It’s the weekend that both parents and kids dread—and when a group of five college friends doesn’t show up for the first family event, everyone knows something’s wrong. No one’s answering their phones, and the silence is completely out of character.

This was another fast-paced, addictive read from Alex Finlay. I loved seeing FBI agent Sarah Keller back in action. The way each chapter focused on a different family made it so much easier to keep track of the big cast of characters—and trust me, I needed it! The short chapters kept the story moving and definitely pulled me into the “just one more chapter” trap... which somehow always turns into five or ten. 😅

Definitely a solid thriller to add to your shelf.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Parents Weekend was another page turner by Alex Finlay. I enjoyed the format of checking in with different parents during the weekend and seeing what each family was up to. I wish we spent more time with the students to understand their motives but it was still a good suspense thriller and a perfect book for your beach bag or traveling.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one at 50%. The premise of this book sounded so good so I was hoping for a great fast paced thriller/mystery. It started off well but then you get introduced to so many characters that I had no idea what was going on and who was who. To fully enjoy this story one would have to read it in one sitting; this is not a book that you can put down for a day or two and easily go back to it. Typically I like books with many POVs but this one just didn't work for me.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and the author for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of. However, Finlay made it easy for the reader to understand the different dynamics of each student and their families. The book was well thought out and not easy to figure out the ending, which I appreciated. As a hotel worker, I was intrigued by the plot taking place over parents' weekend - an event that is often total chaos. It wouldn't be hard to believe something like this really happened, and it almost reads like a true crime book, rather than pure fiction.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a gripping thriller that kicks off with a mysterious disappearance during a college Parents Weekend. When five students fail to show up at a dinner with their families, panic quickly spreads, and a search ensues. FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller returns to investigate the case, uncovering dark secrets and family dysfunction along the way. The book is filled with twists, red herrings, and plenty of suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters are complex and relatable, and the writing is fast-paced and engaging. While the story may seem implausible at times, Finlay delivers a thrilling, twisty read that keeps you hooked until the very end.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Rating: 3 stars!

There was a lot of families. There was a lot of chaos. And there was a lot of jumping around. Overall, the story had a lot of drama from all sides with the various families and their invididual crazies. Together though, it was hard to keep up with that many individual families (in my personal opinion) and the ending felt a little flat. Overall, its a quick read with an interesting plot.

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

Loved the college campus setting of this thriller! Parents weekend was the perfect setting for a group of college kids to go missing. Most of the parents had their own issues going on which made them slightly unlikeable. We learn more about the kids through the adults. It was great seeing Agent Keller again from The Night Shift! Overall really enjoyed this one!

Five college freshman are about to embark on parents' weekend. The parents are planned to have dinner with each other and their students. However, none of the students show up.
The same evening, a sixth student who had been missing, is found dead.
The FBI is called in and the parents jump into motion to find their children. Almost all of the parents seem to have their own complicated baggage to deal with in the process, all serving as more for the FBI to sort through in order to find their kids.
This book was a quick read and kept my interest. It was a good detective mystery, as long as you aren't looking for any deep connection to the characters. I think there were too many characters for that. But Agent Keller makes up for it - she's always great!
This book is told by telling the story from the POV of each family, so it is a little hard to follow at first. But once I got through each family once, it was fine.
I would recommend this book to fans of "light" thrillers and of Alex Finlay.

Parents weekend turns into a nightmare getaway when four sets of parents are
left frantic when their kids don*t show for the weekend's events.
The exclusive southern California college turns out to be not so wonderful
when four of the college students disappear and the body of a fifth is found
drowned in a beach cave.
There is suspense but the awful attitudes and reckless behaviors of the parents themselves is a real
turnoff.
Typical college kid cliches and families with more money than wits about them.
Just ok.

.

BOOK: Parents Weekend
AUTHOR: Alex Finlay
PUB DATE: May 6, 2025, by St Martin’s Press
PAGES: 320
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
GENRE: Psychological Thriller/Suspense

A special Thank You to @stmartinspress, @netgalley, and the @alexfinaly for gifting me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

ACCOLADES: Alex Finlay is the author of several novels, including EVERY LAST FEAR, THE NIGHT SHIFT, WHAT HAVE WE DONE, and IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME. His works have been listed among the best-of-the-year selections and translated into twenty-four languages. Additionally, his books are sold internationally and have been optioned for film and television. EVERY LAST FEAR is currently in development for a series.

SYNOPSIS: During Parents Weekend at a Northern California college, five families anticipate a night of dinner and cocktails. However, their children—Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—fail to show up. Initially dismissed as typical college behavior, concern grows when there’s no contact from the students. Campus police initiate a search, reporters flock, and speculation intensifies. This story follows FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller investigating the mysterious disappearance, uncovering family secrets, and exploring the pressures faced during the first year of college.

QUICK & SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: Alex Finlay has easily become an auto-buy author for me. He’s one of my favorite psychological thrillers and suspense writers! This is my third advanced copy from Alex Finlay, and it’s also my favorite of his! When I’m reading a thriller/suspense and I can easily predict the culprit or the ending, then it doesn’t make for a good, on-the-edge-of-your-seat, gripping story, now does it? He always hits the mark for me, and I will happily recommend this to friends and fam!

While this is not one of my favorites of Finlay, I still really enjoyed this book. While the beginning was difficult to follow with all the different characters introduced, and the ending left a little to be desired. The meat of the book was very enjoyable.

This had the potential to be a five star read for me but fell a little flat at the end. I really enjoyed the overall mystery with the missing five students, it kept me hooked. I liked that we got the POVs not just from the students, but also their parents which added a lot of layers and made me constantly question what was really going on. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but once the story really got going I got used to it and didn’t mind. The pacing was good and I felt really engaged throughout except for the ending. It felt really rushed and I didn’t love how one of the characters suddenly solved it out of nowhere. I wish the ending had been longer and turned out a different way.

Now this is how you kick off a college parents’ weekend with a murder! From the start, this one’s packed with secrets, skeletons in closets, and plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing.
The characters are a mess of their own making, victims of themselves as much as each other, and as their backstories start to unravel, it all weaves together into one heck of a thriller. Fast, twisty, and seriously hard to put down!

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 rounded up. Parents Weekend is the latest entertaining thriller/mystery by Alex Finlay, who I can count on for a good entertaining read. Was this a plausible story that I can see happening? Probably not. Nor did I expect it to be. But I have come to expect Finlay to deliver a popcorn munching, twisty, dark read and that he did. We have a wide cast of characters that are freshmen at Santa Clara and their folks have all come to visit for Parents Weekend. Only problem is that the kids have all disappeared just before the welcome dinner. Twists and turns weave through the story and things wrap up rather well for the most part. I read Parents Weekend both as a physical digital copy as well as on audio and enjoyed both experiences. Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for advanced copies in exchange for my honest opinion. Parents Weekend will be available on 5/6/25.

Just finished Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay! It’s a fast-paced thriller with lots of twists, set during a chaotic college parents’ weekend. I loved the tension and the multiple POVs, but it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who, and a few characters could’ve been developed more. Still, it kept me hooked and guessing until the end! A fun, quick read if you’re into dark campus mysteries.

I almost didn't like this book! Dealing with 4 different families, the FBI agent, and then the investigation into 4 missing college students over Parents Weekend at a private California college just seemed like too much to keep straight. But, I got hooked. It is a quick read! I did have it figured out sooner than I would have liked, but it was still enjoyable to have suspicions confirmed and how Finlay tied all the story pieces together. Great read heading into summer releases!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. I have not actually read an Alex Finlay book before on an ebook/physical format, I've only listened, so this was definitely great to have enjoyed the read!

4.5/5 Stars

The good:
- I've enjoyed Alex's works because of how twisty they are and I felt this was his most ambitious yet, and it WORKS. I personally loved the multitude of perspectives you get and felt each voice was unique.
- There are multiple mysteries that you explore and everything gets wrapped up nicely with a bow.
- Sarah Keller is a staple in Alex's books, and I absolutely love seeing her again and again.
- This was a book I definitely wanted to keep reading to figure out the mysteries, but...

The loss of a half star:
- I think I just figured out what was going on a bit took early and it took me out of the story. I wish there was a bit more shock to the final mystery, whoops (but I think that's a me problem more than anything)

Overall, if you're looking for a twisty, multiple-perspective mystery, you should definitely pick this up.

Parents Weekend
Alex Finlay
5/6/25
4☆

Another twisty tale by Finlay! This one sucked me in right away. Told in multiple POV’s and alternating between past and present timelines, there is A LOT going on here. However Finlay weaves everything together and fleshes out the characters just so that it all unravels at just the right pace into a thrilling and mysterious story that will keep you invested throughout.

What I enjoyed;
✨ Thriller/Mystery
✨ Family Drama
✨ Multiple POV
✨ Past/Present Timelines

Don’t miss the author’s note at the end.

Thank you to St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the advanced copy.

It's parent's weekend at Santa Clara University in beautiful northern California. A student is missing, then found dead. Before the weekend can really get started, five students go missing. One of the missing students is the son of an important member of the federal government. Lots of cliffhangers adds to the very fast paced story. Sarah Keller, FBI agent, is investigating the kidnapping. The story is told through multiple point of views, each family's insights let the reader into their thoughts and actions. A very well put together suspense thriller.

4 stars

Thank you to St Martin's Press / Minataur Books / Macmillan Publishers for the ARC.