Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - If Something Happens to Me

*Thank you, Macmillan and Netgalley, for the audiobook copy!*

Alison Lane disappeared 5 years ago, and the only person who might know who took her was her boyfriend, Ryan Richardson. But Ryan was knocked unconscious the night of her abduction, and any lead he tried giving to police were dismissed. Still feeling guilty, Ryan finds himself taken back in time when the car Alison had been driving turns up at the bottom of a lake, with two bodies inside. A note was discovered entitled 'if something happens to me' written in Alison's handwriting.
New deputy sheriff, Poppy Mcgee, has returned to her old stomping grounds after being discharged from the military, and it just so happens to be at the same time Alison's case gains new evidence. Can she finally put the case to bed and figure out just what happened to Alison?
In this multi-POV thriller, there are twists and turns that move the story forward and will keep you wanting to know how it all ends.

This was my first Alex Finlay book, and I will say I'm going to look into others! The suspense was held throughout the story as more and more pieces of the events were revealed, and there was one point when the two storylines converged that I just had to know how it ended. Instead of being solidly from the POVs of three of the characters, the end jumped around a bit to be from other perspectives, and I thought that was really interesting. I feel like it fit the story, but it's not something you see happen very often.

I did get a little frustrated with the way some of the POVs would abruptly end and switch, causing all of these cliff-hanger moments that just felt like too much. I understand that it's a thriller, but to end some of the scenes the way they did felt choppy to me. I just wish that certain parts had gone on a little longer before shifting to feel a little more fluid. I also guessed some of the ending, and the way that it was revealed made me think that maybe I was supposed to have guessed it, but it was kind of unclear. If I wasn't supposed to, then I feel like it was kind of obvious. But if I was supposed to be screaming at one of the characters because of a poor decision they made and add to the suspense, then mission accomplished.

With all of that being said, obviously I did still really enjoy this story and would actually consider listening to it again in the future to see if I can pick up any other foreshadowing moments I might have missed the first time around. I feel like thrillers tend to have a lot of subtle hints at things to come, and if you're really invested in the emotion of it and feeling anxious, you might miss them. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers with multiple POVs, interconnecting storylines, and suspense.

Content Warnings

theinstabookworm's review

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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!

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

Finished reading: May 9th 2024

"Whoever said if you're seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for your enemy and one for yourself - had it almost right."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Head Of Zeus in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I always seem to have a great time reading Alex Finlay's thrillers, so it's easy to understand why I was over the moon that my request for his newest story If Something Happens To Me was actually approved. I've been wanting to pick it up ever since it appeared on my kindle, as I loved the sound of the blurb with the promise of an international setting and multiple layers... And I have to say that I ended up having a blast with this story. Engaging, fast-paced and action-packed: If Something Happens To Me turned out to be yet another more than solid thriller.

This story uses a multiple POV structure and is also divided into different parts. These layers gave the story more dimension, and while you might wonder how the different POVs fit in together at first, it all becomes clear in the end. The POVs are spread out over different locations as well: you begin with Ryan in Italy, deputy Poppy in Kansas and the third set in Philadelphia that will provide the mobster angle. The last one doesn't seem to fit in with the story at first, but once the connection became clear I admit it was a clever one.

I love stories with a travel element, and we get plenty of that while we follow Ryan around. Italy, UK, France... His journey takes him across Europe as well as the US, and I liked what the locations added to the plot. This is probably why Ryan's POV is one of my favorites, although I really enjoyed spending time with Poppy as well. I could also appreciate that the different POVs introduced different thriller subgenres to the plot, blending for example detective, crime, psychological and mobster elements along the way. The story as a whole felt well balanced and I quite enjoyed the resulting thriller cocktail.

Things can be said about the credibility of it all, as certain twists are either farfetched or too convenient. I also spotted one of the big twists quite early on, but as a whole there were still plenty surprises along the way as well. If you don't mind the plot being over the top and are more interested in the entertainment level, If Something Happens To Me most likely won't let you down. Between the fast pace and engaging writing style it will be easy to keep turning those pages!

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Title: If Something Happens to Me
Author: Alex Finlay
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: May 28, 2024

I received complimentary eARC and ALC from Minotaur Books, a division of St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Twisty • Complex • Cinematic

📖 S Y N O P S I S

For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.

With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’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 Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…

Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.

As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I cannot recall exactly what prompted me to request Alex Finlay's upcoming release, If Something Happens to Me on NetGalley. Yet, here I am having read my first from this author and not exactly sure how I am feeling.

Told through several distinct voices and spanning continents, I was kept on my toes through short chapters with cliffhanger endings. The pacing was what I'd expect from a popcorn thriller. However, there is a lot going on, and I definitely needed to keep up with the digital copy in order to keep track of people, places and time periods. The cryptic note was a buzz word for me, however, it played a minimal part of the plot. This was disappointing because I felt misled.

The audiobook is very well done. With a multi-cast narration, each voice is distinct enough to differentiate between the various characters. I did have a bit of an issue keeping track of time and place, which I rectified by tandem reading with the ebook.

It is safe to say that thrillers have not been working for me recently and the same can be said for If Something Happens to Me. At times, I was confused and drawn out of the story. I think it was more of a me issue; it was quite possibly a mistake to pick up a thriller when trying to get out of a slump. While it didn't work for me, I could easily see this one being turned into a movie and think it will be a hit with thriller readers this summer.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• fast paced thrillers
• short chapters
• plots spanning multiple continents

⚠️ CW: death, child death, murder, suicide, torture, gun violence, violence, self-harm, bullying, terminal illness, kidnapping, drug use, overdose, cursing

Content Warnings

emeliaisreading_'s review

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dark emotional informative mysterious sad 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

I devoured this one in one day because I didn't want to put it down. We read from the perspectives of: Ryan (the missing girl's boyfriend), Poppy (the new local sheriff), the Mobster, his accountant and one of his associates. The multiple POV keeps you on your toes. Finlay does a great job of building the suspense and dropping the plot twists at just the right moment! I found myself hurting for everyone, even the mobster. I reallyappreciated the theme of bullying being something very serious.

If Something Happens to Me is a must read thriller!

Thank you so much, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the digital review copy!

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aimyreads's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

After a few really bad reads I was desperate for something exciting and man this book delivered!

From the first page to the last I was invested fully. I went in having some ideas about where the story would go after reading the blurb but nope, the twists and turns kept me guessing throughout.

I loved the characters, and watching their evolution. There’s a particular plot point that made me heave a sigh of relief when it unfolded but I won’t disclose it here as that would be a spoiler.

My recommendation is to go into this book as blindly as you possibly can and just buckle your seatbelt. It’s going to be an epic ride!

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with this advance readers copy!

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