Alex Finlay is a wonderful suspense writer whose books always keep me on the edge of my seat. Parents' Weekend was another fast-paced, exciting read but not my favorite Finlay book.
The good: it was an exciting read that, at first, kept me guessing and wanting to read more. I loved seeing Agent Keller again. I thought the concept of the book was exciting and interesting and the way the chapters were structured, focusing on different families, gave depth to the characters and their missing children.
The no so good: The ending left me underwhelmed and a little disappointed. After looking for the missing students for 80% of the book the suspects were not surprising and I felt like the conclusion happened very abruptly.
Overall, a good suspense novel but Finlay has some better books in his catalog.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I binged this thriller in one evening. The short chapters, immediate action, and questionable characters all had me turning pages and desperate to find out the solution to the mystery. I really enjoy the character of Agent Keller and appreciate the glimpses of her family between moments of danger and sadness. Although many of these parents are dislikable, especially as their secrets are coming out, the unifying love and worry for their children felt like the truest thing of all through the story and pulled at my heart the entire time.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC on this book! Parents weekend was enjoyable and easy to follow. It had short chapters which I love! Definitely recommend picking this up if you enjoy crime thrillers based on college campus.

I want to love this book, but I don't. I'm going to try to read it again later on! I'm in a terrible book slump and I think it's preventing me from being able to read and review this accurately.

I think the premise of this one is super interesting, I loved having the perspectives of both the parents & the kids, I also loved the detective. Now I need to go back & read the other novel that follows her! This for sure won’t be the last book I read by this author. Thank you to net galley for the ARC!!

Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift is back in The Parents Weekend. Where, she is helping to solve the mysterious disappearance of five college kids who go missing during a parents' weekend.
An exciting and thrilling read from the parents and Keller's prospectives will leave you up all night not wanting to put this book down!

A solid 4 stars 🌟

I'm an early fan of Alex Finlay, I enjoy how Special Agent Sarah Keller keeps showing up in his books. I enjoyed the multiple points of view and see how each character is feeling. Only one thing bothered me and that's when Sarah was called Keller when mentioned with her family, I feel like at that point she should be called Sarah. As for the ending it was a little predictable for me but there was another twist I didn't see coming so it evened out. Another brilliant book from Finlay!

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is an intricate blend of suspense and family secrets. What begins as a festive gathering for five families quickly descends into a tense mystery when their college aged children vanish during parents weekend. This novel alternates between past and present, revealing hidden truths about the students and their families while the search intensifies. The story’s multiple POV’s creates both tension and intrigue, that will keep you guessing the whole time!

Another great thriller from Alex Finley. Fast paced keep you on your toes read. Did not see the ending coming.
Really enjoyed it.

I always read Finlay’s books. Some are hit or miss for me but I can always count on being engaged. This was a great book! It kept me interested and I loved the short chapters which makes it easier to stay engaged in the story.

I really enjoyed this! I definitely didn't see the ending coming, and enjoyed all of the characters. I wouldn't say this was my top thriller read of the year, but it was a solidly enjoyable book.

Quick easy read. Perfect for a plane ride. Very short chapters which I love. There was not a lot of character development and the ending left a lot to be desired. I wanted more information at the end and was left re-reading to see if I missed anything. Definitely some plot holes here. Not a bad read just not great either.

One of the things I appreciated most about Parents Weekend was its well-paced plot and the way Finlay slowly unveils the connections between characters, creating a web of suspense. The book does a great job of keeping readers on their toes, constantly shifting between perspectives and providing just enough misdirection to make it hard to predict where the story is headed.

Finlay’s writing is sharp and accessible, with engaging dialogue and a sense of urgency that pulls you through the pages. The psychological tension between the characters feels real, especially as long-buried secrets come to light. It also explores themes of privilege, pressure, and the dark side of academic institutions, which adds an interesting layer of social commentary to the mystery.

While the twists and turns are exciting, some of the character motivations felt a bit forced at times, and the satisfying ending left me with a few lingering questions. Still, overall, I found Parents Weekend to be an enjoyable and suspenseful read, perfect for fans of mystery and thrillers looking for something to keep them guessing until the very last page.

This explosive thriller was fantastic and full of non-stop suspense from the get-go! I loved the subplots that collided with the main plot! A unique trope with surprises sprinkled throughout. One of my top 5 thrillers this year. I couldn’t read fast enough with this quick-paced gem!!
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was such a fun one! I have enjoyed all of Finlay’s books and was happy to see the return of Agent Sarah! She is a great down to earth character and she is believable. Findlay gets the law enforcement angle right, which keeps the story on track. Finlay kept the pace brisk and the characters interesting. I flew through this one in two days. Five college students go missing on parents weekend - but the parents all have their own secrets as well. I will be recommending to friends! Thanks to Net Galley for an advance digital copy.

Another pretty good thriller by Finlay! I pick up everything he writes, because I can always be sure the story will be unique, full of great characters, and have a solid ending. Admittedly, this is not my favourite book by Finley, but it was still a good read, and I finished it in two sittings. I loved that the story had familiar characters from previous Finlay novels, and referenced previous book plots, to tie together lots of old and new elements. I recommend this one!

This is my first read by Alex Finlay, and I'm surprised I've taken so long to pick up one of his books because this one was a fun ride. It took me a bit to get a handle on all the characters/families, but once I did I was hooked. The plot was lightning fast, and the short chapters and quick developments kept me furiously flipping the [kindle] pages. Seriously, I finished about 85% of the book in a single sitting. You will not be bored.

The book focuses more on the titular parents versus their missing kids, and I honestly actually didn't mind this approach. Teen thrillers definitely have their moments, but I appreciated the parents' more mature struggles being the lens through which the search was conducted. With this approach, the book moved out of popcorn thriller territory and dipped a toe into the more human drama space. Even if that drama wasn't always related to the central mystery, it still captured and held my interest throughout.

That said, I do wish the book had bit more character development; I think the sheer number of characters made this a challenge, and since we spent most of our time with the parents (and Agent Keller) we *barely* got to know the kids. This lack of depth made the ending/reveals weaker, because we weren't actually invested enough in the students' backstories and their relationships to be hung up on how their fates shook out. It's not like the book has a bloated page count, so I think much more attention could've been given to the students' stories to lend the ending some more punch. Without that investment, the conclusion felt somewhat rushed and unsatisfying.

So that lack of depth at the end knocked off a couple stars for me, but "Parents' Weekend" is still a solid thriller that kept me engaged the whole time. I'm sure I'll reach for another Alex Finlay after this!

[Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an advance reader copy of this book!]

Five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for parents weekend. Their kids, 5 residents of Campisi Hall, never show up at dinner. The 5 are Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix and Stella. During that weekend the body of a missing student, Natasha Belov, is found. Agent Keller is asked to get involved.

The story is told from different perspectives: those of the missing students, their families and Agent Keller. The families reveal messy personal lives and relationships.

The ending was disappointing and anticlimactic of what happened. The mystery wasn’t complex or surprising. There was no plot twist. More character development was needed. I did enjoy the updates of how all of what happened affected the families. The story showed the impact of death of a child, alcoholism, infidelity on a family.

Publishing: May 6, 2025

Thank you #netgalley and MintourBooks/St Martins books

I really like Alex Findlay books and this one doesn’t disappoint. This book is about 5 college students who go missing while their parents wait for them to meet them for dinner. The book had some surprises for me, was easy to read, and kept me interested until the end!

Sometimes You Just Can’t Wait!

My favorite books by Alex Finlay, (Every Last Fear and The Night Shift) featured whip smart FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, so when I saw that she was back for “Parents Weekend”, I just had to read this right away!

The podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them-The Five.-all Freshman students who failed to show up for dinner and drinks with their parents for Santa Clara University’s Parents Weekend.

Blane (Roosevelt), Stella (Maldonado), Felix (Goffman), Libby (Akana) and Mark (Wong).

Normally, Campus Police would not be overly concerned immediately, assuming the students were involved in a hazing or sidetracked by a party-but earlier in the week, after not taking an anonymous call about another missing student seriously, she was found dead, and they can’t afford to risk another tragedy.

After a prologue featuring THE FIVE, the story opens on FRIDAY-the night of the dinner and the chapters alternate between each of the students PARENTS, giving us background on why THEY could be the reason that the students are missing-with additional chapters from the Kellers (Agent Keller, husband Bob and their now 9 year old twins).

I was engaged immediately and as always, I enjoyed Agent Keller’s chapters and her sleuthing skills. But, the chapters featuring the students felt YA and were not quite as compelling.

Because of the LARGE cast of characters, it takes awhile to set things up. And, perhaps for the same reason-I never got to know them well enough to become emotionally invested in the outcome.

The mystery itself wasn’t as strong or as complex as some of Agent Kellers earlier cases, so this was probably my least favorite of HER stories, but it was still entertaining and well worth adding to your TBR. It can be read as a stand-alone as Agent Kellers earlier cases are not spoiled.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded ⬆️

This title will be released on May 6, 2025.

Thank You to Minotaur Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!