Sarah Pekkanen writes a great suspenseful thriller, whether writing with the incredible Greer Hendricks or solo. I find that the books written with Hendricks are more twist-y psychological thrillers with true devious characters and plots. Pekkanen’s solo works tend to be more domestic suspense in tone and character-driven.

In her latest novel Gone Tonight, Sarah Pekkanen tells the story of a mother and daughter duo who begin to crack when the mother’s past threatens to come back.

I hate when I have to make this choice (because it means I can’t gush about all of the things I want to about a book), but I want to preface my review by saying if you are a reader comfortable going into a book blind, this is a great book to take that strategy with. However, I do feel like there are some things I can discuss without entering spoiler territory.

Gone Tonight is a slow burn, character-driven thriller that is not light on twists and turns. Ruth got pregnant with her daughter Catherine as a teenager, and was turned away by her religious family. At least, that’s what Catherine was told. Catherine has grown up her whole life surrounded by her mother’s love, and experiencing the closeness of a mother-daughter relationship that occurs in those special circumstances where it is just the two of them.

Just as Catherine is preparing to leave home for a new career, Ruth starts to experience symptoms of a degenerative memory condition that trouble Catherine, who works in a memory unit assisting patients as her career. Catherine is worried about her mother, and delays her plans to move away so she can care for her mother. But soon it becomes clear to Catherine that her mother may be faking the condition.

As Catherine struggles to understand what is really going on with her mother, she begins to piece together clues from their past as to who her father may be. Her mother has done a good job protecting them both, but with the veil lifted Catherine begins to see pieces of the puzzle that she hadn’t connected before. Who is her mother really, and who is she running from? Catherine races to put the pieces together, but she doesn’t know that someone else from her mother’s past may find them first.

Told in alternating POV, Gone Tonight is gripping from start to finish. This is a novel about secrets, deception, and deeply buried trauma that you can never truly outrun. While Catherine seeks to understand the lies her mother has told her and parse out the truth among them, Ruth’s story comes out through diary entries written to one day explain to her daughter who she really is and why they are so isolated.

Ruth’s story captivated me, as did Catherine’s search for answers. I was impressed by the skill and intellect both women show—one to cover her tracks and the other to uncover them. Who will be faster and what will the consequences be? That is the question that looms over the book.

As the story progresses, the tension increases at such a slow and steady pace that I felt like the frog in a pot of water, not realizing it was set to boil. By the time the book reaches the big reveal and fall out, I was in a chokehold by this story. Nothing about the story of these two women is simple or straight forward. Twists and turns kept me engaged as each new breadcrumb led to more insight into what was truly going on.

An absolutely gripping novel of psychological suspense!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my copy. Opinions are my own.

I am such a HUGE fan of this author and every time I think I've figured her out, she hits me with a massive plot twist! This book was such a fast paced craze fest and I read it in two sittings because I couldn't put it down. As someone who is incredibly close to my own mom, the mother daughter relationship was so interesting to me and so relatable at times. The ending was so wild and not what I'd expected at all. I loved it!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an enjoyable read. The multiple POVs and unreliable narrator kept the story moving quickly. This book surprised me several times. Would recommend

I was hoping I would love this as much as I loved the works where Sarah was a co-author, but unfortunately I found it to be a bit derivative and just not that interesting. The writing quality is strong, so potential for enjoying later solo books is high.

I really enjoyed the multiple POV in this book. The unreliable narrators kept me guessing!

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.

A very interesting premise with unique elements. Overall it was an entertaining read with some good twists but I had to kind of suspend my disbelief related to parts of it.

This is a book about a mother's love and what she'll so to protect her child. Ruth had never been forthcoming with the details of her past. Even when her father Catherine is doing the asking. There's a reason for that but with mother and daughter not communicating, it gets missed. Sarah Pekkanen does a great job bringing this story to life. There's at twists and turns. Even at the end, you find yourself questioning what is really going on. If you lie books that make you question what you're being told, then this book is for you. It's an easy read that keeps you interested from the beginning.

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

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝔾𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕋𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥
𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗣𝗲𝗸𝗸𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻
Domestic Thriller
352 pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs

After a horrible event, Ruth runs from her boyfriend and the consequences of their actions.

Soon after, she discovers she is pregnant. From that point on, her daughter is her world. She keeps a tight reign on her to keep her safe.

Then, the day comes when her daughter starts to figure out her mom is hiding things. Will she learn the truth?

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs

The characters in Gone Tonight are more than meet the eye. They surprised me as the story progressed. I did wonder why the daughter didn’t start wondering about her mom’s actions sooner, but maybe she just trusted her unconditionally. Both had their issues.

I found Ruth’s story intriguing as it slowly came out as the story bounced from the past to the present. It clues you into her odd behavior in the present time.

The dual timelines were easy to follow and kept me in suspense. If you love a good thriller, give this a read.

💕Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

This felt like an average thriller, nothing special to me. The didn’t love the dual POV - this is starting to feel really cliche in thrillers. Some parts were thrilling and disturbing, but overall it was a little slow. Just okay.

I thought that this book was entertaining and had good twists that I didn't really see coming. That being said, I don't feel like I connected with the characters enough to care too much about what happened to them. Also, I kept getting pulled out of the story when it came to them living in Target. I just can't see how that would happen, especially long term. I felt the author tried to explain it but I still didn't really feel like it was possible. All in all, it was a fine book. I just think I prefer the books that Sarah Pekkanen has written with Greer Hendricks. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

This book was just ok for me. It started off slow but did pick up by the end. I disliked both of the main characters and really wasn't a fan of the alternating points of view.

Disturbing at times, especially with the child abuse. The dual timelines were well done. Characters were sympathetic and interesting. I enjoyed the fast pace and twists and turns.

For Ruth, it's her and Catherine against the world. They've been through a lot together, and Ruth truly believes that Catherine will be by her side forever. When Catherine decides she wants to spread her wings, Ruth realizes she needs to do something to keep her daughter where she belongs.

When Catherine finds out that Ruth has received a terrible diagnosis, she knows she can't leave her mother behind. Unfortunately for Ruth, Catherine's job and degree lead her to do research of her own, and suddenly it's mother against daughter, both of them hiding things from each other that may change their entire lives.

When I read the premise of this book, I almost skipped it. It didn't sound all that interesting to me. But this book is SO much more interesting than the premise, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying it until the very end.

The style is a back and forth first-person narrative, which worked well. The author’s narrative is compelling and reminds the reader that many families are full of secrets, some of them dark and hidden within the recesses of people’s psyches. An excellent novel! 5 stars ⭐️

I have to admit, this felt like an average thriller to me at best. The main threat to Ruth and her daughter, Catherine, doesn't show up until the last quarter of the book. Before then, the tension runs high based solely on the secrets Ruth is keeping and the secrets Catherine starts to keep as she tries to figure out who her mother really is. There are also quite a few gaps of some basic information that, I think, should have been included/addressed. For example:

Ruth knows that Catherine works in a memory care unit at an assisted living facility. Did she not think through the fact that Catherine would know what dementia/Alzheimer's really looks like?

Ruth gets pregnant with Catherine when she's a teenager and runs away from home. What about basic pregnancy challenges like morning sickness? Swollen feet? UTIs? Maternity clothes? Also, when she had Catherine, where did she deliver? Didn't the hospital staff have any questions for her about family/next of kin not coming to visit?

Catherine thinks about how she and her mother moved around a lot through the years. Did they just circle Ruth's original hometown in all those moves? Why wouldn't Ruth try to get farther away?

If Ruth knew the date of James's parole, why was she so freaked out for so many years? It seems like she always lived with this sense of looking over her shoulder, but the narrative clearly states that James was in prison for a definite 20+ years. So why is Ruth living like James just went to prison 20 minutes ago and is about to get out any second? It almost feels like a bad version of a spy film.

Catherine is 24. Did she really not try to press her mother any harder before all this for information about her past? And how is it that Ruth was able to squeeze out enough money to pay for nursing school and yet they don't have enough to go to a hotel to hide?

These were just some of the many questions that kept popping into my brain as I read. I wanted to like this way more, I really did. I've enjoyed the books that Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks have co-authored in the past, and because those are all thrillers I figured this would be a solid read too. But this one felt over the top and not in a good way.

The book didn't surprise me in at all. It just left me confused about the need for all the subterfuge. Clues were dropped in with a casual air, but it was blatantly obvious that an object/person was included to come back later as a key plot element. Most of the time, I was even able to reasonably guess what the item/person would be for later. And the journal entries felt like a clumsy way to give readers information. I just didn't buy into the premise that in some of the most tense moments of her life, Ruth would stop everything else and sit down to write in her journal She couldn't write in it for 24 years, and now, when she thinks she needs to run for her life, she's sitting down and sharing her thoughts and feelings? Not realistic at all..

If you're in the mood for a thriller that won't require a lot of effort on your part, this is good to pick up.

I must say, I love a dual POV, no matter what genre of book - and this one certainly delivered the duality!

Sarah Pekkanen provided absolutely wonderful storytelling as we were taken on the journey of a mother and daughter breaking down walls to their past. Ruth (Ava) has kept so much hidden and built up so many walls for so long to protect Catherine, but Catherine is starting to see all the holes in the stories her mother tells.

I finished this book in a day once I started it as I was incredibly invested in everything that was happening and wanted to continue to piece things together. I feel like I could read it again and get new details that I didn't get the first time as it was packed full of information.

This book was very good. I wouldn't say it was very thrilling per say, BUT it was a good mystery/family drama. I liked the alternating POV's between Ruth and her daughter Catherine. Overall, a very good read. Great book by herself !

Ruth Sterling will do anything to protect her daughter, Catherine. She has invented an entire life to protect Catherine from the truth about Catherine's father, James. But, Catherine is curious about her mother, and digs until she finds her biological father. This sets up a dangerous showdown between James, Ruth, and Catherine.
When James and Ruth (Ava) were teens, and in love, James needed to protect Ava, and in doing so, committed a crime. He never knew about their daughter, Catherine. Ava left town, changed her name, and cut off communications with her family. Now years later, Catherine stirs it all up.
Mother and daughter hide secrets from each other in this psychological thriller.

Trigger Warning: Alzheimer's, Memory Trouble

From the start, I was hooked. The story swaps point of view between, the mom - Ruth and the daughter - Catherine. Their relationship is extremely closeknit until things start unraveling. Ruth begins to tell the reader the truth from the start while Catherine is living naively in the dark. Until Ruth slips a tiny bit. Just enough for Catherine to catch on that things might not be as her mom lead on her whole life. We are then taken through Catherine's every move to try to unravel the lies that her mom told her. Are the lies meant to keep her safe or to manipulate and deceive her? One of them makes a catastrophic mistake that will change everything.

The change in povs was not confusing at all. And even though the reader found out what Ruth was hiding, that did not change the level of suspense Gone Tonight provided the reader. This was fast paced and well written. Definitely a psychological thriller I would be happy to recommend.

I loved this psychological thriller about a single woman and her daughter who have been on the run for 24 years. But the daughter doesn't KNOW they have been on the run, doesn't know her mom's real name or why her mom is so overprotective. Good page turner.