I read this author’s debut novel, “The Night Shift”, and was pretty unimpressed by it being a basic mystery story. I decided to give it a try again with their third book, but unfortunately I was equally unimpressed by this one as well.

There were a million characters it seemed, but our main three are:

Jenna, a once-miniature Nikita. As a young woman, she was kidnapped from a group home and trained to be an assassin. She has left that life and “The Corporation” behind, and is now a suburban stepmom.

Donnie Danger is an aging rocker, dealing with demons, drugs and alcohol. His best friend Benny (also from the group home, “Savior House”) had just died at the beginning of the book, and Donnie was taking it hard.

Nico is a reality show producer with a lame show about miners. He also is an alumni of this group home, though he tries not to remember those days.

Here’s the whole book: these three did something bad when they were kids, and now over two decades later, they’re paying for it. There are more characters than needed, the plot was completely implausible, and overall I’m realizing this author just isn’t my style. Three stars for being fine, but nothing notable.

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Alex Finlay, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on March 7, 2023.)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free copy of What Have We Done for an honest review.

It took me a while to get into the story due to the introduction of each character but, I feel like it added to the story in the end. You really get a feel for who these characters are and why their actions make sense based on their trauma and past.

This mystery/secret agent thriller is perfect for those looking for adventure, friendship, and a good plot twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wild ride - I binged the entire book in a day and have no regrets. It is fast paced, with some very flawed characters that you can't help but root for (mostly). I could picture most of the book as a movie and it ended quite well (mostly). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fast-paced book.

@alexfinlayauthor’s newest book, What Have We Done Grabs your attention with the first line and holds on to it to the very end with heart pounding twists, short chapters, dual timelines, and multiple POVs. This book kept me up past my bed time to read just one more chapter. It sealed this author in the “must buy” category for me. I highly recommend reading this mystery thriller!

Thank you @minotaur_books and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

Five kids did something bad 25 years ago! And now a sociopathic, set of twin female assassins tries to hunt each of them. The story is narrated in 3 pov. Nico, Donnie, Ben, Art and Jenna are the characters who meet after losing their love ones and end up at Savior House. There is someone killing young girls the kids believe it is a monster also they are being bullied by other members of the house.

Now we move forward into the future Ben a father of a young girl a district Judge who was the smartest of the group is killed. Someone is coming after them and it is up to the four left to figure out who it is and to stop them.

The story character development seemed off a bit but the overall mystery was good. For this reason I have mixed feelings about the story. I don't want to give any more information away about the story.
I do recommend it for its fast pace and the mystery part of this thriller.

Narrated by Brittany Pressley; James Patrick Cronin; Jon Lindstrom and Maggie Thompson which made following each character easier for they had their own voice. I would like to read something else from this author in the future the murder aspect of the story was really good. If you like thrillers with some mystery then this one will be fore you.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for a free copy of What Have We Done for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions I expressed in this review are my own.

Alex Finlay is a master of suspense and densely woven plots with a multitude of guessing games. I gave this book four stars (well 4.5 but they won't let me do half) because unfortunately he has set a very high precedent for himself with his first two absolutely brilliant novels. This one didn't quite hit the height of the previous two.

That being said, I still plowed through the book in 2 sittings, staying up far later than I should to find out just a little more.

A misfit group of foster kids at Savior House are dismayed to notice young girls are going missing. When the new girl, Jenna, finds out she is to be taken shortly, the other four boys in the group band together to save her. This leads to a grisly solution.

Fast forward many years. Jenna is now a housewife. The bookworm who was always seeking justice is now a respected judge. The boy noodling with the guitar is a former rockstar. The boy who loves computers who they referred to as robot is now a tech genius. The last is a hotshot Hollywood producer of a successful reality show. Someone has dug up the past. Someone wants them all dead. Someone who knows about that they've done.

This book is great whether you are a Finlay fan (I am! More please!) or if you're just being introduced. I strongly recommend this book if you enjoy good suspense.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alex Finlay for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for What Have We Done coming out March 7, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A stay-at-home mom with a past.
A has-been rock star with a habit.
A reality TV producer with a debt.
Three disparate lives.
One deadly secret.

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were best friends 25 years ago. They grew up together in Savior House, a foster home for teens. They’ve cemented their friendship, forming a bond through the abuse they endured. The home gets shut down after the disappearance of several kids. The three friends get split up.

Though the trauma has never left them, each go on to live accomplished―if troubled―lives. They haven’t seen each other since they were teens but one day they reunite for a single reason: someone is trying to kill them. To survive, the group will have to relive the nightmares of their childhoods and face their past together. Why does someone wants them dead?

Overall, I loved this book! I have a few of his books, but this is the first one I’ve finished. The short chapters are my favorite. It definitely felt fast-paced and full of action and mystery. I don’t want to give too much away, but I loved the growth of the relationship between Jenna and her stepdaughter. I thought the bonding over being chased was fun. There were some lighthearted, funny moments that broke up the high stakes. I wasn’t really expecting that kind of backstory for the characters, so I loved the surprise.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys assassin/secret agent stories!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It takes a bit to get into the story and get all the characters straight but once invested yo u’ll be glad you preserved.. The chapters are well written and fast paced. The characters are diverse and interesting. It’s well worth the read!
Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Alex Finlay for the opportunity to read this ARC

Five friends who share a dark secret from their childhood find their paths crossing once again when each one is targeted to be killed by a female assassin. But the question is, who hired the woman trying to kill them, and why!

I really enjoyed this book! The storytelling was great and flowed so easily making it a pageturner. There were so many storyline going on, with lots of sneaky twists thrown in. Each character was well defined and I found myself liking and disliking each of them at different times. I was definitely kept on edge, and just when I thought I knew who was behind it all, another curve was thrown in. Alex Finlay will definitely be on my TBR list from now on.

4.5 stars! Fast-paced and edge of your seat reading! 25 years ago, a group of friends did a very bad thing. A very bad thing that may have saved them at the time. The kids were orphans, living in a group home called Savior House. Several girls kept disappearing. It was all very hush, hush.
Now 3 of the friends, Nico, Jenna and Donnie, are being hunted for that very thing that happened 25 years ago. Their friend, Benny, a federal judge, is already dead. Any of them could be next if they don't figure out what is going on and who was actually at fault for the missing girls of the past.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books for this e-arc.*

I'm not normally a fast paced, action filled thriller book lover. However, this one kept me interested and I wanted to know where the story was going the whole time. I never got bored by it, because it never stopped moving forward. I loved getting to know who the characters were and their background and history - and what it was that linked all of them together.

Some of the storyline was pretty over the top. And at times it was a bit convoluted and scattered. I still don't exactly know what "The Corporation" was. But if you can get past all that, and enjoy the rest of the story as it comes together- it's a pretty enjoyable book.

I would recommend this book.

What Have We Done is a suspense novel that hits the ground running. The story
begins with a scene that reveals a secret that five friends, who met at a group home in their teens, share. A secret that continues to haunt them for decades.

Now adults, these friends have attained impressive and diverse jobs - from a hired killer who now has a family she wants to protect, a reality show producer, a district judge, a tech guru and a famous rock star (naturally). But now someone appears to be targeting them as one by one, terrible accidents befall them. After decades apart, the friends reconnect and try to figure out who knows their decades old secret.

The story jumps back and forth between the POVs of three of the friends (Jenna, Nico and Donnie) in the present and their past when they lived at Savior House, a group home for teens. The pacing started off strong, gets a little wonky in the middle with a lot of back and forth between the POVs and some decisions and physical altercations that felt a bit farfetched. The ending has a decent twist ... which this avid suspense reader identified early on.

This was a compelling twisty read about revenge, long-held secrets and friendship. Readers will have to suspend disbelief in a few spots but overall, this was a good read with Jenna as the most intriguing POV of the bunch. I hope we see her in future books.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Minotaur Books who provided me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

DNF... I can't stay focused on this story. I even tried the audiobook twice. Maybe I will come back to it one day.
Thanks to the publisher for giving me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review..

This book drops you right in on the action and keep moving until the very end. Three very different people share a common past and a current reality of someone trying to kill them. I liked the premise and it was definitely a quick, fast-paced read. I did struggle to keep up with the many storylines going on at once. That and the near constant action made it a bit hard for me to connect to the characters. Overall this was a fun read and held my attention throughout, even if I didn't become completely engaged in the storyline. Thank you to Alex Finlay, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What Have We Done? Well, it involved 5 kids shooting a person in a shallow grave. That isn’t a spoiler. It’s the opening scene. Then the excitement ramps up. We are introduced to three characters-Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. All three are obviously from the first scene but live completely difference lives. What they still have in common is that someone is trying to kill all of them.

Alex Finlay smoothly folds in bits of the past, the group home these kids all survived, into the events of the present. A sinister place where young girls regularly disappeared. As kids, they tried to stand up for themselves and change things. So why is someone trying to kill them now? Every character is partly unlikable and partly sympathetic. You really feel for these kids. I’d read a lot more about Jenna!

Read this book on a day that you have some time because you will not want to put it down.

This is a fast-paced thriller but also had ridiculous and unbelievable storylines. In my opinion, there was too much going on all at once. It is extremely over the top, but enjoyable if you can get past that and keep track of everything that is happening. It's not a thriller that I would say everyone has to read, but probably not one you would hate.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

3 people, living 3 very different lives, are brought back together after someone tries to kill them. They are now forced to revisit growing up in the same foster home and the people who connect them. Lots of twists and turns and lots of characters!

I’ve heard not so rave reviews on this one so I ended up listening to the audio. I was surprised to find I actually did enjoy it! The audiobook kept me entertained through a several hours of deep cleaning the kids play room.

I found the characters likeable and interesting. The storyline was a bit scattered and at times confusing, but I still had no real problem following along and guessing where it was headed. I’m sure it was unrealistic at times as well, but I find most thrillers like that!

Overall it was a good book, nothing amazing but I recommend the audio for an entertaining story.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the audio and @minotaur_books for the ebook!

#whathavewedone #netgalley #audiobookreview #audiobookrecommendation #bookreview #bookishthoughts #mybooks #bookthoughts #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #canadianbookstagram #canadianbookstagrammer #reading #listentobooks

When I first read the description of this one, I was excited. I've liked Finlay's books. But when I finished this one I was... underwhelmed. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't the thriller I expected. It's like there was too much going on and I didn't know what to focus on.

This was my first book by Alex Finlay and I am glad I finally read one of his books. What Have We Done is a fast-paced, exciting thriller that had me up at night trying to finish the book.

The short chapters with varied POVs helped to move this story along quickly as well as making the book more exciting as I was never sure who to believe. Not all these characters were sympathetic, but they all were compelling.

This one was good, but not as good as The Night Shift. But, Alex Finlay has definitely cemented himself as a suspense author I will auto-buy! Loved the flashback vibes and the multiple perspectives. Definitely would recommend this one to my followers.