This was an engaging and thrilling ride! I was hooked from the very first page! It's Parents Weekend at a small college in California and a small group of parents of students in a capstone group meet their kids for dinner -- only their kids never show up. The story unfolds as the parents and law enforcement including FBI try to understand what happened to "the five". Could they just be typical college students blowing off their parents? Or is something more sinister involved? The sins of the parents are definitely involved in each story and each one could have resulted in something bad happening to the kids. This thriller focuses on themes of family disfunction, fierce parental love, and coming of age. I loved it!

Thank you for a copy of this book. It was a fun fast-paced read that kept you turning the pages for more. It’s not the most in-depth character developed novel but it’s a fun little read.

This is another solid thriller from Alex Finlay. I always enjoy his books and this one was no exception. The characters and their various family dynamics were interesting and the plot was unique and unpredictable. This was an enjoyable read and I recommend it.

I am so pleased I got to read this one early! Parents Weekend was such a unique angle for a story plot!! I really enjoyed reading this one. My big critique would be that I had to make a cheat sheet to keep the parents and kids straight… but once I knew who everyone was, it was super engaging!!!
This is my first time reading this author and I am already looking into the night shift!

Parents weekend was another fun thriller by Alex Finlay. I loved seeing Keller and what a bad ass she is as a detective even though people continue to underestimate her. The college campus and the parents and the bunch of red herrings were fun although the kids had usual silly issues. But overall, kept me guessing!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
Make sure you are ready to not get anything else done once you start this book! I pretty much read it in 2 days and just didn't want to put it down. The storyline is original and well thought out. The protagonist is very likeable and easy to root for her. The change of characters for each chapter was great as it moved the story along...and wants to make the reader to keep reading. You just want to know what happens next.
I absolutely loved this book and would give it more than 5 🌟 if they were available. This book has an original story that isn't found in other mystery/suspenseful books. It is also easily relatable to anyone that either has kids in university or has gone through the experience before. And I never saw the ending coming, I was way off! Amazing job, Mr. Finlay!

First of all, obviously “yada yada” did not originate with Seinfeld. Do some research. Jesus. Otherwise, mostly fun but thoroughly predictable.

The book is entertaining, with its college campus setting and layered plot providing a compelling backdrop. However, its execution leaves something to be desired.

One of the main drawbacks is the overwhelming number of characters. While it’s clear Finlay intended to create a richly interconnected story, the sheer volume of personalities made it difficult to keep track of who was who.

Additionally, for a thriller, the book lacked the edge-of-your-seat suspense one might expect.

This book is enjoyable for casual readers but might not satisfy those craving a tightly woven, high-stakes thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Parents’ Weekend by Alex Finlay follows five college students who vanish during a campus event, leaving their parents to confront both their children's secrets and their own. While Finlay's writing is formulaic - so much so that I can't even remember characters who apparently appear in multiple books - his short chapters and quick pacing make this a dependable palate cleanser between more intense reads. Not remarkable, but it serves its purpose as a literary breather when you're tackling denser works alongside it.

I felt like there were a ton of characters but not a ton if substance behind them. The overall plot was good.

I may have burned a batch of Christmas cookies while engrossed in this book! Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a quick-read, psychological thriller. The story follows 5 college students who disappear over Parents weekend at a Northern CA college. Although engrossing, this was a 4-star read for me since the multiple points of view chapters made it difficult to recall who was who and connect the characters until about half way through the book. Personally, I loved the descriptions of Notre Dame having just visited the campus the weekend before I started this on my kindle. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. Publication Date: May 06, 2025

IThank you so much NetGalley & St martin's Press for giving me access to this ebook in exchange for my honest opinion! Parents Weekend is the new (and very anticipated!) Alex Finlay's book for 2025! Five families gather for Parents Weekend at a college in Northern California, excited to celebrate their children's first year. However, their five kids never show up, leading the parents to assume they're off partying. As time passes with no contact, fear grows, and the campus police bring in additional support. Soon, the whole town is consumed by search parties, reporters, and rumors, with many asking if something from the parents' pasts or within the group has put The Five in danger. I had a blast with this one! I loved the short chapters, the themes (college/disappearances/family drama) and reading again about the FBI Agent Sarah Keller! I understood the twist quite early so it's not a 5 star reads but I recommend this one to anyone who love a good police TV show episode! It reads the same, Fast and so good!

To say I love this book is an understatement. It was a book full of suspense that kept my interest throughout. I highly recommend reading this book. I look forward to reading more of this authors books in the future

Alex Finlay this time invites us to California, to 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒆𝒏𝒅 at Santa Clara University, where five families are to meet for a gala dinner with their children. Unfortunately, none of them make it to the meeting with their parents. Five students disappear without a trace. An investigation is quickly launched and agent Sarah Keller, whom we know from the author's previous books and who has won the sympathy of many readers, including me, steps in.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that the plot was quite predictable, but the short chapters that set the pace and the division of the narrative from the point of view of the parents, the missing, and the police gave this story a multidimensionality. Although I guessed the ending quite quickly, I still had fun reading it and was drawn into the vortex of events from the very beginning. I like thrillers in which the two perspectives of the older generation of parents and the younger generation of children meet. Their relationships, animosities, and the whole family dynamics are incredibly interesting. Here I have to admit that the author did not skimp on a large dose of family secrets, infidelity, betrayals, criminal past, the desire for revenge, and coping with loss. All this plus following the constantly emerging new leads in the investigation provided me with good entertainment for a few evenings. And well, I will be eagerly awaiting the author's next book.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. Following the five college students who seem to have nothing in common other than sharing a dorm. We soon learn that’s not the case! At first I had trouble remembering who everyone was because there are a lot of characters, but each family dynamic was so unique I was able to catch on quickly. The suspense in this book was great, and the short chapters have me up at midnight finishing the book because I couldn’t put it down. I really liked Agent Keller and seeing the case being solved from her perspective while also being a normal mom dealing with her own heavy family issues at the same time. I found the ending pretty twisty! I’d highly recommend this book! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC!

Parents' Weekend by Alex Finlay falls short of expectations, delivering a mediocre thriller that fails to live up to the author's previous works. While the premise of five college students disappearing during a campus event is intriguing, the execution leaves much to be desired.

The novel's most glaring issue is its overwhelming cast of characters. With multiple perspectives and a large ensemble, it becomes challenging to connect with any single character or fully invest in their stories. This abundance of viewpoints often leads to a lack of depth, with many characters feeling underdeveloped and one-dimensional.

Finlay's writing style remains fast-paced, which keeps the pages turning, but the plot itself feels thin and lacks substance. The story relies heavily on twists and misdirections, but these often come at the expense of a cohesive and satisfying narrative. While some readers might enjoy the rollercoaster of red herrings, others may find it frustrating and ultimately unfulfilling.

The inclusion of social media elements in the investigation adds a contemporary touch, but it's not enough to elevate the overall quality of the book[. The campus setting and family drama aspects had potential, but they're not explored with enough depth to make a lasting impact.

While Parents' Weekend might serve as a quick, mindless read for die-hard thriller fans, it ultimately fails to deliver a memorable or impactful experience. The novel's shortcomings in character development and plot substance make it difficult to recommend, especially to those familiar with Finlay's stronger earlier works.

I’m not always the biggest fan of police/law thrillers. But this book was great. Lots of view points. Lots of characters. Lots of plot lines that all divulge into the same story. I’m excited to follow Keller through more stories and watch her character continue on. The writing style was easy to follow. No holes left in the plot and fast paced. Very enjoyable.

Parents weekend essentially breaks down to this, there are 5 students and their dysfunctional parents come to visit for parents weekend. The parents all see their kids and then the kids disappear. That is the bottom line basic premise however, this story really ends up being about how all these parents are hiding big secrets from eachother and their children and they all come out while their kids have been kidnapped. I liked having agent Sarah Keller and her husband Bob back in another book. This just wasn’t my favorite Alex Finlay book. I will still continue to read the ones he puts out and I still enjoyed reading this one. Overall it just didn’t do it for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press for an ARC copy for an honest review.

This was a great fast read thriller. Just like any typical Alex Finlay book I feel the beginning you meet all these characters and you're like how are they all connected I have to know. Then it all comes together. This had a great suspense throughout the book and I loved the ending.

3.75⭐️
This books description intrigued me as I loved the concept of something happening on parents weekend.
Overall I enjoyed it. I wanted to know what happened which propelled me for to the end.
I would say that it’s a “fluffy” thriller. Like an elevated Hallmark movies and mysteries type where you don’t have to invest too much into it.

That being said, while I generally like multi POV this was a bit too much as the characterizations of the different folks weren’t fleshed out too well. The chapters were short and choppy. I wouldn’t have minded 30-50 pages being added so things could be fleshed out a bit more. The little dabbles into the sub plots just left you feeling a bit lacking.

But for folks that like a tiny bit of the police/fbi procedural type thrillers this is an easy entry into it as you get a taste but it also has soap opera level drama with the private lives of various families.

It is very predictable so if you don’t like being able to easily figure things out, this may not be for you. But again, nice fluffy thrillerish book to pass the time!

I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from St Martins Press through NetGalley to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again