I really enjoyed this book, I think it would be a great book to read during the summer time. I also was pleasantly surprised to read that FBI special Agent Sarah Keller was in this book. I also really liked that the chapters were quick, it made me get through the book really quickly. Alex Finlay never disappoints!

I’ve liked all of the books by this author that I’ve read. It’s a good police procedural, but I like how it includes the families’ and students’ perspectives. Short chapters are always good. I liked the college setting. I did feel as though the ending was a little rushed but overall I enjoyed it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Parents Weekend
By Alex Finlay
Publisher: St Martin’s Press

This is a fast paced thriller about a group of kids who go missing on Parents Weekend at their college. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep your interest peaked. You follow each family as well as the FBI agent assigned to the case.
I enjoy Alex’s writing style. Short chapters really keep things moving.

Every character was so well written I forgot I was reading and this whole suspenseful movie played! When 5 students go missing a lot of secrets become uncovered by the FBI and the ending will shock you

Alex Finlay has a talent for writing twisty thrillers that are quick reads and sometimes that’s exactly what I want. His upcoming book Parents Weekend is another shining example. I wouldn’t say I was on the edge of my seat but I was certainly invested and surprised plenty of times along the way! I also love thrillers with a college setting which is exactly what this was! I read the book as well as listened to the audiobook. The audiobook was narrated by one of my faves Brittany Presley so that was a treat as always!

I love Alex Finlay's books, and I enjoyed this one as well, though not as much as his others, it was still good. This story was a bit harder to follow at first because of all the families and characters, but after a few chapters, I got used to them. I didn’t really like any of the characters' personalities, they were all pretty messed up, which I know is the point, but I appreciated the way Finlay told the story and how he wrapped it up. I didn’t care much for the final chapters about what happened to the kids afterward, but I understand why they were included. Keep writing, Finlay! I love your books and the stories you come up with.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Five groups of parents are visiting their children at their prestigious college. They set up a dinner reservation together, only none of their kids show up. The disappearance of “The Five” takes off on social media as police are called in to investigate. What have these kids gotten up to that will surely disappoint their affluent families?

This book had a promising premise, but I found the execution to be off. There was a big cast of characters that was hard to keep track of at times. I found it repetitive of some familiar tropes and I needed more of a twist. I did like reading about Agent Keller again from The Night Shift by him. I have read quite a few by this author and only one has really stood out to me, and it wasn’t this one. I think I will not be revisiting his writing again.

Five Students and their parents are set for their freshman Parent's Weekend Dinner at this northern California college. Almost all from wealthy and somewhat dysfunctional families and one student whose mom works in the dean's office. But The Five, as they become known, never show up for the dinner and no one is answering their phone. All of this on the heels of another student found dead in one of the caves by the ocean.

Campus police are called and and when signs become disturbing as one student is the son of the Assistant Secretary of State, FBI agent Sarah Keller joins the search.

Is someone seeking revenge on one of the affluent parents? Is there a serial killer out there? Through individual looks at each of the families we get drawn in each families distinct stories. This was my first time reading Alex Finlay and I will be sure to find some other titles by this author. I could not put this one down. Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for the opportunity to read this Advance Reader's Copy.

5 very different students from a private northern California are missing, and it is parents’ weekend at the school. This isn’t good for a school that had a student die recently. Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them. This is a very fast-moving thriller. Perfect for the beach or pool!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books #ParentsWeekend #NetGalley

A terrifying weekend for 5 sets of parents and their college students. It's parents weekend at Santa Clara University and everyone is excited to finish off their first year with a group capstone dinner. However, none of the kids show and the parents are miffed. But, they remember what college was life, and figure the kids are just partying. This quickly becomes unlikely, once the parents realize that a student at Santa Clara recently lost her life. Could that have anything to do with the kids' disappearance? This will be definitely be one parents weekend no one will forget.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this digital e-arc.*

3.5⭐️
This was a fast paced read that kept me turning the pages. I always enjoy an Alex Finlay thriller and this was no exception, as we followed an FBI agent trying to find a group of college students who disappeared during Parents Weekend. But I saw the ending miles away, so there weren’t many surprises. Still entertaining though.

Parents Weekend By Alex Finlay is a fast paced thriller that takes place at a university in Northern California. The story follows five families and a FBI special agent as they all try to figure out where the university students have disappeared to during parents weekend. Each POV details different family dynamics and the way the cope and deal with the missing kids.
Special agent Sarah Keller gives off the confident get it done vibes that one could compare to Law and Order SVU's Olivia Benson. She is finding creative ways to solve the case and trying to rescue the kids before it's too late.
We would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fast pace thrillers with winding storylines and multiple POVs in the same timeline. We fell in love with the characters and the twist were just enough to follow along easily. We give it 5 stars, because it was engaging and a page turner. Thank you NetGalley and Alex Finlay for letting us read and review this before the release.

Okay, looking back, I see that I have read one other book from Alex Finlay, “What Have We Done”, and I gave it a 3. This book is better. Finlay really makes you think about who could have taken the five college students who are missing. There are multiple motives and red herrings. I loved the character of Special Agent Sarah Keller, and I need to read the other books where she is the main character. Love me a smart, capable woman!

There are some sexual references in here, but it veers to the next scene without being totally explicit. There’s one scene close to the beginning that turned sexual extremely abruptly in a totally inappropriate place, and I was jolted out of the book. That would never happen, and I have no idea why it was included.

I liked getting in the heads of multiple characters and trying to figure out the clues.

I think that there are some good messages in here about family, doing the right thing, consequences and most of all, our own prejudices.

I look forward to more stories about Special Agent Keller—please continue to write strong female characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the eARC. I am writing this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this book - much more than I thought I would, given that What Have We Done and Every Last Fear were middle of the road reads for me. Much like Every Last Fear, I really enjoyed the relationship between Sarah and Bob, and they continue to be adorable (although maybe veering into a little too good to be true). I found the story to be pretty engaging and despite a HUGE cast of characters, didn't have too much trouble keeping them all straight, which leads me to believe that the author did a pretty good job in allowing each a unique voice. The mystery itself was a little on the weak side, but it didn't detract from the experience. The behaviour of the students was pretty much what I expected but, wow, were those parents a hot mess.

The story was written via multiple points of view in past and present. I was on the edge of my seat at the end there was lots of action which I enjoyed. I liked the short chapters. This was not a predictable read for me. I did enjoy the conclusion. There were some twists and turns too.

Parents Weekend is the new book from Alex Finlay.

"Five families plan a dinner for the first night of Parents Weekend to celebrate the school year with their kids. But the kids never show up. Campus police think they're just being irresponsible but as time drags on, they don't answer calls or texts and no one has seen them. What is the common thread between the families? Where are the students?"

This is a dual-timeline story - present day, looking for the kids and then the backstory that led to their disappearance. Special Agent Sarah Kellar is back (Every Last Fear, Night Shift) All of the parents have some issues so that you're never quite sure who it could be. There is a Brad character. He's a parent described as having a "meaty face and a paunch" with "a dark mat of chest hair" and does drugs on the way to the weekend. Brads can't catch a break. There's some intense moments before the final reveals.

This is one of Finlay's best books so far. Look for it on the beach this summer.

Parents Weekend follows the mystery of five college students who vanish during the opening festivities of Parents Weekend at a small Northern California college. As panic sets in and investigations unfold, secrets about the students' families and their relationships emerge, with FBI Agent Sarah Keller returning to unravel the truth. Told from multiple perspectives, the thriller explores family dysfunction, expectations, and the bonds formed in college dorms.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would- I picked up this ARC from NetGalley several times and couldn't initially get into it but after the first few chapters- I flew through this. I loved seeing Sarah Keller again from some of his previous books. Highly recommend.

Because I have enjoyed Alex Finlay's previous works, with The Night Shift and If Something Happens to Me, being recent faves. When I saw “Parents Weekend”, I knew I would likely enjoy the read!

When the Five are a group of freshman students who are TikTok famous for their podcasting, fail to show up to Santa Clara University’s Parents Weekend kickoff dinner. The Campus Police seem not be overly concerned and presume youthful shenanigans at first, but they are also nervous about another campus scandal after after not taking a call about another missing student seriously and was later found dead. From there the chapters are from multiple POV, but although at times a bit confusing and a tad uneven, we get the full story and perspective. The book also features the return of FBI agent Keller from the Night Shift, so that's a pleasant surprise.

My takeaway is that this author tends to write both adult and youth voices well and his plots are always engaging and twisty. I liked it and would recommend!

2.5 🌟 rounded down

Please, authors, I beg of you - don't make me keep track of that many characters ever again, this isn't Game of Thrones 🫠

Nearly every chapter changed POV. There are the missing 5, their parents, college staff, the FBI agent, her family members, various cops/security detail, other college students, etc etc. My god just stop it.

Besides that, it was just okay. Not much depth is explored for the characters because there are so many of them. You get to know the parents better than the kids who are missing. The parents aren't particularly likeable, either. I mainly liked Agent Keller and her family. I didn't feel much tension build up or anything throughout the plot. Side plots seemed to resolve nearly immediately. It was a very quick read though, I'll give it that. I would give Finlay another shot because I liked If Something Happens to Me.

Recommended for popcorn thriller readers who have a good memory for characters.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.