Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a decent police procedural in which we see only a part of the investigation but get an intriguing introduction to the family of one of the investigators: Sarah Keller. The rest of the vignettes about families are about the families of the victims. There were four: two boys and three girls. One of the girls had drowned earlier in the week but Keller thought she was involved. The four just disappeared on their way to diner with their parents on the first night of Parents Weekend. They were pretty much normal kids but the same couldn’t be said of their parents. As the stories unfolded, the was love, remorse, disrespect, and so much more. Had it affected their children? Undoubtedly, but did it play into the crime? Mostly, no.

Lots of characters involved. When one reaches an age wherein one is a parent to a college student, there is plenty of water under the bridge. Some good, some bad. And everyone has run into crazy people. There seemed to be a high count in these peoples’ lives: some unique, some not. Good characters and a story well told. Chapters were short and the story moved along quickly. Keller was a good FBI agent who was out of her depth her but performed admirably, having gut reactions which solved the mystery. The solution came out of left field and it helped make the book. I enjoyed the read.

I was invited to read Parents Weekend by St Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #AlexFinlay #ParentsWeekend

Thanks, Minotaur Books and NetGalley, for my eARC of Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This one was just okay for me. There were a lot of characters and the ending was predictable. I also didn't have a connection to the characters so it dulled my care of their disappearance. We focused more on the parents and their drama, which kept me interested, as well as Special Agent Keller.

This is my first book by Alex Finlay and while it fell a bit flat for me, I'd enjoy reading other books featuring Special Agent Keller.

If you like familial drama, this one is for you!

I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller. Is it the world’s most complex story line? No. Did it have an overwhelming number of characters? Probably. Was the ending predictable? Definitely. Were there any surprising twists? Not really. Did I enjoy it anyway? Yes!

Not every book needs to be deeply thought-provoking. Sometimes a straightforward whodunnit is exactly what you need. This one required little effort to get through, and honestly, I appreciated that. After recently tackling some dense, slow-paced historical fiction, Parents Weekend was a welcome change. It kept me engaged, and I finished it in a single day.

I loved seeing FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller return. She’s sharp, fearless, and knows how to get things done. I’d definitely read more books featuring her.

While I agree with other reviewers that the ending lacked some punch, the overall story was solid, and I enjoyed the effortless escape it provided for a few hours.

Thank you @netgalley, @stmartinspress and @minotaurbooks for an eARC, which I’ve read and reviewed voluntarily.

☆ 𝘱𝘶𝘣 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 ☆
𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙙 by Alex Finlay
★★★★ 4/5 stars

⁕ 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 :
-California campus setting
-missing persons
-family drama
-multiple POV
-police investigations
-red herrings
-short chapters

⁕ 𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 :
Alex Finlay delivers a twisty, fast-paced mystery that feels more like a true crime documentary than your typical college drama. Despite the university backdrop, it doesn't fall into the typical dark academia vibe—which I actually really appreciated. Instead of moody professors & secret societies, the focus is on the high-stakes investigation to find missing students, which I found far more compelling. That true crime feel kept me hooked the whole way through.

The short, fast-paced chapters made it impossible to put down, & I loved how the multiple POVs were woven together. There's a big cast of characters, but the audiobook really helped keep everyone straight-Brittany Pressley's narration was fantastic (as always)!

I didn't realize FBI Agent Keller was a recurring character until after I finished, but now I'm definitely going back to read Every Last Fear and The Night Shift.

Parents Weekend would make a great poolside thriller you could easy binge in a weekend 😉

Thanks @macmillan.audio + @netgalley for the opportunity to read & listen to this ARC!

This story is about 5 families who all come to visit their children at college for parents weekend. When they go to dinner, none of the kids show up. From there we learn that the kids are missing. The story unfolds as the police investigate and try to figure out what happened. Each chapter is about a different family so you have to pay attention. There are many twists and turns. These families have more going on than just the disappearance of their children. It took me some time to get invested as I was trying to get the families and their storylines straight, but once I got halfway through the story, I couldn't put it down. Very suspenseful! Although I figured out some parts of the plot from the clues that the author left, there were still a few parts that were a surprise. I loved how the author used modern technology to solve the crime. Great story! This is one that you'll want to put on your summer reading list!

Alex Finlay has done it again with Parent's Weekend. I loved it and could not put it down! I was so invested I had a Note on my iPhone so I could keep track of each character and theories on what was going on! I recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers or mysteries.

I really love Alex Finlay. His novels are always so compulsive. This one features 5 sets of parents who are visiting their children's college for parents weekend. They arrive at a joint dinner only to find that none of the students show. In fact, all five have gone missing. Not only that, but a sixth student from the university was found dead earlier in the week.

This one was on the slower side to start with so many characters but quickly picked up. All the families have such different backgrounds, with some being very high profile. One of the students was even held for ransom earlier in his life. With so many twists and turns, it was hard to figure out the mystery of what happened which was part of the fun. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and intrigue behind it all. While I don't know if this is my top favorite from this author, I really enjoyed it.

If you enjoy a quick mystery with great atmosphere, I would definitely recommend this one. It's a fun time!

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.

This one lands at a solid 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.

Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

3.5* - Parents Weekend kept me hooked! (even if it wasn’t a perfect read for me) The premise was intriguing, and the duel timelines worked. However, with so many characters navigating their own struggles, the chapters felt a bit overwhelming and crowded. While I was curious to see how everything played out, I never formed a strong connection with any of the characters. Still, the mystery was compelling, and if you like multi-POV thrillers then you'll likely enjoy the journey!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review will be posted (Instagram, Goodreads, bookishlytara blog, Storygraph) on April 22, 2025. An additional post (with a reposted review) was posted on Instagram on the publication day as well as an Amazon Canada review. (links below)

I liked the plot idea. However, I found the story hard to follow due to switching from present to past.

It’s Parent’s Weekend at Santa Clara University. Five families have arrived to see their offspring, except they don’t show up to dinner. Meanwhile the body of one of their classmates has been found. It seems Felix, Libby, Stella and Blane are hiding secrets, but so are their parents.

It took me a bit to get into everyone’s backstory, as there were a lot of characters to remember but once I did I was hooked. With its short, sharp chapters deftly going between each story, it felt like watching a movie. Interestingly we also see Special Agent Keller’s own family life, with her larger than life supportive husband Bob. I really liked Sarah. She knows her stuff but also is collegial and takes on a bit of mentoring to a young intern. The only thing that I felt a let down was when the culprits are revealed. The resolution isn’t as tight as all the suspense leading up to it. The ending though was a bit of an emotional roller coaster, especially for Alice.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Alex Finlay’s books are well written and very complex! Parents Weekend gets a solid 3 stars from me because I liked it, but it’s not a story that will stick with me very long.

The book follows five families who visit their children during their first year of college. The parents arrive for dinner but the children never show up. From there the book is more police procedural than thriller. I’m thinking those just aren’t my cup of tea as I prefer more suspense and thrill. The book fell short due to the excessive amount of characters and time frames to keep up with.

I listened to the audio with the ebook and several times I had to backtrack to understand. I will say the narration of the audiobook was excellent.

Agent Sarah Keller’s character was intriguing as she investigated the disappearance of the five students. Having learned she appears in two of Alex Finlay’s previous books, The Night Shift and Every Last Fear, I will certainly give those books a chance.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this read. I have read all of Alex Finlay’s books and this one is my least favourite but it is not bad. I know he can write books that are very dramatic and at time’s unrealistic which I am okay with but when all the students went missing., this was crazy to me. You surely had to read on to see what was going on. It was a good read.

Five collage kids go missing and one turns up dead turning into a race against the clock.I loved the story it hooked me from the first page, however the duel timeline and multiple characters had me having to go back and reread several parts.

I was easily entertained with this fast paced mystery after reading some heavy emotional books. There were many characters to keep track of so keep that in mind if you only listen to the audiobook. It helped me that I was able to pair the audiobook with the ebook as well.
I liked how the author had a returning character from two of his previous novels.

If you are looking for an easy popcorn thriller about a murder on a college campus, this book is for you!

For me this one was just okay.. the beginning hooked me, but as the story went on, I kept waiting for something exciting to happen. It was really hard to keep track of the characters, as we were getting a ton of view points and not only did we have to keep track of parents, but which college student belonged to each parent. I also felt as if the ending was predictable, but not the good kind of predictable.
It didn't give me the excitement of being right, it was more of a let down. But overall the story as a whole was decent.

The Five: a capstone group of friends whose lives turn upside down during a Parents Weekend at their university. What should have been a time for fun, and filling their parents in on their college journey turns dark for one family when their child turns up dead. Now agent Sarah Keller is back to help solve this mystery. But not every member of the Five are forthcoming, and how can they when they all go missing too?

This was a fast paced read thriller. There wasn't much time for me as a reader to guess what's happening next. I really enjoy Alex Finlay's books and this one did not let me down!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur books and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a fun one. I enjoyed the story, the setting and the multiple characters with multiple POV. A fast read, I read this in a day. The story flowed well and the ending wasn't exactly what I had expected. I really loved the college town setting. Fans of Frieda McFadden, John Marrs, etc would also enjoy this read. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Wow, Parents Weekend just completely sucked me in! You know how some thrillers can feel a little predictable? Not this one. From the very first page, I was hooked, trying to piece together all the secrets swirling around that isolated college campus. There were definitely moments, especially as the story unfolded, where I felt a knot of anxiety in my stomach – the kind that makes you fly through the pages.

The way Finlay built the suspense was masterful. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, another layer would be peeled back, leading me down a completely different path. The characters were complex and flawed, making their struggles and motivations feel so real. I particularly appreciated how the story explored the fierce protectiveness of parents and the unbreakable bonds of family, even when faced with unimaginable circumstances. There were also some really powerful undercurrents about the strength of women in the face of adversity and the importance of looking out for each other.

While there were some dark themes explored – things that definitely made me feel uneasy – they weren't gratuitous. They served to heighten the stakes and add a layer of grit to the narrative. The ending? Let's just say it left me reeling. It wasn't necessarily what I expected, and while a small part of me might have wished for a slightly different resolution, it ultimately felt earned and impactful within the context of the story.

Overall, Parents Weekend is a gripping and thought-provoking thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. If you're looking for a book that will keep you guessing and leave a lasting impression, definitely pick this one up. Highly recommended!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC copy.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a fast-paced, suspenseful read that hooked me from the beginning. The plot is full of twists and tension, and the short chapters made it easy to fly through — I finished it quickly because I genuinely wanted to see how it all played out. Finlay does a great job of keeping the reader engaged, with just enough intrigue to keep the pages turning.

However, while the setup and buildup were strong, the resolution left me a bit disappointed. After all the momentum, the ending felt rushed and not quite as satisfying as I hoped.

Overall, it was entertaining and worth the read, but the payoff didn't quite match the promise. A solid thriller with a gripping start, but the ending may not land for everyone.