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3.66 AVERAGE

mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No

Fast paced with lots of twists. Would love to see more books with Poppy McGee as sheriff. 
rcars10's profile picture

rcars10's review

3.5
adventurous mysterious medium-paced
adventurous dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

๐‘ป.๐‘พ: Toxic family relationships, Bullying, Suicide.

๐Ÿ’ญAddictive & Too Fast-Paced Read!!

This was my first Alex's book and it was not bad. I will definitely check out his other books. 

Five years earlier, Ryan and his girlfriend had a terrible night. Someone pulled Ryan from his girlfriend's parked car, while his girlfriend Alison disappeared. With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, heโ€™s never charged, though that doesnโ€™t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name and entered law school. He's put his past behind him. Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali's car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Aliโ€™s handwriting: If something happens to meโ€ฆ
Poppy McGee has reluctantly returned to her hometown in Leavenworth, KS to take care of her ailing father after the sudden death of her mother. She accepts a position as a new deputy sheriff and looks into solving this five-year-old crime.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania lives Oโ€™Leary a dangerous man whom everyone is afraid of except his wife Gina. Heโ€™s involved in organized crime hiring people to do his dirty work. 
As the story unfolds, layers are added from past to present that make this story interesting.

The synopsis of this novel sounded so intriguing! And no doubt, once I started reading, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Told in three parts, and three different places. From Leavenworth, KS, Philadelphia, PA and Lackford England, three different scenes in these places. The pace moved at lightning speed with its short chapters with cliffhangers and alternating POVs(including the new sheriff deputy, a mobster, his employees and Ryan). I read the book in a few hours and loved the way Alex wove multiple storylines together to make a heart-pounding narrative.
It wasn't necessarily a mystery because the story was straightforward and easy to see where it was going. The book felt too basic for a crime thriller!
I wish the ciphers had been more a part of the book. The cryptic note was such a compelling part of the premise but they were pretty minimal in the plot overall. To be fair, I think at this point I see cipher and expect something Da Vinci Code-esque, so that's on me.

Furthermore, I honestly didnโ€™t really care much about the characters, they lack depth. Ryan was ok, but I never felt any kind of deep emotional connection to him. I also never really cared about Allison or finding out what happened to her. If I am being honest, most of the characters felt shallow or one-dimensional. This is one of the reasons I rated it 3.5 stars!

Overall, "If Something Happens to Me" is a basic thriller that lacks the depth and engagement needed to make it memorable. While the framework had potential, the execution left much to be desired.
A fast thriller to get in and out!

Read if you like:
- Multiple POV
- Sketchy Towns with Just as Sketchy People
- Puzzles
- Unsolved Mysteries
- Fast Paced

๐.๐’ I loved Ziggy de la Cruz. He was only for one chapter but still shines out!

๐Ÿ”ธ๐‘ด๐’š ๐‘น๐’‚๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ: โญโญโญ.5
๐Ÿ”ธ๐‘ฎ๐’๐’๐’…๐’“๐’†๐’‚๐’…๐’” ๐‘น๐’‚๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ: 4.01 (3483)
๐Ÿ”ธ๐‘ฎ๐’†๐’๐’“๐’†: Suspense & Psychological Thriller
๐Ÿ”ธ๐‘น๐’†๐’„๐’๐’Ž๐’Ž๐’†๐’๐’…๐’‚๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’: Yes!
It was absolutely a thriller, and paced to keep the reader's interest the entire time!

๐Ÿ”ธ ๐‘ญ๐’‚๐’—๐’๐’“๐’Š๐’•๐’† ๐‘ธ๐’–๐’๐’•๐’†๐’”:

โ€œUnlike some people, I understand that dumb-asses say dumb things without menace in their hearts.โ€
dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
dark mysterious tense fast-paced
adventurous fast-paced
adventurous mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Alex Finlayโ€™s books never miss! I go in to each book expecting a large cast, multiple storylines, and a lot of action. If Something Happens to Me met all of my expectations and more! The intrigue of Ryan, Aliโ€™s boyfriend, being a person of interest in her kidnapping/disappearance started the book with a bang. Finlay intertwined the characters and storylines with short cliffhanger chapters in different POVs that kept the reader on edge. Highly recommend if youโ€™re looking for an exciting  fast-paced thriller/mystery!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

andrew_f's review

3.5
adventurous tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No