It’s time I gave up on psychological/domestic suspense thrillers. Despite the promise of jaw-dropping twists, and an ending I won’t see coming, I’ve come to the conclusion that the limited palette of tropes and formulaic style of this genre means that once you’ve read a few, you’ve read them all. Gone Tonight sounded like it would be different - an intense mother-daughter relationship, a terrifying diagnosis, secrets and lies from the past… but this was unfortunately SO slow and so awkwardly written that I had to drag myself through it - and only persisted because it was an ARC.

Catherine Sterling is a bright young nurse with a promising career ahead of her, but her future plans are scuppered by her mother Ruth’s diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimers. With no other family to fall back on, Ruth has taken care of Catherine all her life, but now some of her behaviour doesn’t make sense: what exactly is Ruth hiding, and can Catherine discover the truth before it’s too late?

This is told in alternating chapters from both women’s first person point of view, but the laborious details of every action quickly became so tedious that it slowed the story down to slug pace. I didn’t warm to either woman, and guessed one of the major twists very early on, so was then just waiting to find out the reasons for it. I don’t want to spoil the plot, but let’s just say the backstory was implausible, the various characters’ motivations poorly fleshed out, and the denouement unbelievable.
This has plenty of 5-star reviews already so if you love this genre and this author, by all means give it a go, but I’m rounding down from 2.5 for the really horrible present tense narration and unsurprising ending.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and am posting this honest review voluntarily.
Gone Tonight is published on August 15th.

A very good slow-burn, domestic thriller featuring a mother and her adult daughter, both of them in search of the truth about each other, before it’s too late. How wonderful to have a protagonist in a thriller who is over 40! I enjoyed this very much and couldn’t put it down.

Ruth and her adult daughter Catherine are the narrators of “Gone Tonight” by Sarah Pekkanen, a very good slow-burn domestic thriller. Why won’t Ruth talk about her past? She is showing signs of Alzheimers and Catherine wants to find out more about her before it’s too late. Catherine and Ruth love each other but clearly something strange is going on. Our narrators (who may or may not be of the unreliable type) tell their suspenseful tale in first-person present-tense, which adds to the feeling of slow dread. Little by little, we are given clues and at times jaw-dropping reveals as to what is happening. Things are not what they seem and the suspense increases with each new page. Will lies be enough to protect who you love the most?.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press!

Pekkanen has done it again 👏🏼👏🏼 loved everything about this, and I think it finally ended my seemingly never ending slump. It was the best kind of slow burn with twist after twist!! I’m a sucker for a psychological thriller, and Pekkanen does them SO well. I loved getting a closer look into Ruth’s past and motivation for her new way of life as the story progressed, and Catherine’s character arc was one I definitely didn’t see coming. One of the best thrillers I have read so far this year!! 🖤

My thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of Gone Tonight.

Catherine Sterling and her mother have always been close, after all, it’s only been the two of them her entire life. Despite that, Catherine is ready to set out on her own and move away from home. But when Ruth shows signs of early onset Alzheimer’s, Catherine is forced to stay close to home. Something’s not quite adding up though, and Catherine behind to question what she really knows about her mother.

Told in alternating perspectives, this isn’t a pulse pounding thriller through and through, although it certainly has its moments of high stakes and unanswered questions. It really shines though as it focuses on the dynamics between mother and daughter, the complications of growing up with a guarded mother and the lengths a parent goes to
protect their child. This book would definitely appeal to a variety of readers and should please any Sarah Pekkanen fan!

Oooh this book was a slow burn. 25-30% into it, I was wholly convinced it was a mislabeled thriller. Then… it came! What a unique story. Sarah Pekkanen rarely disappoints. And this one did it.

Ruth is a 42 year old mother who lives life like a ghost. Her 24 year old daughter, Catherine, suspects her mom is lying,

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC.

A fun, suspenseful read from one of the co-authors of The Wife Between Us!

Sarah masterfully weaves in a teasing sentence or two in every chapter that caught me off-guard, made me sit up and alert. I called most of the twists, but the WAY they were revealed was fresh and skillful, and still very fun! I highly enjoyed Catherine—she was fascinating, and made this book. She became more and more interesting as the story went on, and I was sad when it ended!

Overall, I’d definitely recommend to lovers of domestic suspense.

Super grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

This a really good suspense novel. It was told in the alternating voices of Ruth and her daughter, Catherine. Both characters were interesting and well developed and you understood both of their motivations for their actions. There were several surprising twists and good ending. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Wow! This book was so good. It is told in alternating chapters from the viewpoints of mother and daughter and also flashes back to the past periodically. I really enjoyed it and liked the alternating viewpoints. The author did a great job keeping me engaged and surprising me with twists. One pop culture reference was made that was impossible based on the time period the book was set in and that frustrated me but other than that a fabulous thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a slow burn of a book full of twists and turns. Told in alternating points of view, this psychological thriller will leave you wondering where it will take you.

Definitely give this one a try. Thanks to Orion Publishing for providing me with an ARC.

I’ve read all of Pekkanen’s work with Greer Hendricks, and for some reason i continue to be interested in their books despite them all being no higher than a 3.5 rating. naturally I was curious to see how one of them writes on her own.

kudos for the UNIQUE premise but unfortunately it yielded mixed results for me - definitely requires an extreme suspension of disbelief as the story unfolds and we learn more about Ruth’s past. it’s one of those thrillers that rely a lot on coincidences and I could pretty much see all the reveals coming. the characters are written well and as far as I know the disability rep is pretty accurate, but sadly I was really hoping to love this one more than I did.

4.25 🌟

Mother and daughter, Catherine and Ruth have always kind of lived a nomadic, reclusive life. Catherine believes she knows her mom until stuff starts to unravel and Ruth many not be who she seems. As Catherine chases clues, trying to figure out who her mom is, she may put her mom (and herself) in danger.

I really enjoyed Gone Tonight. From almost the first page, I was captured trying to figure out what secrets Ruth was hiding. And there were enough twists and turns to keep me engaged through the whole book.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

So the first chapter of this book had me confused, but I love the author’s books and decided I had to read more. Whoa! How this story transformed!!! This is the story of the lengths a mother will go to in order to protect her child! So many tense moments in this book! Loved it!!!

Gone Tonight follows a mother-daughter duo, Ruth and Catherine, as they face the prospective changes to come in their life as Catherine nears her first move out on her own and Ruth as an aging woman on her own. It's empty-nester syndrome meets psychological thriller.

I will start with, I went into Gone Tonight blind and absolutely nothing I expected happen. I was entirely surprised from start to finish. This story is twisted and unique, a clever tale about the lengths we go to protect ourselves. Sarah Pekkanen, of course, is known for her standout thrillers with storylines that aren't the norm so I was excited about this one. It's definitely a different tale, Ruth does not want Catherine to go, but she also doesn't want her to know the truth. Ruth's been keeping secrets, secrets no one can find out about, secrets that could hurt Catherine emotionally and physically. Through Gone Tonight's shifting chapters perspectives and timeframes we get to know the real Ruth, the story behind her, and what she is so desperate for Catherine not to find out.

While the final twist is explosive and fantastic and comes with several little twists of its own, the overall story is slow. We are not given enough time and information to like Catherine and Ruth, yet somehow we are meant to be caught up in their storyline. I spent a lot of time feeling like, if only I liked you this would impact me more and what a stupid way to handle that. I just wanted them to mean more to me and I wanted them, particularly Catherine, to be smarter. It's a great read overall, I think people will enjoy the surprise of this one, but it didn't ultimately hit the nail for me.

Gone Tonight kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to know whose secrets were going to explode first! Excellent read with characters you love to question..

4.5 stars

I really loved this book. Sarah Pekkanen did a phenomenal job telling the story of Catherine and Ruth Stirling. It was an intricate web of secrets and a hidden past. I wouldn't say the story was unpredictable but it was intriguing and kept me glued to the pages way past my bedtime. I loved that the story was told from a dual point of view, as they say there are always two sides to every story and for this book knowing the internal monologue of the characters really filled in that grey space. As an added bonus Ruth's journaling provided an extra layer with rich details of her past.

It is clear to see these two women love each other more than anything but the story really presses the issue of how long can you turn a blind eye and what secrets are too big to forgive. This book was suspenseful but not to the point it kept me up at night (other than I couldn't put it down) and was such a refreshing break from my usual genres. I would definitely love to read more by this author and thanks to this book I am learning I really love the thriller and suspense genre.

Gone Tonight follows the story of a mother and her daughter told in alternating POVs. The mother has a secret she is keeping from her daughter and as the daughter Catherine tries to unravel the mystery, the story progresses. I won’t say anything more than that so as to not spoil the story.

I found this book to be engaging, and I found myself reading it before bed to find out what happens. As the story develops some of the plot twists can be a bit predictable but there were some facts sprinkled in at the end of the story that did surprise me so I always want to give credit for that because I’m usually good at guessing where stories are going.

There were some plot points that I wish were explored some more that were hinted at at the end of the book. I feel that the way that it ended could absolutely open the door to another book but who knows! I enjoyed the book, it wasn’t the best thing I’ve read all year but it was certainly engaging with a story that keeps you hooked.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing this Arc to me!!

I loved the alternating POVs between the mother and daughter. They complimented each other well and made the reveals even more surprising! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

4.5 Stars

What an amazingly twisty slow burn read. This book kept me on my toes. It took many twist I didn’t see coming. It kept me hooked and eager to keep reading to see how everything turned out. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends!

Blurb from my Instagram post:
There is no love like the love of a mother.
Ruth and her daughter Catherine are inseparable. It’s always been the two of them moving from city to city. Never planting their roots for too long. Ruth can’t let anyone get close to them, she must maintain her secrecy.

Catherine is in her early twenties and getting ready to finally spread her wings and move off to start an adventure of her own in a new town.

Ruth isn’t sure how she feels about Catherine moving away. She isn’t ready to be an empty nester. She must find a way to keep Catherine under her wing. But at what cost?

As Ruth formulates her plan for keeping Catherine close, things aren’t adding up & Catherine is starting to question everything she thought she knew about her mother.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Ruth & Catherine. This twisty suspenseful read takes us on Catherine’s journey as she uncovers her mothers secretive past.

Thank you @netgalley so much for my E-ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Another great read from Sarah Pekkanen! It’s a gripping read, filled with characters that are relatable, short chapters, and a premise that keeps evolving and become more and more jaw dropping. Sarah creates a great three part read that shows just how protective a mother (Ruth) can be over her daughter (Catherine) and vice versa.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the change to read and review this fantastic thriller!

Sarah Pekkanen is a master of twists and turns! By the end of part one, I was completely hooked and desperate to learn more about these mother daughter duo and their long kept secrets. Dual POV and short chapters kept me compulsively reading until the very last page.

Thank you so much St Martin’s Press for my advanced copy.