What Have We Done Review

In Alex Finlay’s latest novel, we follow the points of view of Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. The trio spent time at Savior House, a foster home, together as children, and are reunited under less than ideal circumstances.

As the reader, we waste no time with background before diving into action. Within the first couple of chapters we’re already alongside Jenna as she reveals her talents as a hired sniper. Similarly, Donnie is pushed off a cruise ship, and Nico is trapped in a mine after an explosion. After the initial drama, we begin to learn a bit about our main characters and their pasts.

While the action is non-stop, the scenarios that unfold are not exactly believable. Prepare to suspend belief in order to enjoy this story. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, but I thought Jenna had the most interesting story. I wasn’t very invested in the antics of a has-been rockstar or a reality show tv producer.

I give this book 3 stars. It held my attention, but I don’t see myself picking it up again or reaching for any of the author’s other books any time soon. I would recommend this to fans of action and spy novels, rather than thriller readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

This is the book I needed when I needed it.

A tale of victims of circumstance as children are bonded by a secret that they believe they have buried. Alas, we know that sins committed no matter when always come back to haunt you. & boy did it come back to haunt these friends 25 years later.

The book is told by multiple narrators, and at times flips between the past & present. I was really nervous at first due to not usually enjoying the flip-flop of timelines & characters. However, I was pleasantly surprised! Every time a chapter ended on a cliffhanger that left me afraid the narrator would change I was greeted with the continuance of the story. This is most helpful as there have been other stories where the author would leave you in peril with the previous narrator wanting resolution with an entirely new narrator telling their story. I would get lost. That didn’t happen within What Have We Done. You could see the scene even across chapters.

I also had the pleasure of consuming this not only digitally but on audiobooks as well. The performance of the actors was outstanding. The audiobook alone is 4.5/5 stars. I highly highly recommend both versions.

Beyond the mechanics of the story, I enjoyed the wrap-up. As the story progressed I had suspicions of who the antagonist would be and while my initial guess was correct I was thrown by a red herring that had me second-guessing myself & going with another. Very sly Alex Finlay.

Kudos to Alex Finlay for writing two of the most unlikeable, ruthless, and evil villains I’ve ever read. You win at villains.

Overall this was 4 out of 5 stars read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, Macmillan audio for an ARC & Audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion

After finishing What Have We Done, I have now read all three of Alex Finlay's books, and all I can say is that I love his writing! I adore finding an author that works so well for me, and I think at this point I may be emotionally attached to his books!

With this one, I really noticed just how well Finlay's characters are written and researched. We have Jenna, Donnie, and Nico with a shared past in a group home for teenagers called Savior House. These three characters are as unique as they come, and even Savior House becomes a character, looming in their memories. As I read, I got distinct Lisbeth Salander vibes from Jenna, which is probably why she was my favourite of the three. (I will say that I do miss Special Agent Sarah Keller, however, as she is in both of Finlay's other two thrillers).

The book concept as a whole is well done, although I am not a lover of this specific plot. I'm not sure exactly what I didn't enjoy about it, but I think this may come down to a case of comparison - I just preferred the plot of Finlay's Every Last Fear more! (It's really hard not to compare books by the same author!) The story line all makes sense, it flowed really well and it was explained well., so I know this was a me issue, not a book issue!

Finlay's books are executed masterfully and they're just beautiful works of art. I honestly can't wait to see where he goes from here, and I will be eagerly anticipating his next novel!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy to read and review.

I love this author! Now having said that, I really liked this book. Liked, not loved, as in the previous two. This one was a little harder to get into for me. Jenna, Donnie and Nico grew up in a group home. They are now adults, and someone wants them dead. I appreciated the characterization, especially Jenna, and the short chapters. I'm also a fan of multiple POV's, though there is a lot going on and it got a little difficult to keep straight at times. Great twists and turns and a lot of action. Maybe a bit too much action for me. I prefer more of a psychological-type thriller. Still really enjoyed this and definitely looking forward to the next book!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Alex Finlay and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

An improbable cartoonish plot and paper-thin unlikeable characters makes What Have We Done a miss for me.

Five teenagers meet in a horrendous group home and do something drastic to save themselves from its horrors. Twenty-five years later, all five have achieved various levels of success: a judge, a tech billionaire, an aging rock star, a reality show producer, and (I kid you not) a retired assassin. Now, psychotic female identical twins are killing, or attempting to kill them, using outlandish methods like blowing up a mine and shoving a person from a cruise ship. The twins have a unbelievable backstory of meeting accidentally in college after being separated at birth because…why not?

I enjoyed the complex plots and believable characters of this author’s previous two books, The Night Shift and Every Last Fear. However, What Have We Done is not recommended. It seems almost like a parody of thrillers. 2 disappointed stars.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Donnie, Nico, and Jenna became best friends while living in Savior House, a home for parentless teenagers. After several residents went missing, the home was shut down and the friends were split up.

Now, years later, they are reunited in a common goal – who is trying to kill them? Is it because of what happened when they were at Savior House? What did they do?

What Have We Done is a story that is intertwined with multiple points of view, different time lines, and plenty of suspense. It has a well-written and well-executed plot with strong main characters who are almost bigger than life. There is lots of action, it’s fast paced, and the suspense is sustained throughout the story.

Alex Finlay is master at creating a mystery thriller and What Have We Done is a highly entertaining book that his fans will certainly enjoy.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE
Alex Finlay

Alex Finlay does it again. Walking the line between thriller and action, his books are high rev, low thought. This one is perhaps his most outrageous. There’s a cast of characters that will require you to think big and a plot that will require you to suspend disbelief and that’s all part of the fun in WHAT HAVE WE DONE, OUT NOW!

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico all went to the Savoir House group home as kids and twenty-five years later someone wants them all dead. As adults, they have nothing in common except for a traumatic past, a rocky and troubled present, and the secret that bonds them forever.

I noticed while reading how nondeclarative Finlay’s statements are in his writing. A lot of the sentences leave things up for interpretation and you the reader get to play mini detective, deciphering between what is and what might be.

Part of the fun is piecing together a story from the past and present. The other part of the fun is the characters. They are ridiculous in nature and larger than life. Even bigger than the story itself.

The narrators, Brittany Pressley, James Patrick Cronin, Jon Lindstrom, and Maggie Thompson did a fantastic job with this book, and I highly recommend the audiobook. They brought each character to life in an animated way and made my reading experience highly enjoyable.

I don’t know that I would have been as captivated reading on screen or with a physical copy.

I gave WHAT HAVE WE DONE four stars and I recommend it to readers looking to get wrapped up in a fictional story. Aren’t we all?

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies!

WHAT HAVE WE DONE…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Wealth can hide bad guys in plain sight."

From the first page What Have We Done by thriller author Alex Finlay starts with a bang, 5 gun shot bangs to be exact, and this fast pace thriller is off like horses at the racetrack.

As with most thriller reviews it's hard to give details without giving away the crazy twists and turns and connections that make this a fun often anxiety prone thriller.

At times it's a simple story. Five people are being targeted by an assassin or two; an aging rock star battling addiction, a reality TV producer with a gambling problem, a stay at home step mom, a judge and a tech millionaire. Within a few chapters one will be dead. Why? How are they connected? What did they do?

A full cast of narrators, Britney Pressley Jon Lindstrom (of General Hospital fame), James Patrick Cronin Maggie Thompson make this audiobook like a tense popcorn eating movie. Going between the book and the audiobook I appreciated how the writer took pulse pounding moments, like the Mom (Jenna) trying to out drive a killer, and write them so clear and precise that it felt like watching it happen instead of experiencing it through a novel.

My favorite character was Jenna who probably has the biggest and best badass secret and who gives this story a jaw dropping ending that made my palpitations have palpitations.

Some things were easy to figure out and the back story was a bit stereotypical but what this author does so well is tweak the mundane to make it a bit different, turn it sideways and give it a whole new look.

If you enjoy thrillers, Alex Finlay books, and wild crazy rides what are you waiting for? Don't make me ask what have you done if you not reading/listening to to What Have We Done?!

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

What I liked:
✨Bingeable: Suspense and action from the first chapter - very plot-driven
✨Dual Timelines - both timelines offered a mystery. I enjoyed the present-day mystery more than the past.
✨Great audio production: the full cast of narrators made it easy to follow the multi-POVs.

What more I wanted…
✨Character development: a small backstory introduced us to all the players in this mystery, but I longed for more detail, especially Jenna. In fact, please give me a whole book on Jenna’s back story!

Read this if....
✨love Alex Finlay's previous books
✨love female assassins or love a washed-up 80s rocker - both brilliantly represented by the narrators!
✨easy vacation read - short chapters, multiple POVs, lots of action

Although Finalys' last two books were wins for me, sadly this book was not. 

My biggest issue with this was that I was confused about what was going on. THere were 4 storylines going on at the same time and it was hard to keep it all straight. The narrator changing from male to female did help a little bit but over all, I was lost. 

Normally when I am reading something this convoluted, I would go back and reread but I really didn't have any interest in the storylines. The only one that was intriguing was Jenna's story.

This was a miss for me but I would definitely read more by this author, as I have loved his first two books.

Thank you St. Martin's Publishing Group influencer program for the #gifted eARC.

💭 𝘔𝘠 𝘛𝘏𝘖𝘜𝘎𝘏𝘛𝘚
I started this book completely blind and I am glad that I did. This mystery/thriller is action-packed and speculative! We have multiple POVs from morally grey adult characters that grew up together in a poorly run orphanage. Somebody is trying to off every one of these characters and the reader will be speculating who this "somebody" is throughout the entire book.
We also have some very disturbing backstories regarding these characters' childhood.

I appreciated the multiple POVs, short chapters, fast-paced action, and backstories of the characters. However, I could have done without reading about "the twins" backstories. It was only slightly interesting and unnecessary.

𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘈𝘓𝘓...
This would make a fantastic action movie or tv mini-series. If you enjoy getting that action-packed thrill, then this book is for you!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 (CAWPILE 7.14)

Out now! [Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC as part of a giveaway win and an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico are all adults leading very different lives—but they remain tied together thanks to their actions in an abusive group home when they were teenagers…and those choices may now be back to haunt them.

Finlay’s previous novel THE NIGHT SHIFT was a top thriller for me in 2022, so I was really looking forward to this one, and unfortunately I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped or expected. I’ll start off with the good: this was super fast-paced and had a ton of action, with short chapters that made it easy to keep flying through. Finlay is an engaging writer and that remained true here—the characters were fairly interesting and the prose was crisp and easy to read. Overall, while I wasn’t enthralled, it was a relatively fun read, especially towards the end.

On the other hand, I found the plot to ultimately be pretty lacking—it was hard to follow in the first half, and once it clicked into place it ended up feeling very predictable. There were also some plot holes that I won’t get into due to spoilers, but I found it hard to suspend my disbelief enough to get past them.

All of this said, I’m also not much of a spy/action thriller fan, and that is how I’d primarily characterize this novel. If you’re a fan of those vibes, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this a LOT more than I did!

Recommended if you like: spy thrillers; action movies; sins-of-the-past trope (no idea if this is a thing but it’s what I call it)

CW: Blood/violence/death/torture/murder; mentions of pedophilia/trafficking; addiction

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico had a troubled childhood growing up in Savior House, a group home for orphans. They formed a strong bond due to the abuse they endured, but when Savior House is shut down because girls start to go missing, they lose touch for decades... until someone shows up and tries to kill them all 25 years later. Jenna, Donnie, and Nico all reunite in order to fight the monsters that have arisen from their past in action-packed and, at times, humorous thriller.

Unfortunately, it was just a bit too action-packed for me. I was hooked at the beginning, but then I slowly began to lose interest. I felt that the character development was lacking and I'm not huge on action/assassin thrillers. I was much more interested in the backstory of Savior House and what happened to them as children. (In fact, I would most certainly read a prequel!) From reading other reviews, this seems to be an outlier for Alex Finlay, so I do plan to give his other works a read.

I listened to the audiobook, which was a wonderful experience because Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were all voiced by different narrators and it worked really well. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced listener's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Savior House was a group home in Pennsylvania where children were left. The house wasn't a happy carefree place. The children were abused.
Years later the lives of five of the children are in danger. It appears someone is trying to kill off five of the kids.
Someone is trying to pick off each of the five individually.
A very good thriller.

While this book had an intriguing beginning, the plot just felt too convoluted. I wish there had been more character-building. Jenna was really the only character that I cared about, and I think this was because we spent more time with her at the beginning of the story. I didn't care very much about the twist because I hadn't "gotten to know" Artemis, Donnie, or Nico.
Because the details of their lives seemed similar, I had a hard time keeping Donnie and Nico's stories straight.
Finally, this felt more like an action movie than a novel. Reading the continuous action sequences got tiring.

Review of What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

Another winner from one of my favorite authors. I really loved this fast paced thriller with multiple POVs and timelines and I flew through it. I really enjoyed discussing it as a part of #2023NetGalleyChallenge buddy read. I will say that it is probably my least fave of the three by this author but it was still a very solid read for me without major complaints. I thought the ending was missing something snd it didn’t blow me away but I loved all of the characters.

Quick synopsis: Jenna, Donnie, and Nico are three old friends with a common past that is catching up to them. They all have secrets and vices in their current adult lives when they are reunited when it becomes clear someone is trying to kill them. A fourth friend was actually killed. They were teenagers together in a group home from which several girls disappeared. Now they have to figure out how wants to hurt them and put an end to it once and for all.

Thank you to @netgalley and @minotaur_books for the advanced copy. It’s out now!

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay had me on the edge of my seat from the first page. I love this author and he has written some amazing books. This one is a little different from his others but still delivers everything we want from the author. This was a fast paced thriller that never dragged. I enjoyed the pace and the twists! I feel I knew what was going to happen at the beginning but I kept reading and getting pulled in. If anything, it teaches us what we do as children can always come back to haunt us. Looking forward to Finlay's next book!

What I liked:
Super short and quick reading chapters
Multiple POVs
Dual timelines (present/past through flashbacks)
Action packed and fast moving storyline

I enjoyed the story- how it was fast paced and kept you engaged but I felt some disconnect from it. It was missing something but I’m not sure what. I was a little more than halfway through the book when I figured out something wasn’t as it seemed and then I figured it out. Do I think this was better than The Night Shift, no but its far better than Every Last Fear so this ranks solidly at #2 in my rankings of his books.


Thank you @minotaurbooks @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I've read both of Alex Finlay's prior books and enjoyed them, though Every Last Fear was the standout there. This one has an entirely different tone, I wouldn't have guessed it was the same author. It's more of an emphasis on action than character development, which is fine is you're looking for a fast-paced thrilled. This one requires you to buy in to some out of the ordinary concepts. Entertaining read.

This was a really fast paced story but also a little out there at times. The overall premise was interesting but there were so many extreme and unbelievable aspects to the story that it read like a bad action movie at times. The pacing of this also felt off. In the middle, even though there was lots of action, it felt repetitive and boring. Then at the end, everything picked up and there was just so much happening. I felt that the ending wasn't explained in as much detail or depth as I would have liked.

This story is told from three different perspectives but since there was constant action there was very little room for character development and growth. This left me feeling unconnected from the characters. Throughout the story there would be a time jumps mid chapter or sometimes mid paragraph. This switch was very jarring and made it difficult to keep track of timeline.

Overall this was a quick read but difficult to get invested in for numerous reasons.