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!

Megan did not disappoint with this book. I would definitely suggest this be used for a HS or college psych class. Poor Liv falls asleep wakes up and knows nothing of what happened before. How did she get where she was! What happened to her best friend Amy and did she really kill people? Liv has a rare form of Amnesia will this lead to her being killed?

You will never want to put the book down. The best read yet

**3.5 Stars**
Thrillers aren't usually my first choice, but I'm glad I picked this one up. This is a murder mystery/thriller and it's definitely a page turner.
The main concept of the book is that every time our MC, Liv, wakes up, she does not remember anything that has happened for the last two years. The story is told in dual POV from Liv's perspective and the perspective of the detective (Darcy) who is trying to solve the murder and ALSO dual timeline between the present and two years ago. Doing this kept things from being too repetitive and gave the reader more of a chance to figure out what was going on rather than if it was only told from Liv's POV. All in all, I thought this concepted was executed very well.
I thought all the procedural stuff with the police was great, although I did skip over some backstory dialogue with Darcy and her partner on the case. Though, how they managed avoid speaking to her roommate's ex and Liv's coworkers for most of the book, I'll never know.
When it comes to the twists, the one at around 68% was predictable (not a bad thing) but when it came down to the reveal it was a bit anticlimactic. Just felt a bit rushed. The killer reveal at the end was a bit better but there was still something missing. I will say I'm pleased with the ending because it actually MADE SENSE! The motive was clear and nothing really came out of left field. There were enough red herrings that I wasn't entirely sure who the killer would be but again I don't really read thrillers so I don't have the practice to be able to put everything together. I also loved that there was no romance in this except for the flashbacks with Liv's boyfriend. If there's one thing I know about me and thrillers it's that I don't like a romance subplot.
I'm definitely going to pick up more Megan Goldin in the future and I can't wait to recommend this book to my friends.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this book in return for an honest review.

Like Liv, the protagonist of "Stay Awake," readers will be struggling to keep their eyes open. While Liv has more life-and-death reasons for not wanting to fall asleep, you will simply want to keep reading!

A character who suffers from an unusual memory loss every time she sleeps creates a fantastic framework for a thriller. The story jumps back and forth between present-day Liv, who starts her life fresh every time she wakes, the Liv of two years ago, before the trauma that uprooted her and caused her problems, and the police trying to solve one of the murders that Liv is accused of committing. The key question is: she did murder these people, or is she being framed? The fact that the reader's investigation is not linear, but fashioned like a puzzle, sows confusion and intrigue. Liv is a mostly-sympathetic character, but no one--even herself--is sure if she is innocent. Her uncertainty about almost every aspect of her life and the people she knows (does she know them?) makes for the perfect backdrop. I loved Megan Goldin's last book, "The Night Swim" and couldn't wait to dive into this one. It did not disappoint. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this fascinating thriller!