This book was WILD! I couldn’t put it down and although I was able to guess some of the twists, it mostly shocked me. I had some questions about how a few things worked but overall it was great.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book comes out on 8/1!
I rated this story 4.5 but rounded up for this rating system.

In the beginning, the shocking painful details you learn about one of the characters really sideswiped me and I was starting to wonder where the 'thriller' part of this sad tale was. I was wondering if I could even continue due to personal experiences with this disease in my family. I want to give a TW here, but it also is a big part of this tale, that I don't want to reveal what the disease is. Just know and understand you might get gut-punched as I did, if you have -any- sort of devastating medical issues with yourself or family. Especially the elderly. There's also SA, abuse, and alcoholism described in this book as well.

Around 10% in, I was starting to see the clues and what was really happening here, and it sucked me right back in after trying to hold these characters at arms length so I could stop getting gut-punched. NOW it was starting to become the thriller I was expecting from the synopsis I read. This book made me feel things: from pain and sadness, to anxiety and dread, to even hope! I actually felt for both characters while also feeling irritation for their flaws, screaming at them (and ranting to my husband) at their decisions.

There were so many twists and turns in this book, even to the very end. Now, I did start to figure it out and predict it early - soon as clues started to drop - but it didn't dampen my like of this thriller. It was a well written story overall, there were just moments I wished had a more obvious 'scene skip' or 'time jump' so we know we're moving on to the next scene. Everything flowed together, so there were points where one minute they're in the apartment and the next the car and I have to pause to reread to make sure I understand where they're even at now. I will definitely be looking at Sarah Pekkanen's other thrillers after reading this one!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Negalley for providing me an ARC copy! The story started out slow and I almost did not finish this one. Thankfully, around 40% through it did pick up and become more interesting and exciting. Overall, it was fine but not my favorite.

Book: Gone Tonight
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: August 1, 2023

This was an excellent book! It was a fast paced book which I liked and I had no clue what kind of secrets Ruth was hiding and they didn’t disappoint. I’m not going to lie I was afraid it was going to be something stupid. I enjoyed Ruth’s character and reading what she wrote in her journals about her past life and what led her to this point. The author did a great job of propelling the story forward and creating an urgency. Every secret Ruth is trying hard to hide Catherine is working twice as hard to uncover it. I did get frustrated with Catherine. I yelled at her to just ask her mother!! The ending was great and again I was so afraid it wasn’t going to be good. I loved the questions your left with about Catherine.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is August 1, 2023.

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been wanting to read a thriller by this author for a while now, and once I read the engaging premise of Gone Tonight, I jumped right in. This story is thrilling and maddening. I found myself yelling at my iPad a few times, wishing I could shake some sense into a character. Other times I caught my heart beat increasing, as I waited for the development of the mystery to unravel. Ultimately, I truly enjoyed this thriller, and I am excited to read more from this author in the future.

This book is told in dual POV between a mother named Ruth, and her daughter Catherine. They live together while Ruth waits tables at a diner nearby, and Catherine works on rotation at an elderly facility, taking care of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's and similar diseases. When Catherine begins to worry that her mother is suffering from the very disease that her patients are affected by, her whole world begins to change as she sets her future up to take care of her mother as her memory decreases.

What Catherine begins to realize, is that her mother is not who she seems. Between lies, hidden truths, and dangerous past, Catherine becomes determined to find out exactly who her mother is. Even if that means diving deep into her mothers past that she refuses to discuss. Murder, mystery, and long lost relatives all come crashing down around the main characters, leaving them scrambling to pick up the pieces, but at what cost?

I took to Catherine's character almost immediately. Her innocence made me want to wrap her up in a bubble and keep her safe from the secrets she was bound to discover. Each shocking moment left me breathless as I waited for her reactions. Ruth on the other hand I did not enjoy reading from as much. Her pat experiences were interesting to uncover, however I found a lack of connection whilst reading from her perspective, I caught myself checking to see when the chapter would end, anticipating the moment I could switch back to Catherine's point a view.

Ultimately, this mystery was very enjoyable. I was excited to see how the story progressed, and the ending left me more than satisfied. There were a few times I caught myself thinking that the aspects of this thriller had been done before, but certain twists allowed for an overall unique experience, especially the relationship of distrust crafted between the main characters. I give this book a 4 stars, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a new psychological thriller to enjoy.

I was definitely a Sarah Pekkanen fan even prior to "Gone Tonight." This book might be her best yet. I'll give a bit of a warning: When I started it the first chapter seemed to be about a mother/daughter and the mother's diagnosis of possible dementia.
Literally a chapter later, it all turns around. It becomes a thriller, with so many twists and turns. This is told from both the mother's POV and the daughter's, which I loved. I couldn't have been happier with this book. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Net Galley and Sarah Pekkanen for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. Trust me: Preorder this one!

Catherine knows nothing about her mother’s past before she was born. This suspenseful book is full of secrets. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the enjoyable hours reading this.

I wasn't overly impressed with this book. It was obvious from page one that she was lying about being sick. The first half of the book was just slow and boring. It did pick up in the second half, but overall, was just ok. I ended up skimming more than anything. I was disappointed. Her books are usually really good.

I love a good psychological thriller that is fast paced and twisty, is filled with lies, secrets and deceit, has heart stopping moments and wow, did this story perfectly deliver!

Ruth Sterling has always been an overly protective mother to her daughter Catherine. Now that Catherine is an adult and trying to forge a life of her own, Ruth still goes to far lengths to keep tabs on and protect her. What has happened in Ruth’s past to cause her to behave this way and will Catherine’s growing suspicions about her mother wreak havoc on their lives?

I have loved every book that Sarah Pekkannen has written with her writing partner Greer Hendricks and this one may well be the best she’s written as a solo author. It will keep you turning pages late into the night to get to the truth of Ruth’s dark past.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for sending me a digital copy of this fabulous book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The story was good just an extremely slow pace. I didn't feel as if the book got interesting until the last 100 pages. Overall the book just made me sad for what Ruth went through as a child. I also felt bad for Catherine as she needs some sort of help to connect with other people. The seen with the squirrel was just freaky! The one thing that rang true as a mother you will do anything to protect your child.

I requested this book because the author is the co author of one of my favorite thrillers. This book did not disappoint and I found myself unable to put it down. Loved the build up and character development

Bring your toolbelt.

There's a lot of loose screws in this one.

Gone Tonight is a good read. 3 Stars is still a worthy read. In the range of reviews out there, I'm living on Planet Outlier. Gone Tonight starts out strong, slips into a Black Hole for a while, and then pushes with all engines full steam into a grande finale.

Ruth Sterling is a 42year old mother who's had a very difficult life. As the story unfolds, we'll come to find bits and pieces of that former life as secrets begin to float to the surface. Also floating to the surface is an obvious forgetfulness on Ruth's part. She can't find her keys and loses things on a daily basis. She doesn't seem to recall recent incidents. Ruth worries that she may lose her waitress job because of this and things are already tight.

Catherine, Ruth's adult daughter, notices instantly that something is very wrong with her mother. She lives with Ruth and notices right away that Ruth is slipping. On top of that, Catherine has been accepted as a nursing student at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. She's also worked at Sunrise Senior Living which deals with patients with dementia and Alzheimer's. Catherine is about to give up her dream so that she can remain with her mother.

As readers, we're sitting comfortably as the story begins to roll out. Ruth has the enormous weight of the secrets of her past. She and Catherine continue to move from apartment to apartment over the years. And always in a rush. Catherine admits that she knows nothing about Ruth's family or her younger past. She doesn't even know who her father is. Ruth is more than tight lipped. We'll get snippets through chapters which are headed in the voice of each of these characters.

Sarah Pekkanen is a well known author and for good reason. But I found Gone Tonight was so intricately detailed by Ruth's past life that we know exactly what bubble gum she chewed, what dialogue was stated by the mean girls, what snacks were taken at Target and so on. What we didn't know was more about a crucial character so important to this storyline. What made this person tick? Realistically, and I do mean realistically, how did Ruth survive after sixteen? The emphasis was on the deep dark secret. And meanwhile, we were losing all those nuts, bolts, and screws meant to hold this one together. Get behind the wheel and see what you think.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Sarah Pekkanen for the opportunity.

Since I devoured The Wife Between Us, I will read anything these talented authors write and look forward to every new thriller they put out. This book was no exception - I read it in a couple of days because I could not put it down! I was rooting for both mom and daughter, and the dual timelines kept me guessing the whole time. These two authors are masters of suspense and twists!

Catherine Sterling and her mother Ruth have a super close relationship. They are best friends, close confidants and keep no secrets from each other. At least, as far as Catherine knows. But her mother refuses to speak about her past and her upbringing, never going into detail about why they moved around so much. Catherine has accepted this and stayed by her mother’s side, but now she has landed her dream job at a hospital. With Catherine on the verge of leaving, Ruth begins to crack and will do anything to keep her daughter close. But what is she scared of? Or is she herself the one Catherine should be afraid of?

This was a slow burn thriller, told in alternating viewpoints of Catherine and Ruth. Ruth begins to detail her past, explaining what led her to be in the place she is in today. And it was twisty, disturbing and unexpected. It was unique from other thrillers that I have read (and I read a lot of them!), in the way that it unfolded. Catherine was trying desperately to understand her mother and figure out what she was hiding, meanwhile Ruth was trying to keep it from coming to surface. It was a very character-driven story and I found myself loving both Catherine and Ruth by the end. The final twist was jaw-dropping, in that I thought I had seen everything!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sarah Pekkanen and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! “Gone Tonight” releases August 1st.

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I appreciated that this focused on an interdependent mother daughter relationship, which is a nice change from the thrillers I usually read. The writing gets the job done, but the two POVs are definitely not equally interesting and it moves at a slower pace than I expected.

“How far would you go to protect the person you love most in the world?”
Ruth and Catherine have always only had each other. Ruth had Catherine at nineteen, and her family basically wanted nothing to do with her after that. Ruth is starting to forget things, and Catherine, who is a nurse working in elderly care, wants to get her the help she knows she needs. Catherine will stay with her and give up her job at Johns Hopkins.
But before Ruth ends up like her mother did at the age of fifty with early-onset Alzheimer’s, Ruth wants to write down her life story to share with Catherine. And it is a doozy!
The chapters between Ruth and Catherine alternate – Ruth telling her life story and Catherine trying to find out anything she can about Ruth’s upbringing and teenage years.
I devoured this book in one day with all its twists and turns! It will definitely not be my last Sarah Pekkanen book!

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen
I kind of fell across this book on NetGalley. I really liked the cover and the synopsis peaked my interest yet I’d never read anything by this author. It was a ‘Read Now’ so I thought why not? Well it was the best decision I made that day! I was hooked within the first paragraph, THE FIRST PARAGRAPH! I love the author’s writing style. This book is about a mother, Ruth and her grown daughter, Catherine. Ruth became pregnant at 16 and was kicked out of her home by her very religious parents. She eventually made a quiet and simple life for herself and her daughter although they moved quite often. Fast forward and Catherine is now a grown woman. Her mother has always been very evasive about her past, telling her absolutely nothing and with Ruth’s recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis it makes Catherine even more hungry for answers. She starts digging but the answers she finds are are not at all what she expected.
I loved this book and give it 5⭐️

I would like to start by thanking St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of Gone Tonight 🙌🏼

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this read, as it focused on the relationship between a mother and her daughter, filled with secrets and shady stuff. My main problem with this book is that it wasn't very surprising and the twist comes too soon. I expected there to be an incredible plot twist toward the end that would blow my mind, but there wasn't 😔
On another note, this story is told in dual POV, but I did not care for the daughter's POV very much – I found the mother's perspective way more interesting and enthralling. However, I do agree that both POVs are necessary in order to give us the overall view of the story and how their actions and decisions intertwine. In conclusion, I wish this was a more twisted and surprising read, as it totally had the potential to be just that.

I could not put this book down. Sarah Pekkanen scores big again. I found myself totally enraptured by Ruth and Catherine. I loved the dual POVs. It was the perfect way to tell this story. I think I would’ve liked a chapter from James’s POV to see what was really going on in his head. But I thought this was a great book and would give it 4.5 stars.

Gone Tonight is another great book by one of my favorite authors. I was excited to see this as available to request. This is the story of a mother and daughter and how far each will go to protect the other. There are secrets and more secrets from both Ruth and Catherine. I enjoyed the journal entries as they provided the depth of the story and why Ruth is hiding. All in all, a great read. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.