Synopsis: (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review)
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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, and 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.
No one can know Ruth's history. There is a reason why Ruth kept them moving every few years, and why she was ready--at a moment's notice--to be gone in the night.
But the danger is closing in. Is it coming from the outside, from Ruth's past? Is Ruth reaching a breaking point? Or is the danger coming from the darkness that may live in Catherine, herself?
Propulsive, brilliant, layered, and provocative, GONE TONIGHT is a thriller that showcases Sarah Pekkanen at the top of her game

Do we really know our parents? Do our parents really know us?? This delightfully crafted book is a look into the layers of deception a mother and daughter have between them. Wonderful characters and a fabulous plot means that I will recommend it far and wide to family, friends, patrons and strangers who I see reading alike.
#shortbutsweetreviews

I was thrilled to see Sarah Pekkanen finally putting out a book on her own again. I wasn’t a fan of her collaboration with Greer Hendricks. The books didn’t work for me. I didn’t request this new one but grabbed it when it was available to read now. So it did start a bit slow for me and I was kind of worried when I thought I would be reading a book about a woman and her struggle with early onset Alzheimer’s. Wasn’t appealing to me at that point. I kept reading and then it started to get interesting. I couldn’t believe it actually. Never saw this story coming nor the revelation at the end. I would definitely recommend this book.

This story about mother- daughter duo Ruth and Catherine had me hooked from the start.

Between reading from both of their perspectives. You learn Ruth has a secret from her past she’s been running from and she will do anything to keep Catherine safe.
Catherine is learning that her mom hasn’t been honest with her and is trying to unravel the story.

This book was well written and I couldn’t put it down!

Sarah Pekkanen does it again!
This book was told from a dual point of view, Ruth (mom) and Catherine (daughter), while also with a dual timeline bouncing back to Ruth's past.
Ruth spent years protecting Catherine, moving from town to town, leaving apartments in the middle of the night, all for their safety. Although Catherine did not know it at the time, their relationship and lives were built on a mountain of lies. Once Catherine suspects something is wrong, she does everything in her power to understand the truth of her mom and life, while simultaneously putting them in danger.

Without saying too much, the only downfall in my opinion was the ending being a little far-fetched. Otherwise, this story kept me on the edge of my seat and never wanting to put it down!

Firstly, I just want to say I am OBSESSED.
I love dual POV books. I'm a nosy bitch and I like knowing all the information. What kept me hooked on this book is I never felt like all knew much information at all and I obviously had to find out.

The array of emotions I had while reading really helped me feel invested in the characters. Some scenes were so heart wrenching that I teared up, much to the delight of my husband who likes to tease me, and others I had to sit up because I was so engrossed and on edge.

Just when you think you have figured out where the book is going to go there's a new twist that you were not.expecting and completely changes the story. I couldn't put it down. If I had fifteen minutes to spare I was reading this book. I absolutely devoured it and I highly recommend everyone else doing the same.

Full of twists and turns that I did not see coming! If you enjoy quick and fun thrillers- check this one out!

Not my favourite by this author but it was A wild twisty ride of a story.

Thanks publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this story.

All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for sending me an ARC of Gone Tonight in exchange for an honest review.

20-something Catherine Sterling and her 40-something mother Ruth have always been unusually close. It’s always been them against the world: no other living family, moving every few years, and never having enough money. Things are looking up, though. Catherine is a nurse who just got offered a new job at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. When Ruth begins showing symptoms of early onset Alzheimer’s, Catherine is devastated and decides she has to stay in Pittsburgh to help. But when Catherine begins to suspect that Ruth is faking the illness to keep her from leaving, she decides it’s time to finally dig into Ruth’s past and find out why they’ve really been on the run all her life.

Gone Tonight is a well-plotted thriller. Told in alternating perspectives between Catherine, who slowly begins to suspect that her mother has been hiding important information about her past from her, and Ruth, who has absolutely been hiding important information about her past from her daughter. I especially liked that the reader learns Ruth’s secret much earlier than is typical in these types of stories. The story moves at a good pace, one that ratchets up in the final scenes. While I have to say the story on the whole was somewhat predictable, there were a couple of late twists that were solid. Another entertaining thriller from Ms. Pekkanen. Recommended.

This is a gripping thriller that keeps you turning pages into the night. It is told through the point of view of a daughter and her Mother. The daughter is ready to leave home for opportunities when the Mother becomes overwrought and desperate to keep her close. As the daughter discovers why the author builds suspense and background that captivates the reader to conclusion. Well done to the author.

Thank you to St. Martins Publishing and to Net Galley. This is a exciting read I highly recommend.

I’ve always loved the Pekkannen/ Hendricks dup books, but I think I enjoyed this solo suspense from Sarah Pekannen just as much if not moreso!

Hallmarks of a great suspense abound: unreliable narrators/ multiple perspectives, a slow but steady build up, some great plot twists, and a great exploration of dark tendencies and where they stem from ( genetics, environment?)

In true suspense fashion, the end is a tad unsettling, leaving that “what it” feeling on the last page.

Definitely a surprise since I was expecting something more along the lines of the books written by the author with Greer Hendricks.
A wild ride of a story--well-plotted & paced. The tension/action increased with Acts II & III.
I really liked the character of the daughter, Catherine--full of moxie & integrity.

With thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC!

I enjoyed this overall, but it wasn't my favorite by the author. I wasn't that invested in the characters and found it a bit slow at times. Still, it was a quick read and entertaining enough.

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen is a "can't put down" thriller. Catherine, 24, and Ruth, her mother only seventeen years her senior, have essentially an enmeshed relationship. While Catherine believes the reason she doesn't know her father or her mother's family at all is because Ruth's very Catholic family disowned her when she was pregnant and the father denied Catherine as being his. The truth is much different. This book is such a treat and I'm so glad I was able to read an advanced copy! Definitely recommend picking this one up when it's released.

I thought that this was a fresh take on a thriller. I really enjoyed the twists and turns, and I did not anticipate where the story was going.

Another hit for Sarah Pekka end! She is a master at not only writing great stories, but she gives readers characters with pasts and depth like no other author. With this book it felt like there were a lot of plot breadcrumbs dropped throughtout most of the book. The character development was done beautifully. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The twists and alternating POV's with both characters and original storyline kept me engaged and I devoured this book in one sitting. This is not one to miss for any psychological thriller fans when it's released in August.

I've always loved Sarah's books. I'm used to her teaming up with Greer Hendricks so I was excited to read her writing on her one. First I really enjoyed the double POVs. I know that is a speciality of both authors (and many others) and sometimes it works and others it doesn't. This is one of those times IT DID.

Its a twisty roller coaster of a ride here. I actually didn't want to finish the book because I didn't want the story to end. Thank you so much to the publisher and #NetGalley for the ARC!

Catherine thinks she knows her mother. Does she really? This story has secrets and red herrings that keep it moving quickly. Written by a talented author, the novel is intriguing. This book was sent to me electronically for review by Netgalley. Thanks to the author and the publisher. The characters are realistic, and the story that is fiction, reads like nonfiction at times.

Act one of this novel really sets up the rest of this story perfectly. Once I got to Act two…..I could not put this book down. The suspense. The mystery. The dynamics. The past. The present. It was all just so bonkers and fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed this read. This mother/daughter story was completely captivating and I would definitely recommend you pick it up if you’re a fan of the genre. The chapters alternate between each of the women so you really get a full scope of their lives. I had such a hard time as I was reading trying to decide whose side I should be on. Those are the best stories- the ones that have you questioning yourself as you read. Be ready to grab this one off shelves 8/1/23!

Thank you to the publishers for the ARC.

When you work in a Memory Unit at an assisted living facility, the worst thing you could imagine would be for your mom to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in her mind-40s. That’s exactly what happened to Catherine. But her mother’s past has always been a bit of a mystery, and maybe everything is not as it seems…

This one took me a while to get sucked into, but at about halfway through the story, I HAD to find out the ending. I almost would have rather the mother not have the Alzheimer’s diagnosis, I think that muddled the story a bit, but once it takes off, it’s a thriller for sure. Highly enjoyable, the fastest I’ve read a book in a while!