Many thanks to Netgalley for the copy of If Something Happens to Me. I think this one hit a wall for me in a way since I wasn't as thrilled as I was hoping for with this book. I still give it a 3.5-3.75 rating though. I have loved Alex's previous books but this one fell a little flat for me. It definitely was a fast paced book and lots of suspense and action happened throughout the story but the multiple POV's i wasn't a huge fan of. Definitely a weird story but I am sure many others will have a different opinion on this one. Ryan was accused of killing his girlfriend after having gone missing but really there wasnt ever enough things to prove it. Then something crazy happens 5 years down the road and Ali's car is found and then he sees this man who he thinks did it and just lots of crazy things go on to find out what really went down.
Overall it was a good one still and i hope others love it.

I liked this book. In true Alex Finlay fashion that we all have come to love, there were twists and turns and the multiple viewpoints from many different characters that built the story up. Originally when hearing so manmy different viewpoints from the different characters, I thought that I may get lost but upon reading futher it just added to the outcome and all made sense. Alex Finley is a force to reckoned with, with their writing and I will be watching for what they come out with next. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books for this digital copy.

I actually loved this mystery/thriller!! Although there were many characters, I didn’t find myself forgetting who they were. There were a few unexpected twists that were well written.

For years Ryan has been accused of killing his high school girlfriend until they finally find her missing car 5 years later. There’s a note inside written in code. It seems as if Ali isn’t who she says she is and she might still be alive. This fast paced thriller seemed a little far fetched here and there and wasn’t expecting the mob to be a major player in this plot but I still enjoyed it and think Alex finlay is one to watch.

Pulse-pounding, intense page-turner! This was action packed. Avoid any spoilers on this one, and go in blind and enjoy the wild ride. I did not see one of the twists and thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience. This would be a fun and strong recommendation for a quick "beach read"-type thriller. This one is hard for me to attach a star rating to, so 4.5 stars.

This is a complex mystery with a lot of action. Something about this one gave me vibes of Grisham’s The Firm. I could see this being made into a movie or TV series.

Just to warn you, you need to bring your A game to this one. There are a lot of characters (sometimes with multiple names), a lot of POVs, a lot of locations and a lot of timelines. I found myself flipping back and forth between the audio and ebook at times to keep up with it all. But eventually I caught on and it was a little bit more of an easier read.

With that noted, it is a wild read. There is a mob boss, a name change, a kidnapping, secrets, twists, and a lot of tension. I saw a few of the twists coming, but there were a few that got me. It’s fast paced and once it gets going, it does not stop. But I’d seriously not read a lot of reviews on this one if you plan to read it. I can easily see a review slipping and giving too much and hinting at a spoiler.

Another plus, there is a full cast narration. Helen Laser, John Pirhalla, and Paul Dateh do an exceptional job narrating this one. The extra narrators help with all the POVs and keeping the plot straight. Their delivery of the emotions and actions enhanced the read.

I would definitely add this to your TBR shelf for a fast paced, puzzle stumping summer read!! Alison was taken and murdered 5 years ago and her boyfriend Ryan is blamed….There’s no proof, so he’s released and now he’s just trying to move on with life. But when her car is finally found at the bottom of a lake with two dead bodies inside, everyone is asking questions. This is told from multiple povs and they all add elements to the mystery so that it comes together beautifully in the end. I could not put this down! Well done Finlay!

This was a fun read. I initially picked it up because my sister in law said it was set in Kansas, where I live so say less! I enjoyed the settings and the storylines. It wasn’t easily guessed but I was able to kinda piece things together slowly and make the correct conclusions in the end. Nevertheless it was entertaining.

Just cutting to the chase: I really enjoyed this new thriller from Alex Finlay!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From Kansas to Pennsylvania to Tuscany to England to Paris to Washington DC, get ready to run for your life!

High school seniors Ali and Ryan are parked in the woods near the lake five years ago. But then Ali screams, Ryan is hit in the head, and Ali disappears. Five years later, Ali and her car are still missing, Ryan is in law school in Georgetown, and rumors still circulate that he killed her. Then her car is found, with two dead men and a note in Ali’s handwriting: “If something happens to me…”

You’ve got a crime boss, a rookie Sheriff’s deputy, a missing girl, two unidentified dead bodies, and twisted threads connecting them all.

Ryan risks everything to discover the truth about that night. He takes us with him, and we see the rolling hills, glittering streets, and yes, the violent acts. (We’ve got crime bosses, remember? It gets ugly.)

This is a crime thriller, yes. But it also had me thinking a lot about the responsibility we bear for choices we make when we’re young. There are always consequences, some short-lived, some that last a lifetime and can never be made right — no matter how much guilt we hold onto.

Plenty of triggers in this one, friends: bullying, missing teenagers, violence, murder, suicide. But there’s also hope, so if you don’t mind the crime, it’s a great story!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and author Alex Finlay for the complimentary advance copy! It was my pleasure to write this candid review.

I would definitely add this to your TBR for a fast paced, puzzley summer read! Alison was taken and murdered 5 years ago and her boyfriend Ryan is blamed. There’s no proof, so he’s released and now he’s just trying to move on with life. But when her car is finally found at the bottom of a lake with two dead bodies inside, everyone is asking questions. This is told from multiple perspectives and they all add pieces of the mystery so that it comes together beautifully in the end. I could not put this down!

This was the perfect binge read! I was in the mood for a good thriller and I've been dying to read Finlay's newest after loving his last two books. IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME was twisty and action packed. I couldn't wait to find out what happened and how all the different storylines tied together. The different points of view were all very interesting but I really enjoyed the new sheriff Poppy's point of view as she tries to piece together what happened to Ali years later. This one is definitely a worthy read this summer and would be perfect to binge next to the pool.

I recently finished reading this captivating and suspenseful book. The characters are well-developed, and the beginning immediately draws you in, making it nearly impossible to set the book aside until you've reached the end. I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work!

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME
BY ALEX FINLAY

* multiplie POV
* 3 storylines
* Short chapters
* Fast paced story
* Lots of characters

I loved this story, it was a fun read.

Highly recommend this book.

Thank you to #stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC copy.

Good book, it was slightly confusing at first how it started but I finally caught on to what was going on. This book definitely pulls you in and then you can’t put it down,

This was pretty good! My first by Finlay. If I had to describe it in one word: bingeable. Finlay does that thing I love where the chapters are super quick and it’s really easy to just keep turning pages.

I think there’s a bit more action in it than I tend to like? So if fast paced, action heavy plots are your thing I would highly recommend this. Theres also a crime element. Again, not always my favorite thing but it worked here. The action is written well and isn’t dragged out too long.

I loved the jet setting/globe trotting feel. We see several European countries as well as a couple American cities.

I thought the characters were likeable for the most part and easy to root for.

I think my only gripe is maybe the ending? There’s nothing wrong with it really, there were a couple stylistic choices I think I would have preferred to go a different way.

Otherwise a well done book and fast paced palate cleanser. I have no complaints.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy.

Thanks for the arc @minotaur_books!
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When Allison Lane goes missing, her small town is never the same. Five years later, her car is found in the lake, but she’s not in it and some strange men are. Deputy sheriff Poppy is on the case, and she follows clues that lead to mobsters, cover ups, and long buried secrets.
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💭 Thoughts 💭
I didn’t love this one. There were a lot of characters and points of view so it got a little confusing at times. There was a good twist that I didn’t expect, and when all the threads connected it made sense.
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⌛️ Favorite Moment ⌛️
Allison left a note in her car that was created in a book code. Using numbers for the page, line, and word her high school boyfirend was able to decode it!

I really enjoyed this new release by Alex Finlay ! It’s fast-paced, and I thought the different characters and storylines really tied together well in the end ! The plot really had me engaged and wanting to find out how everything connects ☺️ Highly recommend !

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed If Something Happens to Me. It was nicely paced, the characters and the plot were engaging, and the ending was pretty surprising. This does have some heavy topics in it, ex: bullying, teen suicide, etc, so be warned if these are issues for you. There is a decent amount of misdirection, and it's enough to keep you guessing throughout.

Over the course of three novels, Alex Finlay has quickly established himself as the go-to author for propulsive and escapist summer reading thrillers. His 2024 release, If Something Happens to Me continues this tradition and capitalizes on his skill at writing twisty plotlines with fast-paced prose.


Ryan Richardson is the central character in If Something Happens to Me. Five years ago, Ryan’s girlfriend, Ali, was forcibly taken from the car where she and Ryan were having a romantic evening. Ryan was violently hit over the head and only remembers fleeting moments of the scene and vehemently denies any involvement in her disappearance.

Unfortunately, the authority’s focus and public opinion was not in Ryan’s favor, turning his life into a living hell. Ryan makes the choice to change his name and distance himself from the horrible memories. Until one day, on a trip in Italy, he gets the news that Ali’s car has been discovered submerged in a lake not far from where the kidnapping occurred. In the car, two dead bodies and a note in Ali’s handwriting saying “If something happens to me…” As if that weren’t enough to open old wounds, Ryan sees in the distance, within the Italian crowds, the face of the man he only briefly remembers seeing that fateful night when Ali vanished.

Was he right all along?

Meanwhile, a new sheriff’s deputy in the small Kansas town rocked by this case finds herself on the front-line of a murder investigation—albeit not the one anyone was expecting. And a mobster in Philadelphia is confronted with a tragedy of his own, one that just might tie all the pieces of this puzzle into one unbelievable truth.

Alex Finlay uses multiple points of view to propel readers through this tangled web of lies. Short chapters and a writing style that virtually casts a spell over readers make If Something Happens to Me a one-sit read. The term summer blockbuster was created for works like this—compelling enough to lure readers away from other activities, but light enough to not require intense concentration.

Alex Finlay deploys some literary slight-of-hand in his telling of If Something Happens to Me. It’s a technique that has been used—to varying degrees of success—several times in recent years, but fortunately here, the speed at which readers consume the novel help to make this decision feel closer to inspired storytelling, rather than a manipulative tactic designed to create a false shock.

One thing that is often overlooked in the analysis of the works of Alex Finlay is the overall moral and message each of his books holds. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the action and adventure of his twisty plots, that one can miss how each book contains a solid basis of true emotion leading to growth potential. In If Something Happens to Me, it seems the lesson is that everyone makes mistakes, and we can either condemn people for them forever or we can give them a chance to learn and evolve from those misguided choices.

What is abundantly clear is that picking up an Alex Finlay novel is never the wrong decision. This is a talented writer who knows the type of book he excels at writing and consistently provides that his many fans.

was pleasantly surprised by the one. A few of the twists really caught me off guard and I was not expecting them. Love that from Alex