3.5 ⭐️’s rounded up

I really enjoy the way Alex Finlay weaves together a mystery/thriller. I was thoroughly entertained by Parents Weekend and didn’t want to put it down. I started reading it and the next thing I knew, I was 60% in. One downside was that there are a lot of characters and it took me a minute to get them all straight. I also figured a couple of the twists out and wasn’t all that shocked at the ending.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the advanced copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Alex Finley truly is such a talented thriller writer! The premise of this book felt so incredibly unique, I’ve never read anything like this, and I really enjoyed that. I also loved the setting of California, being a native Californian. I feel like Alex did justice to our great state. This entire story captivated me from beginning to end, I didn’t want to put it down and to me that is the mark of an excellent book!

I was really enjoying this one. It was suspenseful. I did have a hard time keeping track of all the families and students, but it all made sense in the end for the most part. I really like this author so I would recommend this one.

I really enjoyed Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay! The story follows five college students who go missing during Parents Weekend. The multiple points of view from the parents, students, and the FBI agent were intriguing and helped build suspense. However, with so many characters and perspectives, it was a bit difficult to keep track of everyone, making it hard to stay fully immersed. Despite that, the fast pacing and twists kept me hooked, and I loved how the story unfolded. This was my first Alex Finlay book, and I’m looking forward to reading more from him. It’s always a win when a book leaves you feeling satisfied after the final page!

Started this and honestly could not get in to it. I was pretty bored unfortunately. Thank you though NetGalley for letting me read Parents Weekend before its release!

My favorite Alex Finlay yet!! A special thank you to Netgalley, Alex Finaly, and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’ve read all of Finlay’s novels and this is a top contender. This was such a binge-able, fun & easy read! I loved that we got more of Keller & the references from “Every Last Fear” & “The Night Shift”!
There were a lot of characters to keep up with & I wish there was more distinguishing features about them (not everyone’s a cheater). I also wished there was a bit more flushed out, like the argument between Stella & Libby, and the creep of a professor. But overall it was a great read, I tore through it in two days!

I really enjoy Alex Finlay and this book did not disappointment. It was fast paced and kept me guessing. I would highly recommend

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. I love a mystery/thriller with many different characters and their points of view all brought together to create a good story. Alex Finlay does this almost to perfection in Parents Weekend. The novel begins with five college students running for their lives one night on a beach in Northern California. We then back up a couple days as parents arrive to the campus of Santa Clara University for parents weekend.
We meet five different sets of parents, from different walks of life, excited to spend the weekend with their first year college student children. Upon arriving each parent has a short visit with their child before parting to get settled in, with the promise to meet at that evenings dinner reception. But those five students fail to show up at the dinner and do not respond to texts or phone calls. By Saturday morning it becomes apparent that The Five, as they become to be known, are missing and the authorities are called.
Enter FBI Special Agent, Sarah Keller! I was extremely happy to see the return of this smart, tough, plucky character from Mr. Finlay’s first two books. What transpires is a very enjoyable police procedural. We get to know each of the parents to these missing students and the stories of their families and relationships, and how these stories may have something to do with their children gone missing. We also get glimpses into the college lives of these missing students and how that may have something to do with their predicament. I do love that we were not allowed to get to know the students well before they went missing. This added to the mystery, and created a story more about the fear and worry from the parents point of view.
The novel also touches on how the press and, even more so, social media detectives can hinder an investigation by creating and sharing misinformation and rumors. Sometimes negatively affecting innocent people and the victims involved.
I really enjoyed this mystery/thriller. There were some elements I enjoyed figuring out and others that surprised me. I spent some time on the edge of my seat. No one is safe in an Alex Finlay thriller. And I did love the return of Sarah Keller. I would highly recommend this book, and all of Alex Finlay’s books, to anyone who enjoys a good fun mystery/thriller.

✨️short chapters
✨️ multiple pov's
✨️ fast-paced
✨️ thriller

FBI Agent Sarah Feller is back in Alex Finlay's Parents Weekend. It's Parents Weekend at Santa Clara University. A group of parents spend the night out when a group of 5 students go missing. They just disappear. This is a classic murder, mystery, and betrayal. This book had potential, but unfortunately, with the multiple pov's and short chapters, it was hard to keep up with. The premise of this book is great, but there were so many times that I had no clue what was going on.

A big thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Expected release date May 06, 2025

This is not the first book i have read by Alex Finlay and he never fails to wow me . i feel in love the the atmosphere and plot of this book it kept me on the edge of my seat.

This is the first book by Alex Findlay that I've had the opportunity to read. It was a fast paced easy to read book with short chapters. The only issue with this book was that there were too many characters and they were entirely unlikeable.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing date May 6, 2025

While the writing was fine and kept me turning the pages, there was really not much plot or any character interest in this book. I had it pretty much figured out by 20% of the way in. The only character who got more than the surface treatment was Keller; the rest felt pretty much like cardboard. I'd say it wasn't really worth the time with as many thrillers out there, but at least it only took me a day to read.

Another 3.5 stars for me reading Alex Finlay. I liked seeing more of FBI agent Keller, and this was a quick read. There were a lot do POVs in this one, and the perpetrator was fairly obvious pretty quickly. All in all it’s a decent read, but there’s no real suspense, twists, or anything. Sort of basic lifetime movie level thriller.

Nothing wrong with that but if you’re a die hard thriller mystery person this may be too elementary for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller is called to California as five college students are missing. Welcome to parents weekend where 5 families planned a dinner out but only the adults made it. This is every parents worst nightmare as the parents all frantically trying to get ahold of their child. The cell phones are all off and all they have is a last destination.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix and Stella are known as The Five. They all have different backgrounds but grow close on campus. You will get multiple points of view to see what happened that night. This is a slow burn but ramps up at the end.

This one just didn't hold my attention like previous books did. I couldn't get invested in any of the characters.

I’m not normally a fan of multi-POV books, but this Alex Finley novel kept me guessing. Every time I thought I had my theory figured out, the next chapter and perspective had thrown that out the window. The characters are pretty much all insufferable, but aren’t we all to a degree? I couldn’t put the book down despite my disdain for the victims in this story. Read it in a few hours because the suspense was addicting. Alex Finley’s style of writing is addicting to read.

Parents Weekend
By Alex Finlay
Release Date 05/06/2025

It's parent's weekend at a small private school in Northern California, and the couples below are on their way to celebrate with their children. It’s the evening of the capstone dinner, and all the parents have arrived; however, none of their children show up. The amount of turmoil that happens to these couples in three days is insane, and how it all links together is intricately woven in this fast-paced 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️S̤̈T̤̈Ä̤R̤̈ read.

Parents Weekend Attendees
The Roosevelts - divorced mom Cynthia, a high-ranking government official who comes with a detailed security team, her X husband Hank, are parents to Blane.
The Maldonados—David, a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Nina, have many marital issues and are visiting their daughter, Stella.
The Goffmans—Alice is the dean's secretary, and her son Felix attends the school.
The Akanas- Ken, an LA superior court chief judge, and his wife, Amy. Both, still grieving the loss of their son, are visiting their daughter, Libby
The Kellers—Bob and Sarah—they don’t have a kid to visit at parents' weekend but play an integral role in this book.

#stmartinpress #alexfinlay #minotaurbooks #thrillmemore #pageturner #netgalleyreader #hashtags4ever #bookstagrammer #bookstack #arcbook #bookreview #suspensebooks

3 ⭐️

PARENTS WEEKEND by Alex Finlay brings together the parents of four students at a private college in Northern California. One mother is a high D.C. official while one of the fathers is a judge on a high-profile court case. What are the odds of such famous parents? As the parents get together at the appointed restaurant, the students never arrive. Sarah Keller from the FBI swoops in and uses her skills to figure out what is going on.

➕ Quick, propulsive chapters
➕ interesting details, like the van, the masks, the interests of the “bad guys”

➖ Not a lot of depth to the characters or even the plot
➖ A lot of characters are thrown at the reader. Just let them wash over you. The characters are pretty one-note, so they actually are easy to keep track of.

This is a fast-paced popcorn thriller that would make a good beach read. It was an easy read, but at the end I had a bit of trouble comprehending it all. It was difficult to connect with the characters, even the detective Keller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

It publishes May 6, 2025.


#parentsweekend #alexfinlay #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #bookstagram #minotaurbooks

Alex Finlay has written some of my favorite thrillers with The Night Shift and Every Last Fear being great suspenseful mysteries but since those he has definitely delivered diminishing returns in my eyes. I thought Parents Weekend could break the streak of mediocre books but sadly I have to say I did not enjoy it. Being a continuation of the the prior two books with Sarah Keller coming back I hoped for greater things but Finlay lacks good characters, interesting mysteries and overall suspense in this new book.

3 stars
Expected publication date - May 6, 2025

A group of five college students have their parents arriving for a parents' weekend. They are kicking off the weekend with a group dinner, but none of the students arrive, causing much alarm after a students body has just found. It is soon apparent that the students were taken, and the whole dysfunctional group has to reveal secrets during the investigation as to who took them and why.

This was a pretty typical thriller, with the only likable characters being the FBI investigator and her family.