“Parents Weekend” by Alex Finlay was non stop action. I couldn’t put the book down. It was such a good suspenseful book. It had a lot of twist and turns. I liked how the book was told in several narratives. I can’t wait to read more of Alex Finlay books!

At an elite college in Northern California, five families come for parents weekend only to be stood up at the dinner by their children. At first, none of them worry but when they can’t reach their children the next day they begin to suspect foul play. Police begin searching for the missing students but they have their hands full with another tragedy involving a student. Could this all be linked together, is someone targeting their high profile parents, or are the students involved in something unknown?

Parents Weekend is a twisty mystery thriller surrounding a group of college students who go missing during parent’s weekend. Most of the parents are high profile so police have to investigate multiple scenarios causing some high tension throughout. Overall this was a quick whodunnit perfect for a lazy weekend read.

I absolutely loved Parents Weekend—a fast-paced, twisty thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. When five college students vanish during Parents Weekend, their families are thrown into a nightmare that unearths secrets, lies, and deep emotional tension. Told through the perspectives of the parents, the story dives into family dynamics, expectations, and the bonds that form during those early college days.

Alex Finlay does an excellent job of building suspense while making each character feel real and flawed. The return of FBI Agent Sarah Keller adds a sharp investigative edge, and just when you think you have it figured out, a new twist changes everything.

This is a smart, emotional, and utterly gripping read. Highly recommend for fans of character-driven thrillers.

This one takes a little bit to get into because there are soooooooo many characters. Once I settled in though, I was hooked. I absolutely loved the way the plot unfolded, and the audio narration kept me listening! This was almost a 5 star read for me, but the ending just felt......anticlimactic. After all of the build up in the action, I wanted a stronger and twistier ending than we ended up with. That said, I still recommend this one!

Not my top favorite Alex Finlay thriller but still a fun and mostly easy one to read, maybe the perfect kind of beach read!

I felt like there were SO many different characters and different families and a lot going on and at the same time almost nothing going on? Who’s cheating on their spouse, who is an important political figure with agents watching their back, the average mom just trying to work so their son can go to college… so you’d think that somewhere/somehow all the families would be connected and there would be some ground breaking plot twist .. but NOTHING! None of that mattered, I don’t know why it was mentioned with such detail to begin with because none of it truly mattered? I don’t know if it was just suppose to be a bunch of red herrings or what.. but it was kind of weird lol.

Also I loved Finlay’s books in the past, and really enjoy that the same FBI agent keeps popping up in his stories but the lack of plot twist in this one made me kind of sad 🥲.

Overall, interesting enough I finished it in a weekend but the ending was a bit lackluster.

On opening night of parents weekend at a small private college in Northern California, a dinner is planned for the parents of 5 freshman of Campus Hall. The parents all arrive for the dinner, but then none of the five students show up. At first, no one is worried...they are probably out just being typical college kids and lost track of time. But as the night progresses and calls to each of their cell phones goes unanswered, the parents begin to panic. Campus police are called, who in turn call for reinforcements. Because two of the students have high profile parents, and that could be a possible motive for their disappearance, the FBI is called in as well. Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them seem to have vanished without a trace. Where did they go? And could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?

This book was so good. I was captivated from the very first chapter. It is told through multiple points of view, and it brings back FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat through most of the book. Although I had guessed what had happened to The Five before the end of the book, there was still a twist at the end. I also like that the book ended with their graduation, and where they all ended up. I had the opportunity to read the book as well as listen to the audiobook, so I switched back and forth between the two. I really liked the narrator for the audiobook and thought they did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. If you enjoy a good thriller, then you should definitely check this out!

Parents Weekend was another great thriller by Alex Finlay. Five families are visiting their children's college for their freshman year's parents weekend. They're supposed to have dinner with their kids for the opening of the weekend celebration. Once the parents get settled into their hotels and visit with their kids briefly, they get ready for dinner. The parents will meet the kids there as the kids will leave from their dorms. As the parents all arrive they are looking forward to celebrating with their kids. The weird thing is all of the parents have arrived, but no kids have shown up. Where are they and why are they all late? The parents figure they're enjoying a party on their own and will arrive late. They decide to enjoy each other and party themselves.

As the night comes to a close, the kids never show up. Some of the parents are very concerned as they don't think their son or daughter would've skipped the entire night. None of the parents can reach their child on their cellphone. They're not answering their text messages or calls. That's really weird for college students who art attached to their phones. As the next night come and goes, panic starts to set in to the parents. This just can't be teenagers having fun. No one has seen them since their initial arrival. The police are called and the news of 5 missing college students brings in the media. The small, private college is all of a sudden swarmed with press and law enforcement. The press is calling the students "the five" when they write about them.

As you read the book you will find out that some of the parents have reasons that someone might want to hurt them. Taking someone's child is a quick way to do that. Is that why the kids have been taken? Why would someone take all 5 kids though? The kids also have secrets between them. Is it something they did to anger someone? Are they really missing or did they go away together? The book is told from various points of view and it bounces back and forth between past and present. I had a hard time figuring this one out as you have many possible suspects. I enjoyed Parents Weekend and rate it 4 stars with a high recommendation. The book is available on May 6 and should be added to your TBR pile if you love a good mystery. I'd like to thank NetGAlley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy of Parents Weekend in exchange for a fair review. #ParentsWeekend

College Freshman Find Themselves In Grave Danger

Time is of the essence. The tide is coming in, and they need to get to the sea cave. The path is narrow. They are holding hands to help them descend the jagged rocks while the waves threaten to wash them out to sea. Will they find them alive or just lifeless bodies? With this glimpse into the near future, this novel starts.

This novel starts in a way I have not seen before. Police procedurals usually start with the crime, but this novel starts with the prologue near the investigation’s end. There are two threads. The first thread sets the stage for the second thread, the investigation. The first four chapters introduce the central characters, the students and their parents. A few other central characters are also introduced in those chapters. The fifth chapter does the same for FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller. It reveals why she and her family are moving from the prestigious New York Office to a temporary position in the San Jose office, a satellite office of the San Francisco field office. The first thread reveals the characters' actions up to the Parents Weekend Dinner, where the five students do not appear. The second thread starts when Agent Keller’s new boss asks her to look into the missing students. Three of the students have high-profile parents. In the investigation, something more ominous is happening. The heart of the story then proceeds. Trying to track the actions of now five college students is challenging. Her boss takes over the investigation and side-tracks her. That does not deter her. The tension builds as the novel proceeds, and it becomes more evident that the students are in a grave situation. This novel captured my interest as I tried to figure out how all the information fits together.

Sarah Keller's background is provided in her introductory chapter, which provides information on her excellent reputation. The reader even sees her in action on the flight to California. She proves her reputation was well earned as she discovers information that makes the disappearance more dire. There is a B-story line between Keller and a student intern at the campus police station. Much of how Keller works is revealed when working with the intern. This duo makes some of the most significant advances in the case. This aspect of the novel enhanced my reading enjoyment.

Some aspects of this novel can cause some readers to stop reading. While there are no intimate scenes, there is a noticeable but not excessive use of vulgar, rude, and impious language. The novel starts with most violence described in the less edgy after the fact, but as the novel proceeds, the violence shifts to the edgier as it occurs. This aspect helps to heighten the tension in the novel.

The only issue I had with the novel was that in the novel’s family portions, the author used Sarah Keller's last name the same as in the chapters where she acted as an FBI agent. It just seemed strange to me. On the positive side, I liked how the B-storyline with the student intern ended. While I was happy with the novel’s ending, there was a sad aspect during the graduation weekend for one of the parents. As for reading, the novel was easy to read, and it took me the average time for a novel of this size. This is the fifth novel by this author that I have read. He is one of my Must-Read authors. I am looking forward to reading his next novel. I enjoyed reading this novel and rate it with four stars.

I received this novel's free prepublication e-book version from Minotaur Books through NetGalley. My review is based solely on my own reading experience. Thank you, Minotaur Books, for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

The premise of this book immediately grabbed my attention and I couldn’t wait to dive in! As I started reading, I expected it might follow a trajectory similar to the tragic events in Norway at a youth summer camp, which added to the intrigue, but this was not the case.
The story centers on five missing college students and is told mostly through the perspectives of their parents and law enforcement. While this angle was unique, it felt stifled. The extremely short, sometimes choppy chapters made it difficult to connect with the characters or fully invest in the unfolding mystery. Or to feel empathy or understanding for them as it seemed to be all over the place.
It also felt strange that the narrative leaned so heavily on the parents' POVs, especially since the students were hinted to be hiding something major. Yet that really wasn’t explored until the final chapters. The ending, while full of potential, came off as rushed and cliché.
That said, it’s a fast and easy read, and if you're a fan of twisty plots and red herrings, this might be one to check out.

*Thank you to Alex Finlay, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Parents are going to be spending a weekend with their students at Santa Clara University. There are five families with varying levels of enthusiasm waiting to join their offspring. The festivities begin but there is a problem, where are the students?

The event falls apart because none of the students show up at the event. The book is well written but the format of the story left me flummoxed. I found myself torn, wanting a more consistent dialogue regarding each of the families and was left wanting answers.

Because there are five families, ten adults, I could not maintain a logical thread in my reading. Therefore, for me, the story fell through the cracks in the narrative. 4 stars – CE Williams

I was a bit disappointed with this one. I was expecting a twisty mystery, but it’s more of a police procedural that fell kind of flat. I didn’t really care about the characters or what happened to them. I was also put off with the obvious political jab in the first few pages. Just not a book for me!

Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

This is a book that could only be written in today's society. Four families (well, actually six) whose children are students at an exclusive and very pricey college in Northern California, arrive for the Parent's Weekend in the title. Unfortunately, just before the weekend began, one family got bad news no parent wants to hear - their daughter has drowned in a freak accident in a nearby cave after a night spent partying on the beach. . Another family will not be attending because the father is in prison and the mother recently died.

But the remaining four families are a cross-section of affluent America: an Assistant Secretary of State, a well-known and respected surgeon with a nasty secret, a judge notorious for the recent trial of a popstar that he oversaw, and the secretary to the school's Dean whose son is there because he can attend free as her son. They all have things to hide, some more recent than others, but all disturbing.

When the families of the four friends arrive for their scheduled dinner, the kids are nowhere to be found. And when they are still not there the next day, or the next, it is obvious something bad has happened. But which parent has caused the students to disappear? And what about the drowned student? The friends were all at the beach the night she drowned, they all knew her, or of her, and no one really liked her, but is that relevant?

The stories switch between the families and eventually all the hidden secrets are revealed and no one is above suspicion. But when the truth is finally revealed it is both shocking and sad.

PARENTS WEEKEND by ALEX FINLAY immediately draws us into the action and plants plenty of questions in the reader’s head imploring us to turn to page to find out what happened.

Set at Santa Clara University in Northern California, five freshman are gearing up for Parents Weekend. Each student — Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella — has their own uniquely complicated relationship with their parents. And wow do these parents have some secrets and complications of their own brewing.

As dinner gets underway the parents gather at the restaurant, but as time ticks by their children are a no show. Did they blow it off for a frat party? Somehow forget the night’s plans? When calls and texts go unanswered, parental panic sets it. It becomes very clear, very quickly that something is terribly wrong.

The book is told through five different POVs - the parents of four of the students and then though FBI Agent Sarah Keller. If you’ve read some of Finlay’s previous books then Sarah will likely be a welcome return. She made her debut in Every Last Fear, and while this story is totally different, PARENTS WEEKEND gave me a similar feel. Think fast-paced, popcorn thriller with plenty of twists and motives and action.

I'm not quite sure if the reader was supposed to figure out what happened to the students so early on -- if it was a case of we knew more than the parents -- but I do think it was easy to figure out where they were and why. That said, I still enjoyed the ride.

The book also dives into the relationships of the parents with one another and with their children. Complicated pasts + tragedy + sins that come back to haunt plague the parents. Oh how I love some parents behaving badly. But at the core is their desperate search for the children and trying to uncover what could cause The Five, as they are quickly dubbed, to disappear.

I was so happy to be back with Sarah and while, I don’t know what’s next I secretly hope a future story includes Annie. Loved her so much.

If you love a thriller that grabs you by the collar and doesn't let go, Parents Weekend is going to be your jam. This one moves fast—I’m talking blink-and-you-miss-it fast—with short, punchy chapters and a storyline that barrels forward full throttle. Secrets, betrayals, and twists are flying from every direction, and you barely get a chance to catch your breath.

The action kicks off right away, and while I appreciated the adrenaline rush, I have to admit: the first few chapters had me feeling like I was trying to memorize a yearbook. There are a lot of characters thrown at you early on, and it felt a bit like info overload. I found myself flipping back to keep track of who was who, which slightly pulled me out of the experience.

That said, once I got my footing, I was hooked. Finlay knows how to layer suspense and deliver juicy reveals at just the right moments. Even though the ending wasn’t a jaw-dropper for me, the journey getting there was so compelling, I didn’t mind. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to finish in a single weekend—ironically, Parents Weekend would be the perfect time.

Overall, this is a twisty, high-octane read that fans of fast-paced thrillers will devour. Just brace yourself for a crowded cast and buckle up for the ride.

When I start an Alex Finlay book, I know that I'm going to be entertained, and Parents Weekend delivered. Five missing college kids during parents weekend event is an intriguing concept. Add in a few high-profile parents and some with dark pasts, and Parents Weekend is a one-sitting binge. If I had one criticism, it would be that there's a lot of characters to keep track of, and I found myself flipping back frequently in the first quarter of the book to keep myself straight on who was who. It didn't affect my enjoyment of the book in any way, and I would highly recommend this book to all my thriller-loving friends. I'm expecting to see Parents Weekend in a lot of beach bags this summer. It's the perfect summer read.

This was just okay for me. I feel like the pace was rushed and because of that, I wasn’t given time to get invested in any of the characters. I do appreciate how the author was able to separate the characters by using different personalities and traits. Typically I find it difficult to follow a storyline when so many characters are involved, but I didn’t find that to be the case with this book at all. I also enjoyed the twists and turns in the book as I couldn’t easily predict what was going to happen next. However, I just found the story to be a bit flat overall. I wish more time was put into each other characters stories, and I wish some parts were a bit more realistic. I would be interested in reading more from Alex Finlay because I have heard such praise for his writing prior to reading this, but this book would not be my motivator. Thank you St. Martin’s press, NetGalley, and most of all Alex Finlay for the opportunity to read and review “Parents Weekend”.

I'm a little sad to say this one didn’t quite work for me. It started off really strong—I flew through the first half—but the second half fell a bit flat, and the ending didn’t quite make sense for me. However, it is a quick read and some will enjoy it if you're not looking for anything too twisty.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for my advanced e copy in exchange for my honest review

Publish date: May 6, 2025

Thank y0u to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the e-arc to review!

This was my first Finlay, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This turned out to be more police procedural than mystery. I thought the 'mystery' part was very obvious to the reader, and so we go along as our FBI investigator follows leads that unravel new clues as to why these kids went missing, and what really happened. We also get perspectives from the parents of the kids, as they all have something going on that might or might not be related to the disappearances.
Overall, this was good not great in my opinion. The writing is excellent, and the characters are all thought out. Although, most are unlikable. I think this book touches on topics that can be talked about and explored when it comes to being young, as well as life and all its ups and downs.

this was a really engaging, quick read! very enjoyable and twisty. i’ve never read a book by this author, but i can understand why they’re popular!

i will say there was a lot going on in order to distract from figuring out the whodunnit, but it didn’t necessarily take away from the plot. i also enjoyed the realistic incorporation of social media.

I enjoyed this book and loved how fast paced it was! I can always count on his books to get me through a reading slump. I read this it two days! A college campus with missing kids and rich parents. Agent Sarah Keller is back to help find them. I will definitely recommend this book to my family and friends.