Wow! This book was so good. It is told in alternating chapters from the viewpoints of mother and daughter and also flashes back to the past periodically. I really enjoyed it and liked the alternating viewpoints. The author did a great job keeping me engaged and surprising me with twists. One pop culture reference was made that was impossible based on the time period the book was set in and that frustrated me but other than that a fabulous thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a slow burn of a book full of twists and turns. Told in alternating points of view, this psychological thriller will leave you wondering where it will take you.

Definitely give this one a try. Thanks to Orion Publishing for providing me with an ARC.

I’ve read all of Pekkanen’s work with Greer Hendricks, and for some reason i continue to be interested in their books despite them all being no higher than a 3.5 rating. naturally I was curious to see how one of them writes on her own.

kudos for the UNIQUE premise but unfortunately it yielded mixed results for me - definitely requires an extreme suspension of disbelief as the story unfolds and we learn more about Ruth’s past. it’s one of those thrillers that rely a lot on coincidences and I could pretty much see all the reveals coming. the characters are written well and as far as I know the disability rep is pretty accurate, but sadly I was really hoping to love this one more than I did.

4.25 🌟

Mother and daughter, Catherine and Ruth have always kind of lived a nomadic, reclusive life. Catherine believes she knows her mom until stuff starts to unravel and Ruth many not be who she seems. As Catherine chases clues, trying to figure out who her mom is, she may put her mom (and herself) in danger.

I really enjoyed Gone Tonight. From almost the first page, I was captured trying to figure out what secrets Ruth was hiding. And there were enough twists and turns to keep me engaged through the whole book.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

So the first chapter of this book had me confused, but I love the author’s books and decided I had to read more. Whoa! How this story transformed!!! This is the story of the lengths a mother will go to in order to protect her child! So many tense moments in this book! Loved it!!!

Gone Tonight follows a mother-daughter duo, Ruth and Catherine, as they face the prospective changes to come in their life as Catherine nears her first move out on her own and Ruth as an aging woman on her own. It's empty-nester syndrome meets psychological thriller.

I will start with, I went into Gone Tonight blind and absolutely nothing I expected happen. I was entirely surprised from start to finish. This story is twisted and unique, a clever tale about the lengths we go to protect ourselves. Sarah Pekkanen, of course, is known for her standout thrillers with storylines that aren't the norm so I was excited about this one. It's definitely a different tale, Ruth does not want Catherine to go, but she also doesn't want her to know the truth. Ruth's been keeping secrets, secrets no one can find out about, secrets that could hurt Catherine emotionally and physically. Through Gone Tonight's shifting chapters perspectives and timeframes we get to know the real Ruth, the story behind her, and what she is so desperate for Catherine not to find out.

While the final twist is explosive and fantastic and comes with several little twists of its own, the overall story is slow. We are not given enough time and information to like Catherine and Ruth, yet somehow we are meant to be caught up in their storyline. I spent a lot of time feeling like, if only I liked you this would impact me more and what a stupid way to handle that. I just wanted them to mean more to me and I wanted them, particularly Catherine, to be smarter. It's a great read overall, I think people will enjoy the surprise of this one, but it didn't ultimately hit the nail for me.

Gone Tonight kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to know whose secrets were going to explode first! Excellent read with characters you love to question..

4.5 stars

I really loved this book. Sarah Pekkanen did a phenomenal job telling the story of Catherine and Ruth Stirling. It was an intricate web of secrets and a hidden past. I wouldn't say the story was unpredictable but it was intriguing and kept me glued to the pages way past my bedtime. I loved that the story was told from a dual point of view, as they say there are always two sides to every story and for this book knowing the internal monologue of the characters really filled in that grey space. As an added bonus Ruth's journaling provided an extra layer with rich details of her past.

It is clear to see these two women love each other more than anything but the story really presses the issue of how long can you turn a blind eye and what secrets are too big to forgive. This book was suspenseful but not to the point it kept me up at night (other than I couldn't put it down) and was such a refreshing break from my usual genres. I would definitely love to read more by this author and thanks to this book I am learning I really love the thriller and suspense genre.

Gone Tonight follows the story of a mother and her daughter told in alternating POVs. The mother has a secret she is keeping from her daughter and as the daughter Catherine tries to unravel the mystery, the story progresses. I won’t say anything more than that so as to not spoil the story.

I found this book to be engaging, and I found myself reading it before bed to find out what happens. As the story develops some of the plot twists can be a bit predictable but there were some facts sprinkled in at the end of the story that did surprise me so I always want to give credit for that because I’m usually good at guessing where stories are going.

There were some plot points that I wish were explored some more that were hinted at at the end of the book. I feel that the way that it ended could absolutely open the door to another book but who knows! I enjoyed the book, it wasn’t the best thing I’ve read all year but it was certainly engaging with a story that keeps you hooked.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing this Arc to me!!

I loved the alternating POVs between the mother and daughter. They complimented each other well and made the reveals even more surprising! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

4.5 Stars

What an amazingly twisty slow burn read. This book kept me on my toes. It took many twist I didn’t see coming. It kept me hooked and eager to keep reading to see how everything turned out. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends!

Blurb from my Instagram post:
There is no love like the love of a mother.
Ruth and her daughter Catherine are inseparable. It’s always been the two of them moving from city to city. Never planting their roots for too long. Ruth can’t let anyone get close to them, she must maintain her secrecy.

Catherine is in her early twenties and getting ready to finally spread her wings and move off to start an adventure of her own in a new town.

Ruth isn’t sure how she feels about Catherine moving away. She isn’t ready to be an empty nester. She must find a way to keep Catherine under her wing. But at what cost?

As Ruth formulates her plan for keeping Catherine close, things aren’t adding up & Catherine is starting to question everything she thought she knew about her mother.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Ruth & Catherine. This twisty suspenseful read takes us on Catherine’s journey as she uncovers her mothers secretive past.

Thank you @netgalley so much for my E-ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Another great read from Sarah Pekkanen! It’s a gripping read, filled with characters that are relatable, short chapters, and a premise that keeps evolving and become more and more jaw dropping. Sarah creates a great three part read that shows just how protective a mother (Ruth) can be over her daughter (Catherine) and vice versa.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the change to read and review this fantastic thriller!

Sarah Pekkanen is a master of twists and turns! By the end of part one, I was completely hooked and desperate to learn more about these mother daughter duo and their long kept secrets. Dual POV and short chapters kept me compulsively reading until the very last page.

Thank you so much St Martin’s Press for my advanced copy.

Wonderful story. In alternating chapters, we get to know our main characters, Ruth and Catherine, and the past they have been running from for 24 years. As secrets and lies come to light, the story picks up pace, and keep the reader engaged and on the edge.
This is another winner from Sarah Pekkanen!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. Just the right amount of family drama/suspense/twists/thrills. The first few chapters as the story unfolded of a sick mother and a daughter needing to care for her had me wondering if this would be a slow book to get into. It wasn’t. The suspense quickly ramped up and grabbed my attention. This book shows the intense love a mother has for her child and how she’ll do anything to protect them. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.

This book sucked me in right from the first page. The dysfunctional relationship between Ruth and Catherine kept me wanting to find out more, and there were times when I didn’t know who to believe. The only thing preventing me from giving this book five stars is I feel like the plot kind of fell flat after the climax occurred, and I found myself losing my engagement from the book. Overall, great story line, great character development, and a solid ending. Anyone who enjoys suspense will definitely enjoy this “what’s gonna happen next” novel!

Sarah is one of my favorite writers in the world and the person that inspired my own creative writing projects! This one will not disappoint… I cannot wait for her next one already!!!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! This book was so good from the very beginning I was hooked!!! To say I was shocked with the twist would be an understatement. If you like fast paced and unexpected twists this one is for you!!!

After several writing collaborations, Sarah Pekkanen is back with a solo novel - Gone Tonight.

"Catherine Sterling and her mom, Ruth, have always been close. Catherine is ready to take a new job in another city but Ruth is reluctant to let her go. Ruth wants to protect her daughter no matter what it takes.
Because there are things about her past that Ruth has kept secret...dangerous secrets..."

Dual POVs in this book - Ruth and Catherine. It's a slow start. But as Ruth reveals an incident in her past the story takes on a different tone. The pace picks up as Catherine searches for the truth about her mother and and Ruth tries to stop her. A wild ending from Pekkanen and maybe the hope of a sequel ...

Add this to your Fall reading list. Great new fiction from Pekkanen.

When I began my reading experience of this title, I thought that there was a dreadful mistake. What I had perceived as a suspense thriller, began like a mother-daughter contemporary. However, I soon realized that Sarah Pekkanen was lulling me into a false sense of security. In fact, it wasn't too long before I felt the pain of the rug being tugged from under my feet.

Ruth and Catherine are our two narrators here and as the narrative bounces from one to another, I found myself consumed with solving the puzzle. It was a fast-paced plot and as some things were revealed new questions popped up.

Definitely a late summer hit!


Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.




Expected Publication 01/08/23
Goodreads Review 05/07/23