A review by wendystaton
If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Just cutting to the chase: I really enjoyed this new thriller from Alex Finlay! 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
 
From Kansas to Pennsylvania to Tuscany to England to Paris to Washington DC, get ready to run for your life! 
 
High school seniors Ali and Ryan are parked in the woods near the lake five years ago. But then Ali screams, Ryan is hit in the head, and Ali disappears. Five years later, Ali and her car are still missing, Ryan is in law school in Georgetown, and rumors still circulate that he killed her. Then her car is found, with two dead men and a note in Ali’s handwriting: “If something happens to me…” 
 
You’ve got a crime boss, a rookie Sheriff’s deputy, a missing girl, two unidentified dead bodies, and twisted threads connecting them all. 
 
Ryan risks everything to discover the truth about that night. He takes us with him, and we see the rolling hills, glittering streets, and yes, the violent acts. (We’ve got crime bosses, remember? It gets ugly.) 
 
This is a crime thriller, yes. But it also had me thinking a lot about the responsibility we bear for choices we make when we’re young. There are always consequences, some short-lived, some that last a lifetime and can never be made right — no matter how much guilt we hold onto. 
 
Plenty of triggers in this one, friends: bullying, missing teenagers, violence, murder, suicide. But there’s also hope, so if you don’t mind the crime, it’s a great story! 
 
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