One of the best thrillers I read so far!!! I couldn’t stop reading. When I thought I had all figure it out the twists of the story keep second guessing myself until the very end. This book was so good I didn’t want the story to stop there !

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC of Stay Awake for my opinion. This is the first book by author Megan Goldin I have read. It was a very interesting premise. Liv Reese wakes up and has no memory of where she is or when it is . We learn that she has lost 2 years of time and every time she goes to sleep, she wakes up with no memory again. The story moves between present time and Liv’s past two years ago. There are three dead bodies that all have one thing in common - Liz. But she doesn’t remember if she is the killer or possibly the next victim.. There was a lot of repetition of Liz’s point of view but we have to expect that considering her condition. This was a quick, enjoyable read. I will definitely check out the author’s previous books.

This suspenseful book grabbed me from the start, but as the pages went on, I felt like there were too many added unknowns that made it hard to follow the story and hold my interest. It Would’ve been nice to have a few concrete bread crumbs dropped every now and then to keep the reader engaged, but I did finish the book. I found the ending a little disappointing.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc and ability to provide honest feedback.

This is the second book I’ve ready by this author and both are so well done. This one pulls you in immediately and makes it hard to put down to go about daily life. I liked the characters, no repetition, and the storyline was well done. The ending was well done, only felt slightly rushed in that I feel it didn’t explain motive and I wish it did. I need to know whyyyyy the person did/does what they do! But that’s my problem. Nonetheless this author is becoming a definite favorite and I’d recommend this book to everyone!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

The story opens with Liv in the back of a cab without a clue of how she got there and where her purse/phone are. She has the driver drop her at her apartment and because she does not have her keys, she knocks on the door for her roommate to open the door. However, a stranger to Liv opens the door and has no idea who Liv is or why she is waking them up in the middle of the night. Liv flees the apartment and wants to call for help. Upon searching her person for her phone, she finds a knife, wrapped it a shirt. Bloody knife. In a panic, she throws it away and realizes that there is writing all over her hands/arms. The main thing - STAY AWAKE!!!

Liv realizes that it is not a warm sunny day, the last day she remembers. It is actually more than 2 years later. Liv has no clue what is going on and tries to piece together the last two years. As she starts to zero in on what is going on, she realizes that she is in great danger.

This book was definitely an interesting read. Some parts I thought took long; however, as the pace intensifies at the end, you realize it was all worth it.

Wow!!! I couldn’t put this book down. Stay Awake is a fast-paced thriller that had me flipping the pages like a mad woman late into the night. I kept thinking about the movie Memento as I read - such a clever story, dropping hints along the way that I’m sure I missed. So back it goes on my list to read again! Highly recommended!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

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.

Oooh this was a fun one. Super exciting psychological thriller, and a well-crafted one - it's surprisingly rare to find that these days among the masses of thrillers out there!

The author did a fantastic job of keeping the plot moving, and I liked how she didn't overuse the lost-memory device too often - the amount of times Liv's memory was 'reset' during the book was the perfect amount to accelerate the plot and to let us really get inside her head and understand how disorienting and terrifying such a thing would be. Plus, there were a LOT of red herrings that I totally bought into - well done, Megan Goldin!

It made me eager to read the rest of Megan Goldin's work - I had heard great things about her (and specifically Night Swim) but this was my first of her books. I will definitely be motivated to read the others now!

4/5 stars for cop-aganda/glamourization of police and military, some stiff dialogue and one dimensional side characters, and a lot of suspending disbelief. But overall well-plotted, well-paced, and an engrossing psychological thriller that I've already recommended to others. Thanks for the opportunity to read and 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!