Terrifying story of a young woman who wakes up every day with no memory of the last two years. Two years ago Liv had what she thought was a happy life. Sharing an apartment with her best friend, a job that she loves at a magazine, and a boyfriend who may not be as involved as she would like, but she was happy. But then things drastically changed, she began to get the feeling that someone was watching her and strange things began to happen in her apartment. Fast forward two years later when Liv wakes up with no memory and strange writing on her hands. Excellent psychological thriller that is impossible to put down.

I wasn't sure how much I would like this. Usually the missing memory trope is annoying, but this was a very involving book.

The police think Liv committed murder. But did she? Liv can't remember anything that happened to her for the last 2 years. She tries to figure out what is going on, while avoiding the police. She doesn't know who she can trust.

I liked that we received snippets of information along with Liv. I never believed she was a murderer, but I had no idea who the bad guy was until the very end. My only complaint is that it does get a little repetitive, with Liz waking up and losing her memory over and over. This results in a lot of explaining that we, the reader, already know.

I received a free copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Second book I've read based on someone losing their memory once they go to sleep. This one has a murder mystery component as well as not being in the first person narrative; which is honestly the weakest part of the book. The detectives are more explanation plot device than existing on their own, which is somewhat distracting. Livs sections are disorienting, which is helps to add to the confusion she feels and what's going on around her. The chapters are short and the book moves at a crisp pace, so you don't get too distracted by plot holes. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Y'all, talk about a wild ride. This is one I couldn't read fast enough because I HAD to know what was going on! The story begins with Liv Reese waking up in the back of the cab with a bloody knife. She has no idea where she is, or what got her in that cab, and she has messages written in ink pen all over her hands, but also no clue what they really mean. What Liv does remember is her life two years ago, including her job, her roommate, her apartment, and her boyfriend. She tries to reconnect with these people and places, but things seem to have changed. This one is a masterfully written thriller as there are three storylines going - the present day with Liv, a detective trying to piece together a murder that connects to that knife Liv had, and Liv's life two years ago. The reader has access to all three of these storylines, AND you are living the story through the gaping holes in Liv's memory. Something has happened in the past and present, and the slow burn with which these truths are revealed are just so darn good. I needed a good pageturner in my life to kick off 2022, and this just knocked that out of the park. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this thriller that's sure to get people talking!

Stay Awake explores a common theme in thrillers and mysteries, memory loss. Liv awakes in the back of the cab without her purse and cell phone. She has odd writing all over her hands. The last thing she remembers is being at her desk in throning which turns out to actually have been two years ago. I felt this book started slow and was confusing just like the main character. After about 40% in it picks up well and enters more of a thrilling read. Liv is likable and I was invested in her safety and regaining her memory. I did have the murderer figured out and that Marco and Amy were having an affair---pretty obvious honestly. This is a good read, but definitely has room for improvement!

This popcorn thriller was a quick read and kept me engaged throughout. The pacing was solid and the author did a great job adding tension to her writing. I was hoping this tension would lead to a big plot twist but unfortunately it kind of just fizzled at the end instead.

While the woman-with-amnesia premise was intriguing at first, it never evolved into anything and didn’t make for a very unique reading experience. This book has major Memento vibes. Almost too much so. But if you liked that movie, perhaps you’d enjoy this thriller. Ironically, this one will end up being forgettable for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I was engaged in the story from the start. Liv was a likable character and her amnesia condition was fascinating. I enjoyed the back and forth timelines once I got into the book a little more, but initially I found it confusing. Although the murder was satisfactorily resolved by the end of the book, I didn’t feel the stalker part of the story was sufficiently addressed. I would have liked more clarity on it because it didn’t make sense to me that Brett was the stalker. Several potential stalker characters were introduced and never ruled out so I just think that could have been handled better. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Woah! This is a totally new (to me) concept. I’ve never read an amnesia trope before. This is a very edge of your seat kind of thriller. There was a few things That could be improved upon, but otherwise a great book.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. A woman forgets everything in her past every time she falls asleep. Very much like the movie Memento. Someone new is now living in her home, she doesn’t know who to trust, and the only way to find out the truth is to “stay awake.” I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Stay Awake is a slow burn thriller with an unreliable main character and an interesting premise. Liv is suffering from bouts of memory loss and is desperately trying to stay awake and alert while piecing together both the past and present. I don’t do spoilers so that’s all I’ll say about the plot.

While I loved Goldin’s Escape Room, this one fell a little short for me mainly because it was such a slow burn and I had figured out the main plot twists well in advance of the late reveal. I didn’t find there to be a ton of action or suspense until around the 80% mark, but I still found the characters engaging enough for me to want to keep reading.

Overall, it was a solid and enjoyable read that just didn’t knock my socks off. Judging by the star rating on Goodreads, I seem to be an outlier on this one. Perhaps my high hopes impacted my thoughts on the matter.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free digital copy in exchange for a for a fair and honest review.

If you're in the mood for a thriller, this will definitely keep you awake until you find out how it ends!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. My only complaint is that I felt the end was slightly rushed and I tend to like things perfectly wrapped up. Otherwise I read this in two sittings and it made me anxious which I always enjoy when reading a thriller. Works definitely recommend.

An interesting and unique premise but for me the book has too many flaws. I don’t want to give too much away so I don’t spoil the book for others so I’ll be as vague as I can. Of all the possibilities put forward on the identity of her stalker and killer, such as the waiter, the artist, either one of two co-workers, this person didn’t even enter my mind. You might think that’s a good thing surprise wise, but from how the book is written it makes no sense. I can understand why the person turned out to be the killer, but as the stalker it doesn’t make sense at all to me. I also feel the book ended too abruptly. For me a better ending would have been giving us a glimpse of her life a little beyond her hospital bed, is she acquitted, how is life for her a few months out?
I did really like the characters of the two detectives, Halliday and Lavelle and would love to see them in a series by this author.

Two murders. Two years apart. Is she a suspect or a victim?

This is a thriller that keeps you guessing. The story goes back and forth in time, and that’s putting it mildly. Years, days, and even minutes are transposed throughout the plot. In trying to keep things straight, I began wondering if I had the same memory issues as the main character!

I'm not sure I bought into the pre-murder foresight of the villain or other bits and pieces of the plot, but, that being said, not a bad read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins’ Press for this ARC.

Oh my goddddd.

This book actually took me some time to get into because it was hard for me to follow the way the chapters were organized and the generalized flow. I finally caught on that it alternates between 1st person to 3rd person POV! Between Liv (1st person) and then the officer's who are in charge of the murder investigation (3rd person). Then it allllll started to make sense!

A woman loses her memory every time she goes to sleep (Liv). Someone is murdered and this woman is the prime suspect. Who committed the crime? Will Liv remember what happened? What triggered her to lose her memory like this as of two years ago?

It was super good. I was so excited when the plot twist hit and everything fell into place. I absolutely love Megan Goldin! I will forever read every one of her books and this is one you all definitely need to read! This author knows how to throw down a plot twist that will make you breathless.

Days after finishing, I'm still speechless. Stay Awake sucked me in from page one and didn't let go. I COULD NOT put it down.

Liz's last memory is putting the phone down at her desk at work... but when that was, she doesn't know. She wakes up in the back of a taxi with no memory of how she got there. Some other couple is living in her apartment, she can't find her phone to reach out to anyone for help, even heading back to work leaves her completely confused, as the office is totally redesigned, with new staff and almost no one she recognizes.

Even stranger is that she finds she has graffiti-like text scribbled all over her body!? Ominous phrases such as "stay awake." But why? And why, when she reaches in her pocket does she pull out a bloody knife - one she has no memory of ever touching. Imagine her terror when she catches on the news that a body has been found and the words "Stay Awake" are drawn in blood in the window...

I can't even imagine what this poor woman must have felt. Lost, confused, and alone. But finding out what really is going on, blew my mind even more. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, unable to put it down as I had to know more. My first fabulous read of 2022 and just like Megan's earlier works, it was a fast-paced, can-not-put-it-down psychological thriller, I'm so grateful to have gotten my hands on it!

This review will be posted on my Instagram (@bookishblondegirl) sometime between 01/15-01/19!

4.5 stars rounded up!

The last thing Liv Reese remembers is falling asleep at her work desk during a late night at the office. When she wakes up and tries to return to her apartment, she finds strangers inside instead of her roommate and cat. When she tries to call her boyfriend, she is told she has the wrong number. And most confusing, she finds messages written on her skin in her own handwriting, the largest of which simply says 'STAY AWAKE'. Soon she finds out that two years have passed since that night in her office, and a mysterious murder has occurred where the murderer left a message scrawled in blood saying 'WAKE UP'. But Liv would know if she was a murderer...right?

I loved this. Such a unique setup with lots of twists and turns! I liked how we got to see not only Liv's past and present, but we also had the POV of the detectives investigating the murder interspersed as well. I don't think this would have worked as well without the perspective of the detectives, because their perspective broke up, per se, the disorganized and unreliable narrative we got following Liv.

Speaking of Liv's narrative, I think it was refreshing to have an unreliable narrator whose unreliability isn't because she's "crazy" or unstable, but because of a medical condition. I enjoy unreliable narrators when they are well-done, but the unstable narrator has been used a lot lately and I liked this fresh take on it. Megan Goldin did an excellent job of evoking Liv's confusion and distress, while still making her a competent character that we can root for.

As I mentioned, I appreciated the perspective of detectives Halliday and Lavelle, as well as the dynamic between them. Halliday in particular was a great character; mixing her logic/police work with compassion and open-mindedness. I would definitely read another book following these two!

When it comes to who the "big reveal" villain was, I did guess their identity pretty early on, though there were several red herrings that kept me doubting. Even without the red herrings, my (correct) suspicions of who was behind everything didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. The plot and characters kept me concerned with WHAT was going to happen rather than WHO would be doing it.

I highly recommend reading this, especially if you are wanting something unique and different within the mystery/thriller genre! Thanks so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this ARC in exchange for my review! Stay Awake will be out on 08/09/22!

I didn't find this exciting at all. Way too unbelievable. I usually like books especially thrillers with the amnesia trope but this missed the mark for me.

This one is out in August - save the date FOR SURE. Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I am such a fan of Goldin’s books, and this is my new favorite.

Stay Awake felt like such a different thriller: a plot line I hadn’t experienced before with an unreliable narrator but NOT because she’s “crazy” - thank you, Megan Goldin. That trope is becoming a tad overdone, I think.

I also could not figure out the ending for sure, until it was finally unfolding. The nature of the story leaves you doubting yourself and every guess you have, not just about whodunnit, but also what the “it” even was.

I read this one obsessively, squeezing pages in every chance I got. Seriously, if you love thrillers, make a note to get your hands on this one when it’s out in August!

The last thing you remember is working at your office desk on a summer day and answering a phone call but now it is night-time, the temperature is frigid, your phone and purse are missing, the letters S T A Y A W A K E are written above your knuckles and other words and messages written elsewhere on your hands and arms. When you go to your apartment, instead of finding your roommate Amy and your cat Shawna you find a strange couple living there. You go to your workplace, Cultura, but you do not recognize anyone, the office has had a radical makeover, you recognize the framed covers of issues of the magazine you worked on but don't recognize the most recent covers, and when you identify yourself, a woman you don't know says she is happy to finally meet you and people ask you about life in London; you are currently in New York City and have no recollection of living in London. When you call your boyfriend Marco, the person who answers the phone tells you that you have the wrong number and to stop calling. When you finally learn the date, you realize that more than two years have passed for which you have no memory. That is the situation facing Liv Reese in "Stay Awake."

Making matters more confusing, an unidentified man has been stabbed to death in an apartment and the words "Wake Up" written in blood on a window, with the words written backwards so they can be read by people outside the building looking at the window. Those words are eerily similar to the writing on Liv's hands, and she becomes concerned that she is somehow connected to the crime. Over the course of the next few days, Liv will interact with people who appear to be strangers to her but know her and treat her like a friend or acquaintance and tell her that she has told them about her severe insomnia and memory problems. When she falls asleep, she forgets everything that has happened to her recently, so she drinks excessive amounts of coffee and caffeine drinks and takes caffeine pills in an effort to stay awake. The story alternates between the events of two years ago and current events -- both Liv's efforts to figure out what is happening to her and the efforts by detectives Darcy Halliday and Jack Lavalle to solve the strange murder in the apartment, which eventually leads to a search for Liv Reese.

"Stay Awake" is one of the creepiest and most twisted stories I have read. The confusion that Liv experiences every time she awakens from sleep is palpable. The author does a great job of keeping the reader on edge and guessing, especially as there are multiple characters and events from two years ago that may or may not be related to the traumatic event that will upend Liv's world, and which has ongoing ramifications for her, including a connection to the mysterious murder the police are currently investigating. The story has multiple sub-plots and there are multiple characters whom it is unclear whether they are friend or foe and/or are plausible suspects for the over-arching villain in the story. The character who turns out to pose the greatest threat to Liv is not the person I would have suspected. "Stay Awake" is well worth reading -- and once you start, you will not want to sleep until the book is finished.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.