When a group of college kids goes missing, the search for answers begins. This was a book with a lot of different characters and personalities. I enjoyed following the clues until the culprit was finally revealed.

Parents Weekend sounded like the setup for a tense, twisty thriller. Five college students never show up for a campus event for their parents, and everyone is left wondering if they’re just kids being kids, or if something more sinister is taking place. And while the story had potential and kept me curious enough to keep reading, it fell a bit flat for me. The writing felt a little rough and lacked description, and the characters didn’t have much depth or growth and I wasn’t all that interested in any of them. I also didn’t find it all that thrilling, more of a basic mystery with very little suspense and a lackluster “plot twist”. Overall, not awful, but not great. One of those books that I’ll forget about in the next week.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had the opportunity to read Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay, and it was a fantastic, fast-paced thriller. The story follows the mysterious disappearance of five college students just as their parents arrive for Parents Weekend. The plot kept me hooked from the start, and I found the character development easy to follow and well-executed.

I really enjoyed Finlay’s writing style—his pacing was spot on, and there were moments of humor woven in that added a nice touch to the suspense. This was a well-developed, engaging read, and I’m definitely looking forward to picking up more of his work in the future.

Freshmen at a high-caliber California college are expected to meet their parents for dinner during Parents Weekend. However, they never arrive. Each child's parent(s) is from a different walk of life, so why would all five students in the group go missing? FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller has not even been on the West Coast for her new assignment for 48 hours when she gets brought into the search. Can she help save the students before it is too late?

Parents Weekend is a fast-paced thriller with lots of characters and a moving plot. Alex Finlay keeps you guessing right up to the end. You will not be disappointed with a great summer read!

Advanced reading copy provided by Netgalley, Minotaur, St Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

Sarah Keller, Campus Chaos, and the World’s Most Awkward Family Weekend
Review: The setup should be simple. A cozy college Parents Weekend in Northern California, full of overpriced campus hoodies, awkward small talk, and forced smiles over tepid chardonnay. But instead of the usual university fluff, five students go missing—and within hours, a wine-and-cheese welcome turns into a full-blown federal investigation.

The missing students—Libby, Blane, Felix, Stella, and Mark—were all close, all living in the same dorm, and all gone before their parents even finished their cocktails. And just days after the tragic death of another student, Natasha Belov, the school’s carefully polished image shatters. The parents panic. The campus scrambles. And the FBI calls in someone who doesn’t rattle easy: Special Agent Sarah Keller.

If you’ve read Alex Finlay’s earlier books, you already know Keller. If not—welcome to your new favorite fed. She’s cool, competent, endlessly steady, and blessedly free of tortured backstory nonsense. She’s also in town temporarily, staying with her husband Bob (aka the gold standard of fictional spouses) and their kids while caring for her father-in-law. But make no mistake—Keller’s not playing backup here. She’s front and center, cutting through red tape and parental chaos with surgical precision.

And there is plenty of chaos to cut through. These parents are a whole story unto themselves: a State Department power player with a security detail and no time for small talk, a former writer-turned-teacher still haunted by his son’s childhood abduction, a plastic surgeon barely pretending not to cheat on his wife, a school administrator stretched to her breaking point, a judge whose high-profile convictions don’t make him any better at managing grief. They’re messy. They’re self-important. They’re sometimes insufferable. But they also feel real. Flawed in ways that hit too close to home, especially when it comes to how much—or how little—they actually know their kids.

The story unfolds across multiple perspectives and timelines, bouncing between Keller, one of the missing students, and the parents unraveling in real time. It’s fast-paced, with short, punchy chapters and that signature Finlay rhythm that makes it dangerously easy to say “just one more” until suddenly it’s 2 a.m. The emotional core, though, doesn’t sit with the kids. It sits with the people left behind, the ones who are forced to confront the gaps in their relationships and the secrets they’d rather not resurface.

That said, this isn’t Finlay’s twistiest book. The mystery moves, but it’s not razor-sharp. The students—"The Five,” as the internet quickly brands them—never fully come into focus, which blunts some of the urgency around their disappearance. The final twist works, but it doesn’t gut-punch. It’s less “WHAT?!” and more “Yeah, that tracks.” And honestly, that’s fine—but if you’re coming in expecting a labyrinth of reveals, you might walk away wishing the stakes had landed harder.

But for character drama? For juicy, layered family tension and a heroine who never flinches when things get messy? This one delivers. It’s a slow build that finds its groove in the back half, and by the end, you’re not just reading for the resolution—you’re reading because you want to see how Keller handles it. And she does. Gracefully. Quietly. Without the flair, but with all the firepower.

3.5 stars. It didn’t hit as hard as his earlier thrillers, and the emotional payoff felt a little too neat. But Keller remains a standout, and if this book is laying the groundwork for more cases with her at the center? I’ll be the first in line. I just hope the next one brings a little more depth—and a lot more teeth.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for an ARC.

Reading in Between the Wines book review #40/125 for 2025:
Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷
Book: Parents Weekend
Author: Alex Finlay
RELEASES on May 6, 2025!!!

Sipping thoughts: Parents Weekend was a near dear idea for me as I gear up to my daughter going to college in just a few short years. It is a parent’s nightmare for their child to go missing. But can you imagine 5 missing children?! This was a mystery that had a LOT of suspects and moving pieces. Be prepared to take notes if you are anything like me. It was initially hard to keep up with the characters, but I finally was able to keep them in order. The reveal was not far-fetched and made a lot of sense. I was surprised with one of the ending deaths, and it was very sad. I enjoyed this one from Finlay and look forward to his next release.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @StMartinsPress for an advanced copy of @ParentsWeekend.

#ParentsWeekend #AlexFinlay #StMartinsPress #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bokreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Fast-paced, twisty, and full of tension—Parents Weekend is exactly what a crime lover wants in a thriller. When a college campus turns into a crime scene, secrets unravel and nothing is as it seems.

This is a twisty, suspenseful mystery set at a private college in Northern California. Five students go missing during Parents Weekend. What connects them? What secrets are their parents hiding? And will they make it back alive?

I loved unraveling each family's story—so many layers and secrets to uncover. My favorite character? Hands down, FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller. She was a total standout.

This was my first Alex Finlay novel, but definitely not my last. Solid, fast-paced mystery that kept me hooked from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

This was a quick fun read. Alex Finlay is becoming one of my favorite authors. I love stories set in college campuses, but this one also had family drama and FBI investigators. Can’t go wrong with any of those but to have all three in one - fantastic!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of ”Parents Weekend” in exchange for my honest opinion. I was definitely hooked from the very beginning. It does a nice job of slowly building suspense and sharing just enough from each of the families to keep the reader guessing. There are likable characters with enough conflict to keep you interested from beginning to end. I never felt like I truly had it figured out and enjoyed the suspense. I would recommend this book and plan to read his other books this summer.

Five friends in the same college cohort go missing on the night they’re supposed to meet their parents for dinner. The parents, who don’t know each other, awkwardly sit and wonder if their kids stood them up on purpose or if they are all just running late. Soon it is apparent the students are missing, but why? Another student’s death earlier in the week has everyone on edge as Agent Keller and the campus police chief are left to finite our where the students are and why they might all be missing.

I do love books set in an academic setting. We are at beautiful Northern California on parents weekend when 5 kids are missing. The story is told in so many POV that I lost track of which parent belongs to which kid.

It was great to see Agent Sarah Keller from Night Shift back and my favorite POV. Unforgettable with so many POV, I lost interest in the story and wasn't vested in any of the characters and the story moved slowly.

Once you find out what happens, it was a bit unrealistic. Brittany Presley is one of my favorite narrators but I think with so many POV, it would have been more suitable to have multiple narrators.

Thank you @minotaur_books @macmillan.audio for a copy of the audiobook.

A private college in northern CA is thrown into chaos when a group of students goes missing on parents’ weekend. The story is narrated from the prospectives of the parents, the students and the FBI agent working the case. I liked the setting and the fast pace of this but it wasn’t my favorite of Finlay’s. The plot was a little out there and didn’t seem entirely plausible to me. With so many characters it was difficult to keep them all straight. An ok read but Finlay has definitely done better.

This book was such a fast-paced read! The setup is instantly intriguing—five college freshmen go missing during Parents Weekend, and the mystery only deepens from there. I loved how the story jumped between timelines and different points of view; it kept me hooked. The mix of family drama, college vibes, and true crime-style twists made it impossible to stop reading. And seeing FBI Agent Sarah Keller again was absolutely welcomed; love her! If you’re into thrillers that keep you guessing with multiple intriguing and twisty charcter arcs, definitely pick this one up.

Thank you Alex Finlay, Macmillan Audio, St. Martins Press, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This is my second book by Finlay, and I’m quickly learning his books are bingeable, fast reads, perfect for a free Saturday afternoon. As the title suggests, this takes place over a college’s Parents Weekend, starting with the disappearance of five college freshman who fail to show up to the family dinner. While the twist and culprits were fairly obvious from early on, I enjoyed the quick pace and few sensationalist side stories this offered.

I think the number of point of views and the lack of character development may be an issue for some, but if you are a fan of Finlay’s or looking for a few hours of escape, then I think you’ll enjoy this.

I read some of this book and also listened to it on audiobook.

Feedback on the book.
This is my first Alex Finlay book and I’ll be back! It’s not a top thriller book for me but I still enjoyed the journey!
I will say I had it figured out before the end however there was a death I wasn’t expecting.

I liked how you got to know multiple characters and their families, which can sometimes get very confusing however it was done in a very simplified matter and was easy to follow!

I read this book fairly fast and was hooked to figure out how it was going to all play out.

Parents Weekend is a fast-paced thriller that follows the disappearance of 5 college students. Even though it had lots of characters (families of the five students, FBI agent Keller) I still find it easy to follow. Also, the narrative alternates between past and present, revealing secrets and tensions within each family as the plot thickens.

One of the minuses of having so many characters is that their development is lacking depth, making it difficult to connect with any of them. Also, towards the end, around 85% in, I already kind a knew what to expect so I didn't had that OH SHIT moment.

I think this is a 3,5 rounded up to 4 as I still enjoyed reading it!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy - all thoughts and opinions are my own!

Alex Finlay's Parent's Weekend is a thrillingly wild ride. Five students go missing shortly after a sixth student on campus has been found dead, and all of their parents were present for the campus's Parents Weekend. We see the return of FBI Agent Sarah Keller for this novel and I was so, so happy . I absolutely loved Finlay's The Night Shift, and I was excited not only to see Keller but to see callbacks. I hope she continues to return.

The pacing was great, Each student's background was a mystery that unraveled, and I was totally surprised by the twist. Highly recommend for any thriller fan!

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
Pub date: May 6, 2025
Rating: 4 stars

Family drama meets dark academia in Alex Finlay’s latest twisty thriller, Parents Weekend.

When five sets of parents show up on campus for Parents Weekend, they are surprised when their college-aged kids don’t show up for dinner. At first, it seems like typical college behavior — maybe they’re just blowing them off. But as time goes on, it becomes clear something much more serious is going on. The five students aren’t just missing dinner — they’ve disappeared.

As the search party begins, things get messy fast. Not only are there secrets revealed about the missing students, but the parents themselves are hiding things too. With five very different students involved, the big questions are: who would want to take all of them? And why?

This one was super bingeable — the short chapters made it easy to fly through, and I was hooked the whole time trying to figure out what was going on. It was almost a 5-star read for me, but I did feel like the ending wrapped up a bit too quickly. I would’ve liked a bit more time to let everything sink in. Still, Parents Weekend is a gripping campus thriller, that I'd recommend to fans of The It Girl by Ruth Ware or In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my gifted copy.

Parents Weekend was a popcorn thriller that kept me guessing till the end. Alex Finlay is an auto-read author for me, and if you are a fan I think you will enjoy this one.