I just love a good, terrifying thriller, and I certainly found one in Stay Awake by Megan Goldin. From the first page, when Liv wakes up in a cab with no idea how she got there, why someone else is living in her apartment, and why there is a bloody knife in her pocket, this book had me completely unsettled. I did not want to stop reading, but it was dark out, and I was alone in the house...

The situations Liv navigated were completely realistic, at the same time as they were totally unimaginable and frightening, with multiple twists that I did not see coming. Throughout the book, Liv seems like an innocent victim, but Ms. Goldin has created the ultimate unreliable narrator, as the reader questions Liv's amnesia and whether she really is a murderer, and simultaneously wonders who she might possibly be able to trust.

I have not read other books by this author, but am adding them to my TBR immediately. Loved this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of Stay Awake. The opinions in this review are my own.

Stay Awake by Megan Golden follows Liv Reese; a girl who cannot seem to remember anything that's happened since two years ago. Every time Liv falls asleep, she loses all memory of the events that happened since two years earlier. All she knows now is that she is a top suspect in a recent murder, and she cannot be confident that she had nothing to do with it.

I don't tend to read many mystery/thriller novels, but this one was really well done. I really enjoyed the fact that it was not just one mystery, but there were many things left unknown during the novel because of Liv's memory loss. I enjoyed the different perspectives that we were given throughout the novel as well. There was Liv's perspective, which was always very interesting to read, but there was also the perspective of the detective trying to solve the case. There was also many time jumps back to two years before the current timeline. These time jumps were placed in such a good way, so that it revealed more pieces of the mystery to readers, but not all at once. It really amped up the suspense and enhanced the feeling of actually working out the mystery on your own.

There weren't many things that I disliked about this book. I sometimes found that it was a bit slow, but it was information that was still important to the mystery so it was necessary to include. Overall, I think this was an amazing mystery/thriller novel; definitely one of my favourites that I've read so far. It's convinced me to try more of this genre in the future.

Thanks so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

I love the premise of this story but the execution was a bit off for me. The main character wakes up every day with no memory. She finds a message that says Stay Awake on her body. This story goes back and forth from the past and current events. The basic premise is that she has to discover what’s going on and how she is connected to a crime. There were a lot questions I had while reading, which kept me invested in finishing, but overall I never really felt like questions were answered and the story just need something to elevate it to the next level. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

If she closes her eyes, it may be the last thing she ever does...

Liv opens her eyes, disoriented, in the back of a cab. The driver drops her off at her apartment, and she's ready to fall into bed. She doesn't have her keys, so she knocks on the door, hoping her roommate Amy is home and will let her in. A stranger opens the door, demanding to know why she is knocking on their door so late at night. Liv is shocked to find she doesn't live there anymore. When she reaches for her phone to call Amy, her fingers close around a bloody knife. Upon inspecting her hand, she notices her hands are covered in written messages, the most prominent one being, "STAY AWAKE." Liv navigates her way through New York City, becoming increasingly confused and distressed when nothing is the same as she remembers. She has no memory of the last two years of her life, let alone last night. She's chilled to the bone when a breaking news story shows the window at the scene of a murder with a message written in blood: STAY AWAKE. Liv doesn't know what she did, if anything, but someone knows the truth about that night. Can Liv stay awake, or will she go to sleep for the last time?
I loved this propulsive psychological thriller. I felt so sorry for Liv and was almost as desperate as she was to find out what caused her memory loss. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators were perfect for their respective characters. The narrator for Liv seamlessly exuded a wide variety of emotions, exactly the way I would imagine her to sound. I highly recommend this psychological thriller to anyone looking for an intense, quick-paced read!

This was a really solid read! It felt like a unique thriller, to me at least, and I was extremely intrigued from page 1. It kept me invested til the very end, I even gasped out loud a couple times!

However, some things were a bit repetive and predictable. Also, the chapters with the detectives were always boring to me. I understand we needed those chapters to get more information on Liv, but I didn’t connect with the detectives at all. I felt that information could’ve been revealed in a more exciting or engaging way.

Overall I would recommend this book for a fun, psychological thriller that will suck you in from the first page.

An exciting cross between Memento and Before I Go To Sleep, this novel is thrilling and un-put-downable! The characters are relatable and realistic. The writing style and method helps propel the novel forward and the twists are unpredictable.

Thoughts

I really enjoyed The Escape Room and absolutely loved The Night Swim so when I saw Goldin had a new book coming out I was ecstatic.

Admittingly this story line took me about 100 pages to get into. I almost DNF it because it didn’t feel like it was going anywhere. Finally around or a little before page 100 the pace picked up and I was intrigued. It was interesting how Liv’s amnesia storyline played out. Could you even imagine not knowing what anything that has happened to you for the past 2 years?!


Once we get to the part where we learn why Liv can’t remember anything I could not turn those pages fast enough! I was left with questions at the end, but overall this was a fun read. The Night Swim is still #1 in my book!

What a wild ride! I have to admit I was a bit confused about the different timeline perspectives but it all came together at the end. A very interesting unreliable narrator and condition.

I was very surprised to find out who was behind the murders. I did not see that coming at all. Sadly the ending didn't feel complete. We find out who it is, but we don't get much closure for our main character. I did love the little gem thrown in at the end, but I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.

I read some reviews that say it is repetitive, but I didn't notice it in an annoying light. I mean this woman is waking up over and over in the past so if you want to complain about repetitive, be happy you aren't her! I was a little peeved that she never bothered to grab a NEW notebook, even if its a little one she can attach to her wrist!

Overall worth a read, interesting unique thriller concept!

After reading the synopsis of this book I was really excited to read it. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. I felt it a little hard to follow and when the truth was revealed I had lost interest. Please feel free to give it a try, maybe it was just me and you will enjoy it much more.

How would you react if every time you woke up you didn’t know where or when you were? That alone is terrifying, but add on a murder and it’ll make things a bit more complicated.

This book has fast and slower moments. Adding in multiple timelines definitely helped to break things up so as to not be overly repetitive and add more depth to the story.

I liked the premise of this story and it gave me hints of the movies Memento and Before I Go To Sleep (based on a novel). With that said, I would’ve liked to have seen a bit more character building/background to shine even more light. There were tidbits about each character’s history sprinkled in, but sometimes just a crack of the door opening on their backstory and not enough for me to fully understand their mindsets.

I ended the book with a few questions and also wondering what will come next for each character.

Overall, this was an interesting read; it ramps up the last third of the book. I feel like this would open up many conversations about amnesia/memory loss and other diseases that are debilitating in relation to memories. It definitely will make you want to do some research.

Thank you so much to the author, Megan Goldin, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC of Stay Awake!

Liv wakes up in the back of a cab with no idea how she got there or where she's going, the only clues she has are a bloody knife in her pocket and messages scribbled on her body many of which are urging her to "STAY AWAKE" (*snap snap*) Meanwhile, detectives are investigating the murder of a man who was stabbed in his bed, the same "Stay Awake" message left at the crime scene. Is Liv a victim or a murderer? Not even she knows the answer.

<i>Stay Awake</i> is a well plotted and paced, twisty thriller. It held my interest and had me anxious to find out how all the pieces fit together.

INCREDIBLE!!! This book had such a unique plot line and WOW, was it done well. This unreliable narrator kept me so intrigued by this book. Amazing!!

To be honest, this book was moving so slowly for me at the beginning that I contemplated DNFing it . It does pick up at about 50% . I enjoyed the chapters where the two detectives were searching for clues and following leads to solve the murder committed and the flashback chapters much better than the “amnesia” chapters, which just seemed very repetitive in the beginning .

Thank you so much for this ARC!

Wow, I thought The Escape Room was amazing but Stay Awake actually exceeds it for me! I could not put this down. What an intense ride as Liv struggles to remember everything about a missing two year period of her life.

This does jump back and forth between two present characters and then 2 years prior. Not the book for someone who doesn’t enjoy that. I love it!

Fast paced thriller with an interesting amnesia storyline!

I’ve been a Megan Goldin fan since The Escape Room. Stay Awake is a taut thriller about a woman whose memory resets back two years every time she wakes up, only this time she wakes to discover she’s carrying a bloody knife wrapped in a t-shirt. Most of the book takes place over 1 day as the police investigate a murder & Liv tries to figure out what is happening to her, with flashbacks to the events of two years ago, right up until Liv loses her memory. It’s a brilliant, terrifying, edge-of-your-seat novel that gave me nightmares.

Liv Reese has no idea what is going on, and she has no idea why she doesn't know what is going on. She has strange messages written on her hands, such as Stay Awake, Trust No One and other similar messages. Liv does not remember anything from the last two years. She woke up today and found a bloody knife in her possession and realized she is wanted for murder. The story is told in flashbacks from two years ago as well as present time as Liv is navigating through the day. I received an ARC of Stay Awake in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC.

Overall a really great thriller! It took some time for me to get into the book but after getting about 25% of the way through I was invested. I genuinely did not see mosts of the twists coming and had no idea who the killer was until the very last minute which was very refreshing. It was interesting to get the contrast between the two POVs and piece together the story along with Liv and the detectives never knowing for sure what to believe. The psychological element was really well done and Liv was well written as an unreliable narrator. Not knowing whether we could trust one of the narrators made the whole story more thrilling and mysterious. Towards the end of the book I did find the timeline a bit hard to follow but overall it was well done. A solid 4 star read!!

Liv Reese finds herself in a taxicab heading to her apartment in Brooklyn. When she arrives, hoping to find her roommate Amy, there are strangers living there. She has no phone, handbag or wallet - only a wad of cash. And Liv is in possession of a bloody knife which she disposes of. She falls asleep in a park and then heads to her office where she is a writer for a trendy magazine. Things are not the same as when Liv left the office the day before. And on her knuckles reads in pen: "STAY AWAKE". Below it reads: "WAKE UP". When a man is found stabbed the night before, his murder is all over the news and Liv wonders if perhaps she is to blame. Even though she has no memory of anything that happened before she woke up.

Told in the present and two years in the past, Stay Awake is a highly enjoyable and satisfying thriller. Author Megan Goldin has skillfully created a harrowing reality for Liv, who loses her short-term memory every time she falls asleep. Liv can't trust anyone and soon the police are looking for her including detective Darcy Holliday, a very appealing character who I hope pops up in a future book. This is such a clever and creative story - fast-paced and filled with suspense. And I loved that it took place throughout New York City. A strong follow-up to The Night Swim, which was another solid read.

Rated 4.25 stars.

I really enjoyed this one! I don’t read a lot of thrillers and honestly, before this read, I was almost ready to tap out on the genre. But, I’m so glad I didn’t. The plot of this one is unique and bizarre (in a great way). I haven’t read Night Swim yet but I’ll definitely check it out.

Oh boy. This was not it. This was not what I was expecting from this author and not in a good way. The layout of this one was not the easiest to follow. And I found the root premise of this book to be entirely unbelievable. And the “twists” were easily predicted pretty early on in the book. This just really missed the mark for me.