What a ride! Liv wakes up one day only to discover that she's lost all memory of the past two years. She's shocked to discover some shocking things on her person and has no idea how they got there or what they mean. She's thrown into a whirlwind of confusion and tries desperately to find out what happened in her life two years previously.

Liv keeps waking up each day only to find that she's lost all memory of the previous two years, including the day before. So it's like she constantly loses memory of what she just learned. So she finds out all over again that she might've murdered someone but she can't believe that. She discovers again that people she thought she was still in contact with are no longer alive or she's no longer in contact for one reason or another.

The narrator definitely added to the thrill and excitement of what was going on in Liv's life as she tried to discover the truth to her lost two years. The voice inflections were appropriate and the pacing also contributed to the emotional state Liv was going through at various times.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a fast-paced, twist-filled thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The premise—about a woman with amnesia who can't remember the last two years of her life and is desperately trying to piece together the truth—was both chilling and compelling. Goldin masterfully builds suspense, dropping clues and misdirections that keep you guessing until the final page. For thriller lovers, this book delivers everything you crave: tension, unexpected twists, and a dark, haunting atmosphere that lingers long after you finish.

This one was just okay! I enjoyed how unique the story was but I felt like more could have been done with it. But I will say the ending had my jaw nearly hitting the ground!

Stay Awake will quite literally have you staying awake to read “just one more chapter” so you can unveil the mystery of what Liv Reese can’t remember.

Stay Awake begins with Liv Reese waking up in a taxi with a bloody knife in her hand and the words “STAY AWAKE” written on her arm. When she’s dropped off at her apartment, the person who answers the door is someone she doesn’t know who says she doesn’t live there. Lost, alone, and confused, Liv wanders around New York, piecing together what’s happening to her with the help of those she meets…who seem to know more about her than she does about herself.

This thriller is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. However, I have to say that I was much more invested in Liv’s chapters than the cop perspective, which was also startling to discover the existence of since there was no mention of any perspective other than Liv’s in the synopsis. While this other narrative is aptly used to give clues to the reader, I had a hard time believing in the realism of some of the things the police were doing, and these chapters sucked some of the suspense out of the story.

The beginning of the book and the tension it builds in the first third is remarkable, but the story becomes less unique and interesting the more that is uncovered. Although it was an overall enjoyable ride, the tropes that the story relied on weren’t as intriguing as I would have hoped from the setup, ending up at a 3 out of 5 stars.

I tried to read this after dnfing about two times but I couldn't continue. It was far more predictable than I anticipated.

*Stay Awake* by Megan Goldin has a gripping premise with its central mystery of a woman who wakes up with no memory of the last two years and must piece together the truth. The pacing is fast, and the suspense builds well, making for an engaging read at the start. However, the plot occasionally feels repetitive, and some of the twists are predictable, leaving the story feeling a bit formulaic at times. While the concept is strong, the character development—especially for the protagonist, Liv—feels a bit shallow, which makes it harder to connect with her on a deeper level. Overall, it’s a solid thriller with some tense moments, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential.

Stay awake is definitely a nail biting, page turner of a book.
The mc wakes up in a taxi with no memory of how she got there and looks down to see her arms and hands covered in her handwriting to stay awake and trust no one.
I found the first part of the story to be a slow burn biut then it revs up to craziness there afterwards.
If you enjoy reading about an unreliable narrator, and somewhat ground hog day, with many twists storyline then this is the book for you.
I have enjoyed Megan Goldins writing and look forward to reading her future books to come.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Wow! Memento meets thriller version of Fifty first dates and Before I go to sleep!

This book is outstanding, heart throbbing, mind bending, twisty, wildest, action packed, full throttle ride you may ever get! I love it so much! I cancel everything in my life to focus on it! Because it’s so addictive! Once you start to read, you can not put it down! You are drawn into story by its high tension mystery building, exciting, twisty chapters, biting your nails, squirming in your seat, trying to read faster for finding out what’s gonna happen next.

A gripping page turner that left me worried to go to sleep! Propulsive and addicting, I finished this one in a day. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for an escapist thrill.

The premise alone is terrifying; what happens when you wake up without knowledge of what's happened (and it's clear something has, something you already know is going to greatly complicate your life) and you have no idea who to trust? The sharp, concise writing matches the immediate sense of urgency, and the growing trail of clues (or misleading clues, in some cases) made me feel like an active part of the story as I tried, along with Liv, to figure out exactly what was going on and who would end up being revealed as the villain.
I would have preferred seeing everything from only Liv's POV as I believe that would have only added to the tension (and would have made some of the reveals more gasp worthy), but this is a minor complaint amongst everything else this book has going for it.

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a cab and has no idea where she is or where she is going. She is taken to what she believes is her apartment, but it is not. And the residents aren’t happy to see her. She’s been there before and apparently hasn’t lived there for years. In this thriller, Liv has to STAY AWAKE to keep track of what’s going on, but she cannot. She writes messages to herself on her skin to prompt her memory, reminiscent of the movie Momento. Then, the book goes off the rails and became unbelievable.

Megan Goldin's Stay Awake is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the final page. The story follows Liv Reese, a woman who wakes up in a New York City cab with no memory of how she got there—and cryptic messages scrawled on her hands. As Liv pieces together the fragments of her life, she realizes she’s being hunted for a crime she can’t remember committing.

Goldin expertly weaves a dual timeline, switching between Liv’s present confusion and her life two years earlier, slowly unraveling the mystery. The fast-paced narrative is filled with twists and red herrings, keeping readers on edge. Liv’s unreliable memory adds a layer of suspense, making it impossible to predict what’s real or who to trust.

With sharp prose and an intricate plot, Stay Awake is perfect for fans of memory-loss thrillers like Before I Go to Sleep. It’s a compelling exploration of paranoia, survival, and the desperate search for truth.

I loved this novel. The suspense and twists made it so hard to put down. You don’t know what to expect next or what’s to come. Megan Goldin definitely has a talent for suspense and thrillers.

I found the audio book just as good as the ebook novel. The narrator does a great job at bringing the story to life.

3.5

I liked this! At times it felt repetitive, and I'm not surprised by the ending. I was wondering where exactly this book was going to go, and it was very intriguing how the author wrote the story.

Thank you for Netgalley for this ARC, and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Gosh, how did this sit in my back-log for so long??? I have enjoyed Megan Goldin's other books, and Stay Awake definitely kept me on my toes. Other reviews are critical of some of the repetitiveness of the story, but as the mc loses the last 2 years of her memory every time she falls asleep, every reawakening is new to her, so it sort of has to be that way. I did guess what she was running from and the whodunnit early on, but it did not take away from my reading experience. I really liked the detectives int he story and feel they would be a great duo to continue perhaps a series but with them as the mc's and main perspective.

Overall a fast-paced thriller with an interesting unreliable narrator and backwards timeline. Glad I opened up my vintage book list and finally tasted this delight.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC... even though I am terribly late.

I really wanted to love this book by Megan Goldin as I loved her previous work, The Night Swim. However, this book was very very very repetitive. I kept thinking I was reading the same chapter over and over again. Nothing happened and it was very slow moving. Was not for me.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a solid thriller. It’s told in a back and forth timeline alternating present day with 2 years ago. Liv Reese’s memory wipes itself everyone she falls asleep, so she tries to stay awake. She’s suffered a past trauma, that even though she can’t remember it, still affects her. Two years ago she was the victim of a horrible crime-or was she the killer?? She can’t remember but someone else remembers.

When the truth was revealed, my jaw dropped! I love that!

I listened to this book on audio even though I had a NetGalley copy. One of the narrators must be British because even though they had an American accent they were pronouncing some of the words incorrectly. It was annoying and took me out of the story for a bit. But the chapters were short and the story was propulsive.

If you enjoy a good thriller, pick this up. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the advanced e-copy of #stayawake.

2.5 stars.
This one was just okay. Do not love amnesia storylines and honestly, even despite that this one had some major plot holes. The points the author stressed about the main character, that she forgets everything when she falls asleep, etc. were stressed so heavily yet I really don't think she fell asleep all that often until the end of the story. Will be interesting what my book club thinks of this one.

I loved this fast paced, unputdownable thriller with multiple points of views and very intriguing plot and characters.

A page-turner that, while a little redundant, was a fun read.

The opener was SO gripping and interested me right away. I never felt bored, though ironically, many details were repeated (and framed like they were new) due to the main character's memory issues. I understand this may have been necessary due to the limits of the character, I do felt like it could've moved ahead with more new detail rather than continuing to over the same info.

I also think the main character almost kept TOO calm most of the time given how terrifying the circumstances were? I also wish we learned more info more quickly - it was all action until some of the major learning moments were all "told" and not "showed." Halliday was an interesting character, but I think there could've been more between her dynamic and Lavelle's.

I also saw the twist with Amy coming from milesssss away. I even guessed the killer by process of elimination which was a little bit of a letdown, and the deeper motive is still unclear. There was a lot that was simply unrealistic/unbelievable for how easily it happened which I won't detail to prevent spoilers, but I wish maybe the framing had been better.