Parents Weekend was a sharp, funny, and insightful novel that really held my attention. Alex Finlay brilliantly captures the chaos and complexities of family dynamics with humor and heart. The characters felt authentic and flawed, making their struggles both relatable and compelling. It was a clever, engaging read that left me thinking long after I finished.

This is a quick read that draws you in immediately.

Alex Finlay just has a way of building suspense and keeping you guessing.

It's parents' weekend at a small university in Santa Clara, CA. As the parents descend, a group of capstone students disappear, never showing up as promised for dinner with their folks. We have Stella, the daughter of a plastic surgeon and his wife; Felix, the son of the dean's secretary; Libby, the daughter of an Internet-famous judge; Blane, the son of a high-ranking state department official; and Mark, whose dad has a prison record.

Finlay makes it simple to immediately get wrapped up in the lives of these kids and their college drama along with the parents and their messy situations. Their disappearance is investigated by FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, known to Finlay readers from THE NIGHT SHIFT. I love Agent Keller, her husband Bob, and their twins! Seeing her again was a total highlight.

These college students have a ton of interpersonal drama plus involvement with a notorious older student. Meanwhile, their parents are busy cheating, lying, and keeping their own secrets. Short chapters from all sorts of POV (adult and teen, plus Agent Keller) build up the tension and slowly reveal details until we learn the truth.

If you want a thriller that's a quick read and keeps your interest, this is a good choice.

I enjoyed this book, but felt that the character development could have been a bit stronger. As I am in higher education, I also found gaps (or outright errors) in campus protocol. But I realize that is nitpicky.

It still held my attention and I would recommend it.

The mystery was good and I liked the reveal but there were too many characters, and they weren’t developed enough to be distinct. We are told a lot more than showed. But otherwise it was a compelling story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

i really enjoyed the beginning of this book, but the middle fell flat for me. there were too many pov's and not enough substance within them and i struggled connecting to the characters. the parents were truly frustrating and some were even downright awful and i didn't give a shit what happened to them.

even more frustrating is that there are deaths in this book that occur and i didn't enjoy those either. i was almost angry at the ending because while it wrapped up nicely with a bow in the way that crime books often do, the perpetrators were predictable and the ending was still a bummer somehow.

at least Keller, the FBI agent was an interesting character. she is what kept me going towards the end. i am always a sucker for a female crime lead. sue me.

Parents weekend was a not very thrilling, thriller. I just didn’t care about the characters. I have liked Alex finlays other books a lot more. I can’t figure out why I just didn’t like this book very much. I’ll still keep reading books by alex finlay though

Very slow to start. Too many points of view for me. Hard to follow and things didn’t connect for me for too long.

Didn’t quite know what the read was going to be… college student parent’s weekend, showing the parents of a select group. A death, missing students, and powerful parents. A great who dun it. Time is running out to find the five students missing. Lots of drama and possible leads with unknown trails. FBI Keller has her hands full to try and locate the kids before time runs out.

Parents Weekend was a fun thriller but there are so many families and so many characters to keep track of. I had to keep pausing to ask myself - wait, who? I still enjoyed it but it felt needlessly complex at times.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was an enjoyable, yet very predictable thriller. The characters were enjoyable enough, but I was expecting more after liking The Night Shift so much.

Alex Finlay is guaranteed to produce a highly binge-able, hugely dramatic and wildly fun mystery plot to lose yourself in, with every single book he writes. Parents Weekend delivers on that in spades.

I absolutely loved this one - the suspense of a group of students who suddenly disappear from their college the weekend their parents are all on campus to visit, the secrets each set of parents are desperately working to hide, all underlined by a dead student that ratchets up the uncertainty of what happened and what will happen when all the secrets come to light, make for perfectly delicious summer reading. I completely devoured this book in one afternoon, and had such a blast reading it.

Easy, absorbing, interesting, and twisty, I definitely did not see where this story was going and I was frantically devouring the the last chapters to see how all the action would play out. As always, it was hugely satisfying and I just can't wait to see what Alex dreams up next.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
Parents gather for a night of fun, cocktails, and celebration. The first-year college students no-show, and the parents stay up way too late, not attributing the absences of their kids to more than typical college behavior.

The next day, with no word, the five college students capture the attention of the media and FBI.

This novel calls FBI Agent Sarah Keller back into action. (Previously in The Night Shift and Every Last Fear)

Five very different families with secrets and histories hidden, none with much in common. Things become suspenseful when there are suspects in all directions and answers are few. With time running out, Agent Keller pushes for answers.

Are these the actions of student pranks or something much more sinister?

I enjoyed this one but there were a lot of characters to connect with and follow. Having dual timeline to tell the stories and connections was helpful, but with so many characters, you almost have to take notes to keep track.

Agent Keller is a favorite character and I have enjoyed her in previous novels by Alex Finlay.

If you stick with this and connect to the story, you will enjoy the rush of suspense as it develops and escalates in the second half.

I would like to Thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC and say Thank You to Alex Finlay for continuing the story of a great character. 3.5/5⭐

Alex Finlay always delivers a bingeable, wild ride! I was immediately intrigued by all the families and connections and enjoyed unraveling the mystery.

This is another fun thriller by Alex Finlay. Some kids are missing on the weekend parents are visiting, and tension heats up as time passes. Everyone has secrets and hidden motives, and there are enough likeable people to care what happens. I was confused about something that happened but we were talking about it on a fan board and someone explained it to me.

It’s Parents Weekend at a prestigious Northern California college—cocktails, small talk, and college pride are in full swing. But as five students mysteriously vanish during the opening dinner, the night turns from celebration to chaos.

The latest thriller from the bestselling author of If Something Happens to Me is a fast-paced, emotionally layered ride that taps into every parent’s worst nightmare. Where are the kids of Campisi Hall—and why did they all disappear together?

Told through multiple POVs, past and present, Parents Weekend pulls us into the unraveling lives of five very different families. We meet Alice, a working-class single mom desperate for her son to belong; Cynthia, a high-ranking State Dept official with a fractured bond to her activist son; a high-profile judge hiding deep grief; a divorcing couple with a resentful daughter; and an FBI agent trying to balance motherhood with murder cases. Enter Sarah Keller—YES, she’s back after Every Last Fear—called in for a case that’s anything but routine.

This novel has everything: family drama, privilege, power, secrets, and a relentless hunt for truth. As the media dubs the missing teens “The Five,” internet sleuths swirl with theories—and so will you. Is it a kidnapping? A cover-up? Or something darker rooted in the sins of the parents?

Gritty, twisty, and deeply human, this one will keep you reading well past bedtime.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Alex Finlay for free e-ARC in return of my honest review of "Parents Weekend".

As a fan of thrillers, I’m always chasing that edge-of-your-seat feeling—the tension, the unexpected turns, and the kind of plot that keeps you turning pages long after you should be asleep. Parents Weekend delivered just that. With a fast-paced storyline and a mix of expected and surprising twists, it definitely kept me up past my bedtime.

The book excels in building suspense and creating a setting thick with unease. The dynamics between the characters, layered secrets, and unraveling truths made for an engaging read that never felt dull. If you're a reader who loves being kept on your toes, this one does the job.

That said, a few storylines felt unfinished or underdeveloped. The subplot involving the fall on the beach, for example, was intriguing but didn’t fully land for me in terms of resolution. Similarly, Stella’s arc left me wanting more depth and closure.

One element I struggled with was Special Agent Keller. As a female FBI agent, her portrayal didn’t feel entirely believable or fleshed out. It came across as somewhat forced, though I fully acknowledge that this might reflect my own expectations or biases rather than a flaw in the writing itself.

Despite these points, Parents Weekend is a gripping, twist-filled thriller that doesn’t let go easily. If you’re looking for an entertaining, suspenseful escape with lots of tension, it’s worth picking up. Just don’t plan on putting it down early.

This is a book that has serious potential but doesn’t fully live up to it. It follows five college kids who go missing over their school’s Parents Weekend. The issue here is that there are so many characters, both students and parents. We also see the return of Agent Keller, an FBI agent who appears in more of Finlay’s work. I don’t usually like a detective type main character in my mysteries, but Keller is likable and smart, and we see her family and really get to understand her. Unfortunately, she isn’t enough to carry this all over the place story. There’s too much going on and no real twists. Certain readers would probably enjoy this, but it’s not a standout.

a pass for me. This book just missed the mark. I feel like the twists were a bit boring and the plot lost itself

3.5 stars rounded up to 4! I really enjoyed Alex Finlay's previous release and while I found myself enjoying Parents Weekend as well, it got a little jumbled as there are SO many different characters and families to keep straight so that confused me at times. Overall though, another solid thriller from this author and I look forward to reading his next release as well!

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for my early review copy, as well as a gorgeous finished copy!

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay was such a fun, fast-paced thriller! The twists come at just the right moments, and I loved how the story kept me guessing the whole way through. It’s the kind of book you fly through because you have to know what happens next. A few parts felt a little over the top, but honestly, that just added to the wild ride. Perfect if you're in the mood for something tense and binge-worthy!