I was really impressed with this book. Or totally went another direction than I was expecting. I ended up loving both FMC despite the epilogue—maybe a book two coming?

A Riveting Thriller That Keeps You Hooked - "Gone Tonight" by Sarah Pekkanen

First off, I want to extend a huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of "Gone Tonight" by Sarah Pekkanen. I was absolutely thrilled to dive into this book, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

From the get-go, Pekkanen's writing is smart, sharp, and refreshingly devoid of clichés. This isn't your run-of-the-mill thriller; it's a mystery that keeps you guessing and second-guessing yourself at every turn. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, Pekkanen throws in a curveball that leaves you reeling.

But what truly sets "Gone Tonight" apart is the beautifully nuanced and complex relationship between the mother and daughter at the heart of the story. Their dynamic is so intricately woven and authentic that it's impossible not to become emotionally invested in their journey. Pekkanen has a knack for creating characters that are not just believable, but also deeply relatable. You'll find yourself rooting for them, worrying about them, and celebrating their victories right alongside them.

The pacing of the story is another aspect that deserves praise. It's a well-balanced mix of suspenseful moments and quieter, character-driven scenes that keep you engaged from start to finish. There's never a dull moment in "Gone Tonight" - every page, every chapter, serves a purpose and adds a new layer to the unfolding mystery.

In conclusion, "Gone Tonight" is a must-read for any thriller or mystery enthusiast. It's a masterclass in suspenseful storytelling, with well-rounded characters and a plot that keeps you on your toes. If you're looking for a book that's both thought-provoking and entertaining, look no further. Sarah Pekkanen has delivered a gem with "Gone Tonight", and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Wow!! This was an unqualified win for me. It was an absolute fresh take with an utterly original plot. It’s one of the most clever thrillers I’ve read. Downright Machiavellian. I see you, @sarahpekkanen. Please don’t ever stop doing what you do!

I was instantly hooked from page one and on the edge of my seat for the last half. I could not stop! The mother/daughter dual points of view and the altogether cunning twists were masterfully written.

I really loved the audiobook narration by @katemara. I’ve added her to my list of favorite narrators.

I highly recommend this one. Add it to your TBR ASAP!

TW: sexual assault

My thanks to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Gone Tonight’s start was not particularly promising: Ruth, a high school teenager is emotionally abused by her mother, sexually abused by a trusted adult, and involved in a murder. She flees and then discovers that she’s pregnant. For much of this audiobook the listener hears how cleverly she stayed hidden, building a falsely-based life for her daughter. Kathryn, who is now an adult, works as a nurse in a nursing home and is preparing to take a new job in another city. So far, it’s fine but then the twists and turns really begin and it is those those differentiate Gone Tonight from so many other books in the genre. The narrator does a wonderful job the device of alternating chapters told by each character is effective. It is only the slow start that keeps me from rating this as 5 stars.

Gone Tonight is a mild domestic thriller centered on mother-daughter duo Ruth and Catherine Sterling. When Ruth begins to exhibit some signs of early onset Alzheimer's, Catherine wants to do all she can to help her mother out. Without any other family members to turn to for help, Catherine begins to dig a little bit into her mother's past. Ruth has worked hard to create a safe life for Catherine where nothing from her past will get them. When Catherine's digging begins to unearth Ruth's hard kept secrets, things come to light that could change everything for the mother and daughter forever. Kate Mara was an excellent audio narrator and flawlessly switched between the alternating chapters of Catherine and Ruth. While some of the twists were exciting, the overall plot fell a little bit flat. I did not love the "secret" about Catherine either and thought that was a bit of a strange device.

I really don’t know how to feel about this book. I had such high hopes with this one because I just love the author and because actress Kate Mara narrates this book. So I was supper excited when I saw it on NetGalley. And even more excited when I was approved for the audiobook version. Again, because Kate Mara was narrating. ( I loved her in Murder House and House of Cards)
But unfortunately, that’s where my excitement ended. I was very intrigued by the synopsis about a single mother and her daughter, who each had their own secrets. And just what were these secrets were going to destroy about their relationship. At first I was like okay, this is just a slow burn. And maybe it was, but for me it just didn’t seem to go anywhere. I kept waiting for something big to happen or some kind of twist, but for me, it just fell flat.
But notice I say for me, If you were wanting to read this book, don’t go by me, do your own research. Read it and see what you think. You may love it. But, this was ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me!
Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for the E book ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Have you read this one yet, curious to see what you thought if so.

I really enjoyed the narrator for this book. You could clearly tell the difference between Catherine and Ruth and past and present time lines. I kept trying to guess what would happen next but I was way off.

Catherine is 24 years old and about to go out on her own. Her mother Ruth starts forgetting things and she is worried about her health. Does she have Alzheimer's?

Ruth is trying to keep Catherine safe. As a mother is there any limit to what you would do to protect your child? I think this was the most relatable as a mom I understood why she was doing what she was doing.

Catherine soon discovers the truth. What will she do now?

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen, narrated by: Kate Mara.

Kate did a wonderful job with the narration of each of the characters especially Catherine and Ruth, there was no doubt which one was speaking, the tone changes with each scenario. Calm when was appropriate and urgent when needed yet with a nice voice easy to follow.

24 year old Catherine is concerned for her mother Ruth's health forgetfulness has been worsening. When a trip to the doctors Ruth mentions that her mother passed from Alzheimer at an early age. Catherine is shocked by this, she has been lead to believe Ruth's parents had wanted nothing to do with her since they kicked her out at age 16.
Ruth has denied any type of tests or treatments at this point and Catherine is determined to protect her mother. But when her mothers story starts to have holes in it Catherine is on a quest to dig deeper into her past.

The story turns from past to present as now Ruth is determined to write all her secrets in a journal for the safety of her daughter in case something happens to her. Meanwhile with each passing day that Catherine digs deeper behind her mothers back she is not sure who her mother really is or if she is truly sick.

From hiding in Target while she was pregnant to always ready to run Ruth has carefully for 24 years been able to keep them both safe. Now that James is ready to be released from prison she is on edge more than ever. Ruths sole objective is to keep her daughter safe and if she has to lie to her daughter then so be it. The bigger question becomes when Catherine finds out the truth on her own can she ever forgive her mother?

As the story twist and turns over a 24 year span you will experience what life was like for Ruth before and after Catherine. A mother will do anything and everything to keep her daughter safe even if it means breaking the law over and over then lying about it. In the end will Catherine get to know the truth, will she ever meet her father?

The storyline caught my attention from the very beginning from the mean girls, first love, fear, betrayal, murder, forgiveness it had it all.

Thank you to @Netgalley, @sarahpekkanen, @macmillianaudio for the advanced Audio copy of Gone Tonight in exchange for an honest review.

This was a VERY clever thriller! I was completely glued to this one.

Catherine is a new grad nurse, with plans to start a new job out of town, when she begins to notice her mom, Ruth, is having worrisome memory issues. Simple things that may mean her young mom doesn't have a lot of clear-minded time yet. With this in mind, Catherine wants to learn more about her mom's family, who kicked her out when she became pregnant in high school, and who Ruth has gone to a lot of trouble to keep hidden. As she learns more, Catherine begins to find that stories from Ruth don't all make sense, and her mother may not be who she says she is.

This was really well crafted, and the pacing was perfect. The narration by Kate Mara was fantastic!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for my review.

Wow, she does it again! Sarah Pekkanen's writing grips me instantly, keeps me in suspense the whole time and shocks me in the end! Honestly, the more I think about this the more clever it becomes!

This story follows Ruth and her adult daughter Catherine. It's always been just the two of them and they've always had a close relationship, but Catherine begins to wonder if there's more to her mother and her past than what meets the eye. Is she keeping secrets from her? If so, what and why? The answers are revealed slowly and build upon each other as everything unfolds.

This almost reminded me of a darker version of These Silent Woods and also reminded me of Scarlet in Blue (I highly recommend both of those if you're into Father/Daughter or Mother/Daughter secrets and suspense).

I quite literally could not put this down as I NEEDED to know what was going on with this mother/daughter duo.

Thank you so much to both Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the audiobook and e-book respectively.

This will be available for purchase on August 1st!

Gone Tonight is a slow burn that packs a punch. I absolutely loved the mother /daughter relationship and their different POVs and timelines. Pekkanen did a fantastic job portraying the complexities in their relationship, which is crucial to the story

Novels that drop hints and nuggets of information along the way only to pull the rug out from under you when you think you have it all figured out are my absolute favorites. And let me tell you, nothing is quite as it seems with this one. This was a compelling and twisty read which kept me interested page after page.

I was lucky to receive both and ARC and an ALC of this novel. Brava to Kate Mara who did an outstanding job with the narration.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, St Martin's Press and MacmillanAudio for the ALC and ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this story - it begins with the heartstopping news of a dementia diagnosis of 40-something year old Ruth Sterling, and its effects on her grown-up daughter Ruth, but swiftly becomes even more compelling with the mystery surrounding Ruth's background. What is she keeping from her daughter, that they have to move from place to place, and that she doesn't trust Catherine to leave her side? When Catherine's determination to solve the mystery of her mother's past leads them into danger, a mother's love comes in to play - Ruth will do anything to save her daughter. And Catherine will do anything to save her mother ...
I raced through this one. The plot is compelling, and the characters of both Ruth and Catherine are both interesting and complex. The narrative keeps the focus firmly on them as they unpeel their true selves to the reader, and to each other.
This was a great book to listen to on Audio. Told from the alternate points of view of mother and daughter, it is narrated by Kate Mara whose nuanced, subtle alterations in tone leave you in no doubt who is speaking, and whose light US accent is perfect for us UK readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Pekkanen for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

Ruth and her daughter Catherine have always only had each other. Now that Ruth has developed early onset Alzheimer's Catherine knows she must put her plans of moving away on hold to help her mother. When things with Ruth's diagnosis don't start to add up Catherine begins to question and delve into her mother's past to find the truth. Who is her mother?

I found this story to be a slow pace burn. It took awhile for me to get into it. I did end up getting approved for the advance audiobook version of this and it went much better as an audiobook for me. I personally loved how the narrator gave a voice to the characters. The second half of the story was much better than the first. Without giving it away we really get into things in the second half. For those who love slow burns this will definitely be the one for you. I am a huge fan of Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks so I absolutely recommend this one!

I have loved a few others written by Sarah Pekkanen but this was so different. This thriller follows a mother and daughter who have a contentious relationship due to the web of lies the mother has woven and the secrets she has kept. As her secrets are slowly uncovered and her former life is revealed, this ramped up in drama and had me on the edge of my seat. I really liked the backstory of the mother and found that to be very interesting. I wish there had been even more of it because it was giving me Ginny & Georgia vibes. I do think the ending was a bit lackluster and not dramatic enough for my liking, but I didn't hate it. I just wish that the ending had been more shocking and not as neatly wrapped up in a bow. I thought it was justified and the epilogue was a nice added bonus though.

This was sooo good!! The beginning couple chapters started off slow and then it was just a nice pace throughout the rest of the book. I enjoyed this a lot!

Thank you @Netgalley and @MacmillanAudio for the audio ARC Gone Tonight.

This book had me feeling all emotions. In the beginning I was very confused. I could not figure out who was who but once the author stayed in the present time I was able to figure it out and I started to really get into the book. (the confusion is definitely on me not the author)
This was a good suspenseful book which had numerous twists and turns. I highly recommend this book.

Narrator- Kate Mara.

4.5 stars

This was an excellent slow-burn, literary thriller. Catherine Sterling thinks she has a strong sense of who her mother is. Ruth is stoic, hardworking, and fiercely loyal and protective of her daughter. As Catherine prepares to move away and attend graduate school, though, Ruth will go to great lengths to make sure that doesn't happen. So begins a "dance of deception" that will keep you guessing from beginning to end. The narrator did a fantastic job!

Read if you like
-Cat-mouse stories
-Mother-daughter relationships
-Secret pasts
-Deception

Holy Moly,
I am so thankful to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, Sarah Pekkanen, and NetGalley for granting me early audiobook access to this psychologically twisted thriller. Gone Tonight is out on August 1, 2023, and I'm so excited to see what my fellow readers think of this one. This is my first Sarah Pekkanen book, but it won't be my last.

Katherine knows very little about her mother, Ruth, if that's even her real name. When her mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's' Disease, Katherine grows increasingly skeptical when she isn't experiencing or showcasing the expected symptoms. Could she be lying about this awful disease?

Ruth is hiding her horrific past from her daughter because she's trying to protect her from the murderous ex-boyfriend from her teenage years. But, of course, Katherine doesn't know that, and she's growing increasingly curious as time goes on, trying to unearth the secrets her mother is hiding.

“How far would you go to protect the person you love most in the world?”

Catherine and her mother are best friends. They are really all each other has. Now that Catherine is ready to move and start hew new career, her mom has started having memory issues and forgetting things. Ruth knows that if she is having health issues that Catherine will not leave. All these years, Ruth has built up walls to protect them but when Catherine starts digging into their history, Ruth will do whatever it takes to keep her close.

I thought this was a great, intriguing read. I was very shocked to see Sarah Pekkanen on her own, but definitely made me want to read it. There were lots of flashbacks for both Ruth and Catherine which could get confusing at times since I was listening to the audio version, but once I could distinguish supporting characters I was fine. I liked how the cracks in Ruth’s walls started slowly and then all of a sudden Catherine had a moment of putting it all together.

I was hooked on this thriller right from the beginning. Within the first couple of chapters, I had a few predictions about the direction that this book was going in, but rather than being upset about the book being predictable, I was eager to continue reading to find out if my predictions were going to come true (some of them did, some of them didn’t!).

This book was twisty all the way until the end, which I love in a thriller. It kept me guessing right up until the final chapter.

There was one aspect about this book that stood in the way of me loving it even more — only one voice actor played the role of both narrators. Typically this would not bother me, but there were parts of the story in which this got very confusing in regard to which character she was in the role of (especially because parts of Ruth’s story contained flashbacks from when she was around Catherine’s age). Unfortunately, this did impact my opinion on the book and I think I would’ve preferred to read it either physically or on my Kindle rather than on audio. I want to note that this is no fault of the narrator — Kate Mara did it great job with the narrations! It would’ve been easier to differentiate between the two characters had there been another voice actor.

Ultimately, I really liked the direction that this story took, and considering that I’ve read a lot of thrillers out there, I can say that this one is one of a kind.