Catherine and her mother, Ruth, are two peas in a pod. Ruth is the only family Catherine knows. Her mom's very religious family abandoned her as a teenager when they found out she was pregnant. Her father denied being her father. It's always been them and no one else. But as the time goes by, Ruth is showing signs of Alzheimer's. How is Catherine going to leave to start her adult career with her mom becoming forgetful? Ruth finally reveals that her own mother died at an early age from early onset Alzheimer's. Catherine decides to dive deeper into researching her mom's past, but not everything adds up. It is as if Ruth appeared after Catherine was born. There is nothing in Ruth's past that Catherine can find. Who is this woman that Catherine has known all her life?
I was first introduced to Sarah Pekkanen with her sometimes co-author Greer Hendricks. These two are a powerhouse couple and can write the best, twisted, thrillers! Sarah Pekkanen also can write one great, keep you guessing suspenseful story. If you haven't checked her out, please do! I thought Gone Tonight was going in one direction when I started this book and I ended up in a totally different place. The book was written in present time with Ruth revealing the past in her chapters. The book is divided into Ruth and Catherine's point of views and each chapter is clearly labeled so there is no confusion. I will always be on the lookout for Sarah Pekkanen's work and I will always recommend her work to others. Special thanks to Sarah Pekkanen, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 4 stars for me #NetGalley

I'm a big fan of Sarah Pekkanen along with Greer Hendricks books. I knew when Sarah came out with her solo read I had to read and I was not disappointed. Great characters with a wild ride of a story. Thanks for an advanced copy for a honest review.

I have read previous works by this author and was happy to get an early opportunity at reading her new effort. The chapters alternate between the two main characters.
Ruth has constructed impenetrable walls and safeguards around herself and daughter to prevent dangerous consequences. But where is the line between manipulation, protecting someone you love and keeping them safe? When are the lies and deceit too much?
Ruth is a single mom, pregnant too young, a middle-aged waitress barely getting by. She and daughter Catherine move often in the middle of the night. Catherine is studying to become a nurse and works in the memory care unit for a facility. She’s recently noticed some lapses and telltale conditions of early onset Alzheimer’s with her mom. The author uses well researched and knowledgeably described signs and symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease throughout. With over fifty years of personal experience in the long term care industry, I felt the scenarios and events were well portrayed and realistic. Great insight into a terrible disease.
Catherine has no knowledge of her own personal or her mom’s family background or any relatives. She’s becoming increasingly curious with the possibility the Alzheimer’s is hereditary. Ruth remains secretive and vague. Ruth perceives imminent danger, walls are closing in and crumbling around her carefully constructed life of lies. Ruth has no close friends, her life and top priority is her daughter. Ruth’s character and circumstances is sympathetic, however she isn’t particularly likable. She began to annoy and exasperate me while I tried not to judge her decisions. It did not prevent me from enjoying the plot. There are surprising outcomes and life or death situations. There is a strong reason for Ruth’s behavior, there is more to her mysterious past than you can predict. It’ll be up to you to decide if she chose the right path or if the consequences are worth her course of action.
I received a digital advance reader copy of “Gone Tonight” by Sarah Pekkanan, published by St Martin’s Press. The expected publication date is August 1, 2023. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation..

I have adored Sarah Pekkanen's co-authored thrillers, so I figured a solo thriller from her would also be great. And y'all, it was! This is the story of a mother and daughter, but more than anything, it's the story's of a mother's secrets. Ruth is hiding a whole bunch of things from her daughter Catherine, and it's not clear why. The story is told by both Ruth and Catherine, and as a reminder, dual narrators are my most favorite storytelling mechanisms. For Ruth, it's a show reveal of why she's done what she's done, and for Catherine, it's being on the trail of the why. Their narrations slowly come together twists and turns. This one kept me reading and guessing, and it was a solid thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for the (very) early look at this August 2023 release!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review! This was not my favorite Sarah Pekkanen book. While the plot was good, the story seemed to drag on and it was difficult to get into. The characters didn't seem relatable. Overall, it was a good story idea but I probably wouldn't read it again.

Gone Tonight had such potential but it fell extremely flat and dull for me. There was a lot of unnecessary details that were thrown in this one that took away from the actual meat of the storyline. It had no real surprises and was very predictable.

I was sad because the author could have really developed Catherine's character to have the "darkness" that lives in herself. I, personally like my thrillers a lot darker and dysfunctional then what was at play here.

Overall, wasn't that impressed. 2.75/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 8/1/23
Published to GR: 1/30/23

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Gone Tonight" and all opinions expressed are my own. A good book! Very fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat. A lot of twists and turns! Lots of secrets too! Overall kept my interest and enjoyed reading it.

4,25 stars! This is the 4th book I have read by Sarah Pekkanen as a solo writer and I have read all her books which she co-wrote with Greer Hendricks. This was fantastic! I loved the unraveling and view points from mother and daughter. Gone Tonight was so well done! I cannot wait to see what Pekkanen comes up with next. She is a wonderful writer and develops unique characters so well.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for inviting me to read, Gone Tonight, in exchange for my honest review.

This is a well-crafted plot which uncovers a series of secrets.

There are two POVs in this book from a 42-year-old mother, Ruth, and her 24-year-old daughter, Catherine. They lived together in a small affordable apartment with thin walls in Harrisburg, PA.

Ruth dropped out of high school at 17 years old to move away after a tragic event. This single parent survived financially by working as a waitress for years. She encouraged Catherine to go to college and was pleased when she graduated from nursing school. At the beginning, she had just accepted her dream job at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. However, her mother now had symptoms of dementia. Catherine questioned whether she should take this position and leave her mother behind.

At first, I thought this was another book about one’s memory being ripped away. In this case, it would be from the mother with dementia with her daughter taking care of her. Catherine asked herself, “How long until I’m the sole memory keeper of our life together?”

But as I continued, there quickly was an unexpected plot which kept me glued to the pages. Each character had their own agendas. The writing was pretty smooth for both – almost too smooth as in real life, it’s difficult for someone or both to articulate their thoughts so well.

There’s a lot to learn in this book about being captive with Alzheimer’s and running from a complex situation. Toward the end, I was deeply touched by what happened -- a sign of a good story.

My thanks to Sarah Pekkanen, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of August 1, 2023.

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen is a story of a mother doing whatever it takes to keep her daughter safe, even if it means living a lie. I found some parts of the storyline slow, and predictable, and I felt like there weren't as many twists I'm used to from Sarah Pekkanen. Overall the book was enjoyable, but I was left wanting more from it.

Sarah Pekkanen has hit it out of the park again with this thriller. Ruth Sterling has one job to do and that is to protect her and her 24 year old daughter Catherine. Ruth has given up everything for her daughter including her identity, her father and her brother, and her old life. When Catherine starts to question some of her mother's intentions she comes to a blinding answer, her mother is not who she appears to be. With a scathed past haunting them they have to do whatever it takes to keep themselves alive. I have loved all of Sarah's books and this one is the same page turner we all expect from her. Thank you St Martin's press and NetGalley for this ARC for an honest review.

This was an interesting read. However, at times it could get wordy without a lot being said. The ending did not make much sense to me but if I said why it would give away too much of the plot. Not a lot of suspense but still a fun read.

I know I'm in the vast minority here, but I simply could not get into this book and it was so bad that I actually couldn't finish it. I've never said that about a Pekkanen novel before, but I just really struggled with this one... I appreciate that I no doubt missed out on the good bits, but I struggled so mightily with the back and forth between the characters that I simply couldn't stick with it long enough to get there. I'm not exactly sure why I responded to this one as I did, but I found the writing style and the characters difficult to connect with in a way that I have never felt about one of her novels before. Others rave about it, but I simply couldn't get into it - not sure if it's just the wrong book at the wrong time or what, but I did not enjoy this one.

Amazing story! I just wanted to read it without stopping! Catherine has graduated from nursing school and has a job waiting for her at a prestigious hospital. Ruth, her mother, is developing signs of Alzheimer’s so Catherine is reluctant to move. The story is told from the POV of Ruth and Catherine. Although the story seems to focus on the relationship between mother and daughter, it is also full of lies and deceit and no one seems to be who they are. Gripping story!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve read several books by Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks and enjoyed them immensely so I was eager to read a book written by only one of them to see if it was as good. Pekkanen does not disappoint as Gone Tonight is a riveting page-turner that will keep the reader guessing with all it twists and turns.

The story centers around a mother daughter relationship with the daughter questioning whether she truly knows her mother. Catherine Sterling is about to move to Baltimore when her mother suddenly exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer’s, which causes Catherine to put her plans on hold. Catherine begins to question her mothers symptoms and then becomes more suspicious about little things her mother Ruth has told her. However, Ruth has kept many secrets from Catherine in order to protect her but Catherine doesn’t see it that way and questions everything about her mother.

The story is told from two POVs (Ruth and Catherine) and the chapters alternate. The twists and turns are amazing and the suspense keeps you turning the pages. There are things that happen that I never saw coming and the ending is definitely unpredictable. Gone Tonight is a great thriller and I cannot wait for Pekkanen’s next book. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another winner from Pekkanen - this time in her first solo thriller! I have enjoyed all of Pekkanen's books (her older women's fiction and her domestic suspense co-written with Greer Hendricks) - she is one of those authors that I drop everything for when her books are in my hands. Gone Tonight is a story of the lengths a mother will go to to protect her child and it had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!

Catherine Sterling thinks she knows everything there is to know about her mother, but little does she know the woman she calls mother has a few secrets, one's she has every intention of keeping hidden. Even if it means keeping her daughter completely sheltered from the outside world to do it!

This one had me hooked from it's opening lines and it didn't let up until the last page came!! I'm still wondering what the heck I just read, it's pages held a story that kept me on my toes and questioning my every thought the whole way through. It introduces us to mother and daughter duo Catherine and Ruth. Catherine and her mother are close, almost obsessively so, her mother never lets her get more than two steps away, and now that she has grown older she is ready to leave home and have a life of her own. But mother Ruth can't let that happen, as she has secrets that threaten to come to light if they are separated, she must maintain control. But that becomes easier said than done when her inquisitive daughter starts to poke around in her past!

Gone Tonight is a thrilling little page-turner that is destined to find it's way to the bestseller's lists!! These two women have quite the captivating tale to tell and I highly recommend you invite them into your world!!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

I’m struggling to put one word in front of the other right now. I just imbibed this book in one sitting, and I’m drunk. Is my chair actually spinning, or is it just my sloshy brain? This story did things to me.

When we begin, we‘re introduced to our two main characters in chapters of alternating perspectives: Ruth, a mother suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s, and Catherine, her daughter. All appearances lead us to believe that we’re reading an emotional family drama exploring the impacts of dementia, but appearances can be deceiving. Occasionally, a random line clues us in that things might not be what we think they are. Around the one-third mark, the story takes a sharp left turn, punches the reader right between the eyes, and tauntingly yells, “Yeah, I’m not what you thought I was, huh?” From there, truth and lies wrestle on a precarious battlefield, where shocking revelations lurk in every corner, waiting to leap at you when you least expect it.

Everything about this book, from its structure to its characterization work to its pacing, is absolutely brilliant. I’m always a fan of stories that detail the present while recollecting the past, but this one is a cut above the rest: my heart raced waiting for the jarring impact from that moment when these two timelines crash into each other.

If you’re looking for a compelling story full of complexities that will throw your world off-balance and leave you shaking in your boots, grab this one as soon as possible. This is a book to get excited about; it’s a book to cancel plans for. Don’t miss it.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Catherine is shocked when her mom becomes sick. It has always been the two of them fir as long as she can remember. They always move every couple years. I liked the complexity of the mother daughter relationship in this book.

There is no bond like that of a mother and daughter….

Ruth and her daughter Catherine are inseparable. It’s always been just the two of them. Moving from city to city, never allowing anyone else to get too close.

Now Catherine is in her twenties, and spreading her wings, embarking on a separate career path. And Ruth is starting to panic. She must keep them together. At what lengths will Ruth go - to keep her grip on her daughter, and the past hidden?

But the tighter Ruth holds on, the more Catherine questions the reason why!

Told in the present and past, we learn what led up to Ruth’s obsession with maintaining secrecy. The question is…Is it justified? Well…I’m certainly not going to spill the beans. You’ll have to read this book to find out!

Wow! Sarah Pekkanen writes a gripping, suspenseful read that will keep you reading late into the night! I was captivated from the first page to the last!

Definitely one of my top thriller reads for this year!

A buddy read with Susanne 🤓📚

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press