I liked the multiple POVs, and the fast-paced, engaging plotting. The mystery surrounding the five missing kids is unravelled slowly, but there’s so much happening with clues dropping that you can’t possibly get bored. Each family has their own storyline and secrets, which adds to the overall intrigue.

Five college students go missing. Can their parents save them?

I thought the plot was intriguing but I felt that the parents and their messed up lives got in the way. The story should have been about the students not the parents. I also didn’t connect with the students or their parents. My favorite characters were the heroes of the story Agent Sarah Keller and her husband Bob. I also enjoyed the short chapters.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley. Brittany had a great reading voice and gave each character their own voice.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC and Audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Parents Weekend was a quick and entertaining thriller. I flew through it, and the audiobook narrator, Brittany Pressley, did an amazing job. The story had some good twists, but there were too many characters for me. It made things feel a little all over the place at times. Still, it delivered on the suspense and kept me curious enough to see how it all played out.

Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillanaudio,

The fast pace and short chapters make this a nonstop read. I always enjoy listening to Brittany Pressley, and think she did a great job with this book and its long list of characters, which was hard to keep up with at first. The "kids go missing" trope is what drew me in. The book is layered with drama and subplots, keeping you engaged and guessing throughout. I always appreciate a note from the author at the end.

This was ok, kept my interest while listening to the audiobook, but really fell flat in the end.

This is the story of a college parents' weekend. A cohort of five students are supposed to meet up with their parents at a restaurant but the students never show up. What happened to them?

I loved the premise of this one, but the execution fell flat for me. There are way too many characters who are not fully developed. The book is too short to have five students, all of their parents, plus FBI agent Sarah Keller and her whole family, and various other add on characters. The author actually tried to give storylines to all of those characters and it ended up being a massive soup of fragmented threads. None of the parents get worried, they just think their kids just ditched them to party, despite no one answering their phones.

For me, the ending was absolutely filled with plot holes and made no sense to me. The ultimate "villain" was just silly and I felt no connection to the reasoning.

The chapters are short and bingeable, and I'm always a fan of Brittany Pressley's narration so she kept me involved throughout. Lots of people have loved this one, but I think Finlay's writing is just not for me.

PARENT’S WEEKEND
Alex Finlay

PARENTS WEEKEND was really good. I knew I would like it I did not know I would love it.

It’s PARENTS WEEKEND, and all the parents have arrived. They’re all very different from each other, their only commonality being that their children attend school together.

The parents arrive at dinner hopeful and excited. They order a few drinks and settle in, waiting for their children to arrive. Only as time ticks by do they realize none of the children are there.

As a few of the parents start to get anxious, others convince them it isn’t a big deal. There is hazing going on, and they chalk it up to a prank.

As night turns to dawn, the parents realize something far more nefarious is going on. They alert authorities, and before the sun rises, they assemble a search party, and they are on the hunt for the college students.


I would say if you’ve read Finally before with mixed ratings, this is the best opportunity to give it a try. I had more fun with PARENTS WEEKEND than I thought I would.

I have always enjoyed aspects of Finlay’s writing, and this time, I thought everything came together more successfully than in the prior attempts.

Are you planning to pick up PARENTS WEEKEND?

Thanks to Netgalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies!

PARENTS WEEKEND…⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐.5
Alex Finlay's Parents Weekend was a pretty good thriller with an entertaining plot that kept me engaged. However, I didn't fully connect with the characters, and the narration was occasionally annoying, which detracted from the overall experience. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen.

I LOVED Alex Finlay's last book, but this one fell flat for me. There were too many characters/families and things started getting confusing. It was hard to connect with the characters. The only character that really stood out to me was Agent Keller. I thought the book was good, and I did read it quickly and it kept me guessing, but the book wasn't spectacular. The narrator was great.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Alex Finlay does it again! This thrilled had me hanging on to the edge of my seat the whole time. I just couldn't put it down. My only complaint was there were SO many characters. It was hard to keep track of them all.

Alex Finlay delivers a fast-paced and gripping thriller that kept me second-guessing almost every chapter. The story centers on five families who gather for Parents’ Weekend at their children’s college—only to discover that none of the students show up for dinner. As calls and texts go unanswered, what initially seems like typical college behavior quickly turns into a disturbing mystery. With no clear ties between the families, the investigation becomes increasingly complex.

The novel features multiple points of view—ranging from the parents and students to Detective Keller—which added depth and momentum to the story. While the large cast of characters made it a bit challenging to keep track of everyone at times, the shifting perspectives helped piece the mystery together in an engaging way. Some plot twists were predictable, but others genuinely surprised me, keeping the tension high throughout.

Finlay’s writing style is sharp and compelling, and the way the storylines eventually converge is well executed. Despite a few minor confusions, I found the characters likable and the pacing consistently strong. Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to fans of layered, character-driven thrillers.

I love Agent Keller and can't wait to see her in future books.

The premise is great, I just wish it were longer or that he zoomed in on more of the characters so that I could feel more connected to their stories.

Thanks for the advanced copy!

Read Completed 5/5/25 | 3.25 stars | Book #63 of 2025
I read this book as an advanced copy audiobook provided by the publisher, Macmillan Publishing. Thank you to Macmillan for this opportunity! This free copy did not affect my opinion in any way.

Alex Finlay's books are (almost) always enjoyable, but in classic Alex Finlay fashion, this was another big cast of characters that just made it hard for me to connect with anyone. We're always bouncing around from chapter to chapter -- and this time, we have whole FAMILIES to keep track of each chapter. Since it's Parents' Weekend, we have two parents for almost every student as well as the students themselves, and everyone has their own little story going. It wasn't a bad thing, but for my tastes, personally, it just makes it really hard to care about anyone. There are at least 18 main characters here and it's just a lot.

The ending wasn't super surprising or exciting. I was too busy watching all of the characters to really start guessing at who the bad guy what and what was going on, but it really wasn't shocking at all when it came up, so it wasn't super satisfying and it really wasn't a big twist or anything.

This was a fine read but I can't say I'd go out and recommend it. I think I would have wondered what it was all about if I didn't read it, and I'm glad I picked it up, but this isn't going to be memorable at all for me. It was just okay!

AUDIOBOOK THOUGHTS: Brittany Pressley did the narration for this book, and she's one of my favorite audiobook narrators! Even after all these years, I still really like her voice for just about anything, and I always think she does a good job with thrillers. There are a lot of different voices here and they felt different enough considering there are tons of different characters to voice. I'd definitely recommend the audiobook, though I know one narrator for all this may not be ideal for some people.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay opens with a gripping premise that hints at a suspenseful, twist-filled story. The setup is undeniably compelling, and there are moments throughout the book where the tension builds in a satisfying way. The mystery at the heart of the story has strong potential, but as the plot progresses, it becomes increasingly complex—perhaps too much so. With a large cast of characters and frequent shifts in perspective, it was sometimes difficult to stay grounded and fully immersed. The pacing also felt uneven, which made it harder for the story to maintain momentum.

What ultimately held me back from loving this book was the lack of connection I felt to the characters. Despite the high stakes, none of them felt fully fleshed out or emotionally engaging, which made it difficult to become truly invested in their outcomes. I admire the ambition behind the story and the layered approach Finlay aimed for, but it didn’t quite come together in a satisfying way for me. That said, it’s not without its strengths—readers who enjoy multi-threaded thrillers may still find this an interesting ride.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Alex Finlay for the ALC.

A FBI Agent Sarah Keller novel...

Agent Keller is called in to assist on the case of five missing college students from a small private college in Northern California. The campus police are on high alert as this occurs one week after another student is discovered drown in a cave. As the case begins to unravel, Agent Keller learns the five all come from troubled homes, and the reader begins to suspect the five may have been taken because of their parents sins rather than their own.

The book has some pacing issues as it takes a beat to set up the motivations of all the characters, but it appears a little rushed at the end, leaving some plot holes along the way. The kids’ chapters appear a little sophomoric but that may be by design.

Five families come to Santa Clara University to celebrate parents weekend with their children. As the night passes none of the children show up for dinner and no one is answering their phone. The parents grow increasingly concerned and get the campus police involved to look for them. Another student, Natasha is found dead from drowning. This book has at least 20+ characters, a little too many for my liking. It is a fast pace read as you discover who murdered Natasha and where the five students disappeared to.

I just love his books and couldn’t wait for this one! It’s five college friends meet up for parents to meet however when the parents get to the dinner the friends don’t show up. The book takes off from there. This is a fast paced thriller that you will truly enjoy.

During Parents Weekend, five college students go missing after a student is found dead from an accidental drowning… or so you think. Unraveling the mystery behind where the students went, why they disappeared and what actually happened to the girl who drowned is at the top of the list for Detective Keller. This story is very gripping, it can be a little confusing with switching back and forth between the different families BUT that’s why I always take notes. Absolutely enjoyed this book and forever thankful I was able to do this ARC read! #parentsweekend #alexfinlay #macmillanaudio

I really enjoy Alex Finlay's thrillers! They are quick reads that pack a punch. I really enjoyed that Agent Keller was back and ready to solve a mystery. I enjoyed the audiobook version as well. Highly recommend!!

*Thank you partners @minotaur_books and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted e-galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

I chose this book because I read ”What Have We Done” by Alex Finlay and loved it. I gave it a five star review.

The narrator was excellent. She did a great job changing her voice for the different characters. I would prefer to listen to this book due to the reader.

This was an engaging psychological thriller. The Parents were charismatic with more interesting backstories than the students. I will look for more books by Alex and recommend her to my friends.

I received this galley from Net Galley.

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.