Gone Tonight

by Sarah Pekkanen

• ISBN10: 1250283973
• ISBN13: 9781250283979
• Publish Date: 1 August 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Catherine Sterling has always known that she doesn't know much about her mother. However, that has never been more true, with everything Ruth told her going up in flames, as one lie after the other is revealed.

Meanwhile, Ruth is doing everything she can to ensure that Catherine stays safe. It's better to be ignorant than in danger, right? However, she may have failed to consider Catherine's stubbornness and curiosity.

My Review:

Over the years, I've heard a lot of great things about Sarah Pekkanen's writing, but up until now, I haven't sat down to read anything by her. So maybe Gone Tonight wasn't the ideal first choice – her fans will have to let me know where to start.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of Gone Tonight. It started as one book but evolved into something else along the way. In truth, I'm not entirely sure I had much of an attachment to either version of the story.

At first, this novel really moved me emotionally and scared me. Any book that delves deep into memory loss and Alzheimer's is automatically a lot, you know? But as the mystery unfolded, I started feeling differently about the book. Instead, I was frustrated, mostly with the main characters, Catherine and Ruth. Things would have gone SO differently if they had just trusted one another. Then again, you can often say that about a mystery. Then what would be the point?

I dunno. Gone Tonight was well-written; it just wasn't the story for me.

Highlights:
Complicated Thriller/Mystery
Multiple Perspectives
Psychological Thriller

Trigger Warnings:
Memory Loss
Betrayal
Sexual Assault

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[chymerra]

Catherine is ready to leave her mother and start on her own. But, when Ruth develops signs of early Alzheimer’s, Catherine stays home to care for her. She also wants to know more about Ruth’s background. So she starts digging into Ruth’s past. Meanwhile, Ruth is desperate to keep Catherine by her side. To do that, she will do anything to keep her there, including lie. But, as Catherine unearths more of her mother’s past and Ruth tries desperately to keep the truth from her, things start to come apart. What is Ruth hiding from Catherine?

When I read the blurb for Gone Tonight, I knew this was a book that I needed to read. I am a big fan of Sarah Pekkanen and love psychological thrillers. I went into this book with high expectations. I ended the book slightly confused. I don’t know if it was the author’s intention, but I didn’t like it.

Gone Tonight is a fast-paced book. For the most part, the pacing of the book suited the storyline. But there were times during the book when I wished it had slowed down. There was also some lag in the middle of the book.

The main storyline in Gone Tonight focuses on Ruth, her lies, her relationship with Catherine, and Catherine’s investigation into her mother’s past. The main storyline was well-written, and the plotline had a few exciting twists.

The characters in Gone Tonight didn’t impress me. Ruth came across as extremely smothering and a pathological liar. She pushed Catherine into investigating her past. Catherine didn’t impress me, either, but I understood why she did the things she did. All she wanted was answers, and she did get them but at a cost.

The mystery angle of the book was interesting. I liked how the author gave out Ruth’s back story. But, at the same time, I didn’t quite believe it (she’s a known liar). There were a few twists in this angle that did surprise me. There is also the mystery of Catherine and how her mother views her. It is at odds with the Catherine shown, and I did think that maybe Ruth was overthinking things until the end of the book and when Catherine did something that surprised me.

The thriller angle of the book was well written. I was kept on edge by everything that Catherine uncovered, even though Ruth had admitted to it earlier in her journal.

The end of Gone Tonight left me confused. I couldn’t quite figure out what Ruth meant by what she said and what that meant for Catherine. The main storyline was wrapped up, but there was that last comment. Did it mean what I think it means? Or does it mean something else?

I recommend Gone Tonight to anyone over 21. There is violence, language, and fade to black sexual situations.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Sarah Pekkanen for allowing me to read and review Gone Tonight. All opinions stated in this review are mine.