This is one thriller that will cure couples of going parking in deserted areas! When Ryan and Ali are parking one night someone opens the car door, knocking Ryan out and taking Ali. Five years later, Ali is still missing and Ryan is still dealing with the aftermath.

The story takes readers to Tuscany, Paris and a small village in the UK, as well as Kansas and Philadelphia in the United States. From small town law enforcement to the mob, readers will slowly discover what really happened the night Ali was taken.

I would have never imagined all that transpired in this book. It was one exciting read and one of the best thrillers I have read this year!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am pleased to offer my honest review and recommend this to other readers.

Alex Finlay’s "If Something Happens to Me" is a riveting thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The novel deftly blends suspense, mystery, and a touch of legal drama, showcasing Finlay’s skill in crafting intricate, high-stakes narratives.

The story centers on Ryan Richardson, a man haunted by a traumatic night five years ago when his girlfriend Ali was abducted. With no evidence to clear his name and relentless scrutiny from the media, Ryan changes his identity and tries to move on. However, his past catches up with him when Ali’s car is discovered in a lake, containing two dead men and a cryptic note in her handwriting. This discovery sends Ryan on a desperate quest across Europe to uncover the truth and confront the man who has haunted his nightmares.

Finlay’s ability to create compelling, multifaceted characters is evident throughout the novel. Ryan’s journey is both a physical and emotional odyssey, drawing readers into his relentless pursuit of answers. The narrative is enriched by the perspectives of a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas and a mobster in Philadelphia, whose stories intricately intertwine with Ryan’s, adding layers of depth and complexity to the plot.

The novel’s pacing is expertly managed, with each twist and turn heightening the suspense. Finlay’s descriptive prose vividly brings to life the diverse settings, from the picturesque hills of Tuscany to the bustling streets of Paris, immersing readers in Ryan’s frantic chase.

While the book excels in maintaining tension and delivering shocking revelations, some readers might find the numerous plot threads and characters a bit overwhelming. Additionally, a few coincidences in the storyline may stretch believability for some.

Despite these minor drawbacks, "If Something Happens to Me" is a masterful thriller that cements Alex Finlay’s reputation as a leading voice in the genre. The novel’s blend of psychological intrigue, action, and well-drawn characters makes it a must-read for thriller enthusiasts.

In summary, "If Something Happens to Me" is an engrossing, pulse-pounding novel that keeps you guessing until the very end. Alex Finlay delivers a multi-layered thriller that explores the depths of trauma, the quest for truth, and the unexpected connections that can change everything.

I was already a big fan of Finlay’s work, but this one just took the cake. My favorite of his to date, it was just so good. The chapters are short and leave you hanging each time. You’ll constantly be saying “just one more chapter” until next thing you know it’s over. There are multiple POVs that have you playing detective to connect all the dots. When the twists started hitting and things started to come together, I was shook. Everything was so unexpected, I couldn’t get enough!

Riveting from the Get-Go!

Alex Finlay knows how to keep me on my toes, and in suspense and this time is no different. Ryan Richardson thought his nightmarish past was behind him, unfortunately for him, he was very wrong. If Something Happens to Me is yet another pulse pounding tale from Alex Finlay that kept me on my toes

Another buddy read with Kaceey.

Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the arc.

If Something Happens to Me is the third book I've read by Alex Finlay, and I must say it's my favorite so far! It's always hit or miss with me when a story is told from the viewpoints of different characters; however, there was no confusion whatsoever here and it made the story even more exciting. When I got to the end of Part One, my jaw dropped. I did not expect THAT!

Ryan Richardson has, for the past five years, relived the night when his car door was ripped open, he was pulled out and received a crushing blow to his head. He also remembers the scream of his girlfriend Ali when she was dragged away. The car and Ali were never found, and suspicion fell on Ryan. However, there was no proof that he was complicit in that night's drama, plus he had a good lawyer. Ryan changed his name and entered law school. While on a trip to Italy with his law school classmates, he receives a call from his father: Ali's car was found submerged in a lake in his hometown, with two dead men inside. Ali isn't there, but there's a note found with her handwriting, stating "if something happens to me"... He's stunned, but it gets even more bizarre. A man makes his presence known to Ryan in Italy...the same man he's dreamed about for 5 years. Ryan begins his search for the truth through Tuscany, a rural village in the U.K. and Paris. He has no idea that the answers may be found with a mobster in Philly who also suffered a tragedy, and a young sheriff's deputy working her first case in Kansas.

This was a mystery/thriller that actually had strong elements of each. This story engaged me from the start, grabbing me by the throat and forcing me to race to the finale. Ryan was a sympathetic character. He was a star basketball player in school, and Ali was his love. When she was abducted, so many thought Ryan was the culprit. His excellent lawyer helped him, but he couldn't get past people thinking he made Ali disappear. He changed his name and entered law school, but the memories remained with him. After his father told him about Ali's car being found while Ryan was in Italy with his law classmates, he saw the man - with no pinkies - who he had a glimpse of on that fateful night. Ryan goes on a mission to find this man, leaving his classmates behind. Then we have Poppy McGee, a sheriff's deputy in Leavenworth, Kansas. She was in the military police, until she punched her commanding officer in the nose for harassing her. When the missing car was discovered in the lake, there was a note from Ali in it, which contained a book cipher. When the Sheriff disappears, Poppy is determined to find the truth. She was such a likable young woman, determined to discover what had happened. She knew she must follow every clue, even when they pointed to her brother. Shane O’Leary, a mob boss in Philadelphia, is also tied into this case. When a personal tragedy occurs, I felt sympathy for him, even though he was a mobster. However, he quickly lost my sympathy, because he sought revenge, and it was not pretty! There was a group of war veterans that were also involved in this matter, which ended up being quite important to the story. It was exciting with the story spanning the US, Tuscany and Paris. I like to think I'm an intelligent person, but I could not figure out who did what, and I was often shocked. There was also a character who became an unlikely hero, and he was my favorite. But I can't mention him without giving away secrets you will want to discover on your own. Alex Finlay is absolutely a writer you must follow! I will be sure not to miss any of his work.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This book had me interested within mere pages. It was fast-paced and interesting. There is some hoping between locations with different sets of characters, but it is not hard to follow. I really enjoyed reading this one. I received this book from Netgalley and St Martins Press as an advanced reader copy in return for my honest review.

I love the narrators for this audiobook. The book flowed nicely. I enjoyed the descriptive information about the characters.. The back-and-forth between the two time periods in the book we planned it well and easy to follow along. I loved the twist of creating a code to leave a message if something ever happened to you.

Five years ago, Ryan Richardson and his high school girlfriend Ali were parked at the local “lover’s lane”. He’s attacked and when he comes to, Ali and the car are gone. The only things he remembers about the attack was Ali’s screams and that the attacker was missing both his pinky fingers. Ryan was accused of the murder of Ali, since she never found her.
Years later Ryan changed his last name hoping to reinvent himself. He is now in law school and has decided to take a trip with his schoolmates to Italy. Ryan just happens to catches sight of something that shocks him to the core. It’s the man from the night Ali went missing. Ryan must risk his own life to track this man down and finally find out what happened to Ali.

Poppy, a young war vet who returns home to Leavenworth, Kansas, to work as the deputy sheriff. Her first call is to an abandoned car found in a lake. There are two men that have an evidence of an execution style murder. Poppy must find out who these men are, and why they were murdered. The car is Ali’s, the exact one that went missing that terrible night. Ali’s body is not in the car, but her purse is. They find a note in Ali’s handwriting that says, if something happens to me with a cryptic message.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a completely fast paced, easy read with lots of twists and turns, that kept me guessing. It is told in multi character POV. The narrator fits all of the puzzle pieces together for us, with ease. This was a 4 star read for me.

This was such a fun book! The characters and plot were interesting, it was fast-paced, and I thought it all tied together well at the end. I like stories that are multi-faceted and this one definitely was. It’s best to go in blind, there are some surprising connections and twists. If you enjoy mystery, suspense, adventure, and a little bit of romance mixed in, then I recommend this one. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC!

A decent popcorn thriller. There were lots of characters and could get a little confusing at times. I kept having to pause and remember who people were. I was a big fan of the short chapters so I could pick up and read when I had just a few minutes.

I thought I had given up on Finlay after not enjoying his last few books, but I kept seeing praise for this one and I’m happy I gave him another chance! it’s another quick, fast-paced action filled mystery from him but this one was simply more interesting and bingeable. Finlay is back on my radar now.

Short and sweet, this book kept me on my tors flipping pages! I didn’t want to put it down! Such a great mystery and I had to know what happened! It was fast paced and easy to read! This one just published so don’t sleep on it! Pick it up!

This was such a fast paced, intense read; I couldn’t put it down! I finished this in one day and actually ignored my life that’s how amazing this was!

3.5 Stars!

This was a really interesting thriller, and I loved diving into the characters. The beginning of the story had me hooked. However, once I got into the middle of the story, I felt the pacing slowed down. The plot had a couple loop holes for me as well. I took down a star because I was able to guess the twist of the story. Overall, I enjoyed this book, I just wanted it to be a little more shocking!

thank you @macmillan.audio & @minotaur_books 💙
🎙️Helen Laser, John Pirhalla, & Paul Dateh
⏱️ 7hr, 16min
📆 pub date: 5/28/24
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Me and my husband listened to this on our road trip from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania. This is the first time we listened to a book together and it was so much fun! I love Alex Finlay’s books. They’re always twisty page-turners, and this one is no different. These narrators were all new to me and I thought they did a great job bringing the story to life. Definitely recommend!

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME was so fun! This book had so many things I love in a book.

-Multiple POV
-Fast paced
-Kidnapping

This plot was so well done, weaving in the mafia into this thriller. I don’t think that’s easy to do and a lot of authors can’t do it without sounding cheesy but ALEX FINLAY did an amazing job. This was a fun, edge of your seat thriller that I really enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher for this ARC!

"If Something Happens to Me" by Alex Finlay is a riveting thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has been haunted by the traumatic night his girlfriend Ali was abducted, a mystery that remains unsolved until her car is discovered submerged in a lake with two dead men and a cryptic note in Ali's handwriting.

Finlay masterfully weaves a tale of suspense as Ryan, now a law student, embarks on a globe-trotting journey from Italy to the UK and Paris in search of the truth.

The narrative is driven by distinct and compelling characters, including a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas and a mobster in Philadelphia, whose paths intersect in unexpected ways.

The novel is filled with pulse-pounding twists that will leave you guessing until the very end. Finlay’s skillful storytelling and ability to create tension make this book a must-read for thriller fans, earning it a solid four stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this arc

"𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓? 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒇?"

Special thanks to @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress @alexfinlayauthor and @netgalley for the #gifted eARC and #audioinfluencer eALC.

➡️ swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

MY REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first Alex Finlay novel, and it did NOT disappoint!
So twisty!!!!! I loved how it kept you on edge with 3 povs and 3 separate parallel running storyline. You find yourself thinking, Why is this storyline relevant? Or is this book just having 2 different stories......🤔🤔🤔

I definitely had a few *gasp* moments, but I loved his writing. I flew through this book. And the audio was amazing. The full cast was *chefs kiss*😘 . I love audio with a full cast. The audio at first was a little confusing, but I switched to the book, and it made a bit more sense seeing it on paper. I think that's due to the intertwining storylines. Then I followed along together.

Grab this one in either format, and you will NOT be disappointed!

PUB DAY:
TODAY 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳


QOTD ❓️⁉️❓️ Do you have an In Case Of Emergency List in your cell phone?
Who is all on it?

AOTD - My fiancé, my mom, my dad

.
.
.

#mysteryandthrills #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #bookbuzz #happypubday #pubdayfeature #audiobookreview #ifsomethinghappenstome #alexfinlay #alexfinlayauthor #netgalley
.

First book by Alex Finlay and I have to say I loved it! Starting off the book with an Epilogue of the night of when Ali was taken immediately grabs you into the whirl wind of a journey. This book is told is multiple POVs, you have Ryan (Ali’s former boyfriend), Poppy (new Deputy Sheriff) and Shane O’Leary (Mob leader)

The chapters are fairly short, which I personally enjoy, because it makes the book feel high paced. I should also mention that this is not only multiple POV but also a dual timeline book.

I did not expect the book to head the direction in which it did, and had a few shocking moments, that will keep you on your toes!

Well, color me impressed. I went in not having high expectations after reading his last novel, What Have We Done. I wasn’t really expecting to be on the edge seat. There were many twists and turns while trying to piece the puzzles together. There were many characters but easily recognizable when getting back to the characters. What a ride! I’m glad the ending didn’t fall apart and confusing leaving more questions! I would most definitely recommend this novel to others and give his other books a chance to read.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this highly entertaining eARC, As usual, all of my reviews are purely my own opinions without any influence from any publisher.