This was so great!! Told from dual POV of mother and daughter, this was a fantastic listen on audio! It is truly better to go in without much background knowledge of the plot, just trust me on this one. The twists were interesting and gasp-worthy, but still believable within the storyline. At times it was a slow burn but the action really picked up during the final third and the ending was both dramatic and satisfying. This was perfect for a road trip listen and I would absolutely recommend!

This was such a great listen! It was fast-paced and kept me guessing the whole time. I definitely recommend 😍

3.5 stars. This one is definitely a slow burn, and it took quite a while for me to get into. I was far more engaged in the second half of the book than the first half of the book. Yes there are things that go wrong for the characters, but there are so many things that fall into place nicely for them (way too many to be practical). I am not a huge fan of the character motivations that drive the plot forward, and I don't really love the way the author wrapped things up in the end.

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen
Thriller mystery. Dual POV and timelines.
Ruth and Catherine Sterling, a mother and daughter team have been everything for each other for the time Catherine was just a baby. Just the two of them. Their own little family unit. When Ruth starts having forgetful moments, and admits that she found out her own mother had died from Alzheimer’s, Catherine starts doing some background sleuthing. It’s out of character for her mother to know specifically about her mother much less admits that she knows. Catherine starts digging through her own memories of instances that didn’t fit her mothers stories and pulls clues about background and ways to find out more than Ruth is saying. It’s to protect her and her mother, of course. Until it isn’t anymore. Too much isn’t adding up.

🎧 I listened/read this book via audiobook narrated by Kate Mara. The actor’s performance is wonderful with distinct voices for the secondary characters. I even double checked at one point to make sure was truly only one person. I did have to pay attention mother daughter switches. Those weren’t always clear by the voice but more by the content. Maybe because I listened to this at my usual 1.5 speed, I missed the nuances but it was the most comfortable for a Midwest standard.

Chilling, thrilling, and unforgettable. I won’t forget about these women anytime soon. I’ll probably have to listen to this again for the finer details I may have missed in the first pass.
Hereditary.
4.5
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan Audio.

Ruth left home as a pregnant 16 year old and it's been her and her daughter Catherine against the world ever since. But with Catherine coming into adulthood and getting ready to spread her wings, and Ruth wanting to hold on to what they have, secrets each have been holding threaten to change everything.

This book was filled with suspense, twists and turns. From the beginning, I kept being surprised by the pieces of information that were slowly revealed. I flew through this book in a day because I could not put it down! This book was unique and filled with tension. I don’t want to give too much away but I loved it!

The audi0book narrated by Kate Mara was phenomenal!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the advance copy.

This was a really great book. For several parts I didn’t really know what was happening and I loved it! I always love a book that takes time for the truth to come out and questions need to be answered. And the narrator was great!

Wow. This is my first Sarah Pekkanen novel and it did not disappoint! Ruth and Catherine Sterling have always been close. This mother/daughter duo has always relied on each other and Catherine would never question anything about her mother. But when Catherine has a new life lined up with a new job in Baltimore, Ruth will do anything to keep her by her side. When Catherine starts to question her mother's background, she finds out much more than she bargained for...

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.* (Also, Kate Mara is the narrator!!!)

Slow slow burn. Wasn't a horrible thriller.

I was curious where it was going to go and what the mom was going to do.
This was my first from this author so I will keep a look out more thrillers from her.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to listen

This book was not for me. It was predictable and the prose was not to my liking. I really wanted to like it because the premise and plot sounded so interesting.

Master storyteller Sarah Pekkanen (fav author) returns following The Ever After 2018 (solo) and The Golden Couple 2022 (co-author) with her BEST yet! GONE TONIGHT —a twisty, emotionally captivating suspense thriller—a powerful mother-daughter relationship, both poignant and terrifying of dark, buried secrets and a dangerous past that will have you glued to the pages until the satisfying conclusion.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! My top thrillers of 2023!

Meet the mother and daughter duo, Ruth and Catherine. They have always been close and never needed a lot of outsiders, happy with their relationship like best friends. Ruth has been on the run for a quarter of a century.

Three names. Twelve different jobs. Nine different apartments. What is she hiding? They moved around often and never stayed anywhere long enough to make real friends or have anyone get too close.

Ruth Sterling (42), mother, a single, quiet, hardworking waitress who would do anything for her daughter. She would give up food for her daughter, which has happened quite often. She sacrifices for her daughter in every way. Ruth has had a rough life. Her mom was a drunk, and her father was a handyman. Things were tough in high school. However, she is a fighter. Indestructible.

She was caught up in a dangerous situation in high school, and her ex-boyfriend is currently in prison. She left her parents and brother and has been on the run since. She was pregnant at the time and has been in survivor mode since. She is intelligent, proactive, and always looks over her shoulder. When things get too close, she runs with her daughter.

However, she has kept the reasons behind all this and her past from her daughter. She also maintains a journal collecting thoughts for her daughter—one day, she may not be around to explain. Her daughter thinks her father was a sperm daughter. He was not.

Now things have become more complicated, so Ruth is forced to be creative. She cannot have her daughter move anywhere close to where she plans to go- Baltimore. The only way to stop her is to pretend she has Alzheimer's to keep her close until this problem is resolved.

Catherine Sterling (24), the daughter, will soon be a nurse. She graduated cum laude and is about to start work at John Hopkins and move to Baltimore in two weeks. Her specialty is geriatrics, and she works part-time at a nursing home in the Memory Wing with patients with dementia, Alzheimer's, and TBI. Catherine is worried about her mom and very familiar with the path of destruction regarding Alzheimer's.

However, things are not what they seem, and now Catherine is conducting her secretive sleuthing into her mom's past. She suspects something is off with her mom. The more she digs, she questions if she knows her mom. Is everything about her a lie? Her mother is keeping secrets.

Catherine is also keeping secrets. Little does she know the danger she is putting them both in by digging where she shouldn't. In the meantime, the threat is getting closer, and Ruth must keep her daughter safe from the monster coming for them. REVENGE.

I loved the part where Ruth lived in a Target store while pregnant. Immediately, I thought of the Natalie Portman movie (I saw it years ago: "Where the Heart Is"). A pregnant 17-year-old teen was living in a Walmart after being dumped off by her boyfriend, has her baby, and becomes an overnight celebrity. Immediately upon the comparison, the author comments on the movie.

WHAT A BOOK! First, I have been an enormous fan of Sarah Pekkanen since her first book in 2010 and have read every book since. (see her book list below). She is a superb writer, writing with heart and soul. Her skills shine with her well-developed characters and twisty plots, whether contemporary, domestic, or thriller. My top author list and a favorite.

GRIPPING, INTENSE, AND BINGE-WORTHY!

GONE TONIGHT hooked me from page one to the end. Brilliantly layered, the author's writing is beautiful, the journal entries heartfelt with a mother's genuine love, and the characters highly relatable—you are invested in them, plus heroines you’ll cheer for.

Razor sharp! A riveting cat-and-mouse game that becomes twisty, wild, and more suspenseful throughout the novel. I cannot recommend this one enough. Nature vs. nurture. Get it. You will love it! Movie-worthy.

AUDIOBOOK: I enjoyed reading and listening. The audiobook was TOPS! Kate Mara gave a first-rate performance for all voices, and I was hanging on her every word. I highly recommend the book & audio.

Thanks to St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for a gifted ARC and ALC via Netgalley to share my review and thoughts.

Blog Review Posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: Aug 1, 2023
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A mother/ daughter domestic suspense story full of secrets and lies. The pacing started off slow but as the plot developed, there were some clever twists integrated throughout that held my interest. I enjoyed the dual POV format and how chapters were told in the past and present. However, when listening to the audiobook, I wish there were two narrators to better differentiate between the two main characters. Still, Kate Mara did a great job keeping me engaged and building the suspense.

3 stars to Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen. I enjoyed this slow burn thriller (I am using the word lightly) on this secretive mother-daughter duo.

Ruth and Catherine have an incredibly close relationship but what Catherine doesn’t know…Ruth will do anything to keep her from finding out. At first, since we obviously have Ruth’s perspective I found Catherine to be irksome. Like girl, can you just let your mom do what she needs to do?!? But I tried to see it from her POV and give her a little grace. Once we learned more about Ruth’s past the story picked up a bit but I can’t say it ever felt thrilling in nature.

The reunion scene was very sweet, and the last little twist was a bit predictable all things considered but I didn’t dislike it. Not the worst, not the best. Solid story.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

At 24 years old Catherine is ready to move out of the home she shares with her single mother, Ruth, and take on a new job opportunity. But, Ruth has a lot of secrets of her own and needs to keep Catherine close.
This is definitely a slow burn, and took me a while to fully understand what was going on. The audio narration was great and I think it kept me a little more engaged than if I had simply read this. But, I did find myself having to rewind and re-listen a few times until I got up to 60%.
Aside from the slower pacing at the start, there were a couple of things that didn't work for me:
- False early Alzheimer's. I've seen first hand progression of this disease and it is devastating. I wish the author would've used something else as the reason Ruth tried to make Catherine stay. This one gave me the ick.
- Overall kind of unrealistic. Between Ruth being able to survive and get away with what she did for so long, and for Catherine to suddenly figure it out so easily.
- How everything went down with James seemed very quick compared to the slower, drawn out pacing of the rest of the book. I would've also liked to see his character have a little more background.
Overall, I did end up enjoying this and wished Catherine's side story would've been explored more. This is perfect for fans of "Pieces of Her" by Karin Slaughter.

GONE TONIGHT
Sarah Pekkanen

This is the first time I have read a book with Sarah Pekkanen writing by herself. It is a different experience from reading some of the books co-authored by Greer Hendricks.

In GONE TONIGHT we’re following mother and daughter, Ruth and Catherine respectively. It has been just the two of them for years. Facing life’s challenges together. They are very close because of that and share a unique bond.

Catherine has decided that it is time to make a new life on her own and has taken a job in a nearby city. This is not the best time for her to leave as Ruth has been experiencing some problems with her memory recently. She has been misplacing her keys, lost a $20 bill, and couldn’t find her way home. This is very concerning to Catherine, who works in the memory wing of a care facility.

We follow as Catherine and Ruth explore what is happening with Ruth and how it affects both their present and future.

I really loved the relationship dynamics between Catherine and Ruth. The tension between them felt authentic, and I felt it was a great exploration into the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. I liked Pekkanen’s writing and felt like I preferred this solo project over some of her collaborative projects.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Kate Mara. Listening to Mara while reading heightened my reading experience. Her voice is unforgettable, and the performance was perfect.

I’m so glad to have read GONE TONIGHT and I look forward to whatever Pekkanen does next.

Thanks to Netgalley, St Martins Press, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies and the opportunity to provide feedback!

GONE TONIGHT…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Five stars for Kate Mara as narrator!

GONE TONIGHT by Sarah Pekkanen is a page-turner, featuring a close mother-daughter relationship forged after a couple decades of it just being the two of them. Now daughter Catherine's ready to move as she accepts a new job, but will Ruth need her to stay close to home? Perspective trades between the two.

I was a step ahead of the plot of this one, but I still found it enjoyable - I felt satisfaction, not frustration, in predicting plot points. At the same time, it might have been fun to have had a twistier or more surprising story arc. As ever, YMMV, especially if you read thrillers more infrequently.

I didn't have any issues enjoying the story via the text, but would definitely recommend the audiobook if you have a choice between modes.

What a read! When Catherine thinks her mom Ruth is starting to get Alzheimer's, she looks into her past and discovers her mom isn't who she is at all. She also finds out about her dad and that has a lot of consequences in and of itself. This book has many twists and turns that I could barely keep up. I highly recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of thrillers.

Ruth and Catherine have only had each other. But, Catherine now has an opportunity to move away to start a new career. Ruth is desperate to stop it. And this crusade of Ruth’s ends up bringing down the house of cards she has carefully built around her and her daughter.

This is a story in which I have to be careful. I do not want to give anything away. But, nothing is as it seems. And Catherine is slowly beginning to realize quite a few lies surrounding her mother. Be careful…what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!

Talk about an intricate tale, with a kick, and a twist and another twist, then a turn…I loved this story! This story just builds and builds to this fabulous climax…and I just wonder if the author has a plan for a sequel. It is set up perfectly for one.

Kate Mara is the narrator and OH MY GOSH!!! She is excellent.

Need a story which will have you wondering what will happen next…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I definitely liked the structure of the mystery, I loved the dual POVs, and I thought the pacing of revealing the mystery was good. It was hard to relate to any of the characters or feel for them so I didn’t find myself getting into the book as much as her previous books.

This book had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen!!! “Gone Tonight” by Sarah Pekkanen. Ruth Sterling lives with her daughter Catherine. Ruth has a lot to hide and Catherine is trying to figure out her mothers secrets. The story is told from each character’s perspective. I wanted to scream at both of them during the story. They both made some really bad life choices. This was a riveting book and I couldn’t wait to see how it played out.
I listened to the story on tape and it was narrated by the actress Kate Mara. Her voice was pleasant. Many thanks to the author, Macmillan and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This book was provided to my by NetGalley for my honest review and I am so gray to have the opportunity to read Sarah Pekkanen a book this one was a wild ride about a mother hiding her past trying to protect her child. It was a mystery and a thriller wrapped into one exciting ride with chaos and intensity to keep the pages flipping and my interest at an all time high! I really enjoyed this rollercoaster of emotions in a book with a mother daughter dynamic that kept me on the edge of my seat!