I read this book at the end of May. I'm writing this review at the end of June and struggling to remember the plot. That's not a good sign! But a quick refresher and it is coming back to me now. Here's the basic plot: Ryan has always been suspected in the disappearance of his high school girlfriend Ali, but there was never enough evidence against him. Five years later, he has moved on with his life until new evidence and new bodies are discovered.

As is the case for me and many thrillers, this one started strong. I was interested and eager to see what was going to happen. But as the story went on, it got really wild and far-fetched, and there was just a lot going on here. It was not hard to keep up with all that was going on in this story, the bigger issue was that I just didn't care all that much about what was going on. A big twist in the middle throws in a nice element of surprise. But in the end, the story was not especially memorable and just was too hard for me to believe. Popcorn thriller, fast read, short chapters, action packed-- but not my favorite.

Loved it!

Mobster storylines aren’t usually my jam, but this one was great!

The story was SAD, horrifying, intense and suspenseful.

Everyone neatly tying together scratched just the right part of my brain. Each character you follow is great. No complaints with this one!

Ali and Ryan are high school sweethearts who are attacked while getting some “alone time” on a secluded dirt road. When Ryan regains consciousness, Ali has disappeared and he is suspected of murdering his first love.
Five years later, Ali’s car and possessions are found in a lake and inside her purse is an envelope that says “If something happens to me.” The note inside is written in some kind of cipher, causing detectives to be stumped. There are many interweaving stories in this novel but they are all connected to the main mystery. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a violent, page-turning, popcorn thriller. Don’t think too hard about the plot and enjoy the ride.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an arc in return for an honest review.

I am shocked by the low reviews for this book as I was completely captivated the entire time. I'm hesitant to even write too much of a review because any type of explanation might spoil an unexpected twist.

Part 1 shifts between multiple locations & characters, Italy - Ryan, Kansas - Poppy, and Philadelphia - Shane. As the different settings develop and more characters are introduced, it's the Philadelphia chunk that surprised me the most and that provided the biggest "I'm sorry, what?!" moment of the section.

Parts 2 & 3 explain a bit more about how each of the the settings and characters are connected and uncovers numerous secrets along the way.

The saddest part of the book is in Part 1 - the depiction of high school bullying and the impacts that are felt. Without the cruel party prank at the elite private school, each of the lives in this book would have evolved differently. I imagine there won't be a ton of teens reading this novel, but hopefully the parents who read it take the time to have a conversation with their kids about treating others with respect.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy!

DNF

I've been meaning to read something by this author for a while now, but I don't think this was the best one to start with. The writing was fine, but the way the story was told wasn't my favorite.

I love a good suspense and this fits the bill. Multiple locations and multiple characters and yet you know they must all be connected...somehow, right?! I enjoyed the format and the pacing of the book. It's a great read!

Alex Finlay is great at having several different perspectives and storylines going simultaneously, and then pulling them all together at the end. This story definitely made me keep reading!

So many twists and turns! If Something Happens to Me was a fun ride. Perfect for a quick summer read.

A solid edge of your seat thriller.
That first chapter! Wow!…I had to know what happened after that!
Fast paced, not sure who you can trust, what really happened mystery. Listened to this one in just a couple sittings and thought about it when I wasn’t.
I liked it!

This is my third Alex Finlay novel and he is quickly moving onto my list of pre-ordered authors.

The books protagonist, Ryan Richardson, has relived the same night for 5 years. He was parked with his girlfriend, Ali, and someone opened the door, hit him over the head and took his girlfriend. She was never found.

Not unexpectedly, Ryan becomes the main suspect. Though there is no evidence, a cloud of suspicion follows him throughout his life.

On a summer trip to Italy with some classmates, Ryan gets the call that his girlfriend’s car was recovered. Inside are two dead men and a note in his girlfriend’s handwriting.
Without giving anything away, the story takes off with Ryan fighting to find out what happened to Ali.

The author weaves storylines and locations throughout, which results in a fascinating, complex storyline. I definitely recommend!

What a ride! The book started off strong and definitely hooked me in. It was a page turner and easy to get through. I have to admit the “mob” storyline wasn’t my favorite and it lost me a bit as the book went on. It felt like a Hollywood action movie at times and a small town thriller at others. Could have used a bit more direction. But it was enjoyable and quick!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are mine alone.

Phenomenal! Really enjoyed this whodunnit thriller! Finley captured your attention with his well rounded characters and suspense. Highly recommend if suspense & thriller & crime whodunnit is your forte. Thank you NetGalley & the publishers for giving me an opportunity to read an e-arc.

I have become very fond of this author and enjoy their work! I loved the twist and turns this story took! You almost didn't know who the "bad guy" was because of how the book started, but as the story and characters developed you began to how each character would intersect.

I would highly recommend! This ARC was given to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

I liked how the author kept me wondering who did what throughout the book, and also wasn't shy about killing off important characters. Life definitely isn't all about happy endings!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, stmartinspress & minotaur_books for the advance copy!

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay
Pub Date: Out Now
336 pages

Ryan had been suspected in the disappearance of his girlfriend (Ali) five years ago. He was cleared and when new evidence was found Ryan had to relive that day again. A note is also discovered from Ali ... did Ryan have something to do with his girlfriend's disappearance?
What would happen now? What does the note mean? So much suspense!

This book was a pager-turner. The story is told from multiple points of view and different locations which I enjoyed very much.This is a dark thriller with a lot of crime, murder, investigations, mobsters, and action.

This was a good book with plenty of twists and turns. I didn't see the ending coming. Lately, I don’t see a lot of endings coming LOL. This book is like a puzzle at the end where you can put all the pieces together.

If you like fast paced thrillers I recommend this book to you! Added to your summer list!

This is the perfect popcorn thriller to binge in one sitting! I listened to this one on a road trip from Tennessee to Florida yesterday and it made it go by so quickly! The full cast of narrators was also super helpful in keeping each point of view clearly separated. Each narrator did a wonderful job building the tension and creating their characters. Their voices complimented each other perfectly!

In true Alex Finlay style, there are twists throughout and I never saw any of them coming. There are three main characters with seemingly different lives and the way Alex weaves their stories together is intricate and jaw-dropping.
There are so many elements woven into this one that I love to see in a thriller - multiple points of view, a missing person, some police procedure, multiple locations, a mysterious stranger, and long-buried secrets. I highly recommend this book if you’re a thriller lover, especially the audio!

If Something Happens to Me is another fun thriller from Alex Finlay. It is told from multiple perspectives dealing with the murder of a teenage girl, seemingly by her boyfriend. I thought that it was a fun, if predictable, mystery with well-developed characters. I recommend as a good mystery book.

I found "If Something Happens To Me," an enjoyable thriller. The plot was multilayered and fast-paced. The action starts at the beginning of the book, not at all a slow burn. The characters were authentic and relatable. I like Alex Finlay's writing style that engaged the reader in a smart plot. The ending was not at all what I expected, and it was a surprise that made sense. I am now following Alex Finlay and will be picking up his previous books. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for an e-arc of this novel.

I really enjoy Alex Finlay's writing.

This books is a good thriller, has lots of twists and turns and was a fun read with likeable characters.

I really enjoyed reading this book.

I've enjoyed other books from Alex, so I was excited to get to this one.

There are several characters here and it took some time to get settled into the frequent switch between them; however the quick chapters help to set the pace. We were given just enough info on each of them to get a sense of the person they are and in hindsight, it works.

Plot wise, it's a lot of moving pieces and nothing felt like it made sense, until it did. I didn't catch the reveal before it happened, so that was a delight. And sure, I could have done with more at the end, but like everything else, it seemed to work.

Overall, at times it felt disjointed and while frantic, there wasn't tension. And yes, I'm fully aware this review doesn't make a lot of sense, but here we are.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**