
Member Reviews

Agent Sarah Keller returns in this gripping story of a college Parents Weekend and the chaos that unfolds.
One student's dead and five are missing - and all their parents have something to hide. As Agent Sarah Keller investigates, the story becomes more entangled as secrets, lies, affairs, and hidden pasts come to life. Can she find the missing students before one becomes six dead? And will these parents be able to enjoy their Parents Weekend...
I have read all of Alex Finlay's novels, and I think this may be my favorite one yet. I absolutely love Sarah Keller as a character - and this novel really explores the duality of career woman and motherhood as she navigates a very serious case while balancing the demands of her family's personal life. She's a complete bad ass and I love her dry humor throughout the novel - a lot of her lines made me laugh.
With so many different plots, twists, turns, and red herrings, I really didn't have a clue where this was headed for most of the book. I will say I ended up catching on right before the reveal - but if you aren't paying attention, you're going to miss it! And that is what is so fun about Alex Finlay's novels - he is just that good at creating an intertwined narrative where no one seems anything but a mixture of innocence and guilt.
The narrator of this audiobook does such a great job - the inflections and story telling really bring the novel to life and make it an enjoyable listen. I like listening at higher speeds and could easily understand what was being said, and did not lose the pace and cadence of the book - which not all narrators can do. It really added to my reading experience as I wasn't limited to my digital ARC - and at the more suspenseful chapters, I found myself speeding up the audio even more to learn quickly what was happening!

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley, for a copy of this audiobook early in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed a lot of things about this book. First, I love short chapters. I mainly listened to the audio of the book, so it felt like it flew by. I loved the plot and was immediately captured by the drama unfolding. The only difficulty I had was keeping track of all the characters. I eventually got the hang of it, but listening made it much harder, especially with only one narrator. Despite this, I enjoyed the book overall and thought the plot twist was decent. It's not the best I've ever read, but by no means the worst. Overall, it was a fun/fast read for any mystery/thriller lover.

I recently had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay, thanks to an advance listening copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher. As a fan of Finlay’s previous thrillers, I was eager to dive into this one, and it did not disappoint!
The story kicks off during a seemingly typical Parents Weekend at a secluded Northern California college. Five students—Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—fail to show up for dinner with their families, sparking a tense and emotional search. The narrative unfolds through multiple perspectives, including those of the parents and FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, a familiar character from Finlay’s earlier works.
What I appreciated most was the audiobook’s ability to bring each character’s voice to life, making the shifting viewpoints easy to follow and deeply engaging. The pacing is brisk, with short chapters that kept me hooked, and the plot is layered with secrets and twists that kept me guessing until the end.
If you’re into fast-paced thrillers that explore family dynamics and hidden pasts, this one should be on your radar. It’s a compelling listen that balances suspense with emotional depth.

Parents Weekend! I love how each “family” had their own chapters. There were a lot of characters and it was kind of hard to keep track with who was who(it may have been because I only had the audio) but the chapters for each family helped keep it somewhat under the control.
It did seem like a ton was going on at all times. But overall I enjoyed the story and the twists. Detective Keller was my favorite out of the book. It was my first Alex Finlay book and I do plan on trying another after reading this one.
I do feel like the narrator did a great job.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

I’ve been a fan of Alex Finlay’s previous works, and this one is no exception. “Parents Weekend” is a thriller with complex characters. We follow the parents as they investigate the disappearance of five students. Brittany Pressley narrates brilliantly, bringing each character to life with their unique voices.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a well-written thriller that had me hooked from the beginning, and after starting the audiobook ARC from NetGalley, I finished the listen in less than a day!
The story unfolds during Parents Weekend on a small college campus, when five students suddenly vanish. What follows is an engaging, suspenseful mystery that follows the family of each of those students.
Before going much further, I must comment on the narrator of this audiobook, Brittany Pressley. Ms. Pressley delivers a phenomenal narration (as always): nuanced, engaging, and perfectly matched to the story’s tone. Her performance adds intensity and heart in all the right places, making the audiobook experience amazing!
While the book introduces a large number of characters, each one is fully fleshed out and plays a meaningful role. My favorite character was Bob—he’s humorous, surprising, and brought a sense of warmth and quiet heroism that really stood out. After learning that Sarah Keller appears in some of Finlay’s earlier novels, I’m excited to read more of his work—and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that Bob makes another appearance too.
I also loved the Listener’s Note at the end—Finlay’s callout to David Ellis genuinely made me laugh out loud. It was a fun, unexpected moment and a perfect close to the book.
Overall, Parents Weekend is a great thriller—smart, surprising and sharply written. With compelling characters and standout narration, it’s an audiobook I’d highly recommend to fans of suspense.
Writing: 😀
Plot: 😀
Characters: 😀
Impact: 🙂
Kept Interest: 😍

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Alex Finlay, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Brittany Pressley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4 stars!
It's Parents’ Weekend at a small college in northern California. All the parents are gathered at dinner but none of their children show up. As time clicks by, panic sets in. The students are from very different backgrounds and all of the families have secrets.
I always look forward to Alex Finlay’s latest book. This one even has a returning character in FBI Agent Sarah Keller, although it’s definitely a stand-alone read. I loved having both the digital and audio files of this book to seamlessly go back and forth and any audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley is perfection. The story unfolds through multiple POVs and timelines. I found it a bit confusing with so many characters, but easily fell into the story and mystery.

I did enjoy this book but I feel that there were way to many characters to keep up with.
I loved the use of social media true crime as that is what i love to do. I loved the twist at the end.
It was a fast paced read.

Well I loved this. It was exactly what I needed and I read it in one sitting. I loved the messy parents, the messy kids, and the amazing FBI detective piecing it all together. This had so much drama, was fast paced and had a few heart pounding, dangerous moments. It felt like something that could absolutely truly happen on a college campus and was written so well to bring out all your emotions.
Note: I loved the audiobook and how it perfectly elevated the level of stress and drama.

I really enjoyed this one! One of my favorite tropes and I flew through it! Fast paced and very entertaining. 4 stars

This was my first Finlay book and I was not disappointed. I found the storyline interesting and characters developed. Certainly there were some more likable than others. This did not contain some giant, shocking twist but the mystery unfolded in a logical way. I think it would make a good limited series to watch.
I will be checking out If Something Happens to Me by the author next.
The narrator did a great job with the audio version as well.
Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

This was good! Not my favorite by Finlay but suspenseful and mysterious all the same. I didn't want to stop listening until I got to the end! Some parts felt a little predictable, but I liked how there were 4 family POVs, and then the POC of the main detective on the case trying to find the 5 missing kids.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Minotaur Books and MacMillan Audio for the early copies! Here are my thoughts.
College is starting up and the only people more excited than the students are there parents. They are headed to Parents Weekend, a fun time to be wined and dined with the other parents of the students. When the students don’t show up, the parents begin to worry and it seems that their children have gone missing. Soon the reader is launched into a scary world where parents lives are impacting their children in a very scary way.
This is my first Alex Finlay read, and I enjoyed it. There were a lot of perspectives, so listening to it on audiobook could be challenging just keeping everyone straight. Once I had the characters down, then I was smooth sailing! The plot moves forward fast, as a thriller should and there are plenty of red herrings and twists.
I think I kinda figured out what one of the major twists was and that always makes me happy. I’m basically a detective. The narrator, Brittany Pressley did a fantastic job, and I enjoyed her vocal changes for different characters. I think this one is going to be a popular summer thriller!

I wanted to blow through this audiobook in one sitting, but things like parenting got in my way, so it took me two days instead. What a great book! It was gripping from the very first chapter. How would you feel if your kid went missing after you arrived at their prestigious college for parents’ weekend? What secrets do you have? What secrets do your kids have?
Finlay takes you on a journey with each family, as well as the FBI agent assigned to the case of the missing kids, and pulls you right into the thick of it as the investigation progresses. The book is not only a thriller, although it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It incorporates delicate themes of family discord, grief, and that feeling of love you’ll always have for your parents, even when you think you’re so grown up you don’t need them anymore.
Narration by Brittany Pressley was absolutely superb and enhanced an already amazing story.
You will not regret reading this book!! Add it to your TBR now!
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advances copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's parents' weekend at college, everyone's there for the big dinner. Except five of the kids. Their adults are there, but they are not. Also not in attendance is Natalia, who was recently found dead. Strangely, the first reaction of the parents is not one of concern (considering the recent death of a student under possibly questionable circumstances). They think they are just being kids, being late, going to a party instead, whatever.
And then deleted posts from the dead student's account surface, calling out all five and a teacher as creeps or enablers.
The local police and the FBI are called in and they find something fishy - the kids' van was caught on a security cam, with masked people driving. It is a race against the clock to find the kids and get them back safely.
The book bounces between the kids and the parents and FBI agent Feller. There are a LOT of people involved and most of them felt like caricatures. I listened to the audiobook and Brittany Pressley did a great job as narrator. I think she may have helped me keep some of the characters straight.
I thought this was meh. Not terrible, but sort of weak. I'll try again with Mr. Finlay's next book.
My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the eAudio ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this alc.
Set during a parents weekend at Northern California University, this novel is about five students who mysteriously vanish, leaving their families and the community in turmoil. Told through multiple perspectives, the story primarily focus on the students and their parents. However, as the investigation progresses, FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller is brought in to unravel the mystery.
Finlay keeps the suspense going and skillfully makes use of the multiple POVs. The audiobook is narrated by Brittany Pressley who delivers a spectacular narration of the multiple voices, bringing each character’s perspective to life. I particularly enjoyed agent Keller’s perspective. To me, the student’s perspective didn’t catch my attention.
Parents Weekend explores parental expectations, family secrets and the complicated relationships between parents and their children. This is a fast-paced thriller that delves into the complexity of family dynamics and the secrets that bind them. Overall, this is an entertaining read and I had a good time reading this novel.

A masterclass in suspense. Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a twisty, fast-paced thriller that grips from page one. With missing students, dark secrets, and razor-sharp tension, it’s everything you want in a binge-worthy mystery. Great audio and narration.

Alex Finlay has been an auto-buy for me since the first book I read by him. Every one of his books has multiple characters, multiple POVs, and multiple timelines, and he navigates that without any confusion. That was until Parents Weekend.
This was definitely the weakest and most confusing of Finlay’s books, but it still was entertaining. I had a hard time following the multiple POVs for some reason and often found myself just giving up on who is who with the endless amount of characters the book introduced, but when everything was just taken as it was, I enjoyed it. I may not have remembered who this character was or what their motives were, but in the moment, I was entertained.
This was definitely an anomaly as every book by Finlay has been like this, and every book until Parents Weekend I found very easy to follow. This book made me want to break out a pen and paper to start writing down character names and details to help me remember it all, but unfortunately, that’s just not what I’m looking for in a book.
My favorite thing about Parents Weekend is the return of Special Agent Sarah Keller. I was familiar with her and always found her POVs easy to follow and the most interesting.

A fast-paced page turner with a storyline that keeps you hooked. There were a lot of characters which made it a little difficult to remember who everyone was and their back stories, but overall it wasn’t anything that kept me from enjoying the book. It was concise without a ton of extra fluff. I was able to read it in a weekend - which was great because I didn’t want to put it down. There wasn’t a ton of depth to it due to the amount of characters and length of the book, so it wasn’t the best thriller I’ve ever read, but I was entertained. I will say, as a parent, the ending didn’t shock me. 3.5 stars, rounded up because it was the first book I couldn’t stop reading in awhile.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.

This was a quick, bingeable read—under 300 pages—which makes it perfect for a weekend thriller fix.
The narration was engaging and easy to follow, adding a nice rhythm to the story. However, the multiple family perspectives made the plot feel a bit scattered and hard to connect with at times. While marketed as a thriller, the storyline was pretty straightforward with no major twists to really surprise me.
It’s a simple, basic thriller that does the job if you’re in the mood for something light and fast-paced, but it may not leave a lasting impression.
Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.