Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay delivers a suspenseful premise: five students vanish from a prestigious California college during a holiday weekend, just after a peer turns up dead. The school is buzzing, secrets are piling up, and it’s up to new-to-town FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller to unravel what’s really going on.

This was a fast listen with some solid momentum, especially in the second half. Sarah Keller is a standout protagonist—strong, sharp, and grounded—and I appreciated the perspective she brought to the investigation. The missing students were also compelling, and I found myself invested in where their storylines were going.

The downside for me? The parents. Their inclusion added more noise than value. They didn’t offer much to the core mystery, and their individual storylines often felt like unrelated tangents. The pacing also dragged in places, which made it harder to stay fully locked in.

What kept me going was the narration. Brittany Pressley is one of my favorite narrators—she never lets me down, and this book was no exception. She gave life and energy to each character, which helped smooth out the slower parts.

All in all, it’s a solid thriller with high-stakes tension, even if it loses focus at times. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

The narration on this audiobook was great. It kept my attention and was fun to listen to. The actual storyline was a bit all over the place for me, but did come together in the end.

Thank you to Alex Finlay and NetGalley for this audiobook in the exchange for my honest review.

Loved it! What a great summer thriller this will be. Another that is right up my alley. The audiobook is terrific--I worried a bit when I started that it would be too many characters to keep up with, but the story is woven in such a way that It is easy to keep up with which student goes with which set of parents. There are lots of twists and turns even though it takes place through a couple of days. The families are quite the assortment of characters, maybe like Bad Summer People meets a twisty thriller. I blew right through it. Sometimes the frat boy dialogue is a little annoying, but if it wasn't I guess we would complain that it wasn't authentic LOL. Most of the story comes through the POV of the FMC who is an FBI agent, and this organization offers a strong thread to keep it all together. Technically I wasn't happy with a piece of the ending, but that is what keeps it twisty. Just seemed like one poor family couldn't catch a break! A great summer thriller for anyone. Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy and the opportunity to share my review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay, narrated by Brittany Pressley, published by Macmillan Audio

The novel was just ok, lots of characters and I lost track at the beginning as families were introduced. I found it hard to keep track of Parents vs children, who belonged to who. I didn't feel the characters had depth. The story just didn't grab me and I found myself not paying attention as the story was told. Nothing to do with the narrator, she was awesome
I've read other books by this author and loved them and that's the reason I requested this audiobook. The story needed more substance and some plot twists.

Its Parents Weekend at Santa Clara University this will be one none of them every forget. The book opens with each family on their way to the event. As they arrive and meet for cocktails and dinner, their children are a no show. They begin to wonder if this is normal college behavior, ditching the parents for a party or should they worry. After learning the death of a classmate, we learn that five students are missing. The narrator, Brittany Pressley did a great job bringing the characters to life, but there are a lot of characters (20+) to remember in this book. You have the five missing students, their families, professor, intern, and FBI agents just to name a few. Each family also has its own set of underlying issues.

I had a hard time placing which student belonged to which parent. This was a face paced read with short chapters. Overall, it's well written and a solid thriller/mystery. I really enjoyed FBI Special Agent, Sarah Keller and Annie the intern. I am hoping the next book will feature these two working together. 3.5 stars

It’s Parents Weekend at a small private college. The parents of five college freshman, plan a dinner together. But the Blane, Marck, Felix, Libby and Stella never show up for dinner. At first the parents just think – oh, it’s kids being kids. But as another 24 hours pass without a word from the “The Five”, they call in the police. With them come the reporters. And the rumor mill kicks into full swing.

It’s a fast paced thriller with so much action that I felt I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Did the kids get lost? Kidnapped?

Ah, so good! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
You will love this one – and then go back and read his other books. You can thank me later! 😉

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy of #ParentsWeekend in exchange for an honest review.

At a private college in Northern California (heehee, that's where I'm from), a few families gather for parents weekend...but then, the kids go missing.

We get to see the modern-day response to this sort of situation, the internet obsessing over the story, making podcasts and TikToks about them and the situation. We get to see the police investigation and all of the family chaos and dysfunction.

This is another book that has a super interesting premise, but I just wanted a bit more from the execution. It was bad by any means, it just wasn't as exciting as it could've been. I didn't feel as if there were really any twists or shocking reveals. It wasn't necessarily flat, but it didn't have as much depth as it could've. Certain aspects could've been emphasized and explored more for the drama and dramatic effect within the story. I can totally see a lot of people enjoying this, for some reason, I see this as a beach read. (Maybe because it takes place in California, but as someone from California, that makes no sense because we do not go to the beach. You cannot get into Northern California water, that stuff is FREEXING.)

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I’ve read a lot of thrillers, and Parents Weekend landed solidly in the “average but entertaining” category for me. I listened to the audiobook version and thought the narration by Brittany Pressley was great. She kept the pacing tight and brought a lot of energy to a pretty complex cast of characters.

This one follows five college students who go missing during Parents Weekend at a small school in Northern California. Naturally, their parents panic, the campus gets swarmed, and the internet turns them into “The Five” while everyone tries to piece together what happened. There are a lot of characters, which made it a little hard to keep track of at first, but I appreciated that each family’s chapters included subtle reminders about who was who. That helped a lot early on.

The plot jumps between past and present and includes a returning FBI agent from Finlay’s earlier books. You don’t need to have read those to follow along. It has all the ingredients of a solid thriller: disappearing teens, secrets, family dysfunction.

It was a fast listen, well narrated, and entertaining enough. If you like ensemble thrillers or multi-POV mysteries, you’ll probably enjoy it.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy of this audiobook.

Alex Finlay does NOT disappoint! I don’t always love a book with a huge cast of characters. But Finlay managed to develop them all well and keep me invested. Then just when you think the story has concluded… BOOM! Plot twist!

Parents Weekend had me glued to the pages from the start. Having a child in college I knew going into this what Parents Weekend was about. I enjoyed the over all plot, fast pace and surprises throughout the book. Overall, this was a winner. Highly recommend!

This review will be shared to my account @coffee.break.book.reviews closer to pub date.

Many thanks for my gifted copy.

Very much enjoyed this book. Interesting story line and the characters are easy to either like or dislike. I could see the police lady (FBI? ) in the book being a character in a future book by Finlay.
Audio narration was excellent.

The story takes its time building up, with a slower pace that may not be for everyone. While the premise has potential, the unfolding of events felt gradual and less impactful than expected. It might appeal to readers who enjoy a more measured approach to suspense.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix and Stella are known as the five. And when all five of them go missing from campus on parents weekend their parents demand to know where they are. Their parents range from the super powerful and wealthy to a nice simple woman who works for the dean to put her son through school. We hear from all of them. There are so many characters in this book you’ll need a spreadsheet. Jk, but I was close to whipping one out.
Agent Keller, who has apparently appeared in other Alex Finlay books, such as The Night Shift, is having some upheaval in her personal life, but when she’s brought on the case she’s good to go. I liked this character the most and enjoyed the asides with her family.
The story itself was pretty good but just felt rushed. There could have been so many more details. And I had no reason whatsoever to care about these characters. Most were very unlikable and others were vague and not fleshed out.
Character is a huge part of a story for me. I can read a bad book with great characters any day over what this was, an okay story with lifeless characters.
I received this in audio format in exchange for an honest review. It was read by Brittany Pressley, she did a good job. Some of the voices she did were a little syrupy for my taste. But, overall, I would recommend this as an audio book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Always love an Alex Finlay thriller. The only thing that ever causes me to drop to four stars is the quantity of people to keep track of in the beginning! But it always comes full circle and pulls it all together! This was a good one for sure! It will be on my hook clubs to read list!

It is parents weekend at a exclusive private college. The students in seminar will be eating with their parents and the parents of the other members of their group. The students do not show up. Even worse, their phones are not working and they are not answering text messages. A few days before parents weekend, a female student was found dead, so now the mystery surrounding that adds mystery to this. Slowly, you are introduced to each set of parents and you are given information that makes it even spookier for their kids. Things like affairs, government issues, divorces, add to all the drama unfolding. There are a few students that you really want to root for, but when it is discovered who has the students it becomes fast paced and you just cannot wait for the end. This one kept my attention but some of these parents are horrible. Thank you #Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this title.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay has an interesting premise but fell a bit short in execution. What happens when five students disappear during parents weekend? Told from multiple points of view and timelines, the story had good potential. However, trying to develop five studients, five sets of parents, and the investigators resulted in all characters feeling underdeveloped. Normally I can forgive that in a thriller, but this didn't feel too thrilling. It was a fine novel but forgettable. In contrast to Finlay's last work, If Something Happens to Me, this one was disappointing.

The narration was good.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for a free copy of #ParentsWeekend by Alex Finlay. All opinions are my own.

When a group of college kids goes missing, the search for answers begins. This was a book with a lot of different characters and personalities. I enjoyed following the clues until the culprit was finally revealed.

Parents Weekend was an enjoyable read (or listen in this case) but it was difficult to follow at times. To be honest I still cannot fully recall which parents went to which students.

The ending left me needing more. More pages, more character development, just more. A lot happened, yet not enough happened…

I don’t mind multiple POVs as I love Lucy Foley books, but this was too much for me.

I did like the overall vibe, yes, but I also wouldn’t go around recommending it as a must read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a thrilling, cleverly written mystery that shines in both audiobook and print formats. Whether you’re listening or reading, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat with its gripping plot and unexpected twists.

In both versions, Finlay’s storytelling is sharp and engaging, weaving a web of secrets, lies, and family dynamics that will keep you hooked from start to finish. The characters are complex, and the suspense builds steadily, making it a true page-turner (or in the case of the audiobook, a “press-play-and-don’t-want-to-pause” experience).

The audiobook is wonderfully narrated, with the voice actors bringing the tension and emotional depth of the story to life. The pacing is spot-on, and the delivery of the twists is absolutely perfect. In print, the writing flows just as effortlessly, with the same captivating suspense and plot twists that make Finlay’s work so enjoyable.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, well-crafted mystery with a strong sense of tension and heart, Parents Weekend is a must-read/listen. Whether you prefer audio or print, this one delivers an unforgettable experience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.25/5)

“How many worst days can one person have?”

So this one was alright but overall a miss for me. It wasn’t bad but just not my jam and here’s why…

🚫Dark Academia
🚫Too many characters without development (although I did like Agent Keller)
🚫Unnecessary characters (all of the cheating wasn’t necessary, well except the one)
🚫 Cohesiveness just didn’t get there for me. It was a bit all over the place.

I did think the audio narrator was an excellent choice and definitely added to holding my interest in the story.

I won’t go as far as to say Alex Finlay isn’t an author for me, because I do like some of his stuff. This book just wasn’t one that I was all that invested in. The only thing I remember about it was geofencing, going to the country club to meet up with the judge for the warrant and the cave details…which isn’t good bc I legit just finished the book.

All of that being said, you can tell the author really did his research in putting this one together. So kudos to him for that.