kim_momreadsbooksinbtwn 's review for:

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

5.0

adventurous 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: Complicated

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This is the second book I’ve read by Alex Finlay, the first being The Night Shift, which I enjoyed. I could relate to this book because I’m sending my firstborn to college this fall. Another coincidence is that I live in California. I didn’t know Santa Clara University was a real college until I listened to the epilogue. Mr. Finlay came up with the idea for the book while on a parents’ weekend for his son at Santa Clara University. The epilogue was hilarious when he clarified that the events were fictional and not an accurate representation of the university. At first, I was hesitant because each chapter was from a different character’s POV, but the stories flowed seamlessly, and I easily kept track of the characters. I appreciated the return of Sarah Keller, who was also in The Night Shift. This book was relevant to today because social media is almost another character in the book, and it’s so engrained in college kids’ daily lives. It was heartwarming that Sarah’s husband Bob was the stay-at-home parent with their twins while she pursued her career at the FBI. The book was suspenseful and fast-paced, with no dull moments. I was propelled to continue reading to find out what happened. I didn’t guess the ending and was pleasantly surprised when it all came together. It was a quick and easy read, perfect for a vacation or beach read. I might have to dive into Alex Finlay’s backlist.