Catherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother but now that she’s ready to move out and start her life, her mother is holding her back from some reason. Her mother, Ruth Sterling, has secrets she’s kept but for good reason.

This is a perfect summer read; entertaining and fast paced. I loved the alternating chapters from the two different women’s perspective. They are individual chapters with separate motives but as the story and suspense builds, their chapters merge. I also really enjoyed the looks back at Ruth’s past through her journal entries. It was during the time period I went to high school and I found it very compelling. Another bonus for me was that my college town, Towson, Maryland, played a huge role in the story also!

“I’m not writing my journals simply to reveal my true story to my daughter. It’s also intended to teach her how to run.”

Gone Tonight comes out 8/1.

I am sad to admit that this was kind of a let down for me! I went in with high expectations and I love this authors other books but this book lacked any sort of twist or edge of your seat feeling that I was hoping for.

Gone Tonight started slightly slow, but soon I couldn’t put it down. The story goes in a different direction than I expected, with a unique plot. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

This book is a mix of mystery suspense and family drama. Catherine is devastated to learn that her mother is developing Alzheimer's. She decides to give up a job opportunity that would have her move away to stay with her mother and take care of her. She doesn't know that her mother has more secrets than Catherine could ever imagine.

Ruth never wavered on keeping all her secrets from her daughter but she also never imagined that Catherine would begin to suspect that things are not as they first appear. As Catherine begins to unfold more of her mother's backstory, her distrust of Ruth grows more and more.

Mother-daughter relationships have their own challenges but what Ruth and Catherine need to overcome is far more complex than most. The way the story unfolds between Catherine and Ruth each having their own points of view from one chapter to the next worked really well in this book. I wavered between which person I trusted more and sided with. I felt for both women as more of the truth came out and was captivated by the story enough to want to know what would happen in the end. This smartly written story has fully formed characters and a good suspense plot. This can act as a great beach read as well as one to cozy up on the couch with during a stormy day. Either way, I highly recommend you pick this one up and get to know what the power of a mother's love might lead you to do.

A super thriller! Sarah Pekkanen’s Gone Tonight speeds through secrets, lies, deceptions and drama to a shocking end. A fast, exhilarating read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I have been a fan of this author since her early days. Then, she teamed up with Greer Hendricks for a couple of collaborative efforts. They worked for me.

I'm not sure what happened with this book. The premise is good. Mother/daughter living together. Daughter is about to embark on a promising medical career. Mother has developed early-onset dementia.

The story is told in alternating voices. Sadly, I couldn't warm up to either one of them. It's not that they were not likeable. They just seemed flat, one-dimensional.

The pace is sluggish. While the chapters are short, which I usually like, the story does not advance at a good pace. My mind would wander as I was reading it.

I will fall back on my mantra. Not every book is for every reader. This book is not for me.

I will not be posting this review anywhere else. There are lots of positive reviews already on Goodreads, I don't want my opinion to influence other readers.

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

Book was not what I expected. Slow paced, but then it picked up in a way that it was depicted; as a ‘psychological thriller’.
A daughter has an opportunity to spread her wings and move away from her unknown protector, her mother. But her mother will do anything to not let that happen…..anything.

Gone Tonight may possibly be in my top five favorites of the year. I had a copy of the audio to go along with the digital copy and it was amazing. Loved the alternating POVs. A very entertaining read and can’t wait to see what the author comes out with next.

Catherine Sterling is struggling to come to grips with her mother’s early onset Alzheimer’s. As Catherine tries to force her mother to tell her about her mysterious past, Catherine quickly discovers that her mother is not at all who she is pretending to be.
Great read! Couldn’t put it down!

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review.

I think I may have overdone it with the thrillers!! Oh no! The intense curiosity of Ruth’s daughter, Catherine, and the deception that is orchestrated to keep Ruth’s story from being uncovered, is very well done. However, when I reached the end, my first thought was, “Cool reveal, but my mind isn’t blown.” I think it’s just a “me” issue, though!

This story had several twists and turns. When it began, I had mixed emotions since I had a very much-loved aunt that had the disease the story references and I couldn’t figure out where the storyline was going. I can’t really explain why I was never fully drawn in; I think it was because of the writing style. It seemed elementary, not sure that is a good word for describing, but it is the best I can come with. Her mother certainly had issues.

I did find the twist in the ending was a great touch and it left me with a satisfied feeling. I love when a book can give you the creepers. Giving this one 4 stars.

I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with high 4 stars.

This was a twists-and-turns mystery. I did not know what was next. I was desperate to know Ruth’s story and how James was involved. I need like a 5 years later update on Ruth and Catherine. I wanted more Timmy and her dad, as they seemed like they were the reason she did all this - to protect them.

I really enjoyed this story and made me love reading Sarah Pekkanen even more.

All her life it has just been Catherine Sterling and her mother Ruth, but Catherine has graduated and is planning to move. Suddenly she notices forgetfulness and odd symptoms in her mother. The doctor gives them the awful diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's. How can Catherine possibly leave her mother now? This story goes back and forth in chapters between Catherine and Ruth. We start to learn their backstory in these chapters, but there are discrepancies that leave the reader and indeed the characters wondering. As this story plays out we investigate these discrepancies in delicious plot twists and an ending that will shock you. The characters were strong and well developed. I mostly liked Catherine, the dutiful daughter and conscientious worker and felt sorry for the derailment of her plans. I went back and forth between love and hate for the Ruth but in the end I understood her better and admired her attempts to keep Catherine safe. The pace of the story was fast and kept me reading to finish in one sitting. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy and give my honest review.

An insanely intense mother/daughter thriller!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
“Gone Tonight” is a mother/daughter thriller that turns insanely intense as Catherine discovers all the secrets her mother has kept throughout her childhood. No daughter knows everything about her mother but how can you hide so much for so long?

This dark and entertaining story is told from alternating viewpoints. Mother and daughter each tell their story, so the reader hears the secrets they are keeping from each other. I love hearing secrets. Especially when I don’t have to keep them to myself!

Ruth Sterling left home and became a single mother at 16 years old. She has a plausible explanation. It was her only choice because of her family’s rigid religious beliefs. Her life hasn’t been easy. Without a high school education, Ruth didn’t have many opportunities. She worked hard as a waitress and put Catherine through nursing school.

It’s finally time for Catherine to leave home and have some freedom. Then a big revelation prevents that from happening. This story is shocking and emotional as we slowly learn how Ruth ended up where she is.

Pekkanen has written another gripping five-star read!

Sincere thanks to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for providing this gifted ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#GoneTonight #SarahPekkanen #macmillanaudio #stmartinspress #audiobook #womenwriters #giftedARC #justfinished #comingsoon #igbookreels #thriller #ad #honestreview #thrillerfriendsunite #mysteryandthrills #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #suspense #mystery #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #lovetoreadbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booknerd #bookreviewer #booksbooksandmorebooks #instabook #readaholic

The premise of this book intrigued me from the beginning and the dual perspectives between mother and daughter kept me engaged until the final page.

The major twist is revealed around the 30% mark so the rest of the novel is more domestic suspense than thriller. However, at the very end you get one more piece of information that adds to the intrigue of the novel.

Some of the events that transpire are a little hard to believe, but if you’re willing to suspend belief here and there you will still enjoy the book. Overall, this was an interesting novel that will appeal to readers who love suspense.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

SYNOPSIS:
- Catherine and her mother, Ruth, have always just had each other.
- Ruth’s past has always been a well-kept secret. As Catherine prepares to move out on her own, she starts digging into her mother’s past

MY THOUGHTS
- Slow-burn suspense told in dual perspectives (Catherine’s & Ruth’s); also offers some past mixed with present. In some of Ruth’s chapters, she also journals within those, where she writes about the past. The journal portions were my favorite.
- Well-plotted & executed.
- I am a fan of Pekkanen, but this is the first solo book of hers that I’ve read. The others were written by both her & Hendricks.
- The plot was unique & kept me interested.
- The ending was fine, but nothing spectacular to me. With that being said, I really enjoyed the book & would recommend it.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Slow-burn suspense. Well-written, unique plot. Ending was fine, but nothing spectacular.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It will be published on August 1, 2023.

All of Catherine’s life it has only been her and her mother, Ruth. Ruth doesn’t talk much about her past and every time Catherine tries to learn more about Ruth, she gets upset so Catherine drops it. When Catherine starts to pull away from Ruth and wants to move away, Ruth comes up with a devious plan to get her to stay. You see Ruth can not let Catherine go and will go to great lengths to keep her daughter close.

This book started off slow for me but I’m so glad I stuck with it because it quickly goes from 0-100 and it was fantastic. The book is told in alternating views from Catherine and Ruth including Ruth’s past and her present. They play a cat and mouse game and you really don’t know who is doing the right thing. As a mom though this made my heart race and gave me all the feels.

Catherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother. Ruth Sterling is quiet, hardworking, and lives for her daughter. All her life, it’s been just the two of them against the world. But now, Catherine is ready to spread her wings, move from home, and begin a new career. And Ruth Sterling will do anything to prevent that from happening.

Ruth Sterling thinks she knows her daughter. Catherine would never rebel, would never question anything about her mother’s past or background. But when Ruth’s desperate quest to keep her daughter by her side begins to reveal cracks in Ruth’s carefully-constructed world, both mother and daughter begin a dance of deception.


MY THOUGHTS:

When we first join Gone Tonight, we are thrust into the relationship between mother and daughter in alternating narratives. We believe that the mother, Ruth, has early onset Alzheimer’s disease. But soon we realize that the truth is hiding from us. Ruth’s story comes to us gradually in her narrative as she offers a peek into her past and how she has been hiding things.

An intensely driven story that kept me enthralled throughout, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The conclusion was brilliant and had me biting my nails. A 5 star read.

***My ARC came to me from the publisher via NetGalley

***

Book starts out interesting. The mother is hiding secrets but also dealing with losing her memory. I wanted to like this book more. It kind of lost my interest. It felt like it kept going on and not giving enough at the same time. I struggled to stay interested sadly.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 90 of 2023. I really enjoy @sarahpekkanen’s books, and this one was no exception. It hooked me from the first chapter and never let go. I could not put this book down. I read it all in one sitting. Some very disturbing moments for sure, but also some amazing examples of love. This book brought me to tears more than once, which is unusual for a suspense novel. Some great twists as well, including a couple that I did not expect. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read in my books. I loved this one! ❤️ #avivaandfriendsrecos