Stay Awake was the second Megan Goldin book I have read; previously, I read The Night Swim. Both books were five stars, and @megangoldinauthor has become an automatic buy author. I am excited to read anything she comes out with next and go read all of her backlists. With that said, Stay Awake had a different premise than any book I have read. The main character, Liv Reese, wakes up with no memory of how she got where she is; nothing makes sense. She has words written all over her telling her to "Stay Awake." The play on the memory challenges of Liv and how that played into the story was flawless and is what made the book different from other mystery/thriller books.

Through NetGalley, I received the opportunity to listen to the audio version of the book. The narrator did a great job, kept my attention, and helped add to the story's atmosphere. Whether you read or listen to this book, I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Megan, and St. Martin’s for an advance copy of Stay Awake.

Liv has no idea what has happened. The last thing she remembers is answering her office phone on a nice warm day and now it is winter and she is in the back of a cab with no recollection as to how she got there. When she arrives at her apartment someone that she has never seen answers the door and informs her that this is not where she lives. Her hands are covered in strange writing and she finds a bloody knife in her coat pocket – a wildly unsettling change from the life she remembers where she was dating a great guy and rooming with her best friend.

When news breaks of a murder with the bloody words written at the scene that match the writing on her hand, she is horrified that she may have played a role in the death of someone with absolutely no recollection of it. Unsure of where to turn and how to contact anyone who might help her, Liv is on the run, alone and scared, racing to find answers before the police put the pieces together.

I always applaud author’s still tackling the amnesia trope because I feel like so many people absolutely despise it. I am not one of those people, so I was very happy to get my hands on this one. I have all of Megan Goldin’s other books on my list (and actually own at least one other) but this was my first from her. A solid start and made me want to bump the others up my list a little farther.

I think Megan did a great job at bringing the chaotic lost feeling to life. The setting being in the city adds to that chaos, cities can feel so big and also so small at the same time and it was prevalent throughout this book. This book moved quick, there was never a point when I was bored or wanting to switch to something else.

I liked the backstory that we got about Liv and her life prior to where we meet her, it made her easy to root for and invested me in what happens to her. The downside that I have is that I was hoping for a morally grey character and someone I really wanted to mistrust and I just never felt that way with Liv.

Thank you so much to St Martins Press and Netgalley for providing an e-arc and ALC of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I absolutely loved Megan Goldin's previous novel, The Night Swim. So when I saw this next release, I knew I needed to get my hands on it immediately.

The premise of this was fascinating and lead to a very eerie and unsettling atmosphere for the story. I loved how we knew from the get go that we were in an unreliable narrators head, trying to solve the mystery along side her.

I also loved that this was told in dual narration so that we got to see the mystery plots slowly merge together.

In general, I think Megan Goldin's books have amazing premises and fantastic writing. There is a general feeling of unease you get while reading/listening to this story that I loved.

But while I loved this premise and really enjoyed the first portion of this story, it lost steam for me around the middle. While I loved the concept of a woman forgetting her memories every time she fell asleep, in practice it got somewhat repetitive. We would revisit scenes and people and discussions multiple times because the heroine didn't remember doing it 50 pages ago.

But what really brought this book down for me in the end was the ending itself. This has a quintessential villain monologue which isn't my favorite ever. On top of that, while I didn't see the twist coming, I also didn't remember who they were. I actually had to pause the book to try and remember who this person was.

Overall this thriller was a bit of a mixed bag. I thought it was unique in it's premise and style but wasn't perfect in execution. This is definitely an author I plan to pick up more from in the future though! I think her ideas and writing are fantastic and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Thank you to NetGalley providing me with an ARC of this novel!

This is Megan Goldin's second book that I have read. I previously read "Night Swim" and enjoyed the book but did find it memorable. I thought "Stay Awake" was a significantly better book and kept me engaged from the first page.

The book begins by introducing Liv, who suffers from memory loss that occurs every time she falls asleep. She resorts to drastic measures to stay awake due to her inability to retain memories. She tries to connect with Amy, who she believes is her best friend, and Marco, her boyfriend. She finds the present is not as she remembers and she realizes she has a blank time period during which her condition occurred. Liv soon realized that she is a suspect in a murder case and finds the murder weapon in her pocket. She tries to avoid the two primary investigative officers in order to find the truth before it is too late.

I really enjoyed the book and was intrigued to find out what happened to Liv, Amy, and Marco. The book contains flashbacks that allow the reader to gain knowledge about Liv's life prior to her memory loss. There are also chapters that contain one of the investigative reporter's perspectives and I did not find these as interesting. I was more invested in Liv's journey to figuring out the truth behind her condition.

Overall, this was an interesting concept and parts reminded me of the movie "Memento" (one of my favorite movies). I liked this book would fully recommend this book.

A refreshing new take on the insomnia thriller. I loved how our protanganist is struggling and on the run for most of the novel searching for this murderer.

I did not finish this book. I struggled getting into it and found myself not wanting to pick it up which isn’t normal for me. Thank you for the opportunity!

Another 5 star read form this author. I have enjoyed every single book published by Megan Goldin and I will be very impatiently waiting for the next one. Highly entertaining and thrilled, this is a must read for fall!

When Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi without a phone or her keys, she heads to her apartment to wake her roommate to let her in. The woman who finally comes to the door is not Amy, but an angry woman who tells her she and her husband live there, do not know her or Amy and want her to go away. She has writing all over her hands and body saying STAY AWAKE and DON'T SLEEP. She also has a bloody knife wrapped in a shirt! What is going on? She remembers working, but she looked very different then. Meanwhile, an unidentified businessman is found dead in an apartment with a single knife wound to his heart. The woman they see leaving the apartment on the CTV has long hair and is in a hurry. Detectives Darcy Halliday and Jack Lavell are on the case, although Jack is sure they know who killed him and are looking for the evidence to prove it, but Darcy wants to follow the evidence first, before deciding who the killer is. How will Liv figure out what is going on or who to trust when she loses her memory every time she falls asleep?

Wow, this is a story that will have you guessing throughout and flipping the pages to get to the satisfying conclusion. The story is told in dual timelines (one present day and the other two years before), and they were both done very well. There was no confusion of the timelines, and both gave clues to what was happening. I found the premise very different from anything I had read before and was a bit leery at the beginning, but with each chapter, I was pulled into the book more. We don't know much about Liv at first, but as the story progressed, and I began to get to know her and what she was dealing with, I felt so bad for her. Was she going to end up being caught and thrown into jail for something she doesn't remember doing? Did she kill the man? Once I got into this book, I didn't want to stop reading or listening. This was a thriller that pulled me in completely. I did figure out what Liv was trying to remember before it was revealed, but it did not diminish my enjoyment of the story at all. If you are looking for something a bit different, something with twists, great characters and a well-developed plot, then I recommend you pick up Stay Awake by Megan Goldin.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this novel for my honest opinion. Stay Awake is now available!

This book started off with a good premise. Memory loss, murder, no one knowing what the heck is going on!

Because of memory loss angle of this book it gets very repetitive in my opinion. The timeline jumping left me confused some of the time.

Ms . Goldin is an excellent thriller writer and I enjoyed many aspects of this book. But I found myself starting to skim towards the end if I'm honest.

Not my favorite of her books. Took awhile to get through it without an overly satisfying ending. It was okay, avarage book for me.

Have read glowing reviews of this author’s previous books, so I was pleased to receive this ARC.

I usually love a book that goes back and forth (Liv’s complete past, her current IRL, and the police investigation) but, this book had just too much, which at times I found confusing. After a while, I ceased caring and just read to finish the book. I found most of the characters pretty boring, one dimensional. While I had much empathy for Liv and her situation, I found her annoying as anything. I totally appreciated the fact that the author did not make the detectives look like Keystone Cops, but showed how they pick the case apart, how bias is formed and especially how the two worked together as a team, with no romantic involvement. The ending brought everything together nicely, and made the book more enjoyable for me. The writing was good, would read this author again, however this book was just OK for me.

Thanks to Ms. Goldin, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

What a great suspenseful read! I can honestly say that I could not figure out who was the killer. There was quite a bit of moving parts to this story. Sometimes I had to really stop and think about who was who and how they were related to Liv. I do like how we get the different perspectives and the different timelines. It did get a little repetitive at times, but it was mostly because Live couldn't remember anything after she fell asleep. So, she would almost go through the same motions every time she woke up. I do think it was a little far-fetched to believe she would be able to move from London to NY and get set up in an apartment all by herself while having this condition. I also would hope that the medical professionals would be better at helping someone with this condition. Overall though it was very well done in terms of pacing and suspense. It kept me interested and guessing up until the very end. I look forward to reading more from Megan Goldin!

As an avid thriller reader, I am always on the lookout for a unique story. This one was it! Hard to put down as I needed to know who Liv Reese could trust, and how she would stay alive while she figured that out, too! I hesitate to give too much away, but it was a thrilling read for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.

Liv (our MC) remembers nothing from the past two years, and on her arm is written: “stay awake.” Liv realizes that when she falls asleep, she forgets everything. The local news reports that a murder occurred near where Liv woke up. And on the victim’s window, written in the victim's blood, is the message “stay awake.” Why is this the same message on her arm? Why can’t she remember where she was the night before? Now, Liv is on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember.

Pegged as similar to Memento and Before I Go To Sleep, Stay Awake became one of my hotly anticipated reads for August! I love a good amnesia storyline.

The story is told in dual POVs - Liv and Detective Halliday (the detective investigating the murder). I love piecing Liv’s life back together. But as the story progresses, I enjoy Det Halliday better than Liv. I’m not 100% sold on the ending.

Overall, this one is a fast paced thriller. But left me wanted more answers.

Stay Awake was a really unusual thriller and for that I really loved it. It was definitely a page turner, and as the layers peeled back I wanted to know more and more.

However, there were plot holes and areas that felt very repetitive. I think it’s a worthwhile book to check out, but there were areas that left me feeling a bit unsatisfied

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Super wild read! like woah! will recommend (even though it seems like everyone is reading it anyways lol), would buy!

Just finished this thriller last night. Once I started I couldn’t put it down, let alone all my guesses about the ending were sometimes all over the place. The two main characters played out with and developed along with the mystery.
Will definitely be recommending to my friends.

What a story! It took me a minute to get into it, but I was fully involved once it took a turn. I could not figure out whodunit until the killer was named.
It reminded me of the movie Memento a lot, with the same concept of memory blacking out and trying to figure out what happened, not that many books with this plot idea.
The writing was great, the book is very fast-paced and I can see readers reading it in one sitting.

This author was a first-time read for me and I ain't mad at all.
Missing a chunk of her memories, Liv Reese knows two things for sure, one, she must stay awake. And two, she cannot trust anyone.
I loved this one. One of the things that really kept my interest was watching Liv come back to life. Every time she discovers something new about herself it reveals a clue as to what happened to her.
A great read, with mystery, suspense and a fast-paced plot that keeps you engaged. A must read for sure!!

How would it feel to lose every recent memory, every time you fell asleep? How would it feel to wake up with no knowledge of where you had been or what you might have done? These are the questions at the heart of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin. A fast-paced thriller, it follows Liv Reese as she attempts to piece together the fragments of memories and knowledge floating in her head, fragments that break into smaller pieces each time she falls asleep. With no way to know who to trust, and unable to trust even herself, it is a long road for Liv to travel. Stay Awake is well-written and handles the many different pieces of the story well, keeping the underlying current cohesive while still showing how confusing and disorienting it all is for Liv. It requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief to fully immerse yourself into the world, but if you can, it's a fun summer read.