I love getting emails from Netgalley notifying me that I have been sent a new book to review! It is even better when that book is one of my most anticipated releases of the year and is written by an author who's previous release was a 2022 favorite of mine! Naturally, when I stopped what I was doing to download and start this book. Thankfully, I was not disappointed.
Gone Tonight is a thriller written by author, Sarah Pekkanen. It was released in August of this year.
If you would like to purchase Gone Tonight you can find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can follow the author, Sarah Pekkanen, on Instagram and Goodreads! You can also check out her website!
Before I get into this review, I want to thank St. Martin's Press, the author, and Netgalley for sending me an advanced audiobook copy of this one. As always, all views expressed are my own.
Catherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother. Ruth Sterling is quiet, hardworking, and lives for her daughter. All her life, it's been just the two of them against the world. But now, Catherine is ready to spread her wings, move from home, and begin a new career. And Ruth Sterling will do anything to prevent that from happening.
Ruth Sterling thinks she knows her daughter. Catherine would never rebel, would never question anything about her mother's past or background. But when Ruth's desperate quest to keep her daughter by her side begins to reveal cracks in Ruth's carefully-constructed world, both mother and daughter begin a dance of deception.
I gave this 4.5 stars on Goodreads. I really loved this! I have been itching for a thriller with a new or fresh plot line. I understand that there are only so many directions to go in and that thrillers will often have overlap---and I am okay with that---but because I read so many thrillers, it gets a bit repetitive after a while. This was intriguing from the start and maintained my interest throughout.
I think this brought something new to the table and I can appreciate that!
It is a well known fact here on the blog that I am a dual-POV lover! This book has such a dynamic dual--POV storyline that kept me guessing and really built up the suspense. In addition to the suspense, there is some really interesting commentary on mother-daughter relationships and, my favorite... SHORT CHAPTERS!!! Ugh, I am obsessed with short chapters. I have heard the back and forth on long vs. short chapters. You can call me crazy, but I am sticking with my short chapters!
As I mentioned earlier, I listened to the audiobook. The audiobook was well produced and easy to follow. If you are an audiobook reader or are looking for a good thriller to get you into audiobooks, I think this is a good option for you!
Overall, I highly recommend this book to thriller lovers! Due to the nature of the content in this book and some of the dialogue/language used throughout, I would recommend for readers 17+.
This was the first book that I have read from this author that was written solely by her (not a book that she co-authored with frequent writing partner Greer Hendricks) and I would really love to read her future solo works also. It takes a lot of talent to be able to shift between writing solo and writing as a duo, I am impressed with the consistent quality of the works (written and co-authored by Sarah Pekkanen) that I have read so far. I think this book will be a big hit this year!
Have you read Gone Tonight? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
As always, thank you for reading!
XO,
Madison
Well. That sounds amazeballs. I need it in my TBR list. I am currently listening to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes which you recommended on your last book blog.