One of my absolute favorite books of the year. Wow, what a story! From the synopsis, there isn't anything different or exciting about this book versus all of the other thriller murders on bookshelves today. But it took me on a ride, both intellectually and emotionally, and I will be handing this one out like candy to all of my friends.

This book was slow for me to get into but I really enjoyed the pacing, the depth of the characters and how the author wove the story together!

Read over 2 days during the week. Was a little confusing at first with all the different people but it all come together. Quick read that had me reading and listening any free moment. Would read more bu the author.

Five years ago, Ryan's girlfriend, Ali, was pulled out from a car right in front of him, and never seen again. Though she was never found, Ali is presumed dead, and all the suspicion lies on Ryan, who has few memories of that night. Jumping forward to present day, Ryan goes by a new last name and is a law student on a summer vacation in Italy. When a mysterious man approaches him, with a note regarding that evening five years ago, it sets off a series of events no one could predict.

This was the first book I've read by Alex Finlay, and it was a decent thriller that I didn't want to put down. There were three separate plot lines to keep track of and I did guess the twist of one of them fairly early on. I enjoyed the character of Poppy, the new sheriff in town, and would honestly read a series revolving around her solving crimes! There weren't any huge surprises and the ending did tie up all of the loose ends, though it may not be what the reader wants.

‘If Something Happens to Me”, is my first book by Alex, Fin,ay but it won’t be my last. Thoroughly enjoyed the suspenseful storyline and the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

This fast paced thriller had me going for a loop! But in the best way!

From the start of the book I was hooked! Twisty and turny and so much going on! Non stop thrills!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I was so pumped to start this book but now that I'm done, I'm afraid I am in the minority for how much I liked it. Because I didn't. If Something Happens to Me started off so strong. I was hooked. Finlay pulled me in with the backstory - two teens in a horrific kidnapping situation deep in the woods in the rain; a new female office who gets pulled into an old case on her first day on the job; a mobster with a son who is getting bullied at school. Recipe for book that will be hard to put down. And then once certain pieces of information is revealed (somewhat early on in the book), I started to get bored. The story dragged out. I didn't care anymore what was happening. I don't know if it was because the suspense went away or if I just determined the storyline too soon. By the time I got to the end, I was ready to be done.

3.5⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Overall, this was a good book and quick to read. It was fast paced but there were so many characters and they kept switching names. A few times I was like who is this again? Some plot points were easy to figure out where it was going and didn’t pull off the twist surprise. The ending felt very quick and rushed. I would recommend reading if you are looking for a quick thriller.

Another Alex Finlay book to binge! I really love these books because they are fast paced, a quick read, unexpected twists and SHORT chapters every time 👏🏻 If Something Happens to Me is a bit choppy and at times cheesy, however it was also a page turner that kept me on my toes. It was a great escape for me and I think I read it in 2 days, so there’s that!
I also really enjoyed the audio! Can’t wait for more from Alex!

This was my first book by this author. It kept me engaged and it was a quick read. It was a little predictable, but still enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the advance read copy.

This twisty turny, global, multi-POV thriller that I could’ve read in one sitting! Short chapters and changing characters kept me wanting more. I loved the Ryan (boyfriend) timeline halfway across the world, trying to move on with his life and still caught up with his missing high school girlfriend. The deputy sheriff storyline was the least interesting to me, but necessary to tie things together. The small town thriller gone global was a great spin on a tale as old as time.

Thank you to St. Martin's for my own copy of IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME. This one is out as of yesterday!

I've been lucky enough to be an early reader of the past three releases by Alex Finlay. They've all been books that are hard to put down. This one's ending let me down big time. It just didn't really go with the rest of the book. I was super entertained, don't get me wrong, just disappointed with how it was wrapped up.

Thank you to Alex Finlay, St. Martin's Press, and NetGallery for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of If Something Happens to Me!

This was a good thriller!

This is a fast-paced thriller that kept me intrigued throughout the duration of the book. The first chapter gripped me with the recount of the crime through the eyes of one character, and kept me hooked as we learn more about the fateful night at Lover's Lane through the eyes of others.

The reveal was decent. It was hinted at a lot during the book, so it was not a shock that it happened. However, it was well executed and the climax of the book was well written.

My only critique is in regard to the formatting. The book follows three distinct storylines, Ryan, Michael, and Shane. All three of these storylines carry a lot of weight and are vital to how the story unfolds and the reveal is unraveled. I think a way to make it more impactful was to complete the story in chronological order. As a reader, I did not realize that we were jumping around timelines until the reveal happened. Just for me personally, I would have been more shocked by the story had the very heavily integrated Michael/Shane storylines been in conjunction with one another.

The book overall was still great regardless.

3 ⭐️ Read:

This thriller was a pretty good read. I will say that I lowered my rating for ‘If Something Happens to Me’ in the end as, while I liked how each character had an update and a clear close to their stories within the Epilogue, I was not really a fan of how abrupt and truly final one of the conclusions/outcomes was. I did, however, enjoy the use of different timelines and locations to more clearly depict each of the main characters’ POV’s as this helped to further flesh out the mystery and suspense of the storyline/plot. Overall, I would recommend that you give this book a shot if you enjoy the thriller/mystery genre(s), but I recommend that you be prepared to potentially be left wanting a bit more from the character development/arcs.

Thank you so much to Alex Finlay, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

Book Title: If Something Happens to Me
Publication/Release Date: May 28, 2024
Author: Alex Finlay



~Alissa R.

Overall enjoyed this thriller! Have never read this author before but enjoyed the writing style and the suspense. I always love a thriller that I can’t predict the end and this one definitely left me guessing! Would recommend!

I havent read many books by this author. I really liked this one though. The story was well told. I loved the writing.

This book was a fun whirlwind. A little love heartbreak and organized crime. I was a little confused but the really enjoyed how it all tied together.


I enjoyed reading If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay   Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

The book starts off when Ryan and Alison’s romantic night is interrupted. Alison gets taken and Ryan gets knocked out. Everyone suspects Ryan, but a lack of evidence keeps him from being charged. The book goes back and forth between the past and the present and in different cities. In present day, Ryan is a law student and while on a trip with his law friends in Italy he finds out that Alison’s car was found in a lake with the bodies of two men and Alison’s bag with contains a cryptic note. Ryan works together with a young detective (who lives in Kansas) who is trying to prove herself to uncover what happens. At the same time, more people die, some people are still keeping secrets and others have their own agenda.
Clever book with lots of twists. The characters are all over the place shifting from past to present and their names are so similar yet different, plus the author uses both first and last names that it gets a little confusing. I had a hard time remembering who everyone was.
Easy to read, and keeps you engaged.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and Alex Finlay for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this book!! Alex Finlay has become one of my favorite and auto buy authors, and his latest novel did NOT disappoint! I loved the multiple POV's and was immediately hooked to this story from the first page and I could not put it down. 5 star read for me!

At first, I was just flying through this book, desperate to know what happened. Then I got to a point where I was a little less interested, and as the mystery unfolded, I felt a little disappointed by it. That said, it’s got international travel, the Mafia, mysterious disappearances, gruesome murders… I mean, you can’t really go wrong even if you’re not 100% happy with how it turns out. It’s worth a read for sure.