Family secrets abound in this suspenseful read. Catherine enjoys her work on a memory ward in a senior facility. She is eager to take on a new job & move. When her mom starts forgetting things and making mistakes, Catherine’s work hits too close to home. When some questions from her mom’s past are unearthed, Catherine is left wondering about her mom’s identity and her own origin story. Someone is out to get them, but who, and why? Can Catherine connect the dots before it’s too late? Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Sarah Pekkanen does it again with this cunningly clever mother/daughter duo psychological thriller! You better hold on to your socks because they're about to be knocked straight off!

What do you do when the only thing you know...changes? Ha...this book will sure tell you...at least what Catherine and Ruth Sterling do! This will be one of those books that once you start, you won't be able to put down and all you can do is buckle up and enjoy the ride because quite a ride it's going to be! It's one that will stick with long after the last page!

Gone Tonight is narrated by Kate Mara and I felt like it was a PERFECT fit! It seems like just everything came together perfectly to make this book an absolute masterpiece!

Overall, I was super thrilled with reading this book! It will easily be one of my top reads of 2023!! Sarah Pekkanen certainly outdid herself with this title!

I would like to offer a HUGE thank you to Sarah Pekkanen, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me a copy of Gone Tonight which allowed me to contribute this honest and unbiased review.

I wanted to like it, truly…. But I can not stand the narrator and DNF’d it, which I hate to do 🥲 I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this audio arc and I will be purchasing the book on my kindle to read it myself later

OMG I LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH. The story, the characters, the twists. I loved it all! I devoured this one and couldn't put it down! I love this authors books, and I think this one is my favorite so far. Read this NOW!!

Read if you enjoy:
• slow burn
• twists and turns
• mindblown 🤯
• captivating

Audiobook: p e r f e c r i o n - literal chefs kiss!
Narrator: Kate Mara
Length: 10h 9m

Good story. A bit slow in the beginning and somewhat repetitive. But held my attention throughout. Ending was fine, nothing too shocking happened in the book in my opinion

I enjoyed this story. The twists and turns keep you guessing. Sarah Pekkanen leaves you with a sinking feeling in your stomach the way truly scary books do. While this isn't necessarily horror, it does have thematic aspects and was extremely thrilling.
This is the best performance I have ever heard or seen from Kata Mara outside of Nip/Tuck. But that doesn't say much. While she reads well, she makes no effort to act and give each of the two first-person views their own sound.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick. Our library purchased and our patrons have been checking out and and enjoying the book. I see it is a popular book club choice as well we hope to have more oppurtinies to support authors like them

An enjoyable thriller about a mother-and-daughter relationship. Ruth and Catherine Sterling couldn't be more different. Catherine is ready to begin her career and her life and Ruth is holding on. Told from a separate POV the audiobook was enjoyable to listen too. Highly recommend for those who enjoy thrillers told from two points of view.

I really enjoyed this audiobook that revolves around a mother and a daughter, and the secrets they hid from each other. There is some child endangerment and sexual abuse in the story, along with some grisly murders so be warned! I also loved the fact that part of the book is set at Johns Hopkins University, which is where I work! I know the places they were talking about when they were talking about Little Italy, Fells Point, etc. That was an unexpected bonus. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this audiobook, in return for an honest review.

With each and every book I read from Sarah Pekkanen, I become further obsessed with her ability to tell a thrilling, psychological story. Her writing is always so spot on and each book once I start it, I don’t won’t to put it down until it’s over.

Gone Tonight is no exception, it sucked me in immediately and I had to know what was at the core of Ruth’s paranoia for her daughter Catherine. I loved the different timelines that give you an earlier Ruth and a present day Ruth. It explains a lot of her behaviors and habits. And overall I just loved the lengths she went through to protect herself and her daughter.

Overall I thought this was a great book/audio and would definitely recommend it to any fan of the authors or any psychological thriller fan in general.

***Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC copy in return for an honest review***

Ruth Sterling has raised Catherine alone since birth. The two of them together have been all each other has known, until Catherine decides she wants to move away to attend school. Ruth will do anything to prevent that, and soon Catherine begins to catch on. She turns the tables around on her mother to try to discover why she might not want her to leave, and the answer is not what you think.

I love Sarah Pekkanen books, and this one is no exception. Her writing is so solid, and she is a master at creating a tense atmosphere. This book is a great psychological thriller - page turner, twisty, and exciting. There is so much that happens in the beginning of the book, and twists keep coming. Just when you think you know what is going on, more twists are thrown in.

The book has a dual time-line, back from when Ruth was younger, that switches back and forth between present day. I like how secrets are slowly revealed that way. There are some times that you have to suspend disbelief, which I am not always willing to do. But when a story is this enjoyable, why not? Definitely a great beach read, vacation read, poolside read.

I listened to this book on audiobook and it was fantastic! The narrator is great and I would highly recommend this book as an audiobook.

Special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, MacMillan Audio, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At the core of Gone Tonight is the story about the love a mother has for her daughter. All her adult life, Ruth has been keeping a secret from her daughter Catherine. That secrets threatens to come to light as Catherine teachers adulthood and Ruth will do anything to keep it buried.

Told in alternating perspectives, I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. Both characters were great, and loved the balance between slow burning mystery and intense thriller at the end.

It was fantastic on audio as well.

📖 Gone Tonight
🖋️ Sarah Pekkanen
✨ Thriller

•What To Expect•
2 points of view
How well do you know somebody?
Bond between mother & daughter

•Rating•
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars
I recommend this book!

•Similar Recommended Reads•
Stone Cold Fox
Things We Do in the Dark
Wrong Place Wrong Time

What a twisty web of lies all in the name of mother/daughter love! I wasn’t immediately sucked into their stories. But as we learned more and more of their dual POVs and timelines, things got interesting! The story provides the reader with some family drama, some thrill, some murder mystery, and an all-around crazy experience.

I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Kate Mara. Her voice provided that extra level of intrigue as I’ve known her best in thrilling roles. I would have liked a second cast member to read for the other main character though. It was sometimes difficult to keep the storylines apart.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Sarah Pekkanen for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

🎧Audiobook Review 🎧

I flew through this audiobook courtesy of @macmillan.audio a while back. Not quite sure what’s taking me so long to post a review other than life has been crazy. Also, my elephant ears are dying out for the year and it’s making me kinda sad. 😢

This book is about a mother and daughter pair who are extremely close. Uncomfortably close, if you ever happened to meet them. The daughter, Catherine, is ready to move things along a bit and finally separate more from her mother, Ruth. But, Catherine does know the real reason Ruth clutches her so closely to her breast…but, she’s about to find out.

I highly recommend this one for any thriller readers out there. This one had quite a few twists and turns, all making this one a page turner.

As I read this one, I enjoyed the story and was interested in the characters and the outcome, but at the same time, it was kind of slow and not very exciting. There was no suspense and lacked and wow thriller moments. I did enjoy the narrator for this one. The voices seem to ring true for each character.

Happy Friday y'all! And the Friday before a long weekend for those of us in the States to boot! Hooray!!

I am so excited to celebrate my bestie @caroline_conley and her boo at their wedding this weekend. Let's get this party started! 😎

What are you up to?

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GONE TONIGHT by @sarahpekkanen is a cat and mouse type of thriller that I actually really got into. As I have said before on here, thrillers are often hit or miss but this one hit for me! Thank you yo the author, @netgalley and the publisher @macmillan.audio for the audio-ARC.

Catherine Sterling and her mother Ruth have always been two peas in a pod. Being an only child to a single mother can have that effect as you try to eek through life together. But when Catherine gets an opportunity for a dream job, all of a sudden her mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a family trait the two have always been worried about. As Catherine tries to navigate her mother's new diagnosis and struggles with the idea of leaving her mother behind for a job, Catherine starts to notice inconsistencies and other secrets her mother has been hiding. Could it possibly that she doesn't actually know the truth of the person she has spent almost her whole life with?

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I was looking back at my notes on this one and I have some pretty funny questions written down as I was trying to sort out what was happening. I was pretty sure I had this one figured out but I was absolutely incorrect. 🤣 This was fast paced with perfect little breadcrumbs to shuffle you to the ending. I have not read any other books by this author but think I might check out their backlist because I liked the writing style and the characters a lot! I also really enjoyed the audio narrator!

Read this one of you like family secrets, fast-paced thrillers and mother-daughter relationship drama. It is out on shelves now!

Have you read this one or another of Pekkanen's books? Do you have a favorite thriller or thriller offer?

Stay hydrated out there!

💚SMASHBOT💚

#bibliophile #booknerd #booksta #netgalley
#netgalleyreviewer #bookish #bookworm #bookdragon #bookreview #sarahpekkanen #gonetonight #booklover

When Ruth Sterling’s daughter, Caroline, decides she’s ready to move away from home and start fresh, Ruth will do anything to stop that from happening. Caroline thinks she knows her mother, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Ruth has spent decades keeping secrets from her daughter - she has no idea about her past or background. Ruth’s quest to keep her daughter by her side quickly unravels and both mother and daughter begin a dance of deception.

I listened to this book and the audio was so engaging. While this is a bit of a suspense thriller, I would venture to say that it’s as much character driven as it is plot driven. It’s incredibly gripping and I found it to be quite emotional as we learned more about Ruth’s life and all the lies she has had to tell in order to keep up her facade. I really enjoyed the two points of views and how the author wrote about families dealing with illness and how it changes the family dynamic. I almost wish Ruth and Caroline had been narrated separately as I think it would have made the story that much much captivating on audio, but overall is was a fast-paced enjoyable read.

I'll be honest, most of what drew me to this book was Kate Mara as the narrator, and thankfully she did a fabulous job! Plus, I ended up enjoying the story much more than I thought I would. Sarah Pekkanen's books have been hit or miss for me (as have thrillers been as of late), but I found myself unable to put this one down. The dual perspectives, the going back in time, it all worked for me. And while I tried to temper my expectations when it came to twists, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the ending. Pekkanen did a great job of wrapping it up in a way that made sense, while still leaving a question or two open for interpretation.

I went into this read pretty blind without even reading the blurb, and I am glad I did.
This story certainly kept me on my toes. It is told in a dual perspective by Ruth and Catherine and I will say, I enjoyed both narrations equally, which rarely ever happens. I was fully invested in the past and present timeline, and while I wasn't entirely sure how I was being tricked, I knew not to trust what I was hearing.
Very intriguing, had my attention from beginning to end, pacing was good, no crazy, unbelievable out of the blue plot twists just for shock value. This was one of my favorite thrillers of the year so far and I have already recommended it to multiple friends!