Sarah Pekkanen is one of my favorite authors and her new book, Gone Tonight, doesn't disappoint! Great character development and some unexpected twists! One of my favorite books read this year! I totally recommend!

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen is an exciting domestic thriller focusing on a strained mother-daughter relationship. Catherine is a young woman about to embark on her new life and job without her mother Ruth who she has always lived with. When preparing to move away Catherine notices her mother has become forgetful which results in a devastating diagnosis for early onset Alzheimer’s. Plagued with guilt and sense of duty, Catherine decides to rescind her job offer to stay and care for her mother. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Ruth is not the person she thought she was and Catherine begins to question everything that she knows about her.


What I liked about this book:
-dual POVs between Catherine and Ruth
-secrets and lies of Ruth that are slowly revealed throughout the book
-the Sunrise Senior Living setting particularity the Alzheimer’s ward where Catherine worked which was a fascinating glimpse into that world
-great character development and psychological insight into Ruth and Catherine
-loved the mother-daughter relationship that was strained by the lies of Ruth who was only trying to protect Catherine
-Ruth’s survival instinct and ingenuity particularly in the past when she lived in Target for several days
-interesting dichotomy between Alzheimer’s disease in deteriorating memory whereas Ruth’s past life was intentionally hidden and lost by her secrets and lies
-the twists and turns throughout the book as well as the satisfying ending
-the present and past timelines that kept me intrigued

What I didn’t like about the book:
-my only complaint would be to see more backstory to secondary characters of James and Rosie

My rating: 4 out of 5

My final takeaway: This was a fun, engaging read and I recommend this book to fans of twisty domestic thrillers who are interested in parent/ adult child dynamics.

Trigger warning: bullying, sexual assault, grooming, domestic abuse, alcoholism

Many thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for this eARC.

Thanks to Net galley for providing me a copy of Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen.
Well I was really hoping more out of this one. It definitely was a slow burn and took awhile to have something happen which really didnt for awhile. There were a few twists which helped but I definitely needed more so I am only giving it this one a 3 stars since it was just slow for me. It was told by a dual POV which was fine and liked that we got both characters Catherine and her mother Ruth. Lets hope more people will enjoy this one more then me..

What if your mother wasn't who you thought she was? Catherine thinks she knows everything about her mother, Ruth. As she prepares to move away to start a new job, suddenly Ruth starts to become sick. Slowly, Catherine begins to discover secrets her mother has hidden all of her life. In doing so, Ruth learns how deceptive her daughter can be.

What a ride! The twists just kept coming and you kept learning more and more about Catherine. It was literally a fight for survival for Ruth. Kudos to Pekkanen for weaving this tale this masterful.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so excited to read a novel by Sarah Pekkanen. She and Greer Hendricks are such a fabulous combo. And "Gone Tonight" was AMAZING! I was guessing the entire time and did NOT see the end coming. I loved that this book was told in past and present timelines. Highly recommend this one!!!

Sarah Pekkanen is a wonderful author and she does a great job at exposing the psychological attributes of people. The relationship between a mother and daughter is fraught with secrets and misinformation. Though you will not think this is a thriller from the beginning of the book, it picks up and you are drawn into the story. The dual timeline and dual points of view were handled well and gives you insight into the two primary characters, Ruth and Catherine. Hold onto your seats for an exciting conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC audio edition of Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen.

Family sagas always get me, even if it's only between a mother and daughter. And something doesn't seem right to Catherine when it seems like her mother will stop at nothing to keep her from leaving home to start her life. Is she unwell, or is it more dangerous than that.

This ended nowhere near where is started, and I loved it. The back and forth between the past and present kept me on my toes. I also really enjoyed seeing this unsteady mother daughter combo slowly grow and understand each other amidst all of the new information and activity being thrown at them. Very fun, very engaging.

One of the most refreshing mystery/thrillers I have read in a while!

Pekkanen's latest novel follows mother and daughter, Ruth and Catherine as the story of their relationship and past haunt their present and future. Written in a dual timeline, the chapters are incredibly addictive and make this book a real page-turner.

A will say that for most of the book I was waiting for a mind-boggling twist, and while the twists of the novel pop up throughout in a good manner, the story unfolds from both perspectives (both characters are not in the dark for long after the reader), leaving the reader curious about what will be revealed that will rock the story. I think the lack of an absurd twist constructs a fascinating story that devels into psychology, genetics, and how far a mother will go to protect their child. The plausibility of the story made it so enjoyable and reminded me of something that could be an episode of <i> Criminal Minds </i>, which I loved.

I really recommend this to psychological thriller lovers, or anyone new to the thriller/mystery genre!

The vibes of this story are haunting, especially with the epilogue ending, and it makes me really excited to read the next novel by Sarah Pekkanen!

Gone Tonight was a twisty psychological thriller where both of the main characters are hiding secrets from each other, for better or for worse. This story follows a mother and daughter, Ruth and Catherine, who just want the best for each other. Ruth is hiding secrets from her past and the truth of Catherine’s identity and while Catherine secretly suspects something is off, she doesn’t want Ruth to know that she’s on to her. Nobody is who they seem to be and as the lies pile on top of one another, the careful faćade that Ruth has crafted starts to tear at its seams.

This book was so engrossing and hard to put down. I really enjoyed the dual POV and being in on the ‘know’ between all of the secrets. I thought the plot was very well crafted and the twist ending was somewhat unexpected, but very welcome. The characters were well developed and the relationship between them felt so tangible and very fragile; I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two MC’s.

There was a part in this where Ruth is recounting her past and references ‘racial slurs I won’t repeat here’ but then in another recounting, she flat out says a slur that is used against Hispanic/Latinx communities, and I really think this could have been left out, especially since she is writing a ‘letter’ to her daughter. It just rubbed me wrong and didn’t feel necessary at all.

Overall, I thought this was entertaining and a very fast-paced enjoyable read. This is a great read for people who love family secrets, psychological thrillers, and rocky mother-daughter relationships.

TW; Sexual assault, grooming, racial slurs, racism, death, violence

This was entertaining, but I wanted more. I was expecting something twistier, something less straight-forward. But it's a leisurely (though never too slowly) paced suspenseful drama that's very similar to the 2002 film "Enough."

I enjoyed this well enough, especially when it picked up in the second half, but I didn't find it particularly mysterious or thrilling.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of Gone Tonight! I ended up liking this book! The first 25-30% was pretty slow for me, but it starts picking up after that. I found myself only wanting to read this book or trying to force my eyes to stay open even though it was way past my bedtime, I just needed to know what happens next! I enjoyed the dual POV and the relatively short chapters. Ruth’s background story was interesting almost more than present day which kept me easily turning the next page so I could find out more. You have to suspend some belief in order to truly enjoy this book. If you think too much about parts of this book, the coincidences could make you not enjoy it as much. Overall I thought it was a good, quick thriller that anyone could enjoy. Thank you again for the ARC!!

📚Book Review 📚
Gone Tonight
by Sarah Pekkanen
Pub Date 8/1/23

Catherine is ready to leave the nest and start a new career but her mother, Ruth, is exhibiting symptoms of early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Catherine and Ruth believe they know each other very well since it’s been just the two of them Catherine’s entire life. When Catherine notices clues and starts to question her mothers behavior things don’t add up.

This novel alternates POV, past and present between Catherine and Ruth. It was a slow burn wondering and learning about Ruth’s past and why she is very protective of it, herself and Catherine. I did not expect the ending. It was a good read.

Thank you @netgalley @sarahpekkanen and @stmartinspress for an electronic book ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Looking for a quick thriller? Add this to your list! I thoroughly enjoyed this one, it grabbed me right from the beginning and was full of suspense. It had me guessing and questioning multiple times. The ending had some nail biting suspense too! Told from multiple POVs (my fave) with past and present details, you will be flipping pages to find out more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

It’s time I gave up on psychological/domestic suspense thrillers. Despite the promise of jaw-dropping twists, and an ending I won’t see coming, I’ve come to the conclusion that the limited palette of tropes and formulaic style of this genre means that once you’ve read a few, you’ve read them all. Gone Tonight sounded like it would be different - an intense mother-daughter relationship, a terrifying diagnosis, secrets and lies from the past… but this was unfortunately SO slow and so awkwardly written that I had to drag myself through it - and only persisted because it was an ARC.

Catherine Sterling is a bright young nurse with a promising career ahead of her, but her future plans are scuppered by her mother Ruth’s diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimers. With no other family to fall back on, Ruth has taken care of Catherine all her life, but now some of her behaviour doesn’t make sense: what exactly is Ruth hiding, and can Catherine discover the truth before it’s too late?

This is told in alternating chapters from both women’s first person point of view, but the laborious details of every action quickly became so tedious that it slowed the story down to slug pace. I didn’t warm to either woman, and guessed one of the major twists very early on, so was then just waiting to find out the reasons for it. I don’t want to spoil the plot, but let’s just say the backstory was implausible, the various characters’ motivations poorly fleshed out, and the denouement unbelievable.
This has plenty of 5-star reviews already so if you love this genre and this author, by all means give it a go, but I’m rounding down from 2.5 for the really horrible present tense narration and unsurprising ending.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and am posting this honest review voluntarily.
Gone Tonight is published on August 15th.

A very good slow-burn, domestic thriller featuring a mother and her adult daughter, both of them in search of the truth about each other, before it’s too late. How wonderful to have a protagonist in a thriller who is over 40! I enjoyed this very much and couldn’t put it down.

Ruth and her adult daughter Catherine are the narrators of “Gone Tonight” by Sarah Pekkanen, a very good slow-burn domestic thriller. Why won’t Ruth talk about her past? She is showing signs of Alzheimers and Catherine wants to find out more about her before it’s too late. Catherine and Ruth love each other but clearly something strange is going on. Our narrators (who may or may not be of the unreliable type) tell their suspenseful tale in first-person present-tense, which adds to the feeling of slow dread. Little by little, we are given clues and at times jaw-dropping reveals as to what is happening. Things are not what they seem and the suspense increases with each new page. Will lies be enough to protect who you love the most?.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press!

Pekkanen has done it again 👏🏼👏🏼 loved everything about this, and I think it finally ended my seemingly never ending slump. It was the best kind of slow burn with twist after twist!! I’m a sucker for a psychological thriller, and Pekkanen does them SO well. I loved getting a closer look into Ruth’s past and motivation for her new way of life as the story progressed, and Catherine’s character arc was one I definitely didn’t see coming. One of the best thrillers I have read so far this year!! 🖤

My thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of Gone Tonight.

Catherine Sterling and her mother have always been close, after all, it’s only been the two of them her entire life. Despite that, Catherine is ready to set out on her own and move away from home. But when Ruth shows signs of early onset Alzheimer’s, Catherine is forced to stay close to home. Something’s not quite adding up though, and Catherine behind to question what she really knows about her mother.

Told in alternating perspectives, this isn’t a pulse pounding thriller through and through, although it certainly has its moments of high stakes and unanswered questions. It really shines though as it focuses on the dynamics between mother and daughter, the complications of growing up with a guarded mother and the lengths a parent goes to
protect their child. This book would definitely appeal to a variety of readers and should please any Sarah Pekkanen fan!

Oooh this book was a slow burn. 25-30% into it, I was wholly convinced it was a mislabeled thriller. Then… it came! What a unique story. Sarah Pekkanen rarely disappoints. And this one did it.

Ruth is a 42 year old mother who lives life like a ghost. Her 24 year old daughter, Catherine, suspects her mom is lying,

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC.

A fun, suspenseful read from one of the co-authors of The Wife Between Us!

Sarah masterfully weaves in a teasing sentence or two in every chapter that caught me off-guard, made me sit up and alert. I called most of the twists, but the WAY they were revealed was fresh and skillful, and still very fun! I highly enjoyed Catherine—she was fascinating, and made this book. She became more and more interesting as the story went on, and I was sad when it ended!

Overall, I’d definitely recommend to lovers of domestic suspense.

Super grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

This a really good suspense novel. It was told in the alternating voices of Ruth and her daughter, Catherine. Both characters were interesting and well developed and you understood both of their motivations for their actions. There were several surprising twists and good ending. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.