Parents weekend... an opportunity for parents to see their children's glamourous - okay, more like not-so-glamorous - college lives. Except for these five families, who enter into a nightmare when their kids don't show up for dinner.

Told from the point of view of the parents, who all have their own intense backgrounds and stories to share, and the investigator whose clock is ticking on finding these kids, it's all hands on deck to figure out what happened, because there's no way college kids with tricky parents would ditch them, right?

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was QUICK and there are a lot of interesting POVs that had me saying "one more chapter!" If you don't like books with a lot of characters to keep track of, this won't be something that you like. I almost felt like I needed a family tree to keep track of who's who in the zoo.

What I will say is the eventual wrap up of this book felt a bit lackluster for me. I wouldn't necessarily say I figured out the twist, but in hindsight it was pretty obvious - and also wasn't a conclusion that I was satisfied with.

This isn't what I would describe as a gripping thriller, but the pages kept turning.

☆ARC REVIEW☆
Publication date: Available now!


I was so looking forward to 'Parents Weekend' as I absolutely love Alex Finlay's books BUT it wasn't my favorite.

It was a bit hard to follow due to the amount of POVs as well as flipping back and forth between then and now.

I wasn't a fan of the reference of the Idaho 4 murders as in my personal opinion, to be referenced in a fictional matter, was just too soon.

Thank you NetGalley, Alex Finlay, and St Martins Press for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

I really like The Nigh Shift but haven’t found mother book by the author to like since and this? It sounded like it would be good but just from the way it wasn’t written I had doubts and following along this story of dysfunctional family nonsense that has nothing to do with anything and then the truth of what happened… it was all so pointless and dumb. I wish I could get my time back. I don’t think I’ll be reading the author’s work again.

This was an entertaining and easy thriller - great for summer vibes. This one doesn't do anything too new and exciting in the thriller genre, but sometimes you just want to be entertained for a few hundred pages and this book did exactly that. The twists weren't too surprising, and the characters were frustrating at times, but this setting made for a great beach read!

This was just not it. There were so many characters to keep track of that at one point I couldn't remember who was who and what information went with what character. Also, the ending wasn't all that shocking, you could figure out what happens pretty early on in the story. I like Alex Finlay as an author don't get me wrong, but this one just flopped.

This one really pulled me in! The setup, five college freshmen go missing during Parents Weekend. It's instantly chilling, and I loved how the story was told from different perspectives, including the parents and FBI agent Sarah Keller.

That said, it did feel like the investigation kept hitting dead ends, which got a little frustrating at times. Still, I couldn’t stop turning the pages because I had to know what happened. Some parts wrapped up a little too cleanly for me, but overall, it was a solid, suspenseful read with great character depth.

Definitely recommend if you like slow-burn mysteries with family drama and lots of secrets.

This story was so well done and I really enjoyed it. I enjoy reading from this author and I'm looking forward to the next book. The plot was really well explored and I enjoyed the overall story. The characters were great and I was able to dive myself into this book. It was well done and I highly recommend. This book was so good.

This was a quick college thriller. It kept me turning pages, but also racking my brain to keep straight the amount of characters involved. Each family has their own set of drama while intertwining “The Five.” Definitely pick this up for summer college vibes!

I found this book to be fun and enjoyable to read. I liked everything about the book: the storyline, the characters, the setting. It all blended together to create a book I couldn't put down.

This was a fast read for me. I liked the way each chapter was about one of the different families there for the parents weekend or the FBI agent, Keller. This kept the story moving. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and their flaws. The setting was interesting too.

I had never read a book by this author but I will definitely be looking for more. I like his writing style and the way he made this such an easy story to read. This is a book I highly recommend!

I absolutely love thrillers and this was nice and refreshing for one. I loved the insider perspective of the case and the setting was great too. This was a perfect summer thriller read for me. I do wish the ending had a little more to it, a little more of a twist moment but overall was still a great read and fast-paced mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I look forward to more from Alex Finlay.

A totally fine family suspense novel, with detective work thrown in for good measure. I like suspense novels that include police perspective, and the detectives are likable and somewhat well-drawn.

I didn't find this very exciting or care much what happened, and I think both of those qualities are important in a good thriller.

I will keep trying the author because i loved If Something Happens to Me, but I suggest giving this one a pass.

Thank you for the ARC. I purchased for my library and will share.

This story was right in the middle for me. There were some things I liked and others that made the story just ehh…
Likes:
• Short chapters, usually about one family/student at a time.
• Fast pacing and non-stop action (both related to the storyline and the personal lives of the characters)
• Reappearance of past characters: FBI agent Sarah Keller, who was in ‘Every Last Fear’ & ‘The Night Shift’.
• Setting: College campus near beach
Where it missed for me:
• Large cast of characters: hard to keep track of all the different characters and made it hard to really deep dive into their lives and connect with them.
• Ending: Less of a “wow” factor than previous his books.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and felt like it was an easy read, but missed the mark in some ways.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & Minotaur Books for the ARC of this book!!

Parents Weekend had me on the edge of my seat for the first 75% of the story. It was a quick read (2.5 hours) because I was entirely invested in all the different families and the insane drama that followed their separate lives. I had a feeling I would be disappointed when I found out what really happened with “The Five”, and I was right. But overall, this was a fast paced thriller with some insufferable characters, but also some lovely ones (Keller is the best).

This was a DNF for me. It did not keep my attention. I did try finishing several times before I made this decision..

🌟🌟🌟🌟. Another suspenseful, quick raid by Alex Finlay!!!

It's the weekend both the kids and parents dread! Maybe that's why a group of five college friends didn't show up at the first dinner event? Why aren't they answering their phones? It's not like them to go silent like this!

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! 🥰

I’m a big Alex Finlay fan, so Parents Weekend was a must-read for me—and it definitely delivered. Finlay is one of the best when it comes to psychological thrillers, and Parents Weekend had everything I love: suspense, twists, and a story that keeps me engaged.

Set on a college campus, the story kicks off when parents arrive for a weekend visit… only to discover that their children—five close friends—have mysteriously gone missing. The story unfolds through multiple points of view, which added a different perspectives! As secrets started come to light, it really made me think—how well do us parents really know our kids?

My only complaint was that the ending felt super rushed compared to the rest of the book! Overall, it was a good read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher providing me with an ARC.

Overall it was pretty good. It was hard to keep up with so many characters and parallel story lines in the beginning but then just as it started making sense, it turned up the suspense. The characters were mostly like-able, some just tolerable, no particularly big personalities taking all the focus. No crazy twists, and the ending was purposeful, if a little bland.

This was just okay. I have enjoyed previous books by this author but maybe this just wasn’t for me. I do think others will enjoy it.

I had such high hopes for this book at the beginning, but then the plot flopped. With the amount of characters and random information just thrown at you in the beginning, I expected more. The plot felt unfinished to me and the ended felt rushed. Overall, this book was very lackluster.

I really, really enjoyed this book.

It was a quick, fast-paced thriller that still kept a complicated story line intact — a hard balance to maintain.

I love a college setting, so this was really fun. The mixed POV was a great element of this book.

The characters were great, and I think in so many of them, we saw honest, messy people. (I did want a little more of the Akana issues, admittedly!)

But I really loved the turns and lightbulb moments in this book. Really enjoyed the experience of reading this book!