Parents Weekend is the latest thriller from Alex Finlay, and it does not disappoint. Five college students disappear, their phones pinging in a remote park without a trace of the freshman. Told from multiple POV, and starting with a flashforward and then working to the prologue, the story hooked me from the first page. As the layers of secrets, lies, and betrayal fell away, I was left with a good mystery at the core. I will say, the twist was rather predictable, but still it was a good book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

When five college freshmen mysteriously vanish during Parents Weekend at an elite California campus, what begins as a missed dinner quickly spirals into a full-blown investigation. As panic spreads and secrets unravel, FBI Agent Sarah Keller is called in to untangle the truth behind the disappearances.

Before picking this one up, I read Every Last Fear and The Night Shift—both featuring Agent Keller - and gave them 5 stars each. They were so good! While all three of these books are technically stand-alones, I really liked getting to know Keller through her earlier cases first.

This one was a solid four stars for me. So many characters were introduced right away that it was tough to keep track of who was who. With such a big cast, it was also hard to connect with anyone - their individual storylines just didn't have enough depth. Once I got further in and the investigation picked up, I was way more into it!

Most of the story is told from the parents' POV, with a few chapters from the students - but Agent Keller's chapters were easily my favorite. Her chapters contained the most investigative elements and that's where this one really shined.

Overall, while it's not the most heart-pounding thriller, it was still a well-layered mystery that kept me guessing how all the pieces would come together.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was a very taught thriller that did keep me guessing and on the edge of my seat each chapter. Having read Ever Last Fear and The Night Shift, I was happy to see Agent Sarah Keller make a return. While Finlay's writing was as good as ever, I found the plot a little hard to follow, with so many characters, plot lines, and perspectives to follow. I was also a little disappointed with the conclusion of the story, but I still had a great time reading it and would recommend.

lex Finlay is back with another fast-paced thriller - this time set in the academic world, which I love, and featuring the return of FBI Agent Sarah Keller, which I also loved.

I struggled to keep track of the characters in the beginning - because there are a lot - but once I was able to sort out the who’s who the story became the bingeable read that I’ve come to expect from Finlay.

Even though I successfully predicted the who/why early on, I was fully engaged from start to finish and enjoyed watching the plot unfold.

Perfect amount of suspense, thriller, and crime procedural.

I loved the short chapters, the multiple POVs/family perspectives, and the gripping story. At first it did feel like a lot of characters and you have to know who “belongs” to whom, but I got acclimated quickly. Then it became such a good, fast read. I read the entire book in two sittings and was riveted the whole time.

There was no major twist, but I still felt satisfied with the conclusion and enjoyed the book as a whole.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An instant request: I love the other Alex Finlay books I’ve read. This was a fun thriller that I kept picking up whenever I found a few minutes to read. It was fun to see some recurring characters (you don’t need to have read his other books first). Of course, the drama was high and a bit unbelievable in parts, but I liked the characters and settings. Finlay does such a wonderful job when writing the settings of the books. There were so many characters in this book, and each had a developed personality/story. This would be a great vacation/beach read. 3.5 stars!!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the eARC.

In the cozy chaos of a small Northern California college’s Parents Weekend, five students mysteriously vanish—and the dinner tables stay set, untouched, and waiting. What starts as mild concern spirals into full-blown panic, media frenzy, and whispered secrets from the past. The kids of Campisi Hall—Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—are suddenly at the center of a chilling mystery... and their parents might know more than they’re letting on.

Told through multiple POVs (my fave!), Parents Weekend delivers tension, secrets, and that perfect “one more chapter” energy. Every voice brought something different to the table, and no one was safe from suspicion. Also, the crossover with FBI Agent Sarah Keller from The Night Shift was such a fun Easter egg for Finlay fans!

I’m calling this a palate cleanser thriller—which might sound strange, but it was just what I needed: fast-paced (320 pages that flew by), juicy secrets, and a campus drama that kept me guessing.

I really enjoyed this campus thriller!

An overall quick thriller to keep me interested. This was my introduction to Alex Finlay and I had a good time with Parents Weekend.

It did take me a bit of time to differentiate between the characters. I found myself confusing one for the other, being surprised by someone's actions thinking it was a completely different person. And due to the characters, the story takes a bit to get going, one of those 'you're lost until you're almost there' feelings. I don't typically go into stories looking to get emotionally invested into characters, but the college students felt a little too child-like. But I can understand that's probably the targeted tone - these college students acting as if they're adults in the real-world when actuality they are not.

But I gotta say, if there's one thing I do enjoy, unlikeable characters. The parents had their flaws on full display in this one and their disfunction was a main driving point that kept me interested. I just had to know how their kids ended up the way they did and the driving force behind some of the parents' decision-making.

I have always enjoyed Alex Finlay's stories and this one did not disappoint. It draws you in from the very first chapter. When five college students don't show up for their weekend dinner with parents as planned, everyone thinks they are just avoiding the evening. The next morning, everyone is panicked as it's not like these kids to disappear and not keep in contact with their parents. FBI Agent Sarah Keller has just moved to the area and is thrown into the case immediately. With one girl already dead and ruled an accidental drowning, the race is on to find out what happened to the five and are these cases linked. The story will keep you on the edge of your seat. I will say I guessed what was coming and was right, which is rare! I also had the privilage of reading this one and listening. The narration is fantastic! This one did not disappoint. Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur books for the ARC.

I love Alex Finlay novels because they are always entertaining and action packed. This one is no different. I’m a fan of an academic setting so this one immediately drew me in. I was here for all the secrets and parent drama. I do wish we had a bit more time to get to know the students more deeply because I didn’t feel super invested in them. The chapters are short which makes this one even more bingeable. I didn’t guess the ending either which is always a plus for me! I’d recommend this to anyone who needs a fast paced, twisty suspense book!

3.5⭐️

🔍What to expect…
▫️a lot of shady characters
▫️strong female characters
▫️layered mystery

👯‍♀️ Read-Alikes
▪️The Night Shift
▪️Only If You’re Lucky

Not one student missing, but five in Finlay's latest novel. Parents Weekend is fast-paced thriller as time is not on these students side at their private college in southern California.

We meet the parents and learn the good, bad and ugly of their privileged lives. There is nothing better than reading a book about rich people behaving badly.

Addictive, entertaining and bit predictable on the culprit.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books

🏫𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗗🏫
𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔯
🗓️𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝟼, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻
🤩𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 𝟜 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤! ★★★★!
🎧𝖠𝗎𝖽𝗂𝗈 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽: 𝖣𝖤𝖥!

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...it’s parents weekend. Five families realize their kids don’t show up to their dinner after learning one student was found dead just a few hours prior….

🪻𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢...I love Alex Finlay books so I was pumped to receive the ALC & the ARC for this newest edition to his collection! 🥳🤩 If you are familiar with his past ones too, you get a great surprise of one of the POVs being the FBI agent from two of his previous novels. She’s such a badass! 👊 The other POVs are the families of the 5 students that go missing so yes, it’s intense group to keep up with, but I found it super easy with the audio. These families are complete & utter train wrecks 😆 so I of course gobbled up their drama viciously. 😋 This one has received many mixed reviews, but I found it perfectly paced with just the right amount of terrifying thrill. 👌It was the type of thriller that was very real..which to me is the scariest type. 😱So glad I had the audio version for this one & highly recommend this format. 🎧🤩

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Minotaur books and Netgalley for providing me a copy. I have read several books by Alex Finlay and was delighted to be happy to get an arc. I think this book was a little jumpy and to many characters found it confusing to follow. I think I recently read this storyline so it wasn't original.

Solid 4 star read… I was a bit apprehensive with the number of characters in this book and worried I’d get confused but I did not at all! This tells the story from 5 different families POVs in third person and from Agent Kellers perspective as their kids go missing during Parents Weekend at the college. It’s definitely a popcorn thriller. While it wasn’t the most original plot or the most thrilling, I do really love Agent Keller. It was easy to read and overall, I would recommend it.

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up at dinner.

This tale has some intricate twists and turns and lots of suspects. I love when I have options.

I have not read the other book where FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller is a character. But, I may just have to pick it up. She is a force. And when these kids come up missing…she uses all her deductions to the best advantage. She is a smart cookie.

I am not gonna lie. When I started this book, I thought, I may not finish this one. This story has tons of characters. That is a big turnoff to me because I don’t want a book that I have to think that hard (just hush, I am old!) But let me just say, this narrator, Brittany Pressley, is a pro! She has a different voice for every one of these people. This kept the story moving for me. (The author also might have had a hand in creating some very diverse characters! 😂)


Need a good who-done-it with a kick…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

It's parents weekend at Santa Clara College and there are 5 freshman friends whose parents are all meeting them at a restaurant. The College is under a lot of stress because one of the students was found dead earlier in the day. Now as the parents wait for their kids, the night gets later and the kids never show up. Since one is the child of an important US governmental figure, the FBI is called in. As the agents dig into who could have done this, we learn about each family's darkest secrets, and everyone in the group has them.

This was a fun, fast popcorn thriller that was exactly what I needed yesterday. I honestly did not predict the ending for this one. Since there were so many characters, all of them and their stories stayed on a pretty superficial level and so I never really got attached to any character or family. I thought the narrator did a great job and I found the audiobook pretty engrossing, but with such short chapters I may have enjoyed the parts where I was actually reading it more. Having actually done my first parenting version of parents' weekend this year (yes I am apparently that old now) it made the story a bit more fun for me.

3.75 stars

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC to review

There are LOTS of characters in this book (college students, their parents, an FBI agent, etc.) and it takes a while to sort them out so you can relax and get into the story. I enjoyed the chapters that were focused on the parents and the FBI agent. The chapters focused on the college students felt a little misplaced and a little forced, for lack of a better word.

In terms of pacing: A+. Thanks to short chapters, things moved quickly. Never a dull moment!

This is the first Alex Finlay book I’ve read. I’ll definitely check out some of his others.

3.7 rounded up to 4.

I loved this one! The multiple povs had me tiring the pages quickly. I didn’t guess the end at all. This is a great summer thriller.

Overall: 2.75 stars!
Did enjoy this one. It was a fun quick read. I like when mystery/thrillers have multiple POVs, but I wish we got more of the kids story/background. Unfortunately, I found this pretty predictable and was a bit annoyed that the affair issue was used so many times for the families.

Alex Finlay is quickly becoming a must-read author for me. I pretty much put the rest of my life on hold as I raced through the pages to find out what happened to the missing students in Parents Weekend. Despite the numerous characters, I found it fairly easy to keep the families straight as they told their individual stories. Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur and the author for an advance copy to read and review.