3.75 stars

It's the titular weekend of parental infiltration at a fancy private university in Northern California, and it's a memorable one!

There are many characters in this book, but Finlay successfully provides enough insight into most of them to help readers understand who is connected to what characteristics, life events, and other characters. Though the entire school experiences this big event, five students and their parents engage in a different kind of torture than just forced proximity to each other at a delicate time. The Five, as these five students are dubbed, scare their parents when they simultaneously miss a planned group meal. With their resources and senses of entitlement at the forefront, along with a newly transferred FBI agent just arriving in town (easily the best character in the book), these parents go all in on trying to recover their kids and on digging into why so many of them could be in some way responsible for these unimaginable circumstances. What follows is a mostly engaging plot and interesting set of outcomes.

I've read most of Finlay's books, and my thoughts have ranged from extremely engaging to near DNFing. This one falls on the correct side of center, as long as readers can tolerate the socioeconomic status and proclivities that come with it in most of these characters.

Overall, this is an engaging read from Finlay whose work I will continue to devour (with the greatest ongoing mystery being how I'll feel about it). I'll add that since I've now read this twice - once as an ebook and once as an audiobook - I can strongly recommend the latter version when and where accessible. It added a lot to my enjoyment of the experience.

4.5 stars! This was exactly what I expect from Alex Finlay. Gripping, engaging and always added drama. Fantastic!

The twist was a teeny tiny bit predictable and the thrill was slightly less intense than others but the writing was on point as always. There were a lot of characters, so it took a bit of time to make sure I knew who was who and it meant the build was a bit slow to start while we got introduced to everyone. But overall, there isn't much I would change and I definitely recommend anything Alex Finlay writes!

The narration was also great, which is always a bonus! And the end of the listeners note made me laugh! I love when authors throw in little nods or jokes!

Parents Weekend is an action packed and fast paced read. The short snippy chapters, the multiple POV’s and the gripping storyline make for an unputdownable ride. Although I won't lie, sometimes it was a little difficult to keep track of all the characters in this novel and I found myself having to backtrack. Which is one reason I couldn't truly get invested in them, I didn't find myself getting attached so it was hard to care for them completely.

I loved discovering more about each family throughout each chapter. The mystery/thrill aspect was a little underwhelming for me, I was truly expecting something twistier that delivered a more explosive ending. Was it still a fun and enjoyable time, it definitely was.

Overall, this is an easy, fast, bingeable read that kept me invested. No it didn't have crazy twists and turns or finish with a crazy ending, but it was still entertaining and I think it'll appeal to a lot!

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillanaudio, @minotaurbooks & Alex Finlay for my gifted ARC & ALC in exchange for an honest review.

OUTLIER ALERT:
This parent was not the right parent/reader for "Parents Weekend".

Although I am an Alex Finlay fan and the book's "Why didn't 5 college students show up for dinner?" premise was intriguing, this book was not for me.

WHY?

I prefer books with fewer well-developed characters and no more than two timelines.

I also am not a fan of books with plot holes.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley.

Brittany Presley's narration was frequently grating, and IMHO, the book would have benefited from multiple narrators.

I enjoyed the author's comments, insights, and acknowledgments offered at the end of the book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a high-stakes thriller that hooks you from the first chapter and doesn’t let go. Set during a tense college parents’ weekend, the story spirals into chaos when a murder shocks the campus—and secrets start unraveling fast. Finlay masterfully weaves multiple perspectives and timelines, keeping the suspense high and the chapters flying by.

The characters are engaging and flawed in a way that makes them feel authentic, and the plot is full of sharp turns that will keep readers on their toes. A few moments stretch believability, but they’re easy to forgive thanks to the sheer entertainment factor.

An adrenaline-fueled read perfect for fans of twisty thrillers with a touch of emotional complexity. Buckle up—this one’s a ride.

Parents Weekend did not read like a twist-filled thriller. I wasn’t hooked at the beginning like most thrillers I read. I would consider this more of a mystery with emotional exploration of grief and justice.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love AF books so I was very excited to get the audiobook! I think the narration was well done. I really enjoy this narrator. I’m always glad when I hear her voice because I know it’ll be a good listen.

For the book, I enjoyed it. I think tho I struggled with keeping up with the many characters at times. They were pretty flawed which kept in interesting to hear their issues. I didn’t know what was going on or who or why so i definitely couldn’t put it down for that reason. Wanting answers. Surprised by the ending! My only gripe is that I think because there were so many characters to keep up with, and less focus on the missing kids themselves, I wasn’t as concerned with them. I think a little more focus on them and maybe some backstory on them would have helped.

3.5 stars rounded up for me.

Usually I’m super easily confused by a big cast of characters but I wasn’t here. It was an interesting read. Maybe a little lack luster ending but I enjoyed and would read more from them

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have enjoyed the author's previous works so I was excited to read this, but unfortunately I didn't connect to this one as quickly. It was a bit too slow and didn't connect to the characters ads much, overall though, still well written and I look forward to what he comes up with next. I also enjoyed the narrator.

After loving Finlay’s last release, If Something Happens to Me, combined with an intriguing book description, I had high expectations for this Parents Weekend.

Following four different families of missing college students and the FBI agent in charge of their case, Parents Weekend has the makings of a great thriller. It starts off strong but unfortunately I felt like it was too predictable. Maybe it was too many POV’s that cluttered the plot-line? Or it was missing a shocking twist that I’ve come to love with thrillers?

It’s an engaging and bingeable read, but don’t expect to be wowed.

🎧 Brittany Pressley is the thriller QUEEN. I probably would’ve enjoyed this less if she hadn’t narrated it.

Man oh man this was such a fast paced thriller!!!! I gotta say I always love a multi pov book and this one didn’t disappoint. I also loved having the fbi agent on the case get a pov too. She was such a great addition to the book and loved her personality. If you like bingeable thriller this is for you! Finished it in like a day so that tells you something. Missing college students and the whole time I’m wondering what the heck could have happened to them! It definitely had me racing to the end to find out what happens. Had some emotional moments but the author did a great job making realistic parents and kids in the novel. So thanks to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this book early! Also gotta dive further into Alex’s past books to binge those!

What can put a big smile on my face while I wash grimy windows and scrub soap scum off the shower? Listening to Brittany Pressley read me the latest Alex Finlay release.

I am a bit more enthusiastic about this one than many, but I just had the best day while listening to this book. Here are five reasons why:

📚This is Finlay's fifth title to be published and might be my favorite since I was totally stymied by Every Last Fear.

👮‍♀️Sarah Keller is back! It was a delight to see our favorite FBI agent back in action. She makes a transfer out to San Francisco with Bob and the twins just in time for the parent's weekend action.

🎣The Prologue had me hooked and I was listening every minute I could today.

📝I loved the way Finlay told the story with the family names at the beginning of their chapters. Even in audio format, the plot was easy to follow and engaging.

📨Alex Finlay ends the book with a charming and enlightening Reader's Note. For me, the last star was added right there.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Not my favorite of Finlay's. The premise and beginning hooked me. The story moved quickly and held me. But then the ending was just kind of, blah - predictable. I kept waiting for a surprise twist.

Brittany Pressley is a delight of a narrator!

This was fun. But I was quite underwhelmed in the thriller aspect. I wasn’t that worried about things. Didn’t feel on the edge of my seat at all

3.75 ⭐️. Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay has an intriguing premise that immediately grabbed my attention—five college students vanish during what should be a celebratory weekend with their families. The setup is eerie and filled with potential, especially as the story dives into the mystery of what really happened that night.

I really liked the layered storytelling through multiple POVs and timelines and the mix of family secrets, suspense, and college dynamics made for an interesting read.

That said, the pacing felt slow at times, and it took a while for things to really pick up. While I was definitely invested in the story, I found myself wishing for a little more urgency and momentum. Still, the twists and character dynamics kept me reading, and the ending paid off.

Overall, a solid mystery with a unique setup, but a bit more drag than thrill in parts. If you're a fan of slow-burn suspense with a focus on family drama, this might be your kind of read.

“The Five” disappear all around the same time on Parents Weekend. Their parents are waiting for them at the kickoff dinner. When one doesn’t show, then two then all five, it quickly becomes an FBI matter. Search parties are not the only thing forming. Drama, questions and the past also come to the surface.

It’s interesting how much the parents seem to have hidden! Just when I thought I had everything figured out, more backstories kept coming to light. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.

#ParentsWeekend #NetGalley

Five families gather for dinner and cocktails during parent's weekend at their children's private college. They are making small talk while noticing that not even one of their children has shown up as planned to join them. The parent's get it; they were once students. Things come up, things get in the way, but for all five of them to be no shows????? hmm It will take a few hours but eventually the parents will begin to worry, then panic, and finally call the police. Agent Keller is called in to investigate....


First off, there are a lot of characters in this book! A lot. The characters range from the parents to the missing students, to the other characters who are interviewed or doing the interviewing. There are also multiple POV's Whew! I soon found my footing and was pulled into the mystery.

While I did find this book to be fast paced and entertaining, it missed the mark a bit for me. I have loved the previous books that I have read by this author. I had high hopes for this book and while Parents Weekend was enjoyable it was lacking a little bit of OOMPH that would have earned a higher rating.

I had both the book and the audiobook. The narrator of the audiobook did a great job brining the characters to life. Others are enjoying this book more than I did, so please read their reviews as well.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I listened to an ALC of this one on NetGalley and I want to start this review by saying I loved the narrator. I always love her work but for all the different POVs in this book, I think she did a great job keeping everything exciting throughout the story.

However, it was the many POVs that I didn’t love from a storytelling perspective. I found that there were too many different things happening at once to keep it all straight. 5 missing college students, parents of each student, random other POVs, it was too much in my opinion.

I can appreciate that this is the author’s style. Creating suspense and building the story with so many different people’s accounts of the events all converging to a single conclusion. I think for an audiobook, it would have been better to have more narrators and from a storytelling perspective it would have been better to have fewer POVs.

All in all, I’d definitely read more from this author and I already knew I loved this narrator so I will be listening to more of her work.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I like that he had the idea for this book from going to a parent's weekend at his child's school. It seemed like he knew what he was talking about. I was confused at the beginning because there are just so many characters that are being introduced. I was listening to it and I couldn't keep them all straight. It did become less confusing as the story went on. I would say it was an okay thriller. It wasn't a surprising twist, but it was a good story overall.