This was a slow burn thriller that was so slow it fizzled out. I made it to the end but then was disappointed I did. The twist at the end was a dud and a bit of an eye roller. I just couldn’t wrap my head around some of the actions by the characters. Ultimately this one was not for me.

This one grabbed me from the start and never let up. I absolutely love the cover. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Mikki went missing the night a good looking stranger walked into the truck stop where best friends Lark and Mikki worked the late shift. He offered her the trip of a lifetime, one that Mikki didn’t think she could pass up, and she went with him, never to be seen by Lark or her grandmother again. While Lark is just getting her life together again, the stranger shows up looking for Mikki. Considering that Lark presumed this man had been responsible for Mikki’s disappearance, Lark doesn’t know what to believe. But she is going to find out in Jessica Strawser’s intriguing Catch You Later.

I liked the characters–all of them. They were well-developed, believable, and interesting.

I liked the mystery. It’s well-plotted, filled with rich details.

I liked the flashbacks, going through Mikki’s life and then her great adventure.

All in all this is a fascinating, engrossing read, until the last quarter that leads to a “meh” ending. I partly blame the slow burn but also perhaps the alternating between flashback chapters with present day. At a certain point the reader–aka this reader–suspected what was going on, which I think accounts for my “meh” feeling for a book that I had been entirely enjoying up to that point.

Anyway, it’s still a good read and perhaps you won’t feel any “meh” at all.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy.

I have read all of Jessica Strawser's novels and am always impressed by her writing style. Her latest, Catch You Later, is my favorite of hers so far. I found myself totally invested in this story and wrapped up in the mystery of what happened to Mikki.

I loved seeing the perspectives of both Lark and Mikki, one in the present and one in the not-so-distant past. They both had really interesting storylines. I was able to visualize everything so clearly thanks to the details and descriptions. The story felt so genuine, about two best friends who love each other but also tend to clash on some matters. When Mikki first disappears, Lark is pregnant and we learn about how Mikki feels about Lark's connection with the baby's father and also taking on a huge role in the baby's life in nine short months. We also see how Lark feels about Mikki just taking off with a stranger on a whim. Both women have had difficult life experiences, and while that has bonded them, it has also put them at odds with each other and with the people in their lives.

The ending felt a bit anticlimactic after all the mystery and suspense surrounding Mikki's disappearance, but I enjoyed all the build-up leading to getting some much-needed answers. The way the story went between the past and present allowed readers to try to put the pieces together without giving too much away. I was definitely surprised by some parts!

Definitely check this novel out and prepare to be glued to your seat for a while!

(Trigger warnings at the bottom of this post.)

Movie casting suggestions:
Lark (2024): Katharine McPhee
Mikki (2016): Eve Hewson
Chris: Milo Gibson
Heath: Austin Stowell
Nini: Lily Tomlin
Kim: Kim Matula
Cooper: Ray Nicholson
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TW: Death of parents, substance abuse, suicide

Loved it!!! I started reading the book, without knowing the premise. It definitely didn't disappoint and wasn't what I expected at all. Who gets into a stranger's car to drive down to Florida from Ohio? No one!!! This is the type of scene that causes nightmares. Girl gets into a car with a stranger, at a truck stop, and is never heard from again. Mikki didn't even have her phone with her, so she wouldn't be able to call for help if Chris turned out to be a serial killer. Lark never heard from her best friend Mikki again, except for one email. For eight years, Lark has wondered where her friend could be. People blamed Lark for allowing Mikki to get in the car. How was she supposed to stop her? I loved how the book alternated between the present (2024) with Lark and 2016 while Mikki and Chris are driving down to Florida. I kept wondering what could have happened to Mikki. Chris didn't seem like the kind of guy who would be featured on 20/20 or Dateline. Mikki seemed to be having a good time and enjoying herself at the resort. I couldn't put the book down because I had to know what happened. Did Mikki decide to create a new life, did something happen at the wedding or did she actually meet a serial killer on her long drive home? There were so many questions. If she was alive, why didn't she contact Lark or her grandmother? Sometimes I thought Nini might know something, but then I figured it might be her dementia. Loved the ending when the truth was finally revealed. I would have never guessed what really happened. I was shocked and surprised.

Definitely recommend the book. This was a great mystery/thriller that had me guessing until the end. I had no idea who was behind everything. Loved the characters, story and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

I love that the characters are relatable. Just two ladies working a normal working class job in a boring town. Isn't that most of us?
In 2024 lark is still relatable and she is engaged to a nice normal working class guy. I love that.
It gets weird at the end but I felt the alternating timelines and I loved our gals.

Meet Lark and Mikki, two close friends working at a highway truck stop in a one dog town in Ohio.

The year is 2016. Life is passing them by it seems, and both feel kind of bleak about getting out of this town, for a brighter, more promising future. That all changes the moment a man walks in looking for a coffee. He is headed to Florida for a wedding and after chatting up a conversation with Mikki, he convinces her to come along for the weekend. Lark thinks Mikki has completely lost her mind for going with a man she knows nothing about, but Mikki sees this as an opportunity to get out of dodge for a few days, to see what life is like beyond their boring town. Life is about taking chances, right? When Monday comes, there is no sign of Mikki.

The year is 2024, and still no Mikki. What happened to her closet friend? Lark has never given up hope that one day Mikki might be found. And so begins the story…
This was a good book. I was invested the whole time in finding out what happened to Mikki. At times I felt the story dragged on a bit too much,I think some of it could have been edited out. Overall it was a great storyline. I would recommend it. Also the cover is gorgeous!
3.5 stars, rounded down.

This story is not your average mystery/thriller.

The friendships are solid and make the reader think about what their own friendships can withstand.
I loved the relationship between Mikki and Chris. Wish their story could have ended differently.

I enjoyed this book but wish there could have been more to some of the relationships.

Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author Jessica Strawser
This is a story of friendship, love, family.
Loved the main characters and the strength they had through hard times.
Recommend

Catch You Later by Jessica Strawser is a touching story about friendship, second chances, and finding healing in unexpected places. It follows two childhood friends who reconnect, discovering that the people from our past can help us in surprising ways.

The writing is warm and honest, making the characters feel real and relatable. The book explores themes of forgiveness and personal growth, leaving you feeling hopeful by the end. If you love stories about reconnecting with old friends and finding new beginnings, this one will tug at your heart and make you smile.

Lark and Mikki are best friends who work the night shift at a highway travel stop in a small Ohio town, going nowhere fast, until a traveller heading for Florida stops in and Mikki impulsively leaves with him, never to be seen again. Eight years later the stranger who drove Mikki away reappears and asks for her, escalating the mystery surrounding her disappearance. Lovely cover!

The story is told from the points of view of Lark in the present (2024) and Mikki in the past (2016) when she left the travel stop with Chris headed to his sister's wedding in Florida. I don't recommend anyone doing what Mikki did as it could've turned out so much worse! The story, which goes back and forth between the two timelines, is slow to develop and I enjoyed it right up until about 85%. I was so disappointed from that point on that I pretty much skimmed to the end which was rather preposterous in my opinion (the end I mean). There are lots of more positive reviews so you should check them out if you're interested in reading this.

This was my first book by Jessica Strawser although I have a couple of others on my to read list. Even though I didn't love this one, I'm willing to give her another try.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: October 22, 2024

A great suspense read based on friendship. I loved the dual timelines and POVs that unfolds Mikki's disappearance and the bubble up of looking for her again after 8 years. It was a slow build but I was intrigued the whole time and wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. The end had some good twists to wrap it all up.

If you got a chance to leave a small town?? Would you take it even if it would mean you may never get back to where you been …. ?? Being young with an uncertain future what is there to lose ??? You need to read this book to find out the answers …

“Catch You Later” by Jessica Strawser is the story of one impulsive decision and how it changes the lives of two best friends. If Lark and Mikki didn't have each other, they’d have nothing in this miserable town. So the best friends stick together, working night shift at the highway travel stop, going nowhere fast. Until a stranger drops in heading for Florida, and Mikki impulsively leaves with him, never to be seen again. Eight years later, Lark is finally getting her life back together for the sake of her young daughter and Mikki’s lovable grandma, who can no longer care for herself. People have almost stopped blaming Lark for Mikki's disappearance and she's engaged to the nicest guy on the Highway Patrol. But when the stranger who drove Mikki away reappears and asks for her, nobody knows what to believe. As the search reignites, Lark fights to find out whether Mikki is really missing or doesn't want to be found. But piercing together the chain of events set into motion that faithful night could threaten everything and everyone.


I enjoyed this book so much. The author took 2 characters, best friends, and made them real. She made them just like me. I rooted for them to find each other again. I was continuously on the edge of my seat reading this book – continuing to wonder where the story would head. I appreciated the strong start and how the author built anticipation with a few frightening moments. Thank you #NetGalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for the opportunity to read this fantastic read!

Excellent book, loved it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I actually got to about 40 percent through and just could not go on because it was so boring. Maybe it turns into a thriller at the end of the book but it did not hold my interest enough to find out. I found the storyline to be ridiculous. Two best friends work at a gas station together and some strange guy shows up and offers the one a free trip to Florida and she goes with him.

Catch You Later, Jessica Strawser's latest release, is a twisty mystery that takes readers from Ohio to Florida in alternating timelines. Mikki and Lark, best friends who are closer than most sisters, Working at truck/travel stop in their small town in Ohio they have a motto about taking changes, enjoying the ride and living life to the fullest as much as they can. In a town that has socio-economic issues and not a lot of opportunities, when a good looking, seemingly successful guy asks Mikki if she wants to ride to Florida and be his plus 1 for his sister's wedding, Lark tries to stop Mikki but understands once her mind is made up, Mikki will follow-through. Needing some space, Mikki decides this is the perfect opportunity to see the ocean and have some breathing room as Lark has discovered she's pregnant and their lives will change forever. Mikki's last words "catch you later" were heard 8 years ago and she hasn't been seen since. After a missing person's campaign and hiring a private investigator, Lark hasn't given up hope even though most of the town has moved on. What seems like a regular night becomes anything but when the mysterious stranger from 8 years ago shows up again and asks Lark if she's heard from Mikki. Stunned, Lark explains Mikki never returned home and finds out Mikki's wedding date hasn't seen her since the day after the wedding and assumed she returned home. In alternating timelines, Strawser weaves a twisty novel together and nothing is as it seems. Pick this one up!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I think this book will stay with me for a long time. This was my first book by this author and it was very well written. Suspenseful, enthralling, and twists you think you saw coming but wait for the other shoe to drop!! Loved it!!

Book couldn't be downloaded prior to release date. Ii would still give this 5 stars just from the synopsis.

I enjoyed this book so much. This author took two characters, best friends, and made them real. Made me like them. Made them part of my life in a way. I rooted for them to find each other again. If only...

Two young women who have been friends their whole lives, Lark and Nikki. Both from similar backgrounds. Both having lost their parents in one way or the other. They have been the best of friends always. Working at a store together. One expecting a baby and the other expecting a way out of this town.

Along comes a man who can take Mikki away for a while. They don't know each other at all but for some crazy reason Mikki trusts Chris to be a good guy. She doesn't think twice about going to Florida with him to a wedding as his plus one. What could possibly go wrong?

Lark begged Mikki not to go. Or to at least take her cell phone. Lark needed Mikki to be there when her baby is born. She's alone and afraid. She has no one. Not even the baby's father. Mikki is not there. She doesn't return from this road trip with a stranger.

For eight years Lark has wondered what happened. She tried hard to find her best friend. The cops were of little help since Mikki went on her own. She wasn't forced. Lark had her baby. A little girl she named Dove. She's living with Mikki's grandmother Nini now and they are trying to be a family. Though everyone it seems blames Lark for Mikki's disappearance. Then in walks the stranger who took Mikki away eight years earlier.

From this point on you will be on the edge. Wondering where things are headed. If you'll find out what truly happened that day. The day Mikki was suppose to start home. Was suppose to return to her life and her best friend.

This book is excellent. It has some pretty strong feels going one and a few scares. Told from the time Mikki went away in 2016 to when Lark meets Chris again in 2024. I love how the author cleared everything up. How the story played out. How Lark finally found her own happiness and closure. This was such a good story.

Thank you #NetGalley, #LakeUnionPublishing, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.