Like all Alex Finley books, this kept me on the edge of my seat! Great plot with a well-developed storyline. At times, it felt more Young Adult, but I was so invested in the WHODUNIT that this didn’t bother me as much as it normally would. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was easy to listen to with just right amount of emotion. I would listen to other books read by this narrator with zero hesitation. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. Recommend for fans of Finley’s other books and short timeline mysteries / thrillers.

FIVE COLLEGE STUDENTS GO MISSING ON PARENTS WEEKEND, AND ITS UP TO FBI AGENT KELLER TO SOLVE THE CASE.

ALEX FINLAY WRITES SUCH FUN, FAST PACED THRILLER. THEY ARE ALWAYS A GOOD TIME AND THIS ONE WAS NO DIFFERENT.

I DID HAVE TO TAKE NOTES WHILE READING THIS BECAUSE THERE ARE A
LOT OF CHARACTERS- AND I MEAN ALOT. BUT AFTER I GOT THEM ALL DOWN IT WASN’T SO BAD. THE MYSTERY WAS FUN AND I HAD A GOOD TIME WITH THE TWIST AT THE END. DEFINITELY A FUN “WHO DUNIT” STORY. I ALSO THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY THAT ALEX FINLAY GOT THIS IDEA WHILE ATTENDING HIS OWN CHILD’S PARENTS WEEKEND.. THE MIND OF THRILLER WRITERS CRACKS ME UP. LOL

BRITTANY PRESLEY WAS SUPER FUN (AS ALWAYS) AND REALLY BROUGHT ALL THE CHARACTERS AND THE STORY TO LIFE.

📘Parents Weekend
👨🏻‍🦲Alex Finlay
🗣@macmillan.audio & @minotaur_books
📅May 6th, 2025

🧠My Thoughts🧠
What lengths would you go to protect your child? What about if someone killed your child? This was another messy af book and I loved it. Who was cheating on who with who? Who had a stalker from cheating? Someone killed themselves due to cheating? My lord. Adults being messy is always fun but HIGH PROFILE ones being messy? Oh, yum. I understand the story was about the 'kids' going missing but I'm gonna say the moral of this story is DON'T CHEAT!!

This was a good thriller, I really enjoy Alex Finlay books. My biggest complaint was probably that I couldn't keep the characters straight! There were lots of people but not enough time with anyone for me to commit any names, occupations, or details to memory. This was probably more of a me problem, than any fault in the writing!

If you know anything about me, you know I am a HUGE Alex Finlay fan and will read absolutely anything he writes. This wasn't my favourite Alex Finlay book, but was still a fun read that I'd recommend to thriller lovers. I did see the twist coming a bit too early so that wasn’t as fun and it felt like it missed the classic Finlay twist from out of nowhere, which is probably why it wasn't a 5-star read for me (I am very hard to surprise, though!)

This was a fun read overall and I would still recommend it to folks who like a book with a lot of complex family dynamics. It would make an excellent summertime beach read because it has a beachy setting that is sure to make your next campfire feel just a bit more thrilling.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I will always try and Alex Finlay book, but this one wasn’t my favorite. Great narration and decent plot, just didn’t grab me as much as other Finlay books.

PARENTS WEEKEND by Alex Finlay is a mystery-filled , multi-family drama that takes place on a college campus. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @macmillanaudio for the audio-ARC. #macaudio2025

🔥🔥🔥

It is parents weekend at Santa Clara University and the parents of the college students are descending on the town. The parents of The Five, as they have dubbed themselves (Libby, Blaine, Mark, Felix, and Stella), arrive for the weekend and go to the first dinner but none of their college-aged kids are there. Told from the POV of each family as they try to unravel the mystery, this story will delve deeply into the very different lives and upbringings of these young bright things.

I was immediately interested in the plot here as I had no idea what to expect. The unraveling of the story was slow but steady which kept me mostly engaged but there were also some weird things I couldn't really look past including a storyline with Russian characters that felt a bit too on the nose. This was my first Finlay and I am interested in more from them, but would say that I just found this one to be good but not great.

Five college kids vanish during Parents Weekend and their parents unravel while secrets start bubbling up? Say less, I’m in.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a fast-paced, multi-POV mystery with true crime podcast vibes and messy family drama. I did figure out the twist early on, but the story was still super compelling and really well written.

If you love campus thrillers, complicated families, and stories that unfold like your favorite bingeable docuseries, this one’s for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Alex Finlay for the advance listen!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was an enjoyable, yet very predictable thriller. The characters were enjoyable enough, but I was expecting more after liking The Night Shift so much.

I’m a big Alex Finlay fan and read everything he writes, so of course I had to check this one out. Parents Weekend was an enjoyable read—twisty, fast-paced, and packed with suspense. While it wasn’t my favorite of his books overall, I still found the story compelling and the audiobook version was excellent. The narrator really brought the characters and tension to life, making it a gripping listen from start to finish.

Alex Finlay is a must-read author for me. I knew I had to read this one. I've been in a reading slump the last little bit and this helped me get out of it. While I didn't LOVE this book, and I called one of the twists early on, this book was still entertaining. I still don't think I know exactly what kid belonged to what parents but that's okay. I don't feel like you NEED to know for the story. I love a book with multiple POVs and short chapters. If you are looking for a fast read this summer, this one is it. I listened and read. I think the narrator did a great job!

Thanks to the Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for early access to both ebook and audiobook versions of Parents Weekend in exchange for my honest opinion. I have been a fan of the author since reading his first book, Every Last Fear, and I enjoyed this upcoming release. FBI Agent Sarah Keller, from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift, is back as a character in this book, although I didn't realize this until the book specifically referenced The Night Shift (apparently it has been a while since I read those!), and you definitely don't need to have read either of those books first. Just a fun overlap for readers of his previous books! She is a badass FBI agent - I would definitely read more books involving her!
Parents Weekend takes place at Santa Clara University, where four students’ parents are set to have dinner with their students together. The parents are from all over (NY, DC, LA, etc) and their jobs range from one working at the school to one being a big deal in the State Department. The parents show up at the dinner, but none of their students do. Come to find out the students plus one more, now referred to as “the five,” have all disappeared. A student had previously been found dead earlier in the week, so this is NOT the type of attention the school wanted to have, especially over parents weekend.
This was a quick read/listen for me, and while I enjoyed it, it felt lacking compared to the author's previous books. I can't quite put my finger on what would have helped the plot. I definitely love a book that is under 300 pages, but this one felt like it could have used a little more (I know, who am I wanting a book to be longer?!). It was a good vacation read if you're looking for a fast thriller, so I recommend checking it out.

This was a quick read that gripped me right from the start. Told through multiple POVs, the story moved at a solid pace and kept me invested throughout. The sections from the college student’s perspective had a definite YA feel, but I actually appreciated that. They were young, and they sounded young, which made it feel more authentic.

The dual timeline was handled really well, weaving the past and present together in a way that felt seamless and enhanced the story. While the characters weren’t perfect and had their flaws, they were believable, which made their struggles and decisions more compelling. I also loved seeing familiar faces from previous books, continuing their story without being a series.

Overall, a solid, fast-paced read with just the right mix of suspense, character development, and continuity for fans of the series.

The narrator did a fantastic job. She made it easy to distinguish between the different POVs and kept the pacing and tone engaging throughout. Her performance added another layer to the story that really worked for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books for an ARC, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy.

If you don't have anything things nice to say...
I have enjoyed other works by Mr Finlay, this was not it and lacked any real mystery

This was an interesting and quick thriller - the synopsis caught my eye right away and the idea of 5 students disappearing at the same time and having to dig through the parents' pasts and secrets was intriguing! That being said, I felt the story dragged a bit and the plot was rather predictable despite the red herrings. The ending felt so rushed, and who the perpetrators ended up being bothered me - it felt typecast... It was, however, fun to see agent Sarah Keller again!

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration, it made binging the book really easy.

CW: Kidnapping, murder/death, stalking, infidelity, illness, child death, domestic abuse, suicide, gun violence, pedophilia.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

The premise to the book was great! I was really looking forward to reading it! But it kinda fell flat for me and I couldn't really get into it. It took forever for me to get through it because I just wasn't that interested. I REALLY like this author and will most definitely read their next book!

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book!

This story really kept me interested with the twist of who actually did it and the interviews after the death. There were quite a few characters that could be difficult to keep up with, but I was able to keep up. The chapters were short and quick which kept me reading and the drama in the story was well done. There were lots of secrets, but everything came to light towards the end. It was a good read, just not my favorite. 3.5/5

this book had a ton of characters, each with their own motives for why they could be the cause of all the drama that unfolds during parents weekend. I really needed a flowchart of how everyone connects because even after finishing it's a bit tumultuous. I also hated about a third of the characters, which made their bits harder to care about. The book had quick chapters, lots of action, and enough drama to keep it all flowing. Very entertaining.

thank you to NetGalley, the author Alex Finlay, and Macmillan audio for my ARC of this audiobook.

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.

Sounds like a winner, doesn't it?
But no....just....sorry, no.
I'm not sure what happened here, I usually enjoy Finlay.  But as good as the premise sounded, the story itself let me down big time.
So many important things were left unexplained  and had plot holes you could drive an 18-wheeler through.  As for the now standard plot twists...there were none. 
No surprises, no shocking revelation, nothing.  I was so surprised to read such a flat, predictable mystery by an author who has such a good reputation in the craft.
I moved back and forth between the book and the audio version.  While the narrator , Brittany Pressley,wasn't bad, there were a few issues that should have been caught in the editing process.  There were a few moments where a character would speak with what I can only describe as Pressley deepening her voice, theb when the same character speaks again, he has a british accent.  I have no idea why. No one in the story was British. This happened a few times with characters' voices.

Thanks to @netgalley ,Macmillian Audio, and St. Martin's Press,  for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A fast-paced thriller with a gripping premise, but some character motivations felt underdeveloped. Finlay delivers tension well, though the resolution was a bit rushed. Entertaining, but not his most memorable work for me. I’m very grateful to both the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.