Parents Weekend: A Rollercoaster of Parental Expectations and Untold Secrets
Happy Publication Day to Parents Weekend! 🎉✨ I’ve been a fan of Alex Finlay ever since The Night Shift swept me off my feet, so naturally, I was thrilled to dive into this latest offering. The premise—a parents’ weekend at a small private school that spirals into chaos when their kids go missing—immediately hooked me. I mean, who doesn’t love a good mystery wrapped in family drama? However, my excitement gradually turned into something more akin to disappointment than elation.
Set against the backdrop of a lush Northern California campus, Parents Weekend follows five families during their kids’ first year of college. As they gather for what they anticipate to be a night of laughter and connection, the atmosphere shifts dramatically when their children, residents of Campisi Hall, mysteriously fail to show up. As the evening unfolds, what starts as simple negligence morphs into a growing sense of panic and urgency, with campus police stepping in and rumors spiraling out of control.
Thematically, the novel probes deeply into expectation, family dysfunction, and the complexities of early college life. I found the exploration of these themes compelling, especially as they reflect the pressures of parental aspirations and societal norms. However, where the book stumbled for me was with its characters. I generally adore multi-point-of-view narratives, but in this instance, many of the characters felt flat and archetypal. We have the wealthy bureaucrat, the prestigious plastic surgeon, the privileged judge—each embodying familiar tropes without diving deeper into their psyches. Honestly, I struggled to root for them. Their experiences felt distant, and I often found myself wondering if such caricatures truly present the breadth of college life.
The brisk pacing kept me turning the pages, and the writing style was engaging, but I felt a disconnect with the characters on a personal level. I could sympathize with their children’s struggles, but the parents? Not so much. As a reader, I yearn for layers and depth, and while some characters—like Agent Sarah Keller, returning from previous novels—added a spark, they were few and far between. Sarah remains a formidable character, serving as a beacon of hope in an otherwise forgettable crowd.
Despite feeling overall disappointed with the character development, there were moments that truly stood out. The tension built as rumors began to circulate among parents and reporters alike, presenting thought-provoking notions about how we perceive success and failure in the context of college. The dynamics of parental expectations could have been an avenue for richer conflict; indeed, it often felt like an untapped resource.
In the end, Parents Weekend is a gripping read, particularly for fans of psychological dramas or anyone intrigued by the duality of family support and dysfunction. While I personally didn’t connect with the characters as I hoped, there’s an audience out there that craves stories laden with tension and bold-faced truths masked beneath societal expectations.
As I closed the final pages, I reflected on the storytelling prowess of Alex Finlay. He certainly has a knack for immersive narratives, and while this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me, I’m eager to see what he crafts next. If you enjoy suspense with a side of family drama and can overlook some character shortcomings, I think you might just appreciate Parents Weekend more than I did.
Thank you to 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.