Parents Weekend tells the story of 5 college students who go missing on the night of their school's Parent's weekend event and how their parents desperately try to figure out what happened. FBI agent Sarah Keller is called to work on the case. She and the head of campus security dig deeper into the parents of each student, wondering if someone kidnapped them for revenge of some kind. But the truth behind the disappearances unfolds with each tense chapter as Keller discovers a twisted tale of a prank gone wrong and the consequences of modern social media. I like how Alex Finally keeps the chapters short because it keeps the reader on edge until the climax. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

my first book by alex finlay and i’m not sure how to feel about it. i was definitely expecting more. the pacing was good and i enjoyed the short chapters. my favorite character was easily chief mccray, mainly because he was the only character with an ounce of personality and good banter. there was just no connecting with the characters at all and the plot was not as gripping as i hoped.

thank you to netgalley + st. martin’s for the arc.i

Alex Finlay never disappoints and Parents Weekend was so SO good! I really enjoyed the multiple view points and the detective storyline (I’m not usually a fan of detective novel but this was different) that didn’t dominate the book but instead provided such great insight into the investigation and Keller was easy to love. Alex Finlay is easily in my top 5 authors- an absolute must read!

If you enjoyed watching "How to Get Away with Murder" this is the book for you. It has the same vibe as the tv series. Kinda on the edge of your seat suspense. I loved it!

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for the advance ecopy of this book.

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up at dinner.

At first, everyone thinks that they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them—come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?

I'm a big Alex Finlay fan and have enjoyed many of his previous books. While i did like the storyline, I found that there were far to many characters to keep track of. I found ghis very distracting. Overall I'd Raye this book 3 out of 5 ⭐️

This was a fun popcorn thriller -

Parents Weekend at an upscale private college in Northern California is supposed to begin with a dinner with a group of 4 freshman capstone students and their families. When the kids don't show up for dinner, concern mounts and a race to find them begins. The interesting interpersonal and family dynamics (and their own family secrets) come out throughout the story. Each chapter is from the point of view of one family or the FBI detective that is working on the case.

I especially enjoyed the family secrets and domestic drama of this novel. For me, the underlying case and its resolution fell a bit flat. There was one very last twist involving a peripheral character I didn't see coming, but it was fairly quick. I would have liked to know more about that part of the story that didn't get a lot of pages. However, it is an absolute page turner and kept me hooked from the beginning. I stayed up way too late two nights in a row reading this book because the chapters were short and the story was fast paced.

Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the advance reader copy. all opinions are my own.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Wow so many twists and turns in this thriller focused on a group of college students who go missing on parents weekend. Though there were so many characters, each perspective and story line naturally progressed throughout the read making it easy to follow. As story lines unfold, we learn each person has their own secrets that may play into this disappearance thanks to the help of agent Keller.

This book was engaging in parts but ultimately fell short as a thriller. While I liked the multiple POVs and found the character development strong, the action and suspense felt lacking compared to Finlay’s other works. I lost interest in the middle of the book. The antagonist was underdeveloped, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, and the ending, while fitting, was predictable. That said, the mystery surrounding the five missing students and the parents’ dark secrets was interesting with some hints along the way. Overall, a decent but underwhelming read.

This book was...interesting. And by interesting, I mean it didn't really ever take off, for a thriller. I liked the character development, but the action / thriller aspect was majorly lacking, especially compared to Finlay's other books (which, I checked-- I have consistently rated those 4 stars). This one just didn't do it for me. The antagonist wasn't fleshed out enough, either, in my opinion- they seemingly came out of nowhere (despite being mentioned briefly in a scene). I would've liked to see more excitement throughout the book.

This book kept me hooked for most of the story — I loved all the different POVs and was able to keep everyone straight even though there were so many characters. Five students disappear during a parents weekend their freshmen year of college and nobody knows what happened to them. All of the parents have dirty secrets and shady pasts so you truly don’t know where the story is going! That was honestly the best part for me! Lots of red herrings, but in a good way! The ending, oddly enough, was the most obvious answer so that was kind of a summer but this was still an enjoyable suspense/thriller for me! My third book by Alex Finlay and he’s become an auto read author for me!

Alex Finlay, you are the epitome of an author who can do no wrong. I was immediately hooked from the very first page and was SO EXCITED to see Sarah Keller making a comeback! While there were a lot of characters, which can sometimes make it difficult for readers to follow, they were all flushed out well and unique enough for me to easily keep track. I also loved how every family was hiding a unique secret.

There are so many moving parts in this one, which can be expected if you've read any other Finlay works, and you go through the book with a ton of questions. But the way they all came together in the second half really drew me in and impressed me.

Overall, a fast-paced thriller with short chapters that kept me turning the page.

The initial premise was interesting, a group of five college freshman go missing on parents weekend at their school and the search for them begins. Initially finlay seemed up to their usual tricks by giving us glimpses into the students and their parents lives revealing secrets, deception, and dysfunction attempting to lead the reader down several dead ends with Keller (The FBI agent readers met in Finlay’s previous books, but who’s introduction here did not remind the reader of that until further on making keller’s entry into the story and unnecessary mystery for a time). This was disappointing. Finlay is usually so good and layering in narratives and plot points to distract you and make their stories twisty but this was obvious from the jump. Unfortunately, the rest of the story falls flat and feels predictable. In the beginning few chapters we meet the five, their parents, and are introduced to the fact that another student (who the five know) is missing and the five have a “story they agreed to stick to”. From there I immediately guessed who had taken the five but had hoped I was wrong….i wasn’t, it was that obvious. there were two smaller twists that while emotional were not particularly shocking. Sad to say overall this one fell flat. If this was someone’s first thriller it may be more exciting but the inclusion of Keller makes that cumbersome.

Wow!! I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very exciting and there always seemed to be a cliffhanger at the end of the chapter, which made it very difficult to set the book down. The pacing of the book was excellent, there were no fillers or endless pages of describing everything. That to me is always my biggest pet peeve. I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my review.

What I did like: I liked how the chapters alternated between the different families. I liked the setting and the idea of parents weekend gone wrong.

What I didn’t like: this was hard for me to get into. It had so many characters and not enough time to build up each of their situations and lives. I didn’t find myself caring about them for that reason. There were a lot of red herrings that seemed very randomly thrown in and never explained. Why did we need to know about all this family drama if it ended up meaning nothing? The ending was not a good twist and I found myself unsatisfied.

I am a big Alex Finlay fan, so I was thrilled to read this one. Parents Weekend is set at Santa Clara University which is a great setting and school. Five students do not show up for a scheduled dinner with their parents at the start of parents weekend. Each chapter shifts from family to family with the five families having their own struggles and suspicions. One of the parents is a big wig in the State Department and another is high profile judge both have security details and issues. A recently relocated FBI agent is called in to assist with the investigation--she is competent and likable.

As the investigation proceeds, there are several red herrings and leads that go no where. Unfortunately, I did figure out the perpetrators and the motive pretty early on. Since I had solved the mystery, I could not rate this a five star book and instead gave it four stars. I did enjoy how the chapters changed from family to family and I did stay up late several nights because I was enjoying the book. This book will appeal to mystery lovers, parents of college aged children, AND college students because of the wide age range of the characters.

Book: Parents Weekend
Author: Alex Finlay
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: May 6, 2025

This book sees the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift. Both books I loved. Parents Weekend is my least favorite of Alex Finlay books. There are soooooo many characters. You’re going to need to make a family tree. It’s a lot. Also it’s very giving of YA vibes. It may just be because it’s about teens but still. One of the strong points of this book is the short chapters. It made it feel like a quick read despite the thousands of characters. The parents are over the top and the kids all have something to hide. The ending offers quite a bit of action and saved the book for me.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is May 6, 2025.

This book was just fine. The plot had promise, but in the end I found myself underwhelmed and struggling to keep up with all the characters’ POVs. The writing felt slightly amateurish which took away from the story for me and the twist wasn’t surprising. If you’re a big fan of Alex Finlay then maybe you’ll like this, but if you’re looking for an intriguing mystery, maybe look for something else. (3.25/5)

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Parent's Weekend is meant to be a blast for both kids and parents, but when the little munchkins ghost dinner, that’s when the panic button gets hit! Especially with a student turning up dead! Enter FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, the superstar from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift, as she races against time to track down five missing students before the clock runs out!

Alex Finlay is quickly climbing my auto-buy author list! Parent's Weekend had me hooked from the very first page, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! Sure, there were a few too many characters to juggle, which got a bit dizzying, but the story flowed like a smooth ride, keeping me entertained and guessing. It threw me for some wild loops and wrapped up like a gift! 4.5 star read for sure!

Oh well. A bunch of stereotypical wealthy people and their kids, a good FBI agent and the beautiful Bay area. I lost interest faster than I could turn the pages. Underwhelming and not very entertaining. Thank you #netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Wish it could have been better.

At Santa Clara University, five families come together during parents' weekend. When the five residents of Campisi Hall never arrive during open festivities, the parents think that they bailed for parties on campus, but as the night progresses, some of the parents start to panic. The campus police soon call in reinforcements and Agent Kellar of the FBI is sent in to find The Five. Why would someone take five students on the same night?

This was a great mystery, and I loved the different POVs from the families. I was captivated by the number of secrets that both the parents and the students seem to be hiding. Every chapter seemed to have another clue, and I couldn't put this book down. Alex Finlay is becoming one of my mystery authors and I can't wait to see what he writes next.

Parents' Weekend comes out May 6th.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review Parents' Weekend. All thoughts and opinions are my own.