Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a fast-paced, twisty thriller that kept me flipping pages late into the night. From the moment a group of college students goes missing during a seemingly normal parents' weekend, the tension never lets up. Finlay does a great job of building suspense and layering the story with multiple POVs that give insight into both the students and their parents.

I especially enjoyed how the narrative weaved together personal secrets, hidden motives, and family dynamics—it added depth beyond just the mystery. There were a few moments that felt a bit over the top, but overall, the plot was gripping and the reveals were satisfying.

If you’re into dark campus thrillers with high stakes and emotional twists, this one is worth picking up!

Five college freshmen failed to show up at an event at their school. This wasn’t just a casual occurrence; it was Parents Weekend, and the opening event was supposed to be a sophisticated experience. Initially, the faculty assumed the kids were just being mischievous, and no one was alarmed. However, as the hours ticked by, it became increasingly apparent that something sinister was afoot. While the campus police had diligently investigated, they realized they needed more assistance. FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller was promptly called in, and an intensified search for these five young individuals began.

The young people are in this story Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix and Stella. They haven’t even had a chance to make their mark on the world, and it becomes eerily apparent that something dreadful has happened to them. The story of the missing college students gain traction quickly, attracting the attention of podcasters, bloggers as well as TikTokers. They are all keenly interested in this case. In fact, the missing group gain a new moniker—The Five.

While in some ways, although a dual timeline story, this is also a story with a very short time span. The more the reader immerses themselves in this thrilling story by Alex Finlay, the more the sense of urgency is realized. Not only is the safety of the students paramount, the reason behind their disappearance remains intriguing.

The narrative in this book is presented from multiple perspectives, adding an extra layer of intrigue. With a diverse cast of characters, each with their own unique stories, the powerful narrative unfolds, making it a fast-paced read. However, I must acknowledge that this story delves into some serious subjects, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that. As we’ve seen Keller in two of Finlay’s previous novels, Every Last Fear and The Night Shift, her personal life plays a more significant role in this story.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Parents Weekend was another great thriller by Alex Finlay. Five families are visiting their children's college for their freshman year's parents weekend. They're supposed to have dinner with their kids for the opening of the weekend celebration. Once the parents get settled into their hotels and visit with their kids briefly, they get ready for dinner. The parents will meet the kids there as the kids will leave from their dorms. As the parents all arrive they are looking forward to celebrating with their kids. The weird thing is all of the parents have arrived, but no kids have shown up. Where are they and why are they all late? The parents figure they're enjoying a party on their own and will arrive late. They decide to enjoy each other and party themselves.

As the night comes to a close, the kids never show up. Some of the parents are very concerned as they don't think their son or daughter would've skipped the entire night. None of the parents can reach their child on their cellphone. They're not answering their text messages or calls. That's really weird for college students who art attached to their phones. As the next night come and goes, panic starts to set in to the parents. This just can't be teenagers having fun. No one has seen them since their initial arrival. The police are called and the news of 5 missing college students brings in the media. The small, private college is all of a sudden swarmed with press and law enforcement. The press is calling the students "the five" when they write about them.

The pace, thrills and agent Keller make this a really great read! I can’t wait to read what twisty and complex adventures agent Keller gets up to next

This is a solid 4 star thriller/mystery.

The plot was good but nothing mindblowing. The story was engaging and fast paced to keep your attention. The college kids and parents were a little over the top stereotype wise but were relatable enough to not bother me. I think Finlay making the bad guys Russian is humorous at this point and not necessary. It is almost like he doesn't want to piss any particular group off but he thinks we can all agree Russians are bad.

Annie the intern and the Kellars are who stood out to me and made this book so enjoyable. Special agent Keller was very well written character. She was well rounded, a good agent, and had a great relationship with her husband. Annie the Intern was and delight and I hope she gets her own book.

Brittany Pressley did a great job narrating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Parents Weekend is another tightly written, suspense-packed thriller from Alex Finlay that had me hooked from start to finish. With a gripping premise—a group of college students vanishing during a seemingly normal campus event—the story unfolds through multiple perspectives and timelines, delivering twist after twist with precision and emotional depth.

Finlay masterfully blends mystery with family drama, exploring the complicated relationships between parents and their children, and the secrets that echo across generations. Some moments were unexpectedly emotional—one character’s arc in particular hit hard and felt like they deserved more. Brittany Pressley’s narration was pitch-perfect, capturing the tension, vulnerability, and shifting perspectives with ease.

Equal parts heart-wrenching and heart-racing, Parents Weekend is a standout summer read from one of the genre’s most consistently great authors.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay in quick, rapid-fire thoughts.

Finally! I've been a big fan of Special Agent Sara Keller's for years now, so I was extremely happy for this book, which was very much her book! Annie Hafeez made a perfect sidekick for Keller and I'd love to see them together again!

Although slightly predictable, (though not necessarily in a bad way), this thriller was a quick, entertaining read.

I will say that not knowing exactly what a parents weekend was caused some initial confusion; it would have been great to have some sort of explanatory introduction to kick-start this story!

This audiobook was voiced by Brittany Pressley who did a great job bringing life to this story! She was a very logical choice to narrate multiple perspectives as she performed the many different rolls with ease. I loved that the Reader's Note and Acknowledgements were included in the audiobook and were read by Finlay!

I'm a big fan of the nostalgia Finlay writes and will happily continue reading whatever he pens!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for giving me a chance to listen to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slow read for me. I came to realize that because there were so many characters, I needed the physical copy of the book to read along with the audiobook to keep track of who was who and what was happening.

Overall, I really enjoyed the plotline. It was a little predictable, but all the same, the journey to get to the end was full of character development and suspense. It was a well thought out story with lots of twists and family secrets along the way!

When 5 college students go missing on parents weekend, all the secrets start rising to the surface- those of the students and their parents. Following the death of a student, 5 friends go missing and their parents start revealing everything in order to help find their children.

This was engaging. The character development was very good, especially considering there were so many characters involved in the story. The twists were just enough to remain believable. I also really enjoyed the narrator. I am quick to turn off a book if the narrator’s voice or accent doesn’t suit me, but this narrator did a great job!

This is a new author for me. I enjoyed the book. The characters were interesting and the plot was pretty good.

Listened to this books thanks to Netgally

The narrator was good, nicely paced reading

The story of this book, parents come for parents weekend at college, what could possibly go wrong.....so many things. I needed to listen to find out how everything tied together, the twists and turns.

Good book

🎓 For my friends who want a college thriller with interesting characters.

PARENTS WEEKEND by Alex Finlay (Brittany Pressley, Narrator)

🎧 Thanks, @stmartinspress @minotaur_books, for the e-book review copy via #NetGalley and @Macmillan.audio, for the audiobook review copy. #macaudio2025 (Available now) 7 hours, 24 minutes

Five families descend on a small private California college for Parents Weekend, each with a full component of emotional baggage. When their students go missing, panic replaces the tone of pride and reunion, especially since a sixth student was found dead days prior.

The mystery storyline was solid, and the pacing was perfect, but the real fun came from watching the relationship dynamics and how the family members coped under stress. I especially enjoyed spending time with FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller and her family (from EVERY LAST FEAR and THE NIGHT SHIFT, also by this author). I liked her so much, I now have to find copies of those two books. She’s insightful (obviously), but also humble and thoughtful, with a grounded and respectful relationship with her husband and kids. And - unique to this genre - she doesn’t take unnecessary risks. Calculated risks? Yes, but not unwarranted. She resonated with me. I could read an entire book just about her.

Narrator @britpressley delivered her usual exceptional performance, making it easy to follow the storyline and know immediately which of the 20+ characters was speaking.

I loved listening to this tragic thriller. I loved that we get to know more about the parents than about the students. I loved the action and the suspense. I enjoyed the narrator a lot. I loved Sarah Keller the best. I received a copy of the audiobook and gave an honest opinion of my own free will.

This was a thriller from start to finish and I had a hard time pausing the book so this was a very fast read.
With a larger list of characters at the center of this Parent's Weekend mystery- I did have some trouble sorting out all of the details of the back and forth between the points of view but it didn't take me long to follow along. Also, loved the narration from Brittany Pressley.
Thank you to #MinotaurBooks for the ARC through #netgalley.

I found the premise intriguing, a group of parents comes to spend the weekend on their kids college campus but then all of the kids go missing. FBI agent Sarah Keller is called in to help with the case. She finds that the students aren't the only ones with secrets. Do their parents hold the clue to what happened?
I liked the pacing of the last half of the book more than the first. There's a lot of stage that needs to be set so l recommend staying with it since it picks up. There's some fun twists in the story and I always like when the author keeps you guessing to the very end.
My only critique is I would have liked more of Natasha's story before the incident felt like it was such an important part of everything that happened but was only briefly mentioned at the end.
Overall I would rate the audiobook a solid 4/5 stars Brittany Pressley is skilled and talented at bringing multiple characters to life from diverse backgrounds which helped bring the story to life. As well as hold the listener's attention and interest.
Alex Finlay delivered an intriguing thriller, with a nice mix of flawed characters from different backgrounds, multiple elements of suspense and an ending that was satisfying and surprising.

If you're craving a Netflix-style, high-energy thriller with a gripping disappearance, strong narration, and enough twists to stay engaged—Parents Weekend delivers. Just be prepared for a large ensemble of characters and a conclusion that’s satisfying but not earth-shattering.

Ideal for fans of fast-paced audio mysteries—especially if you enjoy tracking multiple storylines and can juggle a busy cast.

This book gave me chills from start to finish. It was so intern nd so many twists and turns! I loved the ending and how it all came together.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This had me really intrigued at the start but somewhat lost my attention. It's a great premise, and was an interesting read- I enjoyed the perspectives of all the different families. It was just maybe slightly too many families/characters to really connect. Still good though!

Heavy in characters, lack of character development and a tad over the top ‘twist’ turned this book into one that was just okay for me, but definitely not one that will stand out or that I will even remember much of over time.

Narration was done well, but it was just way too many characters and side characters to keep it all straight at first for an audiobook.