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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Alex Finlay + Northern California/Bay Area + FBI Agent Sarah Keller = A Winner!
Finlay delivers on his past successes (“The Night Shift,” and, “Every Last Fear”) in “Parents Weekend” by providing readers with a fun escape and a couple of storyline twists.
Read this book to be entertained, don’t look for deep meaning or a cure for cancer. It’s summer, here’s a great beach read.
Finlay delivers on his past successes (“The Night Shift,” and, “Every Last Fear”) in “Parents Weekend” by providing readers with a fun escape and a couple of storyline twists.
Read this book to be entertained, don’t look for deep meaning or a cure for cancer. It’s summer, here’s a great beach read.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
dark
tense
fast-paced
A gripping, character-rich suspense novel — Parents Weekend keeps you on edge from start to finish.
With a large ensemble cast, including both students and parents, the story weaves together multiple perspectives, creating a layered and dynamic narrative. The audiobook version was especially helpful in keeping track of the many characters, thanks to the excellent narration and distinct voice work — each character truly came to life.
One standout for me was Keller — a compelling and well-drawn character with clear potential for further development. I’d love to see them return in future installments or even a spin-off.
Overall, Parents Weekend is a suspenseful, well-paced read with a strong cast and an engaging plot. Highly recommended, especially in audio format.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillian audio for this ALC. This is my honest review.
With a large ensemble cast, including both students and parents, the story weaves together multiple perspectives, creating a layered and dynamic narrative. The audiobook version was especially helpful in keeping track of the many characters, thanks to the excellent narration and distinct voice work — each character truly came to life.
One standout for me was Keller — a compelling and well-drawn character with clear potential for further development. I’d love to see them return in future installments or even a spin-off.
Overall, Parents Weekend is a suspenseful, well-paced read with a strong cast and an engaging plot. Highly recommended, especially in audio format.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillian audio for this ALC. This is my honest review.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book 31 of 2025 - ☑️! Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and Alex Finlay for an ARC of Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay, in exchange for my honest review.
Amidst reading (almost exclusively) romance each summer, I decided to change things up a little and go with a mystery/thriller in Alex Finlay’s Parents Weekend. The cover was intriguing, and with back-to-school season just around the corner, this felt like the book to go with.
Parents Weekend at Santa Clara University takes a dark turn when 5 students don’t show up to dinner with their families. While some folks chalk it up to college students just being coeds, FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller is on the case. Why didn’t the students show up to dinner, what happened that day and in the days leading up to their disappearing? The book explores the story from each family’s POV, which felt right for the book, and for those who have ready Finlay’s other books, it sounds like Agent Keller is established as a character in a couple of other novels.
I have a dear friend who, along with my parents, are my go-to consultants when it comes to mysteries and thrillers, and I should have checked with any of them first to get their thoughts on the author. This was a quick read, and while the book was fast-paced, and I enjoyed the fact that it took place on a college campus with students, I felt like I didn’t get to know all of the characters like I wanted to. It also felt a bit difficult to remember all of the different players involved.
3/5 ⭐️ overall, and a 🌶️ rating is not relevant here. #NetGalley #ParentsWeekend 🎒🎓🍽️
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dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
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:
No