Oh my goodness, I absolutely LOVED this book! Sarah Pekkanen shows her incredible expertise in the art of subtle tension and unreliable, yet relatable, narrators. This whole story is completely captivating and Kate Mara’s narration is absolutely perfect! One of my favorite thrillers of the year!

This mother/daughter domestic cat/mouse drama
was underwhelming.

Unfortunately, "Gone Tonight" lacked the thrills and sizzle that the talented author Sarah Pekkanen almost always delivers.

I listened to the audiobook and perhaps this was the reason for my disconnect with the book.

The book unfolded from two POVs and would have really, really, really benefited from two narrators.

Kate Mara's narration was expressionless, making it difficult to stay awake and also to discern who was saying what.

Twists were predictable and many times the book dragged.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded up.

I'm so used to seeing Sarah Pekkanen's name on a cover partnered with another author. When I saw that this title was going to be Sarah on her own, I was very intrigued. In the end, I was not at all disappointed. True to many of her other works, Gone Tonight really digs deep into family bonds and mental health in a way that you question whether the narrator is trustworthy or not. In this one, Catherine is getting ready to finally leave home and follow her dreams. However, her mom, Ruth, really does not want that to happen. Her entire life has been based around Catherine and she just truly does not want to let go. You start by feeling bad for Catherine and Ruth, until you start to see the cracks in what is happening. I somewhat figured out what was going on before it was actually revealed, but it did not ruin anything for me. I would definitely recommend this to everyone and I can't wait to read more from this author.

This suspenseful and twisty psychological thriller is told from two POV’s. Ruth is the 42 year old seemingly overprotective mother who starts exhibiting signs of early onset Alzheimer’s just as her daughter is about to move away from home. Catherine is 24 and although she’s always been close with her mother, she realizes how little she knows about her past and over the years she’s suspected her mother of lying to her at times. It’s definitely a story you need to suspend your disbelief and it does go a bit off the rails in its conclusion.

I enjoyed listening to this one on audio and the narration by Kate Mara is excellent. Thank you to @macmillan.audio @netgalley for an audio copy of Gone Tonight in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: August 1, 2023
Pages: 352
My Goodreads rating: 3.5/5

Well done Sarah Pekkanen. This was an audio arc which kept me guessing THE ENTIRE TIME. Seriously loved the twists and turns and can I just say - wow with the past and present timelines. Typically those are confusing to me, especially on audio. I'm the viewer of football who doesn't see the catch until it's replayed for me and the announcer explains what my eyes just saw. I blame it on age and hormones. Pekkanen created dual timelines that not only kept me listening, but I actually could follow them.

Without sounding like an elementary school book report, this one is about a mom, Ruth, a daughter, Catherine, an unusual lifestyle without roots or connections. Mysteries that have existed throughout their life and are slowly shared with the reader via memories. Despite being close as thieves, Catherine, on the verge of stepping into the world as a college student, starts to get suspicious. Seriously, just read it. This one will be a perfect way to spend a summer afternoon.

Now, the part I hate to write - on audio I was not a fan of the narrator. There was so little difference between the voicing of characters that was the area I struggled with. Frequently I had to really listen to realize a different woman was now speaking. The entire book is read in a monotone and I was surprised at the choice to have few inflections or varieties in the voices. I actually googled the narrator, Kate Mara, to see if she is a new narrator and, if the web can be trusted, she is. This appears to be her 5th book performance so I'm unsure if it's her skillset, or production choice, but it was a fail for my ears.

Gone Tonight is released on August 1, 2023 and I highly recommend you take this to the beach with you.

This one was just okay. Maybe slightly more so, because I still managed to finish in under 24 hours. Nothing really seemed to hook me about this one though. It was simply just okay. Not sure if I would recommend.

4 stars

This is a satisfying thriller made even more compelling by the excellent narration skills of Kate Mara. I strongly recommend the audiobook version when and where accessible!

Ruth and Catherine share perspectives in this somewhat twisty thriller. Catherine is devastated to learn that her mother (Ruth) has early onset Alzheimer's, and this compels her to want to learn as much about her mother as possible while there is still time. This issue is compounded not only by Ruth's impending demise but also by her incredible reticence when it comes to any details about her past. Catherine has definitely questioned her mother's secrecy and clinginess, but now she is ready to act. Of course, when readers are in Catherine's head, it's easy to side with her and wonder what the heck is up with Ruth, but once we start to learn more from Ruth, her bizarre behavior becomes much more understandable. What seems like the central drama turns into something else entirely, and while the answers finally start coming, so does the trouble!

One of my favorite features of this read is that I was invested in both central characters consistently, even when they seemed to cause problems for each other. Additionally, there's a lot of grey area here, and that makes for a more layered read than I sometimes experience in this genre. Again, the stellar narration really highlights all of the strong points, too.

This is an engaging thriller that incorporates minimal violence. It will be important for many readers to know that there is a scene that includes the sexual assault of a minor. It's brief, and readers will see it coming, but TW on that one moment.

Incoming fans of Pekkanen will find this to be one of this author's strongest works yet, and fans of the genre will find this somewhat predictable but still engaging.

I listened to and read this book. Both were good. The story itself sucks you in. I liked the multiple POVs and the journal entries from Ruth.

This was such a great surprise of a read!

I was interested in the vague synopsis that left a lot open to mystery. And starting at chapter one, the secrets and lies keep sprouting up until the very end.

I enjoyed each POV and how we learned more about the past in the mom’s side and the present in Catherine’s side. It flowed really well and kept me interested and wanting to finish the whole way through. No boring parts that left me wishing it was over.

I used to work with seniors, and the depiction of the senior living home and Alzheimer’s was accurate and spot on. Either she did her research, or she sadly knows someone experiencing the horrible disease. It was seriously done so well and made me miss the residents I used to work with.

So many lies and secrets, I can’t even begin to say how things unraveled as you learned more. It was easy to follow along and a quick read.

The only thing that was a bummer was the narration. I love Kate Mara and she did an excellent job. I just wish there were TWO instead of one. Or maybe she did another voice to distinguish the mom and daughter. A few times I had to start the chapter over because I forgot which POV it was.

But that’s my only gripe! Can’t wait to recommend this to my friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Wow. This was an awesome audiobook.
Ruth and Catherine both live very separate lives as mother and daughter with Ruth’s unknown and complicated past.
Once I started this one I kept on listening for almost the whole day. Well written and also well read by the narrator.
This is one that is hard to put down and you keep waiting to see what will happen and are kept wondering throughout.
Author did a great job of unfolding Ruth’s story and Catherine’s determination to figure out what is going on.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the free ALC in exchange for honest review. I had great expectations and unfortunately had to stop at 15% mark it was just too slow a d nothing happened. I will tet again ser if its a mood thing but moving too slow.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish. It's a mixture of psychological thriller, family drama and bonds, and suspense. Sarah keeps the reader engaged and guessing throughout and Catherine and Ruth's characters are well developed. The story flips between both of their perspectives as well as Ruth's past. This was a great read from beginning to end! I devoured it in 2 days.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Being released on 08/01/23

Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Title: Gone Tonight
Narrator: Kate Mara
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚Synopsis:
Ruth is a 43 year old, single mother who lives with her 24 year old daughter, Catherine. Catherine grew up knowing her mother was 18 years old when she got pregnant and was thrown out by her parent’s because of it. She’s seen her mother pack their lives up time and time again after being fired and/or being unable to pay that month’s rent. Catherine grew accustomed to not making too many friends because her life could be uprooted at any time. All she has in the world is her mother. When her mother starts showing signs of early dementia, she feels the world drop out from under her. But that’s just the beginning of Catherine’s downward spiral. Reading about dementia and Alzheimer’s in the library one afternoon, she reads documented story after story that her mother has been mirroring. Could her mother be faking her symptoms? And if so, why? Just when Catherine was getting ready to fly the nest and start her own life in Baltimore, she wonders how much she really knows her mother and the life Ruth behind.

📚Thoughts/Reflections:
The novel is told from both Ruth’s and Catherine’s point of view which allows the reader to see how large of a rift there is between mother and daughter beneath the surface. Ruth has had to lie to keep her daughter safe but it also benefits Ruth considering what she ran from all those years ago; a crime that left one person jailed while she went on the run. The novels puts into question how deep evil lies and if any distance is far enough to escape it.
✨I was drawn into the book immediately and it kept me wanting to learn more and more, chapter after chapter. If you enjoy domestic thrillers especially when secrets of the past catch up to the present, I would definitely recommend this novel! The anticipated publication date is August 1st, 2023.

✨Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Pekkanen, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to listen to the novel ahead of its release in exchange for an honest review.

Gone Tonight
By: Sarah Pekkanen
🎧 Narrator Kate Mara
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Catherine and her mother Ruth have always had each other because her father was not in the picture. As a teen Ruth was thrown out by her parents after she got pregnant.

Ruth has always been hardworking, but she has had to make hard decisions as a single parent. They are constantly moving and it can be hard for Catherine to make friends. Sometimes things are not what they seem. What is Ruth hiding from her daughter?

It’s time for Catherine to start her life away from her mother but this is disconcerting to Ruth. Catherine is currently working as a nurse in memory unit with Alzheimer’s patients and with her mother symptoms she suspects she has Alzheimer’s. How can she leave her mother now?

Mother and daughter relationships can be difficult! The twists in this novel where alternative view points lead to an unbelievable and compelling conclusion. 😳 The narrator is perfect for this chilling thriller.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillian Audio and Sarah Pekkanen for this advanced copy. This novel is out August 1st. I preordered the physical copy when it was available.

#gonetonight, #sarahpekannen, #macmiilonaudio, #netgalley, #audiobook, #bookreview, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram, #stamperlady50 , #bookstagram

In this captivating novel, I couldn't help but be drawn into the intricate connections between a mother and daughter. The story revolves around Catherine Sterling, a young woman ready to embark on a new chapter in her life, and her unwavering mother, Ruth, who will go to great lengths to keep her close. As long-hidden secrets gradually come to light, the tension escalates, leaving readers on the edge of their seats.

What struck me most about this book is how it made me contemplate the power of family bonds and the limits of our understanding. I was initially confused by the complex web of relationships, but as I delved deeper, I couldn't put the book down. It made me question the secrets that lie in our past and whether we can truly know everything about our loved ones. Can we trust everything we believe?

The author masterfully portrays the characters, allowing readers to deeply connect with their struggles and emotions. The exploration of family dynamics is skillfully done, making us question the very foundation of our understanding. The narrative builds an atmosphere of danger and uncertainty, keeping readers engrossed and eager to uncover the truth.

As the story unfolds, the exploration of secrets and the themes of trust and perception add layers of intrigue. It serves as a reminder that even within the closest family ties, there can be hidden depths and untold histories waiting to be discovered. The author's ability to create suspense and capture these themes makes the book a truly compelling read.

I would like to express my gratitude to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for providing me with copies of this captivating novel.

Catherine Sterling is about to embark on a nursing career specializing in geriatrics at Johns Hopkins. Her move is put on hold, however, when she starts seeing signs of early-onset dementia in her mother, Ruth. Mother and daughter are extremely close and Catherine knows they can’t afford to place her mother in a good assisted living facility. She and her mother moved constantly when Catherine was a child because they were constantly outrunning bill collectors, or at least that’s what Ruth told her. Now Catherine is aware that her mother is not the person she claimed to be, and with her memory fading fast, so are Catherine’s chances of uncovering the truth. This story takes a while to get going, but once it does, hang on to your seat!