Parents Weekend

by Alex Finlay

From the bestselling author of If Something Happens to Me, comes one of the year’s most anticipated thrillers.

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up at dinner.

At first, everyone thinks that they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them—come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?

Told through multiple points of view in past and present—and marking the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift—Parents Weekend explores the weight of expectation, family dysfunction, and those exhilarating first days we all remember in the dorms when our friends become our family.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Fiction, Suspense, Adult

312 pages, Hardcover

First published May 6, 2025

About the author

ALEX FINLAY is the bestselling author of several acclaimed novels, including the 2025 instant national bestseller, PARENTS WEEKEND. His work regularly appears on best-of-the-year lists and has been translated into twenty-six languages and sold around the world. Alex’s books have been optioned or in development for film and television, including PARENTS WEEKEND, which was recently acquired for adaptation to the screen. Alex lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Shelley's Book Nook · Rating 1 out of 5]

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No, just no. This was just terrible. It was big on style but short on substance. This is what I would call a popcorn thriller, but not in a good way. I did not enjoy it. It got bogged down with too many characters and not enough information. The ending felt rushed, and a lot of the plot felt unfinished. The book was only 235 pages on my tablet, and it showed. There were no reasons given for how these actions and crimes played out.

Finlay has had a few misses for me recently. I loved The Night Shift and we see the same character, FBI agent Keller, in this one, so I thought I'd give this one a chance. He failed miserably. There were too many plot holes, and I didn't like any of the characters. I did like the short, punchy chapters via different points of view—that's my favourite format—but it meant not getting fully fleshed-out, well-rounded characters.

The writing was very basic and amateurish and there was no plot twist. I usually complain about it when the details are too many but Finlay doesn't give me enough. My mind is boggled at all the four and five-star reviews of this one. I was left feeling very disappointed and Finlay is selling out in my opinion. He’s cranking books out without any thought behind them. I am done with him now, I have given him plenty of chances after enjoying The Night Shift.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars Full review in a bit (maybe? I’m trying to juggle) Not bad, I really liked the premise and thought it was fun, however the number of characters and how often the timelines change it makes it a little hard to easily follow along with.

I listen to my audio's at 2x speed, and I really had to pay close attention, and I still feel like I missed things.

Not sure how I feel about this author’s thrillers yet lol, but this one has an interesting premise. College kids go missing during parents' weekend. Hoping it delivers and the cast of characters in this doesn’t rival Fire and Blood (heard there’s a ton of them) 🤞

Expected Pub Date - 05/06/25

Multiple POV
Past and Present Timelines
Strong Friendships/Bonds
Family Dysfunction
California Setting
Night Shift Character Cameo?
Mystery/Thriller

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the advanced audio copy, all thought are my own. 💐💖

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes You Just Can’t Wait!

My favorite books by Alex Finlay, (Every Last Fear and The Night Shift) featured whip smart FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, so when I saw that she was back for “Parents Weekend”, I just had to read this right away!

The podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them-The Five.-all Freshman students who failed to show up for dinner and drinks with their parents for Santa Clara University’s Parents Weekend.

Blane (Roosevelt), Stella (Maldonado), Felix (Goffman), Libby (Akana) and Mark (Wong).

Normally, Campus Police would not be overly concerned immediately, assuming the students were involved in a hazing or sidetracked by a party-but earlier in the week, after not taking an anonymous call about another missing student seriously, she was found dead, and they can’t afford to risk another tragedy.

After a prologue featuring THE FIVE, the story opens on FRIDAY-the night of the dinner and the chapters alternate between each of the students PARENTS, giving us background on why THEY could be the reason that the students are missing-with additional chapters from the Kellers (Agent Keller, husband Bob and their now 9 year old twins).

I was engaged immediately and as always, I enjoyed Agent Keller’s chapters and her sleuthing skills. But, the chapters featuring the students felt YA and were not quite as compelling.

Because of the LARGE cast of characters, it takes awhile to set things up. And, perhaps for the same reason-I never got to know them well enough to become emotionally invested in the outcome.

The mystery itself wasn’t as strong or as complex as some of Agent Kellers earlier cases, so this was probably my least favorite of HER stories, but it was still entertaining and well worth adding to your TBR. It would work fine as a standalone too, as Sarah Kellers earlier cases were not spoiled in this installment!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded ⬆️

Did it score higher for buddy readers DeAnn and Mary Beth? Be sure to watch for their reviews!

AVAILABLE NOW

Thank You to Minotaur Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up at dinner.

At first, everyone thinks that they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them—come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?

I was glad that FBI Agent Sarah Feller was back in this one.
There were way too many characters but I was able to keep track of all of them. I didn't have a strong connection to the characters so I didn't really care what happened to them. So I really wasn't on the edge of my seat are feel the suspense.

I loved the first half but I thought that the second half was too slow. This one is every parent's nightmare. Five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for parents weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids, five residents of Campisi Hall never show up at dinner. What happened to them?

The story was told through multiple points of view in past and present. I was on the edge of my seat at the end there was lots of action which I loved. I loved the short chapters. This was not a predictable read for me. I was not able to solve the mystery. I did enjoy the the conclusion. There were some twist and turns too.

This was a buddy read with Jayme and DeAnn! Check out their reviews.

I want to thank Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, for the copy of this book an exchange for an honest review.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a book sure to make you rethink ever sending your kids to college, Alex Finlay’s newest features not one, but FIVE missing students!

Speaking of five, this is my fifth book by this author, and although this was my least favorite of them so far, he still knows how to keep me flipping those pages with rapt attention!

Private college Santa Clara University is hosting a Parents Weekend. In attendance are a colorful set of parents that include a federal State Department official with her ever-present security detail, a well-known judge and his wife, a philandering plastic surgeon and his wife, and a single mom working for the university dean. When their kids fail to show up for the opening night dinner on the heels of another student tragedy, the police are notified and a search begins.

Who else is notified? The FBI and one familiar face from Finlay’s past books: Special Agent Sarah Keller, who’s temporarily relocated to San Jose with her wonderful hubby Bob and twins Heather and Michael to help care for Bob’s ill father. It was great to see her again!

So, this was a little bit of a mixed bag for me. Overall, I really did enjoy it, despite some aspects that kept it from rising to the level of his past books I’ve read.

What I liked:

🖤 FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller. Bob calls her Agent Badass for good reason. She is, and I love her for it! (Shout out to Bob, too. He’s a special treasure … for real.)

🖤 Side characters. SCU Campus Police Chief Jay McCray and their student intern Annie Hafeez were great new characters. I’m hoping to see where Annie’s life takes her in future books!

🖤 Short, snappy chapters. My favorite things. I have a short attention span at times and they kept the story and intrigue moving nicely.

🖤 Likeable unlikeable parents. What? I’ll explain. These were deeply flawed characters with an array of dysfunctional qualities that I still felt sympathy for on some level. I don’t respect some of them, but I can at least see them as humans who care about their kids.

What didn’t work as well for me:

⊘ The students. I didn’t feel a whole lot for them, because the story didn’t dive too deeply into any of their lives. Because I only had a shallow understanding of them, I didn’t feel as sympathetic to their situation. As the title suggests, the story really is more about the parents.

⊘ The plot. I enjoyed it - it just wasn’t as enthralling as his past books.

⊘ The ending/baddie reveal. It makes sense, but again I didn’t feel much. Considering the circumstances, I wanted to feel more excitement, but the “jazz” just wasn’t there.

Overall, it’s a well-written book and a solid mystery that’s given me yet another reason to keep requesting Finlay’s books! If I had to sum up my biggest problem in a nutshell: I just wanted a little more emotional investment in the story.

★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, NetGalley and author Alex Finlay for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s out on May 6, 2025.

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Alex Finlay’s fast-paced, action-packed, and unputdownable writing style! Here are my top highlights of this book:

First off, I’m thrilled to see Every Last Fear’s Agent Sarah Keller back! She’s moved from New York to care for her father-in-law, now living with her loving husband Bob and their adorable twins.

The pacing is fantastic, with short, gripping chapters that make it hard not to keep turning pages. The mystery begins with five young adults disappearing during Parents’ Weekend—a case made even more intriguing when one parent is with the State Department, another a Superior Court judge, and the disappearance follows the recent, tragic death of Natasha Belov.

This family has plenty of secrets, from infidelity to betrayal and tragic losses, which hint at deeper connections to the disappearance.

What didn’t work as well for me: the high predictability of the mystery and the perpetrator, and an ending that left me a bit disappointed. While Agent Keller’s high-stakes race against time, sharp instincts, and her revealing of hidden family secrets were engaging, I wanted a twistier, more layered mystery. This one reminded me of a slower episode of a popular crime series—enjoyable yet predictable, with clues that felt easy to piece together from the start.

I also had some difficulty tracking the large cast of characters, needing to flip back a few times to keep the families straight. Here’s a quick recap of the key families:

The Roosevelts (Divorced parents: mother works in the State Department, father is a teacher and former writer, son Blaine was abducted as a child),
The Maldonados (David, a doctor with marital issues, and Nina, his fuming wife, have a daughter Stella with a rebellious streak),
The Goffmans (Alice, a divorced school administrator, is raising her bullied, introverted son Felix alone),
The Akanas (Ken, a Superior Court judge known for convicting a movie star, and Amy, his grieving wife, mourn the loss of their youngest son while raising their model daughter, Libby),
Mark Wong (Best friend of Blaine, with a troubled family background).
Keeping all these characters straight was a bit challenging, and finding out the resolution felt easier than remembering all the names!

Overall, it’s a lighter mystery for my taste, but I have high hopes for more complex and twisty cases featuring Agent Keller in the future. I’m rounding up my rating to 4 stars for the pacing, thrills, and, of course, the unstoppable Agent Keller! I’m excited to read more of Finlay’s work—hopefully with even more juicy twists!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for sharing this page-turner’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s Parents Weekend, so everyone better be on their best behavior!

It’s the weekend both the kids and parents dread! Maybe that’s why a group of five college friends didn’t show up at the first dinner event? Why aren’t they answering their phones? It’s not like them to go silent like this!

This was yet another addictive and entertaining read by Alex Finlay. Featuring our favorite FBI special agent Sarah Keller, once again in the spotlight.

I enjoyed how the chapters each highlighted a family group. It helped immensely since the cast of characters was large and I needed the occasional reminder of which college student belonged to which parent. Short chapters keep the book rolling along at a quick pace, keeping me up late with the “just one more chapter” scenario. Which never fails to turn into a good 5-10 chapters!😅

I’ve enjoyed all the books I’ve read from this author and this one was no different! Another great read to add to the collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture this: You’re a proud parent, all dressed up for Parents Weekend at your kid’s fancy Northern California college. You’ve got cocktails in hand, your kid’s dorm is decorated like a Pinterest board, and you’re feeling smug about how well they’ve adjusted to freshman life. But then… poof! The kids never show up for dinner.

No calls. No texts. Just a big, awkward silence—and some parents still take tequila shots anyway. Priorities?

That’s the unsettling kickoff to Alex Finlay’s Parents Weekend, where five students—Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—vanish during what’s supposed to be a feel-good family reunion weekend. What starts as a weird no-show quickly snowballs into a full-blown media circus, complete with TikTok detectives, rumors flying faster than frat house gossip, and a campus police force in way over their heads.

Told from multiple POVs (with helpful chapter headers, thank you), the story shifts between the present panic and past secrets, unraveling the twisted threads of family dysfunction, academic pressure, and the dark side of dorm life. The author smartly brings back FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller (from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift) to connect the dots and keep the grown-ups from totally unraveling.

Finlay brings the heat with short chapters that punch hard and fast—you’ll fly through “just one more”. While it plays into familiar thriller tropes (missing kids, secret pasts, suburban scandals), it does so with energy, pacing, and just the right dose of emotional depth.

Final grade:
A solid 4 stars for a campus thriller that balances mystery, parental panic, and college chaos with finesse. If you love fast-paced reads and ensemble casts with secrets galore, Parents Weekend is your next binge.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC—I'll never look at a welcome banner the same way again.

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Proud parents gather for a weekend to celebrate their children’s first year on campus at a small private North Carolina college. But when a group of five students fail to show up for the dinner, following the suspicious drowning death of their classmate, all of their parents begin to panic. As a search ensues to find the five— Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella— each of the parents’ past activities will be called into question.

Whelp. This book is not for me, and has left me utterly confused as to my feelings on this author’s books. My favorite part of this story revolved around FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, I have not read either of the previous books that featured her, so most likely I will try one more time with Every Last Fear.

Here is where I struggle with his books— they feature way too many characters. While some thrillers have large casts of characters, Locust Lane, for example, they usually introduce them, and then slowly build up each character throughout the length of the book. In Finlay’s books, we are introduced to numerous characters, with little space in between, and then they sort of…fall flat. They all feel very two-dimensional. When this happens, I find myself unable to connect to any of them on any kind of emotional level, and therefore struggle to connect with the story. This was particularly so with the college students who felt very surface-level in their development. The only character who had true depth was Sarah.

I also find Finlay’s books to start strong and then just go completely over the top, plot-wise. I felt similarly with What Have You Done. Characters who feel at a distance and a plot line that feels unreasonable lead to a not-great reading experience. Unfortunately, the audiobook, narrated by the fabulous Brittany Pressley, only served to enhance the elements I already struggled with, and even when I eventually paired it with the physical book, I still felt a) confused and 2) completely disengaged.

Read if you like:
▪️dark academia
▪️domestic suspense
▪️family melodrama
▪️teens behaving badly
▪️ensemble casts
▪️plot-heavy stories

📆 Pubs: May 6, 2025


Check out my Bookstagram post here ♥

Thank you Minotaur and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies.

[JanB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sooo many characters and a dual timeline left me confused, and not really caring.

I loved his book, The Night Shift, but I’m afraid that was a one off.

* I received a digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Teres · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Alex Finlay novel and I'd read another, for sure. Engaging, quick read. 🍿

[Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bravo, Mr. Finlay, on making me ignore all of my chores with your newest fast-paced, addictive thriller, Parents Weekend. I mean, how could I not get obsessed with a group of missing teens and their equally suspicious parents who all sported oodles of secrets? Dripped with precision into the storyline as if from an IV, those secrets and lies were perfectly tempered—neither too minor nor too over-the-top. Paired with the well-crafted multiple POVs and short, cliffhanger chapters, I found that I couldn’t put the book down. After all, this plot managed to keep me on tenterhooks throughout as a series of shocking revelations arrived on the scene and shifted the storyline into its eventual guess-proof direction.

For me, though, the best piece of the puzzle was the array of morally gray characters. Flaunting a whole host of flaws that humanized them in my eyes, I was easily swayed by each of their plights despite some seriously bad decisions. Were they each well-developed and fully fleshed out? Well, apart from the returning persona of Agent Sarah Keller…no, not really. Despite that, however, they moved this popcorn thriller along quite the propulsive trajectory. On top of all that, I loved some of the supporting characters immensely. From the sweet, bubbly intern to the endearing chief of police, Finlay created a handful of individuals who made me smile with glee while I gave the rest of the cast side-eye glances of suspicion.

All said and done, Alex Finlay has clearly done it again. Already one of my favorite authors, the escalating sense of foreboding alongside the unguessable twists delivered an utter slam dunk in my humble opinion. After all, he always manages to shock me but good. From killing off characters I never would’ve expected to offering up plenty of believable red herrings, I didn’t have a chance of figuring this one out before the final timely reveal. Best thing of all? That conclusion felt 100% real. Plausible but also deliciously unhinged, the explosive climax delivered in spades. So if you love binge-worthy reads about missing persons’ cases that take place in a college setting, this book is for you. Just please oh please go into it blind. Rating of 4.5 stars.

SYNOPSIS NOTE: As I’ve suggested, I think this book is one your should go into blind. If you need a few hints, though, all you need to know is that this dynamite premise is about five students who go missing on Parents Weekend during their freshman year. As their families start to panic, the cops (and FBI Agent Sarah Keller who was also in The Night Shift and Every Last Fear) are called in at which point layers of secrets are found surrounding both the adults and the teens. From there it all goes delightfully off the rails just as you’d expect from an Alex Finlay novel.

Thank you to Alex Finlay, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for my complimentary physical and digital copies. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: May 6, 2025

Content warning: terminal cancer, suicide, kidnapping, gun violence, mention of: infidelity, pedophilia, stalking

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Alex Finlay's latest Thriller novel, Parents Weekend, revolves around a group of families who each have a child attending a small Liberal Arts college in Northern California.

For Parents Weekend, it's decided that the students in this particular Capstone group will all get together for a nice dinner, along with their parents, as a way to kick off the special weekend.



On the designated night though, while all the parents show up to the agreed upon location, the kids never do. At first, all assume, it's just kids being kids, but as the hours pass, and another night falls with no word from any of the students, panic ensues. What could have happened?

Due to the high profile nature of a couple of the families, the campus police are forced to call in reinforcements. Before long the disappearances are national news.



FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, who you may remember from her appearances in Every Last Fear and The Night Shift, is one of the reinforcements brought in to investigate the case. Can she find the five missing students before it's too late?

Parents Weekend is a quick and punchy, action-packed Thriller. I was fully entertained and curious about what had happened with the missing students, and why.

Even though I felt the conclusion was a little simplistic, particularly in regards to the who and why, I still feel like it was well worth reading. I will admit though, I rounded up mainly for Sarah Keller. I love her and want Finlay to keep bringing her back.



I did really enjoy the drama of these families. As expected, there were a lot of messy dynamics and I'm always down for feeding on other people's drama.

I would recommend this for Thriller Readers who are fine with more action than character work. While we do find out a lot about these characters, the action of the plot is what really drives this story.

I always look forward to Alex Finlay's new releases. He never fails to pull me in and I tend to fly through his novels, unable to put them down once I start.



Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. This is a great pick for your Summer Reading List!

[Tara — on semi-hiatus for health reasons; will check in when possible. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Available Now✨ 📚

Synopsis—Set against the backdrop of a small private school in Northern California, the story unfolds during five families' exciting first year of college. As Parents Weekend kicks off, they gather for a night filled with dinner and cocktails, eagerly anticipating an enjoyable evening together. However, as the night wears on, the excitement turns to concern when their children—Campisi Hall residents—fail to attend the celebration.

Initially, the parents assume that the students are simply indulging in typical college behaviour, either forgetting about the gathering or attending a party instead. Yet, as hours pass without as much as a text, anxiety sets in, and panic begins to ripple through the group. The campus police quickly get involved, calling reinforcements, while search parties are organized soon. Rumours swirl as reporters descend upon the tiny enclave, and troubling questions arise.

The five young adults—Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—are known as The Five by podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths. They come from very different backgrounds, each family harbouring its complexities. The gripping narrative unravels the mysteries of that fateful night, probing whether the peril they face is rooted in the sins of their parents or if a threat lurks within their friend group itself.

Through a rich tapestry of multiple perspectives that shift between past and present, *Parents Weekend* not only marks the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from “Every Last Fear” and “The Night Shift,” but also delves into themes of expectation, family dysfunction, and the exhilarating yet tumultuous early days in college when friendships begin to feel more like family.

I've been a fan of Alex Finlay ever since I read “The Night Shift.” After reading and loving his last 2023 release, If “Something Happens To Me,” my anticipation for “Parents' Weekend” was high. Sadly, this one felt more like a missed opportunity than a home run. While I was captivated by the intriguing premise, the overall experience left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. The story had a brisk pace that kept me turning the pages, but the execution didn't hit the mark for me and didn’t resonate.
One of the most significant drawbacks was the many characters presented, which ultimately hampered my enjoyment. I typically relish multi-POV narratives, but the characters felt flat and one-dimensional here. While they weren't outright unlikable, they struck me as wholly unsympathetic. As a reader, I struggle to connect with young adults being excused for their behaviour simply because they're
'just kids.' We're talking about college students- legal adults!

I found myself losing interest quickly as I encountered a parade of archetypes: the wealthy bureaucrat, the affluent plastic surgeon, the privileged judge, and the beleaguered wife. None of them resonated with me. By the end, I struggled to care about their fates or the risks they faced. Their personalities felt more like caricatures than real people.

On a brighter note, it was a pleasure to see Agent Sarah Keller make a return. She remains a compelling character amidst an otherwise forgettable cast. Despite my disappointment with the story, her presence added a spark that kept me flipping the pages.

Expected release date May 06,

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley, for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Casey Reads 🌸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner! 5 students go missing and 1 is found dead. How is it all connected? A FBI agent races to figure that out and save the missing students.

Each chapter is action packed. The book takes place during parents weekend, so we learn all about the parents lives too and they are MESSY. A lot is going on and it makes you wonder what is the real reason they are missing and how it all ties together.

At first I thought I might not enjoy this, because there are a lot of characters involved and I thought it would be hard to connect to it or follow. But it all tied together well & at the beginning of each chapter it named who the chapter was about.

The ending was really good. This is a fast paced read.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Dee (in the Desert) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up for Agent Sarah Keller💕 While not my favorite by the author (that would be “Night Shift”), I thought this was a decent enough read. Maybe not quite a thriller & a bit too much on the procedural side and also maybe too many characters/POV's, but it did keep me reading & was fairly quick. I also really enjoyed all the call-backs to Finlay’s earlier books (IYKYK) & the epilogues.

[Nikki Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

❗️❗️❗️BANGER ALERT ❗️❗️❗️

Holy Batman was this one a BANGER!!! Alex Finlay knocked it outta the park! He brought this all the way home! Bravo Mr. Finlay 🙌

Our story starts with it being Parents Weekend for first year students at Santa Clara University in California. It’s the big weekend and it’s supposed to start with a nice dinner. The only kicker…. the students never show.

Five students are missing. Why would they not show? Are their parents involved somehow?

Alex Finlay is a master at cliffhanger chapters! Every single chapter leaves you ripping through the pages well into the night. Unputdownable, suspenseful and a thoroughly entertaining read with a satisfying finish! A twisty must read thriller!

Massive thanks to Minotaur Books, Alex Finlay and NetGalley for the opportunity!!!
Pub date - 5/6/25

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book, as I always do when I read Alex Finlay's work. Several college students become friends while encountering drama with another student who is posting online blogs about them. Not so friendly ones, either. Many of the kids come from families with wealth or fame. I liked nearly none of them, to be honest, but that was mostly the point. A few had redeeming qualities but even the good ones did something not so good when push came to shove. The ending was sad, perhaps a little disappointing in that lessons may be learned but some actions can never be taken back. Great plotting and pacing. A few spoilers but mostly predictable, in a good way. Totally hit the spot for a suspense read last weekend.

[Will Byrnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

They run. Run with a primal fear knowing that if they slow down, all five of them will die.
It’s hard to think in this fog of terror.

--------------------------------------

Blane puts his hands out, palms down: “Stick to the story like we agreed.”
His gut clenches, but he makes sure to smile reassuringly. He warned Stella—warned them all—that Natasha Belov was bad news. Bad, bad news.

Five students are running for their lives. Will they survive? Why are they running? From whom? We go back three days.


Alex Finlay - image from his site - shot by Julie Litvin

It is parents’ weekend at Santa Clara University, a private institution on the California coast. (There is an actual SCU. The author’s son goes there.) Events are planned. Parents of freshman are invited to join their children for a Friday dinner. We are introduced to the families of the five in their capstone group (Each freshman dorm breaks the residents into small groups of five to six students. They have to complete a project together by the end of the year, but spend most of the time partying.) and will subsequently rotate among them for POVs. This is standard operating procedure for Finlay, albeit with a larger cast than usual. Well, sort of. More on that in a bit. It is a mixed group.

The Roosevelts include an undersecretary of state, Cynthia, her staff and security. This is necessary as her now-college-age son, Blane, has been kidnapped before. You can’t be too careful. The Maldonados are David and Nina. He is a plastic surgeon, but it will take more than a nip and tuck to repair their marriage. Stella is their co-ed. The Goffmans consist of Alice, who is a secretary to Dean Pratt, and her son, Felix. His education is the primary benefit of a job she does not exactly love. The Akanas are Ken, a relatively famous Chief Judge of Superior Court in LA, and wife Amy. The loss of a child to cancer has made their daughter, Libby, all the more precious. The Kellers are special agent Sarah, husband Bob and their twins. Their son is Michael. Readers of Alex Finlay may remember Sarah Keller from The Night Shift and Every Last Fear

Keller was a surprise reader favorite in Every Last Fear. I wasn’t planning to bring her back, but as I wrote THE NIGHT SHIFT she just appeared. I love writing her and her husband Bob. Both are so decent and supportive of one another, and they provide some needed moments of calm in the storm. - from The Big Thrill interview about the Night Shift, and here she is again.

Although the five families split time, most is devoted to Sarah Keller, as she takes an active role in the investigation, working closely with the head of security at the university. This is our procedural pathway. Going by the numbers, the Kellers (Sarah, really) takes up half of the chapters in the book, thirty-five of seventy. The four other families get five to seven each, and there are eight chapters assigned to individuals or the missing. This is actually a good thing as the Keller family offers a welcome relief from the dysfunction of some of the others. Tolstoy pops to mind: "Happy families are all alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." A loving, supportive marriage in service of truth-telling. What’s not to like? This is not to say that there is much deep character study at work here. This is a thriller, after all. But there is always peril in juggling POVs that two or more may begin to sound the same. Finlay has managed that challenge well, as each is presented with a distinctive voice and personality.

There's people who write wonderful literary fiction, and they can get into the in-depths of the character like I never could… “I don't have a lot of internal inner monologue. I try and make you know who these characters are by what they do and what they say. - from the Read with Jul interview

They all have their secrets, well, mostly. We get to see them revealed one by one, and must consider if they have any relevance to the dual mysteries at play. It just so happens that another student at SCU, missing for several days, had been found dead, three days before. The five had been messaging each other about sticking to their story, so a core mystery; what had happened to the girl, how, and what was the involvement of the five? The presenting mystery is the disappearance of the five on the night of the Parents Weekend dinner. What is the link between the two?

There are plenty of clues scattered about, not all of them red herrings. We learn of the parents’ and students’ pathologies and strengths over the course of the investigation. There are bad people at work, and we wonder how much damage they will do before they can be identified and stopped.

Finlay sustains a breathless pace, providing the end-of-chapter hooks that keep us turning the pages. Secondary characters fill in needed blanks, sometimes offering more substantive support to notions or particular primary characters.

The tension, informed by factual discoveries and personal revelations, builds to a dramatic climax. You will get to find out if your guesses were correct. Finlay has made a habit of writing fast-paced thrillers that serve the purpose of pure entertainment. You do not need to be a student or a parent to enjoy this Parents Weekend. It would make an excellent beach, (unless you are going to a place with sea caves) or airplane read (commercial, not private jet), or even something to help you get through the down times at an actual college parents weekend. But pay attention. This will count towards your final grade.

Review posted - 06/13/25

Publication date – 05/06/25

I received an ARE of Parents Weekend from Minotaur Books in return for a fair review and a Gentleman’s “C” on that disappointing final exam. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.



This review is cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!

=============================EXTRA STUFF

Links to Finlay’s personal, FB, and Instagram pages

Profile - From the author’s real-name website

Anthony Franze is a critically acclaimed novelist with St. Martin’s Press, and a lawyer in the Appellate & Supreme Court practice of a prominent Washington, D.C. law firm.
For more than a decade, Anthony was an adjunct professor of law teaching courses in Federal Courts, Legal Rhetoric, and Appellate Practice, and he currently participates in a European faculty exchange program where he teaches at law schools abroad.
He writes legal thrillers under his own name, including THE LAST JUSTICE (2012), THE ADVOCATE’S DAUGHTER (2016), and THE OUTSIDER (2017) He writes commercial fiction under a pen name, [Alex Finley] and his 2021 novel was an Indie Next pick, a LibraryReads selection, an Amazon Editor’s Best Thriller, as well as a CNN, Newsweek, E!, BuzzFeed, Business Week, Goodreads, Parade, PopSugar, and Reader’s Digest best or most anticipated thriller of the year. His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages and optioned for television and film.

My reviews of two of Finlay’s prior books
-----2024 - What Have We Done
-----2023 - If Something Happens to Me

Interviews
-----Authors on the Air - Alex Finlay Parents Weekend Authors on the Air with James L’Etoile – video – 17:30
-----Mystery and Thriller Mavens - Special Pre-launch Q&A with Sara DiVello - 28:47
-----Read with Jul - chapter 86. an interview with bestselling thriller author alex finlay
-----The Big Thrill - Up Close: Alex Finlay The Ties That Bind
-----Outliers Writing University - Get To Know Author Alex Finlay with DP Lyle and Kathleen Antrim – video - 19:24 – good bits on writing process and shifting from legal novels to thrillers, and from Anthony FranZe to Alex Finlay

Songs/Music
----- AC/DC - Back in Black - in Chapter 12

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five families gather for dinner and cocktails during parent's weekend at their children's private college. They are making small talk while noticing that not even one of their children has shown up as planned to join them. The parent's get it; they were once students. Things come up, things get in the way, but for all five of them to be no shows????? hmm It will take a few hours but eventually the parents will begin to worry, then panic, and finally call the police. Agent Keller is called in to investigate....


First off, there are a lot of characters in this book! A lot. The characters range from the parents to the missing students, to the other characters who are interviewed or doing the interviewing. There are also multiple POV's Whew! I soon found my footing and was pulled into the mystery.

While I did find this book to be well written, well thought out, fast paced and entertaining, it missed the mark a bit for me. I have loved the previous books that I have read by this author. I had high hopes for this book and while Parents Weekend was enjoyable it was lacking a little bit of OOMPH that would have earned a higher rating. For me this book was good not great.


I had both the book and the audiobook. The narrator of the audiobook did a great job brining the characters to life. Others are enjoying this book more than I did, so please read their reviews as well.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading Alex Finlay books and was so excited to be approved for an early copy of Parents Weekend. It was a super fast, twisty, and suspenseful read that I powered through in 2 days. Lots of characters to remember and relationships to keep track of, but they were all pretty unique, so that was not a drama.

I loved the appearance of FBI agent Sarah Keller, who has temporarily moved to California with her husband and the twins she was carrying in The Night Shift. She is called in when 5 students from Santa Clara University all disappear on the same night, the night of the parents' weekend dinner.

Now, all these parents were hiding secrets, and some were in quite big profile jobs. The kids were equally keeping secrets. This gave plenty of suspects and reasons for the kids to go missing. It was a wild ride as always with this author and so fun to read.

Thanks so much to St Martin’s Press on NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on May 6th.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a full spoiler version of this review, please check out my book review blog here: https://spoiledbooks.blogspot.com/

⭐ 3.5/5 stars rounded down — Fast-paced, emotional, and just a little too familiar.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay starts with an irresistible premise — five college freshmen go missing during Parents Weekend — and unravels into a twisty web of secrets, lies, and family dysfunction. It’s got all the ingredients of a great thriller: short chapters, multiple POVs, and a ticking-clock investigation that keeps you hooked until the very end. 🔍

I’ll give it this — the pacing is fantastic, and the writing flows so smoothly that you can easily inhale this book in a single sitting. But (and there’s always a but), the twist felt a little too familiar. I swear, I’ve read a few thrillers lately that end the same exact way, and it’s starting to feel like déjà vu. 😅 Still, the ride was fun, and I genuinely cared about what happened to the students.

Also… can we talk about how the one hardworking single mom in this story gets the absolute worst fate? Like, why does she have to lose everything while everyone else gets redemption arcs? Justice for Alice, please. 💔

Verdict: Gripping, emotional, and bingeable — but the ending plays it a bit too safe. A solid campus thriller that’ll keep you turning the pages even when you can guess where it’s headed.

[Susan's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! Alex Finlay delivers yet another sure-fire blockbuster with Parent's Weekend.



Five college students have gone missing during the SCU Parent's Weekend. At first everyone suspects that the co-eds have concocted an elaborate hoax, but as the days pass and ominous clues and video footage come to light, you can't help but conclude that these five students have indeed met with foul play.



To say more would lead to possible spoilers, but I have to say that this gripping story had as many harrowing twists and turns as any monster roller coaster ride I've ever been on in my misbegotten youth! I rarely wanted to put this book down.



Alex Finlay never disappoints: his thrillers are well researched and his characters are fully fleshed out. Motives abound, the clock is ticking, and our favourite go-to FBI agent, Sarah Keller, is back on the case. I love watching her brain whirl while she deciphers clues that have by-passed all the other investigators. Frustratingly, the local police keep trying to push Sarah Keller to the sidelines, obstructing her every step of the way.



Will Keller manage to find the trail to the missing students.... before it it too late? Tick Tock, Tick Tock!



That ending was a jaw-dropper. Not because we couldn't guess the culprits behind the kids' disappearance, but because we ultimately got it ALL WRONG!!!



I'm rating this engrossing, fast-paced and very well-written thriller a solid 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Well done!
(Expected publication date is May 6, 2025.)

[emilybookedup · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4 for GR! prob my second fave of his (have read them all). if you are looking for a QUICK, popcorn thriller book with 2-3 page chapters, this is the one.

i wanted a quick binge and this delivered. his books are truly the definition of popcorn thrillers—they pull you in right away, are SO quick to fly through thanks to the short chapters and have tons of action. they’re not super unique or “WOW” as i don’t always remember his books 2-3+ months after finishing them, but i sure have a blast while reading!

it’s also a campus thriller trope! one of my faves. also follows a missing person case (or 5 missing people…).

my gripe with this one was there were SOOOO many characters. seriously, there are 20+ 🥲🤣 take notes. it follows a story of 5 missing kids but you also have the drama of all their parents/families (and boy is there TONS of family drama…🫣). it was a bit hard for me to truly feel connected/care about the missing kids (that sounds awful but bare with me) as we didn’t really get to know them before they were missing. the plot focused their parents and family drama much more closely which wasn’t a bad thing, just happened to be the focus.

there’s also character crossover in this one featuring the detective from some of his other books! it was giving the Will Trent series lol 🫶🏼

there wasn’t really a big twist in this either…the author kind of ruled everything out one by one so by the time you got to the twist you were like “oh yeah okay makes sense.” one part of the ending felt VERY quick to me (something with one of the 5…) and the final chapters left me wanting a bittttt more.

i always like my thrillers to have a jaw dropping / savage ending so this was a bit wrapped up for my taste.

all in all—a perfect binge, a quick read, interesting and action packed, lots of characters, overall a fun time!

thanks to Minotaur for the gifted early copy. this is out in May!

[Marialyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never spent a college weekend like this one.

Expect fun and games when dealing with college students. Only in this story, the fun is not fun and the games might just be a tragedy or many tragedies.

Five friends, five students and their parents are suppose to have a weekend together. All of them have issues including the parents when the weekend turns to [possible tragedies. It’s no surprise The police, campus as well as regular police, plus Special Agent Sarah Keller are on the trail searching looking into anything suspicious and learning the background of each and every person along with their savory details. For the kids are missing and after last weeks' tragedy where a student was found dead, (a possible drowning), there is much concern and worry.

Perhaps, though, the kids are just pranking their parents being college kids and engaging in shenanigans. But worry persists and a search continues expecting the worst because of a treacherous cave the kids like to visit.

It was a interesting concept but a flawed story and not up to the usual I thought, for an Alex Finlay story. There is a goodly amount of characters and that usually is an issue for me. However, I never really got into the groove of this story. The ending was like several packages tied up with string.

[Donne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a fan of domestic dramas. More times than not, I end up feeling sorry for all the messed up kids who got stuck with crappy parents. So why would I voluntarily choose to read a story about a bunch of missing college kids and their crappy parents who descend on their kids for parents’ weekend? Two words: Alex Finlay. This is only the third book of his that I have read, but it most certainly won’t be the last. I like Finlay’s work; he’s a good author and a really good storyteller.

The book summary basically just introduces the primary storyline of the missing students and their parents. However, there is so much more going on here. There are the Roosevelts, mother Cynthia, an Asst Sec of State with her own Secret Service detail, and father Hank, a failed writer and unemployed adjunct professor, and rebel son, Blane. Then there are the Akanas, father Judge Ken, and mother Amy, a former attorney turned caregiver and stay-at-home mom since their son was diagnosed with cancer and later died, and their forgotten and neglected daughter, Libby. There are the Maldonados, father David, a good-looking, successful plastic surgeon and perpetual philanderer, and mother Nina, a stay-at-home mom, who puts up with her husband’s cheating, and their rebel daughter, Stella. Then there is the Goffmans, single mother, Alice, the Dean’s assistant, and her son, Felix, who is a scholarship student. Lastly there is Mark Wong, whose father is a sexual offender, who was recently released from a 10yr sentence of sexual assault.

Every one of these parents and their kids are harboring secrets about their pasts and current activities. Way too much to unpack in a book review. Once again, I have so many moments where I feel so sorry for the messed-up kids whose crappy parents have totally screwed them up. However, in typical Finlay fashion, there are just way too many other intriguing things going on with the missing kids and scary scenes playing out among all of the parents and their own ridiculous drama. It isn’t until deep into the second half that I start to suspect who the kidnapper is, but I’m also prepared for Finlay to blow me away with a shocking ending. While I wasn’t way off base about the kidnapper, I was so absolutely wrong about the killer, but I am not disappointed with the shocking end.

The character development of the parents and their kids was pretty good and even the continuing character development of the returning FBI agent, Sarah Keller, and her hubby and their twins was nice to see since we didn’t get much the last time back in Every Last Fear. The pacing was fast, and flipping back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook made for a pretty quick reading experience. The storyline was interesting and the writing typical Finlay, in other words, well written and shocking. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.3 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review. I want to thank NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for sending me these eARC’s in exchange for my honest review.

NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio #ParentsWeekend

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agent Sarah Keller is back!

This new case involves five university students—Stella, Libby, Blane, Felix, and Mark—who all go missing during the Parents’ Weekend dinner at Santa Clara University. Campus police and the FBI are called in, as one of the missing students is the child of a Federal State Department official, and another is the child of a famous judge.

Sarah, temporarily working in California, is assigned to assist with the case. She senses something serious is afoot, not just kids fooling around. She must determine if the incident is payback for something one of the parents has done or if one of the students triggered it.

I always enjoy Alex Finlay’s books. This one features short chapters from multiple POVs. The audio, narrated by Brittany Pressley, helps me keep everyone straight. I wasn’t thrilled with the denouement, but overall, it was an entertaining novel.

It’s worth mentioning the addition of an interesting character, Annie Hafeez. I wonder if she and Sarah will team up again.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A group of students go missing on, you guessed it, Parents’ Weekend and the clock is ticking for finding them. Agent Keller of the FBI is called in to lead the search while skeletons fall out of the various closets of all the slutpeople (™90 Day Fiance) parents.

This was a fast read and dialogue driven which made it even faster, but it was very “meh” when it came to both the mystery and the whodunnit. Next.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published May 6, 2024.

2 stars

Five families have kids at a small, private college in Northern California and the parents have gathered to have dinner with their children for the first parents weekend. Hence the title. No THE SOUND AND THE FURY beating around the bush for this author.

The parents are all at the restaurant but the kids never show. Because they are college freshman and therefore out getting wasted somewhere. End of book.

No, sadly, it can’t be that easy. That’s what the parents THINK the kids might be doing but as more time goes by and none of them make contact worry sets I , especially because one parent has a high government position which I forget and one is really rich and one was the judge in the OJ trial, or something like it. I don’t know. This book wasn’t great and I might have only been half paying attention. There might have been a clown in it at some point? Or a Smurf? Something odd. Anyway where are they?

We eventually find out and it’s dull. Sarah Keller, FBI agent is in it, and I think I’ve read a book with her in it before. I also think Finlay wrote a pretty decent book about a murder at a….Blockbuster? A deli? Good Lord, I should quit while I’m ahead. Don’t waste your time with this one. Go find the one about the video store. Or whatever.

[⭒emmi⋆m ⭒ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5| I really enjoyed this read. Solid, entertaining suspense. Starts slow building backstories, but quickly picks up. What works for this book is the balance between character perspectives adding depth to the story. For me, once again Agent Keller steals the show with her sharp approach. This was a twisty and layered page turner.

🌊Missing Students
🌊Layered Perspectives
🌊Family Secrets

Thank you #minotaurbooks, #macmillanaudio, and #netgalley for the early read copy.