Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for this ARC. I think What Have We Done had too much going on to enjoy. I started reading this on ebook and I couldn’t get into the story. I ended up being approved for the audiobook and I enjoyed that a lot more. All and all, the plot fell flat for me and I didn’t love this one. This was my first read by this author, but I’d be open to reading another one of their books in the future.

3 stars

After really enjoying Finlay's previous two books, I couldn't wait to jump into the audio version of this one. While it's an engaging enough read/listen, for me, it lacks the excitement and character connections of its predecessors.

There are three characters who switch perspectives here, and they are all tied by a past event and similar childhood circumstances...which are not typical. Readers really have to suspend disbelief and be willing to never get some of the answers they wish were readily available where this is all concerned. Out of the three characters, I found one developed enough to engage with early on, but as soon as I started to care about this character's situation, we were on to the next. Overall, it's challenging to get too invested in characters about whom readers know so little.

While I generally enjoy multi-perspective reads, in this case, that feature exacerbates the disconnect. The three central characters seem so separate, and by the time the connection becomes apparent, it's just tough to buy. Also, when someone has a truly unusual past as these folks all do, it's really surprising that some of them do not start putting specific pieces together sooner. I found some of these discrepancies tough to manage, too.

This is the kind of book I'm happy to listen to while going about my regular errands, cooking, and walking the dogs. It's entertaining, easy to follow, and includes some wild circumstances. That noted, for me, this one just does not reach the level of Finlay's other works. I'm looking forward to seeing a return to those earlier benchmarks in whatever Finlay produces next.

Thank you to Alex Finlay, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of a digital advanced reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows a group of friends, that bonded together growing up at an orphaned group home. whose is living every mother's worst fear, the one year anniversary of her toddler son, Mason's disappearance. Isabelle's sole purpose in life is now to do anything that to get him back. She meets with a true crime podcaster, Waylon, and agrees to be interviewed for his podcast and soon thereafter, offers to let her stay with him while he does more research for the show. Isabelle quickly begins to see that Waylon seems to know more about her dark and secretive past than he is letting on and is making her out to be her son's kidnapper.

I feel like readers of this book will love it or completely dislike it. I was part of the latter group. I found myself skimming to get through this book as it never grasped me. I have never been into books with assassin killers, so I was automatically turned off by that aspect. I got the vibe that I was reading a James Patterson novel. This feels more like an action novel with a hint of thriller. Which immediately would have put it to the bottom of my TBR. There were multiple POVs, which were well written, but I ended up not liking most of the character POVs. Not a great novel by this author, and the only thing that got me through this book were the short chapters.

Savior House is a group home where occupants feel anything but saved. After a traumatic event, some of the kids split off to different lives, all hiding one huge secret. When they are brought together 20 years later by the suspicious murder of a judge and previous Savior House resident one as a contract killer, one a washed-up rockstar, one a multibillionaire, and one a TV executive. They have to figure out who is trying to kill them all and reveal their secret before there is no one left.

I had high hopes for this book because I loved Night Shift and I waffled between 3 and 4 stars before finally settling on 3. Told in alternating POV and back and forth timelines the story is woven together, revealing bits and pieces as needed. I wasn't sucked in but was curious enough to keep going. It is a good mystery with an interesting twist ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three former friends are being targeted by an assassin and they all have one thing in common: they grew up together in a corrupt foster home called The Savior House in a small town in Pennsylvania. Jenna is a new step-mom and former hitwoman, Nico is a producer with a gambling problem on a reality TV show about mines, and Donnie is a former Rockstar.

Unfortunately I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable and didn't find myself wanting to pick this book up very often. I'm not sure if it's just this author or their writing style that I don't mesh with but this one didn't work for me. It was pretty over-the-top violent with evil characters. I liked the beginning and the mystery of who might be targeting them, but then I lost interest and didn't really care about the conclusion. The three POVs of the main characters plus a couple more thrown in was too much for me, along with the random flashbacks.

This book was amazing! I couldn’t put it down. Absolutely terrifying and thrilling at the same time. One of my favorite books!!

Over 20 years has passed since Jenna, Donnie and Nico had last seen each other. They were part of a group home called Savior House which was for teens without parents. They went their separate ways after the group home was shut down after several kids went missing. The three were thrust back together after they all realized someone was out to kill them. Turns out they all share the same secret and no one wants that secret to get out.

This book had some pretty kick-ass characters and had its fair amount of action. What's not to love about a mysterious hired assassin trying to hunt people down?

The story did go from past to present within the same chapter which made it difficult to follow at times.

The story is told in multiple perspectives which I loved.

The pacing and flow left a little off to me and at times I struggled to stay interested. I do think that if you've read and loved this author's other novels then you'll like this one too. It just wasn't my favorite.

I really wanted to enjoy this fast-paced thriller, but as it sped through the plot we lost much of the character relationships. I felt confused about how everyone became who they were as adults, and what happened to them as children. The book took off at a running pace, and never let up throughout the entire plot. While I often enjoy fast-paced books, this took away from itself by being so quick. It was a quick read but felt like watching an action movie- which isn't my favorite genre of movie or book. If that's something you enjoy, though, you may enjoy this book!

I really enjoyed Alex Finlay’s previous two books and while I enjoyed this one too it was definitely a bit different. I liked that the chapters were quick and the perspectives switched between all of the main players. It really kept me stuck to the pages and amped up the excitement of the story. This one is interesting because none of the characters are what you could call good, but despite that I liked the grown up kids from the group home. They were broken but so successful and since I work with broken kids like that every day I think I really loved seeing them be so successful in their own ways. Jenna, Nico, Donnie, Art, and Benny spent time in a group home together and consider each other family. They left because so many girls were disappearing and no one was taking it seriously. Now Benny is dead and it seems that someone is trying to kill the rest of them. Can they figure out what is happening quickly enough? I didn’t think it was as twisty as I would have liked, but it was certainly full of action and excitement.

The premise of What Have We Done is good but the execution was a miss for me. Despite it being an action-packed, it seemed to drag on in the middle as I found myself waiting to care about any of the characters, making it fall flat.

*Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, Alex Finlay, and Netgalley for my gifted eARC for an honest review. Publication date 3/7/23*

I think this is going to be an either love or dislike it type of book, and unfortunately for me it was dislike. I do not care for action books with assassins, and I definitely was not expecting it to be that type of book from the synopsis. If you do like action packed assassin books you will definitely love this but if you are expecting a thriller like Finlay's previous books you might be disappointed. I did like the layout of the book and the short chapters and luckily for me it was a fast read. The book was told by multiple POV's and some of them just annoyed me, also I did not think the break up between past and present was done well. Sorry to the author this book just was not for me but I look forward to reading your next book.

A very exciting story that follows the life of five characters Ben, Donnie, Nico, Artemis and Jenna. The plot is an intriguing drama that tracks the action of who is trying to kill them and why. The readers will enjoy the detailed descriptions of the characters foibles and all the many reasons why they have become the adults they are. They will enjoy the action and the many twists and turns as the plot will surprise them in many places. It is a well written story with great dialogue and well worth reading and purchasing.

I’ve been meaning to pick up an Alex Finlay book for a while, so I was thrilled when I was given the ARC! What Have We Done is an extremely fast-paced thriller with three alternating POVs.

After an occurrence of a crime, twenty five years later, the three main characters find themselves in danger. Can the secrets from the abusive group home, where they resided when they were teenagers, remain buried? Their lives are at stake as they try to avoid being captured by contract killers. Why are they being targeted?

The fast pace of this book made me unable to connect with the three main characters: Donnie, Jenna and Nico. Although, I did enjoy Jenna’s character the most. Additionally, the quick transitions between the past and present timelines were action packed which made it difficult to follow at points.

Overall, I am rating this book a 4 star. I’m looking forward to picking up The Night Shift and Every Last Fear by the author!

This book is due to be released by March 7th, 2023! Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alex Finlay’s latest book, “What Have We Done” is an action-packed, high-octane thriller about a group of childhood friends with a buried secret that’s now come back to haunt them. In order to survive, they must confront their painful pasts and stay one step ahead of the person who wants them all dead.

To anyone familiar with Finlay’s other works, you’ll notice a break from his typical plot style. This one still has the nostalgia and heart, still has strong characters (I love how he consistently gives us kick-ass female leads) and still has a level of mystery to it. Where it differs though, is in the intensity. For What Have We Done, he amps up the action with assassins, violence and a breakneck pace. Once you start, you’ll find it nearly impossible to put down.

We get multiple points of view throughout the book and many of the short chapters end on cliffhangers. Finlay also does a nice job of giving context to the past with flashbacks that build some level of depth to the protagonists. He again gives us noteworthy female characters (good and bad) and an anti-hero in the form of a washed up rockstar named Donnie. The book does have a softer side floating beneath all the thrills, chills and action. You’ll see themes of friendship, perseverance and resolve as the characters confront and ultimately release their past versions of themselves. With that being said, in this vein of thriller I think depth and development is sacrificed in places for the sake of the action driven plot and pacing.

Shocking, intense and made for the big screen, What Have We Done is an unexpected divergence from Finlay’s previous thriller style. An entertaining and gripping read, new and current fans of his are in for a treat with this one.

This is a really great thriller. The main character was recruited by a shadow organization at age fifteen. She served her time as an assassin and left the organization to pursue a "normal" life. Now, she is married to the ultimate nerdy guy, a tax lawyer, and a widower with a five-year-old and a teenager. Life isn't easy now either. Suddenly the past comes crashing back into her life with another assignment and her new family is threatened. Is this all about the time from the group home she was in and the secrets there? If so who is behind it? The book has several characters that are involved from those days and leads the reader on an interesting history of past events and present that all collide together in the end. Great plot, the book is fast-paced with lots of action, and the main character is one I would like to hear more about...maybe a sequel? Loved this book. Thanks to #NetGalley#WhatHaveWeDone for the opportunity to read and review this thriller..

What Have We Done is the latest book from Alex Finlay and another winner! His stories are so well-plotted, complex, fast-paced and utterly enthralling. This dark thriller centers around five kids, who for various reasons, found themselves as wards of Savior House. This unsavory home for foster kids is a particularly dangerous place for girls, who have a tendency to go missing.

Fast-forward twenty-five years and each of the five friends, who have gone their separate ways in life, are unexpectedly reunited when each is individually targeted in an assassination attempt. Jenna, the one woman in the group, and most well-trained, is determined, with the assistance of her former friends, to find out the truth, secure their safely and put the past behind them at last.

What Have We Done is a compulsively readable, action-packed thriller filled with creepy, twisty plot points and deeply flawed characters. It’s an edge-of-your seat page-turner that is eerily entertaining and one you won’t want to miss!

This book had a lot of action, but I felt that there were too many characters, and it took a while for me to figure out who was who. I also didn't like that there were flashbacks right in the middle of a chapter. It confused me every single time!

I really liked Jenna and her storyline, even if it was a tad bit far-fetched. The action really ramped up in the last part of the book, so it got to be more of a page turner.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress
for the e-arc of this book!

This was an interesting read. I did like the character development and the flashbacks of this suspense novel. It did seem slightly outlandish but overall kept me on the edge of my seat and very eager to learn more about the mystery both in the characters present and past.

This is a fast-paced and thrilling read that captures your attention and then steals it from any other book. It’s so hard to not think about these well-developed characters after you’ve put the book down. The action never slows, your heart will race with anticipation and then just as quickly with warmth and sympathy for these carefully created characters. What a fantastic read!

REVIEW: What Have We Done

"Did you know that studies show there are six distinct types of screams?"

A group of kids who worked together at a group home have grown up into separate lives. Only years later, when they are adults with their own families and friends, someone is trying to kill them one by one.

The storyline of Jenna was really interesting, I just wasn’t as hooked into Donnie or Nico’s. Ultimately the ending felt rushed and too easy. It was good but not my favorite in this genre.


📚Read this if you like:
- Alternating POV
- Many main character stories