Another gem from Alex Finlay!
At first I was nervous that I would struggle to keep the extremely large cast of characters straight and how they are connected, but I'm here to tell you that it was not a problem at all! I loved how this mystery played out and how the 'side plots' were used as an effective tool to keep the reader guessing but not adding any unnecessary confusion or red herrings. None of these families were without any skeletons in their closets and I loved how all of them came slowly bubbling to the surface in a way that made us readers feel like these deep family secrets may have had something to do with the missing students....or maybe they don't! Very well crafted story with a great twist at the end. Loved the strong female FBI agent storyline and found hers to be the most compelling and interesting. Finlay definitely has a gift for creating thrillers that not only keep you guessing to the end but also have you feeling all the feels! I'd highly recommend for readers who enjoy multi-layer thrillers with huge casts of characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review!

I don't think this thriller was for me. There were too many characters, and I spent most of my read trying to figure out who was who to be able to really follow the story. It also feel like it kept the author from going in depth enough with any of them for me to really care. My feeling, though? I've read that story many times before. Stupid teenagers making very poor decisions, families with secrets... I've enjoyed other books by this author, but this one was not it.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review volutarily.

I LOVED If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay so when I saw that he had a new book coming out in May I HOPPED on reading it. This is going to be a hit thriller this spring, my friends!! 🌼🙌🏻

For the families of five first year college students, Parents Weekend is going to begin with a dinner and cocktails. When the five students don't show at dinner, their parents don't panic immediately. But as the hours tick by, and we learn about the histories of these families, rumors and questions begin to arise as to where The Five have gone. This story is told through multiple points of view - past and present - of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller and the families themselves. 👮🏻‍♀️

Once I was able to get the lay of the different characters, I was HOOKED. There is a lotttt going on as far as backgrounds and histories and present family dysfunction, so it did take me a minute to orient to my setting. But once I was in, I was INNNNNNN. 👌🏻

This was a quick binge, short chapters, tons of action, and the ending wrapped up perfectly. 🍿

I didn't realize until after that FBI Agent Keller is from his previous work, which makes me definitely want to go and explore those. I'm told nothing is ruined by knowing her through this book, so I'm excited to dive back to her past.
As ALWAYS, the acknowledgements/notes section was full of fun tidbits - including that Finlay got this idea while at his son's parents weekend!! Cool dad alert. 👏🏻

There was also a lot of interesting actual law at play here, which for a lawyer that was fun. The geofencing and search warrants portions were interesting for me, and Finlay definitely did his research! ⚖️👩🏼‍⚖️

He also puts in David Ellis' contact information for an complaints about the book - and it's extra fun to think about two awesome thriller authors being friends. Collab book, maybe?!?! 😜👀

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay releases May 6, 2025! Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by this author and I’ll be watching for more. The descriptions of the characters and all thr settings makes you feel like you can see the area and know the characters. The story is told in segments about each of the main characters and was easy to follow. It also made you want to keep reading and not set down the book. There’s lots of suspense in the story as well as twists and turns. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Synopsis: A group of students go missing during parents weekend at their small private college in Northern California.

Thoughts: My two favorite Alex Finlay books (Every Last Fear and The Night Shift) feature Agent Sarah Keller, so I was excited to see her back for another story! This is a fast-paced thriller with short, bingeable chapters. The ending wasn’t predictable (for me), and I really enjoyed the ride to get there! A note on the audio: Brittany Pressley can do no wrong. Her narration is fantastic, as always, and she makes it easy to differentiate between the many characters.

Read this if you like:
🏫 college setting
🏫 missing persons
🏫 multiple pov
🏫 police procedural
🏫 short chapters

This was a blast to read. The amount of characters in this also made it so much fun to read. It was easy to follow and I really enjoyed the story.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay delivers a fast-paced, twisty thriller that, while lacking in deep character development and featuring a cast of mostly unlikable characters, still manages to grip the reader with its brisk storytelling and suspenseful pacing. Though some plot twists feel predictable, the overall execution keeps the tension high and the pages turning. Despite its flaws, it's an entertaining read that's hard to put down—solid enough for a satisfying weekend binge. 4 stars.

Thanks so much for this early copy of the book to read, that said Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay just wasn't quite for me.
I enjoyed that it was fast paced and the short chapters - those definitely kept me turning the pages until the end as I was anxious to find out what was happening. However once the ending came it felt a little rushed and fell a little flat for me.
For a more indepth review you can check out my spoiler free youtube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHqtCxWBLxA

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my digital advance copy.

It's Parents Weekend at a small, private college in California. Five families come together for an off-campus dinner, waiting for their children to join, but the five college students never show up. Is this a harmless college prank, or something much more nefarious? Parents Weekend sees the return of FBI Agent Keller as she attempts to puzzle out the strange disappearances of the group of students now known as 'The Five'.

After being sucked in by The Night Shift, I've been so excited to pick up anything by Finlay that I can get my hands on. This was a quick page turner- a popcorn thriller in true form. Though the cast of characters is large, they were distinct enough that I didn't have trouble keeping track of everyone. The chapters are short and punchy, which makes it easy to fly through this one. I also really loved the return of Agent Keller.

Unfortunately, I did feel the pacing was a bit too short and the detail too thin. This coupled with the shorter chapters really made the reading experience more surface-level for me. I wouldn't say I was necessarily invested in the central mystery or any of the characters in particular.

That being said, I still found this one entertaining. The Night Shift still reigns supreme.

Yet another addictive thriller by one of our favorites, Alex Finlay!

There aren't many parents that DON'T worry about sending their kids to college, but these prestigious families certainly don't seem too worried. Until one disappears. Then they all disappear - on parents weekend. Are they being snotty teens? Or has something truly happened?

This was an exciting one for sure, and I highly recommend for anyone with college age kids for sure!

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc in return for my honest review.

Pub Date: 06 May 2025

Alex Finlay is an auto buy author for me, and this book only confirms that. Five stars for this twisty thriller!

It's Parents Weekend, and Felix, Mark, Blane, Stella, and Libby are awaiting the arrival of their parents. Right before they meet up for dinner, they disappear. At first, everyone assumes that they are just college students having fun. It quickly becomes clear that something is not right, and that is when law enforcement is brought in.

I am not going to give anything away here. Go into this one blind. It is a fun ride!

This story is told from each family's perspective. Secrets come to light, and everyone learns that actions have consequences. The chapters are short and fast, and they are packed with twists and turns. Also, I was so happy to see that FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller is back for this one! I loved "Every Last Fear" and "The Night Shift" - I am thrilled to see her in another book! I hope to see her again soon.

The audiobook of this one is incredible. That should not come as a surprise as Brittany Pressley is the narrator for this one. She does an amazing job - as always - and really gets the voices of each character.

I highly recommend all of this author's books! You will not be disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read/listen to this one early. It releases on May 6th - preorder it now!

Great fast paced thriller. I loved having Agent Keller back again and really enjoyed this story focused on five missing college students. There are amazing side stories taking place during the entire search and it’s never ending twists and turns about who may or may not be involved and why. The perfect read for a thriller fanatic.

Five college freshmen go missing the same Friday all their parents gather for dinner during Parents Weekend at their university. Special Agent Sarah Keller is back, this time on the west coast, to try and help solve the case.

As with all of Alex Finlay’s books, I loved this one! I’m a sucker for a college campus setting and this one didn’t disappoint.

The POVs jump from each family, including Keller’s, and I really think that made it easier to understand each family’s dynamic. Each of them have some shit going on and dark secrets hidden that affect the case. Getting a first hand account of that was much more interesting than just learning it from Keller’s POV.

Keller is a recurring character in Alex Finlay’s books but this is absolutely a stand alone! You do not need any prior knowledge at all and are able to enjoy the complete story without missing anything!

Overall I would definitely recommend this one! 5 stars from me and I can’t wait to see what Finlay has in store for us next!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Five college students fail to show up for dinner with their parents during Parents Weekend. These 5 students all come from different backgrounds and their parents start to worry when they can’t be reached.
This story is told from multiple POV’s and dual timelines. There is also a lot of characters to keep track of throughout the story and remembering them takes up a large part of the first half. There doesn’t seem to be much character development and the main story is very slow paced with a lot of side stories involved.
The actual reason the kids disappeared was pretty obvious also, not a big surprise in the ending.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC of this book. Unfortunately, I could not get into this one and DNF around the 30% mark. There were too many characters to keep up with and I wasn’t a fan of the writing style.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

I love that each Alex Finlay book I read just solidifies my certainty that his writing is definitely my cup of tea. He writes imperfect but compelling characters whose secrets I’m always dying to find out. Parents Weekend had plenty of that, a bingeable factor plus it brought a return of one of my favorite FBI Agents, Sarah Keller.

It’s Parents Weekend at a small private collage in California. When parents show up to a pre-planned dinner but their kids don’t, initially no one is concerned but soon it’s obvious that it’s more than just kids being kids. Agent Keller just moved across country with her family and is thrown into the case before she even gets to meet her colleagues…

This was such a fun, entertaining read. Each family had plenty of secrets and of course the students had their share of them too! Even though I figured out “who” pretty early, it did not take away from my enjoyment whatsoever especially cause I loved following along as Sarah was putting things together. Finlay’s storytelling and pacing made me feel like I fell into this book and couldn’t get up!

A huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A girl is found drowned in a cave when high tide traps her inside. Then on a parents weekend at school, 5 students disappear leaving family concerned and worried. After the FBI is called in because of some high profile parents, they begin to discover secrets about both parents and students.
I enjoyed the story and all the secrets, although a slow read it still kept me going. A few surprises along the way helped keep the story going. Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read this story.

Review of Parents Weekend by Alex Finley

I have loved every book this author has written. I really liked this one a lot, but it’s probably my least favorite of his. This isn’t a bad thing because like I said, I have always loved his books. I would definitely still recommend it and I’m glad I read it. I really liked the different points of view for this book and that was my favorite part along with the quick chapters. I just found myself a little underwhelmed with the way it ended basically. But I’m always down for a good college setting.

Synopsis:

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?

Told through multiple points of view in past and present―and marking the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift―Parents Weekend explores the weight of expectation, family dysfunction, and those exhilarating first days we all remember in the dorms when our friends become our family.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I keep requesting Finlay’s books on NetGalley, trying to feel the same excitement I did when I first read The Night Shift. Unfortunately, none of them have come close to it, including this book. I feel like we know nothing of substance about any of the characters in this book which just leads to a lack of any sort of connection to the story. Part of it is that there are way too many characters to keep track of who’s who, the other part is just that we get little information on any of the kids. I wasn’t impressed by the plot either. Again there wasn’t enough here to captivate me.

I would not recommend this book. I also think I am going to stop reading this author moving forward.

Students are in their first year of college and they are holding a night for all parents to meet then learn more about the school. During the weekend five kids don't show up for dinner and then investigation starts for where they are.