Oh my goodness I was seriously on the edge of my seat the whole freaking time! I loved this so much and I couldn’t put it down!!

It’s the weekend that both parents and kids dread—and when a group of five college friends doesn’t show up for the first family event, everyone knows something’s wrong. No one’s answering their phones, and the silence is completely out of character.

This was another fast-paced, addictive read from Alex Finlay. I loved seeing FBI agent Sarah Keller back in action. The way each chapter focused on a different family made it so much easier to keep track of the big cast of characters—and trust me, I needed it! The short chapters kept the story moving and definitely pulled me into the “just one more chapter” trap... which somehow always turns into five or ten. 😅

I also listened to parts of the audiobook and thought it was fantastic. The narration was spot-on and made it even easier to stay hooked in the story.

Definitely a solid thriller to add to your shelf.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

I could not stop thinking about this book when I wasn't reading.

I thought the premise was really good. This book kept me guessing. As someone who reads a ton of psychological thrillers- I'm usually good at predicting the plot, but I didn't with this one.

I liked how the ending tied everything up nicely

I appreciate the author allowing me an advanced copy of this book

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a fast-paced, twisty thriller that kept me thoroughly engaged from start to finish. Set during a chaotic parents' weekend at a private college, the story unfolds through multiple perspectives, including the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, which added depth and familiarity for fans of Finlay's work. The audiobook narration brought the complex cast of characters to life, enhancing the suspense and emotional tension. While the plot is intricate and full of secrets and misdirections, the short chapters and shifting viewpoints kept the momentum brisk and addictive. I appreciated the realistic portrayal of family dynamics and the mounting mystery surrounding the disappearance of five students. Overall, it was an entertaining and well-crafted mystery that I enjoyed immensely and would recommend to fans of gripping thrillers.

Alex Finlay has a formula for his thrillers - lots of characters and lots of backstories. Sometimes it works for me (Every Last Fear), sometimes it doesn’t. This time it didn’t.
The story had so much promise! The plot sounded sooo good that I couldn’t wait to dive into the audiobook, ℅ netgalley (many thanks)
But, within the first 5 chapters I was introduced to about 15 characters and it completely shattered my excitement and interest in the story. I appreciated the short chapters that made for a fast-paced plot. Yet, It was hard to stay engaged when new characters were constantly introduced and I just lost the momentum for seeing how all of these stories and characters would connect.
I would really love to read a book with this same plot, with maybe 30 less characters. The narration was pretty good. I liked her tones and flows throughout the story.

Rating: 3 stars!

There was a lot of families. There was a lot of chaos. And there was a lot of jumping around. Overall, the story had a lot of drama from all sides with the various families and their invididual crazies. Together though, it was hard to keep up with that many individual families (in my personal opinion) and the ending felt a little flat. Overall, its a quick read with an interesting plot.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the college campus setting of this thriller! Parents weekend was the perfect setting for a group of college kids to go missing. Most of the parents had their own issues going on which made them slightly unlikeable. We learn more about the kids through the adults. It was great seeing Agent Keller again from The Night Shift! Overall really enjoyed this one!

Suspenseful story of missing college students, complicated people and relationships, family drama, accusations, red herrings, all the usual thriller fun. What makes this stand out is the dynamics within and among the parents, everything being propelled by them and their flawed ways. There's a part toward the end about a professor that will stick with me forever and bounce around in my head.

This has to be one of the best narrations with multiple characters from a single narrator imo. I was so impressed how she had a distinct different voice for everyone. The face paced chapters with cliffhangers kept me invested. This is my first of this author, but I don’t think it’ll be my last. Recommend for anyone who likes a “who done it” mystery with thriller energy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I find that Finlay always writes very binge-worthy stories. I’m totally entertained from start to finish and find his balance of characters lands perfectly for my style of reading. I loved that her brought Special Agent Sarah Keller back for this one, she’s a badass!

No surprise here, Britney Presley did a phenomenal job of narrating this one. Her ability to change her voice the embody different characters and emotions is always such a treat to listen to. I started with the ebook but the audio was so good that once I started it I never looked back.

If you’re a fan of Finlay you’ll enjoy this one!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc and Minotaur Books for the arc via Netgalley.

Format: Audio & Ebook
Rating: 4⭐️
Pub day: May 6

While this is not one of my favorites of Finlay, I still really enjoyed this book. While the beginning was difficult to follow with all the different characters introduced, and the ending left a little to be desired. The meat of the book was very enjoyable.

3.5 Rounded up. Parents Weekend is the latest entertaining thriller/mystery by Alex Finlay, who I can count on for a good entertaining read. Was this a plausible story that I can see happening? Probably not. Nor did I expect it to be. But I have come to expect Finlay to deliver a popcorn munching, twisty, dark read and that he did. We have a wide cast of characters that are freshmen at Santa Clara and their folks have all come to visit for Parents Weekend. Only problem is that the kids have all disappeared just before the welcome dinner. Twists and turns weave through the story and things wrap up rather well for the most part. I read Parents Weekend both as a physical digital copy as well as on audio and enjoyed both experiences. Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for advanced copies in exchange for my honest opinion. Parents Weekend will be available on 5/6/25.

2.5 Stars. Well, there was a lot going on in this one - dual timelines and SO many characters. When 5 students don't show up for a Parent's Weekend welcome dinner, we get a deep dive into their lives, the lives of their families and also, the lives of a new FBI agent in town and her family. There was a whole bunch of stuff to keep straight, and honestly, it was kind of tough.

The book did pull me in right from the start, and kept me engaged, but with so many characters and story lines happening at once, for me, there were things that just got lost in the shuffle. That being said, I didn't enjoy this Finlay work as much as I have some of his others. It was a quick listen and the narration was great on the audio book, but it required a higher level of attention and concentration than I typically like to give to my "fun" reading.

If you're a Finlay fan, don't count this one out - just be ready to really settle in and take notes.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC audio of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Parents Weekend
Alex Finlay
5/6/25
4☆

Another twisty tale by Finlay! This one sucked me in right away. Told in multiple POV’s and alternating between past and present timelines, there is A LOT going on here. However Finlay weaves everything together and fleshes out the characters just so that it all unravels at just the right pace into a thrilling and mysterious story that will keep you invested throughout.

What I enjoyed;
✨ Thriller/Mystery
✨ Family Drama
✨ Multiple POV
✨ Past/Present Timelines

Don’t miss the author’s note at the end.

I read this one as an immersive read with digital and audio formats and it was the perfect mix. I mostly listened cause um hello… it’s Brittany Pressley. She is one of my all time favorites and she was fantastic as always. She did a fantastic job bringing each characters story to life.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

It's parents weekend at Santa Clara University in beautiful northern California. A student is missing, then found dead. Before the weekend can really get started, five students go missing. One of the missing students is the son of an important member of the federal government. Lots of cliffhangers adds to the very fast paced story. Sarah Keller, FBI agent, is investigating the kidnapping. The story is told through multiple point of views, each family's insights let the reader into their thoughts and actions. A very well put together suspense thriller.

4 stars

Thank you to St Martin's Press / Minataur Books / Macmillan Publishers for the ALC.

I was really excited for Alex Finlay's latest novel about parents getting together to celebrate their children starting at a private school. When the kids don't turn up to the planned dinner, the search begins to locate them.

With multiple POVs, this book started out with a bang. I was fully into it and while there were a lot of characters, I found myself able to keep up (just!) with who was who and doing what. Sadly though, the storyline didn't hold my attention from the middle onwards. I don't know what happened from the fab start to the drag midway. The ending was decent though and the audiobook narration fantastic so I'm glad I stuck with it throughout. Though this one wasn't my favorite, I still look forward to reading this author's work.

Parent’s weekend is a thriller which has multiple characters with complex backgrounds. We follow the parents as they try to figure out the disappearance of 5 students.

Alex Finley gets to the point fast and quickly shows different twists that surround the Parent’s Weekend.

Although I enjoyed the story, sometimes it felt like it was a little crowded and the characters were not all fully developed.

I really enjoyed the acting around the narration, Brittant Pressley did a fantastic job portraying the characters’ stories. I felt engaged and caring as I listened to the audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read and listen to the ARC and ALC.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio version. This was a really intriguing mystery. Fast paced and a large collection of characters. Each of whom are hiding big secrets.

Rating: story - 3 ★ | audiobook- 4 ★

I liked Parents’ Weekend, but I didn’t love it. The story had a lot going on, with multiple POVs and a huge cast of characters, sometimes it was hard to keep track of everyone, and I found myself a little lost and confused at times. It leans more into the police procedural side than I expected, which slowed the pacing for me.

That said, Brittany Pressley’s narration was a definite highlight. She did a great job bringing the characters to life and kept me engaged even when the plot got a bit muddled and the many characters got overwhelming. She’s one of my favorite narrators for a reason.

Overall, an entertaining listen, just not one that completely hooked me.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillion Audio for my ALC!

I met Alex Finlay and his wife at Hamptons Whodunit and was so excited when I got home to have this on my bookshelf! I had the best time talking with them about his books as well as listening to the panel where he discussed how he got the idea for Parents Weekend.

Santa Clara University is hosting parents’ weekend for the freshmen class. These parents include a federal State Department official with her security detail, a plastic surgeon with his wife, a well-known Superior Court Judge and his wife, and a single mom that works at the university. Unfortunately, on day one, their kids fail to show up to the dinner. At first, everyone believes it’s just college kids being college kids; except these parents find that hard to believe, especially the same day that another student was found dead.

Immediately, the college security team and the police are notified of the five missing students. Also, the FBI is notified and Special Agent Sarah Keller, from Finlay’s previous books, is determined to find these kids. Once it is determined the kids are in danger, it becomes a race against time to get them home safely.

Finlay produced a fast-paced domestic thriller with a large cast of characters that was well-thought out and entertaining. I loved how there were so many reveals of hidden family secrets that had you guessing what truly happened. My biggest critique is the ending felt a bit rushed and left me wanting more. I listened to the audio book, narrated by Brittany Pressley (a fav!), and she did an excellent job of immersing me in the story.

I highly recommend grabbing a copy when it is released on May 6th!