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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Thank you to the publisher for a Netgalley.
This one was good. I really enjoy Agent Keller as a character, so it was fun for her to reppear.
What I Liked: Agent Keller, McCray, and the pace of the plot. It moved fast and I like my thrillers to be fast.
What was just fine: The ending. Felt like many other thrillers I have read. The how much random political stuff we could throw in.
Overall, I think Finlay is a solid thriller/suspense writer. This was not my favorite of his, but he is an auto-read author for me for sure.
This one was good. I really enjoy Agent Keller as a character, so it was fun for her to reppear.
What I Liked: Agent Keller, McCray, and the pace of the plot. It moved fast and I like my thrillers to be fast.
What was just fine: The ending. Felt like many other thrillers I have read. The how much random political stuff we could throw in.
Overall, I think Finlay is a solid thriller/suspense writer. This was not my favorite of his, but he is an auto-read author for me for sure.
I recommend this book in the audio version, it was quick and (somewhat) low stakes (IMO, since I found it predictable). It was entertaining to listen to and I did enjoy it but I felt like it was a bit lacking. Lots of players in the mix and a LOT of povs. Each set of parents plus the students themselves plus Agent Keller. It was a lot to keep up with at the start.
The mystery itself was pretty predictable, I knew it had something to do with what was mentioned early on and who - just waited along for the why and how.
I know the title itself is about “parents” but I wish we had more focus on the students. I wanted more of their POV from the present and more to what lead them to go missing. The parents povs added a lot of filler, a lot of maybes and what ifs.
I was a little sad with the ending but still liked how it all came out. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this thriller with a throwback to college life. Five students go missing during their Parent Weekend Dinner. No one can get a hold of them, and it turns from oh you how college kids are to every parent’s worst nightmare no matter how old your kids get.
Each family had their own back story that was the threaded throughout the book. I thought Alex did an awesome job weaving in all the characters and each chapter was a different family POV.
The Maldonado Fam: Stella, Married, Dad a doctor
The Goffman Fam: Felix, Single Mom, Divorced, Mom works for school
The Roosevelt Fam: Blaine, Divorced, Mom works for government, parents DO NOT get along
The Akanas: Libby, Dad is a judge, family grieving death of son
The Wong Fam: Mark, parents not present for the weekend, dad served time for multiple CSCs
I almost missed the Agent Keller Easter egg and had to do a double take. Loved seeing her back in action and her little family doing well.
This was a suspenseful and fast paced thriller. Thank you MacMillian Audio for this ALC!n
Each family had their own back story that was the threaded throughout the book. I thought Alex did an awesome job weaving in all the characters and each chapter was a different family POV.
The Maldonado Fam: Stella, Married, Dad a doctor
The Goffman Fam: Felix, Single Mom, Divorced, Mom works for school
The Roosevelt Fam: Blaine, Divorced, Mom works for government, parents DO NOT get along
The Akanas: Libby, Dad is a judge, family grieving death of son
The Wong Fam: Mark, parents not present for the weekend, dad served time for multiple CSCs
I almost missed the Agent Keller Easter egg and had to do a double take. Loved seeing her back in action and her little family doing well.
This was a suspenseful and fast paced thriller. Thank you MacMillian Audio for this ALC!n
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
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:
No
Well I loved this. It was exactly what I needed and I read it in one sitting. I loved the messy parents, the messy kids, and the amazing FBI detective piecing it all together. This had so much drama, was fast paced and had a few heart pounding, dangerous moments. It felt like something that could absolutely truly happen on a college campus and was written so well to bring out all your emotions.
Note: I loved the audiobook and how it perfectly elevated the level of stress and drama.
Thanks to the publisher for a free audiobook; my review and thoughts are my own.
Note: I loved the audiobook and how it perfectly elevated the level of stress and drama.
Thanks to the publisher for a free audiobook; my review and thoughts are my own.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had high hopes for Parents Weekend, and it didn’t disappoint! It was binge-worthy, entertaining and suspenseful.
The story was primarily told through the POV of the college students parents. Nearly all of the families had a ton of drama going on behind the scenes, which kept things interesting.
I was obsessed with FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller! Honestly, I think she’s my favorite character I’ve encountered in a good while. She was like-able, smart, compassionate and humble. You could just tell that she knew how to get things done and do them well.
The only reason this wasn’t a five star read for me was the ending. I’m not really the type of reader who tries to guess how a book ends, and I didn’t do that here either. However, I will say that it wasn’t all that surprising and didn’t pack as much punch as I had expected.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.
Read if you like:
✨ Academic settings
✨ Legal thrillers
✨ Multi-POV’s
✨ Family drama
tense
fast-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
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
At first, I didn't think I was going to love this (though I do really enjoy the author's other books). However, very quickly I was absorbed into the story. A group of college students go missing on parent's weekend. When they are all supposed to meet up with their parents for dinner none show up. The parents are mostly very wealthy prominent people, so they instantly realize that something is terribly wrong.
I won't tell you what happens because a whole lot does, and I could easily slip and spoil something. This book has some good twists and turns and an ending you'll never see coming.
I listened to this on audio and loved it. The narration is fantastic, and it really brings the story to life. If you are a fan of this type of media, I highly recommend giving this a listen but otherwise it's definitely worth the read!
I won't tell you what happens because a whole lot does, and I could easily slip and spoil something. This book has some good twists and turns and an ending you'll never see coming.
I listened to this on audio and loved it. The narration is fantastic, and it really brings the story to life. If you are a fan of this type of media, I highly recommend giving this a listen but otherwise it's definitely worth the read!
Guess I should have read the entire summary before reading the book? Then I wouldn't have wondered throughout the first half why FBI Agent Sarah Keller's previous cases sounded so familiar! I like that she has become a recurring character. This time, the set up is a maze! Is it the kids who are hiding all the secrets that might be causing the trouble? Or is it their parents' secrets coming back to hurt them? Parents' weekend is a great premise to bring a multitude of otherwise unrelated people together to see how things play out and it was used to great effect here! I love when there are several very plausible ways stories can go. Can't wait for the next one from Finlay and hope it includes Special Agent Keller!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.