Catherine thinks she knows her mother Ruth. Ruth is quiet and hardworking and lives for her daughter. All their lives its been them against the world. Now Catherine is ready to spread her wings and begin a new career. Ruth will do everything she can to ensure that doesn’t happen.

When Catherine gets skeptical, she starts digging into her mom’s past and isn’t happy with what she finds. How could she hide all this for years? What else is she hiding?

I have absolutely loved this author’s prior works so was very excited to read this one. The style of this one is different than what I remember it being. Ruth and Catherine have so many secrets between them it’s hard to figure out what is real. Catherine thought she knew who her mom was but as secrets come out, she learns she has no idea who she is. As Catherine struggles with what she finds their relationship changes. I enjoyed this dynamic. It was very obvious that Ruth had made so many sacrifices to protect Catherine. It was not what I expected from a thriller though so for that I was disappointed. When the big reveal was made, it made sense and just flowed seamlessly into the story.

While I did enjoy this one, I again think that this is not a true thriller, it’s more of contemporary fiction. I did enjoy it, but just wanted more of the thriller aspect.

Thank you so much to St Martins Press, @stmartinspress, Netgalley, @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This one is out Aug 1st. Perfect for summer reading.

Gone Tonight is the perfect thriller for me. Throughout the book the author leaves breadcrumbs uncovering secrets and lies. I guessed a couple of the small reveals, but it seemed like the author wanted you to because then she sprung the twists. The last couple of chapters gave the reader big shocks!
The story is told from two POV!
Catherine is a nurse in a memory ward looking to move to Baltimore for a dream job when she finds out her mother at only 42 has early onset dementia.
Ruth tells her story of her past being shunned from her small town getting pregnant before eighteen and raising her daughter alone.
The dementia diagnosis leads Catherine to start trying to uncover parts of her past. The last thing Ruth wants is for Catherine to start poking around. What Catherine discovers is shocking!

Two questions to think about when reading this novel are:

How far would you go to save a loved one?
and
Does the apple fall far from the tree?

When Ruth begins to show signs of early Alzheimer's, her daughter is thrown into a sudden change in her life and realizes how little she truly knows about her mother. As she starts to try to unravel the truth, both women have to face up to facts and make decisions that could lead to deadly consequences.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this crime fiction book and will be thinking about it for days. This would make great book club discussion fodder as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

Catherine and her mother, Ruth, have always been close. It's always been just the two of them.

Catherine is finally ready to spread her wings and move away from her mother. A scary health diagnosis may stop her from doing so, however.

Told in multiple timelines by both Ruth and Catherine.

As the secrets are revealed little by little, will the mother/daughter relationship be threatened? Read it and find out.

I enjoyed both of the main characters and thought they were portrayed well. I didn't always agree with what they did but that's the fun of reading a book.

I switched between reading the print book and listening to the audio version. I would recommend either version, depending on your preference.

Not as "thrilling" as some thrillers are, but a good read anyway. More emphasis on the psychological aspect in this one.

Thanks to netgalley and ST. Martin's Press for the arc.

In her latest release, Sarah Pekkanen is back with a cat-and-mouse thriller featuring Ruth and her daughter Catherine. Moving around frequently growing up, Catherine has few close friends and her only family is her mother. She never questioned things and accepted her mother as the quiet, hardworking woman she knows. Ruth, fearful Catherine is leaving home, never thought Catherine would start digging into the past she has so carefully hidden. The two are on a collision course with more danger lurking outside than known. Gone Tonight's main characters are well-developed and the tension increases in every chapter-which readers will fly through. The journal entries by Ruth were some of my favorite parts as they really dug into Ruth's past and carefully illustrated the events that forever changed their lives and set Ruth and Catherine on this dangerous path. Pekkanen has another hit and I continue to look forward to her future releases.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

📖 Domestic Thriller
⭐ 3.5/5

➡ Just weeks shy of officially moving out on her own and beginning her dream nursing role at Johns Hopkins, Catherine Sterling's mother drops a bombshell on her shattering the sheltered world they've built together for the last 24 years. Soon after though, Catherine begins catching her mother in a series of elaborate lies and it becomes difficult to discern truth from deception and to get to the bottom of what's happening, she plots out a rouse of her own. Before long, they're caught in a game of back and forth half truths and in this game, lies can be deadly.
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🙏 Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy for Gone Tonight. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: The psychological twists in this book got me good. Though it was a little more slow paced than many of the thrillers I read, it definitely left me feeling creeped out and with all sorts of questions- signs that the book did its job. A co-dependent mother/daughter relationship with a dual POV was central to the plot and felt like a creative character pair for something this dark. Pekkanen's writing (as always) transported me completely to the small Pennsylvania apartment where the story took place. It's easy to get lost in the world she creates through prose and I keep coming back for more with her writing!

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: Like I mentioned, the build-up in this book was pretty slow and it was a lot of layered details vs. action. My heart didn't really race until the final pivotal scene but I was definitely interested that I wanted to keep reading.
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Read if you love:
* domestic thrillers
* complicated mother/daughter relationships
* secret/hidden former lives
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See also: The Love of my Life, The Villa, The Girls in the Garden

My review of Gone Tonight was posted on Instagram (@manuscripts_and_margaritas) August 1st. I've also posted a review on Amazon and Goodreads to celebrate pub day!

Gone Tonight is the brainchild of one half of my favourite thriller duo, and it did not disappoint. One-third through the book there was such an unexpected twist that I knew I was in for a wild ride. The storyline really kept me glued to the page and I devoured this in one sitting. And the end- of the course the end had one last shocker! The parts that dragged for me however were the diary entries- while I understand how they related to the story they did feel quite juvenile at time and it took quite a bit to get to the actual meat. That is why I am knocking this down to a 4 star.

At twenty-four, Catherine Sterling is still living with her mother Ruth. It has always been the two of them, dependent on each other. But now Catherine is ready to spread her wings and start her new job in Baltimore. But the more plans she makes, the harder her mother clings to her. Ruth has always been secretive about her past but when she accidentally lets a small truth out one night, Catherine starts to doubt if her whole life isn't a lie.
I kept my description deliberately vague because I think it's best to go into the story blind. As the truth unfolds, I was frantically flipping pages to discover the next twist. This book is a wild ride! And the epilogue left me wondering what will happen long after the story ends.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s always been Catherine and her mother, Ruth against the world. But now that Catherine wants to move from home, it seems her mother may be hiding something. As Catherine delves into her mother’s secret past, she might uncover something she doesn’t want to know.

I’ve loved all of Sarah Pekkanen’s books that’s she co-wrote with Greer Hendricks so I was really excited to get advanced copies of Gone Tonight! Pekkanen did an amazing job of drawing me into the story and kept me guessing throughout. This psychological thriller delved into the mother/daughter relationship so well, and I was invested in both of these characters.

I was able to get an advanced listeners copy as well as the eARC, and listened along while reading. The chapters are labeled by whose story we’re getting, Catherine or Ruth, and I felt that the narrator, Kate Mara, was able to differentiate between the two POVs.

I loved the dual timelines of present day and Ruth’s past and thought writing her past as a journal entry was a really smart move. Pekkanen had me thinking throughout the book about the mother/daughter dynamic and what a mother would be willing to do to protect her daughter. I would have liked a little more from the ending, but overall I thought this was a great psychological thriller that I didn’t want to put down.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

ALL the twists! ALL the turns! And ALL the mystery! Absolutely impossible to put down!

A super fast-paced page turner that definitely had me on the edge of my seat. The plot was very unique, which is rare in thrillers, which typically fall into stereotypes. And the twist?? MIND = BLOWN!

Sarah Pekkanen's Gone Tonight is a thriller that had me hooked from the beginning. A seemingly steady and strong mother-daughter relationship begins to unravel as secrets are discovered. Both lead characters are smart and resourceful as they work to uncover truths and save themselves. This book is a bit of a slow burn at the beginning, but that is for the sake of character development and setting the scene. Once the story takes off, hold on! I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and the author for the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Wow, this one was so good! I loved the mother/daughter dynamic. It was fun to peel back the layers of the relationship throughout the book. There were so many secrets and twists and turns! Another hit from Pekkanen!

I really enjoyed this slow burn mystery. Following Catherine and her mother Ruth as the truth starts to unravel, and with it, their possible safety, was captivating and kept me turning the page.
I have been a fan of the Greer Hendricks-Sarah Pekkanen combo team, and I'm really happy to have had such a good time reading one of Sarah Pekkanen's solo projects.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy.

“How far would you go to protect the person you love most in the world?”

I’ve loved Pekkanen’s coauthored books with Greee Hendricks, so it only makes sense that I’d love her solo work! 💕

SECRETS & TWISTS GALORE 🔥 As decades of secrets between mother and daughter start to unravel (across dual timelines and POVs 🤌🏻), you’ll keep guessing who you can trust/believe until the very end.

Not only were the twists shocking, but they also made sense, both for the characters and the story.

Some reviewers found it slower paced, which was not my experience. I was on the edge of my seat, heart racing, especially in the final third 🤯

After co-authoring 4 thrillers with Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen is flying solo with her latest book, Gone Tonight. My hopes were high she would take me on an interesting reading journey, and she did not disappoint. The psychological aspects of the story were fascinating.

For all of Catherine Sterling's life it's just been her and her mother, Ruth. Wanting a brighter future, Catherine is gearing up to move out of town for a new job. Ruth is desperate to keep her daughter by her side. Very, very desperate.

The pacing is great with the chapters alternating between Catherine and Ruth. The story works well because you are watching everything unfold and getting insight into both characters. This thriller isn't dependent on crazy twists and turns but there were some surprising developments along the way. A book worth picking up if you enjoy this genre and are looking for a good weekend or vacation read.

The story doesn't get exciting until about 45 percent in, at which point I was hooked. Ruth and Catherine are a dysfunctional mother/daughter, but someone's not sharing the playbook. I liked the dual perspectives and the use of journal entries to tell the story. I thought there were some plot weaknesses, but they were resolved in the end. I'd love a sequel.

Loved the twists. Poses the question of how well do you actually know someone. I know shes cowritten before, but this is a great debut novel from Sarah. Can't wait to read her next solo book!

This was an interesting mystery-thriller. There wasn't really much "thriller" involved. It was more about learning the mom's history and figuring out why certain things were happening. I enjoy this type of story, where it's a mystery until the end, then there's the thriller moments. I don't want to say too much and spoil anything for anyone, but I will say that these characters probably won't be your favorite people.

My personal preference would have been to leave off one or two the "twists" at the very end, but that seems to be something many people enjoy so I may be in the minority on that.

Overall, I thought it was a good story and I wanted to know what was happening or would happen, so I am going with 4 stars.

This summer has been so abundant with amazing new releases in thriller genre. But this novel in particularl stands out because it explores so deeply the mother-daughter relationship and probes at how far a mother is willing to go to protect her child.

The story alternates between two POVs, one of Ruth Sterling, the mother, and one of Catherine, her twenty-four year old daughter. This story has a peculiar quality to lead you through the maze of assumptions about mother's motives and character. But as Ruth shares about her past, bit by bit, you begin to realize that things are not what they seem, and that the reasons for Ruth's actions lie much deeper. What seemed to look like an obsessive mother's behavior or mental illness, turns out to be as terrifying as the primal fear and survival instinct.

Catherine is so clever to see right through her mother, and I was impressed at how quickly she begins to unravel the deception carefully constructed around her. The ending gave me some Natural Born Killer vibes, and I felt a hint of disappointment in Catherine's character. I wanted so badly for her to be good!

What a great action and psychological thriller! Unique premise and terrific execution makes this a must-read.

All parents have secrets.  But the ones Ruth's keeping from Catherine are unlike those of your usual mother.  Ruth's secrets keep the darkness away, keeps her fighting for her life and her safety, as well as that of her daughter.  However, what will she do when those secrets slowly start to unravel?

Catherine Sterling thinks she's an ordinary woman with an ordinary mom.  But when Catherine is on the verge of moving away and starting her own life, everything starts to come undone, exposing everything she'd known to be a lie.  I was impressed with how well Catherine seemed to handle everything she discovered about her mom's past.  While she did make a few questionable decisions, I know I would have had a meltdown before I got even half as far as Catherine did.  

While I completely understand why Ruth went to the lengths that she did, I'm not sure I agree with all of her actions.  Some the things she did in both the past and the present were a bit implausible or even overreactions to the situation.  Despite her sometimes extreme measures, I could relate to Ruth's desire and drive to keep her daughter safe.  Who wouldn't do everything in their power to keep their child safe?

Full of twists and unexpected revelations, Gone Tonight is an exciting and engaging story about family, secrets, and what happens when the truth comes out.  Catherine and Ruth are both likable and unlikable at varying moments in the story, which only intrigued me more.  I needed to know which side was their real one. 

Sarah Pekkanen is one of my favorite authors.  When she pairs with her writing partner, Greer Hendricks, the stories are always twisty and engaging.  Her solo work is no different.  This is my first of her solo efforts, but it holds up to the same expectation of suspense and dark secrets waiting to be unveiled.  I'm excited to see what she does next!