I enjoyed the one book I've read off Alex Finlay’s books and was excited to get an ARC of his newest book. At a small, prestigious private college, it is parents weekend. Four families are meeting at a dinner for students in a capstone project, but the students never show up for dinner, and a fifth student, also part of the project, is missing as well. What follows is the parents’ search for their missing kids and the journey to finding them.

This book had a lot of twists and turns, and I appreciated the reappearance of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from previous books.

Parents Weekend was the perfect fun thriller! I read this in a day and enjoyed every minute of it! I was sucked in from the start and loved seeing how it played out!!

This was such a quick and suspenseful read. I read it in one sitting. Definitely recommend. I love Alex Finlay.

Crazy to say that this was my very first book read by Alex Finlay! I've been meaning to pick one of his books up for quite some time and I decided why not start with his newest upcoming release.

I read this on the beach in the Dominican and it was the a good beachy mystery. There are TONS of characters, we meet 4-5 families and have POV from the parents and teens, so be prepared to be super overwhelmed by characters at the start that is for sure, it takes a while to get them down.

This story revolves around a bunch of missing teens and one who was found dead. It's very heavy on the investigation aspect and discovering peoples secrets from their past.

I enjoyed the first half of the book but unfortunately was pretty darn disappointed on how it played out and how it ended.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay due to be published May 6, 2025.

Five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend, but their children don’t show – none of them. At first, they’re just thinking they are irresponsible, but then they start to worry. Is it the sins of their mothers and fathers that have them in trouble or themselves?
I had read three books previously by Alex Finlay so I was looking forward to this one – it was as good as the other two! The first part was mostly backstory introducing you to all the families. Then came the “meat” of the book – the who, what, where, when, and mainly why. Lots of twists that kept me interested until the satisfying ending!
#NetGalley #AlexFinlay #StMartinsPress #ParentsWeekend

After discovering Alex Finlay last year and my mom and I both loving his books, I was very excited to receive the arc for his latest thriller. While still short and entertaining, this is definitely not my favorite of his books. The first half felt a bit overwhelming with the amount of characters and POVs — balancing not only the 5 students who go missing but each of their parents’ backstories as well — and a bit underwhelming with the plot progression. The second half, however, massively picked up and felt like a really good episode of Criminal Minds. The final twists weren’t super crazy but still satisfying! I’ll happily pick up Finlay’s future books.

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

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this digital ARC.

I am a huge fan of Alex Finlay’s books and was so excited to get an ARC of his newest book. At a small, private school in CA, it is parents weekend. The families host a dinner for students in Campisi hall, but the five students never show up for dinner. What follows is the parents’ search for their missing kids and the journey to finding them.

This book had a lot of twists and turns, and I loved the reappearance of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from previous books.

Definitely worth the read!

A solid vacation book, either by a fire in mountains or on a sandy beach. It took awhile to really get into the meat of the book, as the beginning chapters are pretty much back story on characters...and boy are there a lot of them. About a third of the way through, it picks up and we finally get that mystery spark. This is my first book by Alex so I didn't feel tied to the lead FBI agent like some other readers. I liked the short chapters and the fast pace. Multiple POV had be flipping back to previous chapters going "who was that again." Ending was rushed and the reasoning or how of the crimes felt incomplete. It checked all the boxes for an adult thriller read and I would check out another book with Agent Keller as the driving criminologist.

Parents' Weekend by the great Alex Finlay was a fast paced thriller! I read it in one setting! I love that Special Agent Keller is back from previous novels (though these books are not connected). She is such a fun character!
Finley's storytelling is absolutely incredible and this book was no exception. I loved all the different family dynamics and backgrounds. If Alex Finley writes it, you know you're in for a treat!
Thank you Alex Finlay Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC. Parents' Weekend comes out May 6. Trust me, you are going to want to read this!
Book 141/150

This book had the potential to be a compelling dark academia/mystery novel, but it ultimately fell short and felt more like a quick, forgettable read than an immersive experience. While I typically do love popcorn thrillers this was a bit too much.

The large number of characters made it difficult to explore any of them in depth. As a result, I struggled to connect with any families or care deeply about their fate. The plot felt rushed and somewhat half-baked, and the ending, unfortunately, didn’t tie things together in a satisfying way. It felt anticlimactic and left me wondering if justice was truly served.

I also found the mention of Starbucks unsettling, especially considering the current boycott and then the inclusion of a Muslim character, while I appreciate diverse representation, it felt like the book was trying to be “woke."

It was really quick tho so that's nice.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars
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Alex Finlay has done it again! This is the perfect popcorn thriller about a group of five college students who go missing during the titular Parents Weekend. Our main characters (known as The Five), Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella, are all attending the same college. They come from five very different families but are linked together by one fateful incident.

When The Five fail to show up for dinner with their parents, alarms go off. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, and campus police wouldn't normally bat an eye, but some of the parents are high-profile and there would be reason to target their child. I will admit that it took a while to get used to who was who, we flip between the perspectives of each parent as we start to uncover the truth and why their child could have been targetted. This was a fast read for me, only because I wanted to know what happened to the missing students.

I found the chapters from the student's perspectives to be a tad juvenile, almost written like a YA novel. I found myself more interested in the parents than them. Another bonus was the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller (Every Last Fear & The Night Shift) who has moved with her husband (Bob), and their twin 9-year-olds to care for Bob's father. Overall, the mystery wasn't as mysterious as I had wanted it but still found this one to be enjoyable!

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, Alex Finlay, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book will be published on May 6th, 2025. Preorder your copy now.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.</i>

3.5 stars rounded up

Fast paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat pretty much the whole time. Some parts were predictable but I really enjoyed Agent Sarah Keller’s character and will plan to check out some of the other books that include her.

A group of college friends go missing during parent’s weekend at a small private school in Northern California. Each child and their parents have their own secrets and the reason they might have been targeted. Agent Keller is back for this action packed thriller and is one of my favorite characters. Alex Finlay is one of my go to authors and I truly enjoy everything he writes. Parents Weekend did not disappoint and it was well laid out considering it had a lot of characters and told from multiple view points.

Parent’s Weekend is another great read from Alex Finlay. The story is told from multiple POVs and each chapter states which characters point of view you are reading. As five families arrive on campus and wait for their kids to join them for dinner, it soon becomes apparent they are not showing up and are missing. Everyone soon learns that not only do the kids have secrets but so do their parents. This was a fast paced book that I loved and the twist at the end I never guessed. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this arc. I highly recommend it.

As a fan of Alex Finlay’s work, I was excited to dive into Parents Weekend. The premise—five college students disappearing during a Parents Weekend celebration—was intriguing and had me hooked right away. It is fast-paced, and I flew through it in one sitting.

That said, I found the large cast of characters to be a bit too much in a book of this length. FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller was the highlight for me. She’s sharp, compelling, and easily the most developed character. I felt the missing students were sidelined although we do get a few chapters from their various perspectives. The parents were deeply flawed and interesting, but I struggled to connect with or care about them.

Having read and enjoyed If Something Happens to Me, I found myself missing the smaller, more intimate cast that allowed for deeper development in that story. It’s a solid 3-star read for me.

Thank you to Alex Finlay, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.

🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆 ⁣
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Parents Weekend
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Alex Finlay
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: May 6, 2025
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⇥ Honestly, I ended up enjoying the parental drama more than the kids' storyline.
⇥ Gorgeous cover!
⇥ The first half of this was superior.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⇥ With so many characters, I had to take notes on my phone to keep track. Unfortunately, none of them stood out enough to make a connection. Libby and Stella, in particular, felt interchangeable with no clear distinction between the two.
⇥ Given the complexity of the buildup, I was expecting a more intricate, satisfying ending. Instead, it felt too simple and predictable. I kept hoping for one last twist to salvage the finale, but it never came, leaving me disappointed.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
★★★☆☆
It’s frustrating because Alex Finlay’s If Something Happens to Me, which came out this year, is likely going to be in my top 5 of 2024. Parents Weekend just felt like a departure from his usual style. I also didn’t love Agent Keller’s role here—her presence felt unnecessary and didn’t add much to the story. I don’t know what I was expecting from the second half, but it wasn’t the direction this story took. There were just too many red herrings, and by the end, I found myself caring less and less about how it would all wrap up.

𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐫.

Thank you @NetGalley and @Minotaur for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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
•ngies and thes
come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?
I was glad that FBI Agent Sarah Feller was back in this one.
There were way too many characters but I was able to keep track of all of them. I didn't have a strong connection to the characters so I didn't really care what happened to them. So l really wasn't on the edge of my seat are feel the suspense.
I loved the first half but I thought that the second half was too slow. This one is every parent's nightmare. Five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for parents weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids, five residents of Campisi Hall never show up at dinner. What happened to them?
The story was told through multiple points of view in past and present. I was on the edge of my seat at the end there was lots of action which I loved. I loved the short chapters. This was not a predictable read for me. I was not able to solve the mystery. I did enjoy the the conclusion. There were some twist and turns too.

I’ll start by saying that I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

I’m always a big fan of those twisty, fast moving thrillers, and this one looked like it might fit that mold to a T…and boy did it!

The story focuses on five freshmen that attend Santa Clara University, and their families that are coming to visit for parents weekend. Everything starts off innocent enough. You’re introduced to the five families, and all of them have their own backstories and secrets. Everyone is supposed to meet up for a family dinner to start the weekend, but the kids never show up, and we’re off!

I don’t want to spoil any details of the families or the students, but all of these characters are very well thought out, full of personality. Usually these thrillers have mostly throw away characters, but these seem to have been written with some love.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very fast paced, and it keeps the reader guessing the entire time! Highly recommend spending a weekend reading this one!

BIG 5 stars! This was my top reads for the month! Thank you Alex Finlay for ANOTHER 5 star book! The perfect amount of twist, turns, secrets, and lies! Multiple POVs and timelines were greatly written. Loved this book!

Sooo this was definitely one of those thrillers. You know, the kind where you can’t stop flipping pages, but then you’re like, “Wait, what just happened?” The vibe was giving parents-gone-wild meets true crime podcast obsession, and honestly, I was into it—at first.

The setup? Super juicy. Parents living it up during college Parents Weekend while their kids mysteriously vanish. Like, hello, anxiety central! Plus, throw in TikTok sleuths calling the kids The Five, and it’s all very “where’s the popcorn?”

Buuut, and here’s the thing, there were soooo many characters. Like, SO many. It felt like speed-dating with trauma. I couldn’t get attached to anyone because I barely got to know them! And while the multiple POVs were fun, some chapters were total snoozeville. The parents’ drama? Entertaining. The FBI agent? Love her. But the kids? Kinda YA-ish and not super compelling.

Now, the twists were decent, but not mind-blowing. And the ending? Girl, it was like when your phone battery dies at 10%—just way too rushed. But hey, I didn’t predict everything, so points for that!

So yeah, it was a fun ride, but it’s not exactly a book I’ll be raving about. More like a good time for a rainy day or a beach read, ya know? 3.5 stars.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts! 💖