This book started off so strong and interesting. I was drawn in to what was happening and why the MC had to stay awake… then somewhere along the lines I couldn’t stay awake reading it because it became such a bore fest. My interest plummeted.

"“Where did you put it?”
“Put what?”
“The knife,” he hisses. “What did you do with the damn knife, Liv? You took the goddamn knife when I was in the bathroom, and you walked off with it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. This must be a wrong number.” I resist the urge to hang up the phone. I feel compelled to know more.
“Don’t tell me you fell asleep and forgot everything again?” he says.
He frightens me with the accuracy of his comment. “How do you know I woke up with no memory?”
“Because you lose your goddamn memory every time you fall asleep. Listen, here’s what I want you to do…”"
--------------------------------------
"“Lack of sleep does horrible things to a person’s mind,” said the social worker. “It can make some people psychotic.”"

Liv Reese has a problem with sleep. Whenever she nods off, pop go the last two years, wiped clean. Thus the messages she has written to herself on her body, ( I look like a human graffiti board.) reminding her to remain awake at all costs. Not remembering might be useful for coping with a bad, newly lost relationship, but there is no upside to forgetting for Liv. Coming to in a cab crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, she has no understanding of the world in which she now struggles. On trying to get into her brownstone apartment, she finds it occupied, not by her roomie, but by strangers, who are not exactly eager to let her in, and it looks oddly changed. It was Summer last thing she remembers, but seeing her breath in the air challenges that. She finds a clue on her fingers and heads to what seems likely to be a familiar locale, a bar, Nocturnal. At least someone seems to know her there. “You’re afraid of what you do in your sleep.” he tells her. Should she be? That bloody knife she had been toting around does not ease her concerns.

Reese is having a bad day. Over and over and over. Not quite the sort of charming fantasy rom-com-do-over one might see in, say Ground Hog Day or Fifty First Dates. Nope. There are no yucks to be found here. As you no doubt noted from the book quote at the top of this, she is in a bit of trouble. This is much more the Memento vibe, trying to stay alive while also desperate to find out what caused her to go blank two years ago. The same day does not repeat like a video game level. The real world continues on its merry, or not so merry way. It is only Liv who resets.

So what caused her to blank out? That is her quest, the driving force of the novel. All she has to do is figure out what all the writing on her body, and other locales, means, or can lead her to. Prominent among these is an all caps “STAY AWAKE” above her knuckles. “WAKE UP” adorns an arm, coincidentally the very thing painted in blood on the window of a man who had just been murdered.

Goldin must have been driving a Bis Rexx dump truck when she was loading up her protagonist. Being pursued by someone who is probably a psycho-killer, looking like a suspect in the murder, while not being able to recall anything from the past two years, including whether she is or is not, herself, a psycho killer, makes for a wee bit of stress. And then having to cope with all this while completely exhausted from lack of sleep, wired from mass consumption of coffee and anti-sleeping pills, and having no idea who you can trust. On the other hand, loading a character up with such a surfeit of misery makes it almost mandatory to root for her. It’s like Atlas is holding up the world and Zeus decides to toss on a few extra planets for laughs. Awww, c’mon, give the poor thing a break. So, sure, easy peasy. Have a nice day. Sheesh!

We actually get a day and a half with Liv, beginning on Wednesday 2:42 A.M. and ending on Thursday 2:45 P.M. Every chapter begins with a time stamp. It is an intense thirty-six hours. Did she or didn’t she murder that man? Will the cops or won’t they catch her and put her away for the murder? Will she or won’t she find out what caused her memory failure? Will she learn who the psycho is who is pursuing her? Will he catch her? Will she be able to stay awake until answers are found? Is there anyone on her side?

We see two time periods, the present and two years prior. The present is divided pretty much between Liv’s ongoing travails and Detective Darcy Halliday’s investigation of the recent murder. The two-year lookback is a singular third-person telling.

Chapters alternate in the present in groups between Liv’s ongoing travails, and Detective Darcy and her partner working the case. So, a few chaps on Liv, a few on the investigation, and then a lookback. There are sixty-six chapters in the book. Twenty-nine of these consist of Liv’s first-person narrative. Twenty-two follow Detective Halliday and her partner as they investigate. Thirteen look back to the events of two years earlier, as they lead up to the mind-blanking event. (Yes, I know that leaves the total a couple short. There are two that do not fit the major divisions.) All the chapters are short, so you can catch a few pieces of the novel whenever time allows, on the train, at bedtime, while waiting for your next crudité delivery to arrive, and not feel compelled to read on just to finish a long chapter. I mean, you might want to keep on anyway, but because the story had drawn you in, not because of any obsessive need to complete a chapter no matter how lengthy. I don’t know anyone who would do such a thing. Can’t imagine it.

Wait, wait, what is that beeping sound? Oh, no, another load for Liv! Not enough to contend with already, try adding (piling?) on no keys, no purse, no ID, no phone. She is about as isolated as a person can be in a city of eight million. This also counterbalances any hostility we might have toward her for being a food writer for a chichi magazine called Cultura.

Trauma can do terrible things to one’s brain. But wait there’s more. Liv has had that blank spot since her trauma, but was able to have a life anyway. However, that daily reboot problem is of very recent vintage, only a few weeks. Previously, she had been able to form new memories just fine. What changed? I found Goldin’s explanation for this a weak point in the story. I have a few other gripes, which I am putting under a spoiler tag, so if you have not read the book, please feel free to skip this. (view spoiler)

I enjoyed the character of Detective Darcy Halliday, tough, smart, able to access her softer side to find ways to the truth. I also liked following the procedural investigation, but not so much her interaction with her more experienced male partner, Detective LaVelle. Just did not at all care whether they bonded with each other or not.

There are surely many, many films and books that this might be compared to, in addition to the few noted above. Hitchcock’s Spellbound, Tana French’s In the Woods, the latest iteration, Surface, on Apple TV. The Jason Bourne Series is the most famous. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is another. Many live in the world of fantasy or science-fiction. But few of the real-world-based (not fantasy or sci-fi) amnesia tales outside Memento incorporate a daily reset. It definitely adds to the stress level. (For a book about a real real-world person afflicted with an inability to form new memories, you might want to check out Patient H.M. by Luke Dittrich)

The tempo goes from frantic to OMG!!! So there is no danger of you drifting off while reading. Does it all come back to her? Oh, puh-leez. I am not gonna spoil that one. But you know how these things go. Sometimes it all comes back, often with another knock to the head. Sometimes nothing comes back, and sometimes parts return, but not the entirety. You will just have to see for yourselves. I am spoiling nothing, however, in telling you that we readers find out why she developed her initial amnesia two years back.

Red herrings are allowed to swim freely, which is perfectly ok. They can be delicious. Most of the supporting cast felt a bit thin. Darcy is well done, but most of the actors were not on the page long enough to develop all that much. A killer’s motivation seemed a stretch. NYC was exploited as a setting far less than it might have been. On the plus side, a (probably-deranged) performance artist adds a particularly poignant bit of menace. But the damsel-in-distress with serious memory issues and darkness descending is a pretty killer core, so the scaffolding erected around it is of lesser importance.

Bottom line is that this was a fun read, a page-turning thriller, an excellent (end-of) Summer treat. Best part is that if you fall asleep while reading, it will still be there for you when you wake up.

"The white, as yet unpainted, part of the wall, is graffitied with an array of random sentences. Most are written in pen. A couple are in marker. One appears to be written by a finger dipped in black coffee.

Memories lie.
Don’t trust anyone.
He’s coming for me."

Review posted – August 19, 2022

Publication date – August 9, 2022


I received an eARE of Stay Awake from St. Martin’s Press in return for something, but I just cannot remember what. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.

For the full review, with EXTRA STUFF and links please see this at https://cootsreviews.com/2022/08/19/stay-awake-by-megan-golden/

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced digital copy for review.

This book started out strong and then just...fizzled out. The writing was not great, the dialogue felt disjointed and unbelievable at times, and everything was too much tell and not enough show. I was a fan of the author’s previous work, The Night Swim, but this one did not hit for me. I guessed the ending, which also took away from my overall enjoyment of this book. Hopefully there was an edit before the final print version came out, but this just did not hit for me. I will look forward to the author’s next book, however.

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a cab, late at night, with no clue how it happened. She then discovers every time she falls asleep, her memory is erased, and she can’t remember anything from the past two years. Liv sees a news report about a murder and the killer’s message “STAY AWAKE” written on the window. The same message is written on Liv’s hands, which can’t be a coincidence. Detective Halliday is on the case and is determined to catch the killer, whoever it may be.
This is probably one of my favorite thrillers of the year. It had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was actually happening. This psychological thriller was extremely fast-paced and you don’t want to put it down. I found myself sympathizing with Liv because of her memory loss. This could have gotten repetitive because each time she fell asleep, she had to rediscover the same information again about her memory. In this case, it worked with the story and made me as the reader want to know more of what was happening. This definitely reminded me of the movie 50 First Dates but make it a thriller. I highly recommend this if you like dual POVs, dual timelines, and an unreliable narrator.

Megan Goldin has such a unique writing style. I have really enjoyed reading her books.
A very different approach to the unreliable narrator, which surprisingly works pretty well in this book.
A fast-paced thriller that kept me guessing, and as usual lately with thrillers I read, I thought I figured it out but it turned out to be a completely different outcome, which I am ok with.

This book was fast paced and kept me wondering how it was all going to come together in the end. There were definitely some parts of the story that didn't fully wrap up, but honestly, I thought this book was so entertaining that I didn't really care all that much! This is my second book by Megan Goldin and both I have absolutely loved! This was a unique storyline and I am a sucker for multiple POVs/timelines. Def pick this one up for spooky season!

Okay, this book was incredibly good. It was not what I was expecting and I enjoyed it a lot. It became a little repetitive which you’ll understand when you read it but it was so worth it. I warn you, it is a little predictable, or maybe a lot, but Megan Goldin delivers such an entertaining story that it won’t matter to you hit you figure out what the heck is happening halfway through. Golding is an instant buy author for me.

OH My, I loved this. I loved the story it felt so original.
It wasn't the same gaslight troupe that has been going around.
The twist was a good one that I did not see coming.

I would highly recommend this book

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this book before publishing.

Stay Awake follows Liv a girl that forgets everything when she falls asleep. Liv wakes up one day and cannot remember anything since two years prior. She has messages written on her hands and is missing her belongings. As Liv tries to figure out what is going on with her there is a murder that has happened and the words “Stay Awake” are written in blood at the crime scene. Liv has the same message written on her hands.

This book is written in the perspective of Liv after the murder, Liv from the past, and the detectives that are looking into the murder. I really enjoyed how we were piecing together everything that happened just as Liv was doing. I can honestly say I didn’t see the killer coming. One thing I got kind of stuck on is that I would have liked to know more about why the killer did it and the motives.

If you enjoy thrillers you will enjoy this and I recommend picking it up. One note, don’t read it before bed!

This was one of those thrillers that when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it and trying to figure it out. I do think I guessed it pretty early on but I really loved the way it was written and there were times when Liv's amnesia would literally make me feel disoriented. Really solid read!

Stay Awake is another good book by Megan Goldin. To be frank, I don't usually enjoy books with unreliable narrators struggling with addiction/mental health issues, but I usually enjoy Megan Goldin's book so I was willing to give it a go. And it was quite good! Goldin did a great job of making the reader feel just as discombobulated as the narrator and brought the story full circle in a satisyfing way.

Liv Reese wakes up with no memory of anything and just a bloody knife. As she tries to regain her memories, she pieces together her life with multiple timelines and POVs. Confusing at times, but I think that was deliberate to let the reader empathize with Liv.

Overall, a good read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is an outstanding thriller. The beginning sets it up perfectly and it gets better from there. I got lost in the different timelines occasionally but it’s not too big of an issue. I was drawn into the book and didn’t want to put it down!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I love Megan Goldin's books. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others and I really think it's me and not the author. I never enjoy Amnesia stories. I can't relate to them and I find them unbelievable- even though I know Amnesia is real and definitely happens, I just don't enjoy stories about them. I should've read the synopsis before requisition, but I saw the author's name and the beautiful red cover and impulsively acted. So, while this wasn’t my favorite read by Megan Goldin, I didn’t despise it either. At times I felt really interested in what was happening, but it just didn't last. I usually enjoy a dual timeline and I did enjoy the detectives more than Liv. I just felt like chapters were too short, reveals came late, and pacing was slower than I prefer. I would never have written a review on this book if it weren't an ARC because I like to only write positive reviews. Thank you for the ARC, I'm sure I'll be an outlier in my opinion.

Megan Goldin has become one of my favorite authors, and so I was incredibly excited to read her latest, Stay Awake. With multiple timelines and POVS, I was fully invested in finding out exactly what happened and how. Goldin does a wonderful job building tension and suspense, and so this thriller is a real page turner. I found myself staying awake much later than I intended trying to finish the book ;)

I was blown away by this one and read it in two days. I literally couldn’t put it down. Chapter One hops right to the point and into the action and holds on to you tightly until the last page.
Because this book goes back and forth between two different timelines and even a third by the end, it has the potential to lose the reader. I was sure to always be paying close attention so as not to get confused with the times. There are minor hints and clues throughout that are so subtle you blink and you miss them and even some red herrings to throw off the scent.
Although the ending wasn’t ultra surprising, it doesn’t even matter to me. That’s how great of a story this was.
Shoutout to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I had never heard of this author before reading this book and I will most definitely be keeping her on my radar. Bravo! 👏🏼
5⭐️

3.5 stars
Stay Awake, by Megan Goldin, is a type of Groundhog Day re-imagining. Every time Liv Reese wakes up, she believes it’s two years in the past and has no memory of her current life at all. Her last memories are of being at work during the summer and now it is Fall two years later, and all of her memories in between have vanished.

Liv awakes each and every time to find “Stay Awake” written all over her hands, and “Every time you fall asleep you forget” on her arms. She also has a strange scar on her abdomen. Her work and apartment are vastly different, her boyfriend and best friend have disappeared, some people seem shocked to see her, “given what she’s gone through”, while others are concerned over her strange caffeine addiction and tendency to forget everything. She struggles to make sense of things, and then the same scenario plays itself out over and over again, every time she falls asleep. Each time she begins anew, the danger escalates and more pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together.

Though the story held my attention, it was highly repetitive, and my patience wore a bit thin with the protagonist, Liv, who was a rather infuriating character. Her reactions to situations seemed unrealistic, idiotic and made little sense. On the other hand, I loved the detectives perspective. Those perspectives were very interesting and insightful. There were some scenes included in the plot, such as the art exhibit, which felt unrealistic and absurd, and I’m not sure of their relevance. I also can’t fathom the notion of trying to stay awake indefinitely because it simply cannot be done. Going to a specialist of some sort seems like a much wiser, more sensible course of action.

Despite my frustrations with Liv, and the repetitiveness of some sections, I enjoyed the story. The unraveling of the mystery was satisfying and quite captivating. The conclusion was also compelling, despite some plot holes. Stay Awake definitely had some issues, but it was also engaging and entertaining enough to keep me turning the pages to see how it would all turn out.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me. I was SO excited for this because I loved The Night Swim!

Overall, this felt a bit repetitive / left me wanting to get to the point quicker. HOW did no one think to call the cops to help this woman?! Idk, I felt frustrated with the characters (which could have been intentional... it just didn't work for me - and that's okay!) I also felt like there were some plot holes that left me more confused than before.

I still look forward to Megan Goldin's next book! Just because this didn't entirely work for me doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I know she will continue to do great work and can't wait for the next one. :)

I really liked this one! It was fast paced with short chapters. I like the unreliable narrator and the detectives’ pov. Kept my guessing and wanting to know what was going to happen. I look forward to reading more from Megan Goldin

I really enjoy Megan Goldin's writing. I loved her last thriller, so I was very excited to get approved for this one! I enjoyed the unique concept of amnesia and really had no clue where the story was going, which I appreciate in a thriller since I read so many they can often be predictable. I did not see the twist coming at the end! There were a few red herrings that I personally would have liked more resolution with (Kevin the waiter and Q the artist) but overall I really enjoyed this book!

I loved Megan Goldin’s novel, The Night Swim, so was super excited to find this one as read now a while back. While I still enjoyed The Night Swim more, this one was worth the read too! The plot is interesting and the repetition works for the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the eARC in exchange for my review!