Member Reviews
It was fine.
The pace was a bit slow for most of the story but revved up at the end. The main problem was the plot device used which really bothered me. It would be a spoiler to reveal, but it was depressing.
The chapters alternate with povs from the mother, Ruth, and her grown daughter, Catherine. Ruth has some big secrets from her past and her daughter gets suspicious and starts investigating her and her motives. This went round and round for most of the novel. I just grew tired of the back and forth.
There are some edge-of-your-seat moments at the end that really helped the pace.
Please check out the other reviews, it could be me and not the book. Maybe give it a try.
Thanks to NG for my ARC. OUT August 1, 202
First off, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an eARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving my review!
Alright, so for “Gone Tonight” by Sarah Pekkanen, I am giving 5 stars. This was a fast-paced psychological thriller centered around a mother and daughter and I really enjoyed this storyline. Catherine thinks she knows her mother Ruth and would never think to question her past or background, but when she sees her desperate attempts to keep her super close to her, she knows something isn’t quite right. Ruth has to make sure her past stays hidden and there’s a reason why in a moments notice she’s prepared to pick their lives up and be gone. Danger seems to be closing in and Ruth doesn’t know if it’s her past or something within her daughter that’s beginning to surface. Like I said, I really enjoyed this book and this definitely made you want to keep turning the pages for sure. I definitely recommend checking this one when it’s released in August!
Thank you to St. Martins Press, Netgalley and Sarah Pekkanen for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Gone Tonight had me hooked from the beginning. Its told from dual perspectives from mother and daughter while also switching back and forth from past to present.
This book makes you question just how far you'd go to save a loved one?
I don't even want to go really into detail without divulging too much info.
If you enjoy thriller and suspenseful books then I highly suggest this one.
So so good. Loved the different point of views of mother and daughter . Both felt unreliable and I could not read it fast enough. The twists were enjoyable and thr ending tied up so perfectly but still left you wondering. Would highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC
For starters, I was super excited to get an early copy of this book since I have enjoyed and read every book that the author, Sarah Pekkanen has co-written with Greer Hendricks. This is the first book that I saw with just Pekkanen alone, so I was very curious.
Gone Tonight, tells us the story of the mother-daughter duo of Ruth and Catherine Sterling. Ruth gave birth to Catherine at seventeen years old, and they have been on the “run” their whole lives. Ruth has switched jobs, apartments, schools- but why? Why can’t they just stay in one place and be happy? They also only have each other as they are estranged from the very few family members that they do have. Is Ruth Sterling really who she says she is? Is Ruth just an overprotective mother, or is there something more sinister involved? Catherine goes on a mission (finally after 24 years), throughout this story to find out what her mother has been hiding.
I really enjoyed the alternating POV’s between Ruth and Catherine. The chapters were nice and short, which in turn kept me turning the pages faster. However, while I enjoyed the story, I just wasn’t at the edge of my seat like I thought I would be. The twists and the outcome were rather predictable, and I didn’t find it that “thrilling”.
I still recommend reading this book as the storyline was interesting and different from the common mystery/thrillers out there. It was also a fairly fast read, which was a bonus.
I was looking forward to this so much. Unfortunately it was very boring and I kept losing interest. And the weird sexual stuff??? It made me uncomfortable.
I went into this knowing nothing - not even if Sarah Pekkanen still writes thrillers when not co-writing with Greer Hendricks. I've loved all of their books together, so I was excited to find out.
Gone Tonight was full of twists and turns. The fundamental nature of the book and the characters kept getting flipped. None of it felt like it was following a formula and I didn't have a reference for where it might go, so I was always surprised. Sometimes it wasn't clear who or what to root for. I was just along for the ride and I loved it.
(I did maybe yell "just talk to each other" a few times, though, like this was a romance novel where they have silly communication problems. The communication problems here weren't silly, but they did get frustrating.)
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen. This book was amazing! It honestly started out a little slow and the reader was greatly surprised by the road they traveled to learn about the true story of Ruth and her daughter Catherine. What a mother will go through to keep their daughter safe. I enjoyed the differing points of view from mother to daughter, as well as the backstory of history of how Ruth got to the place she was today. I will not spoil this for future readers but definitely recommend it. Make sure you have the time to dedicate as you will not be able to put this one down!
One of the best thrillers I have read this year. This book will make you question your closest relationships and what others could be hiding. Highly enjoyable and entertaining, must read.
I'm going to start off by saying, I REALLY enjoyed this book. It was definitely a slow burn where it takes some time for us to get to the truth with information trickling out gradually. It was set up perfectly with alternating point of views of Catherine, the daughter, and Ruth, the mother. Ruth's chapters also go into the past.
While at first, I thought, a lot of things here can be avoided if only there was honesty between these two characters but is anyone ever 100% honest? I don't think so. We all have our secrets that we carry and both of these characters have their own share. We never really get confirmation about the person Catherine is but there are suggestions sprinkled throughout the book. You'll understand when you read it. I think that added to the book for me.
I have to say thrillers never tug at my emotions. Usually they shock me or make me feel tense. And I did experience the latter in this book but I also felt sad and happy at times too. Some people go through so much in their lives, it's a good reminder to be kind to everyone because you don't know what's going on behind the scenes.
This book was 5 star hit for me. I also recommend you check out The Wife Between Us which is probably one of my top 5 thriller books. Also, this author has some pretty good contemporary books too many of which I have read as well.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Pekkanen, and St. Martins Press for a copy of Gone Tonight in exchange for an honest review. Well not to fan girl to hard over here but Sarah Pekkanen can do no wrong in my eyes!! This is another amazing book! Ruth and Catherine have a mother daughter relationship that many would envy. This relationship starts to unravel as Catherine tries to look into her mothers past. I won’t say much more as to not spoil anything BUT the ending was a perfect bow to tie the book all together. This one comes out on August 1st and it absolutely better be on your radar!
Thank you to St.Martins Press and Sarah Pekannen for the ARC of “ Gone Tonight “. When I started the book I thought. Oh no, another sad Alzheimer’s story. But then you get a very subtle twist to the story, that was so well done! The book took a totally different turn, packed with mystery suspense, and on to the final smashing ending!! Since I am posting this on Goodreads, I’ll leave out the spoilers. The 3 main characters carried the story along, there was no need for insertion of characters just to take up space. Kudos to Sarah Pekkanen, you have a best seller here!
Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.
How far does a mother go to protect her child (and her own secrets!)
Sarah’s latest book is a slow-burn thriller. Love that it’s told in dual perspectives.
Satisfying to the end and definitely worth the read!
A great psychological mystery that I finished in a day. Unfortunately for me it was a bit slow, with not very much going on in the first half of the book.
Ruth gets pregnant with Catherine at 17. She flees her hometown living on the run pregnant and on her own. They move often to keep out of sight from anyone who might have known Ruth.
25 years later Ruth begins a journal to share about why she’s so secretive and protective of her daughter.
I enjoyed the two POV’s and short chapters especially when Ruth was writing in her journal. I just didn’t connect much with it as a thriller. I do recommend it, because it is quite a shocker and unlike anything I’ve ever read.
A good page turner by an author I have read before. Really enjoyed it and thanks for the opportunity to read. Thanks.
This is my first book written solely by this author. I have previously enjoyed her jointly written books, which is what attracted me to this book.
My first NetGalley read did not disappoint!
This book flipped between:
slow burn and page turner
clichéd twists and shocking twists
Mother and daughter
Secrets and Truths
Halfway through I wasn’t really sold on the plot but I’m glad I stuck with it and it had a satisfying ending
Gone Tonight is the story of a somewhat dysfunctional mother-daughter duo and the secrets a mother keeps from her daughter to keep her safe.
Catherine is the daughter who is finally ready to spread her wings and move for a new job when she finds out her mother might be suffering from early stage Alzheimers disease. Catherine cancels her plans to move in order to take care of her mother but becomes curious about her mother's past. They don’t have relatives, have moved endless times and her mother has lied about the few details she did share about her past.
Ruth is Catherine's mother who is overly attached to and a little obsessed with her daughter. Ruth has been running from her past. But what is she running from and why?
The story is told in three acts and delves into what we pass down to our children and how far a mother will go to protect her child.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This is a must read when this book is released August 1, 2023!
I thought this book was a fun wild ride to see what the mom was hiding. At some points it feel feel a little repetitive and drawn out, but otherwise, I did enjoy it.
A great thriller with lots of twists and turns. the duel point of view was well written and fluent.