💥 Pub Date: 5/28/2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

• part thriller, part police procedural
• fun twists & turns
• quick chapters

I love how the reader gets transported to different parts of the world - truly feels like escaping. Definitely a bingeable read. This is my first audio from the Macmillan Audio program and the narration was very captivating!

🗣 Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review this book via both gifted eARC and audiobook! All opinions are honest and my own.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of If Something Happens to Me.

4 stars

Five years ago Ryan's girlfriend Ali went missing. Suspected of foul play and cleared, Ryan has started a new life but things take a turn on a trip to Italy the past comes back.

Home from the military, Kit is now working at the Sheriff's department. Her first week on the job she is thrust back into the disappearance of Ali when her car is found in a local lake by true crime podcasters.

This is a fast paced read that will keep you on your toes.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Minotaur Books for this copy of "If Something Happens to Me."

This was a thrilling page-turning book and I had to keep reading "just one more chapter" to find out what happened next.

Ryan and Alison were in her father's car right before graduation from high school when he was attacked, thrown from the car, and Alison and the car vanished.

But 5 years later, the car is found in a lake with 2 bodies in the front seats. And a note from Alison is found in the car, so is there any chance that she might still be alive somewhere?

It’s been five years since Ryan Richardson’s girlfriend, Alison, disappeared after he was knocked out while they were both sitting in her car. His only vague memory is that of the face of a man who he thinks abducted Ali. Ryan has gotten his life back together and is a law student on holiday in Italy when he encounters the very man he saw that terrible evening. Around the same time, Alison’s car is found at the bottom of a lake with two dead men in it, and her purse containing a note that simply says “If something happens to me”.

This is the background to Alex Findlay’s propulsive new thriller, If Something Happens To Me. It’s told from three different points of view, a device that I normally hate but one which the author pulled off with great skill. The novel is a slow burn and it takes a while for all the pieces to fit together, but Finlay managed to keep my interest while reading. The book is well plotted and there are surprises along the way, none of which I was really expecting.

All in all, quite the addicting read. One of the better thrillers I’ve read in a long while.

My thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of the novel.

📖 Book & Audiobook review 🎧

If Something Happens To Me by @alexfinlayauthor

Okay, this was craaaaazyyyy and I loved it.

If Something Happens To Me is about an abducted highschool girl presumed dead, a high profile crime boss, and a young sheriff trying to put the pieces together after new evidence is uncovered years later.

This book is an action packed thriller with several different character driven POVs. Listening to each characters perspective had me barreling through until the story collided with a twist, like a lightbulb switched on, and they just kept on coming. The audiobook features multicast narration, which I love. I thought each narrator did a great job with their characters voices. There’s so much going on in this book, in the best way, and the narration made it easy to follow along. I really loved the way the author wove these storylines together. The pacing held my interest the entire time. The short chapters always left me in suspense wanting more.

I really love mob stories so that was the whipped cream and a cherry on top for me. I think this story would make SUCH a good limited series. Especially after listening to the audio.

This was my first book by this author and I’m so looking forward to reading more!

Thank you to @minotaur_books and @macmillan.audio for this gifted advanced reading copy and advanced listening copy! If Something Happens To Me is out May 28th and I can’t recommend it enough for my suspense lovers.

This starts off really slow.
It took quite a while to see how everything tied together and while waiting for that I was kinda bored.
Once things came together and started to make sense it was more exciting, but it took too long for me and had too many MCs that were not evidently linked together.
This is the first Alex Finlay that didn't blow me away, so I am willing to call it a one off.
Much love to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC.

This thriller is a silly but fun mystery. Even though it involves murder and the mob it all seems pretty low stakes.
This book centers around three main characters; a small town sheriff’s deputy, a law student still scarred by the disappearance of his high school girlfriend and a Philly mob boss. All three stories eventually converge explosively in Europe.
If you are looking for a fun thriller that you can basically read in one sitting definitely check out this book.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Five years later Ryan Richardson has finally moved on ever since his girlfriend, Ali, disappeared after they were attacked. Until Ali’s car is found with a cryptic,
coded note and an envelope that states “if something happens to me..”

I really liked this clever and unique thriller. I didn’t realize how much I was into it until a major twist about halfway through. I was in a bit of shock as all the past chapters I read began to make even more sense. Then my sense of awe did not leave until the end. Actually not true.. it’s still there. This is my favorite Finlay novel so far!

“What did you think was going to happen to you, Allison Lane?”

If Something Happens to Me comes out 5/28.

Alex Finlay’s newest novel is sure to please his fans. Told from three perspectives, this fast paced thriller would make for a great summer read.

Five years ago, Ali went missing, and her boyfriend shouldered public condemnation. He’s trying to move forward but pieces of the unsolved crime come to surface and he’s forced to revisit the past.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books.

Maybe it’s because this was an uncorrected digital copy, but this story lacked cohesiveness. It took me quite awhile before I even recognized that the story spanned several time periods in the main characters’ lives. It would have helped if there were dates at each part or even a “five years later” to help understand the connections.

What initially seemed like a kidnapping and murder became a blend of mob activity; a failed witness protection, teenage love gone awry, etc. And most of this lacked substance and believability. This feels like it’s needs more work before it gets published for the masses.

When I say this is the BEST thriller book I’ve read in a while I can’t even begin to explain how stuck this book had me!! It’s like a good girls guide to murder on steroids plus mafia plus so much more amazingness! I will be purchasing this book even though I ARC read it. I feel like thrillers have been repetitive with plot but Alex Finlay you did your damn thing with bringing a new twist into thriller! Absolutely loved it!

If Something Happens To Me was a story about high school sweethearts Alison and Ryan and one fateful night that separated them forever. Ryan was suspected of murdering Alison but there is no body and no proof. The book starts off setting the scene of the night in question from Ryan’s perspective. Throughout the story we become familiar with Poppy, the detective on the case when Alison’s car is recovered years later under water in a town lake. Inside a cryptic message sends everyone on the hunt to see what Alison meant when she wrote, “If something happens to me…” It was a good read. It had several twists. There were a lot of characters to keep up with but it was a great story.

This was another fun thriller from Alex Finlay.

It was very fast-paced and I really liked the different povs. It had some nice twists and surprises.

I thought the storyline was really interesting, and I really enjoyed how the characters' lives intersected with one another.

What do I think of Alex Finlay’s newest book?

I loved it! He always brings his A-game to his stories, and once again he blew me away with this fun, fast-paced, pulse-pounding, mafia-laced thriller!

In a story epitomized by secrets, lies and revenge, it’s nearly impossible to know who to trust, and when the dead bodies start piling up and secrets are slowly revealed, it’s a race to see who’ll make it to the end!

No one was more surprised than me that I enjoyed this so much. I’m not a super huge fan of crime family stories, but this pulled me in from the jump with super speedy chapters and a constant flow of action and intrigue. I couldn’t wait to get back to it every time I had to step away. With great characters, world travel and a wildly engaging story, I can definitely see this making its way to the big screen at some point, and I’ll be in line for it!

You may be tempted to think this is just a fluff action story with one-dimensional mafia goons, naive small-town characters and young adults in peril, but the thing I loved most about this story is how wonderfully human and accessible ALL these characters are. It would be easy to just say mafia = BAD, but Finlay shows a vulnerable side of every character that allowed me to feel empathy, though not approval, of even the worst actions they took. That’s a tough trick to pull off, but he did it beautifully. I finished the story having liked or sympathized in some way with every major character!

I highly recommend it!

5 stars

I went back and forth between the audio and the ebook. I'm so happy I had access to both because I couldn't stop this one. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Trying to figure out how all the different POVs fit together was just a puzzle that I couldn't get enough of. I always go in blind and I would recommend that you do the same if you can. I feel going in blind with thrillers just makes the twists that much twistier and the turns that much more curvier. You don't know where you're supposed to go. You don't have any preconceived ideas of what the book is about.

Normally I have some sort of idea what's going on and start picking up on little things, but, honestly, idk if the book was just THAT GOOD or if I'm extra tired from work being crazy, but I didn't see this one coming until right before it happened. My jaw literally dropped. I had to pause the audio and just stared at my phone for a few seconds. I then grabbed the ebook to make sure I didn't hear that wrong.

The twists! The turns! The heartbreak! Picture it, I'm Charlie Day with red string all over my mind trying to piece everything together. IYKYK. I literally just finished and maybe the excitement/sadness of it being over (THAT EPILOGUE) is heightening my love for this book, but I hope not.

This is my first Alex Finlay book (although his entire catalogue is already on my TBR) and this book just made me oh so very excited to dive into the rest of them. Helen Laser, John Pirhalla, and Paul Dateh did such good jobs narrating this book. All the characters were brought to life in such a believable way.

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the ARC and ALC of this wonderful book.

If Something Happens to Me introduces us to Poppy, ex-military/current police officer, and I hope to have the opportunity to read more featuring her and her world! I will also seek out more by Alex Finlay if this is indicative of his work!
This action-packed, rollicking thriller is perfect for shutting out the world, forgetting your problems and falling into a different world from your own (hopefully 😉) I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks to #netgalley and #minotaurbokks for this eARC to read.

I’ve got to say, I was quite impressed with this one! I’m not usually one for books involving crime families but I really enjoyed If Something Happens to Me. It just took me 2 days to read it once I started, with breaks to work and sleep. This is my second book by @alexfinlayauthor and I’m definitely a fan! The characters were well developed and relatable, and I was rooting for Ryan! This book is told through multiple POV throughout and that really helped to keep me invested and to get a better understanding of the characters.

Listening to the audiobook of “If Something Happens to Me” by Alex Finlay was an unforgettable experience. The story’s gripping narrative and complex characters had me completely immersed. Ryan Richardson’s harrowing journey to uncover the truth behind his girlfriend’s disappearance is both heart-wrenching and exhilarating. Finlay’s skillful storytelling, combined with the excellent narration, made for a thrilling listen that I couldn’t pause. The twists and turns kept me guessing, and the emotional depth of the story resonated with me deeply. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves a good mystery with a strong emotional core

wow. i must say i was not expecting anything but this book gave me everything.

this was my first approach to this author and it didn’t disappoint, i enjoyed it so much!

unputdownable and intense, this book grabs you from the start and it doesn’t let you go until you hit the end.

full of twists and turns with characters that are so well developed, this should be your next read.

This is my 3rd Alex Finlay read and when I think of him I know I’ll get a twisty story with characters I like and root for...well maybe not all of them but you know what I mean. If Something Happens To Me was that kind of read.

Beginning with that mysterious night 5 years prior I read a story with multiple POVs (that weren’t confusing), lots of characters, locations and intrigue.

If Something Happens To Me is the story of Ryan and his search for the truth of what happened 5 years ago and why. There were many twists, red herrings and a nice fast pace that kept me turning the pages. It has a release date of May 28th, I highly recommended for those that love to get lost in the pages.

My thanks to Minotaur Books for a digital arc (via Netgalley) in exchange for a honest review.