Stay Awake is a solid thriller! It was a bit repetitive at times, but I think it was supposed to be given the MC’s condition. This twisty, suspenseful book kept me guessing until the end!

Liv Reese shows up home at her apartment building with no memory of the night before. Had she been drinking that much? She reaches for her phone but it's not there, nor is her purse. No keys then. She buzzes for her roommate to let her into the building. But it's not her roommate who shows up at the door. A couple she doesn't know comes to the door. They don't want to let her in but the man agrees to let her in long enough to borrow his phone. When she enters what she thought was her apartment, she doesn't recognize anything. None of her furniture or belongings are there. She calls her roommate but gets a message that the number is out of service.

Liv leaves after finding a knife in her pocket which she hurls away and heads back to the bar where she had been earlier. Her phone and purse aren't there but the bartender gets her a taxi and sends her to a hotel. Liv finds she has quite a lot of money in her pockets. The next morning she goes to the magazine where she works and where her last memory is of answering her phone. She finds no one there she knows and people who assume that she is back visiting from London where they believe she has been leaving.

A murder is on the television news and all the newspapers as well as everyone's lips. A man was killed in an apartment, stabbed. The words Stay Awake have been written in blood on the window. Liv looks down and sees the same words written on her hand. Has she somehow lost two years? Who is the man and why does she think she is involved?

Megan Goldin started her writing career as a correspondent. She is now writing psychological thrillers and has had several successful novels. This one is particularly scary as it is easy to imagine oneself in Liv's shows, unsure what is going on and everything you thought you knew turning out to be wrong. Liv is determined to find the truth and that is dangerous for her as someone is tracking her every move waiting for a chance to end her forever. While reading, I had to stop occasionally as the tension mounted. This book is recommended for mystery fans.

Megan Goldin’s Stay Awake is a high-stakes thriller that grabs you from the first page and refuses to let go. The premise is every insomniac’s worst nightmare: Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a cab with no memory of the past two years, only to discover she’s wanted for a brutal murder she can’t remember committing.

Goldin masterfully weaves a dual-timeline narrative that keeps the tension coiled tight. As Liv desperately pieces together fragments of her past—scribbled notes on her arms, cryptic messages from strangers—the reader is pulled deeper into a maze of paranoia and deception. The pacing is breakneck, with twists that feel earned rather than gratuitous, and Liv’s terror is palpable as she races against time (and her own mind) to uncover the truth.

What sets Stay Awake apart is its emotional core. Liv isn’t just fighting for her life—she’s fighting for her identity, and Goldin makes you feel every moment of her vulnerability. The supporting characters, from skeptical detectives to potential allies with hidden motives, add layers of intrigue.

If you love psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators (The Girl on the Train, Before I Go to Sleep), this book will keep you guessing—and probably keep you up all night. A must-read for fans of mind-bending suspense!

Final Verdict: A gripping, adrenaline-fueled ride with a protagonist you’ll root for until the very last page.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin

Read if you like :
Thriller
Mystery
Psychological thriller’s
Crime
Blurb::
Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. Now, she's lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers. Catching a glimpse of the local news, she's horrified to see reports of a crime scene where the victim's blood has been used to scrawl a message across a window, the same message that's inked on her hands. What did she do last night? And why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn't remember committing as she tries to piece together the fragments of her life.

Thoughts .....
first of all thanks to @netgalley and @stayawakeauthor for the gifted copy .... I loved it so much that after reading it l listened to the audiobook ... it was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat .. I enjoyed the twisty plot and I didn't expect the crazy jaw dropping outcome ..
This was my first book l've read by this author and now I wanna read all of her other books. Dark Corners is definitely on my radar ....
It made me appreciate SLEEPING that's for sure !!
? What's your morning drink of choice ?
Mine is definitely Lavender Matcha Tea from Starbucks..

This is my 2nd Megan Goldin book and I am officially obsessed with her! The premise of Stay Awake is WILD so I knew off the bat I'd be hooked.

The main character suffers from a very rare trauma-induced form of amnesia and the book follows her as she wakes up to a 2 year memory gap, writing all over her hands & arms, and a bloody knife in her pocket. Is Liv Reese a killer or a victim?

This novel time jumps between the present and the last that Liv remembers anything - just over 2 years ago. This intense back-and-forth kept me guessing and intensely invested. Trying to figure out who Liv could trust and what is going on was a thrilling adventure. I was constantly piecing scraps of clues together to try to figure the puzzle out - and there were more than a few suspects around each corner.

I thought this novel was so well done. It is a fast-paced and thrilling mystery with some really intriguing twists. Highly recommended!!!

Why Did I Listen To Stay Awake by Megan Goldin?
I’ve listened to a few of Megan Goldin’s other books – namely The Night Swim and Dark Corners which were SO fantastic on audio. So, by that logic, I felt like I would absolutely enjoy Stay Awake. As it turns out, Stay Awake did not entirely land for me in the same way as the other two books. It wasn’t a terrible read, per se. Also, I went with reading with my ears instead of eyes because I have been on this kick of listening to thriller genre audiobooks.

What’s The Story Here?
Stay Awake by Megan Goldin opens with Liv Reese waking up in the back of a taxi. She has no idea why she is there. She is dropped off at her home, a brownstone, only a stranger answers the door. Liv thinks it is her roommate Amy’s friend. Only, it turns out Amy doesn’t live there anymore, it has been two years since she lived there. That’s also no longer Liv’s home. Oh and Liv has graffiti on her arms that says things like “Stay Awake.” To make matters worse, the local news is reporting that a murder victim has been found and painted on the window at the scene of the crime is the exact same thing as what’s on Liv’s arms. It turns out, Liv has no memories of the previous two years.

Interspersed with Liv’s perspective is that of Detective Darcy Halliday, who doesn’t quite think Liv is the murderer and is conducting the investigation. The story takes some interesting turns from here.

How Did I Like Stay Awake?
I think this was okay for helping me pass time driving to and from work. I found Stay Awake to be deeply confusing in the beginning. Perhaps that is because we are in Liv’s perspective and she is also deeply confused. After all, it’s not like she has any recent memories or anything. I liked the parts with Darcy Halliday more but that’s because I didn’t feel confused during those parts. The story has some plot twists that I did not see coming, but that is also because I rarely ever see it coming with thriller books, I’m still so inexperienced in this genre. I would recommend this if you like the amnesia subgenre.

How’s The Narration?
One thing that Stay Awake by Megan Goldin has going for it is excellent narration. The audiobook is 10 hours and 59 minutes. It is narrated by January LaVoy and Imogen Church. I absolutely love how LaVoy narrates, so that was a special treat to listen to and really helped me find enjoyment in this book. Imogen Church was great too. I would say this book certainly had entertainment value particularly when it comes to plot – as well as when it comes to narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had really high hopes as I was going through this book and thinking it was gonna be a 4-star read. But toward the end, it just got kinda lackluster.

I expected a few more twists and a few more turns that would really wow me, but I did really enjoy the majority of the book. It just didn’t wrap up in a way that would allow for a higher rating.

I will definitely read more books by this author though.

This book reminded me of Memento in the best way possible. Liv Reese cannot remember her memories. I loved the way she would write on herself to send herself a message to try to remember. Trying to follow along and solve the mystery with her was so fun. I really enjoyed this book and am a big Megan Goldin fan.

Stay Awake was a gripping thriller that took off on the first page. Liv wakes up with no memory in a cab with a bloody knife in her pocket. She tries to figure out what happened while the police is trying to figure out who murdered the mystery man. Totally recommend!

This was a tense fast paced novel! I couldn’t read it fast enough, all the twists and turns! This book makes for a good beach read

Whoa, this was a wild ride. I stayed awake right along with Liv, even though if I went to sleep nothing bad would happen.

Liv wakes up to find she has lost two years of her life and is wanted by the police. What happened in the time she does not remember, and what happened to the people who used to be in her life? She embarks on a rather paranoia-induced, frenzied race to figure things out before the police, and whoever else may be after her find her.

I could not put this down and thoroughly enjoyed it.


Thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my advanced reader copy.

Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mystery: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½, rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4 STARS
Stay Awake is a gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The plot is refreshingly unique, offering unexpected twists and a deep dive into the complexities of the human psyche. The suspense builds steadily throughout the novel, making it impossible to put down as each chapter unravels more of this bizarre story. While the pacing could be slightly tighter in the middle, this thrilling journey is one you won't want to miss, earning a solid 4-star rating.

I’ve been looking forward to reading Stay Awake, and it totally lived up to the hype. I'm a huge fan of Goldin's writing, and this book was no different. It was an incredibly intense, mind-blowing, and wildly unpredictable experience. Goldin really took me on a wild ride with the main character. Wow. Anyone looking for a good summer thriller, pick this up!

Love an amnesia thriller! This was a really exciting and tense novel, and both Liv and Detective Halliday were great characters. I really enjoyed the amnesia plotline and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next and how Liv was going to navigate the world when she couldn't remember the last two years--or who was trying to kill her.

I value the opportunity I was given to read this in advance, but it has been three years and I still haven't read this. With so many books ahead of me, I cannot return to this title.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a well-written, gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story’s premise is intriguing—Liv Reese wakes up in New York City with no memory of the last two years, mysterious messages scrawled on her hands, and a murder investigation closing in on her. The dual timeline adds depth to the mystery, making it even more compelling as the pieces slowly come together. The writing is sharp, the tension is constant, and the twists are executed brilliantly. While the shifting perspectives and timeline jumps can be a bit complex at times, they ultimately add to the suspense and make the book hard to put down. Overall, it’s an intense, fast-paced read that’s perfect for fans of psychological thrillers.

This started off really strong; I was so intrigued by why the protagonist woke up disoriented with cryptic messages written on her hands and arms. However, it became repetitive as the story went on, and I was tempted to DNF multiple times. I enjoyed the reveal at the end but not quite enough to compensate for the lacking middle.

Cue the Twilight Zone music. Liv is a young woman living an everyday life, then......she goes to sleep and loses two years of her life. Great concept but you need to suspend belief before entering the zone as this is about to get weird. Liv wakes up in the back of a cab, no idea how she got there. She gets out of the cab and goes to her apartment door where she finds she no longer lives there but has no idea where she lives now. As we move through the fog of lost memory with Liv, her life takes on some changes that leave her.....and us.....questioning what's going on? A good, not great plot line that takes enough twists, turns and liberties that I kept reading to see where the blood and knife came from. Megan Goldin did a great job of spinning this tale into a thriller with some original consequences.

This story of Liz and her two year memory gap started off really good. It pulled me in and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Unfortunately the story died off as it went along and the end was rather anticlimactic. Her books are usually much more thrilling then this one was unfortunately..

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin follows Liz Reese, who wakes up in the back of a cab with no memory of how she got there. Soon she learns that her memory has over a two year gap, and her daily memory resets everytime she falls asleep.

This book started SO strong for me but quickly fell flat. I’ve read several books in the past with main characters who have memory loss and this one felt very repetitive. I was also not invested in the detective storyline and didn’t enjoy the dual POV. I also figured out the twist early on.

Overall though I do enjoy Goldins writing style and look forward to what comes next!