Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Gone Tonight: A Novel

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Gone Tonight: A Novel by Sarah Pekkanen

20 reviews

katies_bibliotherapy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This story wasn't at all what I thought it would be, in a good way. I've read so many thrillers and mysteries where one person is manipulative for their own gain and I definitely got those vibes from reading the synopsis, but I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn't that at all. While there was deception, there was a valid explanation for it which the reader learns throughout the book. I also loved that the characters were younger. I feel like a lot of MCs in mysteries and thrillers are at least in their mid-30s and it was refreshing to have perspectives from one MC in her mid-20s and another in her early 40s (we get alternating POVs in every chapter).

I liked that this book mentioned early on-set Alzheimer's because I feel like it's not talked about a lot. The fact that both mom and daughter are young lends a fresh perspective on the condition.

This is definitely a slow-burn domestic mystery and not a thriller, which is something to know going in. Also, can we stop using italics for long blocks of text? It hurts my eyes. 😵‍💫🤪

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jasminechocklettslee's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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bekah1210's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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lcg527's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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eemillers15's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.5 stars!! I've loved Sarah Pekkanen's books that she wrote with Greer Hendrix. This was my first solo book by her, and YES YES YES! I cannot wait to read more! This was thrilling, mysterious, and nerve-racking. So good!!!

Catherine is ready to begin her life as a nurse at John's Hopkins Hospital. Her plans are derailed, however, when her mom, Ruth, starts to exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Catherine decides that she needs to stay close to her mom in order to spend as much time with her as possible before the disease takes her mother's mind. However, she starts to notice that her mother is also exhibiting other odd symptoms and seemingly only when she's around Catherine. Slowly Catherine realizes that she may not know her mother as well as she thinks and starts to peel back her mother's shady past, which proves to be darker than Catherine could imagine.

My only reason for not giving this 5 stars is that the end felt a little anti-climatic to me. I was gripped from the beginning and loved the entire story, but the ending was just little flat.

However, I loved the dual POVs told from both Ruth and Catherine's points of view. I think it helped get the full spectrum of the story that Sarah was trying to tell. There was good talk of Alzheimer's disease, as well as other mental health problems that I don't think are mentioned enough (I don't want to mention specifics as it may be spoilers).

There were enough twists to keep you guessing as to what would happen next with this mother/daughter duo. I also loved the underlying nature vs. nurture discussion. Does our biology really shape who we become or can outside circumstance change our future?

Thank you thank you thank you to #Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book! All opinions are my own!!!

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pomoevareads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Twenty-four year old Catherine Sterling has only known life with an overprotective mother. They don’t have any other family and share an apartment and car and each other’s phone locations. They have moved several times but this will be the first time that they will live separately as Catherine has taken a job as a nurse at a hospital in another city. All that is threatened when Catherine starts noticing some strange behaviours from her mother that may result in Catherine not taking her new job. From Ruth’s perspective, she will do anything to protect her daughter including keeping her as close as possible. Ruth has secrets that are threatening to cause harm to her and Catherine and decides to keep a journal to pass on to her daughter, should anything go awry.

As a fan of short chapters, mother/daughter stories and alternating POVs, I was hooked. I binged the last 50% of this book and loved all the crumbs dropped along the way. It was a slower burn for the first half and I have read comments from reviewers saying this wasn’t for them but I didn’t mind it one bit. I was invested in the storyline, the deception and discoveries, the suspenseful jaw drop moments and in the journal entries.

I was in the mood to read escapism and didn’t care about believability. So if you don’t mind suspending belief and are looking for a story to keep you on your toes, then pick up Gone Tonight by @sarahpekkanen when it comes out August 1st.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

As always, potential triggers will be shared to my StoryGraph review (also Pomoevareads)

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astoriareader's review against another edition

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mysterious tense slow-paced

4.0

SYNOPSIS:

Catherine and her mother, Ruth, have always just had each other.
Ruth’s past has always been a well-kept secret. As Catherine prepares to move out on her own, she starts digging into her mother’s past

MY THOUGHTS

Slow-burn suspense told in dual perspectives (Catherine’s & Ruth’s); also offers some past mixed with present. In some of Ruth’s chapters, she also journals within those, where she writes about the past. The journal portions were my favorite.
Well-plotted & executed.
I am a fan of Pekkanen, but this is the first solo book of hers that I’ve read. The others were written by both her & Hendricks.
The plot was unique & kept me interested.
The ending was fine, but nothing spectacular to me. With that being said, I really enjoyed the book & would recommend it.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Slow-burn suspense. Well-written, unique plot. Ending was fine, but nothing spectacular.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It will be published on August 1, 2023.

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It’s been a few months since I’ve read a psychological thriller and I can’t think of a better one to have come back to the genre. With quiet twists and extraordinarily flawed yet lovable characters, I was hooked.

Though Catherine has always had a good relationship with her mother Ruth, she’s ready to leave home and begin a life and career of her own. Her plans change when her mother receives an Alzheimer’s diagnosis from her doctor. Not willing to waste a minute of the time left with Ruth, she cancels her moving plans.

Ruth begins to write down her life story for her daughter… but not for the reasons one might expect at such a time. She’s worked the entirety of Catherine’s life to keep her past buried. Not only her past but also the secrets Catherine unknowingly carries. It isn’t long before Catherine begins to pick up on the fact something deeper is amiss. How well does she really know her mother?

While the book keeps a slower pace than usually found in these kinds of thrillers, there is a constant string of events weaved in and out. Through Ruth, we get glimpses of her past. Through Catherine, we hear recollections of her mother and the conflict the plot brings into their relationship. I found Catherine’s character the most fascinating element of the book. Some might disagree with me, but I also found Ruth’s love for her child admirable under the circumstances. I feel she did the best she could with what she had.

I listened to the audiobook version. Kate Mara did a fantastic job narrating. Sometimes I don’t love listening to thrillers because the narrator will be too dramatic. There was the perfect amount of emotion and urgency conveyed without becoming theatrical. That said, the story would have benefited from two narrators so each character had their own voice. Nevertheless, the reading experience was not hindered because of the single narrator.

Gone Tonight is easily the best thriller I’ve read this year. I can’t wait to read Sarah Pekkanen’s other books.

A huge thanks to Macmillan Audio for inviting me to listen to an audio ARC of this book through NetGalley! I am looking forward to purchasing a hard copy for myself.

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julesreadsalot's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

3.5

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shegetsliterary's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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