I have been a huge fan of Pekkanen's co-authored books with Greer Hendrix, so I was very excited to read this solo effort. It did not disappoint.

Starting with the writing style, this book has short, engaging chapters. Perspective alternates between the two main characters, Ruth and her daughter Catherine. There is also some jumping back and forth in time for Ruth. This structure resulted in an addictive read for me. I never wanted to put the book down, wondering what would happen next.

The story is mostly mystery with a little bit of thrills in the final act. The book opens with plenty of intriguing questions and Pekkanen supplies tidbits of info throughout to keep you flipping pages. You do get some twists along the way, some early and some late, and they were mostly satisfying.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that was very easy to burn through.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an eArc. All opinions are my own.

I love the books Sarah has written with Greer Hendricks, but this one just didn't really do it for me. It was a bit hard to get into, and I felt myself drudging through it. I think that the medical condition in the book made it extra depressing to read (I just don't do well with medical situations like this). It was okay, not amazing.

WOW! This is my first book by Sarah Pekkanen written by her alone and she is going on my must read author list. The books that she c0-authoured Greer Hendricks are also phenomenal. This book brought me out of my reading slump and I am very thankful for that. I do not think there were any expletives in this book which I also really appreciated. A huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC. 5 stars and highly recommended!

Sarah Pekkanen has just moved the goal posts again...WOW! What a moving thriller we have with Gone Tonight!
Look, I'll put it to you gently this ain't no play time fun that ends with a mediocre closing that won't pull you to your knees and make you beg for help. This is the book that is a must read for 2023 and beyond for those who love excitement, thrills, chills, and heck -SPILLS! YIKES...
It all begins innocently enough with a mother daughter duo who moved around a lot during their younger years. Ruth (mom) was always on the go and seemlessly always with something up her sleeve. Yes, say that again?!
Well, folks Catherine begins to piece the puzzle together and when she realizes that her mom isn't who she thought she becomes anxious to uncover the mystery behind the events that have been shaping both their lives.
Simultaneously, the missing spokes on the wheel are also addressed and with a luster that shines brighter than the sharpest diamond in the box.
Holy smokes this one blew me off my seat and nearly out of my pants..I kid you not!
Just when you think you've experienced everything in this genre of thrillers/mysteries you uncover a whole new level that's jaw dropping especially with regards to the past lives of some of these characters not limited to but including the family, friends, and yes, even the dates that Catherine had endured. Yes, Ethan I see you and raise the glass to you. My word!
Speak of the devil ---what is this about high school, coach, and carrying on without saying a word?....
Ok, I digress--look, someone killed the coach. Someone knows the story behind the story. Someone may just get away with murder. Who you might ask is quite explorative, exhaustive, but oh, so damn good!
You know sometimes they say those raised in two person households have a better chance in life. However, what if one or both parents is severly limited in their ability to parent? Can we not just go there and address that because Catherine needs us.
So, sorry to those who lost their lives but you know it's all in the name of fun in love and war or was that till death do us part, or perhaps it was see ya later alligator....
OUCH! That was splendid! The entire storyline was rough, tough, and full of angst with plenty of thrills to blend this cocktail mixer together.
I loved that ending with all the frills and wouldn't want it served up any other way.
Great read by one of the best- Sarah Pekkanen!
Thank you to the team for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
The Secret Book Sleuth highly recommends this gem!

For all of her life, it has just been Catherine and her mother Ruth. She has always felt close to Ruth and feels that she knows her deeply. When Catherine is ready to spread her wings and move out on her own, Ruth would do anything to prevent this from happening. On her quest to keep Catherine close, Ruth's carefully constructed past starts to unravel. Does Catherine really know her mother at all? Or has everything she has ever been told a lie?

I am not sure what I thought this book would be about from the description of it, but it was very surprising. I found myself very compelled by the characters and I found the twists to be very surprising. The plot was engaging and I found it hard to put down after the 30% mark in the book. I did find it hard to get into at first as the beginning was not very interesting to me. I also found some things a little hard to believe, but overall I enjoyed this book.

This was a slow burn in the beginning, but I enjoyed the way it wrapped up. It was ultimately a good read and kept me guessing.

This is a domestic suspense/thriller that has a different interpretation of the term "domestic" than the more typical married couple. In this novel we are introduced to mother Ruth and daughter Catherine, who live together, and Ruth is showing signs of Alzheimer's. Catherine works as a nurse in memory care, ironically, and she is about to move a few hours away for her new job at Johns Hopkins. Her mother's memory issues are throwing a wrench into her plan.

You might be wondering why this is classified as domestic suspense, but let's just say Ruth has been running from her past, and it's now going to be brought back to her.

Do you have to suspend some disbelief at parts of this? Yes, but it's still a fun thriller that has a more unique premise than you normally see. The characters are more well-rounded than the typical thriller, and it is more propulsive as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

So. Freaking. Good. I couldn't put this down. The tug and pull between mother and daughter, present and past was addicting. This had a strong mystery, so many great twists, and excellent characters.

Thanks so much NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Catherine is about to leave her home where she leaves with her mom to start a new career. However, her mom may have dementia. Catherine starts to put some pieces together of things that never made since to her - her mom's secretive past, how they always moved around, and now she thinks her mom is faking the memory loss.

Ruth has always been ready to move at a moment's notice. She wants to keep Catherine safe. There's a lot of lying.

What is the danger?

This book is told from the POVs of Catherine and Ruth. IT IS AWESOME. I thought I had it figured out, and then the author would change the story somehow. I was so impressed at the end that I had my mouth opened. 5 FREAKING AMAZING STARS

One of my fave authors! She has outdone herself again. Outstanding, with plenty of twists and turns. I'm in a ton of book clubs online and I always recommend any of her books. She's amazing!

I receive this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.. 4.5/5 stars

This book had me on the edge of my seat. The story is told from the viewpoints of Catherine, the daughter and Ruth, the mom.

Catherine is ready to start her career and move to Baltimore but when her mom is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Catherine decides to stay home knowing her mom will need help. Soon she discovers that Ruth has been lying about her diagnosis. What else is she lying about? Turns out, lots.

Catherine starts digging into her mom's past life and soon discovers something in her past. Why is Ruth hiding these things?. Slowly, the story unwinds with a pretty dramatic ending.

I loved the author’s other books but this one just didn’t do it for me. No shocking moments or twists and turns. The characters weren’t especially memorable either. The idea had great potential but the whole book feel short for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

While this book was good, something about it holds me back from giving it a rave. The story is told from two points of view: Ruth a 42 year old mother and Catherine her 24 year old daughter. The duo are extremely close and have no contact with extended family. As Catherine is preparing to strike out and be more independent, her mother begins to show signs of Alzheimer’s. Or is she?

From Ruth’s POV we learn her backstory and from Catherine’s we see her discover her mother has been lying to her whole life. The mysteries and clues are nicely doled out and the book comes to a satisfying conclusion but something about it didn’t feel unique enough to wow me. Maybe I’ve read too many mysteries and I need a lot to blow me away.

Having said that, it is a good book and a fast read.

This book definitely held my interest. Ive been in quite a reading slump so probably didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have if I read it at a different time, but still a good read.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martens for sending me this ARC in return for my honest review. I read this in one sitting and could not put it down. It’s a great palette cleanser book. However, there are not any crazy twists and it’s not entirely memorable. Despite this, if someone is a fan of Pekkanen’s other books, it’s absolutely worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This story follows a mother and daughter. Caroline starts to question things her mother is doing and digs into her mom Ruth’s past. There are things not adding up. Ruth (mom) starts to notice and tries to stop Caroline from looking too closely.

3/5 stars. I enjoyed the beginning and then it became a little slow in the middle. I liked the ending but felt like it was one you saw coming ahead of time.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️. This is my fifth book by this author and sadly 4 out of 5 were only 3 stars, so I’m not sure this author is for me. I did like You Are Not Alone (4 stars). I think it’s mainly the writing that I don’t love. While the chapters are shorter and easy to read, there’s just way too many unnecessary fillers throughout the whole book. I don’t need a whole paragraph on how a Brita filter was changed or step by step of someone washing and drying their silverware, pouring a cup of coffee, picking up a notepad, opening a laptop and starting a search. Just way too many unneeded details.

As far as the storyline, it had potential but just no WOW surprising moments. It was a very slow burn. I would say it didn’t pick up until about 80%. The ending had one little surprise in it but it wasn’t enough to increase my rating.

I did like how the chapters alternated between Ruth and Catherine’s POVs. The chapters that contained the journal entries were good but again, just too much rambling of unnecessary things. The book probably could have been 50 pages shorter without all the fillers.

Sadly, I don’t think I’d recommend this one. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

To see other reviews I’ve left, check out my Instagram and Goodreads pages:
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*Goodreads - Cherihy808

It's fast-moving, and I read it in two days. There's something Ruth is keeping a secret, but is it good or bad? The story is straightforward, without really a mystery-type of feel. However, it's still intriguing. The ending is emotional, and I wish there were more of the family at the end. It seems like I have been holding my breath the whole time, just like Ruth. I feel that Ruth's family life was not fully written. At times, I wish there was more of a backstory there with her mother. I love the simple yet complex full-circle relationship between Ruth, Catherine, and Mateo.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed GONE TONIGHT - the alternating chapters made for a quick read, and it was generally a fast-paced and entertaining story! Would recommend to anyone looking for a thriller centered around the mom and daughter relationship.

I received this book as an ARC for an honest review. I am actually torn on this review. I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to see how it all played out and was so engrossed in the story but I also think it was drawn out a bit. The novel is about a girl with an abusive alcoholic mother who falls head over heals with a young man. Her family is poor and she is picked on in school. This handsome stranger comes at the right time and in her words "saves her". Then something horrible happens and she realizes he is not who she thought she was. She finds herself on the run from the law, from him and pregnant. She survives on the streets and assumes a new identity. She struggles to build a life for her and her daughter all the while lying to everyone including her daughter. The story is set in two narratives, one of the mom including her journals to introduce past events and one of the daughter. The author is good at spinning a tale that you can't put down but at times (especially 3 AM) I wish her descriptions were a bit shorter. But if you want a story with a strong female protagonist who got handed a bad deal on life but still fights to do what she can to protect her child, this is great. The storyline unwinds as you learn what happened in the past from the mom's perspective as well as the daughter's. I do recommend this book.