After reading a few disappointing books recently, I am happy to say that Stay Awake scratched the itch for a fun, fast, satisfying read.

3.75 stars from me, rounding up.

This is kind of like a dark version of 50 First Dates. Basically, Liv has lost her memory of the previous 2 years, and she cannot form new memories—every time she falls asleep, her memory is erased again, bringing her back to a day two years in the past. She leaves herself notes (often written on her hands/arms) to try and retain information about her life, and to remind herself to try and stay awake for as long as possible.

Liv has no idea what's happening to her, and every time she falls asleep, she is back to square one. This is obviously problematic—especially when it starts to seem like Liv may have been involved in a horrible crime…

To be concise, there's my pro/con list:

Pros:
1. Total page turner. I had a hard time putting it down and fully was invested in figuring out the mystery.
2. For me personally, multiple POVs and timelines are *Chefs kiss,* I love it—especially when done well, which I think it was here! I was equally invested in Liv's perspective as I was in Halliday's, which was cool (as much as I love books that swap perspectives, I usually find myself way more interested in one person than the other, which wasn't really the case here).
3. I felt like the author did a pretty good job at throwing us off the track of the perp (or at least, tried to!) with several red herrings.
4. The book is definitely action packed and suspenseful—I never really felt like there was a dull moment.

Cons:
1. You do need to suspend reality to allow the plot to work; but I recommend it, because it's a fun read when you do.
2. Repetition got a little distracting/annoying at times.
3. My huge qualm is that there is not enough explanation about the perp!

Longer review on my Substack blog :)

Stay Awake has an interesting premise-- the main character is basically Guy Pearce from Memento. However, the writing is so poor that it takes away from anything interesting or entertaining that could have happened. It's repetitive and.. just bad. The reader gets beat over the head with everything, and there are random side stories that serve no purpose.

This was a tough one to get through. I still gave it 2 stars, though, instead of 1 because I could see some people wanting an easy, psychological thriller and finding this one okay.

I love a good psychological thriller and Megan Goldin's Stay Awake hit the nail on the head! This page turner follows Liv Reese via a dual timeline- present day and two years ago, however Liv cannot remember what has happened in that gap of time. In present day Liv wakes to discover the last thing she remembers is answering her work phone- over two years ago! She has cryptic messages written all over her hands saying STAY AWAKE, and we discover that Liv loses her memory every time she falls asleep. I loved the fast pace of this story and uncovering Liv's memory as she pieces bits together. Megan Goldin did an outstanding job with the character development and plot and I look forward to reading more of her novels.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

Stay awake was a fun read. It was fast-paced which I always appreciate. The story was so interesting and well thought out. The characters were well written and relatable. I found myself continuously rooting for Liv. I loved The Night Swim so much and I can’t wait for other titles from Megan Goldin.

WOW! This was a doozy and a half! Kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

However, I can’t help but wonder how much better it would have been told in a straight forward manner with only a couple of necessary looks back. The way it’s written is most confusing. First, you have back and forth from today to 2 years ago or the immediate result of the event from 2 years ago. That’s not bad, but could be better. But then … we have time frames like yesterday, or 2 days ago or X hours ago, etc. when we have already seen the results of those things. That made the story unnecessarily convoluted and didn’t advance the plot except to add confusion to the reader, not the characters.

I will certainly recommend this book to others and I will look for additional books by this author, but I will hope that her next novel will be written in a more straight forward manner.

I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warning: Stay Awake contains events involving stalking, so I would not read this book if that topic is sensitive to you as a reader.


It's the middle of the night when Liv Reese wakes up in a cab with no idea where she is headed. The driver drops Liv off at the brownstone apartment she shares with her long-time roommate and best friend, Amy. When Liv gets to the complex entrance, she realizes she doesn't know where her keys or cell phone are - instead she is holding a t-shirt with a bloody knife wrapped in it. Distressed, Liv quickly disposes of the knife and begins incessantly buzzing the apartment to wake Amy up. However, a couple Liv doesn't recognize answers the door instead of Amy. As Liv forces her way into what she believes is her apartment, Liv learns that she doesn't actually live there. But if Liv doesn't live there with Amy, where does she live? And where is Amy? When the couple sends Liv out of their apartment, she looks down at her hands and sees two words written plainly on her hands: Stay Awake. Liv rolls up her sleeves and realizes she is covered in writing that tells her "Wake Up" and that she has to stay awake because she forgets everything when she sleeps. What Liv doesn't know is that her memory has blacked out the last two years. As she tries living her life based on her last memory, Liv can't find her best friend or boyfriend and all her coworkers at Cultura magazine are wondering why Liv is back at headquarters and not in London. Soon all attention is diverted from Liv's confusing behavior when a high-profile editor at Cultura is found murdered. Liv immediately thinks back to the knife she had exiting the cab and the notes written all over her body. So what has happened since Liv's last memory? Is Liv connected to the murder victim? And will Liv figure it out before she gets hurt?


Stay Awake certainly kept me wide awake reading! This book was fast-paced and high tension with a perfect amount of twists and turns. Stay Awake jumps between Liv's past and present and Detective Halliday, who is leading the murder investigation. Between the three perspectives, readers learn about the events leading up to Liv's memory loss while seeing Liv herself racing to figure out what happened before Detective Halliday does. Overall, my only critiques of Stay Awake revolve around the two main characters. Liv is a fascinating narrator to follow because of her situation, but her bland personality and willful blindness to those around her made following the story frustrating at points. Although I felt frustrated with Liv during her past, I think she was a solid narrator and, honestly, I wish she had been the only narrator. Detective Halliday's character is integral to the story development, but I didn't see much purpose in learning about her and her journey to becoming an NYPD Detective. Liv's story had a ton of people in her past and present who play a significant role in her memory loss and the murder investigation, but I felt like they were cut to make room for Detective Halliday's story. While I liked Detective Halliday, I think that sacrificing the development of those characters in Liv's life made the ending feel anticlimactic - I was surprised but not impressed by the revelations, if that makes sense. Overall, I enjoyed Stay Awake because the thrill of the story kept me excited and involved. I would recommend adding Stay Awake to your TBR list if you enjoy anxiety-inducing situations and no-frills thrills.


4/5

It has been a long time since a book creeped me out enough that I didn't sleep well! Was this book scary? No, but it was tense and the whole premise was enough to keep my mind racing after I finished it. Could I imagine losing my memory every time I fell asleep? Absolutely not!

Liv Reese wakes up in a taxi cab and has no idea how she got there. As a matter of fact, she cannot remember the last two years. Her hands and arms are covered in ink with reminders to "stay awake" and "do not trust anyone." Soon, the news breaks and Liv become the suspect in a brutal murder. Will the police be able to put together all of the pieces to arrest Liv or keep her safe from the real killer?

So good I may have to purchase a physical copy when the book releases!

I read and loved Megan Goldin’s other books so I knew when I saw Stay Awake that I had to get my hands on it immediately. She is an automatic MUST READ author for me. And this book did not let me down. It was a fast-paced story that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through! All I could think of was how terrifying it would be to be in Liv’s shoes.

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers—a stranger who now lives in her apartment and forces her out in the cold. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing, and in its place is a bloodstained knife. That’s when she sees that her hands are covered in black pen, scribbled messages like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.

Two years ago, Liv was living with her best friend, dating a new man, and thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. 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. But there’s someone who does know exactly what she did, and they’ll do anything to make her forget—permanently.

It reminded me of the creepy and weird movie, Momento! This is another twisty novel that takes you on a wild ride and you have no idea where you are going to end up. You don’t want to miss this thrilling suspense!

Out on August 29

I really enjoyed this book! Although the story has been told before (think the novel "Before I Go to Sleep" by S.J. Watson or the movie "Memento"), Stay Awake brought a fresh approach to the story of a woman suffering from amnesia. The author did a great job of going back and forth in time and teasing out just enough of the story to keep me turning the page, desperate to find out what happens next. And I liked the competing narratives between Liv and the detectives investigating a murder which she may or may not have committed. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC!

What happens when you wake up and can't remember your past? You've written reminders and warnings on your hands and arms, but they don't make sense either. Where do you go? Who do you trust? This is the story of Liv. Everytime Liv falls asleep her memory is erased and she wakes up thinking it is three years ago...when she had a boyfriend, a roommate, and a career. Those things are gone now and Liv can't remember why. Told in flashbacks, you follow along with Liv as she tries to get her memory back before she's killed for remembering. Definately recommended.

This reads a bit like a lifetime movie. Now, that isn't necessarily a bad thing, as there is something to be said for knowing what you're getting. But, for me, the feather soft ending killed any feelings of enjoyment I may have otherwise come away with.

This book was absolutely incredible! This is the first thriller/mystery book I’ve read and it did not disappoint what so ever! I love that this book kept me on my toes. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen something else would happen and throw off the theory I had. There is a lot of different view points and it jumps from different time periods but it’s very easy to follow along. So well written!

An unusual premise for a thriller, and it was done well. I was turning the pages nonstop, hoping Liv could figure out the truth before she got hurt again. While I predicted a couple twists, the ending played out well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I LOVED this book and thought it was SO original. I've never read anything like it. This book kept me up late because I couldn't put it down to go to bed, This is one I will be recommending to friends! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Stay Awake was a fast pace ride that hooked me from the first page. This page turner makes you want to keep reading til the sun comes up. Megan Goldin does a superb job at weaving a tale between to narrators. You will be guessing til the end.

Well written, kept me interested. Figured out the bad guy (or thought I did and I was right) midway or so. I'd read more by this author.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4570209195

Thanks to NetGalley I was able to read an advance copy of this wonderful book.

A great thriller/mystery/page turner!

I read tons of thrillers and this is one of the best I’ve ready in past couple of years.

I highly recommend it.

This was an amazing read and a 4 star review! This book is set to come out August 2022!

This was a fast read for me and I found myself trying to sneak time to read as a busy mom. I love how the author used the writing to make us feel as disoriented as Liv, the main character. The short punchy chapters and different point of views ramped up the feeling of suspense so that you couldn't read fast enough!

The only things that kept this from a 5 star review- the reveal at the end. It was a bit of a twist but it wasn't really explained well enough why they did the two murders. Each chapter was a different point of view and different timeline. This started getting disorienting for me as a reader and I think it would have been easier if Goldin did a few chapters in one timeline before switching. It did not take away from the story at all but was a little confusing at times especially if a chapter was only a few pages long.

Perfect for fans of- "The Woman in the Window", thrillers, mysteries, popcorn thrillers (short quick chapters)

Thank you Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a fun thriller. It starts out with Liv waking up in a cab in NYC, not remembering anything. She sees ink on her skin, written on her wrist is "STAY AWAKE" She gets dropped off at her apartment to look for her roomate Amy. When she gets there, 2 strangers answer the door and have no who Amy is, and it's no longer her apartment. When she reaches for her phone, she finds a bloody knife wrapped in a t-shirt. There has also been a murder, where someone has scrawled in blood, on a window, "STAY AWAKE" . What has she done? Someone does know what she's done, and wants her to forget what happened.

This was a mystery that involves memory loss. I felt the middle got a little repetitive, but I still really thought it was good. I liked how the final reveal played out too. I loved how Liv would remember things and that would slowly start to unravel clues as to what was going on!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy! All opinions are my own!