This is one of those books that's difficult to describe (or review) without giving too much away. There's a lot going on with the mother/daughter team of Ruth and Catherine - the publisher's blurb makes that clear. They've always been a "you and me against the world" team, and Catherine hasn't given too much thought to why their life has been that way, and accepted the answers Ruth gave her when she did ask. Then Catherine learns something that makes her question everything, and we're off on an interesting ride.
I liked this one a lot, even though at times it took a bit of suspension of disbelief. It jumps back and forth in time, but it wasn't difficult to keep up with where we were on the timeline. The bits and pieces of Ruth's story are revealed slowly over the course of the book and the tension ratchets up at a nice even pace. In the end it's the story of the lengths a mother will go to to protect her daughter. The audio version is well done, and Kate Mara's narration is excellent.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

This was such a great listen. I loved listening to it and I could not stop listening. It had me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen.

I couldn’t get into this one as much as I’d love to. It felt very predictable and I just didn’t love it. I struggled to connect with the characters.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to Sara Pekkanen's newest novel.

WHAT A RIDE. I'll be honest from the description of the book and the first couple chapters I was not sure what I was in for. It seemed more like just a novel telling the story of a mother and daughter. But after a few chapters and the journal entries from the mom's life before. I was hooked! I needed to know more and was so invested on watching the story unfold.

Kate Mara was an awesome voice for this. I just wish she would have been the daughter's voice and we could have had a second voice read the mom's POV. There were a couple times were I had to pause and go whose POV am I on.

Thanks again! Definitely recommend this one!

Let me start by saying I usually like books by this author and her writing partner, however this book failed to captivate me and honestly, left me confused.

1. There were too many plot holes and too many times you had to suspend reality to follow the storyline.
2. Gone Tonight has two POVs, which normally I am fine with. However, the characters sounded too much a like and the characters jump into flashbacks too quickly, which made me have to go back to figure out what just happened in the chapter.
3. I'm going to be vague here because its a spoiler, but I was not a fan of how the mother's alztimers played out in the story.
4. I'm still trying to figure out what the point of the book was.
5. The pacing of thee storyline is off. The story moves so slow in the beginning and then goes too fast in the last quarter of the book.

Overall, I think this could have been a good novel. However, I think the plot is too complicated with all the flashbacks and plot holes that were never addressed.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing better that the intricate relationship of a mother and a daughter on a family mystery. I wouldn’t say this book was a thriller nor a psychological thriller yet it offered so much; I was very entertained by it. One of the things I dropped down to 4⭐️ it was because with only 1 narrator it was a bit of a challenge to follow, especially when putting the book away and coming back to it. Other than that I would read whatever Pekkanen writes.

Another incredible thriller from Sarah Pekkanen! I listened to this one as an audiobook, and Kate Mara is an amazing narrator - she fit this story perfectly.

This story is about the relationship between a mother - Ruth - and her daughter - Katherine. It begins with each one telling their story from their own perspective. Ruth is a single mother who works as a waitress and has raised Katherine all on her own. Katherine has just graduated from nursing school, and is getting ready to begin a new job at Johns Hopkins. However, events in their lives begin to throw roadblocks in front of their carefully laid plans.

Ruth has secrets that she has been keeping from Katherine. Katherine has wanted to know more about Ruth's past her whole life. This puts Ruth and Katherine on a path that will change their lives.

This story is a slow burn thriller with elements of domestic suspense. It is told through flashbacks of Ruth’s past as well as through the present day point of views of both main characters. The author weaves a story that keeps you guessing until the very end. And what an ending - it left me stunned.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this excellent audiobook! Sarah Pekkanen is one of my favorite authors, and I was excited to listen/read this one. I highly recommend this one if you like books with secrets and twists that you will not see coming!

If you start reading this, be prepared to remain up all night! It's a well-crafted thriller with a number of unexpected twists and two memorable main characters.

Ruth Sterling and her adult daughter Catherine are inextricably linked in each other's lives, but for good reason. Ruth was an adolescent single mom with no family support, and her memoir of how she made enough money to maintain herself and her baby is included in the novel. It It makes for intriguing reading.

The rest of the novel takes place in the current day and alternates between Ruth's and Catherine's points of view. Catherine is aware that her mother conceals a lot of information about her mother's past and present actions, and she is on the lookout for it.

I LOVED this book. The twists had my jaw on the floor (well minus the final reveal, I guessed that one early on). I LOVED the dual timeline for Ruth/Ava. My only complaint is that the conflict between Ava/James needed more in the present, more dialogue more something, it just felt a little flat for me.

A riveting thrill from Pekkanen, who is quickly becoming one of my go to authors.

This is the story of Ruth Sterling and her daughter Kathryn. Ruth has kept the truth hidden from her daughter, but when her daughter starts to seek answers to questions, she may find that there was a reason her mother protected her all those years.

From early on the story draws you in and takes you on a journey that will shock you and keep you in suspense as you wait to see what will happen next.

5 STARS

Catherine and her mother Ruth have always been a team. They take care of one another and it's always been them against the world. Ruth begins showing signs of early onset Alzheimer's. Catherine, who works with elderly patients with memory loss notices some of Ruths behaviors doesn't quite line up. she starts to question her mother's current mindset as well as her past, something she's never done before.

I thought the audiobook narration could have been better. While I enjoyed the narrator, there just times I got confused on which character we were following. Overall, I did really enjoy the book. I think maybe I would tell people to read with your eyeballs verse audio.

From the author of The Golden Couple comes another domestic thriller.

This isn’t billed as a mystery but there’s a question of WHAT’s going on?!

You will be compelled even when you think you know what’s going on to keep reading. Great writing.

What would make a teenager disappear in the night?

You will be shocked at the lies & deception!!

I can’t imagine being this close to my mom. An inseparable mother/daughter until the daughter wants to strike out on her own at the age of 24!

Why is their relationship so bizarre?! See, mystery. Ha!

This is a fun “page turner”! Thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio! Another great stand alone!

***I received an ARC from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for my honest review.***

***This was book was read/completed via Audiobook.**£

This book was everything I hoped for from Pekkanen! With a slow build that led to some major twists and turns, some expected, some unexpected, Pekkanen held my interest and filled my continuously growing psychological thriller void. I loved the characters in the book and the unexpected curve balls, Highly recommend for fans of Pekkanen or Pekkanen and Greer.

A huge thank you to the wonderful people over at SMP for the opportunity to read, listen to, and review this highly anticipated book.

Catherine and Ruth are mother and daughter. All Catherine's life, it has just been them two. Catherine is preparing to move away and begin a new career. Ruth is about to stop at nothing to prevent that. Catherine begins to realize that she doesn't know her mother nearly as well as she thought she did. Ruth is going to drastic lengths to keep secrets from her daughter. Is everything a lie?

I thoroughly enjoy a dual-timeline / dual-POV story and this book did NOT disappoint. It switches back and forth between Ruth and Catherine, and I loved this format, especially since lies and deception are a key element of the plot. The web of lies slowly but surely unravels throughout the book as we learn more and more about Ruth's past, and it kept me reading and listening almost nonstop. It's a very emotional story, and becomes rife with a sense of danger towards the end. You find yourself hating, sympathizing with, and rooting for Ruth all at the same time. This book elicited some strong emotional reactions from me, which I think is a testament to the writing (and the narration). I'd highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys dual-POVs, plot twists, multiple timelines, and suspense.

Gone Tonight is the latest single solo release from Sarah Pekkanen. It’s a mother-daughter teamed thriller filled with secrets, lies, unraveling of the truth and a frantic race for safety.

This story has two perspectives that alternate between the mother, Ruth, and her grown daughter, Catherine. Ruth and her daughter have always been close, though Catherine is ready to branch out on her own. When her mom is suddenly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Catherine cancels her plans and decides to stay home to care for her. Her mom has always been secretive with some suspicious behaviors, but when Catherine begins to question things and her mom refuses to answer, Catherine decides to investigate on her own. However, the truth may be far more dark and dangerous than she ever realized.

This story has the lack of communication trope that I find quite frustrating. Would a candid conversation change the trajectory of the plot? Quite possibly, but then we wouldn’t have a story, and there are some mildly understandable reasons why Ruth kept her secrets to herself. The ending also left the reader to draw their own conclusion on something rather important, which I don’t mind, but some readers will.

Gone Tonight doesn’t necessarily have a unique theme, but the way it is handled has some intriguing twists and unusual angles that keep it interesting. The story held my attention throughout it’s entirety, and I was eager to see what would happen next and how it would all play out in the end. Gone Tonight is a quick-reading, entertaining thriller, and I will continue to look forward to this author’s work.

I listened to the audio-version of this book which was narrated by Kate Mara. This narrator tended to be a bit flat and monotone, which made it not the most engaging, thrilling listening experience. Her voice also did not vary from one character to the next. Though she did a fine job and was easy to understand, her voice acting didn’t necessarily enhance the story.

The idea behind this read was brilliant, finding out you’re not who you thought you were? Deep, dark family secrets? Where do I sign up?

The execution, however, was left a bit wanting. It begins to unravel about a quarter of the way through, leaving both characters in the end rather annoying. Ruth Sterling has to be the most narcissistic person ever- thinking it’s pretty much all about her and basically stalking her daughter. The daughter, Catherine, doesn’t even realize this is toxic and I just felt bad for her.

I did enjoy the reading by Kate Mara, and overall this was a three star read for me

Gone Tonight is a new release from Sarah Pekkanen who I discovered through The Golden Couple which she co-wrote.

This is a thriller novel told through alternating POVs of a mother and daughter. The mother, Ruth, is scared of her past catching up with her, and her daughter, Catherine, who has decided that there have been enough secrets holding her back from the future she wants.

In addition to dual POVs we get dual timelines through diary entries that Ruth is making along the way.

Dual timelines and unreliable narrators will bring me into a story every time. And the short chapters kept me turning the page.

However, while this book kept me engaged in the story it never really put me on the edge of my seat like a great thriller should and at the end of the day was pretty easy to predicate.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it along the way, just don’t expect it to really stand apart from other books in the genre.

I listened to this as an audiobook that was narrated by Kate Mara, and while she did a decent job I think it could have really benefited from having separate narrators for each POV or for her to make their voices a little more distinct.


Overall if you are a thriller reader you’ll probably enjoy it so give it a shot and let me know what you think.

thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a chance to get in on this book early. I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

Catherine’s mom is showing all the symptoms of early onset Alzheimers. Catherine was trying to move away from home. She halts her plans to take care of her mom in what she believes might be her “remaining days“ but Ruth is hiding a secret.

This book will keep you on your toes from beginning to end. I was fortunate enough to have the audiobook version and I could not stop listening. I believe thus would be good in any format. I would definitely give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

This slow-build story of a mother and daughter, written solo by Sarah Pekkanen, is a captivating thriller that really should be used in writing class! I thought the book was about one thing but then, no, it became a taut cat-and-mouse thriller that ended with a bang.⁣
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The audiobook is narrated by the incomparable Kate Mara who voices both Ruth and Catherine, a mother-daughter duo who have a fraught relationship. Ruth, a single mother, seems to be slipping into early dementia, causing her daughter to put her budding nursing career on hold to care for her mother.⁣
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But. BUT. As Ruth’s backstory is slowly revealed over the course of the alternating chapters, I became fully invested in both of these characters. It soon becomes evident that Ruth’s overprotective treatment of Catherine and their lack of any real friends or relatives actually hides something much more dangerous. ⁣
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I love thrillers where I am surprised by the turn of events and Sarah Pekkanen is master at this. As well, the women in this story are strong, smart and resourceful. There are some dark moments in this story but they all add to the dangerous undercurrents running though the book. This is another book that I would love to see turned into a limited series! And Kate Mara would make a perfect Ruth. ⁣
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And the final twist. Wow! I am still thinking about how far a mother would go to protect her child from an inherited genetic disorder. If you’re a fan of audiobooks, I highly recommend this one!⁣
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(𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.)

The narration was spectacular, as was the book. Sarah Pekkanen's books never fail to thrill me. I will be recommending this one to my book club as a future read!