Holy Moly y’all! I just finished Gone Tonight by @sarahpekkanen and it blew me away!

Catherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother. All her life, it's been just the two of them against the world. Catherine is now ready to spread her wings and Ruth will do anything to prevent that from happening. 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.

This mother daughter story has everything to make a good thriller…multiple POV’s, dual time line, fast paced, whodunnit. I was truly invested in Ruth and Catherine’s relationship. Highly recommend picking up this thriller when it comes out August 1.

Tell me about the last thriller you read!

I really liked this! Some decent twists that some seasoned readers could probably see coming but it worked well for me. A story of a mother & daughter relationship, secrets & lies. This was fun to unravel Ruth's story along with Catherine. The parts of Ruth's childhood sprinkled in throughout were placed well to give the reader breadcrumbs along the way. I wasn't sure who to root for more, Catherine or Ruth. Lots of childhood trauma discussed as well as Alzheimer's if you have TW.

Big thanks to the publishers for widget/ approvals for the ARC & ALC to read & review!

Wow! I really enjoyed this and was super ingested start to finish. The Alzheimer’s storyline was interesting and overall this kept me turning pages and needing to know how it ended. And it made it a little personal for me because my hometown is mentioned a lot throughout the book. Put this one on your TBR, it’s worth the read!

It has always been just the two of them, mother Ruth and daughter Catherine, frequently moving purportedly due to financial concerns. Ruth is a waitress; Catherine has just graduated as a nurse. Catherine has invariable believed her mother’s story about being estranged from her very religious family because they kicked her out when she became pregnant. As Ruth seems to be developing Alzheimer’s, Catherine begins questioning her familial history; things just don’t seem to add up and her investigation into it may put both of them in danger.

Told in alternating mother daughter POVs, the book is divided into three acts, an interesting technique. The story is nicely plotted. There are twists, turns, deceptions. Some may find the daily minutiae in the first act as the action builds a bit of a slow burn; I did not. I was totally engrossed. I don’t want to spoil anything, but be sure you hang in there until the reveal at the end!

This is the fourth book I have read written or co written by Pekkanen and I have like all of them. She has become a “must read” writer for me.

I received a ARC copy from St Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

This is the story of Catherine Sterling and Ruth Sterling. Catherine is Ruth's daughter. Catherine thinks she knows her mother extremely well. However, when Catherine decides that it is time for her to leave the nest and begin a new career. Ruth will go to any length to stop that from happening. Just as Catherine thinks she knows Ruth. Ruth thinks she knows her daughter. Ruth feels like Catherine would never rebel against her. However, when Catherine begins looking into Ruth's early life. There are some secrets and such that just may be uncovered. Both will go at great lengths to make sure the other does not find their secrets. However, the truth always comes out right?

This book keeps you on your toes all the way through. There were some great twists and turns that I did not expect coming. I was intrigued all the way through. There were a few times where I felt like it went on for a little to long. I also enjoyed the audiobook slightly more. Overall, a fantastic read!

What you thought you knew, could disappear in an instant 💨

Thank you SO MUCH to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for the ARC.

➡️ Swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

MY REVIEW::
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME! Sucked me in from page one. The story was so well written, and the twists were so well placed. I can't tell you how many times I gasped and had a jaw drop. 😱

I was a huge fan of Sarah's co-authoring in 'You Are Not Alone' with Greer Hendricks. Since then, I've bought every book the two of them have written together, and when I saw this - I just HAD to request it on netgalley!

If you're a thriller reader or have read any of her previous work, I hope you pick this up. The story is heartbreaking, intriguing, and so suspenseful, you won't want to put this down!

@sarahpekkanen

QOTD: Would you lie about a medical ailment to keep a family member from leaving you?

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#thrillerbooks #suspensethriller #thrillerreader #thrillerlover #thrillerobsessed #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram #bookaholic #booklover #bookstagrammer #booklove #bookcommunity #bookobsessed #bookworm #booksbooksbooks #booksofig #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookishfeatures #tbr #tbrpile #bookbuzz #mysteryandthrills #BookstaBFF23 #thrillerbooklovers #gonetonight #sarahpekkahan

Sarah Pekkanen’s Gone Tonight starts off slow, alternating between Catherine and her mother Ruth as Catherine believes her mother is suffering from early stage Alzheimer’s disease. But then things begin to shift, leaving Catherine not only doubting her mother’s illness, but everything about her mother. She has good cause, as the secret Ruth has been keeping is massive, and one that could put their lives in danger. The dynamic between the pair makes sense for the storyline, and yet it still isn’t as intense as I thought it would be, since they only had each other. It also seemed to be a little bit too easy for Catherine to begin figuring out what Ruth was hiding, although this creates the opportunity for the story’s climax. The shift in the story did make the book more interesting, but the pacing was slow enough that this never turned into a page-turner for me. It was okay, but not stellar. Pekkanen’s books with Greer Hendricks are still more propulsive in my mind. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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.

An exciting mother - daughter thriller where the reader gets to find out exactly what the character is trying to hide from the other. Ruth is doing everything she can to keep a secret, but Catherine is getting a little too good at uncovering secrets. Until she begins asking questions to the wrong person. Enjoyed the suspense building, and really, the entire second half of the story. Great narration and enjoyable to listen along. Entertaining read!

Thank you Netgalley for the ebook and audio version so I didn’t have to put it down!

This is another great thriller from Sarah Pekkanen! It gave me Pieces of Her vibes thanks to the mother/daughter storyline and alllll the secrets the mom was keeping. There were several little plot twists throughout the book, and based on the ending, I might just need a sequel 👀 this is a quick, bingeable thriller!
TW: Alzheimer’s, sexual assault, domestic abuse

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read before pub day on August 1st!

This is my first book by Pekkanen written by herself - I have read the others written with Greer Hendricks and this book has the same suspenseful build up. I may have been a little underwhelmed at the ending but I did enjoy the writing and I thought that the characters were well developed. I was intrigued with the story from the beginning and thought that the story was well paced and it kept me reading

An excellent thriller about a mother and daughter who have a close bond, but the daughter learns her mother has been keeping (potentially dangerous) secrets. I don't want to say too much and ruin the plot, so I'll just say this one kept me on my toes and I couldn't put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I received a gifted copy of GONE TONIGHT by Sarah Pekkanen – thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.

GONE TONIGHT follows Catherine and Ruth Sterling, a daughter and mother who have been very close throughout their life together. Catherine is working to move forward in life, branching out from her life with just her mother, but her mother isn’t quite ready to let go. There are secrets being kept and high stakes each one doesn’t quite understand.

This was a really interesting story in the way it becomes a bit of a cat and mouse game between our two POV characters. I was more drawn in to Catherine’s storyline initially as she works in a caregiving field and is the daughter to an older mother who is dealing with health crises. Ruth is showing signs of early dementia and that adds and interesting element to the story. I am sometimes wary of having mental issues be a storyline there for twists in a thriller, but I think that it worked out okay with this story line.

Through Ruth we start getting more of the backstory and the reveals of what is going on in the bigger picture and I was soon very invested in her storyline as well. We get a satisfying number of twists and turns as things progress.

Overall this is one that I found a bit slow to engage, but it did keep me wanting answers and kept me listening. I wound up finishing the whole thing in less than 24 hours! GONE TONIGHT is out 8/1/23!

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: August 1, 2023

Rating: 3 stars

I've read all of the other books that Pekkanen co-wrote with Hendricks and I loved them! I was over the moon when I saw that I was approved for this arc.

My favorite part of the whole book was the 3rd Act because it finally had all the intensity I was searching for when reading a thriller. The majority of the book was slow, dry and had a lot of extra details that I felt weren't needed. I did love that we have a popcorn thriller on our hands! (Short chapters) As a mom, I love the short chapters because I feel like I'm flying through a book.

Unfortunately, I think Pekkanen was trying to go for a sense of unease during the first two parts but it left me bored. It may be that I have read my fair share of thrillers so I have a certain expectation. This would be perfect for young adults who are new to the genre or just starting out.

I started reading this book and my heart went out to Ruth and Catherine for the diagnosis. I thought this book was going to go in a completely different direction...as Catherine kept unraveling Ruth's lies/secrets the story kept getting darker and twister. I have to admit that at the end, I was not only rooting for them but also giving them some advice! :)

Definitely recommending this book. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Pekkanen, and St. Martin's Press for this ARC

Ruth runs away from home at 16. Shortly after she realizes she is pregnant. 24 years later, her daughter Catherine has recently graduated from nursing school and wants to embark on her career and get away from her over-protective mother, but suddenly Ruth starts to have memory loss and Catherine fears that it is Alzheimer’s. Only being the two of them, Catherine decides to start searching for family history. The book alternates between the two women, and the reader gets to see the past through their memories. How far would you go to protect your daughter and yourself?
In my opinion this book failed in providing any suspense/thrilling factors. The first 55% were boring with nothing happening. I wanted to see how this ended and pushed through

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth is in her early forties. She and her daughter, Catherine, have been all each other have had for all of Catherine's life. Then Ruth begins to show some very disturbing symptoms. Her memory seems to be slipping. The doctor thinks it could be early onset alzheimer's. Catherine knows how bad that can be. She works with alzheimer and dementia patients. It is only now that Catherine realizes how little she knows of her mother's past and family. As she begins digging the answers she finds leave her with more questions than answers. Nothing Ruth has ever told her daughter is true.
This story is told from alternating POV's Ruth and Catherine. Ruth's story is shows just how far a mother is willing to go to protect her child, from danger and from the truth.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to enjoy this twist filled e-ARC

Ruth Sterling is a single mother still living with her now-adult daughter Catherine. Catherine works in the memory unit of a care home, and as her time living with her mother looks like it is coming to an end, the pair receive a diagnosis that throws a wrench into their lives. For Ruth, the Alzheimer's diagnosis means she needs to start planning how to tell her daughter about her past and where she came from. While Ruth and Catherine have been alone fighting against the world their whole lives, a cat-and-mouse game begins with both trying to uncover the other's secrets.

Sarah Pekkanen again hits it out of the park with Gone Tonight. This book was fun to read, with twists that had me so excited to keep reading and a fantastic pace that made it hard to put the book down. There are some great moments where you realize that the book you throught was about one thing is actually about a different thing entirely. Pekkanen does a great job with the dual narrators, playing them so well off of each other. Ruth's backstory is tragic and you sympathize with her desire to keep it a secret as much as you want Catherine to find out the truth. The competitive mother-daughter game was thrilling to read as it examines how much we really know about our parents.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of Gone Tonight in exchange for an honest review.

Gone tonight had a decent plot. However, that is the only good thing I can say. I hated the characters. Mom/Ruth is so desperate and annoying. Daughter/Katherine is childish and naive. James would have been a decent character, had he been fleshed out more. The author did not make seamless connections between events, which should be evident in hindsight as a psychological thriller. There is also not much of a twist, as the big reveal was done early in the book. I could go on. While I am not an expert on writing psychological thrillers, I have read many and know what makes them work. This one fell flat. I do want to thank NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I wish it was better. I am still a fan of this author, as I have liked all of her other works.

I couldn't stop reading! I love unreliable narrators and although I guessed the "big" shocks of this novel it was still a deliciously thrilling read. It features multiple POV's with unreliable narrators and hidden identities. A young woman trying to escape mom while mom will do ANYTHING to make sure her little girl is safe. A quick enjoyable read that checks all the boxes for a decent thriller even if it was a little predictable at moments.

Ruth Sterling has a secret, and it's one she has been hiding for over two decades. Catherine Sterling, Ruth's daughter, has a secret, and it's one she's been hiding for less than a week. Mother and daughter are each hiding things from the other, and it's a race to see who will be found out first.

This story started off slow for me, but it finally picked up when Catherine realized her mom had been faking early onset Alzheimer's. At that point, I was hooked on cat and mouse game that mom and daughter were playing. There were twists within the plot that made for an interesting read. It's not your traditional "domestic thriller," but it does keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital review copy.