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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:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A well-paced thriller with many POV at a college setting. Felt like an action/crime thriller for a large portion.
I liked: plot, short chapters, pacing
I disliked: although I liked the multi-POV there were a LOT of characters to keep up with, a bit predictable for readers who digest mostly thrillers
I liked: plot, short chapters, pacing
I disliked: although I liked the multi-POV there were a LOT of characters to keep up with, a bit predictable for readers who digest mostly thrillers
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
• mystery thriller • missing college kids • sins of the parents • multiple POVs •
•I really struggled with this one. There were way too many characters for me to keep track of, and I failed to connect with any of them or their plight. It’s a bummer since I really like this author.
•I love Brittany Pressley; maybe additional narrators would’ve helped, but maybe not.
•My Score 3.86/10•
Free ARC from NetGalley. Solid 3 stars , no 1/2 stars.
I started to skim it because I was getting bored, but then got sucked in enough to actually read the whole thing. It’s not great by any means, but it was entertaining enough.
Five friends in a cohort don’t show up for dinner with their parents on parents weekend. Spoiler : another student was killed the week before and the girl’s parents blame the five.
Spoiler : the five weren’t responsible for Natasha’s death, even though Felix moved her body (wouldn’t he have been able to tell she was alive when he was carrying her) to the dunes. The professor followed her out there because he was obsessed with her (so he followed Felix carrying her to a dune? Seems kind of weird.) and when she rejects him, he puts her in one of the sea caves where she drowns.
Same agent Keller as in Night Shift. This is present day and her twins are nine years old and she was hugely pregnant in the night shift. Was Blockbuster still a thing nine years ago?
I started to skim it because I was getting bored, but then got sucked in enough to actually read the whole thing. It’s not great by any means, but it was entertaining enough.
Five friends in a cohort don’t show up for dinner with their parents on parents weekend. Spoiler : another student was killed the week before and the girl’s parents blame the five.
Spoiler : the five weren’t responsible for Natasha’s death, even though Felix moved her body (wouldn’t he have been able to tell she was alive when he was carrying her) to the dunes. The professor followed her out there because he was obsessed with her (so he followed Felix carrying her to a dune? Seems kind of weird.) and when she rejects him, he puts her in one of the sea caves where she drowns.
Same agent Keller as in Night Shift. This is present day and her twins are nine years old and she was hugely pregnant in the night shift. Was Blockbuster still a thing nine years ago?
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
fast-paced
Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a solid fast-paced thriller. The death of a student enrolled at Santa Clara University is discovered during parents weekend. Things intensify when four more students fail to show up to dinner with their parents. It is compelling, and the pacing is quick, which makes for an easy read.
However, the novel is bogged down by too many points of view. Instead of deepening the story, the shifting perspectives make it harder to connect with any one character. The characters themselves often feel more like plot devices than real people, making the story hard to relate to on a personal level.
While there are a few clever twists, they’re not quite enough to overcome the book’s scattered structure. Fans of Finlay might still enjoy the ride, but Parents Weekend didn’t quite earn top marks for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
However, the novel is bogged down by too many points of view. Instead of deepening the story, the shifting perspectives make it harder to connect with any one character. The characters themselves often feel more like plot devices than real people, making the story hard to relate to on a personal level.
While there are a few clever twists, they’re not quite enough to overcome the book’s scattered structure. Fans of Finlay might still enjoy the ride, but Parents Weekend didn’t quite earn top marks for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my first novel from Alex Finlay and I don’t know why it’s taken so long for me to read one of his books! I’ll defenitlay be adding more of his work to my TBR!
Parents Weekend takes place on Santa Clara Univeristy where a missing student is found dead right before the start of parents weekend and then suddenly 5 students have gone missing! A search is launched with the FBI to see if these two events are connected or if it is just a coincidence!
This book featured a large cast of characters with picture perfect college setting. This book was a quick and easy read/listen and I really enjoyed the perspectives from all of the different families. I felt that some of the side plots didn’t connect to the main plot and could have not been included, but overall this was a very solid read!
Parents Weekend takes place on Santa Clara Univeristy where a missing student is found dead right before the start of parents weekend and then suddenly 5 students have gone missing! A search is launched with the FBI to see if these two events are connected or if it is just a coincidence!
This book featured a large cast of characters with picture perfect college setting. This book was a quick and easy read/listen and I really enjoyed the perspectives from all of the different families. I felt that some of the side plots didn’t connect to the main plot and could have not been included, but overall this was a very solid read!