A pretty by the book thriller that goes through multiple POVs. I think had it been just the agents POV the book would've been stronger; all the dead leads and they neglected to look at one major glaring red flag pretty quick, good plane or beach read.

Alex Finlay is one of my must-read authors. Parents' Weekend has a wonderful cast of characters. A group of five college students goes missing during parents' weekend. FBI agent Sarah Keller, a familiar character from two previous Finlay novels, is assigned to the case. Agent Keller is clever and observant, and she has a huge heart both for the players in the case and for her family, who is actively involved in this book. There is also a smart and quirky college student/intern who plays a fun and important role throughout this book.

It turns out that each missing college student's family has a secret, scandal, or interesting story that comes out during the search for the students. These backstories, although possibly farfetched (what diverse group of friends could possibly each bring so much baggage, drama, and excitement?) are absolutely my favorite part of the book. In fact, when the backstories had all been told, and the book's focus shifted solely to the investigation, my interest dropped off just a bit.

As with all of Alex Finlay's writing, I wanted to read the book quickly to find out what would happen next, but I wanted to slow down and savor each sentence so that the story wouldn't have to end. I can't wait for the next book by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Finlay, and publisher St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Parents weekend at a fancy college goes awry when 1 student winds up dead and 5 others go missing.

***

Oh Alex Finlay, I may have to give up on you. These books get thinner and thinner with plot. The reader is hit with one red herring after the other, when the actual reason the kids go missing is made pretty obvious about 25% of the way in. While the pace is fast and easy, it was also just predictable and lacked depth.

So the plot is thin, what about the characters? First, there are way too many POVs throw in. There is ZERO character development and you spend so little time with each charcter that you truly do not care what happens to any of them. Second, Finlay should really avoid the POV of any teenager / young adult. It was painful reading their POVs when clearly Finlay has no idea how a teenager or young adult would talk or feel these days, even if they are making TikToks.

All in all, when the plot is thin and the characters lack depth and are not any fun or interesting, you cannot expect the reader to enjoy the book at all. I would definitely skip this one.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for this honest review.

An Alex Finlay book is always a binge-worthy experience, and Parents Weekend is no exception. This fast-paced thriller follows five parents and five students at a California private school as a routine Parents Weekend turns dark when the students mysteriously disappear. With relentless twists and tightly wound suspense, Finlay keeps readers on edge from start to finish.

The return of Special Agent Sarah Keller is a standout delight for longtime fans. Keller’s sharp instincts and engaging presence bring depth to the story, making her the true gem of the novel. While Parents Weekend can be enjoyed as a standalone, prior familiarity with Keller’s character enhances the experience.

Though undeniably entertaining, Parents Weekend leans more toward the lighter side of Findlay’s repertoire. For newcomers, starting with Every Last Fear or The Night Shift might offer a more substantial introduction to his work. Still, this is a quick, enjoyable read perfect for fans of high-stakes mysteries.

I’ve read and enjoyed the other books, but this one is a bit different. There are five college students missing during Parents Weekend. We get to know the parents, but not so much the missing five which I would enjoy more. This is a slow burn mystery. Thank you to the publisher for a copy.

In their children’s first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, 5 families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids never show up at dinner. At first, everyone thinks that they’re just being college students & skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours pass by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.

I read this in 1 sitting, I couldn’t put it down! Very much a popcorn thriller. There were a lot of characters to keep track of but I liked the short chapters. There weren’t any dull parts for me, it was paced perfectly! I feel like this read like a teen book. (4 ⭐️)

This is a story about generational secrets.
I really liked this one! I'm not much for police procedurals, but @alexfinlayauthor has a way with them that pulls me in. I also loved visiting the SCU campus- it's been years but it's a lovely place! I think this one is perfect for reading on a winter night- it's a quick, well paced thriller with characters I'd love to follow again.
Thank you so much @netgalley, @minotaur_books for the eArc! I enjoyed it v much.

I really enjoy Alex Finlay books, and this one was no different. I admit that I had a mini anxiety attack starting and learning that there were so many characters, but don’t fret, they all make perfect sense and were easy to track. I actually like getting all their different POV’s and it really made for a fun story. So, cheers to fantastic writing for making it work, and kudos for me giving it a chance. The plot was a lot of fun. Sure, I had a lot of ideas about what happened, but I feel like this author doesn’t do huge shockers, rather they are all delicately and intricately done so you appreciate the twist. I think making me invested and hooked while knowing who did it, it an art, and one this author does really well. I loved that one of my favorite characters was back in this book. It isn’t a series, but I also don’t know what it’s called when an author “borrows” a character from their other novel in their current one. Agent Sarah Keller is so fun, and I would like to read a series all about her…hint hint.

Anyway, this was a fun thriller, I enjoyed the premise, and I really appreciated the author’s note at the end as to why this book was set where it was. It added an extra element and made the reading experience all that more enjoyable.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It started off strong and I was enjoying learning about each others characters, but I quickly found it difficult to keep track of them. I also felt that some plot points that felt major were not addressed deeply enjoy in my opinion (like Natasha Belov’s death, Blane’s abduction, etc.). That being said, this was overall a fun and quick read that satisfied my craving to read a thriller.

I was actually really surprised at how much I enjoyed this, mostly because I wasn't too sure, going into it, how I was going to like the different points of view of all the characters and their families. It surprisingly worked really well, and while most of the characters had very few redeeming qualities, I absolutely loved The Keller family, and they made up for the lack of good character in all the others.

The mystery was pretty well plotted out as well; even if I did figure it out before it was revealed, it still took me a while, which is something I can't say with even some of my favorite authors and stories. Overall, I really enjoyed this and it kept me turning the pages.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I've enjoyed Alex Finlay books in the past and this one appealed to me as a parent of a college student.

This is the story of five families who plan to meet for dinner on the first night of parents' weekend at the small liberal arts school their children attend. When the kids don't show up for dinner, the families all try to find them and figure out what happened.

Each family has some drama and there are lots of possible things and causes so the mystery is interesting. I did figure it out but I still enjoyed it.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I always enjoy this author's book and this one was no different. I read this really fast - I couldn't put it down. We were treated to so many different POVs that I thought I'd get confused - but the author nicely reminds you who each character/family is - it keeps the book fast paced (I think the entire book is set around 3 days or so). I also got a few references/Easter eggs from previous books. I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to the next one.

3.5 stars!

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up at dinner.

At first, everyone thinks that they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them—come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?

I was glad that FBI Agent Sarah Feller was back in this one.
There were way too many characters but I was able to keep track of all of them. I didn't have a strong connection to the characters so I didn't really care what happened to them. So I really wasn't on the edge of my seat are feel the suspense.

I loved the first half but I thought that the second half was too slow. This one is every parent's nightmare. Five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for parents weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids, five residents of Campisi Hall never show up at dinner. What happened to them?

The story was told through multiple points of view in past and present. I was on the edge of my seat at the end there was lots of action which I loved. I loved the short chapters. This was not a predictable read for me. I was not able to solve the mystery. I did enjoy the the conclusion. There were some twist and turns too.

This was my fifth Alex Finlay book and my least favorite. I didn't particularly care about any of the characters (and a few of them I kept getting mixed up, there's a lot of kids and parents here). I usually enjoy books set at colleges but this one was just okay and not particularly memorable.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars--I liked the book.

This is my second Sarah Keller novel, and I've liked them both (though you can enjoy either as a standalone). May is the perfect time to release this book--it's ideal for spring break or the beach. Breezy and easy to read (despite some dark subject matter), this was a fast read with a satisfying conclusion. Recommended for anyone who enjoys suspense/crime novels.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

Five students go to a pricey private college where one of the yearly events is Parents Weekend. This is when parents are invited to the school for lunch and to meet with various staff, and to see their children's living quarters. One student's mother has a position in government which requires her to have a security team with her.

When none of these students turn up for the Parents Weekend luncheon, a search is made for them. It was considered to be a prank or irresponsibility until a student was found dead. Then a thorough search was made for them.

I was confused through most of the book of the book but the last twenty percent of it more than made up for it, and I highly recommend it. I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher St. Martin's Press and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

This was a pretty standard boilerplate thriller. I read it in a day a half. It was entertaining but there were really no twists that weren’t obvious. Keller and Bob were the bright spots of this book.

I wanted twins to play some role in this story. What are the chances that you will have two set of twins and they were referenced a lot. When I started to recognize the patterns, I thought I hit the jackpot and figured out what had happened. However, twists and turns in this book were much more exhilarating.

It’s the Parent’s Week at SCU. Families are flooding the campus to spend time with their kids and meet their capstone crew. All the kids reported to their parents’ first call but they failed to show up at the dinner bringing everyone together. It’s already a scandal for a school to miss 5 students and it’s even worse when their parents are the highest profiles you can imagine. FBI was definitely going to be involved.

Who would have thought FedEx distribution center’s head of security would be this helpful to kickstart an investigation?! Relationships we build during first year of college shape our life. These 5 ended up building the a family after the investigation and shared experiences. Families that they had expanded to include other ones’. Great page turner that kept me awake all night to finish

This is my first Alex Finaly novel and I have already put the rest of his books on my TBR. Parents Weekend is a fast-paced mystery thriller with mysteries on top of the mysteries. The kids are all hiding things, the parents are hiding things. You just keep reading because you want to know everything right now! The bad person is very intense and that leads to a different kind of outcome than what may be expected. Because of this I will definitely recommend this to my fellow readers!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC

Thanks to NetGalley, Mintour Books/St. Martins for advanced copy for honest review.

We follow 'The Five' ( Libby, Stella, Felix, Blaine, and Mark) as they get ready for parents week. The University SCU is a private school in Santa Clara. Each of The Five have a story all their own but they come together for the school's Capstone Club. Everyone is suppose to meet for the Welcome Dinner but none of The Five show up. As things start to come to light, the parents realize that something is wrong and their kids are not just pulling a parents prank. They have gotten the school police, local police involved and have now brought in our Agent Keller from the FBI. She goes deep into looking for the kids. Agent Keller takes us down paths where we think we know who the culprit is but does not pan out, making the twists of who has done this on this Parents Weekend WILD! Fun read, two sittings, recommend! 4 stars