotional complexity, with each revelation adding weight to the central mystery.

The sprawling cast of characters may be challenging to keep track of, especially in the beginning. I am absolutely horrible with names, so I found it difficult to remember who everyone is, especially with the various plot points and secrets that each family kept. While the various families are initially difficult to differentiate, though Finlay’s short, focused chapters help mitigate this, grounding you in each character's perspective. The mystery itself is fast-paced and filled with red herrings, though the primary twist was a bit predictable once a certain connection was made, but it fit with the book’s overall theme perfectly, and I enjoyed the resolution of the mystery.

Finlay's latest blends grounded thriller elements with well-paced, realistic suspense. It’s a compelling exploration of family dynamics under pressure, complete with a satisfying conclusion that hints at potential future cases for Agent Keller and/or her new protégé, Annie, who is introduced in this book. Overall, “Parents Weekend” has a character-driven approach and psychological insights that make it an engaging read for fans of domestic thrillers and realistic mysteries.

“Parents Weekend” by Alex Finlay had me hooked from the very first page. The story follows five families who arrive at a college for Parents Weekend, only to find that their children are missing—never showed up for dinner, and no one can find them. The question is: is it a prank, or are they in real danger? Finlay does an incredible job of building tension and suspense, keeping me guessing the entire time. With unexpected twists and a fast-paced plot, this is definitely a must-read for any thriller fan.

Another strong story by Alex Finlay…he never disappoints. Normally when a story has so many POV’s, I struggle to keep up. But Parents Weekend flowed beautifully, with every single piece fitting together.
Everyone comes into parents weekend at college loaded with baggage. But whose baggage leads to the disappearance of the students?

I really enjoyed Finlay's newest book. It was PACKED full of well fleshed-out characters (like, I could picture some of these moms & dads) and though you might not care for some of them, they were plenty interesting. And, wow, were there twists around each & every corner (or family)! But not too many that you can't "keep up". This was a very suspenseful read but there was lots of familial drama as well. Four fabulous stars!

This book has officially moved Alex Finlay to my "auto-buy" list! This thrilling, action packed story sucked me in from the first page and was full of twists and surprises.

At the beginning of Parents Weekend, five students mysteriously vanish just after another student is discovered dead. Stella is a fiery character whose parents are already anxious upon their arrival. Blane is a free-spirited individual with a high-profile mother accompanied by a full security detail. Felix is the kind and sensitive son of a single mother employed at the college. Mark is a jokester who conceals the fact that his father is not a great role model. Libby is a well-behaved girl striving to ease her parents' burden following the tragic death of her brother. All the parents harbor secrets that lead us to question whether they could be connected to their children's disappearance. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Very much enjoyed this thriller from Finlay. Each chapter is told from a different family’s perspective as they search for their missing college student which helps build out the plot. You’d think that all of the different subplots that the adult storylines bring might muddle things, but they all are relevant to the disappearances in some way. Agent Keller, who is apparently a recurring character though I don’t remember her, is an excellent protagonist because she brings the reader along as she is uncovering things rather than leaving us in the dark.

I was pleasantly surprised that while some of the conclusion was predictable, there were a couple of twists to enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

This was my first Alex Finlay book and it will not be my last! I absolutely loved how the book took on perspectives from each of the families and really took the reader through a journey of learning about each students background and upbringing. This book had twists and turns at every corner and just when you think you have the ending figured out -SURPRISE! You don't. Which to me makes a great thriller. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and loved the characters, plot, and conclusion. Great read!! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

This one sucked me in and held me close. I am happy to say that I did not see the twists coming, and I enjoyed the story throughout.
I do think that with so many characters and points of view it can be confusing at times. I especially had trouble keeping Stella and Libby separate in my mind. Overall, though, I liked the different perspectives given.
There were multiple storylines tied together. Each student and family had baggage and issues needing to be dealt with in order to find out what happened to The Five.
Special Agent Keller and her storyline was my favorite overall. No spoilers, but I'm disappointed with how things turned out for one student towards the end :(
Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

I have read every one of this authors books and I thoroughly enjoy the plot twists, multiple points of view and character building. This was one of my favorites by him. Fast paced and left you wanting more of those characters and sympathizing with the under dog.

Alex Finlay is the master of unpredictable thrillers and Parents Weekend doesn’t disappoint. In his most captivating and memorable book to date, five students suddenly disappear at the start of Parents Weekend, right after another student is found dead.

Stella is the spitfire whose parents are already on edge when they arrive. Blane is the free spirit whose high profile mom travels with a full security team Felix is the sweet and sensitive son of a single mom who works at the college. Mark is a jokester who tries to hide the fact that his father isn’t the best role model. Libby is a good girl who wants to make her parents’ lives easier after the tragic loss of her brother.
And all of the parents have secrets that make us wonder if they might be the reason that their children can’t be found….

Thank you to NetGalley for keeping me up all night with Alex Finlay’s Parents Weekend.

If you’re looking for something fast paced and action packed, I highly recommend this. I could not put it down. There are so many moving parts, but in a good way. It kept my attention and I just had to keep reading.

I loved Annie, the intern and I was grateful she was included in the ending. Ugh, and Bob. Everyone deserves a Bob in their life.

I was nervous about keeping up with all of the characters and their story lines. But, overall I feel like I got used to it and it became easier as I got further into the book. I just felt like the ending let me down a little bit. I was expecting something a little bit more complex and the ending was slightly predictable in my opinion. An aspect of the ending that I really appreciated is that we got to see a glimpse of the characters lives after all the tragedy they endured.

The characters and their families are detailed in descriptive chapters, interwoven in interesting and surprising ways. The twists kept coming and I was so invested in the characters that I was concerned for them!! Great book!

2.25

Setting: California
Rep: BIPOC side character(s)

This was super fucking basic. Annoyingly so. Not a twist to be found, and although it was a quick read that I pretty much finished in one sitting, I struggled to care about anyone in it. This felt like a really amateur debut.