This was great plane reading - it sucked me in immediately and kept me entertained. Liv is a woman who wakes up, not remembering how she got where she is - she just recalls answering her office phone on a summer day. Now it’s cold and she’s confused, and she has notes saying stuff like “stay awake” written all over her hands. This happens over and over, because every time she falls asleep, she forgets. Liv’s a great unreliable narrator because she truly can’t remember, but the words on her hands give her clues to follow, so she’s not flying totally blind. The story alternates between Liv’s story over the course if a few days now, Liv’s story two years ago, and the perspective of two homicide detectives working a case alongside Liv trying to piece together her forgotten life. I did enjoy the book, something about the detective sections felt a bit forced - there were times I was getting details I didn’t need to flesh out characters that didn’t feel important to the story, and the way the detectives worked and spoke felt inauthentic. When we were with Liv, I believed what was going on. When we were with the cops, I kept wondering why I needed any details about either one if them and their history and I kept wanting to get back to the real story. I also felt like the culprit was just unsatisfying and the motive was weak. All that aside, I liked Liv and how she managed to hide her memory loss - or embrace it when it benefited her - and I loved the way her story unfolded, switching from past to present and filling in gaps along the way.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy.

I have thoroughly enjoyed both of Goldin’s other books so I was excited to snag this one. This one has a really fun premise that’s kind of a mix up of Before I Go to Sleep and the Girl on the Train. I got sucked in immediately and wanted to keep reading until I figured it out.

Stay Awake has a lot of the same elements that I’ve liked from Goldin’s previous works. I never quite knew who to trust or what to think, and there were a lot of good red herrings. Liv loses her memory every time she falls asleep, which could have gotten old narratively but Goldin did a good job of balancing it. There are time jumps and different timelines but I was always able to keep it straight.

Some of the dialogue felt a bit stilted/unnatural, and I thought the ending was rushed and missing a bit of rationale. Overall, a quick paced and fun thriller!

I have read all of Megan Goldin’s previous novels and she just keeps getting better. Stay Awake is a wild read from start to finish. It is Memento-esque, in that Liv, the main character, has no memories when she wakes up and only some writing on her hand to rely on. The storyline switches between the present and two years earlier, as well as from the detective’s perspective.

What I liked: Stay Awake had so many twists and turns and the sense of suspense was heightened the entire time. I was intrigued by the story and all the possibilities so I read through it very quickly.

What could be better: I really liked Darcy Halliday, the detective character, and I would have liked more of her story too. Maybe Goldin will write a series with her as a lead character?

I thought it was a good suspense story so I would give Stay Awake four out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to other readers who like mysteries and thrillers and are looking for something to keep them on the edge of their seats.

*Please note that the ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin.

It's just a normal evening when Liv wakes in the back of a taxi. But things take an abrupt turn when trying to enter her usual apartment. There are other tenants there, and the apartment is clearly not hers anymore. With every attempt for help, it becomes clear that she has lost a significant amount of memory, and nothing makes sense anymore. What's more, she might be suspected of committing some heinous crimes.

The best way I can describe this book is if 50 First Dates were a suspense movie instead of a romcom. I actually think such a movie exists, starring Guy Pierce. It was very riveting and fun, lots of curves and twists, very richly written. I enjoyed this a lot.

2.5 stars

This is the 3rd book I have read by Megan Goldin, and probably my least favorite of the three. I didn't like Liv Reese the main character. The book reminded me of the movie 50 first dates meets groundhog day, where she wakes up and forgets everything that happened but goes back to a certain time period every time. I didn't like the whole unreliable narrator theme in this particular book.

One of my biggest issues with this book was the fact that because the main character didn't know what was going on every time she got to the point of getting some answer about her situation she would run away and it would make the situation worse. It was just really frustrating. I also feel like they wrapped it up to cleanly without really wrapping everything up, just because the main case was solved that meant that nothing else needed to be. I just don't get it.

This wasn't a book for me and that is ok. I am sure there are people out there who are going to love it.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Could not devour this book fast enough! This book was written like an episode of Law & Order and it grabbed me right from the beginning.

This book is different from all of the other things that I’ve read lately and I truly never saw the ending coming. I love how the book oscillated between Liv’s perspective as well as Detective Halliday’s. The situation that Liv was in seems so unrealistic but it sets up the perfect distrusting/confusing/paranoid atmosphere that made this book thrive.

I appreciate St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley letting me have early access to read and review this book. This was my first read of Megan Goldin and I cannot wait to pick up another.

4.5

I have said many times that I am over the amnesia trope, but I love this author so much that I had to read this one.

I have to say, it is reallllly good! The author is fantastic at propelling you through the book- you will be flipping pages so fast, dying to know what happens to Liv.

Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi, with no idea how she got there. She finds a bloody knife in her pocket and her hands are covered in writing that says “stay awake”

She is walking around the city disoriented when she sees on the news that there has been a murder and that “Stay Awake” was written in the victim’s blood at the crime scene 👀

This book was *extremely* compelling; I finished it in under 24 hours. The pacing was excellent, as the reader learns about what has happened to Liv sometimes as she is learning it herself, and in some cases before she realizes. The red herrings were effective but left some plot holes behind. Overall, would recommend for fans of multiple timelines, multiple POVs, and stories that play with memory.

It took me about half of this book to fill get into the tempo of the book because of the timeline and POV jumping. But once I did I couldn’t put the book down. Lots of twist and turns while trying to piece together how the main character was going to make it out alive in this book. Although if I am being honest my favorite character development was the two detectives and if there was another book with the two of them I would gladly be on board. The female detective had a great back story and was a strong lead, I think she was my favorite.

Liv wakes up in the back of a cab with messages written on her arms and no recollection of how she got there. From there, the mystery continues as she tries to figure out why she can’t remember anything.
Darcy Halliday, an interim detective, and Jack Lavelle are investigating a new murder case that occurred on the same night.
This book is a very fast paced thriller with well placed clues. The multiple points of view and timelines are easy to follow. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away and take away from the suspense!
I highly recommend this psychological twisty thriller.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early release ARC.

Thrillers are not my go-to read, but I really enjoyed this book. It was a page turner and I was so eager to find out what happens next.

You wake up, feeling unsettled and without any memory of recent events. You head home, and see summer has gone by and it's already fall. Your apartment door opens: and you're greeted by completely new tenants, strangers --- definitely not your flatmate of many years. What does one do in a situation like this?

INTRIGUING --- Stay Awake embodies every sense of the word.

The story shocked me from the outset. I did not know what to think, or feel only a page into the story. It's that good! My brain, as far as I'm aware, glitched the same time as the main character did a doubletake.

I did not care for the messed up timeline. This may be an allusion to the main character's condition but it got confusing at times.

At first I thought this was the typical mystery. The character wakes up, not remembering anything, because they blacked out. From a recent violent altercation, from an injury, or even from an intense night of clubbing. NO. THIS STORY IS NOT TYPICAL.

Every step of the way is a surprise. Readers will not know what comes next nor what to expect after every scene. The story keeps you wondering in a terrifying but appealing way. This is the first time I've been taken in so much by a story this 2022 so far. Megan Goldin is a master storyteller, which readers, writers and publishers alike must look out for.

You know that renowned, bookworm feeling of elation once you realize the reason behind the title? That happened with me --- twice. The second time, I did not anticipate, brought a plethora of twists and turns with it!

I did not want the novel to end, as the story came to a close at 90% through. There's still so much to resolve! And I did not want to abandon the intense way with which Liv's story hooked me in.

The ending was sudden but fitting to the story. I did not guess the endgame at all until the last few chapters --- which is a mark of a good mystery thriller. However, there were many loose ends which would have been better if tied.

I am so, so, so glad I was granted the chance to traverse this story. I'm sure every other person who reads Stay Awake will feel the same!

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Megan Goldin and Netgalley for the E-Arc of Stay Awake!! Look for this title on August 9, 2022!!

Megan Goldin has created a very fast paced thriller in Stay Awake. She has an unreliable main character and two detectives working a murder case. Stay Awake starts out on a Wednesday very early Wednesday morning when Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no recollection of where she has been/ where she is going. Come to find out Liv Reese works really really hard to stay awake because when she falls asleep she does not remember anything. The story line goes between present day of Liv’a perspective and the perspectives of the detectives working the case. Then goes back to two years ago when Liv was living with her best friend and dating a man named Marco.

I really enjoyed the story and wanted to keep reading. I have a feeling this will be a very popular thriller in August when it is released.

If you’re looking for a book that quite literally grabs you from the first page then boy does this one deliver. I was immediately sucked into this world where Liv wakes up without any memory of getting into the cab she’s found herself in and everyone she knows is suddenly gone. People she has never met before treat her like best friends and a bloody knife happens to be in her pocket. With memory lapses comes confusion which occasionally happened to me while reading but it wasn’t too hard to make sense of it all. This story only takes the course of a day which makes this even more fast paced.

Interesting ideas and a lot of different things happening. You know something is wrong and it leaves you with an eerie feeling. The ending felt a bit rushed in relation to the rest of the book. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you to #Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book had me hooked and wanting more. It’s like 50 First Dates, but add in some murder.

Overall, I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars and here’s why. Although the concept was good and had me reading “just one more chapter”, I felt like without all the ENDLESS REPETITION, it could’ve ended about 50 pages earlier. Just say Liv, Jack, and Darcy!! We don’t need full names at the beginning of each chapter. Seriously, every single chapter. I didn’t guess the ending so that was a plus.

I want to read more from this author but if The Night Swim and Escape Room have the same kind of repetitive nonsense, then Megan just might have to be an immediate hard pass for me. Someone tell me they’re better 😩🤣

I absolutely loved this book!! I really enjoyed The Night Swim by Megan Goldin so I was very excited to read Stay Awake. It was so fast paced and really keeps you wanting to know what happens next. If you are in a reading slump this is a book that can get you out of it for sure!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC.

I would round this up to 3 1/2 stars. This book was very good, well paced, and nicely written. I particularly enjoyed the multiple perspectives because they kept the story moving. Without that I think the driving plot would have become tedious. The ending was a bit jarring and hit you like a slap in the face, but I can excuse that as it was a great ride to get there. I would definitely recommend this book to friends and I look forward to reading more from this author.

WOW! Such a fun and exciting story about a young woman, Liv, who can't remember what has happened in the last two years, forgetting each day's events every time she falls asleep. A murder has occurred and Liv wonders if she might have been involved. The story is told in the popular "back and forth" format with Liv trying to make sense of her life, with the events that happened previously, and with the detectives' investigation.

This story is quite compelling - I read it in record time! I was on pins and needles all the way through the book, wondering how the author would draw all the events together and solve the crime. I was just a little disappointed with the way the story gets wrapped up - I kind of expected to be forced to figure it out a little bit myself. It ends a little too "obviously" and coincidentally - terms I'll use so I don't spoil anything. Even so, this is the best book I've read all year, and I highly recommend it!!

Liv Reese is on the run for a murder she knows she couldn’t have done. Especially when she has no idea who this victim is. More so, she doesn’t even remember the past 2 years. All she keeps remembering is picking up her phone at work and then poof, every memory after that is gone.

Liv notices a bunch of writing on her hands that say “Stay Awake”, and “Trust No One”. She realizes every time she falls asleep she wakes up in unknown places and no memory of how she got where she is. Will she able to remember something before the cops or the person chasing her down is caught first?

This book is full of suspense, and mystery. The timeline goes from Liv’s current situation as well as the detectives search/investigation, and then we also get to read
what happened to Liv 2yrs before and what got her where she is now Although our narrator is unreliable it really kept up the suspense so it was still good thrill reading. Definitely recommend!

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress, and author for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is set to publish August 9, 2022