Thank you SMP and Macmillan for review copies.

This one was not a win for me. Excellent as always narration from favorite Brittany Pressley so I want to say the audiobook is just fine in terms of narration and production.

But this plot was just all over the place and never worked for me at all and I say that as a fan of previous Alex Finlay books. I think this is a case of too many characters/POVs, truly unlikable and underdeveloped characters, and never getting into a sense of suspense, dread, or real mystery vibe. The only part that was a big win for me was the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, she is the only character that I felt at all interested in and that's because she is well developed, a returning character.

This was a twisty thriller. I appreciated the academic setting but just too many characters that I almost lost interest. This was just an okay popcorn thriller. I had quite a hard time trying to decipher which family went with which college kid it was just kind of a blend. I did enjoy the narrator but it was just hard to follow on audio.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to listen to this book
3 star

I loved this!! I think this is my favorite of Alex Finlay’s books since THE NIGHT SHIFT and it was fun to reunite with Agent Keller! While I guessed some of the mystery, there were several twists that surprised me and I loved the layers and different family perspectives. The atmosphere was also perfect between the academic college setting and the darkness of the caves nearby. Such a great thriller! Also, Brittany Pressley did an incredible job with the audiobook!

2-Star Review: A Parent’s Weekend by Alex Finlay

While A Parent’s Weekend was enjoyable in moments, it ultimately fell short of the gripping tension and layered twists I’ve come to expect from Alex Finlay. The pacing felt uneven, and the suspense never quite reached the intensity of his previous novels. For longtime fans, it may come across as more of a detour than a destination. A decent read, but lacking the punch Finlay usually delivers.

I enjoy a good thriller with some build-up and surprises but without twists that give me whiplash and this book certainly fits this description. The setting is a college campus hosting a parents’ weekend and the parents introduced are a mess of secrets with big personalities. When their 5 children don’t show up for the featured dinner, an alarm is eventually raised especially in light of the recent drowning death of a fellow student. Since special FBI agent, Sarah Keller is currently in the area visiting family, she is asked to help local police and campus security with the investigation. While most of the parents and students are annoying and unlikable, Sarah is a great character and a smart and thorough investigator. She methodically solves the case and as mentioned earlier, she encounters some surprises. The pacing of the book is just right and the twists are nothing over the top, making the book an enjoyable and entertaining read.
I listened to the audio book version and found the narrator to be very good, easy to listen to.
I received an ARC of this audio book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

0.4% and I was already hooked!
Blaine is in college and his mom is visiting she is very important has a security detail and everything. Blaine and friends have a secret.
Stella is another student her parents have some interesting friends.. and like Blaine her parents don’t get along but they are still married. Her parents seem to have a secret
Natasha the missing student her parents are there for parents weekend, but not her. She has been in trouble with the school in the past.
Felix seemingly good boy at the school for free because his mom Alice is a secretary for the dean.
Libby’s parents seem very distant due to trauma. Her dad is a prominent judge.
Keller and her husband Bob have twins and they seem very happy unlike the other parents. Keller gets involved because she is FBI
The way the chapters are set up it’s easy to keep track of everyone which I love!
It seems both the kids and parents have something to hide. There was an important dinner all parents are there but none of the kids..
this book is full of mystery and suspense highly recommend!! Especially to people who like fast paced and a lot of little mysteries rolled into one.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sending me an early copy of the audio for this book!!

This was was meh in my opinion. The story was shocking in some parts but overall I found myself getting distracted and bored throughout a lot of the story. Nothing sucked me in.
There were also sooooo many characters all narrated by the same person which made it very confusing to listen to, so maybe pick up a hard copy if the book sounds interesting to you. I didn’t hate it, didn’t love it, but would recommend if you like dark academia and thrillers that have lots of characters! I will definitely pick up more books by this author, just probably not on audio.

Finlay always has and always will be an auto read for me. Unfortunately, I did not quite enjoy this one as much as I hoped. I felt like it was very rushed, and it just was not pulling me in like his books usually do. I will still continue to read and buy his books, this one just was not a favorite of mine. The narrator, however, was excellent, I enjoyed their voice and tempo.

Alex Finlay's Parent's Weekend, narrated by Brittany Pressley, offers an engaging listening experience, especially for those who find the written version challenging. Pressley, one of my favorite narrators, brings the characters to life with her distinct voices and emotional depth, making it easier to follow the plot despite the large cast.

The story starts strong but loses momentum as it progresses, with the multitude of characters becoming overwhelming. While the audiobook format helped me finish the book, the complexity still detracted from my overall enjoyment. I also felt as if the story ended just a bit abruptly. I had to go back and relisten to the last part of the book.

In summary, the audiobook is a solid choice for fans of Brittany Pressley and those who enjoy thrillers, even if the story itself didn’t fully resonate with me. I'm still a fan of the author and while disappointed with this particular book - I will still look forward to reading what he writes.

I thank Macmillan audio and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this audiobook.

This was such a good book. Very suspenseful and got me hooked very quickly. I have other books by this author, I can’t wait to dive into them.

This was a bit too slow and muddled for me. I struggled to keep all the characters straight and found I only cared about the mother who worked at the deans office and not the other stories. If the whole thing had been told from her POV or her and the fbi agent that might have been better

Another fun-filled tale of college students behaving badly, and their parents behaving even worse! Everyone is suspect and no one is the same by the time the story reaches the end. I can always count on Alex Finley to deliver a twisty popcorn thriller that keeps me listening on the edge of my seat. I always enjoy listening to Brittany Pressley. She made the experience even more fun!!
*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley

✨The unstoppable FBI Agent Sarah Keller is back and still my absolute favorite. This was a solid campus thriller with just right pacing that kept me engaged and entertained. I loved it on audio with the incomparable @britpressley as narrator.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Campus settings
✨Domestic suspense
✨Family drama
✨Multiple points of view
✨Dual timelines
✨Returning characters
✨California settings

Parents Weekend | By Alex Finlay
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fast paced, short chapters, various POV

This book is short and packs a punch! I could not put this book down it was so fast paced and thrilling!

Parents weekend takes place at the parents weekend for a college. First a girl dies, then a few students go missing and Agent Keller (yes the same one from The Night Shift) along with some agents are tasked with finding the college students before it is too late! The book had 5 points of view which was both entertaining and a little hard to follow at times; however, I still really enjoyed the book! The narrator was great - Brittany Pressley - such a wonderful and expressive voice!!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur books and Macmillan Audio for the digital advanced readers and listeners copy!! This novel will be published May 6, 2025! Add it to your TBR!

<u><b>Parents Weekend</b></u>
Alex Finlay
Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Release Date: May 6, 2025

ALC courtesy of Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.

<i>Parents Weekend</i> is a fast-paced, suspenseful thriller featuring a comeback by author Alex Finlay’s FBI agent Sarah Keller. It involves the disappearance of five friends, coed at a Northern California university during Parents Weekend.

The narrative is brisk, with short chapters told from multiple shifting pov’s. I feel that this method also has the downside of making the story seem convoluted and confusing, and the multiple characters suffer from being two-dimensional and underdeveloped. Nonetheless, the story is exciting and compelling, and surely will appeal to readers of the mystery thriller genre.

3 stars
4 stars for the narration

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

I’ve said it once and will continue to say it: Brittany Pressley is a freaking story telling goddess. I love her narration so very much.

Parents Weekend made me so very thankful that I got my degree online instead of on a campus. This story was twisty and fun.

This is how Alex Finlay’s books work for me:interesting start, and an ending I find odd or unsatisfying. Yet I keep ready since they’re entertaining, and they have great narration. I like them, even when I find the twists a bit odd. That’s a testimony to Finlay’s good storytelling.

Nearly DNF. I am very sorry, but I found the story confusing and didn't care enough about any of the characters until the very end at the reveal.

I've enjoyed other Alex Finlay books and that's what made me interested in his new book Parents Weekend.
Wow does this book have a lot of characters and a lot of POV's, so be prepared for that. All those people made it hard to remember what kids go with what parents and vice versa. I was lucky enough to have both the book and audiobook. I went back and forth a lot to try to figure out and remind myself who goes with whom. I was very happy to see that Agent Keller was back to do her thing and solve the mystery of where the college students disappeared to during Parents Weekend. Narrator Brittany Pressley is always great and gave life to this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copies of both the audiobook and the book.

Alex Finlay is an auto buy author for me. His latest, Parents Weekend was such a great listen. Don’t miss out on this one!