I worked for university housing for 6 years and the most memorable stretch of days each year, after new student move-in, was Parents Weekend. I saw celebrity's (hello, Diane Keaton), drunk dads fighting each other on their daughter's behalf, and a tragic cardiac arrest that made one poor student an orphan. Alex Finlay's Parents Weekend was like experiencing the wildest events I witnessed over 6 years rolled into one hellish three-day stretch. And I mostly enjoyed it.

The Five---Finlay's name for the group of students at the core of the story---are fast friends after meeting in their first-year seminar. They're, like any ensemble college cast, a motley crew that ranges rich to poor and squeaky clean to almost diabolical. They've got the sexual tension and secrets necessary to keep the reader interested. This cast, and their parents, who are potentially more ridiculous and up-to-no-good than their kids, provide more than enough drama for the novel. Which makes the missing student at its core, who is later found dead, somewhat of a disappointing focus as the other students, the Five, themselves go missing. What happened to her and why are their fates intertwined?

As Agent Sarah Keller of the FBI---a Finlay character I am new to but was utterly charmed by---chases down leads, uncovering lies, mistakes, and misconduct from parents and their children in the process, the ending of the novel became somewhat of a foregone conclusion. These red herrings were intriguing and delicious, but they were a buffet of distraction from what was the obvious outcome of the novel.

All in all, Parents Weekend felt a lot like the actual parents weekends college campuses host around the country. It hit every beat: the welcome dinner, parents and their kids butting heads, and awkward but fun interactions in a classic setting. It was not particularly inventive, but as so many student affairs professionals know, you don't have to reinvent the wheel to have a successful event (or, here, thriller).

4/5 stars and an excellent airport read.

This is very fast-paced and I finished it in just two sittings which is always nice when it comes to books like this. I liked the premise and it was an interesting idea to include POV chapters from the investigating agent, the parents, and the children, however it also felt like a lot of perspectives and I wonder if the narrative would feel tighter if there were less cooks in the kitchen. I don't necessarily need to feel an investment in the characters for a popcorn thriller like this, but I think there were too many characters and that's why it was hard to care about what happened to anybody. There were also a lot of "leads" and red herrings in the story about the parents, and it ended up feeling a little ridiculous. The final plot twist did not feel particularly impactful (and I am still wondering if it feels all that believable) and the deaths at the end felt a little glossed over but I liked that an epilogue was included so we could see where everyone was at later.

I have read two books previously by this author, and this one felt like the writing quality had taken a bit of a dip. Some phrases felt a bit amateur-ish to me and not up to the author's usual quality of writing. There are a few too many references in here from Agent Keller that are like, "Oh, they got that line from a cop show." or "Oh, I bet they heard about that from the movies." It was a little much, especially when it was being said about things that are sort of common knowledge now, like checking someone's phone location or asking if they have a warrant. Another line that stuck out to me so much and took me right out of the narrative was in the final confrontation, when one of the kidnappers says that their grandfather is a famous vodka maker in their big speech about why they're doing what they are doing. The line placement in that scene was crazy and it sounded almost like a parody was being made of this character. Despite those drawbacks, I appreciated the short and fast-paced chapters.

I knew as soon as I saw Alex Finlay was writing another book, I knew I had to get my hands on it! I absolutely loved The Night Shift and was so thrilled to have another Agent Keller book.

This fast paced, gripping thriller will have you hooked from start to finish.

Parents weekend at SCU is not off to a good start after when the parents of 5 students show up for the kickoff dinner and their kids never show. What makes this even more twisty, 2 parents have prestigious careers and are under a watchful eye. Agent Keller is on a race against time and while rumors swirl on social media and podcasts, the parent’s secrets will all be revealed in order to find their missing children.

Although I found the identity of the kidnappers a bit predictable, I was still pleasantly surprised how the end of this book played out. I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters and was able to keep them all straight despite the full cast. The story tied together perfectly and I enjoyed the book and look forward to more Agent Keller!

Thank you to Alex Finlay and Minotaur Books for this ARC

Parents weekend was a quick and enjoyable read. The premise of this storyline was unique and engaging, and I appreciated the short chapters. While I like the style of multiple POVs, the amount of characters made it difficult to follow at times. I found myself having to refer back for reminders. Additionally, while I thought the ending had a nice twist, I think that it fell a little short in terms of connecting all of the dots. It definitely felt like there were some plot holes. Overall, I enjoyed this novel as I have enjoyed other Alex Finlay books. I look forward to reading more!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Alex Finlay for this free ARC digital copy.

Alex Finlay brought back one of my favs, Agent Sarah Keller! I can't get enough of her BadAssery and her hilarious husband!

Sarah moves to San Fran and is immediatly thrust into a missing person(s) case. 6 college students all go missing at the same time. And, alothough the plotline did grab my attention, the execution was off. The writing from the parents view was interesting and mature, but the kids dialoguie came off sounding YA. And for a thriller about college kids, its ok to throw a few encounters in there!

All in all, would recommend!

super fast paced and easy to follow. i really like alex finlay's writing style in prior books, and this was another great one!!! highly recommend!! 4/5 stars

WHAT A BOOK. I loved this and even loved the many POVs which can be tricky to do right. This was an awesome story and really great combination of personalities and storylines.

1.5 rounded up to 2 – unfortunately, I very strongly disliked this book. There were SO MANY POVs, and while they were all ultimately interwoven, they didn't all feel necessary to the story. It could've easily been told entirely from the parent's POV or the student's POV and I think it would've tightened up the story and made it felt more cohesive. What we got instead was something that felt like it was intentionally including as many views as possible to set up red herrings, and while I was interested to find out what was going to happen, I also could've skipped this one and been okay with it.

This was not the typical Alex Finlay -it lacked the author's known writing style of fast paced, twists and turns and unpredictability unfortunately. The plot was very straight forward and easy to predict. I also hard a hard time keeping track of the large cast of characters, as some of the parents and kids were very similar. I did love Agent Keller though - her character is very well developed and I loved reading about her kicking butt once again!

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great thriller! Alex Finley does it again! Parents weekend at Santa Clara university should be a great time for parents to see their children. But when 5 students ( Stella, Libby, Felix, Mark, and one more) don’t show up for dinner things begin to go awry. Sara Keller with the FBI is called in to assist and is a recent transfer from DC. The story is told from different points of view….the five sets of parents and Keller the FBI agent. The author does a fantastic job of exploring the different points of view and brings it all together at the end. I love the prologue at the end and how well he wraps up the book

One parent’s weekend five students disappear from Santa Clara University is dead, and then a sixth is found dead. This is not a story so much of the students, but instead of the parents and their own backstories. Some come from high government jobs, and others eking a way a life.

I liked the concept, but I found the reading disjointed. What is very telling is that I finished this book last night, and while I remember the concept, the ending is a blur, which to me means nothing wow worthy.

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I have read a few of Alex Finlay's books and I think this is my new favourite! Parents weekend dives into multiple families coming together for their children at university only to have them not show for supper; what happened? I always love bite size chapters which Alex does well. The story was fast paced, kept me engaged, and although I did find the ending slightly predictable, I still enjoyed the story and the characters. It was nice to see the return of Sarah Keller. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Parents Weekend is out May 6, 2025!

Always a big fan! Not my favorite of his but a god read. I liked the characters and their interesting backgrounds. I liked unwinding the mystery as I went and felt like the story was believable. I would recommend.

Alex Finlay is back!!! I haven’t enjoyed one of his books this much, since the night shift!! I enjoyed the comeback of agent Keller and this story was just the right amount of thriller and suspense for me, without going over the top and getting to ridiculous.

I enjoyed the story arc and the cast of characters. I enjoyed the different points of view and how the timeline jumped back and forth. I didn’t expect the ending which is always a plus. I thought for sure it was going to be the professor.
This was a 5 star read for me. I liked the set up of the family weekend and all of the students not coming to dinner.

WOAH- what a rollercoaster! Five college students disappear the evening of the scheduled parents weekend at their small private college off the coast of Northern California. Initially, their parents aren't overly concerned, they are college kids, right? But as time goes on, it becomes more apparent that foul play was occurring, but why?

Enter FBI agent Sarah, recently relocated to California to be close to her husband's family. What is supposed to be a quick investigation ends up unfolding to a whole lot more.

The first half of this book had me HOOKED. The setting and characters were fabulous. As the plot developed, it did seem to slow down a bit, but overall a solid easily bingeable thriller!

This one is out May 6th, 2025- but not too early to add to your TBR now!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

*review posted on IG and Goodreads

𐙚 - Twisty, Multi-layered Mystery
𐙚 - Layered Perspectives
𐙚 - Character Drama/ Detective Work

Intriguing from the start, Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a gripping, multi-layered mystery set during a parents’ weekend at Santa Clara University, where a group of students goes missing.

What works for this book is the balance between the perspectives of FBI Agent Sarah Keller and the parents, with glimpses into the lives of the missing students. Agent Keller steals the spotlight, tying the threads of the mystery together with her sharp insight and methodical approach. While it starts a bit slow with character building, the story quickly picks up, keeping the pages turning. The layered perspectives add depth, creating a gripping mystery for readers to unravel. Readers who enjoy a mix of character drama and detective work will find plenty to like here.

This is a solid, entertaining thriller that’s worth picking up for a twisty and layered read.

Rating: ✰✰✰.5/5

Thank you Alex Finlay, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. ・❥・

This is the first Alex Finlay book I've read, but it won't be the last. The story follows several families whose children are missing in the aftermath of a student's death during parent weekend at their college. A super fast paced thriller, I read it in one sitting.

A mystery going back and forth between recent and present times, and points of view, that contain a mystery where 5 college students go missing when their parents are in town for Parents Weekend.
As someone whose recent past, present and future entails many college Parents Weekends, this premise was intriguing. There is definitely foul play.
The female FBI agent was my favorite character, and I would love to see her in a series on future books. The parents all had a lot of problems. Are they red herrings, or relevant?
This was a quick easy read. I was actually kind of sad about one of the characters in the end (just like I was with Alex Finlay's previous book that I read called The Night Shift).
3.75 stars
~Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher

It’s parents weekend at SCU and a group of 5 students are meeting their parents for a welcome dinner. However the students don’t show up, whom doesn’t alarm many people immediately. But as time goes on without a word from any of them, their parents start to panic.

I would say this was good, but don’t wow me. I have loved the 2 other Finlay books I’ve read in the past. This one by comparison didn’t measure up those at all. I did think the beginning had a great setup and it was an easy read. I liked the short chapters and the different POVs. But there were entirely too many characters. You never really get to know much about any of them, so it leaves you not caring too much what is happening to them.

I do remember the Keller character from another book and I like her, so I was pleased to see she is the character you get the most info about. I think with less characters this could have been so much better. *3.5 stars*

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books for the advanced copy of this book!

Yet another hit from Finlay. It took me a while to get all of the characters straight, but I eventually got there. It starts off with a bang and things just keep going from there. There are a few plot holes and unexplored/underdeveloped side plots but honestly, it didn’t really bother me. This book was a whirlwind of chaos…in a fun way. The climax was incredibly intense and a certain death really hit me in the feelings. Keller was an endearing Agent and I loved going along on this ride with her.

Suspend disbelief and just enjoy the unraveling of Parents’ Weekend.