This is an ensemble thriller pick. I liked having several POV and thought they ran together smoothly. The beginning took me a bit to really get into but the last 30% was exciting. I did not guess the ending which is always a plus.
Thank you to St Martins' Press for the advanced copy.

BOOK REVIEW

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

I was intrigued by this book because I thought it was just a thriller, and I was wrong. I was incredibly surprised as this is an action filled book, with some mystery (which is SO not my usual thing) and I absolutely loved it. It is a WILD ride, with so much adrenaline laced into it, my heart was literally beating out of my chest.
I enjoyed the male main characters (although they are very stereotypical, and one actually broke my heart), but the main female character had some bad ass female energy. This book has multiple points of views and dual timelines. It is funny, heart breaking, and at times an incredibly dark novel. There are several trigger warnings including drugs, domestic abuse, alcoholism, gambling addictions and crimes against children.

Pro tip: Definitely stick around for the epilogue.

25 years ago, four kids from a group home formed an unlikely bond forged in abuse, neglect, and murder. 25 years later, they've all found their own ways in life - a rockstar, a stay at home mom with a questionable past career, a reality tv producer, and a tech billionaire. Their paths should have never crossed again, but when someone tries to kill three of the four, they're brought back crashing together.

The premise of this novel was promising, but it fell a bit flat for me. The pacing seemed off, it lagged majorly in parts and those lagging parts lacked any kind of tension to keep me engaged as a reader. While the flashbacks did give some new information and give some insight to the characters, they felt more like filler 90% of the time. Along the same lines, I felt that you never spent enough time with each character to really get to know them or their motivations.

Overall, a compelling story idea, but it fell flat for me.

Thank you to SMP and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!! 25 years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico formed a bond at their foster care group home, the Savior House (which was anything but a savior). They endured abuse and neglect during their time there. 25 years later, the three have established their own livelihoods (a stay-at-home mom, a rock star, and a reality TV star). Their lives become connected once again, however - because it seems that someone is trying to kill all three of them.

I really enjoyed the audio for this one. I'm a huge fan of multiple POVs and I love that different narrators played the roles of Jenna, Nico, Donnie, and the twins. I also really enjoyed the past-and-present storylines and the flashbacks interspersed throughout. This one was perfectly twisty and even at the 80% mark I had no idea how the story was going to end. I felt that there was a palpable sense of danger for each of the characters. The twins creeped me the F out and I would have loved more on their backstory (we get a little bit, but otherwise they're kind of just... there? and killing people? for fun?). I liked that the epilogue followed each of the main characters after all this chaos. I did think Jenna's epilogue was a little crazy but that's kind of on par with her whole life.

I'd recommend this one for fans of twisty thrillers, multiple POVs, characters with depth, and creepy/psycho characters.

"What Have We Done" by Alex Finlay attempts to intertwine elements of a gripping thriller with a poignant coming-of-age narrative. While the premise holds promise, the execution falls short, leaving readers with a disjointed and underwhelming experience.

The story revolves around Jenna, Donnie, and Nico, who were once close friends bound by their troubled pasts as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. Separated after the home's closure due to the disappearance of several children, the trio is unexpectedly reunited years later when someone begins targeting them for death. To survive, they must confront their shared past and unravel the secrets that have haunted them for decades.

Unfortunately, "What Have We Done" fails to deliver on its potential. The pacing of the novel is inconsistent, with slow stretches that lack tension and fail to keep the reader fully engaged. The promised edge-of-your-seat thriller element often feels diluted, as the plot struggles to find its footing and maintain a consistent level of suspense.

The character development is also a letdown. While the protagonists carry the weight of their troubled pasts, their individual journeys and motivations lack depth and fail to evoke a strong emotional connection. The supporting characters suffer a similar fate, often feeling underdeveloped and serving as mere plot devices rather than fully realized individuals.

Additionally, the blending of genres—thriller and coming-of-age—feels forced and awkward. The exploration of the characters' traumatic pasts and their growth as individuals in the face of danger is overshadowed by the disjointed storytelling. The alternating timelines and perspectives disrupt the flow of the narrative, making it challenging to fully invest in either aspect of the story.

Twenty five years after escaping the life at a group home, a group of 30-somethings are brought back together by the death of one of their childhood friends... as well as someone trying to hunt them down, too.

I really was expecting to like What Have We Done after really enjoying Every Last Fear. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for this one, so much so that it took me two months to finish. I don't really have much more beyond that to say. It just didn't keep my attention, but I didn't want to DNF it, either.

A thank you to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review (you get what you ask for, sorry). I hope to continue the partnership with the next Finlay novel bouncing back for me. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Read at your own risk!

This one was okay, I guess. I never really got invested into the story and figured out one of the “twists” long before the reveal. It was almost like the book moved too fast. With the constant switching between the POVs and something constantly happening I felt like I had whiplash trying to keep up. By about the 60% mark I just wanted to be done with it.

I wanted to love this book more - it just couldn't keep me occupied or engaged despite the nonstop action

Every Last Fear was one of my favorite books, so I was super excited to get approved to read an advanced copy of What Have We Done. Unfortunately, I did not love this one. This is definitely more of a “popcorn” thriller and jumps into the action right away. There’s so much happening throughout the book that I often times found myself confused. Since it is so action heavy, I feel that it missed out on a lot of character development. The book also alternates in past and present, but seems to randomly switch in the middle of chapters as characters share their memories. While I love dual POV books, I felt like the only character’s POV that was really fleshed out was Jenna’s. Overall, this book didn’t work for me as I prefer my thrillers to be a bit of a slow burn, but if you’re someone who likes intense, action packed books then I think this one will work well for you!

This was a great mystery thriller. It was a tale about lives we leave behind and secrets we carry with us forever. Three disparate lives and one deadly secret. A page turner that you will want to read in one setting. I can't wait to read more books by Alex Finlay.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

• thrilling revenge/survival thriller
• fascinating plot
• multiple POV

So this was my first Alex Finlay book. I was hooked from the very beginning and I loved all of the action! The creepy town, Chesterfield, was dripping with atmosphere. I loved all of the characters and getting to experience each of their journeys. And the twists! 😱 We NEED a movie adaptation.

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress / @minotaur_books for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

Had me guessing until the end. Lots to keep track of in this fast paced thriller. Definitely recommend to friends that like this genre.

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were a part of a group home for children and teens who faced abuse and neglect. Twenty five years later, someone is trying to kill them all.

Now, this is super action-packed. We switched between several points of view and the plot moves quickly. I just didn't care about anyone or the plot. This could be the circumstances that I was reading this or the fact that the characters are super flat. Every time I put the book down, I never thought about it and it took me several minutes of reading to get back into the story. This probably would be best consumed as a beach read and read within a few days.

I have read and enjoyed several of Alex Finlay’s books and am a big fan. Unfortunately, this one was just OK for me.

The premise of the book was interesting - several kids from a foster home grow up and become all kinds of different things - all pretty successful, except for the ones who disappeared.

The beginning of the story was REALLY intriguing, and I could not wait to see what the heck was going on. It just went in a strange direction and never really righted itself. It could have went so many other ways and could have been such a fantastic story. I guess I was just disappointed.

There were a couple surprises along the way, but the story just went kind of flat for me. So many untold stories behind the plot just really made me want a different book about the same people.

It was interesting. It’s just not the story I wanted.

At first this book had me hooked but after a while the story felt dry and drab. If you are not the type of person that reads a lot of thrillers then it might be a good pick for you, but if you are an avid thriller reader you have probably read something like this before.

I hadn't read an Alex Finlay book before this, but I have seen them highly praised - so I was excited to be approved for this ARC. I was expecting more plot twists and more build up/mystery. Instead, this book was pretty straightforward. With the “whodunnit” and the "why'd they do it” given away relatively early on, I was wondering what was left for me to discover or figure out?

However - this is a very readable, fast-paced, action-packed novel, however, it was missing the tension that I was expecting. The premise is interesting, but I definitely had to suspend my disbelief to feel like I could enjoy it. Big action, small character development.

I know this book has a lot of mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it! I loved the premise and read this one pretty quickly. It was fast paced and kept me intrigued. You do have to suspend your belief a bit for this one, but that didn’t bother me.

After reading some of the other reviews, I feel I most enjoyed this book. I found the characters to be different in each of their ways but distinctively unique and intriguing. I found the action in this story exciting, but the past flashbacks were heartbreaking at times. It kept me interested and on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed the character Jenna and her backbone to protect her family and solve the mystery of who is hunting them down.

3.5 stars
Thank you to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for an ARC copy of this book

What have we done is a multiple POV thriller revolving around a group of children who endured a challenging childhood being raised in a children's home named Savior House. Several children disappeared from the house and eventually Savior House was closed down.
25 years later members of the group are being hunted and exterminated. What secrets from the past justifies killing everyone from Savior House?
The group cross paths as they search for answers and try to escape the monster hunting them, determined to silence them forever.
Alex Finlay produces great character building and mystery to this thriller. With some twists and turns, it will keep you guessing who will survive until the end.

I loved all the twists and turns this book had. I never figured out who was after them or why. As the book neared the end the tension and suspense ramped up and I was on the edge of my seat. I loved that we got the three different POVs from the three main characters, I absolutely love stories with alternating POVs! This was a solid thriller and kept me hooked the entire book!