Book couldn't be downloaded prior to release date. Ii would still give this 5 stars just from the synopsis.

I enjoyed this book so much. This author took two characters, best friends, and made them real. Made me like them. Made them part of my life in a way. I rooted for them to find each other again. If only...

Two young women who have been friends their whole lives, Lark and Nikki. Both from similar backgrounds. Both having lost their parents in one way or the other. They have been the best of friends always. Working at a store together. One expecting a baby and the other expecting a way out of this town.

Along comes a man who can take Mikki away for a while. They don't know each other at all but for some crazy reason Mikki trusts Chris to be a good guy. She doesn't think twice about going to Florida with him to a wedding as his plus one. What could possibly go wrong?

Lark begged Mikki not to go. Or to at least take her cell phone. Lark needed Mikki to be there when her baby is born. She's alone and afraid. She has no one. Not even the baby's father. Mikki is not there. She doesn't return from this road trip with a stranger.

For eight years Lark has wondered what happened. She tried hard to find her best friend. The cops were of little help since Mikki went on her own. She wasn't forced. Lark had her baby. A little girl she named Dove. She's living with Mikki's grandmother Nini now and they are trying to be a family. Though everyone it seems blames Lark for Mikki's disappearance. Then in walks the stranger who took Mikki away eight years earlier.

From this point on you will be on the edge. Wondering where things are headed. If you'll find out what truly happened that day. The day Mikki was suppose to start home. Was suppose to return to her life and her best friend.

This book is excellent. It has some pretty strong feels going one and a few scares. Told from the time Mikki went away in 2016 to when Lark meets Chris again in 2024. I love how the author cleared everything up. How the story played out. How Lark finally found her own happiness and closure. This was such a good story.

Thank you #NetGalley, #LakeUnionPublishing, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Catch You Later by Jessica Strawser
Rating 4/5 Release Date October 22, 2024

A suspenseful tale of two best friends in a small Midwest town. Lark and Mikki yearn to escape their dead end jobs at a truck stop off the highway. One night, Mikki meets a customer name Chris. Chris invites Mikki to accompany him to a wedding in Florida for the weekend. Mikki has never seen the ocean. Mikki accepts the invitation even after Lark strongly discourages her decision. Mikki disappears without a trace after leaving in Chris's car. The book is told dual POV with Lark's view is set 8 years later and Mikki's set in 2014. Chris shows up one night in 2022 looking for Mikki and Lark has more questions now more than ever about her friends disappearance.

Catch You Later has strong themes of friendship and loyalty. How far would you go to find your best friend? Would you put your life on hold and for how long? This book kept me guessing and I did not guess the twist. I cannot wait to read more Jessica Strawser books.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley.

read this book as an early release through NetGalley. This book had a little bit of a slow start, but once it got going it was an amazing book! This book had a variety of romance, mystery, drama, friendship, and family. if you are looking for a quick read this book is perfect!
It’s a story about two friends who lose touch with one another. Read to find out how and how they reconnect.

4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC.

How do you pick up your life when your bff goes missing? Jessica Strawser lays out real heartache and mystery in Catch You Later. I found this book easy to read and enjoyable.

While this book is a little too slow for my taste, I can see the appeal for this book for other readers. I wouldn't call this book a thriller but hey, I'm just a librarian who loves to read. This authors books are a hit or miss for me anyway.

Jessica Strawser is one of my favorite authors, and Catch You Later does everything to remind me why!
Best friends Mikki and Lark are inseparable, until one night when Mikki follow their "say yes to everything" (especially if it it gets them out of their claustrophobic small town in Ohio) rule and joins a stranger on his road trip to a resort wedding in Florida. When Mikki doesn't return, Lark is convinced something bad happened, but with no details on where in Florida Mikki was headed or who she was with, there is no trail to follow. Catch You Later is a captivating mystery that follows Miiki's story then (when she disappeared almost 8 years ago) and Lark's now. The characters are relatable and interesting, and I thought the pacing was great; I read most of the book in 1 sitting because I couldn't put it down.

Catch You Later is a powerful, emotional, and suspenseful read. Captivating from start to finish, you won't want to put this down.

The plot was expertly crafted but there was some letdown around the main twist which dropped this from a five-start to a four-star read for me. This is a slow-burn so if you're looking for a fast-paced thriller, come back to this one as you satisfy that itch.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review :))

What a book! After I was engaged in the story, I could hardly put it down.

The tale revolves around best friends Lark and Mikki and their somewhat “plain” existence working nights at a truck stop in Ohio. All changes when a stranger stops there while heading for a wedding in Florida, and he persuades Mikki to make the rest of the drive with him. Mikki never comes back, and Lark doesn’t know what happened to her. Her disappearance is a mystery for which the people around town are blaming Lark—-indeed, no one knows what to believe.

Eight years later, Lark has finally begun to put her life back together. She has a young daughter and Mikki’s grandmother lives with her, or maybe it’s the other way around? But then, the stranger who drove away with Mikki shows up again and doesn’t seem to realize she never returned. Lark, Mikki’s grandma, and Lark’s fiance’ Hank, the nicest Ohio State Trooper ever, are trying to figure out what happened and where Mikki went.

This becomes a taut game of suspense, and I was totally drawn in, trying to imagine what could have happened.

Highly recommend! 4.5 stars rounded up!

Catch You Later is a slow burn psychological thriller that’s heavily character driven. The initial premise of the book caught my attention, and I really enjoyed the quality of the writing. Unfortunately, the slow burn storytelling led to a lengthy buildup with an eventual realization that didn’t have the shocking effect I had hoped for. It was hard to stay engaged in the story and some aspects required a suspension of belief that was a little too out there (even for me!). The character development that’s woven throughout the plot is extremely strong and will appeal to those who enjoy stories that demonstrate the power of family, friends, and secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Jessica Strawser has crafted a clever mystery in her latest novel Catch You Later. I kept trying to guess what happened to Mikki as I alternated between the chapters describing the events leading up to her disappearance in 2016 and the current developments in 2024. Although I correctly guessed a couple of the details, I wasn't prepared for all the twists and turns or such an emotional conclusion. It was such a great read and had a perfect title! Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for a copy to read and review.

This was a compelling story about a young woman who impulsively elopes with a stranger and mysteriously vanishes. Despite the initial slow pace, the narrative eventually became engaging and worth the wait.

3.5 stars I picked up this book thinking the premise sounded interesting and wondering where it would go. I do have to say it did take me awhile to really get into it. This follows Lark and Mikki, friends who have grown up together. One day Mikki takes a chance and gets in a car with someone and is not seen again. 8 years later that same man renters Larks job asking where Mikki is. The chapters go back and forth between the present in Larks perspective and 8 years ago with Mikki. I did get more involved about half way through and finished the last half in a few hours. Overall it was pretty good.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, I have already recommended to those that I am in a book club with, they were all anticipating waiting for this book to be published ready ro get it on the publication date. I feel privileged to have been able to read this first before release

This was an excellent thriller! I feel like it started a bit slow and I wasn’t sure if I would like it but after a few chapters it got really good!!

Lark and Mikki, the best of friends who have known each other most of their entire lives. They lived together and did everything together, they were nearly inseparable. Lark and Mikki worked at the travel stop in their town together. Mikki gets an irresistible offer one night when someone traveling through comes in for a coffee. Mikki assured Lark that she would be back soon. But that didn’t happen. Lark was left pregnant and wondering where her best friend was, and nobody seemed to know.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Strawser, and Lake Union Publishing for the eBook. This captivating read grabbed my attention from the start. I enjoyed how the chapters shifted between past and present, revealing bits of the backstory with each turn. It’s filled with unexpected twists and some emotional moments. Highly recommended!

This is a solid mystery that kept me interested. I flip flopped between characters I trusted and characters I didn't, but ultimately I enjoyed the ride.

📚: Catch You Later by Jessica Strawser
⭐️: 4/5

The gist: Mikki and Lark. Small town girls who became small town women. Working a dead end night shift job at a local gas station, when a well-to-do stranger shows up one evening. He’s heading to a wedding in Florida, doesn’t have a date, and would Mikki like to road trip with him? Every episode of Dateline says to say no in this situation, but Mikki says yes — and is never seen again.

8 years later, Lark has her daughter, a fiancé, and Mikki’s grandmother. She’s never stopped wondering and looking for her best friend. When suddenly that same stranger appears at the gas station, asking if Mikki is around. When the top suspect appears out of the blue, no one knows what to believe.

The good: This plot was gripping, suspenseful, with a cast of well-written characters. The dual POV between then and now unfolds flawlessly, with an ending that leaves every question answered.

The eh: Bit of predictability — the pieces fell into place well before the reveal.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Catch You Later is out now!

4.5 star page turner about how one sudden decision made can change everything for two best friends.

Mikki and Lark have been stuck in the small town they grew up in working the night shift together at the town’s truck stop. A good looking man on his way to Florida for his sister’s wedding stops in one night for some coffee. He invites Mikki on the long drive down with him. Mikki would love to leave. She quickly decides to go with him and leaves Lark behind at the truck stop. The story switches between that time and 8 years later. Lark is left haunted that she never sees Mikki or the unknown man again. Lark and the police have never found any sort of lead as to what happened. That is until the man just walks right into the truck stop, and the story really takes off from there. This book is captivating all the way through. I liked the alternating timelines. The author did a great job revealing things in both timelines, so she really kept me guessing. The book has many great twists and reveals throughout the story with a strong ending too. Another captivating book from this author!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Jessica Strawser, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

3.5🌟 Lark and Mikki live and work together doing the night shift at the highway travel shop in their quiet town in Ohio. A stranger rolls into town, Mikki ends up leaving town with him heading to Florida for a long weekend. Lark is left looking after Mikki’s grandmother who lives across the street.
The story then jumps to. 8 years later and Lark’s who’s rebuilt her life after Mikki’s disappearance, told in dual POV Mikki’s part is told from her leaving town 8 years earlier.
The story premise was really interesting but I found myself struggling with the middle section of the book, Lark search for Mikki was inevitable but Mikki’s story was the one I wanted to know about.
The last 30% I was invested in, it wasn’t a jaw dropping revelation however it was a good closing to the book.
Having had a family member struggle with dementia, Nina’s part of the story was not a true portrayal of this disease in my opinion.
Thank you NetGalley, Jessica Strawser and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.