Sarah Pekkanen delivers another tightly written psychological thriller that keeps the tension simmering throughout. The writing is crisp, the pacing steady, and the emotional undercurrents surprisingly impactful. While not quite a five-star standout, it’s an absorbing, well-executed read that’s hard to put down. Pekkanen proves once again that she knows how to hook a reader and keep them guessing until the very end.

Gone Tonight is a razor sharp thriller that paints a haunting portrait of just how far a mother will go to protect her child. The tension in this book is palpable and I felt myself holding my breath in suspense. This book held me in haunting trance, and the alternating POVs fueled me to fly through the chapters. This is definitely one of those “don’t talk to me I am reading” books.

Catherine’s mother, Ruth, has been doing some funny things: placing eggs in the cabinet instead of the refrigerator, calling ice cubes “water squares,” and forgetting to turn off the gas stove. Is Ruth showing signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s, or is she simply just distracted by something bigger (and maybe more sinister)? I wasn’t sure about this book until about 100 pages in. I should have known that things aren’t always what they seem; I was 😮😱 at this book several times. Minus a star for a lack of believability, but overall it was a great thriller about the lengths one may go to in order to keep his or her loved ones safe.

Just finished Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen and wow—what a ride. It’s one of those thrillers that pulls you in fast and keeps you flipping pages. The story follows a mother and daughter, and let’s just say… both of them are hiding way more than they let on.

The relationship between the characters adds a nice emotional layer to all the suspense. If you’re into psychological thrillers with secrets, lies, and a little bit of family drama—definitely worth the read.

Oops, I must have forgotten to review this when I downloaded it. I was not compelled by the concern over a daughter inheriting unpleasant traits from her father, given that the daughter reached adulthood and her adult self has not a single concerning interaction. It just felt a little forced! I wanted to like the mother/daughter relationship more than I did.

I just finished "Gone Tonight" by Sarah Pekkanen, and honestly? It was a real rollercoaster. You know those books where you're constantly thinking, "Wait, what's really going on?" Yeah, that was this one.
The premise is super intriguing: Catherine, the mom, has this whole mysterious past she's clearly hiding, and Ruth, her daughter, is starting to get seriously suspicious. It's told from both of their points of view, which, in theory, is great! You get to see things from both sides. But, and this is a big but for me, I kept getting mixed up! Like, I'd be reading and think, "Wait, is this Catherine or Ruth talking?" I swear, I had to flip back a bunch of times to figure it out. It wasn't a huge deal, but it definitely pulled me out of the story a few times.
Otherwise, though? Pekkanen really knows how to build suspense. I was totally hooked on finding out what Catherine was hiding. And Ruth? She's trying to figure out her own life while also dealing with this whole family mystery. It's a lot!
Honestly, it's one of those books where you just want to keep reading to see what happens next. The twists and turns were pretty good, and the whole mother-daughter dynamic was really interesting. It's definitely a page-turner!
If you're into thrillers with family drama, you'll probably enjoy "Gone Tonight." Just be prepared to maybe get a little confused about who's talking sometimes! I'd give it a solid 3.5 stars, so let's round that up to 4. It's a fun, twisty read, even if I did have to do a little mental gymnastics to keep track of who was who!

This book was a wild ride. It took a little to get into, but once you get about a third in- it's utterly suspenseful.

I love Sarah Pekkanen, but i think this may be my least favorite of her books that I've read so far.

I think I assumed this was a thriller, but it was definitely more suspense. Suspense is hit or miss for me because I find they tend to be on the slower side.

I really liked the dual pov and how this kept you guessing where things were heading. I had no clue who to believe, Ruth or Catherine, and just how deep the lies were. I loved the relationship between mother and daughter and finding out just how someone you think you know, can be someone you know nothing about.

The end was just okay for me. I think I would have loved the cat and mouse aspect of it to go on a bit longer to create more suspense, but it seemed to all happen pretty quickly and then just be done.

I enjoyed the audio of this and will keep reading SP's books.

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen is a book that completely pulled me in from the start and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The story revolves around the complex relationship between mother and daughter, with deep secrets and a thrilling mystery at its core. I found myself completely absorbed in the main character, Kate, as she navigates a life full of deception, hidden truths, and the struggle to protect her daughter while dealing with her own personal demons. Pekkanen’s writing is so compelling that I couldn’t stop turning the pages, desperate to uncover what would happen next.

What I loved most about Gone Tonight is how Pekkanen masterfully blends suspense with emotional depth. The twists and turns in the plot were unpredictable, and I couldn’t help but feel invested in every character's journey. The tension between the characters is palpable, and the themes of memory, trust, and identity really hit home. It’s a psychological thriller that doesn’t just rely on plot twists, but also on the emotional journey the characters go through. By the time I reached the last page, I was left in awe of how everything came together. Gone Tonight is a brilliant, heart-pounding read that’s as emotionally gripping as it is suspenseful.

I usually love this author but this book was a miss for me. I liked the writing and the storytelling, I liked the alternating chapters, and I liked the journal/diary aspect. What I found hard to like about the book was the actual storyline. A lot of it seemed unbelievable and like it could never happen. It was too easy for the main character to evade police and with all of her circumstances (no spoilers), it felt impossible like it wasn’t thought out well by the author. I will continue to read pekkanen’s other works, this book just didn’t do it for me.

Sarah Pekkanen is one of my favorite authors while writing with Greer Hendricks so I was excited for this one. Started off slow but picked up a bit over half way. The story involves a mother and daughter, Ruth and Catherine Sterling. Ruth was only seventeen years old when she gave birth to Catherine. And are alwayson the run. Ruth is constantly switching jobs, schools and residences so they can’t seem to just stay in one place. Why can't they stop moving? Is Ruth just an overprotective mother, or is there something more to the story? Catherine after all these years decides to delve in to find out what exactly her mother is hiding. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

Thank you to NetGalley for this E-ARC.

WOW WOW WOW. sitting alone in my house clapping cause this book was amazing. But then again, what was I expecting from Sarah Pekkanen. Her books are always good. And so suspenseful. And wildly thought out. It’s crazy the amount of details in her books. I feel like she for sure has one of those red thread walls at her house while she’s writing. I enjoyed every second of this book. I listened to it on audio, which Kate Mara is the reader so also yay for that, but it is amazing. I know a book is good when I find myself coming up with things to do to keep listening. If I start organizing my sock drawer to keep the audiobook going, it’s a good one.

Catherine lives with her mom Ruth. It’s always been just the two of them. And they know each other better than anyone else in the entire world. So when Ruth gets diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Catherine is crushed. She wants to know everything about her mom and spend as much time with her as possible. But her mom is acting very strange. How can she go off to work 20 minutes after getting the diagnosis? Catherine starts looking into her mom strange behavior and everything just becomes more strange?

Ruth has always kept a close eye on her daughter. Maybe even closer than Catherine knows.
Her entire life Ruth has planned for the worst. Expecting Catherine to silently follow. But what happens when you find out that maybe the Apple doesn’t fall so far from the tree? What happens if both people are full of deception?
Read and find out.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a great read! would love to reread this tbh!

“Gone Tonight" by Sarah Pekkanen is a gripping thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The complex mother-daughter relationship adds depth to the suspenseful plot, with twists that kept me guessing. Pekkanen's writing is engaging, and the alternating perspectives build tension effectively. While some plot points felt a bit predictable, the overall story was compelling and well-paced. A great read for fans of psychological thrillers!

Loved this book more than I expected to! I alternated between kindle and audio (which was also great) and couldn’t put it down. More of a mystery than a thriller, but kept me intrigued throughout!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gone Tonight was gripping, suspenseful and such a fun read. I was captivated by Ruth’s story from the beginning, Author Sarah Pekkanen does an excellent job with character development and plot details. This was a great look at how far a mother would go to protect her daughter. But what happens when that child starts to grow and has questions. The desire to know oneself and their past is what makes this novel so gripping.

Gone Tonight my Sarah Pekkanen is a book that I absolutely flew through, despite finding the beginning a bit slow!

It’s written in dual POV between a mother and daughter’s perspective.

At the middle of the story things really picked up for me and made me not want to put it down! I’m looking forward to reading Pekkanens next book.

I really enjoyed this book! It was so twisty and I had no idea what was going to happen. The characters were great and I couldn’t stop reading. I have read several books by this author and enjoyed them all.

Book Review:

I originally planned to DNF this one, but I gave it another shot, and while I appreciated the author’s previous work, this book just didn’t do it for me. The premise felt overly complicated and unrealistic—especially the idea of a sixteen-year-old running away, adopting a new identity, and hiding a pregnancy while evading the police. As the story progressed, the coincidences piled up, and I found it hard to believe that Catherine could uncover key details with just a simple Facebook search. Plus, the whole concept of a grown woman letting her mother track her every move via GPS was hard to swallow. With too many plot holes and characters that didn’t resonate with me, the big reveal also fell flat. Sadly, this one didn’t live up to my expectations.

Gone Tonight is a gripping exploration of secrets, deception, and the complexities of mother-daughter relationships. The story alternates between the perspectives of Ruth and her daughter, Catherine, revealing their intricate and often dysfunctional bond. Ruth, who has always kept a tight grip on Catherine, will go to any lengths to prevent her from leaving, while Catherine begins to unravel the truths about her mother’s past.

I enjoyed the alternating POVs. The novel’s strength lies in its exploration of hidden truths and the lengths to which people will go to protect those they love. While the concept of hidden secrets in relationships isn’t entirely new, Pekkanen brings a fresh approach, delivering unexpected twists and early reveals that keep the story moving at a fast pace. The suspense builds steadily, and while nothing feels drawn out, the surprises continue to hit hard, keeping you hooked until the final page. Gone Tonight is an engaging that will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.