I liked this one! I enjoyed all the different POV’s and all the issues that came with each family. I felt like it was alittle predictable at times & it was easy to figure out what was going to happen, but I still enjoyed it.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is my second Finlay book I’ve read. I enjoy thrillers and love a good police procedural mystery as well. This was a good mix of both.

Following five families during a parents weekend at college it did get to be a little confusing until I got all of the characters and families straight. When five students parents come to visit them at school for a parent’s weekend they schedule a dinner outing. The parents all show up to this dinner but all of their children do not.

Told from multiple points of views from the parents , their children , and the lead agent on the case find out what these children did to stop them from showing up to visit with their parents. Are they hurt ? Are they lost ? Are they hiding something they are ashamed to tell their parents?

I felt like a lot was happening and nothing was happening at the same time? You know books like that. I would still recommend it even though it was not my favorite mystery ever.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books for the early release of Parents Weekend. All opinions are my own. This book is set to release in May of 2025.

The premise sounded great for a thriller but ultimately there were too many characters to care about any of them. The back and forth each chapter to a new family and their drama got exhausting and ultimately the ending was unsatisfying because j just didn’t care. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

This was a great thriller. I felt just like all of Alex Finlays book the beginning you're a little confused with so many characters but then it comes together in the end. A fast fun thrilling read. Definitely would recommend.

This is my second book from Alex Finlay and I must say I am hooked and cannot wait to read more books from this Author!!
Parents Weekend is a clever constructed thriller that has mystery, family drama that offers suspense and multiple point of view with all the emotions. We get to experience the point of views from all characters from students, parents, teachers, FBI agent, police/campus police. This story’s twists and turns in this book had me second guessing myself as I navigate through the hidden complexities of the family relationships as they occurred. I ate this book up in 2 sitting, face paced keeping me intrigued the whole w@y throughout. Great Job Alex looking forward to your next books!!
I would love to thank NetGalley for allowing me to ARC read this book! Can wait to own a copy May 6,2025!!!

Alex Finlay is easily becoming one of my favorite authors. If you were a fan of If Something Happens to Me, you’ll love this one!
This book takes you on a journey of a group of freshman whose parents are visiting them for “Parent’s Weekend.” Not long after a student is found d3ad, things get weird and another group of students go missing. The story takes you on a wild ride of trying to find out where the students are, who the perps are, and trying to tie in other crimes, past and present with what is happening to the students. This was a great, enjoyable read. Thanks for the opportunity to be an e-arc reader!

This is my fourth Alex Finlay book, and as per usual it was a fast paced multiple POV thriller. Thank you to Alex Finlay, Netgalley, and Minotaur books for this ARC.

Taking place at a private California college, this book centers around a group of students called "The Five" and all of their messy parents on parents weekend. A student went missing and was found dead, and then The Five go missing not long after and chaos ensues.

There are many POVs going between an FBI Agent, the parents, and the students themselves. You get to see the chaotic and somewhat vapid inner lives of these families, or the parents lives at least. I absolutely think if you've liked his other books you'd like this one. I'd call this one a mix of a crime and domestic thriller. Probably a good quick summer book to take a long on trips or days out.

I think Agent Keller and her husband Bob were my favorite characters of this book by far and hope to see her in future books as well.

I really enjoyed the detail Alex put into this one because he threw in the younger generations slang words that I didn't even know existed. "Crashy". I had to Google that one to make sure it was real. It is. The more you know.

I finished this in a couple of sittings and was surprised by how quick it went!

Was the thriller in the room? Because this was the blandest “thriller” I have ever read. I didn’t feel any suspense. Pass on this read, it’s just a no.

And Smurf masks??!? Are you kidding me?

Summary: During Parents Weekend at a small Northern California college, five students—Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—fail to show up for dinner with their families. At first, it seems like typical college behavior, but as hours turn to days with no word, panic sets in.

Dubbed The Five by media and online sleuths, their disappearance raises chilling questions: Are family secrets to blame, or is the danger closer to home? Told through multiple perspectives and timelines, Parents Weekend explores family dysfunction, expectations, and the bonds of early college friendships, featuring the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller.

I don’t regret reading this book but I’m not happy I spent time reading it either. There were a lot of characters and not enough detail about them for me to feel anything for them. The conclusion of the book was just meh and I was let down.

I feel like I have been burned by Alex Finlay one too many times and this might be my last read from him unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press for this e-Arc

This was a fast paced, family drama filled story that kept me on the edge of my seat. Overall, I really enjoyed the multi narratives for each family and enjoyed the story. Definitely will recommend picking this one up!

Alex Finlay does it again with Parents Weekend! This gripping thriller kept me guessing from start to finish. The blend of family drama, campus intrigue, and chilling suspense is spot on.

The multiple points of view and timelines make the story dynamic and addictive, while FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller’s return adds an extra layer of excitement. The mystery of The Five is expertly crafted—each twist left me stunned and eager for more.

If you love fast-paced thrillers with rich characters and plenty of surprises, this is a must-read. Highly recommend! 🔍📚✨

A group of parents celebrates Parents Weekend at a small college, but their kids—five students—go missing. What starts as a case of college irresponsibility quickly turns into a full-blown mystery, with the students’ disappearance possibly tied to their families' secrets. The story is told from multiple perspectives, revealing both the messy lives of the parents and the mystery behind the students' vanishing. While the first half was gripping, the second half slowed down, but the fast-paced, twist-filled conclusion made up for it. A suspenseful, action-packed read with plenty of drama.

Alex Finlay is a must read author for me and his books are one of my favorites when it comes to.
So many twists that I absolutely loved. Such a thrilling story. A definite recommend

After loving If Something Happens to Me, I knew I had to read this as soon as I saw it!

This might be slightly under a 4, but rounded up. I think the worst part was the number of characters. There were A LOT and it was.. fairly confusing for a while but eventually I kept it straight enough.

I enjoyed the story, I did guess the bad guy fairly early, but that didn’t make it less enjoyable (sometimes it does). It was entertaining and fast paced and the only reason it took so long to read is because it was my before bed book. I will definitely continue reading Alex Finlay!

•When five college freshmen never show to their much anticipated kickoff dinner for parents weekend, their parents are all left wondering if they were stood up, or if something more sinister happened. But with the recent death of another college student, the families immediately jump to the worst conclusions.

•FBI Agent Keller is called in to assist on the case and she quickly jumps into action. With help from local law enforcement, families and friends of the missing students, she uncovers what really happened to the freshmen.

•If Alex Finlay writes it, I will read it. I know the book will always be fast paced and keep me wanting more. While that was definitely the case in this book, I did find the number of characters a little overwhelming and confusing at times.

•Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Alex Finlay for this ARC. It will be available on May 6, 2025.

Alex Finlay's new book was my favorite by him so far! The novel opens with the disappearance of a young college student, Natasha. After her disappearance, another 5 students disappear. The novel follows the families of the 5 students, the students themselves, and the detective on the case. I LOVED the way everything ties together. My only complaint is one I tend to have with Finlay's work- there are simply too many characters to follow. I created a character map that I frequently referenced which was so helpful.

Be sure to pre-order your copy! This one releases May 6th, 2025

I received a free eARC from NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

There’s a LOT going on here! It’s been a couple of days since I finished this book, and I’m already starting to blank on some of the specifics. We have so many characters and so many perspectives that there isn’t much time for development. This also marks the (apparent) third outing for FBI Agent Keller, although I confess to not really remembering either of her previous outings and having to look up the specifics. The story takes place over Parents’ Weekend (imagine that!) at a small university in Northern California. All of the students there are placed in these small group cohorts, and all five members of one particular group never make it to the Friday night dinner. At first it’s written off as typical college behavior, but it’s clear by morning that something isn’t right. Complicating matters further - on Friday morning, another student (I think she’s a junior) was found dead in one of the sea caves at the nearby beach.

We hear from pretty much all of these people - the kids (before their disappearance), their parents, Agent Keller…it’s a lot to keep track of. I’m not totally sure the students’ perspectives added anything (or their parents’ for that matter), and I would have been happier to read just about Agent Keller’s investigation. In terms of “screen time”, she may have a slightly larger chunk than the rest of the characters, but I feel like anything we learn from the teens’ or parents’ chapters, Keller could have figured out on her own (or *does* figure out on her own). Without giving away too much, it’s not like there’s a last second twist with information Keller never could have known - it’s all fairly straightforward (though I didn’t love the ending).

As others have mentioned, it’s a very quick read, and the short chapters (another pet peeve of mine, although they don’t *all* end in cliffhangers) make it easy to keep gobbling this book like popcorn. But there’s not much character development and I found the ending kind of lame. It might actually work better as a YA novel, with perspectives just from the students, without Keller as a character - as a couple of others have pointed out, it *reads* like a YA book, in a way, so why not just go all in? The parents do have their own dramas, but they aren’t very interesting, and turn out to be red herrings anyway.

Fantastic book by a great Author!! Each book gets better and better!! I could not put it down!! The suspense was on par to keep you turning the page to find out what happens!

The Parents Weekend of this novel is nothing like the ones that I have experienced (luckily) but it was one wild ride. This is exactly the kind of thriller I enjoy reading: fast-paced, with lots of characters who make a lot of missteps, and lots of red herrings thrown in the mix. The students at the heart of this story are a varied bunch, but when they are collectively a no-show for the dinner that kicks off this weekend, their parents wonder if they are just being flaky college students—or did something actually happen to them. Each parent has their own problems and baggage, which leads to a lot of wild theories of what happened, and as the law enforcement officers sift through the information that turns up the tension builds. I loved reading about these characters and trying to figure out how all of the loose threads would come together. I didn’t realize that FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller was a character in Finlay’s earlier books, but I now want to go back and read those. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to provide an honest review.

This was highly entertaining for an airplane ride but VERY over the top. I enjoyed the multiple POVs.

Five families plan on meeting their children at their college’s Parent’s Weekend dinner. The five students never show up for dinner, and when their disappearance stretches to another day, the police are called in. Parents’ Weekend is a suspenseful, well-crafted thriller that plays on every parents worse fear, and compounds that by having the parents’ all have a backstory that ramps up the tension. The first part of the book moves deliberately as the backstory’s are laid out, not only setting the stage for things to come, but also expanding the list of suspects in the students’ disappearance. The story takes off from there, with a good mix of good/bad characters, an evolving plot, and you can feel the tension with each passing chapter. This one moves quickly and I flew through the pages without realizing I was almost finished with the book, always a great sign! Definitely enjoyed this one.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.