This book was an action-packed thriller where I thankfully didn’t hate that we had an amateur detective because how (very well) it was done. I could certainly see where we were headed but enjoyed the ride. The twists on twists on twists on twists at the end is where it dropped my rating significantly. Just one would have likely kept it at a 4 star.

When you start out with three murder attempts, you know this is going to be a very exciting story! Jenna, Donnie and Nico grew up to have nicely successful lives after the dark beginning that was Saviour House. Between flash backs to their shared pasts and then present time where they are trying to figure out why those scary deranged twins are trying to kill them, it led to a fairly wild ride. Though sometimes the switchbacks were a bit jarring and confusing, especially when it happened between one paragraph and the next with no warning. It was still a good book though and nicely twisty like Alex's other novels. I won't add any other details to keep the mystery going but I do recommend it for a fast and exciting read.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

Talk about a fast paced, action filled thriller!

Twenty-five years ago, Nico, Donnie, Ben, Art and Jenna; foster kids at the time, lived at Savior House with other teens. They did something back then. Something they hoped would never be known. They went their separate ways and made something with their lives. Jenna is married with two stepchildren; Nico is a tv producer, Ben is a federal judge, Artemis is a tech genius, and Donny is a rock star.

When a hired killer comes for them, they must figure out who has set this in motion. They have secrets in their shared past. Does someone know their secret? Who wants them dead? How do they survive?

I found this to be a fast paced, gripping book that kept me on my toes. The book is told through the POVs of Jenna, Nico, and Donnie. I had both the book and audiobook and thought the narrators of the audiobook did a great job and this added to my enjoyment of this mystery/thriller.

Was the OTT? You betcha! But that is one of the things that I enjoyed about this book. It is pure escapism reading.

I look forward to reading more of Finlay's books.


3.5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio 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.

Wow, I was immediately drawn into the book. It was fast paced, had multiple twists and turns throughout, and had very short chapters!

I liked Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. I liked each of their POV, but Jenna’s chapters were always my favorite to read. I was happy when it went back to her!

I took a few notes while reading and this was one of them: “Ohmygosh, the twins are crazy. 😳” And let me tell you.. those chapters just added to all the suspense.

This was a great thriller. I enjoyed the fast pacing of it and all the action had me reading as quick as I could! Time to read Finlay’s other novels now!

Thank you Minotaur Books & Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I have just finished reading What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

I must say that I have enjoyed all the Alex Finlay books that I have read.

This thriller is about a group of young friends who live together in a home for parentless teens – Saviour House.

Fast forward to twenty five years later, when they must relive their past, and something that took place in their lives.

Someone wants them dead, and then the current pace begins.

A good strong storyline, with very well-developed characters.

Thank You to NetGalley, the Author and St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books for my advanced copy to read and review.

5 ½ Stars

#NetGalley #stmartinspress #minotaur_books

What Have We Done is a thriller by Alex Finlay (side note: I’ve also read Every Last Fear and gave that one 5 stars). This new book follows a group of teens who met in a group home, went their separate ways, and grew up into very different people with a shared past. Now someone is after them all.

We have Jenna, a suburban stepmom with a secret; Donnie, a washed-up rockstar; Nico, a gambling addict turned television professional; Ben, a successful federal judge; and Arty, a wealthy tech head. And they’re all being targeted by the same assassin, who seems to be able to be in two places at once. Once they figure out that all of them were targeted, they begin to work together to figure out who is responsible.

Just like in his previous books, Finlay offers an intriguing mystery and a twisty tale. This one kept me turning pages, and I read it quickly. The author has interwoven memories into the present storyline very well. The reader uncovers things gradually, along with the characters. The characterization was very well done—each of the targets is unique, but believable.

Despite these things, in the end, I found myself unsatisfied with the book as a whole. I felt that the plot was trying to be too intricate. It was difficult to parse out which details were important for the mystery and which weren’t. Perhaps that was intentional on the author’s part, but I found it distracting. Too many red herrings along the way made the actual solution to the mystery underwhelming. And a tacked-on ending felt unnecessary.

Overall, I thought this was a good mystery, but not a great one. If you’re in the mood for a quick read, a thriller with an intricate plot and a good variety of characters, this book could fit the bill. Sensitive readers should know this novel contains violence, mentions of sexual assault, child abuse, and drug references.

A group of kids from a shady group home escaped after girls kept disappearing. The kids made lives for themselves on their own and were never really a real group again until it became obvious someone was wanting them dead - probably to forever bury a long ago secret that should never be told.

I was definitely expecting a thriller, but this one had "action movie" written all over it. Jenna, one of the group home girls, was taken and raised by a secret spy organization, and after realizing she and her family were in danger, fell back on her hired assassin skills to save her other friends. Lots of action, with a fairly predictable ending.

A rock star, a tech billionaire, a former operative, a tv producer and a federal judge. What do they all have in common? Where they started. 25 years ago they all were living in the Savior House trying to survive after life put them in foster care. Through a series of events they all are part of a murder. Now 25 years later they have to fight for not only the truth of who is after them but also to find out why they are all being hunted.

This book is full of twist, turns and oh my gosh the ending was so good. I have never read a book by Alex Finlay but damn. I now have to go back and read everything they have written. This book is told from multiple view points, each of the children from the home and that of the paid assassins. If you are wanting a good thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat this books is for you.

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico have three things in common: they all spent time in an orphanage as teenagers; they have all 3 had attempts made on their lives in the last week; they've been keeping a huge secret for 25 years!!

One of their group from the past has already been killed and Jenna, a former sniper, was forced to make an attempt to kill another! Who wants to keep the past buried enough to kill them all?! Could it be one of them?!

What Have We Done is intense from beginning to end and will have you questioning everyone's motives!! The book is built on the history and current life of all the characters, each with their own demons and backstories!! I found myself rooting for each character's innocence as Finlay did a great job with their underdog stories and you'll second guess yourself frequently about who's guilty of making attempts on their lives! With everything going on in What Have We Done, it's a hard book to put down!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy. I think I need to resign myself to the fact that Finlay’s books are not for me. This one in particular was so over the top that I just could not suspend my disbelief enough to make this work for me.

What have we done kept me on the edge of my seat! I absolutely love Alex Finlay’s writing style- when I read his books the details are so crisp I feel like I am in the scene- from the look of the characters, smells, backdrops etc! I also love the quick chapters, they really make it easy to sneak a few chapters in during a lunch break at work!

The book is broken into 3 parts and each chapter is from one of the main characters point of view, the story takes place in and around Philadelphia, Washington DC, and a few other spots. The characters each have a bit of a tragic story and you find yourself rooting for them and a bit frustrated by them at times! There are so many twist and turns, I did not guess the correct ending! Go buy this book! You will not be disappointed!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur books for the digital advanced readers copy!! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This novel will be published March 7, 2023.

I have enjoyed everything I have read by Alex Finlay and What Have We Done was no exception. I went into this thriller not really knowing too many details and LOVED it. The chapters are written from the viewpoints of different characters which added to the already fast paced nature of this book. I highly recommend giving this one a try!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Alex Finlay for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is described as Alex Finlay's "best book" but I have to disagree. Where were the twists and turns? I wanted to read this because I thought I would be on the edge of my seat, but that didn't happen. The characters did hold my attention, and I found them to be intriguing and different. But I didn't like the cheesy jokes.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: March 7, 2023

What Have We Done is a multiple POV thriller book by Alex Finlay. Donnie, Ben, Nico and Jenna thought they were done with Savior House. Having survived the awful group home as foster kids when they were youths, they had gone their separate ways and hoped to never have to go back to the house or even the town they spent their youth.

Twenty Five years later, someone is trying to kill them. Someone knows what happened the night before they all left the Savior House and that someone wants them dead.

As they come back together to determine who has dug into their past and who wants to take away their future, the kids from Savior House will stop at nothing to keep their secrets.

This is my first Alex Finlay book and it won’t be my last. Solid 4 stars for me! Of thriller/mystery is your go to genre, get this book moved to the top of your tbr!

Very enjoyable book.

5 kids at a children's home were involved in a bad event. Now, one of them is dead, and three of the others are being targeted.
Jenna, a Mom with stepchildren, Nico, a TV producer of a reality series and Donnie, a washed-up (literally!) rock star attempt to find out what is happening. All of them have secrets in their adult lives, as well as in their childhoods. Who wants them dead?

Told from the point of view of each of the main three characters, this was exciting as the tension built and the plot twists were revealed. Jenna, Nico, and Donnie meet up again and confront their past, both the characters involved and the places where the events happened. As they realize contract killers are after them, they are fighting for their lives, and those of their families.

Each of them survives attempts on their lives (and in unusual circumstances), as we build towards the finale. The plot twists were not expected.

You need to suspend belief to follow some of the plot twists, as there are some almost comic moments. But overall this was a very entertaining book and a quick read.

Jaw dropping prologue followed by a faced pace captivating thriller!
Loved the group home friendship bond, secrets and twists.. Sure there were some moments where reality vs imagination came into the play but I was there for it. Would totally watch a movie adaptation!

DNF @ 10%

I did not like the writing style of this and didn't think I would enjoy it based on the content from the beginning.

Thanks to NetGalley & St Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Five young friends brought together by trying to survive an abusive and terrifying group home full of secrets- cut to twenty five years later and someone is trying to eliminate them.

This was my first book from Alex Finlay and it was a fast paced and fun ride. The action doesn’t let up at all, jumping back and forth from past to present, and delving a bit into each character and their lives post Savior House made it a quick read.

Thanks to the author. NetGalley, Minotaur Books for the advanced copy.

Great mystery book. Fast pace, short chapters. Good twist and turns. I liked the story writing throughout.

Nico, Donnie and Jenna were teens in an abusive group home where they forge a bond having to keep a secret regarding multiple girls from the home going missing.

Twenty five years later, they’ve all made lives for themselves, albeit with baggage, but when someone seems to be trying to kill them, they have to reunite back where it all started.

Told through multiple POVs, the beginning feels like different books, as we get to know the characters and where they are now. The flashbacks to what happened in the past are spread throughout, ultimately leading to everything being revealed quickly and explosively at the end.

This is definitely a book that requires you to suspend disbelief, with high action value and I could imagine it as a movie. However, as the story progressed, I found myself not caring about any of the characters. I was most interested in Jenna’s storyline but when everything was tied about so neatly at the end, it just felt so unrealistic.

Overall, I’d recommend if you like fast moving, action heavy plots. For me, I wished we had more of the past in the beginning so I could connect with their characters and believe in their bond.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.