Stay Awake by Megan Goldin. Pub Date: August 9, 2022. Rating: 4 stars. If you're looking for an edge of your seat psychological thriller, then this book is for you. The main character, Liv wakes up in the backseat of a taxi with no idea how she got there or what is going on. She is dropped off at her apartment to discover the apartment is not hers anymore. Soon after, she finds a bloody knife with the words "stay awake" written on a window. A murder has occurred. But Liz has no memory of what happened and how she may or may not be involved. Centered around memory loss, the reader is taken on a journey to find out what really happened. I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend to psychological thriller readers! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley

It wasn’t my favorite by this author but it was still good. I read the others that Megan has published and they were better. This wasn’t the worst book I’ve read but it definitely could’ve been better. I felt like it was predictable.

This book had me holding my breath and flipping pages so hard I almost gave myself multiple paper cuts. As someone with insomnia I was definitely freaked out. This was so good. Did not guess anything at all!
Thank you to Megan Goldin, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!!

I have really enjoyed Megan Goden’s thrillers and this one did not disappoint!

Synopsis
Liv Reese can’t remember anything each time after she wakes up, that's why she is doing her best to stay awake. Especially after waking up in a taxi with the words Stay Awake written on her hands. When she arrives at her brownstone she finds strangers living there that threaten to call the police if she doesn’t leave. With everything she’s been through recently, not remembering might not be the worst thing. As she tries to recover her memories she learns the truth about her boyfriend Marco and her roommate, Amy. The police suspect her of murder but the real murderer is tracking Liv. It’s only a matter of time before Liv is able to put the missing pieces of her life together but will it be too late?

My thoughts:

Talk about your unreliable narrator, this one really had me guessing and on the edge of my seat. The pacing was excellent and I didn’t want to put this one down. I really liked the female detective as well. I hope she returns in another of Godon’s books. This one really plays up the ides of the role memory takes on with murder and how much insomnia can effect our mental state.

I love Megan Goldin’s writing and this was no exception. This is a fantastic psychological thriller and will keep you guessing. If unreliable narrator trope is something you enjoy, you’ll love this one.

Stay Awake had me invested from the beginning all the way to the end! This is the first I’ve read of Megan Goldin, and I really enjoyed it. It’s definitely an unreliable narrator read.

Every time Liv Reese falls asleep, she loses her memory. Sort of like 50 First Dates, but terrifying, as she’s lost two years and when she wakes, she discovers that several of her friends have been murdered, and she’s a suspect! There’s a dual point of view, which switches to Detective Halliday, who is trying to solve these murders. It also includes multiple timelines!

Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Goldin, and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review!

Stay Awake got me hooked from the beginning until the end.

We follow Liv Reese, a young woman who wakes up in the back seat of a cab with no memory of where she is or how she got there. After being dropped off at her apartment, she discovers that new tenants have been residing there while her roommate has been missing. When she goes to contact the police, she discovers that in her pocket, was a stainless steel knife with blood on it. She then notices that black ink has been used to write phrases like graffiti on her flesh, including "STAY AWAKE," all over her hands and arms.

I absolutely love books set in NYC. The book was told in a dual POV. One was told in Liv Reese's POV, and the other was in Detective Darcy Halliday and Detective Jack Lavelle's POV. The latter were the two homicide detectives that were assigned to look into the recent murder case in the city that might just be connected to Liv Reese's case. We also get chapters from the present and the past.

It was super intriguing and it kept me from setting the book down. The chapters were short so I felt really productive throughout the read. I also honestly think that it was too repetitive, however, I can understand why some things were repeated over and over again - and this was because of two things: Liv Reese couldn't remember anything at all, and the detectives' repeated questioning throughout the investigation.

I felt uneasy throughout. Reading it feels like you're being watched and I loved the experience. Questions about the cases kept piling up; luckily, I felt satisfied with the ending. It wasn't as surprising as I was expecting, but I am content. Although there were a few minor questions that the book couldn't clarify, it still didn't change the level of enjoyment I acquired from reading the story.

Another major thing for me was that it was more of a slow-burn mystery thriller. Everyone in the book knew how critical Liv's situation was, yet they always had a convenient reason to delay the revelations that can already be told to her early on. I mean I feel like it could be alright if it weren't for the fact that it feels forced. If there was one character who cared enough for Liv that told her everything early on, this book could've been under 100 pages. Nevertheless, I'm still giving the book 4 stars.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Late review because I lost my password to my account.

Stay Awake is my second book by Megan Goldin and one that I would recommend to thriller fans.

The main character suffers from amnesia every time she falls asleep. Think 50 First Dates meets murder mystery, which is quite a conundrum! Obviously, I was totally along for the ride.

What I liked the most was the procedural aspect of the book. I’m a fan of procedural, so that might not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed the alternating POV of the detective on the case.

I found the main character’s actions frustrating, but I think that was the intention with the way the story went.

This is not a “realistic” book, most of the plot points are very far-fetched, but it is still entertaining and I can see why many would like it. I, myself, found it a little predictable, which is why I didn’t bump my rating to 4-stars, but it was an enjoyable thriller nonetheless.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my advanced e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is like a mix of Alias season 3 and 50 First Dates (minus the comedy). Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi and can't remember anything from answering her work phone until now seemingly months later. This is a murder mystery from a dual POV. Liv our unreliable narrator and detective Haliday who is trying to solve a murder that Liv appears to be involved with. Liv write messages to herself on her hands like Stay Awake you forget everything when you fall asleep.

I went into this book without knowing what it was about and I was pleasantly surprised. The book jumps back and forth between Liv's POV now and 2 years ago while she tries to piece things together and the detectives who's also trying to figure out what's going on. I found myself guessing along throughout the book. The author does a great job of providing a hints at a few different possible scenarios. There are twists and turns. Some you figure out and some you don't. While the ending is wrapped up well, there are still little things that make you say, but wait? Why did so and so do this or what about that?

The psychology behind memory loss and fugue states is interesting. When you can't trust your own memory, who do you trust?

I loved this thriller and thought it was a gripping page turner. Liv Reese, wakes up with her world turned upside down. It seems she has lost the last 2 years of her life and several of her friends are dead. With multiple timelines and a savvy homicide detective on the case, this is a suspenseful, thoroughly satisfying read

STAY AWAKE

I absolutely loved “The Night Swim” and now after reading “Stay Awake” this is officially a Megan Goldin stan account!!

I found this to be such an addicting read. Each chapter gave you just enough to keep you so invested but also wanting more

I love stories where the main character has amnesia or can’t remember and as the reader, you get to try to put the pieces together along side them. I’ve read many amnesia themed books, but none like this one, it is such a unique story and I just loved it!

The story is told in present day when a murder had taken place and the main character, Liv, can’t remember any aspects of her life from the past two years. It also flashes back two years ago and slowly starts to build the pieces of the puzzle.

I highly recommend this book for any thrillers lovers! It will keep you guessing and on your toes all the way through! I will say the ending felt a bit rushed, and I wished there was more to it!

Thank you so much @stmartinspress for my gifted finished copy! ♥️💛

TLDR:

Stay Awake is the newest Thriller by Megan Goldin. She is best known for writing The Night Swim.

Notable elements:

- Murder Mystery
- Dual-Timeline
- Amnesia

What I liked:

- Logical Reasoning — I love how realistically Liv retraces her steps, trying to logically and methodically piece together where she is and how she got there. It shows how practiced she is in working through these types of situations.
- Fast-Paced — Flipping between dual timelines then watching them converge propels the story forward at a ridiculously fast pace. As the gap between the past and present dwindles, the desire to know how it all ends intensifies.
- Reinforced Imagery — Repeating “Stay Awake” images, replaying news updates, and revisiting the past reinforces the cyclical, inescapable nature of Liv’s condition.

Reminds me of:

- Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
- The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Content warnings:

Blood, Death, Stalking

Final thoughts:

Stay Awake kept me on the edge of my seat; I easily read it in one sitting! Dramatic plot twists and lightning-fast pacing make this a top-notch Thriller.

This was definitely unlike any thriller I’ve ever read.
And being set in NYC, I did feel like I was in the middle of an actual Law & Order SVU episode, lol

The story of Liv Reese and how every time she wakes up she has no idea where the past two years have gone, sucks you right in. Follow along as Liv tries to piece together and understand why she has no memories, with her only clues being her handwriting all over her hands and wrists, saying things like “wake up!” and “trust no one!”.

The ending was completely unexpected and shocking. The only reason I knocked off one star is because I did feel like at the end of the story we never find out the answer to one big question.

Liv wakes up and doesn't know where she is or how she got there - and quickly realizes that her last memory was from over two years ago. She slowly starts to piece together the missing time only to discover she's the chief suspect in a gruesome murder. As the story races towards an exciting climax, Liv must work to put together the missing pieces of the last two years while trying to prove her innocence and

I'm not generally a fan of the unreliable narrator but in this particular book I did enjoy this book, mostly due to other main character, Detective Darcy Halliday, who is investigating the murder and fills in the gaps of Liv's memory for the reader.

Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Goldin, and St. Martin's Press for providing me an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Two years ago, Liv Reese’s life was on track and improving quickly. Her job writing for a trendy magazine was going great with her editor trusting her with bigger stories, even ones outside of her specialty. Her private life was also going great, despite some strangeness. Two years ago. Now she has woken up in the back of a cab with no idea how she has gotten there. The phone on her desk was just ringing. Strangers are at her brownstone, claiming to live there. Her phone is missing, a bloodied knife in its place. Her only clues are the scribbles on her hands offering fragmented advice. Demanding she stay awake.

By its very nature Megan Goldin's Stay Awake is and has to be fairly slow. Given Liv’s memory loss on falling asleep, her lack of awareness regarding that, and that the notes she has scribbled on her hands are both the only clues she has regarding anything but also are only quick scribbles with no context, much of the early book can feel like retreading the same path over and over. This is mitigated somewhat by the segments dedicated to the police investigation of the murder that Liv is maybe involved in. But much of that investigation can feel fairly standard at the start with the young cop who recently retired from the military serving as a voice for Liv’s innocence and the gruff older detective who does not want a new partner being much more willing to just put a lid on the case until evidence starts coming in.

For the most part though, the investigation segments work. Though it does feel like Goldin was very aware that police in real life are increasingly unpopular with the public and so went to at times comical effort to ensure the reader knows that her main cops are good ones, including contrasting them with the most uncaring heel of a bad cop she could have introduced without revealing that he was actually the killer this whole time. Plus an event during the climax that I had to put my phone down and have a laugh over.

On Liv’s side of things, her memory loss gets old fairly quickly. There is legitimate tragedy and pathos to be found early on in seeing this woman reach out to her friends only to find silence in their place. To see her try to go home only to find new people living there and to have them be, from her perspective, pointlessly cruel towards her. But, for readers who are me, that has a short shelf life and very quickly diminishing returns. I feel like fewer instances of her falling asleep and being set back to two years ago, with all the horror and confusion that entails, and more seeing her try to put things back together would have worked more smoothly. Watching this character try to bluff her way around the gap in her memory was solid. Seeing people wave off the bits of oddness where she did not know what was going on with minor explanation felt reasonable here. And I think I wanted more of that. More of allowing her to be clever and figure out bits of what had happened as she goes without the back to zero happening as much. Because here is a thing that Goldin did really well that could have been played with more, the red herrings.

We get bits from two years ago, leading up to the event that wiped Liv's memories, and in those bits there are notable characters who could have done it. Red herrings that it would have been fascinating to see her latch onto as still being a threat as she tries to figure this all out. In addition to that, baking the actual antagonist in a little better would have done wonders for the ending. Do more with them leading up to the reveal, let it be something that both seemingly helps but also tugs at the frayed remains of Liv’s memory, the bits at the end there that she can almost, almost reach.

Stay Awake is a solid enough book, but it could have been more solid. At least for opinionated readers who are me. But, I am definitely left feeling like I want to see where Goldin goes from here and I did enjoy the book for the most part, so it gets a four out of five.

Love love. Love this! It reminds me of the movie with Nicole Kidman where she's not allowed to sleep or she is fighting sleep. Something like that. It's very unique storyline and it will hook you from beginning to end

The description of this book did catch my eye, but the book itself did not keep me interested. It was repetitive and I kept putting the book down to pick something else up. It ended up taking me forever to read it.

I felt the same when I read The Escape Room.

Unfortunately this will probably be my last book by this author. There are too many books out there to force myself through ones I’m not enjoying.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first Megan Goldin I've read but had heard good things about her work. At first I didn't know what to think having another thriller with the unreliable narrator troupe. I stood corrected once I was able to get into the plot and appreciated a different spin that was well-executed. Having a mystery that has to be "backed into" is always fun and Goldin did a great job keeping readers guessing. 4.5 stars

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I love that this book started out with our main character, Liz, waking up in the back of a cab and not remembering a thing that has happened in the past two years.. as fun as that is, it's even more fun when she finds a bloody knife in her pocket, and her arms have 'STAY AWAKE' messages written on them.

Now add in a murder victim with those same words written at the scene, and I'm invested!

Cool plot, that even though mirrored others, was unique enough that it kept me interested and engaged throughout most of the book. Liz was one of those frustratingly obnoxious, 'WHY ARE YOU MAKING THESE DECISIONS' main characters, but the writing makes up for it, and it turned out to be a super fun read! I have enjoyed Megan Goldin's books before, and after this one will continue to read them.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's and Megan Goldin for this eARC!

I really enjoyed reading Stay Awake by Megan Goldin. It kept me interested through all of the twists and turns and I was not expecting the ending at all. I felt like the character development was sufficient though there were some parts that dragged on. It was all worth it though!