Finlay is a master of suspense, and this delivered. However, the number of characters in this was a little crazy. I actually had to take notes at the start of this novel just to keep them all straight. But once I got them all memorized, I really enjoyed the trajectory of the story. Plus, I love Sarah Keller, and I'm glad she was on the case. Brittany Pressley's narration was great!

I had such high hopes for this book as it has such a good premise: five families get together to celebrate parents weekend, but their children are missing. Each family has their own struggles...and reason for suspicion...

But, it fell a little short. I think mostly because five families and five children (plus the detectives) make for a lot of characters to follow--especially in an audiobook with differing viewpoints and timelines. There just wasn't enough substance to get to know the chracters or really know enough about them to care, so the "reveal" just didn't carry much weight.

So, again, it was an entertaining listen while busy with a move, but not enough that I'd really recommend it.

Another great stand alone book by Alex Finlay. Starting with a short teaser, this novel unwinds over parents weekend at university. Friend drama, parent drama and of course the nuances of family drama combined with a missing student. I don’t want to give spoilers so…..
If you enjoyed Finlay’s previous work, I highly recommend this book!

While I enjoyed this book, I felt like it was lacking. The story was unique but not executed well. Overall I found this one just okay.

A few years back I was sent an Advance Copy of a book by Alex Finlay called Night Shift, and absolutely tore through it in a few days, which is saying a lot because is I a card carrying member in a Slow Readers Club. Since that book, Finlay has pretty much been an auto buy to me, and I am not an auto buy reader., but I enjoy Finlay's stories.

Parents Weekend is a slow burn thriller that is extremely entertaining. Probably my biggest gripe, if you would call it that, is that it has ALOT of characters to keep up with, this had me both confused trying to keep the families separated in the chapters and not being able to form much of an attachment to any of the characters . I felt that hindered me throughout the story, even as it picked up, I just went with it and hoped for the best. It didn't damper my like for the story itself.

The story takes place during a parents weekend at Santa Clara University, and five of the Freshman are found to be missing when they do not show up for dinner and drinks with their parents. I did kind of, not all the way, have it figured out before the story ended.

I always love a story that takes place in California, where I was born and raised, and still travel to a few times durning the year, and dysfunctional families are always a plus to me, not matter the genre of the book. The narration was good and the reading clear, and I was very happy to have FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller back for another story, I met her in Night Shift and Every Last Fear.

The confusion in all the characters and POVs did bother me, I won't lie, but it in no way kept me from enjoying the story, and it will no way prevent me from picking up another Finlay book.

Was a good book, didn’t love it or hate it. Shorter audio and book so was easy to follow and get through!

At a small college in Northern California, new students prepare for the arrival of their parents for a weekend on campus, a tradition commonly known as Parents Weekend. The families plan an evening of dinner and drinks, but soon grow concerned when five of the students never arrive. Is it a prank? Are the students just blowing them off or irresponsibly forgetting? As more time passes without any word from the students, the parents grow more alarmed. The initially reluctant campus police soon call in backup, and the search for the missing students begins.

What unfolds is a mystery full of rumors, family drama, and dysfunction. Can they find the students before it's too late?

I found this mystery/thriller to be seriously lacking in tension. I wasn't sucked into the story, I wasn't dying to find out what was going on, it was just an okay book to listen to while passing the time. It was predictable and underwhelming, and nothing about it stood out as memorable or enjoyable. There was no character depth, the plot was over the top, and it lacked the shocking twist I always hope for in a solid thriller. I'd been looking forward to this story as the blurb sounded interesting, but I ended up feeling let down as it played out.

As an audiobook, it was very hard to follow. You're initially introduced to many different characters, which makes it hard to keep track of who is who. There are several students, their parents, investigators, professors, etc., and it's told from different points of view between the past and the present. The narrator has a nice voice and is easy to listen to, but I felt like this book needed multiple narrators to help keep the characters straight.

2 stars

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio-ARC of Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay.
Parents Weekend is a mystery surrounding 5 missing college students and their families. This book has a lot going on with drama at the center of each family and many possible motives. I'm not a huge fan of one law enforcement agent who does all the work and saves all the people. Overall, a bit too much for my taste.

Parents Weekend was quite the mystery/thriller. The narration was well done, but the story fell flat for me. I believe it was the believability and the amount of characters. It was a little too much for me, but I still enjoyed the novel. I really enjoy most of Alex Finaly’s books.

Thank you NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for this advanced audiobook.

This book had a slow start for me but picked up half way through. A typical thriller. I think part of the reason it started slow for me was because there were so many characters and not many I genuinely liked. I did enjoy Agent Keller and her storyline continuing from Night Shift. Once it found its groove I was engaged and invested in the outcome.

This book was a fun, fast-paced thriller with just the right amount of drama and suspense. The plot moves quickly, and the short chapters make it really easy to keep reading “just one more.”

The multiple points of view actually worked well and kept things interesting without being confusing. The tone is serious enough to keep the stakes high, but not so dark that it feels heavy.

Overall, it’s a solid, entertaining read with a good mix of action, mystery, and a little bit of emotional depth.

Alex Finlay's latest novel, Parents Weekend is a mystery centering, as the book's title suggests, around a parents' weekend at a college - this one at a university in California. I'm giving nothing away by saying that the story involves a group of students who do not show up for the dinner their parents had scheduled.
The story is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of the various parents and the later missing students. The parents all have interesting backstories - a government foreign affairs official with a protective detail in constant tow, a trial judge who has also made enemies, a philandering father - that make each of them and their children plausible victims, with clues to the students' disappearance sprinkled throughout. These are clues that an FBI agent --coincidentally relocated in the town after her father in law's illness draws her family there - is unexpectedly asked to track down. I was not blown over by the story, but it was an easy read and entertaining enough to keep me turning the pages.

Parents Weekend is a fast-paced, twisty thriller that keeps you hooked from the first chapter. Alex Finlay masterfully blends suspense, emotional stakes, and college-campus secrets in a story that feels both chilling and all too real. With multiple points of view and a tightly woven plot, the tension builds steadily until a jaw-dropping finale. Perfect for fans of dark academia and domestic thrillers—this one is hard to put down!

A totally fine family suspense novel, with detective work thrown in for good measure. I like suspense novels that include police perspective, and the detectives are likable and somewhat well-drawn.

I didn't find this very exciting or care much what happened, and I think both of those qualities are important in a good thriller.

I will keep trying the author because i loved If Something Happens to Me, but I suggest giving this one a pass.

Thank you for the ARC. I purchased for my library and will share.

This was another good book by Alex Finley. Unlike his other books, I feel like this had a lot of false leads instead of surprise turns, which kept me on my toes, always guessing where the story was going. This book also shines a light on how not every family is picture perfect and everyone is going through their own home struggles. Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read and would recommend to thriller readers.

Parents Weekend is a thriller that takes place in two timeframes with intersecting characters. If you are feeling nostalgic about being in college, especially in the early 2000s and love a dark thriller, this is the book for you. Alex Finlay always has very good settings and plots that lend to the story, but also feel nostalgic for those of us entering middle age.
The pacing of the story is good and the narrator does a great job of bringing the story to life and building suspense, fear, anxiety, and all of the feelings a good thriller is supposed to provide. I recommend this book, especially for those who like an educational setting with a mix of timelines and ages of characters.

A fast paced thriller that will have you guessing.This is the perfect summer read for vacation or pool time. I listened to this on audio and enjoyed the narration.
I love when I can't guess the ending!

Parents weekend at a college and the kid are missing. This story is about what happened to them. This made me want to try another book by this author.

Things I enjoyed:
- loved Special Agent Sarah Keller and her family
- fast paced, moved along at a quick pace and never dragged
- held my interest
- the ending was good and tied up the loose ends
- delivered just what I was wanting and expecting


What I didn't enjoy
- too many characters to keep up with

This was one of my least favorite Alex Finlay books. Too many characters were involved, and I really found none of them to be likable. It was about a bunch of rich kids, and I just didn't feel like I was able to connect (or care about) any of the characters. It seemed like, at times, the book was hard to follow, with so many characters involved. Although I would give another of his books a chance, I didn't love this one, unfortunately.

This was a fun mystery and definitely a good summer, beach read. It was a little predictable but not too much so it kept me interested from the start. The narrator was excellent and kept me entertained.