I really wanted to love this book. The narraotor is one of my favorites and she does a fabulous job, but the changing view points and timelines makes this harder to follow along in the audio book format.

I will say the premise of the book is good, the idea that college students go missing during a parents weekend visit has potential, but the shifting between timelines and points of view makes it a bit harder to keep up and know where you are in the story.

Thank you to McMillan Audio for the advance copy.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay.

Finlay is hit and miss for me, and unfortunately this was a miss. It had a decent start, but it didn't take long before I started losing interest. There were too many little storylines going on, and none of them were very strong, so I quit caring about all of it. Unfortunately, this wasn't for me.

Parents Weekend, written by Alex Finlay and narrated by Brittany Pressley, was a suspenseful audiobook I couldn't stop listening to. As a parents with one son in college and two soon to be, this book definitely hit home for me. I could listen to Brittany Pressley read absolutely anything and love every minute, but hearing her give voice to a group of young adults as well as their parents and the FBI agent trying to find them before every parent's worst nightmare comes true—I was glued to the audiobook. A fantastic story! Highly recommend!!!

I requested this book after experiencing a bit of FOMO from seeing it peppering my feed with reviews from friends. I don’t have much experience with Mr. Finlay, having only read one of his other novels, but I enjoyed that book and had high hopes for this one. I want to note that I initially struggled to understand why we were given so much backstory for Agent Keller. It seemed irrelevant compared to the other parents. However, after reading some other reviews, I learned that she is a recurring character in Mr. Finlay’s novels. Knowing this context helps, but I still found her character development to be odd for the setting.

The story revolves around five families visiting Silicon Valley for parents' weekend at a small private university. Surprisingly, during the first formal dinner, most of the students are missing. The dinner occurred shortly after the death of a student, which at first appears unrelated to the campus goings on. Due to this, the parents of the missing students quickly raise the alarm to the administration. With two of the parents holding high government positions, the FBI is quickly brought in, along with Agent Sarah Kellar to investigate. Unsurprisingly, everyone has something to hide, and all their secrets are soon revealed as Agent Keller works to uncover the truth behind the disappearances.

What worked for me was the interesting backstories of the parents; I mostly enjoyed their character development. However, what didn’t work for me was the actual abduction plot and how it unfolded. There were many loose threads, and when everything finally came together, it felt rushed. This was a major disappointment. The story oscillates between characters, making it challenging to follow important plot developments, though the audio production helps with this if you pay close attention. Overall, it was a quick thriller without a lot of substance. Is it worth reading? It’s short and can be easily binged and then purged.

One thing I love about summer? There’s always a new Alex Finlay thriller out. I had such a fun time reading this book. Did I have to suspend some belief? Of course. Did this take away from how much fun this book was? No way! I thought this was the perfect afternoon thriller read. Like all of Finlay’s books, the plot moved fast with very short chapters that kept the reader hooked. I thought it was paced quite well, and I enjoyed the main character that the reader spent the most time with was FBI agent Keller. I found her to be such an anchor for this story, one who helped put all the pieces together. Read this one if you like a college setting, some questionable parents, and teenagers doing bad things. The narrator did such a good job bringing this story to life, and I really enjoyed the audiobook version of this story! This was a fun ride, and I will continue to read all Finlay books that I can get my grubby little hands on.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
Narrated by Brittany Pressley
Publication Date May 6, 2025

I devoured this audiobook! Alex Finaly did not disappoint. This fast paced thriller surrounds a group of parents visiting their kids at college for Parents Weekend which is anything but relaxing or fun. Brittany Pressley is one of my favorite narrators and she absolutely nails it.
#NetGalley #ParentsWeekend #AlexFinlayauthor #BrittanyPressley

It's parents weekend at college so all the students are trying to be on their best behavior. when one missing student turns up dead and then five more students go missing. Law enforcement and the FBI have their hands full trying to find these kids. When one secret unravels more secrets come to light and not everyone is as innocent as they seem.

I really enjoyed the return of Agent Keller and her family in Parents Weekend. I like the development of her character and hope she will make an appearance in future Alex Finlay novels.

This book has a lot of POVs. In my opinion too many. With only one narrator doing the voice of literally dozens of characters it was at times difficult to figure out who's POV it was. I think reading a print copy would be beneficial simply for the ability to flip to the first page of the chapter for character confirmation when the POVs get messy.

That said my hubby and I enjoyed listening to this together. With a long list of possible suspects and numerous possible motives the twist and turns are sufficient to keep the reader guessing until it nears the end.

I had such a good time with this popcorn thriller. Multiple families visiting their kids at college for parents weekend. Of course there are issues, disappearances and murder. How did all 5 college students disappear at the same time? Suspect.

This was a great audio. Multiple POV makes it even better. There are a lot of characters to remember but I didn't have a. Issue and I normally do. AF did a great job with character development so that I was able to remember all the players.

Highly recommend the audio version. Really brings the book to life!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

• campus thriller
• multiple POV
• fast-paced

This one has so. many. characters. 🤯 I had trouble keeping them organized and connecting to their stories. That said, I had to know what was going on, so I flew through it. The audio narration definitely kept me engaged. Overall, it was just an okay thriller for me.

🗣 Thank you to netgalley, Minotaur Books/SMP and macmillan.audio for the opportunity to read and review this book via both gifted eARC and audio! All opinions are honest and my own.

☆ 𝘱𝘶𝘣 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 ☆
𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙙 by Alex Finlay
★★★★ 4/5 stars

⁕ 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 :
-California campus setting
-missing persons
-family drama
-multiple POV
-police investigations
-red herrings
-short chapters

⁕ 𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 :
Alex Finlay delivers a twisty, fast-paced mystery that feels more like a true crime documentary than your typical college drama. Despite the university backdrop, it doesn't fall into the typical dark academia vibe—which I actually really appreciated. Instead of moody professors & secret societies, the focus is on the high-stakes investigation to find missing students, which I found far more compelling. That true crime feel kept me hooked the whole way through.

The short, fast-paced chapters made it impossible to put down, & I loved how the multiple POVs were woven together. There's a big cast of characters, but the audiobook really helped keep everyone straight-Brittany Pressley's narration was fantastic (as always)!

I didn't realize FBI Agent Keller was a recurring character until after I finished, but now I'm definitely going back to read Every Last Fear and The Night Shift.

Parents Weekend would make a great poolside thriller you could easy binge in a weekend 😉

Thanks @macmillan.audio + @netgalley for the opportunity to read & listen to this ARC!

I had the chance to listen to an advance audiobook of Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay, and it was a wild, twisty ride. The story kicks off when five college students go missing during Parents Weekend, and FBI Agent Sarah Keller jumps back in to investigate.
Told from multiple points of view, the plot keeps you guessing with plenty of secrets and drama. At first, the number of characters was a little hard to keep up with, but once the story got going, I was hooked.
Brittany Pressley’s narration really brought the characters to life and made the suspense hit even harder. If you’re into fast-paced thrillers with layered characters and lots of surprises, definitely give this one a listen!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

PARENTS WEEKEND review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

👥Happy pub day to this bingeable new release!! Alex Finlay is a solid thriller writer and I really enjoyed his latest! I read this whole thing in 24 hours and it kept me guessing until the end!

👥Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
It’s parents weekend at Santa Clara University and tensions are high as a student has recently died. When a group of students no show for dinner with their parents, it sets off alarm bells. Why are they all radio silent, and is it connected to the recent death on campus?

👥I love a good campus thriller and this one was so fun! I did feel a tad overwhelmed at the beginning trying to keep all of the students and their parents straight. But overall I really enjoyed this one!

the setup…
It’s Parents Weekend at the University of Santa Clara and four families are planning to be with their kids for dinner and cocktails the first night. Libby, Blane, Felix and Stella are all first year students who are residents of Campisi Hall and hang out together, along with Mark whose parents won’t be in attendance. When they all fail to show for dinner, the parents immediately get worried when they can’t be found and aren't answering their phones. Campus police react quickly because another missing student was found dead a few days before, ruled an accident. And, one of the five is the son of a high profile Washington DC politician.

the heart of the story…
We learn about the five missing students primarily through the narratives of their parents, all with dissimilar backgrounds and dynamics. While we get some points of view from the students, it’s their families that define them and provide insights as to what might be going on. I enjoy multiple points of view and these parents provide lots of “color.” FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller is assigned to help out local law enforcement as she’s temporarily relocated to San Jose from the New York office. Her keen insights, deft touch and astute teaming with the local police chief made this an exceptional procedural.

the narration…
Brittany Pressley is a wonderful storyteller and managed the multiple narrators exceptionally well. Her pacing was perfect.

the bottom line…
I have to admit the family drama was just as compelling as the investigation into the missing five. There’s nothing really twisty here, just a solidly interesting mystery and procedural. Special Agent Keller is a recurring character and I can’t wait to go back and read the other two books (not an issue meeting her here first) as she was my favorite.

Sarah Keller, Campus Chaos, and the World’s Most Awkward Family Weekend
Review: The setup should be simple. A cozy college Parents Weekend in Northern California, full of overpriced campus hoodies, awkward small talk, and forced smiles over tepid chardonnay. But instead of the usual university fluff, five students go missing—and within hours, a wine-and-cheese welcome turns into a full-blown federal investigation.

The missing students—Libby, Blane, Felix, Stella, and Mark—were all close, all living in the same dorm, and all gone before their parents even finished their cocktails. And just days after the tragic death of another student, Natasha Belov, the school’s carefully polished image shatters. The parents panic. The campus scrambles. And the FBI calls in someone who doesn’t rattle easy: Special Agent Sarah Keller.

If you’ve read Alex Finlay’s earlier books, you already know Keller. If not—welcome to your new favorite fed. She’s cool, competent, endlessly steady, and blessedly free of tortured backstory nonsense. She’s also in town temporarily, staying with her husband Bob (aka the gold standard of fictional spouses) and their kids while caring for her father-in-law. But make no mistake—Keller’s not playing backup here. She’s front and center, cutting through red tape and parental chaos with surgical precision.

And there is plenty of chaos to cut through. These parents are a whole story unto themselves: a State Department power player with a security detail and no time for small talk, a former writer-turned-teacher still haunted by his son’s childhood abduction, a plastic surgeon barely pretending not to cheat on his wife, a school administrator stretched to her breaking point, a judge whose high-profile convictions don’t make him any better at managing grief. They’re messy. They’re self-important. They’re sometimes insufferable. But they also feel real. Flawed in ways that hit too close to home, especially when it comes to how much—or how little—they actually know their kids.

The story unfolds across multiple perspectives and timelines, bouncing between Keller, one of the missing students, and the parents unraveling in real time. It’s fast-paced, with short, punchy chapters and that signature Finlay rhythm that makes it dangerously easy to say “just one more” until suddenly it’s 2 a.m. The emotional core, though, doesn’t sit with the kids. It sits with the people left behind, the ones who are forced to confront the gaps in their relationships and the secrets they’d rather not resurface.

That said, this isn’t Finlay’s twistiest book. The mystery moves, but it’s not razor-sharp. The students—"The Five,” as the internet quickly brands them—never fully come into focus, which blunts some of the urgency around their disappearance. The final twist works, but it doesn’t gut-punch. It’s less “WHAT?!” and more “Yeah, that tracks.” And honestly, that’s fine—but if you’re coming in expecting a labyrinth of reveals, you might walk away wishing the stakes had landed harder.

But for character drama? For juicy, layered family tension and a heroine who never flinches when things get messy? This one delivers. It’s a slow build that finds its groove in the back half, and by the end, you’re not just reading for the resolution—you’re reading because you want to see how Keller handles it. And she does. Gracefully. Quietly. Without the flair, but with all the firepower.

This one lands at a solid 3.5 stars — it didn’t hit as hard as his earlier thrillers, and the emotional payoff felt a little too neat. But Keller remains a standout, and if this book is laying the groundwork for more cases with her at the center? I’ll be the first in line. I just hope the next one brings a little more depth — and a lot more teeth.

Big thanks to NetGalley and to Macmillan Audio for letting me emotionally spiral at 1.25x speed. Brittany Pressley delivers a narration so sharp and emotionally dialed-in, I felt like I was trapped with them. I came for the campus drama, stayed for the psychological warfare, and left needing a support group and a shot of espresso.

i tired so hard to listen to this but just couldn't push myself to suffer through this.

thankful i got the audio arc

Parents Weekend is a slow burn mystery claiming to be a thriller, and it never quite delivers on the promise. Think campus drama meets true crime podcast, but without the urgency or punch. Multiple POVs from various families made it hard to follow, and even harder to can't connect. The stakes should feel high, but the emotional connection just isn’t there — I didn’t like anyone enough to root for them. Still, it’s a super quick read, and Brittany Pressley’s narration gives it more energy than the plot does. Not terrible, not great, just kind of… there.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars
Rated PG-13 for language, violence, and general apathy toward missing teenagers.

I was expecting a thriller. This story did not have me at the edge of my seat, anxious to see what happened next - no real suspense. I enjoyed the story. Sarah was a strong female character. The families of the students were well developed.
The narrator was easy to listen to. I enjoyed having the audio version.

The setting of this mystery thriller is Parents weekend on the campus of Santa Clara University. The College invites Parents to the campus for a weekend full of activities with their college kids. There are a lot of characters to follow in this book which include the parents and the kids. The weekend starts when the parents who are all professionals and come from wealthy backgrounds. Can I also say these parents have some serious issues which also reflect in their kids lives.
The parents check into the hotel and wait for their five children to meet them for dinner. When none of the kids show up the parents begin to worry. They discover that they cannot reach their kids an they struggle to find clues. Also, right before the parents come a student named Natasha’s body is found drowned. The FBI calls in agent Sarah Keller to help find out what happened to Natasha as well as help to find the missing five college students.
This story hits the ground running and doesn’t let up. I was instantly drawn into this story and I wanted to know what happened to the college students and will they be found alive.
The plot twists in this story will keep you guessing to the end.
If you are a lover of thrillers then I recommend this book.
Thank you Net galley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to review this arc.

I usually love a campus thriller but this one fell short for me. Too many family POVs made it hard to keep track of what was happening. By the end I just didn’t really care what had happened to these kids. That said, it’s a super quick read and Brittany Pressley always does a great job as narrator.