Five families get caught up in a
But who has more secrets, the kids or the parents? There’s a lot of characters in this book, it can occasionally get bogged down. A lot of their secrets really didn’t amount to much for me. They’re mostly there to create confusion. The most interesting person by far is Agent Keller, a character that Finlay has written about in previous books but this is my first time reading one. I liked her & her family & based on that would read the other books. However this mystery is pretty paint by numbers. It’s not bad but nothing really blew me away. It’s a decent but predictable thriller. I will try the author again, especially where the character of Keller is concerned. But overall this book was just ok for me.
🔥

Read if you like:
* The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan
* The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

I had high hopes for Parents Weekend, and it didn’t disappoint! It was binge-worthy, entertaining and suspenseful.

The story was primarily told through the POV of the college students parents. Nearly all of the families had a ton of drama going on behind the scenes, which kept things interesting.

I was obsessed with FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller! Honestly, I think she’s my favorite character I’ve encountered in a good while. She was like-able, smart, compassionate and humble. You could just tell that she knew how to get things done and do them well.

The only reason this wasn’t a five star read for me was the ending. I’m not really the type of reader who tries to guess how a book ends, and I didn’t do that here either. However, I will say that it wasn’t all that surprising and didn’t pack as much punch as I had expected. [4.5 stars rounded down to 4 stars].

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

Read if you like:

✨ Academic settings
✨ Legal thrillers
✨ Multi-POV’s
✨ Family drama

My favorite Alex Finlay book yet!

Talk about master of cliff hangers! Every time I sat down to read, I read no less than 20-30 chapters at a time, because each chapter leaves you with a cliff hanger than has you chasing the pages for answers!

Six college students go missing over their college’s Parents Weekend and it is up to the parents, school police, and one FBI agent to figure out what is going on. As emotions get higher, crazy secrets from each family get revealed and will keep you on your toes the entire novel.

I throughly loved this fast pace thriller! The only thing that brought it down for me was it was a little predictable (in my opinion) but it was still a wonderful read! There are a lot of characters, so that can be little confusing to keep straight, especially in the first quarter of the book. A character chart in the beginning would have been extremely helpful!

Thank you Alex Finlay, Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Parent’s Weekend in exchange for an honest review, it was an honor!

This book was a great mystery of students who all go missing on parents weekend. It shares the story from each family’s point of view. I was kept on my toes and wanting more throughout the story. I was so enthralled that I read it in one sitting!

Special Agent Sarah Keller is on special assignment in Northern California when she snags a case of 5 college students who have gone missing before a parents weekend dinner with their parents. This propulsive thriller reveals the complex family dynamics and the ties of the students in short chapters from different perspectives. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s press for an advanced copy for an honest review.

After having read another book by Alex Finlay and enjoying it, I was excited to read his new release. This one was not my favorite. There were alot of characters to keep track of and none to root for. If you want a book about everyone behaving badly then you will like this one with lots of drinking, drugs, infidelity, coarse language, anxiety, etc. It is a quick popcorn like mystery/ thriller so if you are looking for that and don't need a hopeful, happy story, you may enjoy this one!

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is mystery thriller that keeps you turning the pages. I've read Alex Finlay's books before so I know this will be a good one. The writing is easy to read and keeps you interested from the start.

It's Parents Weekend at a college and five students goes missing. The FBI is called in to aid the investigation once it's determined something more sinister might be going on, especially after a death of a student earlier in the week. The plot alternates POV amongst each family and shifts from past and present. While the search is on, secrets and lessons amongst each family also comes to light.

I really enjoyed reading this book and was able to finish it within a few days.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author Alex Finlay for providing me with an ARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Look forward to reading more from Finlay.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay! With all of Finlay’s book I feel like I need to create a separate note on my phone with who each character is, and this book is no exception (especially while listening). Great narration, but I was confused for a bit of the book at the beginning just trying to remember each person’s storyline. This was a quick, fast-paced suspenseful read, but not my #1 favorite if Finlay’s. As always, I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next.

Thank you Netgalley & Minotaur Books for an eARC ❤️❤️❤️

Alex Finlay’s latest is the kind of book that starts with parents sipping chardonnay and ends with you questioning every friendship you’ve ever had. *Parents Weekend* takes the classic "kids go missing" trope and cranks it up to eleven, weaving in family secrets, campus paranoia, and the kind of twists that make you audibly gasp on public transit.

Picture this: five families arrive at a picturesque Northern California college for Parents Weekend, ready to pretend they’re not checking their kids’ grades on the portal. But when their kids—affectionately dubbed "The Five" by true-crime TikTok—never show up for dinner, the night spirals from *"They’re probably just hungover"* to *"Call the FBI"* in record time.
What makes this thriller so addictive isn’t just the central mystery (though *where are they?* will haunt you), but the way Finlay peels back the layers of each family like a true-crime exposé. There’s the overachiever with the controlling dad, the scholarship kid with something to prove, the golden child hiding a rebellion—and every parent’s past sins lurking in the background. FBI Agent Sarah Keller (a fan favorite from Finlay’s earlier books) arrives like a chaos referee, sorting through lies, alibis, and the kind of small-town rumors that spread faster than a dorm flu.
The book taps into that universal college experience where your friends become your family—until suddenly, you’re not sure you ever really knew them. Add in relentless pacing, social media’s obsession with turning tragedy into content, and an ending that’ll leave your jaw on the floor, and you’ve got Finlay’s best work yet.
Read this if you love thrillers that are *almost* too stressful to finish—but too good to put down. And maybe hug your parents afterward. (Or side-eye them. Depends on your family dynamics ) 🫣

Guess I should have read the entire summary before reading the book? Then I wouldn't have wondered throughout the first half why FBI Agent Sarah Keller's previous cases sounded so familiar! I like that she has become a recurring character. This time, the set up is a maze! Is it the kids who are hiding all the secrets that might be causing the trouble? Or is it their parents' secrets coming back to hurt them? Parents' weekend is a great premise to bring a multitude of otherwise unrelated people together to see how things play out and it was used to great effect here! I love when there are several very plausible ways stories can go. Can't wait for the next one from Finlay and hope it includes Special Agent Keller!

This is his best book yet! I hated putting this down to work or eat, and for the life of me could not see the ending coming. I really appreciated the complexity of the characters and how the plot developed while still making you wonder most of the way through.

Finlay is an auto read author, and he rarely disappoints! I loved the setting and the premise, tho I did figure out part of the plot fairly early on. Lots of characters, lots of red herrings to try to deter, and a whole lot of intrigue trying to keep you guessing! My favorite part of the whole novel was that Agent Sarah Kellar was back! She’s such a well written character and I’ll follow her into any investigation!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

This was a super quick read. Nothing too involved or too detailed. however, there were a lot of families to keep up with. But I did think once everyone was established, this was pretty easy to follow.

There were a few twists and turns in this book, but I didn't think the ending was super surprising.

This is a multiple POV book, with the total of 4 different families and a 5th POV related to the FBI agent and her family. Overall, a decent book, but I also wanted more to make it feel a little more rounded. If you're in the mood for a quick, easy read definitely pick this one up.


Thank you to Minotaur books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. And honestly? I need to stop trying to read Finlay books. I just don’t like his writing. I haven’t liked a single one I’ve read. Luckily I realized this before finishing this one and wasting my time.

Alex Finlay is a go-to for an easy thriller read. The Parents Weekend was a quick read, chocked full of red herrings and fun little twists. While it was not a literary masterpiece, and definitely a little predictable (hello rich people always behaving badly trope), Parents Weekend was a delightful break from my piles of high-brow literature and in-depth fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the book #ParentsWeekend by #AlexFinlay. This book encompasses the first year of 5 college students, Libby, Blaine, Mark, Felix and Stella. Its parent weekend and these five students along with their parents are supposed to go out to dinner, but the students never arrive. In fact, they are missing and nobody seems to know why. As the parents desperately search for their children, time is running out. Can they find them before it’s too late?

I was expecting more. It was a quick, decent read but from reading other books from this author, I was expecting more.

Its Parents Weekend at the college where 5 students attend. But the kids never show up for the dinner. All the parents have lots of secrets or past mishaps and of course they all have to be resolved this weekend also. Very intitled, unlikable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy. Publication date is next week, May 6th.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙖𝙮 kicks off with an irresistible premise: five college freshmen vanish during a bustling campus event, and their families are thrown into chaos as secrets begin to surface. With multiple POVs and the return of FBI agent Sarah Keller, the story promises a web of hidden agendas, fractured relationships, and high-stakes mystery.

There’s no denying that Alex Finlay knows how to build tension. The short, punchy chapters and fast pace make it easy to race through, but the plot, while compelling in concept, unfolds along fairly predictable lines and the ending didn’t surprise me.

It’s not a bad book. It’s entertaining enough, especially if you’re in the mood for a quick popcorn thriller.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5-4 stars

This was my first book by this author. I have many of his books on my TBR and just haven't gotten around to reading them. This was a fast paced book with many characters which was hard to follow. Each family of the 5 kids each had their own drama so with all the characters and pieces to the puzzle to all fit in was an overwhelming task. I liked the setting of the book (on a college campus in Northern California), the thriller aspects and Detective Keller. I would definitely read another Alex Finlay book, especially the ones with Detective Keller.

thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur for the gifted eARC. All opinions are all my own.

I have read and really enjoyed several of Alex Finlay’s books, they are always an enjoyable, fast paced ride full of twists and turns. His newest release, Parents Weekend, did not disappoint and kept me guessing and second guessing just like his others! It is set on the Santa Clara University’s college campus on Parents Weekend. It is told through multiple POVs and has short chapters, which I love.

The story follows five families whose children are college freshmen and friends, they’re known as The Five. The parents come in for the weekend and the plan is for them all to meet for dinner, but the students never showed up. Like most popcorn thrillers, it has a complex plot and there were so many characters, even some with aliases, to keep straight, but once I had them figured out it was a heart pounding, action packed, wild ride all the way to the very end, I had a hard time putting this one down. I even found myself holding my breath a couple of times.

I enjoyed the unique premise and setting of this story. I was more invested in the parents POVs than the students, maybe that’s just because I could relate more with them. I thought the references to Scooby Doo and The Mystery Van were fun nostalgic touches! There is a return of a character from his last two books, but this one can definitely be read without reading the others.

I am a huge fan of Brittany Pressley’s work. Her tone and pacing are spot on and helped create a mysterious, suspenseful atmospheric setting and plot. As always, she delivered a flawless and entertaining performance from start to finish, bringing the story and characters to life.

Thank you @minotaur_books, @macmillan.audio, @alexfinlayauthor, and @netgalley for the #gifted ARC & ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.