Alex Finlay is reliable - his books are never bad or boring, and occasionally they are really interesting and propulsive. I was excited by Agent Keller being brought back in for this one, but unfortunately this was very average. Nothing stuck out for me on the writing or characters (besides Keller). The plot could have been fun but felt poorly developed. I liked the perspectives from all the different parents, but felt that we were just finally starting to understand who these couples were when the action intensified and the end came crashing through.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Another great book by Alex Finlay! This one had lots of characters but the way the chapters were divided by family made it easy to follow. Most of the parents were horrible people but they were fun to read about. Their backgrounds and side stories were interesting. I loved the character Keller and would like more books about her. I didn't realize she was a character in 2 of his previous books (though the blurb said so!) The story was engaging and had some surprises for me. I also liked the updates for the families after the ending. Definitely a recommended read.

In a book sure to make you rethink ever sending your kids to college, Alex Finlay’s newest features not one, but FIVE missing students!

Speaking of five, this is my fifth book by this author, and although this was my least favorite of them so far, he still knows how to keep me flipping those pages with rapt attention!

Private college Santa Clara University is hosting a Parents Weekend. In attendance are a colorful set of parents that include a federal State Department official with her ever-present security detail, a well-known judge and his wife, a philandering plastic surgeon and his wife, and a single mom working for the university dean. When their kids fail to show up for the opening night dinner on the heels of another student tragedy, the police are notified and a search begins.

Who else is notified? The FBI and one familiar face from Finlay’s past books: Special Agent Sarah Keller, who’s temporarily relocated to San Jose with her wonderful hubby Bob and twins Heather and Michael to help care for Bob’s ill father. It was great to see her again!

So, this was a little bit of a mixed bag for me. Overall, I really did enjoy it, despite some aspects that kept it from rising to the level of his past books I’ve read.

What I liked:

🖤 Special Agent Sarah Keller. Bob calls her Agent Badass for good reason. She is, and I love her for it! (Shout out to Bob, too. He’s a special treasure … for real.)

🖤 Side Characters. SCU Campus Police Chief Jay McCray and their student intern Annie Hafeez were great new characters. I’m hoping to see where Annie’s future takes her in future books!

🖤 Short, snappy chapters. My favorite things. I have a short attention span at times and they kept the story and intrigue moving nicely.

🖤 Likeable unlikeable parents. What? I’ll explain. These were deeply flawed characters with an array of dysfunctional qualities that I still felt sympathy for on some level. I don’t respect some of them, but I can at least see them as humans who care about their kids.

What didn’t work as well for me:

⊘ The students. I didn’t feel a whole lot for them, because the story didn’t dive too deeply into any of their lives. Because I only had a shallow understanding of them, I didn’t feel very attached to the outcome. As the title suggests, the story really is more about the parents.

⊘ The plot. I enjoyed it - it just wasn’t as enthralling as his past books.

⊘ The baddie reveal. It makes sense, but again I didn’t feel much. Considering the circumstances, I wanted to feel that adrenaline surge and excitement, but the “jazz” just wasn’t there.

Overall, it’s a well-written book and a solid mystery that’s given me yet another reason to keep requesting Finlay’s books! If I had to sum up my biggest problem in a nutshell: I just wanted a little more emotional investment in the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Parents Weekend" and all opinions expressed are my own. Overall okay, a quick read. Lots of characters to keep track of though.

I love a good thriller, especially one that has switching points of view and a wide cast of characters. This one definitely checked those boxes, as the story follows several parents of students at an elite college who arrive for a parent's weekend. Their visit begins to unravel when their children go missing and are now faced with finding them before it's too late. Overall it was a decent story, but I felt like it was very quick and lacked a punch that I so enjoy at the tail end of a thriller. A good quick read. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this arc!

Finlay’s books are always a great palate cleanser. They move fast and draw you in quickly. However, I will say this book was a little harder because there were so many characters. It took about a third of the book to remember who was who. It moved quickly and kept me interested but it didn’t work for me like some of his others.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

❗️❗️❗️BANGER ALERT ❗️❗️❗️

Holy Batman was this one a BANGER!!! Alex Finlay knocked it outta the park! He brought this all the way home! Bravo Mr. Finlay 🙌

Our story starts with it being Parents Weekend for first year students at Santa Clara University in California. It’s the big weekend and it’s supposed to start with a nice dinner. The only kicker…. the students never show.

Five students are missing. Why would they not show? Are their parents involved somehow?

Alex Finlay is a master at cliffhanger chapters! Every single chapter leaves you ripping through the pages well into the night. Unputdownable, suspenseful and a thoroughly entertaining read with a satisfying finish! A twisty must read thriller!

Massive thanks to Minotaur Books, Alex Finlay and NetGalley for the opportunity!
Pub date - 5/6/25

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alex Finlay has become sort of an auto-request because I've enjoyed eveything I've read of his.

This story has a good amount of characters and POVs. The one constant is Sarah Keller and I loved getting to be back with her navigating.

Plot wise, it's a bit of a slow meandering. It wasn't nearly ad tension filled as I was expecting, yet the way it unfolded was quite satisfying. (Yes, I'm being vague on purpose.)

Overall, it was another great read and I'm eager to see what comes next.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

Starts off a little slow but then it really picks up. The short chapters and overall premise make this book impossible to put down, I just HAD to know what happened next. Told from alternating POVS of family members and the detective on the case, you’ll never guess why these kids went missing…
If you’re a fan of Alex Finlays other books you’ll like this one too, publishing in May.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my thoughts.

Super fast read. Parent's weekend at college and the group of 5 kids go missing. Told mainly through the point of view of parents and an FBI Agent. The book kept me guessing which made me want to keep reading. I loved the female FBI Agent, Sarah Keller. I am excited to see that she is featured in other of Finlay's books, and look forward to checking them out. Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy.

The premise of the book was engaging from the start: 5 students from a university in California disappear at the same time without a trace before meeting their parents for dinner. It was intriguing to understand all of the background stories in order to determine the cause of the disappearance. Agent Keller from Finlay's previous books returned, which added a fun element.
I gave this book 3 stars due to almost 20 characters to keep track of, predictability, and rushed ending. I still look forward to Finlay's future books with more twists and complex mystery.

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

This is a solid 3+ star popcorn thriller. It's very fast paced with short chapters from shifting perspectives so it's a quick read. This is my first book from the author, but apparently the featured FBI agent appears in other novels as well. And for a quick beach read, I'd go find them.

My only complaint is that the first 25% is a little slow, by design, as all of the characters and backstories are introduced. It picks up from there. But as happens in thrillers, the conclusion feels rushed and wrapped up a little abruptly.

This super didn't work for me. I found the number of characters was a lot - and I did see where we were eventually going but it still didn't work for me. I feel like each time the plot just goes so ridiculous that I don't end up feeling like I had a good time getting there - because nothing feels satisfying or like it nicely came together. Ultimately I found the explanation just didn't land.
The other note I will make is that I don't appreciate the racist or maybe culturally insensitive perspective this book took. I don't know if it was intentional or unintentional - but I don't like it and makes me feel uncomfortable.

It's college parents weekend, and five families have made plans to all have dinner together to kick off the weekend. The parents have an enjoyable evening, but none of their children ever show up to dinner. The next day, none of the kids had been heard from, and they all seemed to have vanished from their dorm rooms. But where did they go? Is this a parent's weekend prank or something more sinister? Soon, campus security decided to call local law enforcement to help find the five missing students if they could be found.

I love Alex Finlay’s books because they are engaging enough to read in one sitting.

This book showed how everyone’s family is dysfunctional in its own way, but those things don’t have to define you. I will say that for a while, I thought I had the answer to the mystery, but I was completely wrong, and I’m so glad that I didn’t figure it out because the way it turned out was fantastic!

I liked Alex Finlay's other books, but this one was a bit of a letdown. Although it had a good plot and was engaging, I found it lacking in character development, and, at times, the student's motives were suspect.

It's Parents Weekend at a small, exclusive college in Northern California. The parents of five students have traveled to attend a dinner and celebrate their children's accomplishments. The students, all planning to participate in the dinner, never show. As the hours pass and the students, all of whom have turned off their phones, remain missing, the police and an FBI agent are called in. The Five, as referred to in the media, are in peril, and time is running out.

I expected and got a suspenseful psychological thriller. There were twists and red herrings galore, and although I did figure out who was behind the students' disappearance, the story was a good rollercoaster ride. What was never satisfactorily explained to me was why the students went to the initial location where authorities lost track of them. Maybe I missed something, but their destination didn't make sense. Additionally, the ending felt a bit rushed. Despite these two distractions, I liked the book. 3.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is May 6, 2025.

This one was just ok. Too many characters, with none of them likeable. Kinda weird, cobbled together story that didn't truly work.

🫣 T H R I L L E R T H U R S D A Y review 🫣 featuring “Parents Weekend” by Alex Finlay!

MY RATING: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

A group of parents arrive for a weekend at Santa Clara College to celebrate their kid’s first year of college. Five families plan a dinner all together and are annoyed when it’s parents only at the table and no kids. All of their kids are in the same dorm together and seem to be in the same social circle. Did they bail on their parents to party or is something more serious going on here??

The lack of communication begins to feel OFF and when the parents involve the campus police and the FBI, total chaos rocks the campus! What ensues is a fast paced race against time to find the missing kids! Told from several character perspectives and dual timelines, there is A LOT going on that will keep your heart pounding and the wheels in your brain turning!

Thank you kindly to @alexfinlayauthor @minotaur_books @stmartinspress @netgalley for my #gifted advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on May 6, 2025!

Thank you so much for this arc. Unfortunately I found all the characters to be incredibly annoying and I couldn't connect to anyone. I became so uninterested in anything going on.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of (and everyone has a secret), but you’re able to catch up pretty quickly.

The super short chapters make for a quick read and I’m thrilled he brought back one of my favorite characters- FBI Special Agent Keller 😊

The Night Shift is my favorite of his, and I feel like I’m constantly chasing that high, but Parents Weekend has definitely claimed the number two spot!

Parents Weekend
By Alex Finlay
3 stars

Alex’s books always keep me engaged with their short chapters, fast pace, and so many different character POV’s. This was no different and I really enjoyed trying to figure out this story. Unfortunately, this one had so many characters that were never fully developed.

The information gained from each different character at times felt random and didn’t add anything to the overall plot. For instance, one of the characters mother is a big wig in government and she sleeps with one of her security guards on her son’s college dorm beds? Okie dokie? I just felt like everyone of the parents in the books were bas people, from a surgeon who cheats on his wife, to a wife of a judge who has an affair, to the government mother being cold towards everyone, and then we get agent Keller who is thrust into all of this when she just moved to California to help her husbands declining father. Justice for BOB because that man is a SAINT!

The reasoning behind the premise of the book was heartbreaking and I figured it out before the reveal. I was most upset about Felix’s character and his poor mother! I wanted more closure at the end and didn’t get that at all. I also have no idea how Agent Keller could just come up with some of her ideas to help solve this case. It’s obviously fiction but there were times when she’d think of something or just so happen to be told something that no one else thought of ( she’s literally FBI, there’s campus police, regular police, and a college student intern working on the case) that would lead to a huge breakthrough.

While definitely a read that will be easy and quick to get through, it was just too much with 15+ characters to keep track of and a plot with so many holes.