Do you ever read a book and when you aren’t reading it all you can think about is when you can read it again? Well Stay Awake by Megan Goldin was that book for me! Completely intoxicating. When I was reading the book I was enthralled, unaware of life around me, and when I was not reading Stay Awake it was constantly on my mind. In my books, that’s a 5 Star read. I loved Stay Awake. It gave me thrills and chills, captivating my attention from start to finish. At points the story got a bit creepy for me so I had to go read in bed next to my husband so I wasn’t as scared! But rest assure when I use the words “creepy”and “scared”, I mean them in a positive way. I’d equate the feelings to reading Colleen Hoover’s book Verity. It’s so dark and creepy that it sucks you in and you cannot help but continue on.

Stay Awake is the story of Liv Reese, who suffers from dissociative memory fugue. Or lapses in memory, with a twist. If she falls asleep she has no memory of her previous day and her memories always jump back to a specific day two years ago. So imagine waking up in a taxi in the middle of the night having no clue how you got there? No wallet, no phone only a wad of cash and a bloody knife wrapped in a T-shirt in your sweater pocket. Your hands covered in written messages such as “don’t trust anyone”, “stay awake” and “nocturnal” and having no clue what any of it means. Imagine how you’d feel!

Stay Awake is the first book by Megan Goldin that I have read and I know it’s cliche to say, but it definitely will not be my last. Thank you to St. Martin Press, NetGalley and Megan Goldin for my eGalley copy of Stay Awake in exchange for my honest review.

My third novel of hers. A fast paced thriller, i absolutely loved the setting of the city. I also loved the suspense in this one. A fantastic read. Goldin is an auto buy author for me now for sure.

Read this if…you like popcorn thrillers with an amnesia trope.

A big thanks to Netgalley, St Martin’s Press, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Liv Reese wakes up confused in a taxi with a bloody knife in her pocket. She has no memory of how she ended up in this situation. She becomes more alarmed when she discovers nothing in her life is what it should be. Her apartment, her job, and her boyfriend are nothing like she remembers. And then she sees on the news that the police are looking for her in connection with a brutal murder. Liv must investigate her own life in order to save it.

I’ve read all of Megan Goldin’s books and this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. While it was interesting enough, I didn’t love it as much as her other novels. The premise is definitely intriguing, but the book ended up underwhelming me. I correctly guessed the culprit halfway through and found it to be repetitive and muddled in a lot of areas. The writing is still solid and I think people who enjoy the amnesia trope will probably like this one as long as they don’t go into it expecting too much. For those who have never read this author, I’d recommend skipping this one and checking out The Night Swim instead.

My rating: 3.5/5

Going in I was a bit skeptical due to the clichéd overuse of the amnesia trope but I’ve gotta say this one totally worked for me! I’ll admit, the beginning was a bit slow but over time the curious plot line and suspense started to build and I was totally here for it. Megan Goldin steadily revealed breadcrumbs and pieces to the puzzle that left me wanting more. Piece by piece we’re given more and more answers. While at the beginning, the reader starts out as clueless as MC Liv, the end reveals an intricate roadmap to the truth.

I also loved the multiple viewpoints and thought the way the story was told was very clever. The story is told in three points of view: Liv in present day, Liv beginning two and a half years ago and going up until present day, and Detective Darcy Halliday, the detective investigating a murder case connected to Liv. All three viewpoints add unique and crucial details to the overall plot line creating a full-picture, well-rounded story.

There were a few minor details here and there that were provided to be convenient to plot. I also found it somewhat irking that Liv kept running off from multiple situations and people before getting answers. I felt like certain things could have been discovered or explained sooner on if she’d just stayed out and heard others out. I’m guessing it was written this way to show how untrusting Liv was of everyone I but just found it a bit annoying that it kept happening. Overall though, an enjoyable read!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Megan Goldin, and NetGalley for my Advance Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

When Liv wakes up in a taxi, she has no idea where she is or how she got there. As she arrives at her apartment, she realizes strangers are living there. She finds a bloody knife in her pocket and writing scribbled all over her hands with phrases like, "STAY AWAKE." Confused and afraid in New York City, she sees reports of a murder on the news with the same phrase, "STAY AWAKE" written at the scene. Liv starts to fear that she was somehow involved, but how can she figure out what happened when she forgets everything when she falls asleep?

"The last thing I remember before opening my eyes was working at my sun-drenched desk by the office window until I was startled by the sudden ring of my desk phone... Everything after that is a blank, until now."

This is a really exciting read that moves at a fairly breakneck pace so that you feel as if you too are not sleeping and racing around in New York high on multiple caffeine drinks. Liz forgets the last two years of her life every time she falls asleep. The forgotten memory piece can get a little old (as Liz wakes up yet again and makes the same discovery over and over) and Liz can drive you a bit wild with her poor decisions. But this is a really fast-paced and thrilling book filled with fun twists. It's necessary to keep with the then and now timeline, which can get a bit confusing from time to time.

I loved the police in STAY AWAKE--Halliday and detective Lavelle. I think Halliday was probably my favorite character, a cop trying to get a place on the detective squad with Lavelle. I would truly love to see those two in another book. Halliday's portions gave the book a police procedural sort of feel, which is always a plus for me.

There's a ton of false lines and red herrings in AWAKE and it will certainly keep you flipping the pages. It covers timely topics such as female stalking being ignored by the police, which was a nice serious aspect to a slightly bizarre plot.

The first chapter of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin caught my attention and held it throughout the entire book.
The "Unreliable Narrator" isn't exactly my favorite trope when it comes to thrillers, but in this case is worked rather well, I thought. The pacing was good, the plot moved along nicely, slowly peeling back layer after layer, filling in the memory gaps, until the final reveal, which took me by surprise. Overall, I well plotted and well executed thriller.

Stay Awake is the first thriller I've read by this author and I was NOT disappointed! I had so much fun with this one. It was so suspenseful and truly kept me on my toes the whole time! The plot was unlike anything I've read before, so I thought it was very unique. I will certainly be picking up Megan Goldin's backlist and future books.

Thank you so much to for the opportunity to receive this book early for review.

Sometimes I really enjoy diving into books that people either love or hate because I just want to see which side of the argument that I inevitably will end up on.

Stay Awake is most definitely one of those books.

I’ve been hit or miss with Goldin’s books. The Escape Room wasn’t for me, but I loved Night Swim. I ended up really enjoying Stay Awake.

Stay Awake is a psychological thriller that is 50 First Dates meets Christopher Nolan’s Memento. Liv Reese suffers from a type of amnesia where every time she goes to sleep (which the reader learns is due to a trauma that she experienced), she forgets everything. The story begins with her waking up in the back of a taxi and trying to return home only to find out that strangers live there, and there’s a bloody knife in her pocket. She also has the words STAY AWAKE scribbled all over herself, which the reader quickly learns becomes the mantra that is said on repeat throughout the story.

Now, if you’re a person that hates repetition then you will HATE this book. Since the only lens that the reader has is Liv’s, the reader learns everything as she does, which means that a lot of things get repeated since she inevitably forgets things when she dozes off. And home girl is not doing herself any favors with loading up on caffeine pills and everything else to ward off sleep since she ends up creating an insomnia induced fever dream more often than not.

I really commend Goldin for taking on this type of storyline because it’s difficult to execute an unreliable narrator in this type of setting. So yes, this story is repetitive, but I found myself really engrossed and wanting Liv to get the answers that she desperately needs. And while I can’t say that I was completely surprised by the turn of events, I found the execution of the story engaging.

And as a last caveat, Memento is one of my all time favorite movies, and I think that Goldin did a fantastic job creating a storyline in a similar sort of vein.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. all opinions are my own.

I went into this one trepidatiously (this is a word!); having seen the reviews from fellow readers with ratings all over the place, I wasn't sure what I'd be getting from Stay Awake. I ended up pleasantly surprised, a nonstop binge read occurred after I found myself sucked into Megan Goldin's latest release. How can one fall asleep when the main character of their read is fighting sleep, horrified she might have done something terrible? Liv Reese remembers two years ago, but she doesn't remember that it was two years ago, it feels like just yesterday. Only everyone around her seems surprised to see her, a person keeps calling with haunting warnings, and the cops are tracking a killer with their sights set on her for information.

Fast-paced, engaging, and impossible to predict, Stay Awake was the thriller I needed. I liked the Groundhog Day feeling of Liv waking up each day, unaware that she's forgotten everything, unaware that at one point she had moved away and that she is in danger. The little twists that Goldin fits into there feel like a knife twisting in your back, shocking you, surprising you, and in Liv's case, breaking you a little. Plus, with dual timelines and dual narrators, readers get to approach this novel's plot from two very unique perspectives. We see the past, we see the present, and we see how that present, and the crime that was committed, impacts two distinct characters, Liz and the Detective desperate to reach her.

Stay Awake was a win for me, one I'm glad I gave a chance, one that deserves its polarizing reviews, because it's just that unique. It's clever and unputdownable, a novel that delivers on it's titles promise, keeping you awake as Liz fights to Stay Awake.

This book grabs you by the collar from the first page and doesn’t let go. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. I don’t want to say too much and give away anything but the way the author unravels this take is top notch. I definitely want to read more by them!

Liv wakes up everytime with no recollection of where she is, how she got there, or what has happened in the time since she fell asleep. Two years prior, Liv survived an attack, one which killed her best friend/roommate and her boyfriend. Since that time, she can't remember what happened to the two people who meant most to her.

Now back in New York City, she's got messages to herself written on her hands and up her arms... Stay Awake. Wake up. Trust no one. You lose your memory when you sleep. She doesn't remember who she meets from day to day and often has the same conversations over and over again.

One day she wakes up and finds a bloody knife in her hands. But she's fallen asleep so she doesn't know how it go there. Did she kill someone? She can't remember, but she's determined to find out... As long as she doesn't fall asleep again.

I can see how some people didn't like this book. The repetitiveness of her waking up and trying to figure things out multiple times did get a bit annoying. Yes, we know she can't remember things after she falls asleep, just kind of get on with it.

However, the book was written in such a way that made it quite a fast paced read. So while we had to constantly re-read about Liv's memory loss, it moved quickly.

There are two timelines throughout the story, two years ago (before the attack) and "present day." The storyline for two years ago provides clues as to why Liv is back in NYC and if she murdered someone. The "present day" timeline actually takes place in about a 36 hour period. So again, it's pretty fast paced.

I had figured a couple of things out as I read, putting clues from two years ago and "present day" together. I'll admit, I wasn't sure who the actual killer was right away.

I did enjoy this book, but not as much as Night Swim. I felt the constant reminder of memory loss and how quickly the ending wrapped up could have been better.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed "Stay Awake" by Megan Golden. Liv is in trouble, but can't remember what happened. It's almost like she woke up from a coma and the last two years of her life were erased. She goes to what she thinks is her flat, but finds other people living there... and in her purse is a knife. Did she kill someone? I enjoyed how the past and present were weaved into this story and also enjoyed the dual POV with Liv and Detective Halliday. The plot was great (no glaring holes!) and the tempo was fantastic. Highly recommend.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for this opportunity to read the ARC.

This is an interesting story. It's a woman who has memory loss and trying to piece together what happened after a violent circumstance. I was a little disappointed in how it ended but overall it's a good mystery and I enjoyed it. 3.5

I had been looking for a good thriller and I am so glad I picked this one up! The story starts off a little slow and I was confused in the beginning, but I definitely think this was by design. Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea how she got there, and the words STAY AWAKE written on her hands. As the reader, I felt her confusion as I was also trying to figure out what was going on. Liv finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and its made worse by the fact that she has no memory of the last two years. Even worse, she loses her short term memory every time she falls asleep. Besides Liv's POV, we see the perspective of Detective Halliday, who is investigating this murder. I thought both POVs were great and they both helped fill in the blanks of the story in completely different ways.

This book is definitely twisty and had me turning the pages every time I had a chance to pick it up! I felt like the twists were fun and while I was able to call some of them, a bad habit I have every time I read thrillers, I definitely liked the way the reveals were done. Despite the slow start, the pacing was well done and I felt the plot moved along well. I liked the two timelines and felt both converge towards the end when everything start to make sense. Overall, I enjoyed reading this one and would definitely recommend it to thriller fans, especially fans of psychological thrillers!

Stay Awake And Read This Phenomenal Book!

Liv Reese has just awakened in the back of a cab without remembering how she got here and to her distress her cell phone and purse are missing. As she starts to panic she discovers a wad of cash (A Large Wad) in her jeans pocket which relieved her mind but why would she have so much money on herself. She's very tired and can't wait to get home and go to bed and will figure everything else out in the morning. Liv hopes her roommate Amy is still up but when she rings the buzzer a strange man and woman who are very unhappy answer the door and inform her she has the wrong apartment. Liv demands to be let in and finds the apartment completely different than when she left that morning to go to work. The couple informs her they have lived there for two two years and have no idea who she is. Liv uses their phone to call her boyfriend Marco but it goes to voicemail as well as Amy's phone which seems to be turned off. Liv is so tired, all she can do is leave since the woman is threatening to call the police if she doesn't get out of their house. Liv then dozes off on the outside steps while trying to figure out what to do. When Liv wakes up again she sees writing all over her hands and arms with strange words and names she doesn't remember writing and when she gets up she finds a tee shirt wrapped around a bloody knife in her pocket so she quickly throws them both in a trashcan and hurries away while planning to go to Marco's to spend the night.
Marco is not home. The next time Liv wakes up she's sitting on a park bench near her work with an empty very large coffee cup and an empty muffin wrapper both of which she eats every day during her lunch break while getting some sunshine. When Liv sees herself in a window reflection she almost doesn't recognize herself, she has lost quite a bit of weight and her hair is very long almost down to her waist. What is going on? Liv never had long hair before and also it's a dark brown and she always colors her hair lighter plus she doesn't remember the clothes she's wearing either. The last thing Liv remembers is getting a phone call at her work desk. What's wrong with Liv's memory? Why is she feeling so confused, panicky and oh, so tired? If she only had her phone to call Marco and Amy, they would be able to fill in the gaps and tell her what's going on. In the meantime Liv is just going to go back to work and figure out what all this writing on her hands mean but maybe she just needs another little nap first even though the writing on both of her knuckles in large letters spell out Stay Awake!

Wow, wow wow! I just loved this book so much. I couldn't wait to finish it yet I didn't want the story to end either because it was that great. It's been quite awhile since I read a book that was so mesmerizing, compelling, engaging and just kept me continually guessing throughout the story. This fantastic book had everything I look for and need from a mystery/thriller.
"Megan Goldin" the author is an incredible writer and she hit all the right marks with this book. Mystery, suspense, tension, intriguing storyline with many interesting characters and the complete hook that kept me wanting more and more. It was so hard when I would have to put down the book and couldn't wait to get back to where I left off. When a story keeps calling to you and keeps you on pins and needles that's when you know it's a special book and believe me. This book was so special and I can't wait to read more by "Megan Goldin" and I highly recommend this book to all readers!

I want to thank the publisher "St. Martin's Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel and any thoughts or opinions are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this special book a rating of 5 AWESOME AND MESMERIZING 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

"Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers—a stranger who claims to live in her apartment. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing. In its place is a bloodstained knife. Her hands are covered in scribbled messages, like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE."

Liv Reese suffers from dissociative amnesia, every time she falls asleep she awakes forgetting the last two years of her life. Now, her ex-fiancé has been murdered and her picture is all over the news as a potential suspect in his murder. She can't remember being at the crime scene, and doesn't even remember the man named as her ex-fiancé. What happened at the crime scene? And what happened two years ago that has caused Liv's memory issues?
This was a fantastic read! It grabs your attention from page one and pulls you in for the ride - it easily could be read in one sitting. The story is told from the point of view of Liv Reese and the detectives trying to solve the murder. While Liv spends each new day trying to understand what is happening to her, the reader is rewarded with another piece of the overall story.
Megan Goldin did a phenomenal job weaving this story line and keeping the reader guessing. While I did figure out the twists a few chapters before the actual reveal, I think that was the intention, allowing the reader to then focus on all of the other details in the story. This was a very enjoyable read, I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.
On sale now!

I absolutely loved The Escape Room by Megan Goldin, so I was excited to read Stay Awake. I didn't like it quite as much as her freshman effort but this is mostly because I am not a fan of amnesia story lines. Having said that, this book makes me strongly reconsider that opinion. It is fast paced, well plotted, and a whirlwind of activity.

Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi, confused. She has a great job at a top tier magazine, a gorgeous boyfriend named Marco, and a roommate who is also her best friend. So when she goes to their apartment, why are strangers living there? And why does she have graffiti written all over her arms, espcially the words, "Stay Awake." Her confusion grows when she sees that a murder has been committed and similar words are written in blood at the crime scene. Liv is trying to figure out what is happening, but every time she goes to sleep she forgets everything she's learned and has to start completely over trying to unravel the clues of her life, which has become a nightmare.

Slowly Liv makes progress in unlocking the secrets in her mind, and one thing becomes clear, a murder is still out there trying to stop her. I found the story line very inventive and a fun read. There were plot twists I didn't guess, and it was a pretty layered plot with a lot of red herrings and confusing action. Anyone who likes twisty storylines, and who enjoys a narrator who is just as confused as they are, will enjoy this book!

Don’t sleep on this book, Stay Awake is a fantastic suspense filled thriller.

When Liv Reese wakes up in a cab late at night she is confused when she arrives home and finds someone else living in her apartment. Liv, confused by the events of the night, finds a bloody knife on her and is completely disoriented. On her hands she finds cryptic messages written in ink, one that sticks out is STAY AWAKE. When a man is found murdered Liv worries that she may be a suspect, but each time she wakes up she can’t remember anything from the last two years.

This book was a great read, suspenseful and enthralling. The chapters were short and gave just enough information to keep you addicted to the story and to keep you turning the pages. Each chapter gave just a little information into Liv’s past and memories. It is told in present and past from multiple points of view. The plot was fresh and thrilling, Megan Goldin’s style of writing is addictive.

Liv wakes up in the back of a cab. She is disoriented and unable to remember anything beyond answering the phone at work earlier that day. When she gets home, she realizes she has no phone and no purse, and cannot get into her apartment. Shamefully she knocks on the door, hoping her roommate won’t be too upset, but it isn’t her roommate who opens the door. Instead, Liv is face to face with a couple who claim they are the owners of her apartment, and threaten to call the cops if she doesn’t leave. Back on the street, unable to remember, Liv is desperate to get some answers, especially after she finds a knife in her pocket and written all over her arms are small notes, including one that says, STAY AWAKE! In another part of the city, a body is found alone in an apartment with a single stab wound to the chest. Investigators are determined to find some answers and bring the murderer to justice.

There was just a lot going on in this novel, making it difficult to put together a description that doesn’t give much away! The novel was a very unique thriller, a solid plot line that jumped right into the action from the first chapter. There were moments that were confusing, but in a good way, that made you want to keep reading and find out how all of the pieces would come together and connect.

I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook version of this novel as well as having a written copy to read. I thought the narration was very well done, clear and easy to follow along, especially with the varying time periods and character perspectives. It was a pleasant listening experience.

Megan Goldin has once again proven that she is writing solid thrillers, this is definitely worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and Megan Goldin for the opportunity to read and listen in exchange for my honest review.

Whew, what a thriller. This book kept me on my toes as each time Liv wakes up, her memory resets to two years ago. The characters were interesting and the detectives provided an interesting perspective in this murder thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.