A quick popcorn thriller, but not something that will stay with me for a long time. I enjoyed the multiple view points, but I would have to stop and think about which person was which before diving in to their chapter.

I have read all of Alex Finlay’s books and will continue to pick them up as they come out. I like the small Easter eggs that they put in from their previous books, but you don’t have to have read them prior to reading this one.

This book centers around 5 college freshman and their families, who come from very different backgrounds. Each (short) chapter tells the story of a different family, keeping the reading light & quick.

As parent's weekend at college commences, "The Five" and their families plan for a night of dinner and cocktails. But as the kids fail to show up for dinner, the parents start questioning what happened to them? This story takes you through multiples points of view in both past and present. While nothing particularly kept me on the edge of my seat, the overall pace was fast and it was an easy book to read in a weekend.

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of the book!

Another great book from Alex Finlay! Parents Weekend centers around five college students who reside in Campisi Hall. As the families show up for parents weekend, a dinner is planned for the students and their parents, however, the students don’t show up. At first, everyone thinks it’s just irresponsible college kids who got a better offer, but they soon realize there is a much bigger, more sinister, issue at play. The weekend is already tarnished by the death of a student, so their fears are not unfounded. The story is told in multiple POV’s, but it’s very easy to follow, and the chapters are quick reads.
The mystery surrounding the missing Five will keep you guessing until the end who is behind everything. Detective Sarah Keller, who you may recognize from other Finlay books, questions each parent, and the secrets and dysfunction of the family dynamics only clouds any clear cut path to what really happened to the students, and will they be found in time before they all suffer the consequences of their actions. Great character development, the mystery is riveting and easy to follow, and each of the parents secrets will have you shaking your head, especially at the shocking conclusion.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Alex Finlay for an advanced reader copy of another heart pounding thriller. 5 ⭐️

Another fast paced, twisty popcorn thriller from Alex Finlay! I love Finlay’s writing style and the short chapters always make for a bingeable quick read. I was hooked in right from the start which is always nice with thrillers. I was a little lost with all of the different characters/families for a bit at the start but once I got them all down was able to fly through. This was a fun ride and I loved it! Can’t wait to see what’s next from Alex Finlay as he’s become one of my favorite thrillers authors!

Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for my early digital copy 🫶🏻

3.5* - Parents Weekend kept me hooked! (even if it wasn’t a perfect read for me) The premise was intriguing, and the duel timelines worked. However, with so many characters navigating their own struggles, the chapters felt a bit overwhelming and crowded. While I was curious to see how everything played out, I never formed a strong connection with any of the characters. Still, the mystery was compelling, and if you like multi-POV thrillers then you'll likely enjoy the journey!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review will be posted (Instagram, Goodreads, bookishlytara blog, Storygraph) on April 22, 2025. An additional post (with a reposted review) will be posted on Instagram on the publication day as well as an Amazon Canada review. (links below)

It took me a little bit to get into this thriller, but I’m glad I held on! Once it picked up, I was flying through the pages. There are some great twists and turns that helped to keep me guessing throughout. In this book, everyone has a secret.
The multiple POVs had me struggling - there were so many. But again, once I got the hang of who’s who, the chapters flew by.
Overall, I’d recommend if you’re looking for a quick thriller with a bunch of twists.

I did enjoy this book but for me I think that there were a few too many POVs and a few too many main characters. I think that it got a bit overwhelming a bit confusing at times but it was a good story! I liked the thriller and almost mysterious vibe to it! I think with fewer POVs/ main characters my rating and enjoyment would have been higher!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy!

This one would definitely qualify as a popcorn thriller. Moves pretty fast. Lots of characters and chapters moving between different POV's. Keeps the story moving and the short-ish chapters help with that.

I read this one pretty quickly in about 2-3 days and it was a decently fun ride, but I don't feel like the story was fully fleshed out and I felt like I wanted more, like maybe another 50-100 pages to really get it to punch.

But as a popcorn quick moving thriller it worked well enough and made me interested enough in FBI Agent Keller to go figure out what other books she's been in b/c I found her interesting and compelling enough to want to go watch her solve some more murders!

This book had my attention from the beginning. I very much enjoy the writing, but this wasn’t a “thriller” for me, more of a mystery (that I admittedly thought I had solved but very much didn’t). Still a very enjoyable read that I had no problem picking up every night!!

This book had so much potential. I really enjoyed the alternating perspectives and the short, quick chapters. That being said, there were FAR too many characters and as a result, there were many storylines that weren't dove into as much as they should've been. I also think there were too many "red herrings" and as a result, the reader focuses on the most obvious answer... which was the correct answer. No big twist in a thriller is a serious con for me.

One more thing I want to point out is that I almost stopped reading in the second chapter - the parents in this book are horrendous and I can understand why their children have strained relationships with them. As an expecting mother myself, may I never behave this way.

2.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Alex Finlay's "Parents Weekend" is a gripping thriller that pulls readers into the shadowed halls of a prestigious university, where secrets and lies converge during the eponymous weekend, during which a group of friends known as The Five go missing.

The return of the determined Agent Sarah Keller, who looks into the disappearences is especially engaging.

Finlay’s mastery of suspense is immediately evident, as he crafts a narrative that feels both claustrophobic and sprawling—trapping the characters within the confines of the campus while unraveling their stories in an ever-widening web of deceit.

The novel’s structure is a standout feature, as Finlay alternates between multiple perspectives, allowing readers to delve into the minds of parents, students, and faculty members. Each voice is distinct, and the shifting viewpoints heighten the tension, keeping readers guessing about who can be trusted. The choice to set the story during "Parents Weekend" , a time ostensibly devoted to connection and celebration, is a stroke of genius. It juxtaposes the warmth of familial bonds with the cold, calculating actions of those harboring dark intentions.

"Parents Weekend" is a probing exploration of ambition, privilege, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets. The characters are flawed and deeply human, making their choices all the more compelling and, at times, unsettling. Finlay's knack for pacing ensures that the twists land with precision, and just when you think you’ve pieced it all together, the plot takes another sharp turn.

For readers who enjoy thrillers as thought-provoking as they are entertaining, "Parents Weekend" delivers on all fronts. Alex Finlay once again proves his ability to blend psychological insight with edge-of-your-seat storytelling. It’s a novel that ponders the masks people wear—and what lies beneath.

3.5 stars (rounded up)

When parents arrive for Parent’s Weekend, they expect to catch up with their college kids over dinner. But things take a bizarre turn when not just one—but *five*—students fail to show up and then mysteriously vanish. With a recent student death already casting a shadow over campus, panic spreads as the search intensifies. Enter Agent Sarah Keller, who’s on the case, determined to unravel the truth and bring the missing students home.
This was a quick, easy read—I flew through it. But honestly, the storyline felt a bit underwhelming. Every character seems to be hiding something, and when those secrets start coming to light, some feel a little too far-fetched. That said, this was my first time meeting Agent Keller, and she was the highlight for me. I really enjoyed her character and the glimpses into her family life.
While Parent’s Weekend isn’t my favorite Alex Finley novel, it’s still an entertaining read that I’d recommend if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Parent’s Weekend is set to release on May 6, 2025.

🏛💊🙊 Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay 🙊💊🏛
Genre: Thriller
Length: 320 pages
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded ⬆️ for Goodreads)
Pub Date: May 6, 2025!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the advanced e-ARC of this book. The opinions stated here are solely my own.

Synopsis:
Santa Clara University in Northern California is having their annual Parents Weekend, and the freshman are scheduled for a dinner with their families. Unfortunately, five freshman who have become friends through their capstone class did not show up to meet their parents. This all follows another incident at the college from earlier in the week where another female student was found dead, drowned in a local cave at high tide.

The families of the missing students are all frantically trying to figure out where their children are, even as they all strangely left their phones behind. Agent Sarah Keller is on the case and trying to figure out what links these children. All the while, each family has their own secrets and possible motives that could be the reason for the students' disappearance. Can Keller find them before another campus death occurs?

Opinion:
This was the best type of thriller! It kept me guessing and had many red herrings along the way. The chapters were short and usually left on a question or cliffhanger. I really enjoyed how each of the families had their own skeletons in their closets to uncover, but even more how Agent Keller was able to use different technology and the parents' unusual connections to solve the mystery. I also loved Agent Keller for her own lovely family story that was integrated throughout. Great book and this was my first, but DEFINITELY not last by Alex Finlay!

An easy read if you’re seeking one. It’s full of drama. The story revolves around a college student who has passed away, and five more students who end up missing. However, I must admit that I found the book more focused on the lives of the parents than on the missing students. I found the parents’ stories to be far more intriguing than the narrative about the missing students.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

The cover and the blurb lured me in but it was like watching a bad episode of Law and Order. I was able to keep all the characters straight which I will give myself a pat on the back for because there was a lot. The concept itself could have really worked with a better author and more twists. Skip this one as there are so many better thrillers out there.

Good story

The ending was a little sad (someone died that I wish hadn't), but this was a very good book. It has very short chapters that alternate between college students and their parents. There was a parents' weekend at their college and five students mysteriously stood their parents up. There is plenty of mystery and some good emotional content. I enjoyed it and recommend it.

I didn’t want to stop reading Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay. I finished this book in 2 days.
There are quite a few characters, but I felt that I was able to keep track of them because each chapter tells you whose POV it is from. Great book with a few twists and not what I had expected.

Five families plan a night of dinner and cocktails for Parents Weekend. However, as the parents chat and get to know each other over dinner and drinks, the kids never show up. At first, everyone thinks they forgot about the gathering or went to a party instead. However, as more time passes without a word from any of them, the parents begin to panic. The campus police call in reinforcements and search parties are formed. The Five—Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—come from very different families. What do they have in common? And more importantly, what happened to them?

I really enjoyed this one. All the parents were hiding secrets, and some had some high-profile jobs. The kids also had many secrets. There were many suspects and reasons the kids could have gone missing. It was a rollercoaster ride, and I truly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers! I give it 4/5 stars.

I had the pleasure of reading this book as an ARC reader through NetGalley. Unfortunately, I've made the choice to mark it 3 stars and this is why. I found that even though I have very much enjoyed Alex's other books, this book was different in a way. There was way to many characters, even with it being able to be followed, I found it a bit overwhelming. The story line could have been stronger, but was overall a decent read. I had issues with it keeping my attention, and found myself putting it down often to come back too.

This is my second Alex Finley book and I truly enjoyed the first one , so I couldn’t wait to read this one. I was a bit disappointed though, the story starts off really well, but than second half was a slow build to a surprise ending.

Parents Weekend, the weekend that parents are also excited about, see their children for the first time since dropping them off at college. Like most college students they just want to hang out with their friends, so it was no surprise when the 5 students don’t show up at dinner. It’s suspicious though when they don’t answer their phones and no one hears from them even the next day. Where are the Five students and are they in danger?

Overall the book was good, but could have been a bit more faster paced in the second half of the book, also the conclusion was a little surprising to me. I do love that each chapter isn’t 20 pages long, so you can break the book up easily when reading.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press - Minotaur Books for this eARC in return for my honest review. I look forward to reading many more of Alex’s books.