I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi in NYC, with writing all over her hands and arms. She thinks she's headed to the apartment she shares with her best friend, Amy. But when she gets there, a strange woman answers the door, saying that she and her husband are the ones that live there. And suddenly Liv's world is turned upside down. Turns out, she hasn't been living or working in New York for two years, though she can't remember anything about that time. And to make matter worse, police find a dead body with the words "Stay Awake," written at the crime scene, which happen to be some of the words written on her hands. What is happening to Liv? And is she in danger because of it?

I loved this book! It starts with the action from the very beginning and doesn't let up at all. The basic premise is that it's like if 50 Fifty First Dates was a thriller instead of a rom-com - every time Liv goes to sleep, she forgets everything and has to "start over" from a point of two years ago, but things are very, VERY different now (I won't give any spoilers here, finding out is half the fun!). What adds to the chaos is that there is a murder investigation happening that Liv may or may not have been involved in. So there are a lot of questions. Like, a lot. And Goldin weaves an amazing story to answer them all.

Because, they do all get answered. The ending was really satisfying in that way. It wasn't a fairy tale, "everything is all fixed now" ending, but it did resolve all the issues in the book itself and felt complete.

Overall, I liked Liv, and I felt for her. I mean, I wouldn't have the first clue what to do in her situation. It was so out there, I applaud her for not losing her mind right then and there. But there were indeed times I just wanted to shake her because I thought she and some stupid decisions. But I guess that's par for the course when your life is completely devastated.

Overall, this is my second Megan Goldin book, the second 5-star one as well, (the other being The Escape Room) so I have to say I would not only highly recommend this book, but this author as well. She can obviously write and create a good story - can't wait to see what comes next!

This was an excellent thriller mystery that kept me on my toes! Oftentimes I dislike thrillers due to their predictable plots, however “Stay Awake” was filled with surprises and interesting characters. Just the page-turner I was looking for and will be recommending to friends!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read a digital ARC copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC copy! I really enjoyed this book. I loved the short chapters and felt the story flowed nicely. I also liked the writing style, and showing flashbacks. I highly recommend this!

What a ride! This thriller by Megan Goldin keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire read! Stay Awake is a fast paced story that follows Liv Reese, a woman who can’t remember the last two years of her life. Every time she falls asleep, she forgets her recent past. This puts her in extreme danger for her freedom as she lands in the middle of a murder investigation and for her life as she is pursued by a killer! I couldn’t put this book down! I couldn’t wait to see what new twist was waiting on the next page! I highly recommend this satisfying and riveting thriller!

I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought it would. The timelines were switched so often it confused me. Great plot though and most reviewers adored this, so I'm going to chalk it up as just me.

I was able to get this book early through NetGalley and let me just tell you.. WOW. This book was probably one of the best books I’ve ever read. This book had me invested from the first chapter up until the last and I was on such a psychological ride and could not come close to guessing the ending.

Liv Reese suffers from reoccurring blackouts every time she falls asleep ever since her roommate and boyfriend were murdered and now there’s a murder that she could have been a part of but she can’t remember. Following Liv on this journey was exactly what I needed in a book. I loved the character development and alternating timelines (current and 2 years ago). This is going to be a top read of 2022 and definitely a fast paced psychological thriller that will entertain you till the end.

This is a tale told in two timelines. The current timeline takes place over one day, told from both the point of view of Liv, who woke up holding a bloody knife, and the detectives investigating a murder.

The timeline in the past gives us snippets of Liv’s life two years ago, before she lost her memory.

Every time Liv falls asleep, her memory resets to a time just over two years ago. She can’t recall where she has been or what she has been doing. She doesn’t know who she can trust.

This book has some of my favorite tropes and it was compulsively readable. It was a bit repetitive in places, but I believe that was intentional on the author’s part, as it mimics how the protagonist would probably be inclined to repeat her behaviors with no memory of having acted similarly before.

I zipped through this book and very much enjoyed the read. I read an e-arc available from NetGalley.

Slight spoilers below this point:

I do think that the motive for the stalking in the past timeline wasn’t explained very well. The motive for murder was obvious once the murderer was made clear, but the stalking did not really make as much sense to me.

I love Megan Goldin! I'm always excited to see a new book coming out from her and this one did not disappoint!

When Liv falls asleep she wakes up without a memory of what happened that day or the day before. She remembers a very specific time of being at her desk and answering the phone, then that is the last thing she remembers. It's like groundhog day, but in thriller form. As Liv is in the back of a taxicab she discovers that she has a bloody knife, but has no idea how it got there, whose blood it is or why she has it. Liv goes on the hunt to determine what happened. All while Liv is trying to stay awake. Finding written messages on her hand to stay awake.

The book does flip around from present day and the past. It also has the Detective Halliday and Liv. I do not mind moving from one character to the next nor present to past, but I know some people do not like it. I also would love to see a follow up book with Detective Halliday and her cases that she has in NYC.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy for my honest feedback!

THANK YOU NETGALLEY & PUBLISHER for my ARC copy!
After 3 disappointing reads, this was a true page turner and kept me needing more!

Liv Reese is in danger, and she knows it. She comes to her apartment and finds two people living inside. She finds herself tangled in a murder investigation, which she has no memory of the person killed or the scene of the crime.

The timeline was awesome. The theories were great between the detectives. Liv's memory issues were a bit repetitive. Overall, 4 stars! Great thriller

Thank you to the publishers at St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC of Stay Awake!

Megan Goldin’s newest thriller, Stay Awake, is nothing short of a mind f*ck! I literally thought I was losing my mind along with Liv while reading this novel.

Written with a dual POV while alternating between present and past, we meet Liv as she travels back to her apartment late one night. Exhausted and hoping to crash, she presses the doorbell repeatedly to be let in by Amy. But to her confusion, she discovers that another couple lives there. Alone and missing her purse and phone, Liv begins a quest to find answers. Written all over her hands are the clues she’ll need to follow. Why is it Fall? Where is her roommate, Amy? And why does Liv remember nothing after answering her phone at work on a warm summer day?

I really loved this psychological thriller! I was so confused as to what was happening with Liv and so eager to learn more! This is a fast paced read that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. It also took me until nearly the end of the story to figure out the bad guy, and I loved that the author was able to keep throwing me for loops and keep me guessing.

Stay Awake releases August 9th! Preorder your copy today! You won’t want to miss Megan Goldin’s newest thriller!

This book was not for me. I thought the premise was intriguing, and honestly appreciated the way the storyline jumps around from different viewpoints and times -- I though it was very reflective of the main character's mental state.

That said, there were a few things I really had trouble with. I understand that a book centering on this type of amnesia is going to be repetitive, but often it seemed word-for-word repetitive, which just comes off as lazy -- even if it was intended as a writing tool.

I didn't feel the writing itself was consistent which made it difficult for me to get absorbed in the story. Sometimes the main character woke up and was nothing more than '"disquieted" despite lacking a chunk of memories, other times she woke up terrified that someone was watching her. In the first chapter, she manages to root around for cash to pay her taxi driver, picks up and handles other people's belongings and picture frames, unwraps an object wrapped up in a t-shirt and never notices an amount of writing on her hands which is apparently so heavy that she "looks like a human graffiti board."

The twists and turns and dead ends that don’t seem like them until the end were amazing!! I was setting myself up to expect the worst with the twist at the end not being a good one, but it was great and I was so happy! The little bread crumbs for all the different suspects and the time hopping around made for a great story that I couldn’t put down. What an enjoyable treat while being a brutal murder mystery!

This is my second read from this author and I must say that I am a fan. I will definitely read more of her work. This story has an unreliable protagonist, and I'm fond of this trope. Liv has problems remembering what's happened after waking from sleep, and a lot happened. I found Liv to be likeable even though it is unclear what her role is in the story. There are hints of other questionable characters and it left me guessing who could be the culprit. The ending was good and I would have not guessed what was going to happen. I would recommend this one to friends.

Love this book! Couldn't put it down. Such a captivating, page-turner. I stayed up way too late reading this and simply didn't want the story to end.

Wow!! What a thrill ride! I am a huge fan of Megan Goldin's, and Stay Awake is one of her best. The premise is kind of crazy, but it is so well-written that I didn't mind. From the very first chapter, I couldn't put this book down. I was absolutely riveted.

Our protagonist is Liv Reese. When we meet her, she is waking up in the back of a cab heading for the apartment she shares with her best friend Amy. When she arrives, however, the door is opened by strangers who insist that no one named Amy lives there. Stranded now, with no phone, no keys, and no purse, Liv is completely disoriented. The last thing she remembers before waking in the cab was sitting at her desk on a sunny summer day when she was startled by her desk phone ringing. But now it seems to be fall and she's freezing. As she sits down to consider what to do, she discovers two strange things. One, she has a big wad of cash in her jeans pocket, and two, in the pocket of her cardigan she finds a blood knife wrapped in a T-shirt. What's more, she realizes her hands have words written all over them. Above her knuckles she sees the words STAY AWAKE and the address of a place called Nocturnal.

And so begins a gripping story of suspense. It turns out that Liv has a rare form of amnesia where she forgets everything every time she falls asleep. We soon learn that Liv has lost two years to her amnesia. There's no sign of her best friend or her boyfriend, and her workmates tell her she moved to London two years ago, which she doesn't remember. But the most worrisome development is that a man was murdered and someone wrote a message on the window of his apartment that says STAY AWAKE. Now Liv is left trying to recreate her memories and keep away from the police who think she may have been involved with the murder. It's a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eGalley in exchange for posting an honest review. I love Megan Goldin and I love Stay Awake!

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for opportunity to read this arc and provide my honest feedback.

Talk about unputdownable! This book was gripping and intriguing right from the start making it hard to put down and do my real life things (chores etc). I enjoyed the characters and storyline. The book wasn’t repetitive and dove right into the story and kept you hooked. Will definitely recommend this to others and look for other books by this author.

While I am a fan of this author for her great writing, unique storylines and ability to tell different kinds of stories (cross genre perhaps), I did not enjoy this book. It was too slow for my taste, most of the plot was happening in the mind of the main protagonist and from that narrow viewpoint. While the mystery and the mysterious case of amnesia was interesting as a concept, I did not enjoy it for reading as it seemed like details had to be repeated multiple times. I never truly engaged with this story. I put it down a couple times and had to make myself come back to it. That is a far cry from how I devoured the author's first and even second novels.
As a movie suspense/thriller for the screen I think I would have engaged with it more, marginally. I will read more by this author but no, I would not recommend this one to a friend looking for a book suggestion.

This was like memento but so different. Loved that she was trying to stay awake and figure out who killed her friend and boyfriend. Loved the different cops trying to solve the case. I enjoyed that she figuring it out and knew that she was being stalked because of food and milk. I really didn't like her friend was cheating with her boyfriend.

I've enjoyed Megan Goldin's books in the past, so I was excited to read Stay Awake! To describe this book, I'd say it has the same feel as a combination of Memento, 50 First Dates, and Law and Order, which was intriguing. Although it took a few chapters to grab me, I became invested in Liv's story and was curious to see how it would end, though I was hard pressed to care about some of the other characters. Definitely love a good mystery/thriller, and was quite surprised by the time I finished reading.

Though I enjoyed this book for the most part, I do find that I have some loose ends in my mind that I would've liked to tie up (which will possibly be covered by the time it's published)! Overall, entertaining and intriguing, though not one that I'm going to own and reread.