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

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.