I was so excited for this book after loving The Night Shift. You’re instantly thrown into action right out the gate with this one and it doesn’t stop until the very last page. I’m a sucker for multiple POV’s and short chapters and you get both with this book. The whole time you’re trying to figure everything out and put everything together until the big reveal.

Sadly though, I felt a little let down with the book. I was confused for almost half of the book wondering what’s going on. I loved the concept but I just felt like it wasn’t executed good. It felt a little disconnected at times. Also the ending was a little eh, I still don’t know how I feel about it.

Overall, I still loved Alex’s writing and flew through the book with the short chapters, but it wasn’t my favorite by him.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

I flew through this book. I read it in a few days. Thrilling. Interesting. About adults who were in a group home as teens, the story unravels in a way wanting more. Honestly, I was reading to see if my guesses for the twist(s) were correct. Each character has their flaws and potential motives. Oh, and there are assassins.

High paced action packed thriller! This book goes back and forth between 3 people who, in their youth- 25 years ago, were brought together in a group home called Savior House. You get to follow Jenna, Donnie and Nico to learn about how they are living their life now until all these secrets came back to try to ruin them and bring them together.
This book will have you captivated and the short chapters are an extra bonus. I am giving this book 4 stars as I really enjoyed the story and like always enjoyed Alex Finlay's writing.
Thank you to NetGalley ane St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books or this ARC.

WARNING - Don't go into this one thinking it's a typical Alex Finlay book. This is action packed from the start with a gripping plotline that will reel you in and leave you gasping for more. I loved every word. If you like crazy whodunnits with endless twists, this is the book for you!

Rating: 4/5⭐️

25 years ago, five orphaned teenagers committed a crime they thought would stay buried forever. Three of them - Jenna, Donnie, and Nico - were the best of friends, but were split up when their abusive group home, Savior House, was shut down, never to see each other again. In the 25 years since that unspeakable night, the trio have made lives for themselves, seemingly leaving everything about Savior House behind. But when each of them are targeted by what should have been life-ending attacks, Jenna, Nico, and Donnie must come together to revisit their past, confront their nightmares, and save their lives - hopefully.

While I felt like the beginning was drawn out at first, once I got to the end I completely understood why all of the character and world building was necessary. I was audibly yelling at my kindle multiple times while reading this. I love the characters and the multiple POVs. Even when I thought I had everything figured out, I quickly realized I didn’t. The one thing that I would change in the book would be to add some sort of format change to when we were reading scenes out of the characters memories, whether that be italicizing those scenes, adding a small page break, or even starting a new chapter with a distinction that the scene took place in the past. There were a couple times that I got confused because I didn’t immediately pick up on the fact that I was reading a scene from the past. Other than that, great read!

1.5 blockbusters out of 5

If The Bourne franchise had a child with a slasher film, What Have We Done may very well be it.

This book is not at all what I thought it would be! But take my words with a grain of salt; there's lots of hope for fans of Hollywood action thrillers.

A group of teenagers sealed their fates when they took part in a most unforgiveable act together. Now all grown up, some with envy-worthy careers, others with a perfect family image, their past is back to remind them of what they did that summer.

The chapters are quick and most often end in cliffhangers, so it's an easy read. I can see this being a page turner for my dad (looking forward to getting his review!), but sadly not my cup of tea.

Big thanks to Minotaur Books SMP for gifting me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a suspenseful, page-turning read. I couldn’t put it down! I read it in one sitting because I wanted to figure out what was going on. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but once I figured them out, I was able to read without any issues. The ending shocked me! Overall, I really enjoyed this read.

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

My rating:
3/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jenna, Nico, Artemis and Donnie have a secret that they have been keeping in from their childhood. When this secret is used against them, they must fight for their lives and must find who is out to kill them.

This book was just meh for me and that made me really sad because I love Alex Finlay! His book, the Night Shift was one of my favorite reads in 2022. This was just not for me. I think the action type of suspense is not my type of thriller, so I wasn’t really feeling it. This book was really confusing for me and I’m still confused after finishing it. I did enjoy the multiple POVS and short chapters, but this wasn’t a favorite for me sadly.

I would absolutely recommend reading his other books and if you love an action packed thriller this one would be for you!

Thanks netgalley and st martins press for the ARC! You can read this on March 21, 2023!

✋️ UNPOPULAR / REVIEW ✋️

Ugh. This review really pains me to write.

I dove head first into #whathavewedone by one my favorite authors and I was I immediately sucked in after only a few pages. Well, that excitement was short lived and I literally had to force myself to continue reading the book 🥵 I ran to @goodreads to see if maybe I was hallucinating (or somehow got a completely different book from the publisher), but I quickly discovered my feelings were validated.

Here is what didn't work for me:

1. TOO.MANY.CHARACTERS. I was honestly exhausted trying to keep up.

2. Flashbacks that start halfway through a chapter (with no formal warning), so it was really hard to stay focused.

3. The pacing - I really wanted something to happen after the first few chapters that kept my interest, but was just too slow for me.

I really tried, guys. I LOVE THIS AUTHOR and their previous work, but this one just didn't hit for me. The premise was super interesting, so perhaps others will love it!

3.5 out of 5

The story revolves around five characters; Jenna, Nico, Donnie, Benny, and Aretmis. As children, they lived at Savior House, a foster home. Each took a different path and lost contact, until recently when each had a near death encounter. Reunited, they must head off their killer, before they, themselves, are killed.

I really wanted to love this book, however the storyline was murky. There was a lot of character jumping, and hard to believe situations, especially with Jenna. There was one twist which was easy to figure out and the ending was a bit over the top for me. The story could have ended without the prologue and I would have been satisfied. The additional dialog pushed it over the edge.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I love this one as much as his previous books . It is fast paced and just an overall well plotted book . I’ll continue to read more books by this author
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

Net galley

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Alex Finlay book and it won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed the chapters from different characters view points. The chapters were short and left a cliff hanger at the end of each one. I stayed up way too many nights when I should’ve been sleeping to read because I wanted to know what happened next. I applaud an author who throws twists and turns that I don’t see. Most importantly if you read this book DONT skip the epilogue. It was my favorite part.

The complicated pasts of Jenna, Nico, and Donnie is creeping back to threaten their present reality.

Finlay always makes things exciting, but I really enjoyed the 3 narration perspectives. I also enjoyed the quick pace and back-to-back action.

I did feel characters were slightly underdeveloped. I felt like there were gaps and opportunities to make these characters more human, relatable, and interesting. I would categorize this as less “suspense” and more “action,” which is totally some people’s thing! But something to keep in mind when choosing what you’re going to pick up and read.

I have really enjoyed Alex Finlay’s books, and this one definitely got my attention. However, it was a little scattered at points. I really liked the Jenna storyline, but Nico’s story fell a little flat and I would have loved more detail. It did keep me at the edge of my seat, though!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Finlay and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of What Have We Done.

The story alternates between three main characters; Jenna, Donnie and Nico. They are each attacked by an unknown assailant and have no idea why. The book alternates between what is happening in the present day and the past.

I loved this book and Jenna. She was strong and had a lot of depth. I could see a series of books with her as the main character.

The book is interesting, full of suspense, and twists and the ending is shocking. I recommend adding What Have We Done to your reading list.

This was my first time reading a book by Alex Finlay and I cannot wait to read more of his books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this title.

I've read all that Alex Finlay has published, and I just love everything he's written! This title was another one that I couldn't put down. It's narrative alternately by 3 people who grew up in a group home together, and who share a secret about something they did during that time. The book opens with each of the characters running as assassins come for them. The characters were distinct, the hunt was suspenseful, and how each of them handles the situation was unique.

Book 236 of 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

In this fast-paced novel from Alex Finlay, we meet three characters—Jenna, Nico, & Donnie—who once lived together in a group home called Savior House as teens. Their parents either passed away or weren’t fit to parent. Unfortunately, the group home in which they’re placed was in a dangerous community full of heartless people. One brutal night bonded them together, but now threatens to be their ending. Twenty-five years later, Jenna, Nico, and Donnie all seem to have found success in life (in some ways), while still working to face the demons they ran away from at Savior House. Someone is after them all, and they’ve got to use all their survivor/survival skills to make it out alive.

This story is told primarily from Jenna, Nico, and Donnie’s POVs. I love multiple POVs & how it allows the story line to move quickly. We get a few chapters from other characters in the story, as well. Jenna’s chapters were, by far, the most interesting. She seemed to have found the most success in her adult life of the three. I liked that she had a reason to fight. Nico & Donnie’s POVs felt weak in comparison. I found myself wanting to get through their chapters so I could get back to Jenna. While I love multiple POVs, I wish Finlay had focused on Jenna more, simply because she was a fascinating and engaging character.

I’ve started to notice that Finlay is a fan of his stories having lots of characters. I remember feeling this way with one of his previous books, which made the audio difficult to follow. Thankfully, this was a hard copy/ebook, so it was a little easier to follow. That said, it still had a LOT of characters to keep up with. We had to follow along with what happened in the past & all of the side characters from their time at Savior House. We also had three main characters’ POVs, which included all of their families & other side characters. It was a lot to keep up with. I wish Finlay would narrow it down with the characters. It’s hard to keep it all straight when there are so many people. I felt like I needed a physical map of everyone.

This story line was fairly predictable, but still had a few elements of surprise. It also left me with some unanswered questions. Where did “the twins” come from? I know their role in the story, but how did they get looped in? Did I completely miss that? That was the biggest plot hole for me. To best enjoy this book, you’ll need to rid your mind of the “this could never happen in real life” mentality. It surpasses many levels of believability.

Overall, this was a good one, but I don’t think it measures up to The Night Shift. I wanted it to be a little more believable, have fewer characters, and focus more on Jenna. Lots of potential with this story line…just some things I’d tweak!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book is set to be released in March 2023.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴇ
By Alex Finlay
Release date : 03/07/2023

From the book;
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.
Twenty-five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, having forged a bond through the abuse and neglect they endured as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down―after the disappearance of several kids―the three were split up.

My Review :
What have you done, Alex, writing a book that reads like an action-packed movie? There are two things I loved the most about this book. The females are badass and smartly portrayed—no damsel in distress between these pages. And the loyalty amongst old friends.
This book isn’t out until March, so ill shortly summarize it
Jenna is a retired sharpshooter who used to work for the government. Donnie is a failing drunk rockstar. Nico is just a mess. These three have such a bond from their days at a group home that even after 30 years, the trust and insight are there.
Someone is coming after them and their families. And they all go back to their roots to figure out who is trying to ruin them and take them out before they get taken out. The chapters are short. They are told from different POVs, going back and forth from present to past, which I loved.
Brilliant book. Totally see this as a Netflix movie 🎥🍿🎬
5 S҉҉T҉҉A҉҉R҉҉S҉҉ ҉⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


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#whathavewedone

A unique and chilling thriller about abused children in a group home and how their childhood affected their adult lives. From a tv star to a hit women to a judge this novel is refreshingly entertaining and a must read for all thriller fans.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the ARC of this book!

In What Have We Done, we follow several adults who are reunited after decades apart when it becomes apparent that they are all being targeted for something they did 25 years ago. As kids, they were thrown together in a foster home and forced to experience unimaginable things in order to survive and cope with the trauma they experienced. Years later someone has discovered their secrets and is trying to take them out 1 by 1 to keep the full truth from being discovered.

I thought this book matched other Alex Finlay books in terms of exceptional writing and plot. Everything was easy to follow and I really loved the short chapters and fast pace of everything. It can be difficult to read multiple POVs and timelines on a Kindle but I thought this was well done enough that I didn't get tripped up too much. It wasn't overly deep and the character development was average. The ending also felt a smidge rush. Overall this wasn't my favorite by him but I still think it was a good read and kept you on your toes. I look forward to purchasing a physical copy when it's released!