Thanks to St. Martin's Press for a copy of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin.

I've enjoyed Goldin's books in the past so I was looking forward to reading Stay Awake but this one fell short of my expectations. I don't love unreliable narrators and overall I found the time loops annoying.

This book was fantastic! It was a thriller and at times I had to cover my eyes! It had me on the edge of my seat and the story itself was original and absolutely terrifyingly realistic - a must read for this year!!!’

What a fun ride! I enjoyed Goldin's Escape Room & this did not disappoint.

She has a knack of giving you a thread and not wanting to let go. The story was fast paced, the mystery was intriguing, and the third act was brilliant. I felt just a disorientated as the character and often felt the same emotions she did when trying to figure out the clues she had left herself.

A satisfying read!

4.5 stars for me

A murder she doesn’t remember committing. A killer she doesn’t remember meeting. Megan Goldin’s Stay Awake is an electrifying novel that proves memory can be deadly.

This was such a great read! This book was written well and the story was crazy! I read this in a day, and have already recommended this to so many friends! I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a a good suspenseful and twisted read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who rarely reads thrillers, I enjoyed this one! If you are looking for something really terrifying or bloody though, this might not be for you. I read this one pretty quickly, because like Liv Reese, I was itching to find out what has happened to her in the past two years that she doesn't remember. As we follow her along in her efforts to understand what is going on, there are some pretty brutal crimes revealed but they don't dwell on them in detail- more so on their effect on Liv's mental state (warnings for murder/stalking). At the end, I was mainly feeling hating the incompetent police and feeling bad for Liv because dayummm that girl has been through a lot of trauma!

I think I wanted this one to be more than it was. That's not to say it was BAD, I was just expecting a different sort of twist based on the synopsis, I think.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is one of my favorite psychological thrillers this year. Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a cab having no idea where she is or how she got there. She sends the driver to her apartment she shares with her roommate Amy only to find out that two new people live there. As she tries to figure out what is happening she finds a bloody knife in her pocket along with a wad of cash and the words “Stay Awake” written on her hand along with some other writing. As the day goes on she sees the date and realizes she has no memory of the last two years. What is going on? What happened last night? Why does she have a bloody knife? She finds herself on the run accused of a murder she doesn’t remember and being investigated by Darcy Halliday, a new homicide detective on the beat.

Once I got into this one it kept me reading late into the night! There were a few clues throughout, but I was so engrossed in the story that I just let it lead me to the end. The character development was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed this one!!

I'm a fan of Megan Goldin, and I've really enjoyed her other thrillers. Unfortunately, this one didn't really work for me. I think this is partly because I'm tired of the protagonist who can't seem to remember what happened during a specific period of time trope, but I also found the writing to be rather repetitive. I think this could have been much more gripping and interesting if it was only told from the POV of Liv Reese, rather than giving the reader context and information through the POVs of other people -- including detectives -- who actually know what's going on.

Still, if you love thrillers and quick reads with lots of twists, you may really enjoy this one.

An enjoyable thriller with an unreliable narrator and multiple timelines. I love these kinds of novels!!

What would you do if every time you fell asleep, you lost your memory? Liv wakes up in a cab, with a bloody knife, a wad of cash, and no memory. As she works to piece together what is happening- she tries to figure out who she can trust while running from the police.

We follow two timelines- right now when Liv is confused and trying to understand what is happening. And two years ago- before the incident that caused the problem happened. I enjoyed trying to understand what happened and trying to understand who the real murder was!

Thanks NetGalley for giving me access to an early copy so I could read it and share my opinion!!

I FLEW through this one! It was such a unique premise of a psychological thriller. After almost being killed two years ago, Liv starts having crazy memory loss and she loses her memory every time she falls asleep and wakes up. I can't imagine living in that type of world! After another murder is committed all signs point to Liv and she is just super confused and on the run. I really appreciated the way Megan Goldin really gave us Liv's story from before and after her memory loss. At times it was challenging to follow the different timelines but it ended up working really well. I did NOT see the end coming at all and when you read a lot of psychological thrillers that's pretty rare so it was a win in my book!

I was lucky to get the ebook and audiobook of this one! I have enjoyed Goldin's previous books so was excited to get stuck in!
This was a great premise. It screamed Memento vibes to me. (Great film by the way. You should watch it if you haven't seen it!)
I started with the audiobook and soon switched to the ebook. I think the narrator was trying to add suspense but seemed to come across as hysterical. I am a massive fan of Imogen Church, so I'm not sure whether it was me! When I switched formats, I enjoyed it much better!
There was some frustrating elements to the plot, and the pivotal one 'why write stay awake on your skin?' couldn't you have saved some voice recordings on your phone? But then as the book progressed my frustrations were eased and I ended up really enjoying it!

This storyline was so unique and different. Dual perspectives and timelines are my favorite to read and make the book so by so much faster. It was fast-paced and well rounded but I wanted more out of the ending!

Stay Awake was a pretty quick read, one that would have been much quicker had it not been so repetitive. It was frustrating, to be honest, to read so many of the same things over and over. Of course, it’s supposed to go with the story because the main character is suffering from a never-ending state of amnesia.. but wow. Also, why does anyone who knows about her condition not, I don’t know, HELP her? And writing on your hand CLEARLY isn’t enough, Liv! If you can’t tell, I’m still frustrated by this book. It definitely wasn’t my cup of tea, so I’m glad I got through it so quickly.

Thank you to Netgalley & Publishers for access to an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Starts of great a race against time to try to figure out the mystery but it was somewhat predictable as to who was behind it.

I think this is probably a very good story for readers of intense thrillers, where nothing makes sense and nothing seems real. I had a hard time finishing it. It just was not enjoyable to me. It is fact was pretty upsetting. Again, for readers of this type of thriller it was probably very good.

What's happening to Liv Reese is something that nightmares are made of. Every time Liv falls asleep, she can't remember anything that's happened in the past two years. As she tries to put the pieces of the missing periods of her memory together, the clock is ticking - she's a person of interest in a murder that she's uncertain if she actually committed. What's even worse - there's someone who's out to get Liv and because of her memory lapse, she can't put her trust in anyone.

Stay Awake had such a unique and terrifying plot. I can't imagine losing the memories of the past two years of my life every time I fall asleep. I loved how Liv would get so close to figuring things out and leave herself clues as to where to go next. This had a cat and mouse vibe where not only is Liv trying to allude the police, but also some unknown person who wants her dead or framed for murder. Stay Awake kept me turning the pages (and reading past my bedtime).

A murder she doesn’t remember committing. A killer she doesn’t remember meeting. Megan Goldin’s Stay Awake is an electrifying novel that proves memory can be deadly. A complex thriller that unfolds at a breakneck speed, Stay Awake will keep you up all night, whether because you just can’t put it down or because you are too scared to fall asleep…

I finished reading this one in August, but it is still very much still in my mind and memory - it was THAT good! So incredibly good! I flew through it in ONE DAY! Clear your calendar and be prepared to lose sleep, you are not going to want to put this one down. Trust me.

I honestly do not have a single bad thing to say about this book. I loved everything about it and have been recommending it to everyone. This really needs to become a movie!

This has a great storyline; it might be compared to Groundhog Day, but without the laughs. Oh, and it's not the same day--Liv just doesn't remember anything of the past 2-ish years--every time she wakes up. There's a couple of minor weak points and an ocean of red herrings (are they delicious, anyone know?) But this fast paced story had me rooting for both our female MCs, Liv and Detective Darcy Halliday. I think Megan Goldin is going on my auto-request or buy list!

What would you do if you woke up one morning only to discover years, not hours, had passed? Well this is the premise of Megan Goldin’s latest thriller, Stay Awake.

Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi one night with no recollection of how she got there. Confused and exhausted, she tries to go home, only to find someone else living in her apartment. With her phone missing and a bloodstained knife on her person, Liv is feeling desperate and scared. Then Liv notices the words on her hands that contain a simple, yet loaded message: stay awake.

Rattled by the mysterious inscription, Liv is suddenly in a race against the clock to determine what happened to cause her to lose so much time, and what she can do (if anything) before her remaining time runs out.

I always feel guilty bailing on a book, especially one that comes with such anticipation. Unfortunately that’s what I ended up doing with this one. Perhaps I can be swayed to go back again one day, but ironically I didn’t stay up late at night wanting to read this one.

What’s the last book you tried that didn’t live up to the hype?

I loved The Escape Room and The Night Swim by Goldin and had been anticipating Stay Awake. It did not disappoint!

Liv Reese is our main character and it is clear she suffers with at a minimum, some amnesia. She shows up at her apartment, only to find out she no longer lives there. She is shocked to see hand written notes on her skin that include the words: STAY AWAKE. Liv is confused, anxious and seems to be a little unreliable. I wasn't sure if I could trust Liv. Goldin takes us back and forth from past to present and we learn about Liv's old life and actually her old success. In the present, we learn of a gnarly crime scene that has Liv questioning if she could have been involved. I was on the edge of my seat and really was unsure what to believe, all the way until the end. This was fascinating.