Mikki and Lark are best friends living in a small town, both longing for adventure. Lark gets hers in an unexpected pregnancy, and Mikki is committed to step up for the (married) man who will not.
Enter Chris, the dashing stranger passing through town on his way to a wedding. He an Mikki hit it off, and he invites her to join him for a resort getaway in exchange for her being his date. What could go wrong???
Well, Mikki doesn't come back, and the mystery of what happened to her is told between alternating timelines - Lark in the "present," and Mikki eight years ago, that fateful weekend where she was whisked away.
I liked the mystery, though the book felt too long and dragged in places. Ultimately I stuck with it to know what happened to Mikki, and it all wrapped up nicely. Mikki had chemistry with the mystery man, and I was disappointed that (spoiler alert!) they never got together. Felt like an odd choice to have it start out so promising with undertones of romance only to go nowhere.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for me.

Catch You Later by Jessica Strawser
Rating:3/5
Release Date: 4 July 2024

In this desolate town, Lark and Mikki rely solely on each other for companionship and support, clinging to their bond while toiling away on the night shift at the highway travel stop. However, their stagnant lives take an unexpected turn when a stranger breezes through, en route to Florida, and Mikki impulsively joins him, vanishing without a trace.

Eight long years pass, during which Lark struggles to rebuild her life for the sake of her young daughter and Mikki's elderly grandmother, who now requires care. Gradually, the community's accusatory glares fade, and Lark finds solace in her engagement to a kindhearted highway patrolman. But when the mysterious figure from Mikki's past resurfaces, seeking Lark's assistance, uncertainty grips everyone involved.

This book was definitely a slow burn. By the time the action began, I was a little bored and not as interested as I was when I started it. I would have enjoyed some twists or reveals earlier into the book to keep me hooked

The initial premise piqued my interest, prompting me to give this book a chance, and the quality of writing did not disappoint. However, despite the prolonged build-up, the eventual revelation failed to deliver the jaw-dropping impact I had anticipated.

Furthermore, I found it difficult to suspend disbelief regarding the grandmother's ability to maintain such a significant secret, especially considering her portrayal as experiencing early stages of dementia. This inconsistency detracted from my overall engagement with the plot.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author, Jessica Strawser, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

A gripping tale of two best friends, one who disappears when a stranger comes to town. Will keep you up late as you race through the pages!

Thank you for the ARC copy of this book.

This book was definitely a slow burn. The description had me very excited to read the book and I really enjoyed the premise. However it was a bit too slow. By the time the action began, I was a little bored and not as interested as I was when I started it. I would have enjoyed some twists or reveals earlier into the book to keep me hooked. However, I give 5 stars to the characters. I really did care about the main characters Mikki and Lark, as well as Nini. It was refreshing to have a book about 2 female best friends. Following, the writing in this book was amazing. The author is very gifted at descriptions and giving visuals, Overall, I give this book 3/5

A powerful story about the bonds of friendships and the lengths we'd go to protect the people we love, Catch You Later is full of emotion and nail biting suspense, propelling you to keep turning pages until the very last word. I loved this book!

Where did Mikki go? That’s the central question of this tightly plotted psychological suspense. Jessica Strawser deftly explores female friendships, the ties that bind you to the place you’re from, and the things that can pull you away from everything—and everyone—you know. Along with trying to solve the mystery at the heart of this fantastic read, I found myself wondering whether I’d make the same choices, which is what all the best novels do. Pick this one up. You won’t regret it.

I thought that this was an interesting storyline, but it left me a little bored throughout the book.

Really great story line, honestly thought this would end up like any other horror movie where you goon a trip with someone you don't know.

The plot was great, did not see the curveballs coming, and honestly, kind of surprised about the ending and the secrets that were kept.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 3 ⭐️

All spoilers are marked as spoilers on my StoryGraph review. This book’s description caught my eye and I was excited to read what I assumed would be a tense road trip thriller and/or a small-town mystery. Unfortunately it was more of a contemporary fiction and had many elements of an opposites-attract romance. There were many plot points that felt way too far fetched, such as Mikki, a grown woman with real life tragic experiences, being gullible enough to hop in a car on a cross country road trip with an absolute stranger. Additionally, I felt that the author focused too much of the plot on Mikki’s time in FL and her relationship with Chris and the actually mystery elements/plot twists felt rushed and kind of misplaced after reading so much about Lark’s relationship with Heath, her daughter Dove, and the found family with Nini, as well as Mikki and Chris’ awkward romance-ish vibes.

I was really hoping/expecting that this would be a proper thriller. That said, this author’s writing is solid and flowed easily (though the book could have been a bit shorter). Any readers that are more open to a contemporary fiction with some mystery elements sprinkled in will enjoy this.

Oh just WOW!! Another fantastic read by Jessica Strawser. A definite go-to author for me and she delivers big time! Where to start? The characters were awesome. Every single one of them. Easy to love or love to hate. Great setting. Easily identifiable and a joy to sink into. Fabulous secrets, lies and reveals. Had no idea who to trust.
Thank you NetGalley and jessica Strawser for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the copy of Catch You Later by Jessica Strawser. I loved how the book started and the friendship between Mikki and Lark was great. It felt like it took a long time for anything exciting to really happen, and some of the background in the past timeline was just filler. I enjoyed learning how everything was connected and thought the reveal was good, but a little predictable. I still liked reading this book because the writing and characters were great.

Mikki and Lark were best friends but when Mikki leaves with a stranger after a night shift and does not come back. Things are forever changed. Eight years later the stranger comes back... Lark now wants answers. This book had some intense moments and kept me reading but it was also drawn out and could have been shorter. I did enjoy it overall.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Catch You Later releases October 22, 2024

2.75

Mikki and Lark were best friends, roommates, and coworkers who grew up in the same small town off of an interstate.
Nearly eight years ago during one of their night shifts at the Travel Stop, Mikki was entranced by a random stranger that walked in, and on a whim, said yes to accompanying him on the remainder of his road trip and being a plus one to a wedding.
Stuck in a town she’s always yearned to leave, and approaching the age of 30, Mikki is convinced that this is her last chance to get outside of the city limits before the birth of Lark’s baby and further decline of her grandmother’s health.
But what happens when your best friend leaves for a weekend and never comes back? When you finally come to terms with what happened and get your life back in order, only for the man behind the wheel to come back to the same travel stop looking for her eight years later?

The premise was intriguing enough for me to pick this up, and the writing was good, but for how drawn out the story was, the reveal just wasn’t shocking enough to lift me off my feet like I was hoping it would.
I also have a hard time believing that the grandmother was able to keep such an elaborate secret when such a large part of the plot was reliant on her experiencing early stages of dementia.

A fun adventurous read. A puzzle with many different pieces to tell the story of a friend that goes a road trip with a stranger and the what the friend that is left behind will do to find her.

This gripping novel follows best friends Lark and Mikki, whose lives change forever after a stranger arrives in their small town. Eight years after Mikki's sudden disappearance, Lark is rebuilding her life, but the past resurfaces when the stranger returns, stirring up old suspicions. The suspenseful narrative kept me hooked as Lark unraveled the mystery, risking everything to uncover the truth about that fateful night.