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.

I loved the premise of this book and really thought I was going to love it a lot more than I did. It was a decent read with a few twists in the plot. I think the multiple perspectives are what kept this book moving.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

I love thrillers. Campus thriller is even better. This book has multiple POV and dual timelines. Fast paced. It has all my favorite things mixed in except one, big twist. It was missing a big twist for my taste. But highly recommend if a reader wants something fast paced binge read!!

3.75

Fun and hard to put down! A few things didn’t totally make sense but I honestly don’t care because I love unpredictable thrillers. I just read the last 150 pages in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.

I dont know how Alex Finlay drags me into a book so well. She seems to just write the things that grab you and make you want to read more. That is true of Patents Weekend. Blane Roosevelt’s mom works for the State Department. Blane was taken as a child and the kidnappers were killed.
Stella Moldanado’s dad was having an affair with an anesthesiologist. Her husband followed them to their tryst sight and shot himself in front of his son., Cody. Now five college students are missing on parents weekend. Each parent has tried to do the right thing. Each student wants out from under their parents’ authority. Who wins? Lots of depth to this book. I feel like it is similar to earlier Finlay works. I loved it. I didn’t see the end coming, which is always something great for me. This would be good for book club. Or you can put it in your beach bag. I got this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Read this and thank me later.

Such a solid read! I always enjoy a book by Alex Finlay!

In this multi-character mystery/thriller, there is a lot to keep up with in the story line, but it all blends together in a seamless way. It definitely took me a while to piece some of the pieces together but I knew somehow the pieces had to fit. I just wasn't sure quite how. This was a clever book and I enjoyed each word. The characters were well developed and I could easily picture them. The setting felt idyllic which made it even more perfect for such a harsh scene.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audio was really quite good with top notch narration that pulls the listener into the storyline and keeps them immersed. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

I absolutely loved all of the different family dynamics in this book! Each family had so many of their own secrets and problems and I loved how we got to hear from everyone’s point of view. It was a powerful story about grief and the extreme measures it can lead you to. Fantastic read!