This was such a great read! Sarah is quickly climbing to my list of must reads. I have read everything by her so far and this didn't disappoint. Definitely 5 stars. I can't wait for the next one! I don't fully live the title but it didn't exactly hurt the book it just didn't really fit right.

I switched between audio and ebook, but the audio was really well done and I found myself drawn to that more.

Ruth and her daughter, Catherine, are close. Almost obsessively close. But all of Catherine's life they have only had each other. They have moved a lot. New towns, new jobs, new schools. But they were each other's constant through it all.

Catherine has just graduated with her nursing degree and is about to take a job at Johns Hopkins and move to Baltimore and live on her own for the first time. And then. She goes with Ruth to a doctor's appointment and learns Ruth has early onset Alzheimers. And later Ruth tells her that her own mother, who Catherine never knew, suffered from it also.

Catherine decides to stay and care for her mother. But this turn of events has her longing to know more about her mother's life and past, and she starts investigating. And begins to uncover things her mother didn't want her to know!

What would you do if you found out your whole life might be one elaborate lie? And how far would a mother actually go to protect her child?

This one drew me in and I could not stop until I knew the whole amazing story!

Many thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for both an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I was not the biggest fan of this one. I have loved all of the other books I have read from this author. This one didn’t feel much like a thriller to me.

Having previously only read works by Sarah Pekkanen when part of the Sarah Pekkanen/Greer Hendricks writing team, I wasn't sure what to expect from her solo work, but I was not disappointed! A story about secrets, and the way they can both damage us and save us, was compelling and interesting. I was invested in the characters, even though you had to wonder throughout who you were really supposed to trust. The dual narration kept the pace up and was an intriguing way to see the insights of both the main characters in the book. I will definitely continue to read Pekkanen/Greer, and will look forward to more of Sarah's individual work!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book has a very slow start and was not what I was expecting, but the plot was original and piqued my interest enough to keep me reading.

Told in alternating chapters by the two main characters, we follow the thoughts and actions of Ruth, a single mom with a concealed past who is beginning to show symptoms of dementia and possibly Alzheimer's, and her daughter, Catherine, a nursing student. These two have been living a quiet nomadic life together since Catherine was born, with no family to support them. With Ruth's new diagnosis, Catherine becomes keen to learn more about her mother's past which she knows very little about, before her mother's mind is gone. However, what she finds out is that nothing is at all as it seems and their lives are full of lies and secrets.

The surprise reveal in the story turned out to be more of a mediocre moment and not very surprising. Unfortunately, moving forward, I felt that the suspense and drama were also lukewarm, and I never really found the characters or their actions to be very believable. I know that many of my GR friends loved this book, but it just didn't turn out to be a winner for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read a DRC of this book in exhange for an honest review.

As someone with experience with both a complicated mother/daughter relationship and also Alzheimer's, this one was a trip! You just never know what to expect as Gone Tonight has plenty of twists and turns. I think this would be great with a sequel. But, really a quick thriller with plenty of family dynamics to keep you on your toes.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sarah Pekkanen for the advanced copy of Gone Tonight in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up.

I'm not going to lie, this one really took me by surprise, and I mean that in the best way possible! I absolutely loved it and could not put it down. I equally enjoyed both POV chapters, which is not always the case with alternating viewpoints but these were excellently written.

I thought the plot pacing was very well done, too. Once I finally understood what was happening I was so invested in how everything was going to play out it didn't stop me from continuing to flip pages like crazy. I even cried a bit at the ending!

Don't miss this one on US bookshelves next week, August 1!

GONE TONIGHT review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

▪️After reading and loving a few books that Sarah Pekkanen has co-written, I knew I wanted to check out her latest release. The cover of this one is giving me maaaaajor fall vibes and making me even more eager to bust out my Halloween decorations. 🎃

▪️Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Catherine and her mother Ruth have always had a very close relationship. Growing up without a father figure, Catherine has depended on her mom for everything. But Ruth has never shared details of her past with Catherine. When they are given heart breaking medical news, Catherine is even more determined to learn about her mom’s life. But if Ruth’s past is brought to light, it could be the very thing that severs their relationship.

▪️I thought it was refreshing to read a thriller focused on a mother/daughter relationship. Soooo many thrillers I’ve read lately are centered around couples or groups of friends so this was a nice change of pace! The first part did a good job laying the groundwork for the rest of the story. In part 2 I had no idea who to trust and my head was spinning. Part 3 when it all came together was so satisfying. 👏

▪️I did think that at times the book felt more like a mystery/family drama novel versus a thriller. Not a bad thing, just not what I was expecting! I also thought the ending was a little tooooo wrapped up for my liking. I like a little mystery/intrigue still left once I finish the book personally. Overall I really enjoyed this one and would recommend checking it out!

▪️Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my advanced copy of this one! It publishes next week on August 1st!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I found the first chapter intriguing and when I returned to Gone Tonight, I read the remainder in one sitting. Gone Tonight is a duel point of view told by the mother, Ruth, and the daughter, Catherine. What seems to be a book about mothers and daughters and coping with a dreaded diagnosis morphs quickly into sharp thriller that had me on the edge of my seat, reading until I finished the entire book. Ruth's visit to the neurologist and the diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease and the short chapters switching between mother and daughter, catapults the reader fully into the story.

I enjoyed both characters POV chapters and I while I understood Ruth's character and even empathized with her at her darkest times, Catherine was a bit of an enigma. I thought her chapters were more about the events of the novel while Ruth's chapters let the reader into her character as she showcased her backstory. By the end of the book, I thought Pekkanen kept Catherine remote on purpose and I could see where she was leading us. The climax of the story was every bit as exciting as a thriller should be and while the events wrapped up neatly, we are still left wanting to know what happens with Ruth and Catherine next.

Overall this was a great read and while I think I've read Pekkanen before, I will definitely be checking out her backlist.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc for review purposes.

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen is a slow burn suspense novel. It is told in dual point of view of a mother (Ruth) and daughter (Catherine) in the past and present. Catherine is about to move away and start her dream job but when her mom stars acting weird (loosing her keys, forgetting phrases, leaving eggs in the cupboard) she needs to figure out whats going on with her. There were so many twists and turns and I definitely did not see that ending coming!! A book I truly couldn't put down.
Thank you to Sarah Pekkanen, St-Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It was a slow-burn suspense that just kept getting twister as the story progressed. There are dual POVs, and if I'm being honest, neither was likable. I found Ruth boring, but her past kept me reeled in and wanting to know more.

The ending was so good; I loved the plot twist! Just when I thought I knew, I didn't. I enjoyed this mother/daughter story.

I will post a full review before the pub date 8/01 on my Instagram page.

Thanks Netgalley and St Martin Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen
Published: August 1, 2023
St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Women’s Psychological Fiction
Pages: 337
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Sarah Pekkanen is a #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of four novels. Her books have been translated into dozens of languages. In her free time, Sarah is a dedicated volunteer for rescue animals and serves as Ambassador for RRSA India, working hands-on to vaccinate and heal street dogs in Anand, India. She also volunteers weekly for a horse rescue group in Maryland, mucking stalls and helping mistreated horses heal.
Sarah lives just outside of Washington, D.C. with her family.

“I needed to do whatever it took to break the pattern.”

Catherine is weeks away from moving to start her dream job. She is looking forward to going out into the world until she starts noticing little things. Like her mom putting eggs in the cupboard and misplacing her keys, and forgetting phrases. Now, she has to figure out what’s wrong and try to find the truth.

HOLY BANANA BREAD. When I started this book, I thought it was going in a completely different direction, and I was mentally preparing myself for a story that would break my heart.

Boy, was I wrong. Sarah weaves such a devious and twisted plot, and I appreciate how many little details she puts into the building of the scenes and characters, things that are easy to read and move on. Until they come crashing back at 200 miles per hour.

I liked Catherine. She was intelligent, compassionate, trusting, and kind. She was dedicated to her mom and looked forward to moving into adulthood.

Ruth was such a solid character. I liked her storytelling and how she would stop at nothing to give her daughter the best life possible. There was an underlying sadness in Ruth but also a palpable ferocity.

The twists in this book left my jaw on the floor. I could not have predicted the turns this Tory took. Each more dastardly than the last. This was such an engaging and intense story.

I was on the edge of my seat, speed-reading for my life through the last half of this novel. I could not put it down, and I also did not want to finish. The book hangover is real!

Kathleen Sterling is a 24-year-old girl who any mom would be proud of she has a job placement at Johns Hopkins she just graduated from nursing school and works in the memory department at the sunrise geriatric center when she finds out that her mom Ruth has been afflicted with Alzheimer’s something she knows a lot about due to her career choice she realizes she knows a lot about her affliction but doesn’t know a lot about her mom. She knows her mom is hard-working that she came from Virginia her birthday os August 1 andn she’s 42… But does she? The more Kathleen diggs for information the less she comes up with. While Catherine is trying to dick up her mom‘s past Ruth is busy running from it but the day of reckoning is close upon them so why is Catherine acting like she scared of Ruth? Ruth thinks she has everything under control until she runs out to make an important phone call where her daughter won’t hear only to come back and see Catherine fleeing in the family car and running like her life depends on it. This book so, so, so freaking good! Sarah Peckanen has outdone herself and other people with this book gone tonight is a riveting edge of your seat read I was sitting up in bed to make certain I wouldn’t fall asleep I absolutely loved this book and feel lucky I even got to read it what an absolutely phenomenal story! I don’t know what it is about the story of Ruth and Catherine because on paper it is like your every day thriller but OMG maybe it is the author is writing style or the way she builds up the tension but this is an awesome awesome book! I want to thank Saint martins press Ian Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

🪟 Gone Tonight - Sarah Pekkanen

4 ⭐️ - Wow, this was twisty! This one has a slower start but definitely picked up and had my blood pressure rising. Sarah Pekkanen knows how to keep me on my toes!

I enjoyed this one more than I thought. I was super excited to see Sarah Pekkanen was releasing a new book, but this was my first solo of hers! At first, I was a littleee confused about who the characters were and who they were telling this stories too, BUT as it went on, I totally got the hang of it and was hooked. I was dying to know how the changing POV (my fave) between a mother and a daughter was going to turn out and unravel. I had some guesses that were correct and I saw coming but others I totally didn’t see. Definitely recommend if you’re a Pekkanen fan!

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan audio, and St. Martin Press for the early ARC and LRC! This thriller is out 8/8/23!

This book started off a little slowly, but by the halfway mark I was totally invested in finding out the family secrets. Catherine and her mom both have impressive skills when it comes to staying alive and I could easily see this as an thriller/action movie. I listened to the audiobook and it's a great way to experience the tension and mystery in this novel.

Read if you like:
👩‍👧Mother & Daughter Relationships
⏳ Past and Present Timelines
🤐 Secrets & Lies
📝 Journal Entries
2️⃣ Two POV

This was a more slow paced domestic thriller/mystery that swapped POV between Mother (Ruth) and Daughter (Catherine) throughout the book as Catherine begins to uncover lies and secrets from her mother and her mother begins to write out the truth of her past for her daughter that she has never shared before. This all comes out as Catherine is about to embark on a new journey moving away from her mother, but Ruth just can’t let that happen for reasons unknown to Catherine and the reader.

As someone that grew up with a mother that had secrets and lied often this one definitely struck a cord for how Catherine decided to dig and try to figure out the truth for herself of what was going on.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The premise is excellent, the execution not so much.

Told in alternating perspectives from mother and daughter (Ruth & Sterling), they are each working to mystify the other. Ruth is protecting Catherine at all costs including possibly faking Alzheimers (!) and Catherine is conducting her own investigating to figure out why.

This just didn't work for me. The plot was unrealistic, so many cringeworthy pieces that would never happen. I wasn't invested in the characters and ultimately the payoff was not worth the setup. The author led me to believe a character was "evil" with no explanations. I worked at a Target and Ruth just lives in the store. I just couldn't suspend belief enough for this to work well for me.

Sarah Pekkanen’s newest, Gone Tonight, was not the super suspenseful story I had anticipated, its a slow-burning, carefully unfolding novel about a mother and daughter. Catherine is nurse, excited about the next stage of her career but her mother doesn’t exactly want Catherine to head out and make a life for herself. Or are there some secrets that Ruth doesn’t want Catherine to know? And is Ruth the only one with secrets?

Catherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother. Ruth Sterling is quiet, hardworking, and lives for her daughter. All her life, it’s been just the two of them against the world. But now, Catherine is ready to spread her wings, move from home, and begin a new career. And Ruth Sterling will do anything to prevent that from happening.

Ruth Sterling thinks she knows her daughter. Catherine would never rebel, would never question anything about her mother’s past or background. But when Ruth’s desperate quest to keep her daughter by her side begins to reveal cracks in Ruth’s carefully-constructed world, both mother and daughter begin a dance of deception.

Don’t miss this one! It’s out on August 1.

When I started this book, I was thrilled with the unique plot potential. Catherine, a recent nursing grad who's headed for a new job at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, lives with her mother, Ruth. Their relationship leans toward dysfunctional - to say Ruth is overprotective would be an understatement. But Catherine's attitude softens quite a bit when she learns that her mother most likely has early-onset Alzheimer's (and Ruth confesses that her own mother had it as well). As a many years long-term care ombudsman who spent considerable time with residents in various stages of dementia, I was super-interested and considered that to be a great angle for a psychological thriller. I even made some guesses as to how that might play out as the story progressed.

But quite a few chapters later, plot shifts left me very disappointed (to avoid spoilers I can't explain that any further). That's because thereafter, the plot became not too different from many others I've read; one character can't (or doesn't think she can) reveal past experiences to the other, with both constantly on the run because the secretive character fears that those experiences will catch up to them in a very not good way. And of course, the character from whom those secrets have been withheld begins to catch on - unbeknownst to the other one.

So it is that Catherine, who has always wondered about her mother's background, begins to dig around and unearths facts that contradict what Ruth has told her all these years. Why, Catherine wonders, have we moved around so often and so hastily? How much of what my mother has told me is the truth, if any - and why has she withheld it? For the most part, Ruth is oblivious to Catherine's investigations, continuing to stick the story she's told in the apparent belief that she's doing it all to protect her precious child.

For her part, Catherine suspects far more sinister motives; and the more she digs, the more the trust gap widens between the two and her actions threaten their very lives. Toward the end, of course, those threats turn into reality. There's no shortage of action throughout the whole thing, and it all comes to a bang-up end (just not one that involves what I'd hoped it would involve). That said, it's a solid and entertaining book, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

This was was just OK. The story shifts between two characters POVs and unfortunately neither of them were likable. The plot itself had so many holes in it and it wasn't believable. I didn't hate it, but was expecting more from an author I've enjoyed in the past. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!