Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars rounded up**
Gone Tonight is the latest solo-release from beloved Thriller author, Sarah Pekkanen. I have had this one on my radar for a long, long time and she did not disappoint.
I listened to the audiobook and was so impressed with how it was able to hook me from the very start. I was intrigued, I was invested, I wasn’t able to put it down!!
In this story we’re following a mother and daughter, Ruth and Catherine, respectively. Catherine feels like she knows her mother almost as well as she knows herself. It’s always been just the two of them against the world.
Ruth loves her daughter Catherine with her whole heart and would do anything for her. Ruth was young when she got pregnant, and she gave up a lot for Catherine, but it was worth it. After all, a mother’s life is full of sacrifice.
As Catherine has aged, she has grown strong, smart and independent, just like her mother taught her. She’s now ready to spread her wings, move to a new city and get her first career-focused job.
It seems like everything is going her way, until it’s not. Secretly, Ruth isn’t ready for Catherine to be moving on. She’s willing to do what she has to in order to keep her daughter close to her. She knows it’s deceptive, but she also knows it’s for Catherine’s own good.
In her efforts to keep Catherine with her, Ruth has inadvertently opened herself up to her daughter’s scrutiny for the first time.
Ruth has always been secretive about her past. Catherine knows nothing about Ruth’s life before her, or even her own extended family members. Ruth’s recent behavior causes Catherine to dig, discovering she may not know her mom so well after all.
Y’all, I loved this! As mentioned above, I was hooked into this one from the start. I thought the plot was well-crafted by Pekkanen, keeping the Reader invested and on the edge of their seats.
I loved the character work. The way the truth of Ruth’s past was revealed was completely enticing. We do get Ruth’s past perspective to help that unfold and I was just as interested in those past sections as I was with the present perspectives.
I also really enjoyed being in the minds of both of these women, as they grappled with their present circumstances and the reality that they may not know everything about the one closest to them.
The way it was written you feel like you’re a fly on the wall, possibly with a piece of buttered popcorn, just watching all the drama unfold. It’s juicy and captivating.
In short, I love a book that captures my attention enough that I can read it in a day. That’s exactly what this one did.
I had such a fun experience with this one and would definitely recommend it to other Thriller fans, or people who enjoy reading about complicated family dynamics. If you end up enjoying this one half as much as I did, you’re bound to have a good time.
Thank you so, so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.
In my opinion, Pekkanen nailed this one. She should be proud!!