Unfortunately this one didn’t really work for me or capture my interest throughout. Here is a story of a mother and daughter, both with secrets to hide. If I was Catherine, I would have started asking my mother questions way before it got to this point. Neither woman is very likeable and I didn’t feel compelled to root for either one. We find out what Ruth is hiding early on, leaving little to surprise. Most of the time we’re waiting for Catherine to uncover what we already know which to me as a reader was a bit boring. Nothing truly shocked me and left me longing for more. The narrator was also not ideal, as she didn’t ever change her voice tone, even for different voices. While the ending was action packed and suspense, overall this one missed the mark for me.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Sarah Pekkanen, and NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

As with most Sarah Pekkanen books, I really enjoyed this one. I found the characters interesting and the plot moved quickly. Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of Gone Tonight in exchange for my opinion.

I've only read books written by Sarah Pekkanen when she teams up with Greer Hendricks, so I wasn't sure what to expect for this thriller. I really liked the dual POV that the book was written in. I found both main characters to be intriguing and likeable for their own reasons. I enjoyed the slow burn unravel of the mystery plot line but when it was all said and done, it felt underwhelming. I expected so much more from this author. The lies and deceipt, sure they were exactly that. But as a reader, they felt quite justified and reasonable. I was expecting some giant plot twist to come out of no where and blow me away. That never happened. When the ending of the book neared, I braced myself for the shock that never came. I liked the story as a whole and felt it was extremely interesting and a very fast and easy read but it didn't wow me by any means.

I really enjoyed Kate Mara's narration of this story but I do wish that Catherine and Ruth's characters were narrated by two different individuals to create more audible depth to the story. Unless you caught the chapter title at the beginning, it was very hard to differentiate which character's POV was being told until there were more context clues because there was no change in inflection for the character's voices.

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this book.

I am a huge fan of the Sarah Pekkanen/Greer Hendricks writing duo, so I was curious about how this book would be with her writing it solo. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint!

Actress Kate Mara (of House of Cards fame) did the narration for this audiobook. Her voice was pleasant and seemed to fit the characters but occasionally it was difficult to differentiate between characters. The flow of the story was good, and the chapters alternated between the POV of Ruth (the mother) and Catherine (the daughter). Ruth's POVs alternated between her childhood (the past) and the present. There were times when I couldn't remember which POV the chapter was from and I found myself confused a few times. But overall I think the narrator's style of reading brought the story to life.

The plot of this story, was definitely a slow burn. I feel like I was well over halfway through the story before the twisty-ness actually started. There are a whole lot of buried secrets and trust issues between Ruth and Catherine. What starts as a super-close mother & daughter trying to overcome a life-changing illness somehow turns into a dark plot unearthing hidden secrets from the past, which then leads to an unexpected cat-and-mouse game. It's a true race against time, and the last 1/3 of the book is unputdownable. This book had a twist I didn't see coming, and I really loved the ending!

This is a must-read for fans of thrillers and Sarah Pekkanen. I am definitely going to be recommending this one to my book club (although the print version, not the audiobook).

🎧I paired the audio with the physical book, which is my favorite way to read and escape, and fully immerse myself into the reading/listening experience.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-mother/daughter relationships
-told in 3 parts
-multiple POVs
-unreliable narrators
-deception

*many thanks to St Martins Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This was a winner for me. A fast paced, where is this going thriller. The story line was original and kept me guessing. A mother’s love runs deep. There is nothing Ruth won’t do to keep her daughter safe. I loved this book.

Great suspense!

Catherine Sterling is a nurse. She has been working in a memory unit in a facility but now she is ready to move to Baltimore and start working at John Hopkins. Then, she starts noticing that her mother, Ruth Sterling is starting to have some memory issues. Shockingly she learned her grandmother had early-onset Alzheimer's. In the blink of an eye, her plans dissipate like smoke. She can't leave her mom this way, she has to stay and take care of her. As far as she can remember, Ruth has been there for her. They have been each other's support system.

Catherine is ready to give up her future when some incongruences start making her doubt what her mother has told her since she was a kid. Her mother is hiding things and Catherine must find out what is true and why is Ruth lying to her.

I liked how the story unfolded. The dual POV and the past and present timelines enriched the experience instead of making it difficult to follow. I liked both characters and I was scared of the outcome that was being foreshadowed.

The narrator, Kate Mara did a good job with both characters.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mother and daughter struggling to keep up with life. Moving all the time and financial hardships have kept them from being on top, but they've always had each other. While this thriller was a slow start, it picked up and I was pleasantly surprised with the ending. The suspense builds well, and I expected nothing less from this author. I like Pekkanen's writing style, but the narrator had some strange phrasing and pauses that made it hard to listen to. I think I would have enjoyed reading this as an ebook even more. I don't generally love a dual perspective writing, but in this book particularly, it helped with building suspense. Enjoyable, suspenseful and entertaining!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't as thrilling as I wished it would have been. The story was good, but it was fairly predictable and straight forward. I kept waiting for something to happen to turn it on its head and it never came. This and the fact that I didn't love the characters made the book just a middle of the road book for me.

I listened to it via audio and really think it would have been helped by having different narrators for the two perspectives. Since, the characters were so similar, there were times it would take me a second to realize whose perspective we were in.

I have read other books by the author that I have enjoyed in the past, so I will still be waiting for future books to see what else the author has in store.

**Read an ARC from Netgalley Rating : 3 Stars

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.