Imagine every time you wake up you go back to a certain date with no recollection of what happen between that day and the moment you fell asleep. Sure I would be confused or frustrated p, but I think I would be mainly terrified. My memory is the only thing I value; because without it, who am I? I would only be a collection of other people’s memories or their creation.

Liv was going through this. Horrified, confused, and lost. She had scribbles all over her hands telling to her stay awake and not to trust anyone. She could not find her best friend or boy friend. There were other people living in her apartment. Random people knew of her, but she had no idea who they were. As long as she stayed awake, she started to find more pieces of the puzzle that could help her make sense of all of these things. In addition to little things she found, she also saw her face plastered all over the news as a murder suspect. Now she had to solve the murder mystery along with her own mystery.

I had several unanswered questions after finishing the book. There were so many “why”s that haven’t answered that I believe could be helpful. You can assume answers, some might argue that they were implied but I didn’t find that enough. I liked how author introduced a red herring that was super sketchy and made you want that person was the key in murder. Overall it was a good page turner and palate cleanser.

I really enjoyed this one. I love thrillers that follow detectives closely, and I liked that this book was mostly focused on a single day. I had suspicions throughout, but Goldin did a good job of keeping it vague enough to make the twist fairly shocking. I did feel like the beginning was slow but after the first third or so, I had a hard time putting this one down. The short chapters also made it easier to keep saying “just one more.”

I took off a star because I didn’t love the alternating timelines and switching from first person to third person POVs. I completely understand why those were necessary; they just aren’t my favorite.

This was SO good! I alternated between audio and ebook, and had an easy time following along. I had NO idea what would happen until the very end. I love when a book keeps me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and this did that. I loved that every time you’d think Liv was in the clear she’d fall asleep and she’d have to start from scratch. I will absolutely be recommending this to everyone!

✨ARC Review✨

Imagine being in the back of a cab, you don’t know how you got there or where you are going. You get to your apartment and are without your keys or purse. You hope your roommate is home, only the people answering the door at your apartment are the current inhabitants, total strangers, who have clearly lived in the apartment for sometime. And this is how the book starts for Liv…

Liv has a bloody knife wrapped in a shirt in her pocket, and writing on the back of her hands, namely the words “stay awake”, and “don’t sleep”. Now she is finding other aspects of her life are changed or non existent, like her job, people she knew, and being electronically cut off.

Stay Awake packs a punch with questionable characters, motives, murders, red herrings, and a potential stalker. The book is fast paced and twisty. It is like reading about someone being in a continuous nightmare or sordid dream. Although I was a bit weary of knowing the “who-dunnit”, and was on the right track, I was still pleasantly surprised with how it all ended!

What’s On The Pages:
-shifting timeline
-multiple POV
-red herrings
-amnesia / paranoia / psychosis

✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC! Stay Awake is out August 9th!

Liv Reese’s skin is covered with notes telling herself not to trust anyone, not to answer the phone and to stay awake. Two years ago she had been attacked and now whenever she falls asleep her memories since that time are gone. She remembers sitting at her desk at work, but now she is waking up in the back of a taxi with no memory of how she got there. When she returns to her apartment there are strangers living there. She can not connect with her former roommate Amy or her boyfriend Marco and she now possesses a blood stained shirt and knife. She is living on caffeine, trying to stay awake to discover what is going on. She is confused and desperate. When she returns to her office they are surprised to see her. She has been living in England for the past year and no one expects her back.

Detective Darcy Halliday has been temporarily assigned to homicide. Her first call is for a male victim who has been found by a cleaning lady. He has been stabbed, with no defensive wounds, leading Halliday to believe he had been drugged first. Working with her partner Lavelle, the evidence they find leads them to suspect Liv.

Megan Goldin alternates the present day investigation with scenes of Liv’s past. Sharing an apartment with Amy, they are both in relationships. Liv begins to notice small things that make her uncomfortable. A window left open, a picture frame smashed and flowers delivered that were not from her boyfriend has her calling the police, who blame her imagination. More episodes and calls to the police even have Amy questioning her. When Halliday and Lavelle look into her past they question why the police dismissed all of the complaints when they found her stabbed at the scene of a homicide. Instead, the detective in charge suspects that she committed the murders and injured herself. Now it is a race to find Liv before someone from her past comes back to make sure she does not remember. As you follow Liv you can feel her frustration and Goldin laces her entire story with a sense of urgency. It will catch your interest from the first page and not let go to the very end. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for my review.

3.5/5

There was really quite a lot to like about this one and while I did enjoy most of it, I did have some issues that left me conflicted in the end. I’ll start with what I liked, because again there was plenty to choose from. It didn’t waste time jumping straight into the story, you’re thrust right into things alongside Liv and I was really curious as to what the hell was actually going on. So as far as grabbing my attention right away goes this one definitely did that. Besides hearing from Liv you also hear from the detectives working her case and I loved the police procedural angle maybe even more than Liv’s chapters. I was pretty invested for the bulk of it too and never really got bored. As for what didn’t work, well…the entire premise is based on Liv needing to stay awake and not sleep and while she may not have memories she still knew she was in danger so I guess I kept thinking why won’t she just go to the hospital, police etc?? Sure, a few reasons were given for her hesitancy but I didn’t fully buy it. Parts of it did seem to drag on for the sake of tension too and I really think the police would’ve figured things out a little faster, they definitely weren’t incompetent. And then the ending just took the expected route and of course I would have preferred to had some surprises. So some minor issues but still a decent read and I did enjoy the audio version. Imogen Church and January LaVoy are both incredible voice actors and we’re both amazing here.

After reading the Night Swim and loving it, I was more than exited to read this one.

Another 5 Star read from Megan Goldin.

Liv is living the good life. She is dating a man she adores, has a great job and living with her best friend Amy.

Liv wakes up in a taxi with no idea how she got there and where she is going. Upon arrival she realizes she is at her shared apartment. She rings the bell because she doesn't have her keys. The woman who answers the door is not her friend Amy. The woman claims that she has lived there for two years.

Turns out Liv has a rare condition that involves her memory. Every time she falls asleep she loses the memory of the last two years. Can you imagine how frightening that would be? Well Liv is surely terrified and does everything she can to stay awake. But you have to sleep sometimes.

Every person she meets is a stranger to her, even if they know her.

Lots of unsettling moments, lots of intrigue and mystery, some murders and savvy detective work.

Loved all of the characters. Even the "bad" ones. I would love to see them in another book.

What a great read!! Can't wait to see what Goldin writes next!!

Many thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

Megan Goldin is an auto-buy author for me and so of course I was so excited to receive a copy of this book.
This is an addicting fast paced thriller! While reading this I really had no idea how things were going to play out. I loved the different twists that are tossed in. I was hooked early on and didn't want to stop reading.

I read The Night Swim by Megan Goldin and loved it, so I was excited to get my hands on a copy of her new book Stay Awake. The book's premise was promising and I was hooked for about 50% of the book. After that, the storyline was redundant. I understand the main character loses her memory every time she falls asleep, but too much time was spent rehashing the plotline. I did enjoy the detectives and following their stories, but I think more time could've gone into their pasts and more about them. There was no real "bang" of an ending, but I did not guess the killer correctly, so that's a plus. I think some readers will definitely eat this up, but it was not my favorite thriller.


Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Liv Reese is a successful journalist who works for Cultura Magazine in New York. She lives with her best friend, Amy Decker, and has an attractive Italian boyfriend named Marco Reggio. Liv is happy and healthy until one day everything changes. Liv has lost two years of her life due to a traumatic event that caused her rare memory loss. She finds herself in New York lost and confused. Who is living in her old apartment she shared with Amy? Why isn't Amy and Marco taking her phone calls? Why can't she remember what she did after she falls asleep?

"Stay Awake" is one complex thriller. There are a lot of characters, alternating timelines, and just a whole lot going on with Liv's memory loss! It was a little hard to keep track, but I enjoyed every moment of this book! I loved Liv's character -- her determination, her strength, and her persistence. Before reading this book, I had never read a book by Megan Goldin. Her writing was excellent! I'm going to add her other books to my TBR.

Highly suggest reading this adrenaline-rush of a thriller!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Do you have any irrational fears? Onne of mine is experiencing a dissociative fugue - when you wake up and don't know who you are or even how you got where you are.. Why do I have this fear? Who knows! But it's what happens to the main character in Stay Awake every time she wakes up, so I read this one with equal parts of anticipation and fear.
This is a twisty thriller that kept me engaged as the suspense built throughout. Unlike Milo, the pup I’m dogsitting, who has trouble staying awake, I was riveted to finish this one. The New York setting was fun, too, since I just returned from a short trip there.
Stay Awake publishes on Tuesday, 8/9. It was my first read by Megan Goldin, and I’m intrigued to explore more of her books.

I was very excited to start this thriller as it was highly recommended. I had trouble getting into it as it started slow and a bit repetitive. It reminded me of the movie Memento where the Leonard uses post its to remind him of everything affected by his memory loss. As she went to her office and it became obvious to her that sh had a time lapse I got more connected, Goldin does a great job of weaving the story together with 3 POV's - past, present, and the detective's view. It is all and all a clever mystery with lots of twists and turns.
.

Wow what a crazy book! This book is definitely psychologically messed up and it is very entertaining.

I can't imagine being the MC Liv and not understanding what is happening every time she wakes up. Then to hear that you are a murder suspect is even crazier.

I know this isn't a new concept for a storyline, but it was written very well and it was fairly fast paced. The twists were a surprise and I didn't see them all coming.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Stay Awake was unputabledown!

I can already imagine the movie or a limited Netflix series.

Liv Reese was living a normal life. She had a good job as a writer for a magazine, a good roommate/best friend, Amy and she was falling in love with the man she was dating, Marco.

Then everything changes when she wakes up in a taxi and arrives at her apartment early morning. The people who answered her apartment door are strangers. Her best friend Amy is not there, her things are gone and her cat is missing. Nothing makes sense. Worse, she finds writings all over her hands and arms, and on her knuckles, the words STAY AWAKE are spelled.

Of course, she starts to freak out and while looking for her cellphone, she finds a knife with blood in her pocket.

What is going on? What did she do?

And this is all I'm going to say about the plot. I believe it's best to go in blind.

I will mention that besides Liv's POV, we also get the POV of the detectives following a crime. Darcy Halliday and Jack Lavelle. Their timeline is in the present while Liv's is both past and present.

I'm not sure why this book reminded me so much of Memento since they are not at all alike. Maybe it was because of the sense of urgency I felt while I was listening to it. I knew time was running out for Liv. The audiobook narrated by Imogen Church and January LaVoy did a great job at wanting me to keep on going and finding out the truth.

Did I guess the ending? Nope. Looking back it was so easy to know. One more reason to make me like this one a lot.

As for the characters, I liked Liv and felt horrible for her. I also like Darcy a lot. I do hope we can get to see her character in another book. She was smart, resilient, and resourceful.

This is the second book I read by Megan Goldin (Night Swim was my first) and I'm now a confirmed fan.

Sign me up for her next novel!

Cliffhanger: No

4.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I enjoyed this book. However the beginning fell a little bit short for me as it was a little slow and took a bit for me to get interested in it. But once I started getting deep into it OMG i was eating it up! This story is about a woman named Liv Reese who has amnesia whenever she wakes up and is now a murder suspect to a crime she doesn’t remember committing. This thriller was quite intriguing and enjoyable and I do recommend it.

I very much enjoyed this book. Meg Golden takes the along the same journey that the main character protagonist is on, namely, one to discover her memory of critical occurrences within the last few years—her memories are critical to saving her future. Though each chapter, we learn more and more about the main character, who she is, and what occurred in her past. This is a fascinating and compelling read that I recommend for lovers of mysteries and thrillers. Many thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press!

My feelings on this book are all over the place. It was definitely a fast-paced thriller/mystery that compelled me to keep reading to see what would happen next. Some parts were pretty repetitive, and even after I got to the end, I still felt like there were a few loose ends that weren't really explained. I also felt it was pretty clear early on who the murderer was, but wasn't sure how it would all come to light. This book was certainly interesting, and a fun read, but if you have yet to read The Night Swim by this same author, I'd go get that one first.

I would give this book 10 stars! I'm not a fan dual time periods, but that was used to perfection in this book. One time period's POV was Liv Reese which bounces back and forth between two years ago and the current time period. The other is Darcy Halliday's POV always in the current time period, she and her new partner Lavante are investigating a murder. The author gives each time period larger chapters at the beginning and they get shorter as you progress through the book, at the same time, the time periods are getting closer together. The author pulls you through the book and you start reading faster and faster as she funnels you into the conclusion. She also threw out red herrings, just little tiny dabs here and there, and you're reading faster, so you focus on them in the moment. It was truly brilliant writing.

Liv Reese suffers from amnesia every time she sleeps. The only thing that gets her through is her massive caffeine intake and notes written on her hands and arms. Mainly, STAY AWAKE. She is disoriented and frantic to learn what is happening to her. The problem is her body shuts down and she wakes on subway cars, park benches, etc. And she has to start all over again. She can remember everything from two years ago like it was yesterday and she slowly (and we the readers) learn things about Liv in real time with her and start over with her every time she falls asleep.

Darcy Halliday is investigating her first murder, and as she and her partner investigate, we learn about the man murdered and with fuzzy CCTV see a woman leave the premises. As the media reveals details, Liv learns more, but when she sees herself in the video, she starts to wonder if she murdered someone.

I cannot stress more that this is the best book I've read in ages! I believe this is a standalone book, but honestly, I think Halliday and Lavante could be the beginning of a new series and wish it was true. So Megan, if you're reading this - please consider a series with those characters.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this! This is told over three POV and two timelines. We have Liv in the past, Liv in the present, and our detectives as one POV. Because Liv loses her memory, the two different timelines are crucial to understanding the full story. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the moment when the past and present would meet.

I went with four stars because the ending was a bit predictable but I enjoyed everything leading up to the big reveal. I think the author did a great job throwing in some clues that ended up being pointless but kept me on my toes throughout.

I received an advanced audio and digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

“Homicide cops served a much more important purpose in society than just putting killers behind bars. ‘Homicide detectives,’ he said, ‘are what keep us civilized. We are the last line of defense against the barbarians.’”

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. Two years ago she was dating a new guy, thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine, and living with her best friend Amy in NYC. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a city that looks nothing like what she remembers.

This book is told from three perspectives: Liv Reese now, Liv Reese two years ago, and homicide detective Darcy Halliday. While I do enjoy dual timelines, this one was a bit difficult to follow initially. It wasn’t until about 1/3 of the way into the book that I was able to truly get into the story. Prior to that I found it hard to follow who was killed when, who remembered what, and who all of these men were. It was just a tad disjointed, but it came together nicely as the story progressed. The mystery elements were good and kept me guessing.

As for the audio, I may have squealed out loud when I heard that January Lavoy was one of the narrators. She is one of my absolute favorites and just makes every book she narrates better. So obvi I loved this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, St Martin’s Press, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.