The premise of this book was absolutely too good to resist! The idea of waking up with writing all over you, a bloody knife, and your life completely unrecognizable - all of it combined to have me instantly intrigued. I just had to know what was happening to Liv and what had happened in the past to cause all of this. And for the most part this book was completely up my alley. It was a page turner that had me guessing the entire time. And it was so fast paced! I had a hard time setting this one down thanks to the short chapters that had me reading as fast as I could. The one thing that didn't work for me fully was the storyline featuring the detectives investigating a murder (sorry not trying to share too many specifics here so I don't spoil anything). I usually love police procedurals and detective fiction but there was just something about this storyline that didn't quite work for me - it was almost a lack of believability at times I guess is the best way to put it. It wasn't enough to truly detract from my overall reading experience, but I felt it was worth mentioning as it pulled me out of the story a few times at first. But then I hit a sweet spot and COULD NOT put this book down. I blew through the latter half of the book unwilling to stop reading because I just had to know how it would all end. Overall, this book has left me so excited to read more by this author. I've only got one of her books left to catch up on (The Night Swim), and I definitely hope to read it really soon!

Readers who enjoy a fast-paced and suspenseful read, those who enjoy a unique premise to their books, and those readers who just want a book that they cannot stop reading should pick this book up. It's an easy one for me to recommend!

CW - Stalking

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher. Honest thoughts are my own.

I liked this book much more than I expected to! Hopefully, that doesn't come off wrong. Megan Goldin is a solid author and a thriller writer. I read her first novel, THE NIGHT SWIM (3 stars), with my book club and everyone greatly enjoyed it.
What gives me pause is when the "thriller" aspect is centered around an unreliable (aka crazy) heroine.
But this story was extremely creative and quite an unusual situation! The memory loss added a different element to the book. I greatly applaud Goldin as I thought the repetitive timeline (waking up and having no memory) would get old, but she kept the story moving!

This is a perfect quick and spooky fall read!

I am now a forever fan of Megan Goldin! I absolutely loved The Night Swim by her and this one also did NOT disappoint. Although this was only a 4 star read for me, it was so entertaining and the "high-stakes" were incredible the whole way through. I really enjoy the amnesia trope in my thrillers and so I was already expecting to like this one going into it, but it really lived up to the expectations for me. Highly recommend!

A thrilling page turner that I could not put down! I loved the way this book was written. Alternating between the present and two years prior, I felt like I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what was going on! I had some theories throughout, one of which turned out to be right, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story at all. I still thought the conclusion was pretty great!

I think the premise for the story was really cool. Main character Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. Then on the local news, she's horrified to find out she might just have something to do with a recent, local murder. Turns out she suffers from memory issues following a traumatic incident. Now everytime she falls asleep, she loses all memory of the past two years, waking up to a world that she doesn't understand at all. So it brings up the question, if you have no idea what has happened in your past, how you even got to where you are or even what happened yesterday, how can you possibly know who to trust?

Unreliable narrator, shady secondary characters, dual timelines, a fast pace and so many seemingly unanswerable questions...these are the makings of a great read that I really enjoyed! Definitely recommend!

This psychological thriller kept me guessing until the very end. The main character forgets two and a half years of her life everytime she falls asleep. Losing vital information that could keep her safe when she does. It was invested in the story and couldn't wait to get back to it every time I put it down. I didn't see the conclusion coming at all. I had so many other theories. I reccomend picking this up if you like a good psychological thriller.

This review will also be posted to Goodreads and Amazon

This book definitely gave me Memento vibes. How do you just a narrator that can't remember anything? That is how we were made to feel the whole book. Getting bits and pieces of the story along the way as Liv ran into people from her life. But are they a part of her life. I think this was a pretty good book. But ultimately I wanted more from the "bad guy" I wanted to know why?


I still think the Escape Room is the best Megan Goldin book ever, but this book definitely comes in second. Way to go Megan, can't wait to read the next one.

The main character Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi and has no memory of how she got there or where she is. She gets dropped off at her house only to find out a stranger lives there now. She finds a bloody knife in her purse and sees the phrase "stay awake" written all over her hands. She then sees a news report about a murder where the victims blood was used to write the same message as what's on her hands. The story is told through multiple POVs and is full of red herrings. It goes back in time to leading up to when she lost her memory. It was a great twisty read with an excellent ending. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

Enjoyment: 5
Total rating: 4.43

This is my first Goldin novel, and I immensely enjoyed her style. The dual timeline worked really well in this narrative, and I like how each alternating chapter was paired with the flashback giving meaning and perspective to the present time chapter we have just read.

Here is where I remind readers that Stay Awake is a work of fiction, and if they aren't willing or prepared to suspend their disbelief to be entertained, maybe this isn't the book for them. I enjoyed how Goldin used Liv's unique condition to weave a fast-paced psychological thriller that delivers quite a few satisfying punches.

Stay Awake has many of my favourite devices in a psychological thriller - dual timelines, unreliable narrator, tension and some gaslighting. The careful plotting is evident, and things come together quite nicely. As a layperson, I do not know how accurate Liv's amnesia depiction is, but as a reader, I loved how it served the story.


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of Stay Awake

Propulsive, FAST, jagged and had me at page one! I loved this wild ride. Bravo Megan. 5 STARS for me!

DNF @ 25%. I loved Megan Goldin's The Night Swim, but this one was both too hard to follow and boring. Maybe I've read too many thrillers, but this just wasn't interesting enough to make me want to continue. And, for me at least, the point of reading thrillers is to be entertained. So sadly, I decided to put this one down.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller and highly recommend reading it. It was great to finally read a story that made me want to keep reading chapter after chapter. The two POV’s and timelines were well written and blended together nicely. All of the characters were well developed. It’s been a while since I’ve read a thriller that I couldn’t wait to pick up every day to continue reading. This is my first book by Megan Goldin and I will certainly look into her other novels. Loved this one!

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin was a page turner indeed! Right from the start, I could tell this was a thriller that would keep me on the edge of my seat, wondering how the story could possibly play out. Full of mystery, twists, and turns - any true crime lover would agree its worth a read. I enjoyed receiving this book as a digital ARC copy, however, I look forward to adding a physical copy to my bookshelf as well!

I really enjoyed the first 75% of this book and it was making its way to be a full 5 stars. It was such a fun ride throughout and interesting concept. The ending was a bit sloppy, unfortunately, where she had to literally spell out what was going on. Either way, a strong 4 star book!

Another excellent thriller by Megan Goldin. This is such a creative and complex story. I couldn't predict what would happen and I felt deeply for the character and her challenges. I also suspected almost every character along the way. I did see one main plot point coming but I suspect that was done on purpose to let the reader into the secret before the main character. This was a little far-fetched and the ending was convenient, but I enjoyed the experience of reading this so much, it didn't bother me at all. I will continue to pick up the author's books in the future.

Stay Awake is told in multiple POVs, multiple timelines, and centers around Liv Reese who suffers from amnesia and I love this theme in books. I love to discover with the protagonist her past and this feeling of anxiety that maybe she is a villain. It was so good.

Sheesh! Twists on twists! Although I thought I was reading a book version of the movie Memento, this book surprised me. I have read lots of Megan Goldin's other works and have appreciated how she really can shock you.

Megan Goldin delivers another entertaining thriller. She is a master of suspense and the plot kept me on my toes from the first page until the end. There are clever clues sprinkled throughout the story and I enjoyed solving the crime. Other reviewers have called this book the thriller version of the movie 50 First Dates and I agree!

The book also reminded me of Chris Bohjalian's The Flight Attendant and Wendy Walker's The Night Before so if you like those stories, you'll love this one.

This book is about amnesia, murder, relationships, memories, deception, lies, and love. I really enjoyed Megan Goldin's books The Escape Room and The Night Swim, and this story is just as good. This book is a captivating, fast paced read that will make you Stay Awake and read this until the very last page.

This isn't my favorite book my Megan Goldin (The Night Swim was god tier!) but this premise is so interesting and this book gave me anxiety in the best possible way. Not knowing what is going on, losing chunks of your memory, that is something that terrifies me. So extremely relatable.

I enjoyed reading this suspenseful story. This is a new author for me which I look forward to reading more from in the future. This is a well written story where the author used details to make the story realistic. The characters pull you into the story from the start. They kept me turning pages fast and engaging throughout the story. This is a suspenseful, action filled story that is hard to put down. The characters have great growth and are relateable. You don't want to miss this book. It is a great, entertaining story that is easy to read. I really enjoyed this book and what the characters brought to the story. I highly recommend this book.

A murder suspect with no memory of the murder… or anything that’s happened the last two years. I was 100% here for this premise!

But the book was just too long, and the ending was not very satisfying.