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outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Five years ago, Ryan Richardson's girlfriend, Ali, was kidnapped from their date & has never been found. Ryan has had suspicion hanging over him for all this time, & has never quite been able to put the past behind him. On a summer trip to Italy, Ryan gets a call from his father to say that Ali's car has been found submerged in a lake in their hometown of Leavenworth. There's no sign of Ali, but the car contains two dead men & a cryptic note on an envelope saying "If something happens to me".
Meanwhile back in Leavenworth, new deputy sheriff, Poppy McGee, has the discovery of missing teenager Ali's car happen on her first day in the job. Asked to follow up on any leads or tips, Poppy finds that most of them are as unhelpful as expected, but the investigation takes a strange turn which has Poppy suspecting her own family of being mixed up in Ali's disappearance.
This is a multi-strand plot where the reader hears from both Ryan & Poppy's point of view, alongside a third narrative which deals with the aftermath of a school bullying incident. I was a little perplexed at first how the three were going to dovetail, but the author pulled it all together nicely. It's all a bit improbable, yet extremely readable & it kept my attention well. 3.5 stars (rounded up)
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Head of Zeus/Aries, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
Meanwhile back in Leavenworth, new deputy sheriff, Poppy McGee, has the discovery of missing teenager Ali's car happen on her first day in the job. Asked to follow up on any leads or tips, Poppy finds that most of them are as unhelpful as expected, but the investigation takes a strange turn which has Poppy suspecting her own family of being mixed up in Ali's disappearance.
This is a multi-strand plot where the reader hears from both Ryan & Poppy's point of view, alongside a third narrative which deals with the aftermath of a school bullying incident. I was a little perplexed at first how the three were going to dovetail, but the author pulled it all together nicely. It's all a bit improbable, yet extremely readable & it kept my attention well. 3.5 stars (rounded up)
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Head of Zeus/Aries, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying and Suicide
bringmybooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Edelweiss, Minotaur Books, & Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Review: This book was entirely not what I was expecting, but I don't know if that was a bad thing. *shrugs*
I was invested from the get-go, and I really liked the multiple POVs that we got - I thought it kept you hooked while providing just enough information to keep you guessing. Sort of piggy-backing on what I said above, this thriller was nothing like what I expected so there were a lot of times I was surprised until I understood the direction we were going and then it was a bit easier to see what was coming next.
Overall Rating: ★★★★ / 4.13
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★
Plot ★★★★
Intrigue ★★★★
Logic ★★★★
Enjoyment ★★★★
Pacing ★★★★
Dialogue ★★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Kidnapping, Cancer, Gun violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Suicide, Death, Child death, Blood, Bullying, Violence, and Car accident
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
redvelvetpenguins's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Torture
Minor: 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
kathysallbookmarkdup's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay. Not one I'll remember long like The Night Shift (I still think about it?!!). Too many characters and names and I couldn't keep them straight. Also parts seemed farfetched which bugged me. Overall, not a bad book but not one I overly loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
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