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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
This was such an interesting story as all of the parts came together to reveal what was really going on.
Five families show up for parent’s weekend at their children’s college. Five students fail to show up for dinner. And in the wake of finding the body of another missing student, the level of concern quickly rises.
Some criticism I read for this book was that it was difficult to follow so many characters. There are chapters about each of the 5 sets of parents, as well as POV from the missing children, and that of an investigator. Maybe it’s my ADHD brain, but I loved it and never felt lost about who was who. Each child and their family were very distinct and easy to follow, even while living through the same traumatic event.
The ending was rather predictable, by the time you got to it, it was satisfying to see if all come together and resolve. Definitely an enjoyable summer read!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Five families show up for parent’s weekend at their children’s college. Five students fail to show up for dinner. And in the wake of finding the body of another missing student, the level of concern quickly rises.
Some criticism I read for this book was that it was difficult to follow so many characters. There are chapters about each of the 5 sets of parents, as well as POV from the missing children, and that of an investigator. Maybe it’s my ADHD brain, but I loved it and never felt lost about who was who. Each child and their family were very distinct and easy to follow, even while living through the same traumatic event.
The ending was rather predictable, by the time you got to it, it was satisfying to see if all come together and resolve. Definitely an enjoyable summer read!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
I'm a big Alex Finlay fan, I LOVED If Something Happens to Me, but this was not my fave of his. Kind of repetitive and easily guessed.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
This was enjoyable but a bit too predictable. Even so I very much enjoyed the strong female FBI agent, who also was a mom.
Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay is a quickly paced, binge-worthy “popcorn” thriller. Thanks to the short chapters, full cast of characters (all with something to hide) and the impressive FBI agent Sarah Keller on the case, I flew through this novel. The plot features 5 college students at Santa Clara University in Northern California who are discovered missing over Parents Weekend. All of the parents and missing students have skeletons in their closets. There are many suspects and several red herrings before the fairly predictable reveal and climax. I enjoyed the character of Sarah and her sunshine, golden retriever husband, Bob, and would be happy to read another novel she is featured in. Thriller fans looking for a purely entertaining, not overly serious reading experience for a plane trip or day at the pool should consider this novel. 3.5/5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. Estimated release date 5/6/25
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. Estimated release date 5/6/25
In a good way! I had fun with this one. I did have to make a list of all the characters though lol. There are lots of changing POVs, which probably helped keep me engaged but was a little confusing at first. But all in all, It was entertaining throughout but nothing life changing. It was enjoyable but not shocking. I’d recommend but not necessarily at the top of any lists.
Thank you MacMillan audio for this ALC!
Thank you MacMillan audio for this ALC!
tense
medium-paced
Book 43 of 2025
Parents Weekend
By Alex Finlay
I cannot ignore the fact that this book had a few typos. “An” instead of “a” at least one time, missing words in a sentence.
That irks me as this was not an ARC. I got it as a library hold. I imagine there were ARC readers… right?
Anyways…
It was all right. It was fast-paced.
But…
It was good, not great.
Part of it was VERY predictable and the twist was not all that surprising. I’m not mad I read it because, like I said, it was quick, and I did enjoy the experience.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really don’t have much to say about this one, pretty predictable.