This was a fast-paced thriller that kept me hooked from the beginning. The twists were genuinely surprising and I found myself constantly second-guessing what I thought I knew. I typically do not enjoy lots of back and forth with alternating viewpoints but it worked with this story and I felt gave it more depth. I found myself in these parents shoes and freaking out with them.

The twists and turns we love in an Alex Finlay are back and ready to have you so invested.

1. I actually really liked "The Five" but wished it was more of them and less parents.

2. Parents are the worst. I mean it definitely made the story but why are some people the way they are 😅😅😅 *All parents should be like Bob.

3. Sarah Keller is back! IYKYK. If you don't please go back and read Every Last Fear and thank me later.

4. I love multiple POVs. It does take longer to set the scene but in my opinion worth it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book.

I absolutely love thrillers that start out kind of in the middle of everything and you have to keep reading to figure out what the heck is going on. This book is EXACTLY that. We start with five kids trapped in a. cave, and all I wanted to know was who they were and how they got there. Then we get chapters from each family and I wanted to know how everything fit together! Of course there are red herrings, and several twists, but by the end of the book I was racing to find out the whys and the whats.

I liked the FBI agent Keller's chapters because they kind of stitched everything together for us. I enjoyed her in the two other books she's featured in, so I wasn't surprised I liked her chapters here too.

The thing I didn't really like was the big reveal at the end. I found it predictable, and kind of off putting, to be honest. I was hoping it would be someone out of the blue, where I'd be like "WHAT?!" It just hit me wrong, I guess.

If you love dark academia with a twist of domestic suspense, buckle up—Parents Weekend delivers all the juicy drama, buried secrets, and breathless pacing you’ve come to expect from Alex Finlay. 🔍🎓

Set at an elite college in Northern California, this twisty thriller kicks off when five freshmen mysteriously vanish on the eve of a celebratory dinner with their parents. At first, it seems like a typical college ghosting… until hours turn into days, and the search unearths more questions than answers. With dual timelines and multiple POVs—including the return of fan-favorite FBI agent Sarah Keller—Finlay weaves a web of family dysfunction, generational secrets, and the fragile friendships that define our coming-of-age years.

The characters are messy in the best way—especially the parents, who are just as compelling (and suspicious 👀) as their missing kids. I was especially hooked by how Finlay explores themes of privilege, expectation, and the legacy of our choices. And yes, the twists keep coming until the very last page. 🤯

This was a tough one to review, because I didn't NOT like it, but I also didn't like it. I really liked the FBI agent character, and the other parents were an interesting peek into some very dysfunctional lives. But overall this felt implausible and over the top. The end especially was really rushed. I would rate this 3/5 stars. Just OK. Not great, but not terrible.

So good! Alex Finlay is amazing at writing a book that I quite literally do not want to put down! I also would be thinking about it and wondering what happens next when I wasn't reading.
Also, I have been to a lot of the places talked about in this book so it was cool to be able to envision it!
So so good!

Just when I thought Finlay couldn’t write another phenomenal thriller… here he comes with Parents Weekend and blew my expectations out of the water!
The premise immediately drew me in and I couldn’t predict where it would lead.
It was so well written and the characters were fantastic. I was interested from start to finish and read it quickly. The story was full of tons of unexpected twists and turns, which I loved.
The story just has so many twists and turns that the author takes you on a wonderfully written journey that you are sad when you are finished with the book. You will be surprised though along the way and that is what will keep you going to the next page. Excellent book along with wonderful characters.
If you need something fast-paced that will grab your attention from the start then this is the book for you.
“Parents Weekend” is a masterfully written thriller!

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

His son’s parents weekend freshman year inspired Alex Finlay’s latest thriller. A girl at the college is found dead and 4 parents can’t reach their teens. As the hunt for the missing students starts in earnest the POV alternates between FBI Agent Sarah Keller, the various parents and occasionally a glimpse in to the kids’ ordeal. All of the parents are a bit dysfunctional in their own right, with so many secrets, Keller is not short for leads - just time. Readers will feel nostalgic for college and likely identify with a parent’s hopes and dreams too.

Five college students vanish during Parents Weekend—cue the chaos. Alex Finlay's Parents Weekend starts with a killer premise and an irresistible hook. For the first quarter, I was in - like, "ignore my responsibilities" in. It's fast, it's fun, it's messy in the best way.

The story bounces between multiple POVs, which keeps things moving and makes it hard to fully connect with any one character. Some voices were stronger than others, and a tighter focus would've made the emotional stakes hit harder. The drama picks back up toward the end, and the final act delivers.

This was my first Alex Finlay book, and despite a mid-story slowdown, I'm definitely returning for more. If you like campus thrillers, buried secrets, and stories that could easily be the next Netflix limited series, go ahead and say yes to Parents Weekend.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for an advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thanks to @stmartinspress for a gifted eARC.
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Parents Weekend also kept me hooked from start to finish. Five college kids go missing during, you guessed it, Parents Weekend. Besides the kids add in some sketchy, high-profile parents and secrets galore, and you’ve got the perfect binge read. This story unfolded layer by layer as we tried to figure out what actually happened.
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There were a lot of characters to keep track of at first, but once I got into the groove, I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read Parents weekend by Alex Finlay. I enjoyed his previous book, If something happens to me, that I decided to request this one. I really wanted to like it, but too many characters narrating just made it a bit too busy to really enjoy the plot. The other small issue is a personal one, and probably won't bother other readers. A character from The night shift, FBI Agent Sarah Keller, returns for a 3rd time. I do prefer to read series or connected books in order because I love to see the characters developing over time. I am definitely planning on reading The night shift because I did like Sarah's character.

When a college student turns up dead, and 5 others missing, Parent's Weekend turns into that of nightmares. Students whose only common tie is an assigned group bringing a diversity of parents to their weekend. When the students fail to show for Parent's Weekend dinner, everyone is starting to ask questions -- but not everyone is ready for the answers.

Unfortunately, I think 5 college students was a little too many with how deep this plot went. Each student also had a family dynamic, creating upwards of 10 characters that I was trying to keep straight. The book was dark and creative, but unfortunately just left me a little scrambled.

3 stars. It was good but I expected more. I felt like it took a long time to get moving and once the action finally started, the ending was rushed.

When teenagers go missing during a parents weekend, the novel's plot line shine. Brilliantly executed with deep characterization and a mystery i was thoroughly engrossed in. Not to be missed.

QUICK GLANCE-
My format: 📱ebook ARC
Other formats: 📖Physical (320 pages) and🎧Audio (7 hours and 24 minutes)
Spice: 🌶️
Language: 🤐🤐moderate
PUBLICATION DATE: May 6, 2025

MY THOUGHTS-
Alex Finlay has officially landed on my must-read list! This was my first book by him, and I can’t wait to dive into more of his work. At first, the college parent drama had me wondering if this one would be my cup of tea, but once the thriller and mystery elements kicked in, I was completely hooked. The pacing is relentless, keeping me on edge from start to finish. If you love fast-moving thrillers, this one delivers in full force. My only critique? The sheer number of characters—it’s a lot to juggle! But overall, a gripping read that kept me invested until the final page.

💨 Short chapters
📲Solving a mystery with social media
🏫College Setting
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Multiple POV
🍿Popcorn thriller

✨ Have you added Parents Weekend to your TBR yet? And if you’ve read any of Alex’s previous works, which one is your favorite? ✨

Thank you @netgalley, @alexfinlayauthor, and @minotaurbooks for the opportunity to read and review this book! This one releases May 6th!

I always love an Alex Finlay mystery and Parents Weekend definitely kept me guessing. I had no idea how the missing kids were connected, if their parents’ past misdeeds were related, or how anything fit together.

There were a lot of characters and families to keep track of but Finlay did a good job of giving reminders and setting the reader up with the right information. I also listened to the audio and full cast helped with keeping everyone straight.

The novel is fast paced with countless red herrings. Just when you think you’re on the right track, something else throws you off. It was definitely surprising and if there was a way to solve the mystery, I never got there on my own!

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and St Martins Press for the copy.

PARENTS WEEKEND has all the makings of a polarizing thriller: it's a fast-paced popcorn thriller which I think will have some people *loving it* but it's also a thriller with a lot of point of view characters and not much depth which I think will make it a let down for others.

For me, PARENTS WEEKEND falls clearly in the latter category. I did find it was a quick read that was fast-paced enough to keep my attention but there were SO SO many characters to follow. I struggled keeping my mind wrapped around them all and because there were so many, I also found they didn't really stand out as individual characters and there was no one that I was particularly attached to or rooting for.

I was so hoping that the twists would make up for some of the flat characters and make PARENTS WEEKEND a popcorn thriller worth recommending... but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I just found the twists... underwhelming, underdeveloped and just too over the top.. I don't need my thrillers to be believable, but if a twist is going to be over the top, I need it to make sense and be grounded in the plot. This just did not to it at all for me.

Like I just told your boss: never send in a man to do a woman’s job.” She turns, faces Keller. Her voice is steady but her eyes look shattered. “Now go find my son.” - @alexfinlayauthor

It’s parents’ weekend at Santa Clara University. 5 families become inextricably linked in three days time. Their children are all friends and they’re also all missing.

The Roosevelts- Blane (freshman) and Cynthia (mom), Hank (dad)
The Maldonados- Stella (freshman), David (dad), Nina (mom)
The Goffmans- Felix (freshman), Alice (mom)
The Akanas- Libby (freshman), Amy (mom), Ken (dad)
The Kellers- Sarah, Bob, and their twins, Heather and Michael

Sarah (FBI agent) and her family have moved to Cali to care for her husband’s ailing father. She quickly becomes point in the search for 4, or is it 5, missing freshman. She navigates the players, clues, and drama in this quick paced thriller that will keep you entertained as it speeds down its windy road of twists and turns.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this #advancedreaderscopy - pub date was the beginning of May. Go grab this one!

#2025bookchallengebook38of100
#parentsweekend
#netgalley

This was a book I could easily read in 2 days. The suspense had me going and waiting to see the next turn. However, it felt like it fell a little flat with how it wrapped up. I did like seeing how everyone/ all the events in their lives were interwoven

Five college students go missing the weekend their parents are in town. This was a quick easy read. The ending was a bit abrupt, but overall would recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.