I loved this book! It’s the first I’ve read (listened to) by Sarah Pekkanen on her own. I wasn’t disappointed! I don’t want to give anything away, but I was on the edge of my seat. The narration was spot on and flowed nicely. Didn’t hear any breathing or other noises. Thanks for the opportunity!

📖 🎧: Gone Tonight by: Sarah Pekkanen | 📅Pub Day: OUT NOW!!! (Tuesday August 1, 2023)

To start I absolutely L O V E D this audiobook and it was such a pleasant surprise that Actress Kate Mara was the narrator. Her voice acting really solidified the thrilling and dark mood of the whole novel!

All in all this audio book was so so so good and I could talk about it for days, but I’ll leave it brief because it’s better if you know little to nothing about this book before diving in!!!

✨Masterfully Crafted Domestic Psychological Mystery Suspense
✨Narrated by Kate Mara (actress in A Teacher, House of Cards, and most recently Class of ‘09)
✨Mother Daughter relationship
✨Dual POV
✨Multiple Timelines
✨False Truths & Manipulation
✨Unreliable Narrator(s)???

4.75⭐️

The best comparison I could give is Netflix’s Ginny and Georgia, but much darker and more ominous!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

This was an interesting mystery-thriller. There wasn't really much "thriller" involved. It was more about learning the mom's history and figuring out why certain things were happening. I enjoy this type of story, where it's a mystery until the end, then there's the thriller moments. I don't want to say too much and spoil anything for anyone, but I will say that these characters probably won't be your favorite people.

My personal preference would have been to leave off one or two the "twists" at the very end, but that seems to be something many people enjoy so I may be in the minority on that.

I had both an ebook and audio. The audio was narrated by Kate Mara. She did a wonderful job. She distinguished between Ruth and Catherine and I never felt confused as to which character was narrating the current the chapter.

Overall, I thought it was a good story and I wanted to know what was happening or would happen, so I am going with 4 stars.

Received as a free digital ARC (audiobook).

I loved the narrator, Kate Mara, and felt she did wonderful. The sound was clear and professional. I would definitely love to hear more stories she narrates. She has such a lovely voice, cadence, and does both main characters well.

The story alternates between 2 points of view, Ruth, the mother, and Catherine, her daughter. It explores the relationship between mother and daughter and what and to what cost would you go to protect that daughter. as Ruth shares her past, bit by bit, we learn her daughter is no dummy. She sees right through her mother and does her own research. There are a lot of assumptions on both sides of the relationship and as the story comes to a head, it may be more of a story of fear and survival. Some plots and twists of the book were predictable. The ending was a bit of a surprise.

I have been thinking about the nature of mother-daughter relationships a lot lately. Mothers can be "bad" at parenting. It is just that sometimes when they are demonized, they shouldn't be because their actions' source is unclear. Gone Tonight is a look into the mother-daughter relationship of Ruth and Catherine Sterling. On the surface, Catherine wants to know more about her mother and her past, but she can't get past Ruth's walls. She starts to question whether or not the things she knew about her past (like moving from city to city) were a lie. Catherine's upbringing has made her sheltered. Knowing simple trivia about Ruth is difficult from high school attended to childhood friends and family. Ruth is fortress and calculating, but is she a bad mother? Why is she so guarded? Catherine finally wants more independence as a new college graduate, but her mother seems to be trying to keep her close. This motivates Catherine to uncover her mother's past, especially after catching her in lies. Gone Tonight moves slowly between the mother and daughter's point of view allowing the reader to understand and empathize with both characters.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced audiobook copy.

Happy Pub Day! 4.5 stars - Gone Tonight is the story of Ruth and Catherine Sterling - a close-knit mother and daughter whose world slowly unravels as Catherine follows a long-buried trail in order to find out more about Ruth's past and present. I wouldn't consider this to be a thriller, more suspenseful, although there are some thrilling moments. The strongest part of this story is its character development. I really connected to both Ruth and Catherine and their decisions and motivations. I appreciated the strength of their relationship and also its complexity. I thought the scenes when Ruth recalls her struggles as a young, solo, pregnant teen were especially well done.

A few small complaints - I enjoyed the narration by Kate Mara, but I wished that two different narrators had done Ruth and Catherine's voices. It sometimes became confusing who I was listening to if I picked it up mid chapter.

Also, I felt that the big ending was a little rushed. I wish the tension had been drawn out a bit further to build to a bigger climax. The epilogue was great, though. Really tied it together.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this book!

This summer has been so abundant with amazing new releases in thriller genre. But this novel in particularl stands out because it explores so deeply the mother-daughter relationship and probes at how far a mother is willing to go to protect her child.

The story alternates between two POVs, one of Ruth Sterling, the mother, and one of Catherine, her twenty-four year old daughter. This story has a peculiar quality to lead you through the maze of assumptions about mother's motives and character. But as Ruth shares about her past, bit by bit, you begin to realize that things are not what they seem, and that the reasons for Ruth's actions lie much deeper. What seemed to look like an obsessive mother's behavior or mental illness, turns out to be as terrifying as the primal fear and survival instinct.

Catherine is so clever to see right through her mother, and I was impressed at how quickly she begins to unravel the deception carefully constructed around her. The ending gave me some Natural Born Killer vibes, and I felt a hint of disappointment in Catherine's character. I wanted so badly for her to be good!

What a great action and psychological thriller! Unique premise and terrific execution makes this a must-read.

I won’t be posting any reviews or ratings on social media simply because I don’t feel like this story was written for me. The story was interesting enough, but lost me at times. I found myself asking “But why?” throughout the whole book and I never felt any satisfaction when answers were given. And when I was supposed to feel satisfaction, it would be taken away from me in the next perspective. For example, there were multiple times when we would be given a piece of information and the daughter would naively think one thing, but in the next chapter, the mother would immediately tell you exactly what the daughter was supposed to gain from that piece of information. I completely understand the excitement that the writer would feel while writing bits like that, but as the reader, it didn’t hit me right. I feel like the story would have benefited from being told in a different perspective, not one that constantly jumped from mother to daughter.
It was a great concept, but if it was told a little differently, it would have a been a great story.
As for the audiobook, the production was great. The sound was clear and professional, I never heard any weird audio hiccups, and I thought the actor did a wonderful job.

I really did enjoy all the twists and turns that this novel took although it wasn’t very mysterious and I could see a lot of the plot evolving before it actually evolved in the page

Gone Tonight had me on the edge of my seat as the story unfolded both from Ruth’s perspective as she details the past and reacts to Catherine suspicions, and all the discoveries Catherine was making! I enjoyed this mother/daughter dynamic! This is one I was happy I made time to listen straight through as I had to know how it all turned out! There were parts I could predict, but also some surprises, especially at the end.

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to the audio version narrated by the actress Kate Mara. I’ve listened to her in the past and enjoyed her performance, as I did here. She has a pleasant voice that keeps you hooked. I will say that this was more like her reading the story than acting out the different voices, so there wasn’t any big change between characters. This wasn’t an issue because each chapter is labeled as either coming from Catherine or Ruth’s POV. I listened at my usual 1.5x and sometimes 1.75x normal speed. I’d recommend either version!

Mother and daughter, Ruth and Catherine, are close knit and Ruth will do anything to keep her adult daughter safe. This motherly protection grows more erratic as events from Ruth’s past start to catch up with her. This novel is fast paced and the chapters switch between Ruth and Catherine’s point of view. Kate Mara is a wonderful narrator, however at times I struggled distinguishing which character corresponded to the chapter. Overall a great book and I would recommend it to readers that enjoy thrillers.

I flew through this book!! So good!! I couldn't help but be engrossed in this story. I just needed to know what was going to happen. Also, I listened to the audiobook in addition to reading along with the egalley, and the audiobook was so nicely done. I really enjoyed the narrator. Great read! Highly recommend!!

*Thank you @macmillanaudio and @stmartinspress for the #gifted audiobook and egalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This book’s POV alternates between Catherine and her mother, Ruth. A recent diagnosis from Ruth’s doctor has sparked an interest in Catherine to want to know more about her mother.

Slowly but surely the more research Catherine does, she begins to realize that her mother has been hiding a lot of crucial information from her.

Ruth never thought her daughter would question her, but Catherine is acting weird and she senses she’s doing things behind her back. Ruth would do anything to keep her past buried. Anything.

I literally can’t say more without giving everything away, but it’s been a long time since I read a psychological thriller that was this good.

The narrator’s voice was spot on and full of emotion which made the hearing experience even more pleasant for me. I can’t wait to get my hands on more books from this author!

Thank you so much Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for this ALC.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the new thriller by Sarah Pekkanen, wonderfully narrated by Kate Mara - 5 stars!

After finishing school, Catherine is set to begin her dream nursing job in Baltimore, when she discovers that her mother, Ruth, is suffering from Alzheimer's. She changes her plans and continues working at the nursing home nearby so she can help her mom. Ruth and Catherine have moved so many times and Ruth is estranged from her family. Catherine has no real clue about her past, and with Ruth's memory failing, becomes obsessed with finding more information about her past.

The story spools out in the past and present timelines and alternates between the POV of Ruth and Catherine. And wow - the twists and surprises kept coming! I started reading the digital copy but switched to the audio so I could continue listening all the time. I don't want to give anything away - it was so deliciously creepy and surprising in all the best ways - a great read!

I received the audiobook & an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my first time reading a book for this author, and I already can’t wait to read more. I thought this story was told in such a unique way that I haven’t seen before, and I really enjoyed it. The two main characters, a mother and daughter, Ruth and Catherine, were so interesting to learn about. There were so many times throughout the book that I thought I had figured out what was gonna happen by the end, but boy was I wrong. It’s amazing the things a mother will do to protect their child. I had the privilege of also listening to this on audio, and I really enjoyed the narrator. My only complaint about the audiobook is that there was only one narrator for both parts, Ruth and Catherine. And times it was really confusing to figure out if we were on Ruth's dialogue or on Catherine’s. I often had to backtrack and confirm who’s part I was actually on. If there were two narrators for this book, I think it would’ve been a little less confusing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was well written, pretty twisty, and I had my anxiety through the roof at many points. If you’re looking for something original or a book you really won’t be able to put down then this is for you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ahh, I love a thriller with tons and tons of secrets. I thought I knew where this one was going but I was completely wrong and so happy that I was. It’s a slow start but once the mystery kicks in it really ramps up. I went between reading and listening for this one and Kate Mara does a great job with the narration, although it may have benefitted from a second person to distinguish between the POVs.

I listened to the Audiobook of Gone Tonight and I have to say this was a good read. This is a slow burn psychological thriller. It's twisty and it had some jaw dropping moments. Overall a good read. 3.5⭐

Book Releases August 1, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
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Gone tonight is a dual point of view story between a mother and daughter. It’s also partially a dual timeline, the past being written notes from Ruth to Catherine. Honestly, thats all I think you need to know about this - I highly recommend going in blind.
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This was such a fun read, it was so gripping, deceitful, thrilling, addicting and mysterious that I literally gobbled this one up in one day. Right from the start I was hooked on Ruth and Catherine’s story; then a bomb is dropped and all hell breaks loose. It was a wild ride and one I really enjoyed being on. The story flows perfectly between the two characters and the storyline bring everything full circle in the end. But like that ending though - talk about mind blownnnnnnn. Incredible..
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Not only was this a fun read but I really resonated with this one, and that makes this even more of a special read to me. As a new mom I really felt so much of Ruth’s journey. Also huge bonus, Pekkanen threw out so many fun references to my preteen/teen years that I found myself smiling from ear to ear in reminiscence - my favorite being “Where The Heart Is” (IYKYK).
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Kate Mara narrated this one and she was phenomenal. She transitioned between the two characters perfectly. I luckily had this one on audio and ebook so I was able to follow along very easily. I highly recommend the audiobook if you are an avid listener like myself.
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Gone Tonight releases tomorrow 8/1 and I am highly recommending this one to all my thriller lovers, this was a phenomenal read!
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Huge thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, St. Martins Press and Sarah Pekkanen for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review!

irst line: My mother walks through our tuby living room, her eyes sweeping over our old blue couch and coffee table before she briefly disappears into our galley kitchen.

Gone Tonight is a female forward domestic suspense tale. Ruth (mother) and Catherine (daughter) are close. Catherine wants to move to a new city and start a career as a nurse. She's been working in a memory care unit in preparation for this career. Ruth has started exhibiting the symptoms of early onset Alzheimer’s. She’s been writing her memoirs to leave for her daugther when she no longer remembers her life. What looks like a sweet mother daughter relationship tale twists and turns into so much more.

Gone Tonight deals with family secrets. Reading into the night, this is a book with growing and growing secrets - ones that deepen and cast a dark shadow upon the past. Told from the perspectives of Catherine in the present and her mom’s reflection on her past, we see both women’s thoughts about the way they live. What is Ruth hiding? Where has she been going when she says she's out with friends for a drink? This is something Catherine is trying to uncover.

Gone Tonight will have you asking yourself “how well do you know your children” or “how well do you know your mother?” Kate Mara does a great job narrating the audiobook and letting the story shine. Well done, Sarah Pekkanen. I will be anxiously awaiting your next book release!

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this super summer suspenseful read!

I LOVED this book! It was a twisty thriller, with relatable characters that were also quite "suspect" at the same time. I thought it all unfolded in an interesting way and I loved that the ending could even lead into another book with these characters. It was a book that I couldn't wait to get back to listening to each morning. To top it all off, Kate Mara narrated it and I love her voice.

I would highly recommend reading or listening to this book. It's a 5 star rating from me.