Liv wakes up in a cab with no recollection of how she got there so she heads to her apartment to find out she doesn’t live there and has no phone or credit cards and doesn’t remember anything. She sees writing on her arm that reads “stay awake”. She heads to all the places she remembers but nothing is familiar

We are then introduced to detective Halliday who found a body with a single knife wound and the words “stay awake” written in the victim’s blood on the window. The main suspect is Liv but something about it doesn’t add up. Halliday must piece together to find what really happened

Chapters go between Liv in the present and what happened 2 years ago (which starts to paint a good picture of why things in the present are happening). It also from detective Halliday's view and what's going on with the investigation.

The last part was so thrilling I had to stop to go to bed, but in the end just couldn’t put it I needed to finish it! It was a fantastic read and I cannot wait to share it with others!

Okay but whhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

(Too many spoilers to review here. It's on Goodreads.) But seriously, the only way I would have been more annoyed is if Detective Halliday were the killer (that is not a spoiler).

Oh man, what a great suspenseful and unreliable narrator novel! Stay Awake is told from two different perspectives, Liv a New Yorker with a terrible memory problem and a pair of NY detectives. This reminded me of the movie Memento and i really enjoyed how the perspectives intertwined seemlessly.

This book is an absolute brilliant masterpiece. Everything about this book was well thought out and beautifully put together in such a way that leaves you wanting to know everything.

Normally broken timelines and thrillers that don’t give the details until the last minute frustrate me. This book is the exception to the case. The way the book is crafted causes the reader to feel as if they’re in Liv Reese’s shoes as she tries to put together what’s going on in her life and exactly what she’s forgotten.

In the end, everything fell into perfect place and wrapped up in such a satisfying manner. I was left with no unanswered questions.

I’ll also add that for most thrillers I read I can create a short list of suspects in this case my suspect list was none existent as I had absolutely no idea who was responsible. Which adds to how much I loved and respected this book.


Everyone NEEDS to buy this book August 9th because it’s a absolute MUST read for 2022.


Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

I know I'm in the minority here when I say this book didn't totally click for me. So let me start out by outlining the positive.

First, I read Goldin's Night Swim last year and was blown away; it's phenomenal. So it is possible my expectations were ridiculously high for this one. This is a page-turner, and I think it will be popular as a summer beach (or escapist) read. In fact, I can't NOT recommend it. For those looking for a fast-paced who-dun-it, this will fit the bill.

However . . . the plot hinges on a memory loss motif. I'm not usually into those plots (which might be another me-problem). But I got this one anyway based on the amazing experience I had with the author's previous novel. I love it when I read a book I don't think I will love due to some plot device outlined in the blurb only to find the book to be fantastic. I was hoping for that here. Unfortunately, the things that bother me with such plots were still present in this one: the (often necessary) repetition, the too-often convenience of the memory loss and subsequent plot holes or outrageous circumstances, etc. I also, surprisingly, noticed lots of editing issues surrounding the (British? Australian?) author and the book's American setting. I don't recall noticing this at all in Night Swim, but this book constantly evokes British-isms in dialect, idiom, and word choice. I'm guessing some of this will be rectified in final revisions, but it's quit noticeable throughout this text.

Overall, I didn't dislike the book; I just wasn't enthralled by the plot or the writing style. The main character didn't gel with me as a three-dimensional one and the plot was sometimes over the top. I won't stop reading Goldin, though, and am interested in seeing what she does next.

Pulls you in with its unusual circumstances right from the get-go, Stay Awake reads much more like a page-turning thriller than Megan Goldin's previous effort (I consider Night Swim to be a grounded mystery/crime drama), while completely engrossing and overall quite clever, does require a fair amount of suspension of disbelief — the novel might breaks apart under further scrutiny, but overall it's a neat murder mystery puzzle worth unraveling.

With this novel and Night Swim, Megan Goldin proves she's excellent at delivering a police procedural plot with a refreshing twist; this time around by integrating the perspective of a protagonist who's suffering from recurring memory loss. With its multiple point of views and timelines, the story is told in an intentionally complex way, but never dips into unnecessary confusion. Even upon a cursory re-read, I notice planted details that resurface as the plot unfolds. It is in contrast with these instances of intricacy, that make the outliers even more jarring; there are a couple major plot points that don't quite add up in retrospect, ranging from character motivation, logistic, and common sense. I have a similar qualm with Night Swim, where there's a noticeable contrast between details that have been thought through by the author, and ones that remained either overly convenient or implausible.

Overall, aside from some plot holes and gloss-overs, on the first read-through Stay Awake remains a solid page turning experience. With its introduction of a charismatic police duo, I'll be curious to see if this becomes another potential book series starter for Megan Goldin.

What an absolutely deliciously thrilling can’t put down sucks you in kind of book! 5 shining gold stars!!! If you are looking to be absolutely obsessed with a story line and you physically are unable to stop reading because you HAVE TO KNOW - this is the book. Megan Goldin smashed every single check mark you want in a read. Plot? Amazing. Character development? Completely immersed. Pacing? Addictive. I’m still reeling from such an intoxicating read!

Liv Reese has a happy life working for Cultura magazine, living with her best friend Amy and is in love with her boyfriend Marco. She wakes up one day with writing on her hands and arms mostly telling her to stay awake. Fast forward to seeing the same words at a murder and she has a bloody knife wrapped in a shirt. Bonus, it’s two years later from her last memory and she has no idea what is going on. Why can’t she remember? Did she commit a murder? Why does she write not to trust people on her body? WHAT IS GOING ON!


High high high recommendations on this one!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

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

HOLYYYYY SHIT. I'm writing this review on January 8 and already know this book will make my end of year favorites list.

Short Synopsis:
Imagine if Fifty First Dates were a thriller novel involving murder. That's the book. (AND IT IS EVERYTHING).

Thoughts:
When I say I was hooked from the very first page, I mean FIRST PAGE. I absolutely loved the way the story was told. The book follows Liv, who wakes up one day and can't remember where she is or how she got there. Some chapters are written from Liv's first person perspective, while other chapters, told in third person perspective, follow two detectives investigating a homicide case. The story is told from dual timelines and dual perspectives and the chapters interweave masterfully. You quickly learn how these two plot points intersect, which raises more questions and makes you more anxious to get to the end for some answers.

I normally form a lot of theories when I read a thriller book and ~most~ of the time am able to figure out the big plot twists. This book is a rare exception. I had absolutely no clue where this story was going and was on the edge of my seat reading the entire time. I kept trying to piece everything together and had no idea how the author was going to tie everything up and make it make sense. Yet, once you get to the big reveal, it all makes sense and I want to bang my head against the wall from not seeing it sooner.

My one small complaint is I wish we got a little more at the end about why the killer did what he did. As the reader, you can infer why he did all these things, but it would have been nice to see it actually explained on the page in a little more detail.

Big picture:
RUN DON'T WALK to read this book when it releases on August 9th. A brilliant 5 star thriller.

Holy moly this story is a wild ride. Is it perfect? No, sometimes the dialogue feels unnatural and the story is less than 100% believable. Does that matter? Not for one second. I’ve seen films with a similar premise, but this story still felt fresh and unique. More importantly, I felt like I needed to stay awake because I couldn’t get to the end of the book fast enough.

The reader is immediately immersed in Liv Reese’s situation. She’s in a taxi with no cell phone or handbag, and she has no idea how she got here and where she’s going. Liv has messages written on her hands (Stay Awake!) and a bloody knife in her pocket. What a great introduction to a story!

The bulk of the story takes place in one day, a Wednesday. Liv’s current situation is interspersed with her timeline from two years prior, which I read ferociously looking for clues into how she got into this predicament. The current timeline also includes the perspective of Darcy Halliday, a homicide detective working on a case that may or may not involve Liv. Goldin flawlessly presents the important facts and clues. There is absolutely no filler in this story–every page delivers a heart-racing narrative that keeps the reader guessing. I had no idea what was going to happen until the very end, when the pieces fit together perfectly.

Admittedly, I didn’t really like Goldin’s last book, The Night Swim, because the courtroom proceedings seemed drawn out and dull. In Stay Awake, I loved the police procedural storyline and found that it added so much to the overall story by adding information that Liv had no way of knowing. Additionally, both characters’ perspectives kept my interest equally, which is not always the case with a dual storyline/dual perspective novel.

Stay Awake is an adrenaline-fueled thriller that does not disappoint. 5 stars.

I loved reading The Night Swim last year so when I saw that Megan Goldin had a new book coming out I knew I wanted to read it! It was a great book to start out the year. Liv has amnesia so every time she falls asleep she forgets what happened back to the day when her best friend was murdered. I love thrillers with unreliable narrators because it makes it so easy for you to wonder what might really be going on. It kept me turning the pages, and I stayed up past my bedtime to find out what was going on. I also really like that most of the story happens within a day with some flashbacks. I liked the pace of the story so if you’re looking for a popcorn type thriller then this would be a good choice!

An addictive, twisty suspense thriller that will keep you guessing until the end! The writing pulls you along, never slowing down, and while I still had questions at the end I enjoyed every minute of it.

I would say this was a solid 3.5. The story dragged on a bit for me and I kind of figured it out half way through, however, the story was interesting. This was a leisurely and cozy read for me. Thank you for the arc!

From the opening pages, this book exudes tension! Heart pounding terror and confusion on every single page.

This is the story of Liv Reese. Liv has just woken up in a taxi with absolutely no memory of how she got there. Confused and scared she is dropped off at her apartment building. Only she has lost her purse and her phone. Ringing the bell in hopes her roommate, Amy, will be there to let her in. Only it’s not Amy who answers. The couple who does now live in their apartment and are tired of her showing up. What?

Stumbling outside confused she looks at her hands to see ink everywhere with messages. STAY AWAKE! Trust No one. And the name of a bar.

Going back two years, the last thing she remembers is answering the phone at her desk at the trendy magazine she writes for. And then nothing. She knows she was living with Amy and dating Marco.

Digging in her pockets she finds a bloody knife wrapped in a t-shirt. When she catches the news, it is all about a murder that just took place. The weirdest thing is what is left in blood on the window. STAY AWAKE! What has she done?

Changing her look and going into the magazine gives her some clues, but she needs to find out what happened and why she can’t remember. But someone out there remembers. And that someone is going to make sure she forgets permanently.

The tension never lets up. It was like a puzzle you just can’t figure out. I read this all at once because you couldn’t just stop! So yes, I did stay awake long past my bedtime.

Goldin has such a complex and twisty writing style that I love.

NetGalley/August 9th, 2022 by St. Martin’s Press

This book kept me awake all night as I raced to finish it. This book was easy to read and the multiple timelines were handled well. While there were some twists and turns, they were not too difficult to figure out.

Stay Awake pulled me in with immediate action and suspense. Liv Reese's lost memory and involvement in a murder make for an intriguing story from the get-go. I loved the introduction to Detective Halliday, who has been tasked with the murder case. The separation of her point of view as third person and Liv's first person point of view was extremely satisfying and clear. My only criticisms of this book would be that the twist at the end fell a little flat for me, it didn't feel like an immense climax, and that at times the switches in Liv's timeline were not entirely clear. However, these two things were not enough to put me off from finishing this book and enjoying the overall experience of reading it. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really did not like the basic foundation of this book. However, it was an enjoyable book to read. The murderer was easy to identify early on in the book which took away a lot of the mystery. Not allowing these personal aspects of my review, to determine my rating, I do give this book a four-star rating since it was a well written mystery and suspense writing.

Wow! Megan Goldin did the thing again! Fans of The Night Swim and The Escape Room, add Stay Awake to your to be read immediately! The story of Liv Reese, a young women who after experiencing a slew of traumatic events, begins to loose her memory in chunks of time. She’s suddenly being tailed for a murder that we knew happened with her in close proximity, but we aren’t sure she committed. We follow her when she story opens, in a cab not having a clue where she is or why she’s there. All Liv sees is her forearm penned with the terms “Stay Awake” “Do not fall asleep” and “Trust no one”
This had me super intrigued from the first page as to what was happening! I loved all the kinds of questions I immediately had!
This book is written in short digestible chapters which is pretty important to me! As well as multiple view points and multiple time periods. I will add, it’s easy to get a bit confused if you’re not fully vested in your reading time being just that- reading time! Take your time and focus on it.
This was a great story, maybe more of a mystery than thriller. As readers, we’re on a journey with Liv so she can piece her life back together. Two thumbs up for Stay Awake!

Megan Goldin follows up her 2020 thriller “The Night Swim” with another carefully plotted, fast-paced story that reminded me a lot of my favorite film, “Memento”. In this case, the person with the questionable memory is Liv Reese, who seems to forget everything in the past two years once she falls asleep. The book has multiple timelines: current day Liv, two years ago Liv, and the current police investigation conducted by detectives Darcy Halliday and Jack LaVelle. Liv has awakened with the message “Stay Awake!” written on her hand (and a bloody knife in her pocket) and the detectives are investigating the murder of unknown stabbing victim with the message “Wake Up!” written in his blood on the window of the crime scene. The mystery revolves around how Liv lost her memory, what happened in the past 2 years, what happened before she last fell asleep, and how are she and the dead man connected.

I was hooked midway and I so wanted two things: “Liv! Just Google yourself!” and “Liv! I like you, don’t become an unreliable narrator!” And I also found myself rooting for the two detectives to solve the mystery. Halliday and LaVelle were also so well developed that they deserve a sequel. What happened? Read it for yourself — you’ll be on the edge of your seat thinking the same things. The multiple times lines are expertly written as they converge in order to reveal the big picture. 5 stars! Congrats to Megan Goldin on another great thriller. Kudos also to the author for understanding the creepiness of performance art.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the preview copy of a terrific thriller.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Liv, our main character, has a special haircut to bring out the green in her hazel eyes. Otherwise, her cat has pale green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO In fact, the autumn seasonal changes are what keep reminding Liv that it’s no longer summer.

I couldn’t put this book down!! If you love thrillers, this one will not disappoint with lots of twists and turns that you don’t see coming!! Megan Goldin is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me!

Holy Crap!! This is an intense, suspense-filled book that truly had me all over the place trying to solve the mystery!
This book alternates between two years in the past and now to the present when Liz Reese is trying to figure out what has happened to her!
She cannot remember how she ended up on a park bench asleep. When she looks for her cell phone to call for help, it is gone, but she sees her hands covered in ink messages and a blood stained knife stuck in her pants pocket. WHAT?
When she tries to find her friends and her roommate, she not only cannot find them, but realizes that there is an awful lot she is missing!
There are people murdered and they say they were friends of Liz's.

This novel takes us on a mystifying journey to learn who this knife belongs to and is Liz a murderer as the police seem to think?
Who did she kill and why can't she recall the crime she is accused of?
It's definitely a fast paced book that you will not want to miss!
Excellent!

Thank you to #StMartin'sPress and to #Netgalley for this ARC, This is my honest review.