Gone Tonight started out slow but picked up a lot of speed and had my full attention going towards the conclusion.

Gone Tonight is told from two perspectives, Ruth and her Daughter Catherine. This is where some of my problems started with the audiobook. Narrator Kate Mara does a great job but she narrates both perspectives and does them exactly the same. I often forgot who was who before the book fully sucked me in. After around the 25% mark enough happened that I was fully invested and this stopped being a problem for me.

This was a suspenseful thriller and was excellently crafted. Both Ruth and Catherine have secrets, they share some of these secrets with the reader but not with each other. Catherine is supposed to be moving to start a new job but her mom is suffering from early stages of Alzheimer’s which makes Catherine question her decision to move.

To figure out what is going on with Ruth in the present Catherine has to figure out her past. It's a wild ride across two timelines filled with suspense and thrills.

My only complaint was how slow it started. There was a lot of information thrown at us in the beginning and it didn’t all seem relevant to the story. Once the story picked up, I never looked back. Check this one out.

3.5/5
Gone Tonight was a slow burn thriller. It started a little slow and then the started to pick up when Ruth and her daughter Catherine began unveiling each other's secrets. It really picked up at about 70% and became much more heart pounding and exciting. I definitely enjoyed the twists and turns of this novel and I was pleasantly surprised when the pace picked up. Layer by layer the characters grew on me and I appreciated the approach of the book.

I really wish there were two different audio readers for Catherine and Ruth. As an audio it was hard to know which character was speaking if you resumed listening in the middle of the chapter. I enjoyed the narrator, but I felt like two different reader was warranted in this scenario.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for granting me a free copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars

Not too bad for this author’s first solo journey. She has co-authored a number of other psych thrillers, all of which I’ve really enjoyed so I was delighted to receive an advanced copy of this book.

In this slow burn, we meet Ruth and her grown daughter Catherine. The two are as close as close can be between mother and daughter. In fact, one might even think too close. Neither have any of their own friends. They spend most nights together. Ruth even has Catherine’s location on at all times so she always knows where her daughter is. It’s always been just the two of them, with Ruth regularly packing up and moving them suddenly every few years while Catherine was growing up, which made it impossible for her to sustain friendships.. But Catherine has been offered a nursing position in Baltimore and will finally be leaving the nest…or will she? Ruth has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which puts a big wrinkle in her plan. As Catherine starts to look more closely at her mother’s diagnosis, she starts to notice that maybe Ruth hasn’t been as honest with her over the years as she thought.

There was a lot to love about this book. The dual first person narration that alternated between Ruth and Catherine’s perspective was atmospheric and ominous. It moved the plot at a good pace and kept me intrigued to know what was coming next. Ruth also used a journal format to share backstory from an older time line of when she was a teenager. The execution of this worked well. There was a decent twist and the ending packed some punch. The audio narrator delivered a solid performance.

What didn’t work as well for me was the shift in plot dynamic from suspenseful to action/adrenaline. The reader learns fairly early on what’s going on with Ruth, which took the plot in more of a cat and mouse direction. I was hoping for pure suspense. Some of the plot elements were also far fetched so one needs to be able to suspend disbelief to some degree. And the audiobook version could have used a second narrator to perform Catherine’s perspective. This would have added depth and animation in bringing the storyline alive via audio.

There were some hits and misses in this one but overall it was engaging and kept my interest. Would recommend to others.

Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for an advanced ecopy and #MacMillanAudio for an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. I really liked this story. I found the main two characters (Ruth, a waitress who is hiding from her past, and her 24 year old daughter Catherine, who doesn't have a clue that most of her life is a lie). We slowly get to find out who Ruth really is and why she is so protective of Catherine as the truth starts to unravel. Catherine grows suspicious and starts to pursue the truth and decides to find out exactly what her mother is hiding. It's definitely more than Catherine bargained for. I enjoyed the scenes where Ruth explained her past, as she wrote it into a secret notebook, that she planned to give to Catherine someday. I found it interesting and it made me feel closer to the story and the characters. In the end, there is a good balance between the mystery/thriller aspect of the story and the mother/daughter relationship. There is a nature vs nurture theme and an overall story of what a mother will do, and how far she will go to protect her child. We learn that everyone has secrets and sometimes there are sides to ourselves that even we don't know exist until circumstances bring them to light. The end was satisfying and provided a good resolution. There was also a revelation near the end that I didn't see coming...one last secret that Ruth had kept from her daughter and always would. I will definitely look into other books by this author. I enjoyed the writing style and although I really loved it as an audiobook, I'm certain it would have been a great read as well. The narrator (actress Kate Mara) was great. Her voice was pleasant to listen to and her pace/tone were good. Great job! I give this a 4.5 easily.

This book started off one way and took a completely different course than I expected. It gave me Pieces of Her vibes. I really enjoyed this one and I went in blind so I think it’s best that way and I don’t want to give away too much.

Catherine Sterling is about to spread her wings and leave the comfort of her mother Ruth Sterling to start a job at John Hopkins. A mother that has been both parents for Ruth and is hardworking. All her life it has just been the two of them against the world. take off for her dream job at John Hopkins. One week before she is about to leave she learns her mother may have early onset Altzheirmers. It becomes more important than ever for Catherine to stay with her mother and learn her past that she has always been so guarded with. Catherine is shocked at what she learns and starts to wonder who her mother really is.

This was a very original thriller featuring the complicated dynamics of mothers and daughters. Pekkanen creates a very strong female protagonist in Ruth and shows the depths that a mother will go to in order to protect her child.

Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was how well the alzheimers was researched. It is something that I worry about for myself and my parents.

I was sent this as an ALC by Macmillan Audioi that is read by actress Kate Mara, known for her roles in A Teacher, House of Cards, and new FX series Class of '09, as well as films such as The Martian and Chappaquiddick.

I was lucky enough to buddy read this one and it kept me so engaged with all the different opinions on what was happening and where this one was headed. I was very quick to believe both of our narrators are reliable while not all in my group were so easily swayed. Told from a mother and daughter’s POVs the reader is privy to there is something in their past, but not what that is.

This format was a great fit for this story. Not only is there two POVs, but Ruth is documenting what has happened to get them to where they are now. Ruth is lying to her daughter and trying to protect her to the best of her ability. And fearful she might not be able to come clean, she is writing an account of what happened and what she has kept from her daughter Catherine.

I am not sure either character is likable or if the story remains plausible at all points, but seriously none of that mattered as I read this one. There was the perfect amount of build up and tension to make me need to know their story and what would happen to them. Quite a few times I was on the edge of my seat.

Both the book and audiobook kept my attention and wanting more. Kate Mara does a great job narrating the audiobook and letting the story shine.

If this isn’t on your tbr, you need to make room and add it.

This book took about 35% in to hook me.

I had no idea where it was going to go and quite frankly the narrator was so monotone and boring I had trouble focusing on the audiobook.

Once I sped up the audio speed I was engaged enough to keep going and BOY AM I GLAD!!! I thought this was quite twisty and kept me on my toes. I actually guessed most of the ending but I didn't even mind because I was very entertained.

I’ve been reading and enjoying Sarah Pekkanen’s novels for years now, but Gone Tonight is far and away the best of the bunch. My thanks go to Net Galley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the invitation to read and review. This book will be available to the public August 1, 2023. If you love psychological fiction or thrillers, you should order it now.

In her previous thrillers—the ones I’ve read, at least—there is similarity. She’s written about women ganging up on one woman, and love triangles, or what appear to be love triangles. This one is different, and it’s better. Here we have just two characters, mother Ruth and her young adult daughter Catherine. The unseen character is James, Catherine’s biological father. Throughout the story, Ruth is vigilant, always watchful. She’s afraid she’s being stalked, or investigated, or otherwise watched. Ruth isn’t merely careful; she keeps a bug-out bag ready for each of them, varies her routine to where she really doesn’t have one. She doesn’t take the same exact route to any of the places she frequents regularly. To see and hear this character, one would think that the CIA, the Mafia, and all of the cartels were out to get her and kill her.

Early in the book, Ruth provides Catherine with some hard news: she has early onset Alzheimer’s. I tell you this in particular, because when I saw it, my eyes glazed over with boredom and I thought that this thriller wasn’t going to thrill me at all. I nearly slid the book onto the bottom of my stack, and that would have been a terrible mistake, because this is *not* an Alzheimer’s story.

Catherine has never met any of her relatives; Ruth lies to keep her from investigating them. But now Catherine is an intelligent adult, and there is the internet. It’s mighty hard to keep a secret these days, and that’s rough for Ruth, because she’s got a lot of them, some bigger than others. As Catherine digs, she is surprised, and this makes her dig even harder. She keeps finding things, and Ruth keeps changing her explanations. It isn’t long before Catherine realizes she’s been lied to, and she stops telling Ruth what she discovers.

The format Pekkanen uses is an effective one, and it’s easy to follow. She changes the point of view in the standard way from one to the other and back with both sides told in the first person, but the tricky part is how to provide Ruth’s narrative. Catherine can give us her first person narrative and we think nothing of it, but Ruth talks to no one except her daughter, and even so, she lies to her daughter all the damn time, so under what circumstances will she spill her guts to us? The solution isn’t all that original, but it’s effective and reasonably believable. Ruth has a secret diary that she’s writing for Catherine to have when Ruth is gone. It requires me to overlook the unlikelihood of someone as obsessively private as Ruth sitting down and documenting the whole shooting match, including names and dates in writing, but this is such a fun book that I set my momentary disbelief aside and keep reading, because I have to know what happens next.

Once we are past the Alzheimer’s passage, my attention is rapt, but friend, the last ten percent of Gone Tonight is one for the ages! I rarely say this, but this creepy little novel would make an amazing movie or miniseries.
Actor Kate Mara reads the audio version, and she does a fine job. Highly recommended!

Woooooooo what an amazing read! Another 5 star book by this AMAZING author.
I listened to this audiobook while on vacation, When I tell you I had my headphones in from start to finish! Astounding. That last twist was a dooozy. Wish I could give more stars.
Thank you for the opportunity to read & review.

Mother and daughter, Ruth and Catherine have a close relationship. At twenty-four, Catherine is ready to move and begin a new career, which scares Ruth. The move would bring Catherine close to Ruth’s past, a past that she has worked hard to protect Catherine from. Her plan appears to be working until Catherine begins to unravel everything.

This domestic cat-and-mouse thriller quickly grabbed my attention. Told in dual POV switching between Ruth and Catherine. This story explores the bond between mother and daughter and how far a mother will go to protect their child.

This isn’t a pulse-pounding thriller, but it has an enjoyable and interesting plot. As the story progressed it pulled me in even further and I found myself unable to put it down. It was a fairly quick and easy read, with short chapters. Although things were a bit predictable, they were well executed and I enjoyed the build-up.

I could not stop listening to the audiobook.
I lost a lot of sleep, adding more time to the timer.

The story is told from alternating points of view by Ruth, the mother, and Catherine, the daughter. I won't rehash the blurb.

I enjoyed the pacing and how the story unfolded. Some might think the beginning is a bit slow, but the foundation needs to be laid out, and the characters need to be developed, so I was fine with it.
Once the secret is revealed, oh my word! You won't be able to stop reading or listening.

Sarah Pakkanen delivers another addictive title. This book had me at the edge of my seat wanting all the answers. This is the story of a mother who has given up everything to keep her daughter safe. My heart breaks for these two people and their story, but this book was such a wild ride through and through. Reccomend to all thriller lovers!

Not going to lie, this started out a little slow for me and I had my doubts. I shouldn't have doubted it though since Sarah Peekanen has never failed to deliver on anything else I've read by her, but I did start to doubt it. Right when I was starting to question if I could carry on or not, bam! It took off an all my doubts were gone. Keep that in mind when reading this. Give it some time before calling it quits.

I thought this had the perfect balance of revealing just enough information for you to slowly start figuring out what's going on but still having questions. There really was no huge twist which I was slightly disappointed in, there were some twists but you could see them coming.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read! I look forward to reading more books by Sarah Pekkanen.

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

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen was an excellent mystery/thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end.
The narration by Kate Mara was excellent. I would highly recommend listening to this one if you can.
A story about family and sacrifice and how far you are willing to go for those you love.

Wow, where do I even begin?!? I finished this yesterday and I'm still thinking about it. It's a good story for those who love vigilante type stories. Sickening how common favoritism is on sports teams. Unfortunately sexual abuse is a common thread for some of these girls. It's awful and it's something that people need to speak up about. No one should ever suffer in silence. I liked the characters, but I did think the ending with the Dad would go differently. I just kept saying....wow. Only element that was a tad unbelievable was when she searched for her Dad on FB and she found him and heard from him the same day....and he had just made the account that day. Other than that I enjoyed the story of survival and protecting ones child to the end! I listened to the whole thing in one day because I couldn't stop! It definitely held my attention and it was a great story!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audiobook. The reader did an excellent job.

I have been a fan of Sarah Pekkanen for some time now, so I jumped at the chance to read Gone Tonight and it did not disappoint. I thought the plot was very original, ailing mother desperate to keep her only daughter close. What follows is nothing short of a ball of lies to be untangled. It was a fun read.

Not only that, the audio narration was beautifully done. I thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience!

Ruby just wants to protect her daughter Katherine. Katherine doesn't understand her mother. Ruby never shares anything of her past. Katherine feels as if her mother is a stranger.
After Ruby announces that she has early onset dementia, Katherine begins to dig into her mother's past. She wants to know where she came from and see if she can find out about any family history
But be careful of the skeletons you dig up. They may just come back to haunt you

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡...

I absolutely loved 𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹, which was co-written by this author. I still find that book to be a favorite thriller of mine, therefore, I was so excited to pick this book up.

This story does focus a lot on the relationship between a mother and daughter… and how far a parent would go to protect their child.

The book itself is told in alternating timelines and POVs, which I did find confusing at first. Once I got the idea of what was going on, I felt so emerged in the story.

It was really interesting reading about Ruth’s past and what led to the way she and her daughter live. I think both characters, Ruth and Catherine, were very well portrayed. I liked the psychological aspect of the book.

While the ending wasn’t my favorite + a bit predictable, I did find it to be wrapped up smoothly. I did a combo of the ebook and audio and found both formats to be super interesting.

This was a fun read with a mother/daughter relationship. It’s a bit slow and not super thrilling, but it did have me on the edge of my seat. I’m glad I ended up enjoying this one!

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

To what lengths would you go to protect the ones you love?

This is a story about a mother and daughter finally coming to terms with some secrets that are about to come into the light.

One of the things that I liked about this story were the different points of view along with the changes in the timelines; this helped to build up the backstory of all of the characters and used as a slow build tactic to help you put the pieces together. I always enjoy getting aspects to not just put main plot lines together, but to try to get a feel for the characters and their motivation.

Although I’ve never been put in all of the same or similar situations as these characters, listening to this audiobook gave me more to contemplate with the tone of the narrator (whom I was excited to read was the narrator and was a main reason I requested the book).

There was a lot going on, but things are circled back on so you will not lose track of things. There were some twists and mcguffins, but most of the story is pretty straight forward and easy to follow along.

Thank you so much to the author, Sarah Pekkanen, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, the narrator, Kate Mara, and NetGalley for the audio arc of Gone Tonight in exchange for my review!

Catherine and her mother, Ruth, have always been each other’s world. They live together and share a car. However, Catherine is ready to get out in the world and wants to attend university, leaving Ruth behind. Ruth is not ready to let Catherine go yet, as she has a reason she has kept Catherine so close to her all these years. She will not let her go without a fight.

I found this thriller to be highly entertaining. The narrator on audio was really good and I really enjoyed listening to it. It’s fast paced right from the start and I got sucked in right away. The way that Ruth manipulated her daughter was quite fascinating and sickening, although her motive for it was conflicting. The flipping POVs between Catherine and Ruth were also addicting and kept me turning the pages.