I thought Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay was a great read about how social media and online bullying can go horribly wrong. The narration was great.

I always eagerly anticipate the next Alex Finlay mystery/thriller. This one follows a group of parents and college students as they participate in parents’ weekend at Santa Clara University near San Francisco. A group of college students go missing after the death of another student purportedly from drowning in a local cave system during high tide.

The chapters are short and fast paced, a format that I appreciate in this genre. They are also labeled with the family name for each perspective. I really appreciated that touch since there were many characters. Aside from the college students and their parents, there were also a bevy of campus and local police and FBI characters working on the case. If you’ve read previous Finlay novels, you may recognize Sarah Keller from previous investigations, but other than a brief mention you needn’t worry about that if you haven’t read them.

I initially started the audiobook which was narrated by Brittany Pressley. There were a lot of characters to keep track of in this story. Due to this aspect, I found the ebook worked better for me and switched to reading the novel. I found the mystery to be intriguing. All the families had secrets that might have an impact on what happened to the group of students. While I may have surmised part of the mystery, I did not see one of the resolutions coming and while I was not surprised, I found the ending lacking. It felt a little abrupt. I would have enjoyed more follow-up on the situation. Still, a solid thriller from this author, not my favorite but not my least favorite either.

Recommended to fast paced thriller lovers who might enjoy a bit of collegiate nostalgia.

Fast paced popcorn thriller with short, addictive chapters!

It’s Parent Weekend and proud moms and dads have traveled to beautiful Northern California to celebrate their children’s first year of college. When a group of five students don’t show up for the opening night dinner, the parents aren’t worried and decide to enjoy some college shenanigans themselves. But when one student is found dead from a suspicious drowning accident, panic erupts and Special Agent Sarah Keller is called in to find the missing students.

I always look forward to Alex Finlay’s novels!

The audio narration was fantastic performed by Brittany Pressley

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for this ALC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on May 6, 2025

The concept of Parents Weekend is fascinating to me as it did not exist when I was in college. (Could be the school I went to though.) So I was all in for this premise, five families plan a night of behaving badly at their kids’ college doing Parents Weekend, basically acting like college students again. And then, said kids do not show up for the dinner they have planned that first night and off we go.

True to form, this was a fast paced and quick read that was very entertaining. I love Finlay’s books, with each one I know I am in for a good time and this was exactly that. I loved the drama with each of the families, and listening via audio was great but with all of the families and the multiple POVs I was glad I had the ebook to follow along. I think this will be a great vacation read and definitely recommend it for your summer TBR.

🎧📖Parents Weekend started of full of suspense and mystery. As it progressed and introduced all the families and college students involved, it slowed down some. I was still fully interested. Anxiously waiting to see how things wrapped up. I was a bit disappointed in the twists and ending.

All in all it was a good and enjoyable read/listen.

I was lucky enough to get both an ARC and ALC. Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St Martins Press.

The narrator did a good job bringing the authors story to life.

Alex Finlay is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. His books tend to keep me guessing all the way.
I enjoyed the audio somewhat. I did find the narrator to be annoying in a way. She seemed to be listing everything instead of smoothly reading or narrating this story. It got easier to overlook but was still a bit aggravating. I did enjoy it other than that though.

Five students at an esteemed college go missing. Right after another students body is found. Natasha Belov's body was found in a cave. Everyone assumed she was caught in the cave and drowned when the tide came in. But could it have been murder and could the five students who have gone missing be responsible. And where are these students now.

At the Parents Weekend all of the parents are waiting for their child. Each tells their pov about their lives and their child. Some are not as close as they appear. Many secrets are revealed. Could one of these parents been responsible for the girls death or the other five's disappearance? Maybe these students are pulling a prank. Some of them are known to do that.

There is a lot going on in this book. A lot of povs and each chapter told by a different one. The FBI agent has her pov also. So that is another character.

While I liked most of the characters I have to admit there were some I wanted to smack. Even a couple of the students needed a good smack but overall they seemed to be good kids. What they go through is a rough thing for anyone.

I never figured out who was the killer. I had lots of guesses but was wrong.

This book hits a tiny bit on sexual abuse by an adult. Nothing in detail though. It also hits on the loss of a child to cancer and another one who attempts suicide. There is also a suicide after an affair. Just so you know.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

A refreshing academic thriller

Thanks Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Synopsis-

It’s the parents weekend dinner party at Santa Clara University. 5 families are awaiting to celebrate their kids’ the end of first year college. But the 5 students - Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella never show up for the dinner. What could be preventing them and what are the circumstances behind them going missing? Amidst college gossip, local social media trolling and sleuthing, FBI special agent Sarah Keller has a challenging case at her hand yet again.

Review-

The listening experience with the audiobook was fabulous thanks to Brittany Pressley She is excellent at modulating her voice and adapting them to so many different characters, she is a one woman multi cast narrator army! My enjoyment of the book is definitely attributed to her narration.
Initially, the introduction of 5 different families/characters of varied backgrounds was slightly hard to register and keep track of. But as the plot unfolds, it became fairly easy to follow the ongoings with each of them.

Oh the drama and secrets! Every set of parents have something going on either in the present or past that could have a direct bearing on their kids’ disappearance. With each thread unravelling separately, the suspense builds and I particularly appreciated Keller’s POV and her course of investigation with this bizarre case.

Finlay delves into quite a few important and relevant topics pertaining to college life - the havoc of tech and social media, harassment/ public humiliation/teasing, substance abuse and most of all the effects of dysfunctional families on vulnerable, insecure teenagers’ psyche.
Few of the reveals were predictable and though the climax was not a “wow” inducer, I did find this thriller fast paced, addictive and quite the wild ride overall.

I think that if you have liked Finlay's prior titles, you will like this one as well. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was good. Goes fast.

Alex Finlay is back with another fast-paced thriller - this time set in the academic world, which I love, and featuring the return of FBI Agent Sarah Keller, which I also loved.

I struggled to keep track of the characters in the beginning - because there are a lot - but once I was able to sort out the who’s who the story became the bingeable read that I’ve come to expect from Finlay.

Even though I successfully predicted the who/why early on, I was fully engaged from start to finish and enjoyed watching the plot unfold.

The audiobook is narrated by Brittany Pressley and while she does a great job, I think multiple narrators would have helped me differentiate the characters a bit better.

I have always enjoyed Alex Finlay's stories and this one did not disappoint. It draws you in from the very first chapter. When five college students don't show up for their weekend dinner with parents as planned, everyone thinks they are just avoiding the evening. The next morning, everyone is panicked as it's not like these kids to disappear and not keep in contact with their parents. FBI Agent Sarah Keller has just moved to the area and is thrown into the case immediately. With one girl already dead and ruled an accidental drowning, the race is on to find out what happened to the five and are these cases linked. The story will keep you on the edge of your seat. I will say I guessed what was coming and was right, which is rare! I also had the privilage of reading this one and listening. The narration is fantastic! This one did not disappoint. Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur books for the ARC.

Thank you Macmillan audio and NetGalley for providing me with early audio version of this book, all the opinions are my own.

This is not my first Alex Finley book so I had high hopes after reading the blurb. Here we have 5 set of parents that has gathered for dinner for their kids amazing first year of college but the kids never show up to the dinner. Initially it seems like they are just being teenagers and didn’t wanna attend the dinner with their parents but once it becomes apparent that they haven’t even called or contacted anyone that’s when they start to panic.

College police are informed and for a change they took it seriously after a previous incident that happened in the college.

We also see Sarah Keller from previous book as the investigating officer here.

There are different pov’s and different timelines. All the parents take us into their past and reveal why they think they could be the reason for what may have happened. Lots of different characters and pov’s to follow.

It was an okay storyline, not as strong as the previous ones but the narration was pretty good in the audiobook so I didn’t enjoy it.

Thanks again for providing me with this audiobook.

🏫𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗗🏫
𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔯
🗓️𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝟼, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻
🤩𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 𝟜 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤! ★★★★!
🎧𝖠𝗎𝖽𝗂𝗈 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽: 𝖣𝖤𝖥!

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...it’s parents weekend. Five families realize their kids don’t show up to their dinner after learning one student was found dead just a few hours prior….

🪻𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢...I love Alex Finlay books so I was pumped to receive the ALC & the ARC for this newest edition to his collection! 🥳🤩 If you are familiar with his past ones too, you get a great surprise of one of the POVs being the FBI agent from two of his previous novels. She’s such a badass! 👊 The other POVs are the families of the 5 students that go missing so yes, it’s intense group to keep up with, but I found it super easy with the audio. These families are complete & utter train wrecks 😆 so I of course gobbled up their drama viciously. 😋 This one has received many mixed reviews, but I found it perfectly paced with just the right amount of terrifying thrill. 👌It was the type of thriller that was very real..which to me is the scariest type. 😱So glad I had the audio version for this one & highly recommend this format! 🎧🤩😋

So in this audiobook the narrators weren’t too bad, I was able to understand and knew who was who at all times!

The storyline grabbed my attention from the beginning and I was intrigued until the very end!

The ending I must say that I did not se either coming but it did make so much sense. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the ending!

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up at dinner.

This tale has some intricate twists and turns and lots of suspects. I love when I have options.

I have not read the other book where FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller is a character. But, I may just have to pick it up. She is a force. And when these kids come up missing…she uses all her deductions to the best advantage. She is a smart cookie.

I am not gonna lie. When I started this book, I thought, I may not finish this one. This story has tons of characters. That is a big turnoff to me because I don’t want a book that I have to think that hard (just hush, I am old!) But let me just say, this narrator, Brittany Pressley, is a pro! She has a different voice for every one of these people. This kept the story moving for me. (The author also might have had a hand in creating some very diverse characters! 😂)

Need a good who-done-it with a kick…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

It's parents weekend at Santa Clara College and there are 5 freshman friends whose parents are all meeting them at a restaurant. The College is under a lot of stress because one of the students was found dead earlier in the day. Now as the parents wait for their kids, the night gets later and the kids never show up. Since one is the child of an important US governmental figure, the FBI is called in. As the agents dig into who could have done this, we learn about each family's darkest secrets, and everyone in the group has them.

This was a fun, fast popcorn thriller that was exactly what I needed yesterday. I honestly did not predict the ending for this one. Since there were so many characters, all of them and their stories stayed on a pretty superficial level and so I never really got attached to any character or family. I thought the narrator did a great job and I found the audiobook pretty engrossing, but with such short chapters I may have enjoyed the parts where I was actually reading it more. Having actually done my first parenting version of parents' weekend this year (yes I am apparently that old now) it made the story a bit more fun for me.

3.75 stars

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC to review

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t stop listening. I was hooked from the first minute! The narration was wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

🎧 Book Review 🎧 I think the biggest to-do at Parents’ Weekend at my college was whose family did you get to sit with at the sorority luncheon. Alex Finley brings a summer thriller that is a whole new level of dark and twisty. Santa Clara University is on pins and needles after the unfortunate loss of one of their students, Natasha. And as the parents descend on the Bay Area campus for the annual Parents Weekend, five students go missing. As the missing pieces come together, the shocks are endless and the race is on for FBI Agent Sarah Keller to find The Five alive.

This was ok, but I didn't love it. I like it enough to want to keep listening, but I wasn't super invested. I did find it hard to follow everything going on and the multitude of characters in audiobook form. Maybe it would have made better sense in print.

2.75 rounded up.

I like this book like the characters and I especially like the FBI agent, Sarah and her husband Bob.. I did feel a little upset about Felix and his mom, but everybody doesn’t get a happily ever after. The narration was very well and it kept me interested the whole time, I didn’t see any lull in the story. Would definitely recommend.

I like the fast-paced writing style, but there wasn't much substance. The plot gets lost with all of the characters, leaving it hard to connect to any of them.