A woman who loses her memory every time she wakes up is seemingly tied to a murder that occurred - and she doesn’t even realize it.

The premise for this book is so clever and compelling. I was intrigued from the moment I read the description.

I will say, it took me a long time to really dig in and want to finish reading it. That’s hard for me with a thriller because I usually just want to power through them to figure out what’s happening, but the first 35-40% I read sporadically over months - picking it up and reading maybe a handful of pages and then just not being sucked into it. At around 40% of the way through I was finally hooked enough to want to finish it right then and there and unravel this crazy story.

I think the beginning is just a little slow for me, but overall I really enjoyed the book and I would recommend it to others!

This is more of a 3.5 than it is a 3 star. I read this book in basically one sitting so I can definitely vouch for it being entertaining and a page-turner. There was nothing wrong with it but, as someone who reads a lot of mysteries, I guessed everything that was happening fairly early on. That usually doesn’t bother me and honestly I usually don’t have many thoughts about what’s going on and am along for the ride, but I felt this one was a bit too obvious. Still enjoyed it and would recommend if you like mysteries.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

Liv awakens in a taxi, and has no memory of the past two years. Someone else lives in her apartment, “stay awake” is written on her hands, and she’s in possession of a bloody knife. She soon finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember committing.

Stay Awake is told using multiple points of view and timelines. The timelines are present day and two years earlier. The POVs are Liv and the detective investigating the murder. Liv is trying to figure out what has happened to her. The detective is trying to solve a case. Both viewpoints are interesting and add to the story.

Stay Awake is a fast-paced thriller with an intriguing plot. Recommended for fans of suspenseful thrillers and crime.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

No Rest for the Wicked


There is a good reason why Megan Goldin is one of my favorite thriller writers. I think that THE ESCAPE ROOM is still one of my all-time-favorites books and one that stands out from the rest, but her latest book is not far behind. It only took a few pages into STAY AWAKE to find myself utterly absorbed by the shattered reality that has become Liv’s life.

I love thrillers that rely strongly on the doubt cast on the main protagonist’s mental state. Liv, a traumatized woman who forgets everything that has happened to her as soon as she falls asleep, is a perfect candidate to star in that category of unreliable narrators. With every plot twist, I admired the author for being able to create such an intricate, multi-layered and challenging novel without ever losing credibility.

Every time I was briefly concerned that a thread would be left hanging or would stretch credibility too far, I was soon reassured by the background detail that made it all perfectly plausible and tied things up nicely in the end. A highlight for me was the authors ablity to show Liv as she wakes up, completely confused and then start trying to go home or to work, only to realize that she has been asleep longer than she thought and that things have changed. Toward the end she tries to stay awake long enough to untangle all the clues of her current circumstances. The only downfall I had with the story is the constant need to be reminded that Liv is forgetful. I enjoyed this very much and will continue to be a fan of Megan Goldin moving forward. 4 STARS in other words this book is totally # All-Nighter Worthy

*rating 4.25*

***a woman who wakes up in a taxi with no memory and a bloodstained knife in her pocket***

Megan’s thrillers always hit! This was a fast paced thriller that was so addicting. It definitely grasped my attention from jump but once I really got into it I could. not. put. it. down. I was thinking of so many different scenarios in my head to try and put the pieces together and still didn’t figure it out.

I love this book! Psychological thrillers are my favorite subgenre and Stay Awake does not disappoint. Liv wakes up, unsure of who she is or what has happened - but she has been accused of murder. As the story unfolds, we learn she is suffering from amnesia brought on by past trauma. All she knows is she has to stay awake, and trust no one.

I can't imagine something like this happening to me - I rely so much on my brain and memory. Goldin does a fantastic job of helping the reader feel the fear of amnesia and we walk right alongside Liv as she tries to figure out what is going on.

This is a book you won't want to put down!

I devoured The Night Swim so I had high hopes for this one. This was a wildly interesting premise of a story, and it sucked me in right away. The author did an amazing job at taking what should have been a very confusing situation (all the times that Liv woke back up and didn’t know what was going on) and made it easy for the reader to understand. In fact, it felt like every time Liv woke up, she was confused, but the reader figured out a new detail. Another thing the author is really good at is introducing us to the antagonist early on, and then making us forget about them without making their motive seem weak when they’re brought back into the story. The ending had me staying up late and waking up early so I could finish it while my kids were sleeping, but the middle felt like it dragged on a bit.

A woman, whose memory is wiped clean of the last two years every time she wakes up, finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation, despite having zero recollection of the victim or crime.
This was pretty good, as far as thrillers/mysteries go, even though the “who-done-it” part was blazingly obvious the whole time.
The way the timeline jumped around made it a little hard to follow at times, but I suspect the back and forth helped cover up slight inconsistencies in the story, especially regarding what our protagonist was able to remember, and when.
It had a bit of a Scooby Doo ending, with the villain laying out the reasons for all of their evil-doings, just in case the audience is too dense to figure it out. Never a good thing in storytelling. Seriously. Just trust your reader.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this #arc of #stayawake by Megan Goldin in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Megan Goldin and The Night Swim, so I was excited to receive a copy of Stay Awake. This one is a bit of a twisted take on Groundhog Day in which one of our MCs knows she needs to stay awake, and she should not trust anyone. Told in dual perspectives between the aforementioned Liv Reese and the detective on the case, Darcy Halliday, Golden takes readers on a wild ride.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This was so crazy good. I can’t believe I haven’t heard more people talking about it! I really liked The Night Swim so I expected to enjoy it but I was literally obsessed. I love an unreliable narrator and this took it to the next level with a narrator who forgets everything every time they fall asleep. The different timelines and povs were perfectly done and equally interesting, which is a feat in itself. I was looking forward to every single sentence! I think Megan Goldin just earned herself a spot on my auto-buy list!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this fast past mystery thriller. Kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Following dual timeline with dual pov. Extremely fun read!!

A fun, twisty, suspense-thriller that will keep you guessing.

Liv survived a murder attempt two years ago and is trying to track down the would-be killer, only she can't loses her memory every time she falls asleep. And now she's the only suspect in the murder of a man she's never met.

A race to the end to see if the mystery can be solved before Liv gets in danger herself.

Well done. And kudos for no "diversity bingo".

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi and has a bloody knife in her pocket and her arms are full of writing telling her to stay awake. She is also suffering from a two year gap in her memory. Who can she trust? The police are after Liv. She gets phone calls from someone that threatens and frightens her. As she gathers information the details of her story are revealed.

This is a super fast paced read. I could not put this book down. As pieces of Liv's memory were revealed to her I just wanted to know how it fit into everything else and whether it was relevant or not to the overall story arc. I really enjoy Megan Goldin's writing style and look forward to reading future books by this author.

Megan Goldin's books are always auto-reads for me - I love the way she weaves just enough detail through each chapter to keep you guessing but also make you think you know what happened. Stay Awake reminded me of a book I read a few years ago where the protagonist kept forgetting what happened every morning when she woke, and I've heard others say it's kind of like the movie Momento. We follow Liv Reese as she tries to put together the pieces of the previous night when she wakes up in a taxi, unable to recall how she got there. Chapters flash between two years prior and "today", inching closer to the pivotal event (I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm being vague). I listened to the audiobook and thought both narrators were fantastic. It was easy to keep track of the characters and timelines based on the narrator and inflection, adding to the enjoyment of the story. Great twisty story!

Every time that I pick up a Megan Golden book, I am always intrigued with what I am going to get out of it. It always feels like some sort of domestic thriller, which typically isn’t my thing, but I love the way she writes them. I come back time and time again. This one was no exception. I love the mysterious start and unreliable narrator.

Liv Reese is a woman hunted, but she doesn't know that. In fact, she isn't sure of much at all; how did she get here, why there is there writing all over her hands and where the heck is her best friend and boyfriend?

This book kept me on edge the whole way through. Nothing says unreliable narrator like a character who has no memory of the last 2 years and can't remember a thing from one sleep to the next. I found myself back tracking and second guessing myself multiple times throughout this book. I did figure out the twist about 60% of the way through but then I questioned myself again. I had nightmares from the anxiety this book caused me-bravo to the author on her insane ability to write about paranoia, memory loss and provide stalker vibes so detailed that I literally had goosebumps on my skin. Definitely do not recommend to young women, alone, in the dark-especially not if you have anxiety, haha. No, no. But you must read this-so read it during the daylight hours!
I'm pretty sure I've read everything Megan Goldin has put out so far and I'm positive that will continue to be a trend I keep on point with!

4.5 stars! Stay Awake was such a fun book. I enjoyed the alternating chapters between the detective, Darcy Halliday and Liv Reese who keeps waking up with no memory of what happened and thinking it’s two years prior. I really enjoyed the development of the character Detective Halliday; I hope she is in future books. She was well crafted and multidimensional and there just so many unanswered questions related to her past. Please give us a series!!!!

Phenomenal! I can’t believe this book isn’t getting more hype. This is the type of thriller that I recommend going into without reading the synopsis. There’s a before and after timeline and an unreliable narrative who seems to have amnesia. This is such a wild ride, I did guess the final plot twist so this wasn’t 5 stars for me, but I’m a huge Megan Goldin fan. I’ve read all her books now and she’s fantastic. Interested to see what she writes next.

In this intriguing novel, the protagonist cannot go to sleep or she forgets the past. I cannot imaging trying to cope with not knowing who you are or what went on. Of course, she doesn't realize what she doesn't know and the author puts you into her day-to-day struggle. It was a difficult story to put down and for readers with better eyesight than mine, it lends to a continuous and captivating read.