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boiler_bookworm's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Bullying and Suicide
thebookpear's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
Alex Finlay’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, Ali’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 you’re looking for an exciting fast-paced thriller/mystery!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Suicide
Moderate: Torture
shesflippinpages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Medical content, Bullying, Kidnapping, Blood, Car accident, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, and Torture
clairebonney's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Grief, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Bullying, Murder, Child death, Cancer, and Car accident
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Thank you to the publisher for providing me a free eARC for review! This one is out May 28.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Ryan’s girlfriend Ali was kidnapped before his eyes five years ago—but when the vehicle she was abducted in is finally found alongside a coded message, buried secrets might finally come to light.
Let’s start with the good: this one is pretty fast-paced, with a lot of action and drama, and a straightforward writing style that makes you want to keep reading more. I liked most of the characters (including the ones I was probably least supposed to, honestly) and was generally entertained throughout.
That said, while I am positive there is an audience for this book, I don’t think I’m really part of it. I guessed the twists early and, more importantly, didn’t like them—the plot felt predictable and a bit silly, and I didn’t like the way things wrapped up for anyone. For most of the book, I was probably rooting for the villains, which I don’t think was the intention.
Overall, this was a fast read and if it sounds good to you, I’d still recommend it! But sadly not a favorite of my year (or even month) so far.
CW: Torture/murder/death; suicide; bullying; mentions of child abuse/domestic violence
Rating: 3/5 stars
Ryan’s girlfriend Ali was kidnapped before his eyes five years ago—but when the vehicle she was abducted in is finally found alongside a coded message, buried secrets might finally come to light.
Let’s start with the good: this one is pretty fast-paced, with a lot of action and drama, and a straightforward writing style that makes you want to keep reading more. I liked most of the characters (including the ones I was probably least supposed to, honestly) and was generally entertained throughout.
That said, while I am positive there is an audience for this book, I don’t think I’m really part of it. I guessed the twists early and, more importantly, didn’t like them—the plot felt predictable and a bit silly, and I didn’t like the way things wrapped up for anyone. For most of the book, I was probably rooting for the villains, which I don’t think was the intention.
Overall, this was a fast read and if it sounds good to you, I’d still recommend it! But sadly not a favorite of my year (or even month) so far.
CW: Torture/murder/death; suicide; bullying; mentions of child abuse/domestic violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Torture, Cancer, Death of parent, Murder, Death, Blood, and Bullying
Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
reading_under_covers's review
4.0
High school sweethearts Ryan and Alison are out on Lovers Lane one night when Alison is abducted and Ryan is left with barely any memory of what happened. Five years later, Alison’s car is pulled from the lake with two dead bodies in it, and the new Deputy Sheriff, Poppy McGee reopens a case long assumed to be closed.
IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME is the latest from Alex Finlay and just as bonkers as his other works.
We’re going international with this one, bopping from Kansas to Philly, to Italy, England, and France, and covering dozens of characters in between!
I honestly tend to really enjoy large cast thrillers (this one was no exception) and seeing how everyone’s stories came together in this story was very fun.
The mystery was intriguing, there were plenty of characters to root for (and roll your eyes at), and the addition of a cypher was an added bonus! I also flew through this one - it’s a quick read!
I did occasionally lose track of some of the storylines and their cliffhangers ( we’re covering a lot of ground in some very short chapters here!), which might have dulled the effect of some of those moments.
All in all, a Finlay read that I think a lot of his readers will enjoy!
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Publication Date: May 28
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, and Bullying
Moderate: Suicide
tiasreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Torture and Suicide
chaptersofchase's review
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
Thank you, Macmillan Audio + Minotaur Books, for the gifted copy of If Something Happens to Me {partner}
Genre: Mystery
Trope: Missing Girl
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 5.8.2024
Star Rating: ☆☆☆
Dang it! I desperately wanted to like this one. I started it on my Kindle and was feeling meh about the storyline, so I started the audio. While the audio was entertaining, there was just too much going on. It was fast-paced and twisty, but it almost pulled me in too many directions, ultimately making the plot too far-fetched and unbelievable. Because I am who I am, I figured out where the story was headed from a fairly early point, but I didn't enjoy the path the author took to get there.
💨 Fast-paced
📝 Multi-layer story
🔀 Twisty plot
🗣️ Multiple POV
⚠️ Torture and extreme bullying of a teenager
My opinion on this book might not be popular, but that's the beauty of reading, not every book is meant for everyone. If you're a fan of high-octane, action-packed stories, then If Something Happens to Me might be your cup of tea.
_
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofchase/
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Genre: Mystery
Trope: Missing Girl
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 5.8.2024
Star Rating: ☆☆☆
Dang it! I desperately wanted to like this one. I started it on my Kindle and was feeling meh about the storyline, so I started the audio. While the audio was entertaining, there was just too much going on. It was fast-paced and twisty, but it almost pulled me in too many directions, ultimately making the plot too far-fetched and unbelievable. Because I am who I am, I figured out where the story was headed from a fairly early point, but I didn't enjoy the path the author took to get there.
💨 Fast-paced
📝 Multi-layer story
🔀 Twisty plot
🗣️ Multiple POV
⚠️ Torture and extreme bullying of a teenager
My opinion on this book might not be popular, but that's the beauty of reading, not every book is meant for everyone. If you're a fan of high-octane, action-packed stories, then If Something Happens to Me might be your cup of tea.
_
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofchase/
Follow me on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/chaptersofchase
Follow me on StoryGraph:https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofchase/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Bullying
theinstabookworm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the e-ARC of IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME by Alex Finlay in exchange for my review. This novel will be released on May 28, 2024.
I tried to pick this up a few weeks ago, and soft DNFed it when I wasn't in the mood. I wasn't going to come back to it. I DNFed one other book by the author and thought maybe the author just wasn't for me. But, I kept seeing good review after good review pop up on my feed, so I decided to give it another chance.
I thought I had the twist figured out, but I was so wrong in a great way. There are a lot of characters, and I had trouble keeping track of who was who. I wish each character's name was stated at the beginning of their chapter so we could remember whose POV we were in. Also, the epilogue was three chapters long, and it didn't need to be. All of those things slowed the book down for me. Most of the reviews I've been seeing say this is fast-paced, but I found it to be more medium paced. Despite what I've mentioned, I did enjoy this and was intrigued to find out what happened next every time I had to put it down. I'll be going back to the book I DNFed by the author at some point, and I've also added his other books to my list and look forward to picking them up in the future!
I tried to pick this up a few weeks ago, and soft DNFed it when I wasn't in the mood. I wasn't going to come back to it. I DNFed one other book by the author and thought maybe the author just wasn't for me. But, I kept seeing good review after good review pop up on my feed, so I decided to give it another chance.
I thought I had the twist figured out, but I was so wrong in a great way. There are a lot of characters, and I had trouble keeping track of who was who. I wish each character's name was stated at the beginning of their chapter so we could remember whose POV we were in. Also, the epilogue was three chapters long, and it didn't need to be. All of those things slowed the book down for me. Most of the reviews I've been seeing say this is fast-paced, but I found it to be more medium paced. Despite what I've mentioned, I did enjoy this and was intrigued to find out what happened next every time I had to put it down. I'll be going back to the book I DNFed by the author at some point, and I've also added his other books to my list and look forward to picking them up in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Child death, Dementia, Addiction, Cancer, and Bullying
bookstagramjo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Bullying