Alex Finlay's books are usually four-star reads for me - they're not outstanding, but they're fun thrillers. Well, this one was sub-par to me. I think there were some writing choices that ended up making this more disappointing than suspenseful.

Three adults are targeted to be murdered after an event from their past resurfaces. They have to figure out why they're being hunted and by whom. I liked the premise of these people being friends when they were in a foster home together but the story turned out to be pretty predictable. I didn't like the jumping back and forth between time periods (it wasn't done in a clear way at all), and the perspectives felt muddled to me. I think it would have been better to keep it to one POV (Jenna's was the most interesting and clear-cut). This was also heavily violent, which isn't always a huge deal to me but felt overwrought in this book.

This book is making me rethink whether I want to keep checking out books from this author. I might stick to thrillers that actually offer some twists that I don't see coming.

I enjoyed this latest thriller by Alex Finlay. It was a fast paced thriller that kept me guessing. Unfortunately, some of the characters were not fleshed out and I really felt like the ending just wrapped everything with a bow and after everything they had been through it was not believable for me. It was ok but not a favorite.

Twenty-five years ago, five teenagers did something terrible but necessary (in their eyes). After their group home was dissolved, the five were separated and went to successful but troubled lives. Jenna is a stay-at-home mom, Nico is a reality TV producer with a massive gambling debt, Donnie is a rock star, Ben is a respected judge, and Artemis is a billionaire. Their lives are good until suddenly, one day, Ben is killed. Shortly after, Donnie and Nico are injured in accidents that turn out to be hits on their lives.

On the other hand, Jenna is set up for an attempted assassination. With the assassins hot on their trail, the three must go back to where it all began-the group home that they lived in. There, they must face the past and what they did that night. Because all is not what it seems, and the enemy might be closer than they think.

I accepted the publisher’s invitation to read this book because it was a thriller and a mystery. Since I enjoy both, I figured I would like What Have We Done. And I did. But I was captivated by how the author spun Jenna, Nico, Donnie, Ben, and Artemis’s stories. I couldn’t get enough of their backstories.

What Have We Done is told from several different points of view. The main ones are Jenna, Nico, Donnie, and the psychotic twins. This book also goes between past and present but does it fluidly. There were only a couple of times when I couldn’t immediately figure out what was happening and who the chapter was focused on.

The characters in What Have We Done were well-written and well-fleshed out. But I couldn’t connect with Donnie or Nico. They were just too damaged and a little self-centered (ok, a lot self-centered). Jenna was the one I connected with, and I couldn’t wait to read her chapters. I loved seeing her rely on her former assassin skills to outwit the twins. Plus, when her family was threatened, she didn’t run. Nope, she made her husband run with their daughters while she laid a trail away from them.

I do want to mention the psychopathic twins. I shouldn’t have laughed at them, but they bungled everything. They couldn’t kill their objectives (but had no issues killing other people). They were almost cartoonish in their mannerisms. The scene at the very end of the book with Jenna, her ex-handlers, and the remaining twin was pretty awesome!

Of course, I liked seeing them get their just deserts.

The main plotline with Nico, Donnie, and Jenna investigating Ben’s death and trying to figure out if someone found out about what they did twenty-five years earlier was exciting and action-packed. Donnie was a little useless in this storyline (he was busy telling his story to a ghostwriter). Nico and Jenna were the ones who pieced together everything that was happening. I saw a twist in this storyline coming, but it still surprised me.

The alternating storyline at the group home (with Ben, Nico, Donnie, Jenna, and Artemis) was alarming. I was horrified at what those kids were going through and the rate at which the girls in the home disappeared. Some were explained (like Jenna), but the others weren’t until the end of the book. It wasn’t until a crucial scene towards the end of the book that things were revealed. And let’s say that it made me sick. But, this plotline has a huge twist revealed during the showdown as adults. My mouth dropped when that confession was made. I did not see it coming, which both saddened and disgusted me.

The end of What Have We Done was exciting and a little bloody. I will not get into it, but Donnie, Nico, and Jenna figured everything out. The book’s climax was pretty good, and I liked the confession.

I would recommend What Have We Done to anyone over 21. There is violence, language, and sexual situations. Also, see the trigger warnings at the top of the review.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Alex Finlay for allowing me to read and review What Have We Done. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

As a self-proclaimed thriller hater, I blew through this book in one day. I much preferred Jenna's POV to Nico's or Donnie's, but as the author wove their stories together, I began to be sucked in. The twist isn't that twisty. In general, I go into these books not trusting anyone. Is this the best book to ever be written? No. Did I stay up last night like a teenager? Yes. Am I sorry? No.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

The alternating POVs kept the story moving along. Arty's POV at the end seemed irrelevant and didn't add anything to the story. I wish his and the Broods' characters had been fleshed out more. Jenna and Donnie seemed to have a happy ending, but not Nico. Why was that? Also, the last twin trying for revenge was over the top and unnecessary. It added nothing.

TL;DR

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay is a fun, fast-paced thriller about the past coming back to haunt three friends. Alex Finlay has created a page turner that will have you staying up late, wanting to read just one more chapter to find out what happens next. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.

Review: What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

When you read a lot of books, variety helps keep you interested. From a philosophical pondering on life to a sapphic romance/cozy mystery, I move on to a fast paced, action packed thriller. The variety in genre helps, but the pacing of each book is different. In What Have We Done by Alex Finlay, readers get a book that grabs their attention and won’t let go. It hits all the right notes for a thriller and a coming of age story at the same time. Though the pace and plotting are different the three books, all three also contain everything that makes good fiction: good characters, a good mystery, and plenty of tension. What Have We Done brings the past alive for three friends, and it explores their lives now and bit in the past. Reading this book was like binge-watching a high quality drama from HBO or Netflix. In fact, it’d do either network well to adapt this into a series. What Have We Done by Alex Finlay is solid entertainment.

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were friends as kids who lived in a group home together. Savior House took the three in when their parents died or left. It saved them, but it was also a place of great torment. The headmaster’s son was the biggest bully in the place, and girls disappeared from time-to-time. The administration said they were placed with families, but no one saw the families come get them. They survived the house through friendship. There were five of them, Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Ben, and Artemis. They survived by doing what they needed to. Years later, assassins stalk them. Ben, who grew up to be a federal judge, was murdered. Now, it seems like the rest are being targeted, too. Artemis grew up to be a programmer and billionaire creator of a social media platform. Donnie joined a band, made it big, and faded into the cruise circuit. Except he kept the drinking and drug habits that destroyed his musical career. Nico grew up to produce a hit reality show, The Miners. He even hosted an after show that made him famous in his own way. Yet even that sweet gig couldn’t cover the gambling debts he owes to a Philadelphia crime boss. Jenna opens the book as a stay at home mom and a retired assassin. She used to work for the Corporation. Now, she’s trying to live a quiet life with the love of her life and her two step-daughters. Soon the friends connect the dots that they’re being targeted, and they all know why. No matter how far and wide we travel, no matter how much our lives change, some secrets still follow us.

What Have We Done is a third person point of view (POV) thriller. A different character narrates each chapter, but the three main POVs are Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. This book moved fast; I didn’t want to put it down. It’s 368 pages long, but I finished it in three days. (Would have been two, but I had to be an adult for a while.) This was a fun, entertaining, and engrossing novel. The mystery wasn’t especially mysterious, but I didn’t really care. I knew who was behind the thing, but what I wanted was to see them figure it out for themselves.

Pacing

The more that I read, the more that I understand pacing has to match the genre of the book. Thrillers will read faster than long fantasy novels. (Yes, this is a generalization. I’m sure there’s edge cases that are different.) But pacing also has to vary. A fast, constant high paced book runs the risk of tiring readers. A slow, ponderous book has the risk of readers tuning out. All action all the time sounds like fun, but readers need breaks. So, as I find authors that really understand pacing, I try to pay attention to what they’re doing. Finlay has done an excellent job of keeping a thriller’s pace while allowing pauses for the reader to recover and get ready for the next action sequence. This book moves, and yet the characters find time for reflection and to feel human. They have regrets; they have hopes; they have disappoints. Finlay builds each character while zipping along at race speeds.

Fast paced books don’t have much room to explore and to flesh out characters. Yet, Finlay finds a way to do it without skipping a beat. We see the three in their lives now, and we see them at Savior House being bullied by Derek. We see moments that cement their friendship despite knowing that in the future they drift apart.

Stock Characters Given Depth

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico begin the novel as stock characters. The housewife with a dangerous past, the aging rocker trying to capture one last moment of glory in the bottle or up his nose, the gambling addict in way over his head come straight from central casting. Good fiction comes from the character’s choices, and from their past choices, it’s easy to see where Jenna, Donnie, and Nico ended up. But Finlay doesn’t let them remain stock characters. He fleshes them out into well-rounded people. For Jenna, we don’t see her past as an assassin coming back to play because we see how her past is ruining her present happiness. She’s married to the love of her life, and she’s trying to be a good step-mom to two grieving daughters. For Donnie and Nico, it’s the past that keeps haunting them. Donnie plays the rock star as it suits him off stage. On stage, whether it’s a cruise or stadium, he gives it everything he’s got. The moment in the concert is the high he chases offstage. Nico’s gambling addiction cost him the love of his life. It’s got him mixed up with dangerous people in the criminal underground; yet, he can’t stop himself. Throughout the book, he’s still making bets despite someone trying to kill him. Finlay gives his characters enough depth to move them out of the stock character category.

The Past is Never Past

What Have We Done is very much about the past. It’s right there in the title. For these characters, their past was assumed to be dead and buried, but it never is. Their past comes back to haunt them in many ways. Nico believes that he’s being targeted because of his gambling debts. Donnie lives with one foot in the past, trying to rock out to the glory days. Jennna’s past as an assassin means that she has to prepare her family in the event someone comes looking for her. Their past at Savior House is why they’re being hunted. The fact that they ended up at Savior House set them all on the path to where they ended up. Had they never gone to Savior House, would they have ended up with different lives? For Jenna, the answer is a definitive yes. For Donnie and Nico, I think the answer is maybe. They might have ended up in the same place but maybe in a healthier way, Donnie not drinking or snorting his way through life and Nico not chasing the high of beating the odds. But who can say because the past happened, and it lives with us. It follows us, and it can rear its ugly head at any moment.

Conclusion

Alex Finlay’s What Have We Done was a blast to read. It hit all the right notes that make thrillers so fun, and Finlay went further in giving us likeable characters to root for. Finlay delivered everything I was hoping for and more. What Have We Done convinced me that I need to read more thrillers, especially from Alex Finlay. Highly recommended.

This book will keep your attention. There are twists and turns throughout. The five main characters are complex. Their shared background binds them together, as does an act they perform together (as told in the beginning of the novel). . Was it worthy of all “the hype?” Not in my opinion. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for Sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #WhatHaveWeDone, #NetGalley,

Thank you to NetGalley and Alex Finlay for my honest feedback and review.

Unfortunately this book did not hit as a mystery or thriller. In the very beginning we're told what happened. None of the characters had any real depth to them. It felt like I was reading an abridged version of someone's character line ups for their future books. I wish I could give this more stars but this was just not the book for me.

Secrets from the past never seem to stay buried and for the characters in this book, someone is now trying to kill them. It's 25 years later and these friends who grew up with a traumatic childhood and survived a group home for parentless teens, it has become a life-or-death situation because of something they did in the past. This book is intense with nonstop action. I felt for each of the characters even though I didn't necessarily agree with their choices. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat turning pages as fast as you can read.

Wow!! I loved this book. Alex Finlay is an auto buy author for me and this one didn't disappoint. I couldn't put it down. It kept me guessing the whole time.

This fast paced thriller kept me guessing to the very end. I got hooked immediately and couldn’t put it down. I liked how each of the different characters’ stories came together at the end. I enjoyed the fact that I didn’t figure out the ending ahead of time. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

This was a highly anticipated book release from an author I always enjoyed. Told in three voices.. well, I guess four if I count the twins’ little excerpts here and there.

Main characters, Jenna, Donnie and Nico had secrets they tried to forget from when they were young. Yet, it seems like that secret has come back from the dead to haunt them.

I love this fast paced, who-dunnit vibe with highly psychotic troubling thoughts of some killer! But, coming from this author, it felt a little short and shallow and forced. Readers might hate me for this and I believe its because I have expected a bit much. Don’t get me wrong, this thriller still make you stop and think and look behind your back. If you are reading in a dark room, you will get up and turn the lights on. I just wanted something more intense towards the end, revelation wise.

I do love Jenna! I feel like she is the heart and muscles of this book. Thank you Minotaur Nooks via Netgalley for the advance ecopy in exchange of my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my audio review copy in exchange for an honest review! I really enjoy Alex Finlay’s thrillers! They are always fast paced, full of twists that you don’t see coming, and hard to guess the ending! His one was no exception! The chapters were short, which adds to the overall atmosphere of the story, and is perfect for thrillers. My only drawback, was there were many POV’s which made it hard to keep track of what was going on

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for this incredible mystery/thriller! I am a big fan of Alex Finlay's previous books: The Night Shift and Every Last Fear. He is an autobuy author for me, and I was excited to get this one. It doesn't disappoint.

The story focuses on three characters: Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. They were together when they were kids in a foster home called Saviour House. They endured things that no child should. Make sure that you check this story for trigger warnings. They each got out, and grew up to become adults with careers. As this book begins, they are each separately attacked. This sets up an inevitable meeting that brings old memories and new characters into the story. This is a fast-paced thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. It also has a great epilogue.

This book really develops all of the characters. Their backstories are interesting, and the reader really becomes invested in each of their outcomes. There is also a set of frightening twins, but I will let you find out about them on your own.

As I have said before, Alex Finlay is an autobuy author for me. However, I was lucky to get an advanced reader copy of this book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this book - I really appreciate it! I highly recommend this book as well as The Night Shift and Every Last Fear!

I’m a thriller fanatic, and this book definitely met my standards! This book grabs your attention right from the beginning which I absolutely love. The author thoroughly keeps the reader engaged and I loved the twist at the end.

Thank you so much @minotaur_books @netgalley for my complimentary digital book. I was thrilled to receive this!
My thoughts are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this intense thriller!

One summer, a group of teenagers does something terrible, but it is something that they believe is necessary; and then they vow never to talk about it.

Twenty-five years later, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico have each moved on to live productive lives. But they have never forgotten their troubled youths. They are no longer in touch, but suddenly, someone is trying to kill them and they reunite to find out what is going on. Soon, they find themselves in a deadly situation involving blackmail, murder, assassins, and deception. Could the killer be one of them, or someone who knows the truth?

The main characters were vulnerable and likable! I did not want any one of them to be the killer! The action was nonstop. The chapters alternated viewpoints and I was equally invested in each storyline. The conclusion was perfect and what I have come to expect from this author.

I truly could not put this book down!

Read this if you enjoy thrillers that keep you turning the pages to see what happens next!

This book was certainly nothing if not action packed!

- This book pulls you in right from the start by dropping you into a murder scene, we then flash to years later, and certainly are intrigued and wondering what happened. Mystery!
- Donnie's character was probably the most developed of the bunch and what we did get to know of him was well written.
- This was so fast paced that it keeps your interest throughout, lots going on.
- I do wish Donnie had more of a self-realization/redemption arc, but there's something to be said for the fact that he changed through the experience but is still himself (even if that is a total rockstar persona that'll never get clean) that works.

Overall, I love Alex's writing and complex ideas and will continue to check out titles from this author.

Short synopsis: A stay at home mom, reality TV star, and a cruise ship singer all have a shared past. When they are all targeted by someone trying to murder them, 25 years later they’ve realized their past has come to haunt them.

My thoughts: This was very bingeable, the writing was done in such a way I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next, and I loved the short chapters.

It started out strong, and I enjoyed Jenna’s character being a stay at home mom with a past in assassination. I think out of the different perspectives hers was my favorite.

I didn’t see the twist coming, but I felt like the beginning grabbed my attention so fast and towards the end I was less interested. I did feel like the flashbacks could have been done better, I found myself struggling to figure out if i was in the current timeframe or the past.

That being said, I will definitely continue to read books by this author because I have enjoyed them so far.

Read if you love:
* Bingable thrillers
* Orphan stories
* Adults with a past
* Short chapters
* Multiple stories converging

3.5/5 stars
TW: Bullying, human trafficking

25 years ago, a group of best friends living at a group home for parentless teens, committed a crime leading to a secret they all swore would never come to light. Eventually when the home shut down due to the disappearance of several teens, Jenna, Artemis, Benny, Nico, and Donnie all went their separate ways in life: Jenna is now a housewife stepmother to two girls, Donnie a down on his luck rockstar, Benny a judge, Nico a reality TV star and Artemis a billionaire inventor. After all these years their worst fear is now reality: someone knows what they did, and is coming for them one by one.

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This story is told in three POV’s: Jenna’s, Nico’s, and Donnie’s. Out of the three, I was the most invested in Jenna. I really enjoyed that the majority of this story took place in Washington, D.C. it was VERY fast paced and action packed giving me Taylor Adams vibes in the way it was written. I had previously read “The Night Shift” by Alex Finlay and this story felt very different plot and writing style wise. The story was easy to follow however at some times during a particular character’s POV, they would have flashbacks and it was a little difficult to determine when it was a flashback or in the present due to the sudden jump. I did predict the main twist but there are more throughout the story did surprise me. Realistic wise, the plot was a little far-fetched but it is a work of fiction and kept me invested throughout. I also wish we could have seen a little more character development, it was a little tough trying to connect with these characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This title is now available to purchase!

This is a story about a group of troubled teenagers in a foster home - the damage from your past that can linger, and the power of long lasting connections forged in childhood.
Two of my favorite storytelling mechanisms are a non-linear timeline and multiple POVs- this book had both.
The author really led me along in the web he spun. I did not guess where he was going until we got there.