Very fast paced and engaging! I enjoyed this story right from the start, it jumps right in but was not confusing or jarring at all. I also enjoyed the characters and dialogue.

Just finished, and it was a true page turner. The characters were good and engaging. My only quibbles were that the protagonist was able to go to London as a dual citizen through her dad (if she could do that, why not have him help Liv through her childhood?) and that the "stalker" that hired the neighbor was never revealed (If it was the killer, why do that so early on?) Those holes are why I dropped the review a star. Otherwise a good solid thriller.

This is a fast paced, winding ride through the mind of an amnesiac. Liv is an unreliable narrator which I am not too fond of in general but it works here. The story itself unfolds over dual timelines which was a bit confusing but also worked well and blended the two timelines to tell the story. This is very fast paced and gave me some anxiety (in a good way)...it really throws you right in the middle of the action. I wasn't expecting the ending but I also wasn't shocked either.

4.5 stars - rounded up. Absolutely loved the premise of this book and the execution was great. I typically get frustrated with unreliable narrator stories but felt this one avoided all the most frustrating tropes. (Spoiler-ish ahead...) I would have liked a bit more closure at the end - the resolution seemed to happen quite quickly and while the reveal of the was antagonist was well done and surprising, there was no explanation of their motive whatsoever. (Also felt their "final speech" was a bit contrived. The dialogue was so overly-explanatory it came off a bit goofy)
The other thing I felt was a bit confusing was Liv's life in New York. Why was she in that gross apartment? She had only been there a few weeks but was already a "regular" at a bar and a bodega - to the point where they knew about her condition? That felt like the stretch - hardly possible in a tiny small town, let alone a big city!
Overall this book had me totally hooked and the premise was so interesting and well done I can forgive some of these missteps.

One of the best thrillers I've read in a ling time! I read this so fast I almost finished it in one day! Liv Reese wakes up in the middle of the night in New York and tries to go back to the apartment she shares with her best friend, except a new couple lives there and two years have passed since Liv has lived there. Also, Liv discovers that she has a bloody knife with her. There are so many twists and turns in this book, starting with the fact that Liv loses her memory of the last two years every time she falls asleep. Who do you trust when you don't remember anyone?

It took me a little bit to get into Stay Awake, I found it dragged on a bit in a few places and while the constant jumping back and forth in timelines made sense for the plot I did find you were left in the middle unknown section of the book for a little bit. In the end, the resolution and "who done it" portion wasn't fully explained to the extent that I would have wanted in terms of the motive and why. Still a good read, definitely a unique storyline.

Stay Awake made me want to stay awake just to find out what happens!

Liv forgets everything the moment she falls asleep. When she wakes up, her last memory is from two years ago when she answered the phone at her desk. Everything from that point on is a complete blank. She tries everything to stay awake and writes notes on her hands and arms and keeps post it notes to remind her what she should and shouldn't do. When we meet Liv, she wakes up in a cab with a bloody knife. Having no idea what happened, she tries to go back to her apartment and talk to her roommate only to find that she no longer lives there and the current tenants are fed up with her showing up thinking she lives there. As she tries to figure what exactly happened, when it is, and where to go, she also has to fight to stay awake so that all of her progress isn't erased if she falls asleep.

We flashback from two years ago to now to learn more about Liv and what caused this rare form of amnesia. Interspersed from Liv's point of view, we meet the detectives working the mysterious murder of a man in an apartment with the words Stay Awake written in blood on the window. A woman is sought after and Liv begins the woman they are looking for is her but she has no idea how that could be possible. As she works to figure out what is going on the present, she begins to realize that what happened two years ago is the key to everything.

Quick paced thriller. Slightly confusing about the present timeline and how many times Liv falls asleep and wakes up but all in all it makes sense in the end. I suspected what happened in the past but did not suspect who the ultimate villain was. Excellent read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I literally couldn't stop; not even to sleep - I felt as if the main character Liv's motto 'Stay Awake,' was my own. I would give it a solid 4.5 stars if I could.

This was my first time reading a novel by Megan Golding, and yet I'm already looking for more. She navigates the plot through multiple timelines and points of view near-flawlessly for and edge-of-your-seat experience that refuses to let you walk away until you know what happens next.

Beyond all of that, everything is well researched, planned out, and complexly written in a way that is refreshing from many of the novels that I've picked up on a whim lately.

The story sounded so intriguing but the delivery fell flat for me. It skipped around from first person to third person POV. Sometimes it was Liv and sometimes it was the detective and the chapters weren’t labeled whose perspective it was so I had to figure it out. The timeline was confusing. All the time stamps and flashbacks and present were introduced in a confusing way. The memory loss and repetition got very boring. I started skimming to get through it. I figured out who the murderer probably was and I was right. It felt too easy and predictable. It was a great storyline and I wanted to like it a lot more than I did.

Addicting, unputdowable, thrilling - the list goes on and on!! A must read for thriller readers and lovers of unreliable narrators. I loved uncovering Liv’s memories alongside her, and I felt just as obsessed as her with solving and unfolding what her memory keeps from her. The pacing of the book keeps you on your toes, leaving you on the edge of your seat for what will unfold in both the past and present.

I read Megan Goldin's new book Stay Awake in one sitting. If you are a fan of S.j, Watson's book Before I Go to Sleep, which I am, you will love this one too. Every time Liz Reese falls asleep, her memory resets to two years earlier when the phone rings on her desk at work. With a killer closing in, she doesn't know who to trust or where to go She tries to stay awake by staying wired on caffeine. She writes messages on her hands and wrists to remind her what to do and who to call when her memory resets again. Amnesia, insomnia, psychological tension, and a good murder mystery make Stay Awake a five star read for me.

Oh my!! Stay Awake is fast-paced and well-written thriller.I Megan Goldin had me right from the first page til the very last page. I was rooting for the main character the whole time. A must read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone else

What a ride! Megan Goldin delivers in this edge of your seat thriller being published August 2022. If you loved Before I Go To Sleep you will love this book. Maybe more so. I loved the back and forth timelines and the multiple POV of Liv and the detectives. I honestly did not figure it out until the end when Ted and Liv figure it out. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Twisty and turny. Reminiscent of Memento and unpredictable enough that I didn't want to put it down.

A really good thriller that I wanted to 'stay awake' and finish!

Fifty First Dates comes to mind ... only this time it is a psychological thriller that is twisted, dark and yes, deadly. Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a NYC cab only to realize she has no idea how she got there or where she is. In fact, she can't remember the last two years. She has no cell phone or purse with her. Only a pocket full of cash and words on her hands and arms. She writes cryptic messages on her hands, arms, Post-Its, and walls of her apartment to help her remember.

The book jumps back and forth between present and past so we get to know Liv, her boyfriend Marco, beautiful roommate Amy, her ex fiance Ted, and a little bit about her job writing for a high-end magazine. Liv soon discovers that she is a suspect in a murder investigation that she can't remember she is now on the run. But running from who? Many people seem to know her and try to talk to her but she can't remember any of them and doesn't trust them. Now, the police are looking for her ... and also the real murderer.

Fast-paced and well-written. I loved Liv! I also loved Detective Halliday as she looks at all of the evidence with an open mind. Megan Goldin draws you in and make you feel the tension that Liv is feeling right from the start. Even with a few plot questions that I have it still is a fun and unique read!

Special shout out for the ARC of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley.
OUT August 9, 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this novel to read and review.

I had read Megan Goldin’s “The Escape Room,” which I found underwhelming. “Stay Awake” is a much stronger effort! I would have read it in a single sitting if I hadn’t had to work. The plot moves quickly and, while Liv does fall asleep and wake up with no memory a few times throughout the novel, the reader is never bogged down with her questioning where she is and what happened even though it happens repeatedly. These snippets of plot are brief enough and the story moving quickly enough that it never gets tedious or boring. I also liked that there several very believable culprits behind the mystery, so that the end reveal-while surprising-is not out of left field and aligns well with the existing story. I look forward to reading more of Megan Goldin’s work as she continues to write!

This was really great! I read it in less than 24 hours and truly did not guess the killer. The writing wasn’t the best, but the storyline more than made up for it.

First of all, I really enjoyed Goldin’s last book, NIGHT SWIM. I recommended it to all of my thriller-reading friends. That said, I absolutely loved STAY AWAKE!

The chapters are super short, flying by at breakneck speed, so I absolutely could not put this book down. Somehow, the author kept the suspense thick, even through time-jumps, which I usually hate.

I also want to mention that I’m a huge fan of the movie MEMENTO, which this book reminds me of so much. It’s probably my favorite movie. Like STAY AWAKE, MEMENTO features a protagonist with serious memory issues and a violent past.

If you’re a fan of Christopher Nolan-style twists and fast-paced plots, you’ll love this book.

(3.75 stars)

I LOVED Goldin’s previous books THE ESCAPE ROOM and THE NIGHT SWIM, so I had pretty high expectations for this one. With that being said, let’s dive into my review..

STAY AWAKE opens on Liv Reese waking up in the back of a taxi with no recollection of what she’s doing there and with no memory of the past two years, only to see that her arms are covered in writing, most of it saying things like “stay awake” and “trust no one.” She soon finds herself on the run from a crime she doesn’t remember committing.

I will say this one was fast-paced and the alternating POVs and timelines made for an extremely engaging read! HOWEVER, for me, the memory loss and Groundhog Day-ness of it all felt very tiring and lulled me at points.

The relationships that developed throughout this book were really sweet, and the last 30% of this book made up for my overall lack of interest in the beginning.

With all of that being said, I can see a lot of readers really enjoying this book and the intricacies of it!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: August 9, 2022

Overall, I really enjoyed Stay Awake. From the first few pages, this thriller piqued by interest in the quest to fill in the blanks in Liv's memory. Goldin does a great job introducing such suspect characters that it's hard to know who to trust - especially given the main character's unique form of amnesia. However, as the story began to wrap up and the big who-dunnit was answered - I was left with questions that remained unanswered. A few which were pretty big plot lines that kind of just fizzled out.
Nonetheless, I would recommend Stay Awake to anyone who likes twisty thrillers.