Good read! Really felt for the main character here and a fun mystery to follow. Finished it in one day!!

I started this book as an audio - but I couldn't handle the suspense. I finished the ebook.
This book was one of my most anticipated for this year - did not disappoint. This book's plot is compared to the movie Momento - it is not wrong.
Liv wakes up - confused an disoriented. Calling a cab, she goes home. Only to be told she doesn't live there anymore. Liv notices writing all over her hands, arms.
And the story begins.
Gripping. Creative. Ruthless suspense.
I'm counting down to Goldin's next release.

I had a hard time keeping up with this book, and the plot twists they were trying to incorporate. Liv wakes up with a loss of memory and is being framed for murder. The story wants to be a thriller, but it didn't really keep my attention,

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller by Megan Goldin. It's one of the only thrillers recently where I genuinely did not guess the ending until the end. Goldin did a really great job jumping from past and present between two individuals from chapter to chapter.
I found the dialogue between character, especially the two detectives, Halliday and Lavelle, to be pretty cheesy, but the attempt was there to establish characterization.
But for this genre, I'd say Stay Awake is a really great novel. It was a story unlike anything I have read before and I was kept up at night guessing what was happening and thinking about it throughout my day.
It's a fun and fast read, great thriller/mystery, and has a pretty satisfying ending.
Definitely an enjoyable read, thank you so much!

STAY AWAKE is my second Megan Goldin book and I must say I am far from disappointed by what I’ve read.

Liv Reese wakes up in the middle of the night in the back of a taxi, with no recollection of how she got there or why. When she’s dropped off at her apartment she shares with her long time friend and roommate, Liv is surprised to find a stranger within. Every phone number she calls is either out of service or a stranger answering. When she discovers the date is two years later than she remembers, she is even more confused.

STAY AWAKE is a gripping thriller from the get go - told in multiple timelines (which I did not find to be confusing in the least) and in two perspectives. Goldin’s writing style in this book was impeccable and kept me glued to the book eagerly waiting for all the pieces to fall together.

I really liked that the chapters were short and with such a unique and intricate plot, the book felt like it was speeding by. The main characters were dynamic and really well written. You’re placed in a situation where you trust no one, because you can’t tell who is good and who isn’t. Regardless, Liv is an unreliable main character, but I loved getting to the bottom of her and her story. Detective Halliday was also a really interesting character and would love to see another book with her featured *hint hint*!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.</i>

This is the first thriller I have read in almost a year because I had found them to be predictable and all "the same". Stay Awake was EXACTLY the book to get me back into this genre!! From the second Liv Reese wakes up unaware of her identity you're literally on a wild ride until the very last page. I flew through this entire book in 24 hours because I had to find out what was happening. I needed to devour this. My mind needed to figure out what was happening (I didn't figure out who the culprit was, by the way). This was written beautifully and is an amazing read if you want to be on the edge of your seat through the ENTIRE book.

Each time Liv goes to sleep she forgets who she is and is taken back to two years prior in her life. She is unaware of the events of the last two years. She wakes up to murder, writing all over her body, and lots of unexpected events that lead to one amazing 5 Star book that I definitely recommend.

3.7 Stars

One Liner: Fast-paced and entertaining if you ignore a few hiccups

Liv Reese has no idea of anything around her. She wakes up in a taxi and stumbles to her home only to find out that she and her friend Amy no longer live there. Nothing is the same. The scary part is the scribbles all over her arms.
Why did she write Stay Awake, Wake Up, and other messages to herself on her body? Why does she forget everything when she falls asleep? What happened in the past? Who can she trust?
Liv has too many questions but no answers. She is confused, scared, and unsure of what to do next? To make things worse, there has been a murder in a familiar-looking place. It appears that Liv is somehow involved in the crime. But how and why? Why does she feel as if her life is in danger?
Can Liv and the detectives find answers to the questions? What happens to Liv?
The story comes in the first-person perspective of Liv (past and present) and the third-person perspective of the detectives.

My Opinions:
The premise was intriguing, and the story had a solid start. The alternating POVs were well done. There was no confusion about the past, present, or person.
The book had a great pace which is always a plus for me. However, it was repetitive in many places. I can’t help but wonder how much better the book would be if the repetitions were cut out.
I liked the detectives’ track to a point. Darcy and Lavelle looked like they had potential (despite the stereotyping). But the backstories felt a bit unnecessary. Sure, they can add to the character depth, but it isn’t required unless the characters will be used in another thriller.
I’m not sure how I feel about Liv. Sure, I felt sad for her initially, but later on, I started to wonder if she was one of those TSTL heroines. She did redeem herself towards the end, so maybe I’ll cut her some slack.
The dialogues in the book are a bit weird. Some of them don’t even make sense (in both tracks). It feels like reading in circles, which is essentially what happens given Liv’s medical condition.
A couple of sidetracks/ red herrings seemed a little too much. Those could have worked better if they were properly woven into the main plot. Right now (mine is an ARC), they don’t blend well.
The book kept me hooked even though I could guess the twists. Most of them were right, and the reveal wasn’t a shock. Since I like thrillers with solutions that make sense (at least a little), I didn’t mind the rest.

To sum up, Stay Awake has its flaws (quite a few) but is an enjoyable thriller if you don’t think much about the whole thing. Just let it flow and give your gray cells some rest.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

*****
P.S: I still rated it 4 stars coz I could finish it fast (in 2.5 days). The book was enjoyable once I decided not to stress too much about the details.
This is my first book by the author, but I intend to read her other works. Seems that some of the previous ones were very good.

This is the second book I have read by Megan Goldin.

Thank you for providing me with ARC in exchange for feedback on the book.

This is the story of Liv Reese, who doesn't know what's happening and is disoriented. She tries to go back to her apartment and can't find her keys, she rings the doorbell in the middle of the night to ask her roommate to let her in. She discovers that she doesn't live there anymore and there are strangers living in her apartment. She ends up going to a park and falling asleep there and wakes up the next day not remembering anything that happened. We slowly discover that she has amnesia and is trying to survive. Liv has reminders written on her hands and arms to try and help her survive.

This book is a thriller and kept me up late at night reading this, I had a hard time putting it down to go to sleep and had to get through this book. It's really a book that you could read in one setting. Just like her previous book I had a hard time putting this down and enjoyed it. If you like psychological thrillers then you definitely need to read this one. I would rate this 9/10 as far as thrillers go. I will be recommending this one to my friends who like thrillers. She will be going on my auto-buy list.

Thank you so much @stmartinspress @netgalley for the digitalARC

What an awesomely fast paced, heart pounding, thriller! I really enjoyed The Night Swim by Goldin but thought this one was even better. I couldn’t put it down and stayed up way too late at night to read – which, if you know me, is a big deal. 😂 I really enjoyed the dual timelines gradually leading you to learn how Liv ended up in the situation she’s in. I thought I had this ending all figured out, but I was oh so wrong! I didn’t see that twist coming at all which was the best surprise. I’ll definitely be buying myself a physical copy of this one.

I received an ARC of Stay Awake in exchange for my honest review.

Stay Awake is another mystery thriller by Megan Goldin. The story follows Liv Reese, a young woman with short-term memory loss triggered each time she falls asleep, as she tries to track her own movements over the course of a day. Through flashbacks, the reader begins to understand the trauma that caused the memory problems in the first place as well as events that are unfolding in real time. Some chapters follow a rookie police detective who is trying to solve a murder case and bring the perpetrator to justice, which ultimately connects to the Liv Reese storyline.

I found the story exciting and compelling and never wanted to put this book down. I was slightly fearful that the ending would be a letdown, which was the situation when I read The Escape Room, but I think the book held together pretty well right through the conclusion.

I enjoyed this read and would recommend the book!

Thanks to the publisher for granting me access to read this ARC.
So I absolutely adored Night Swim and my expectations were really high for this one.
In general, I’m not a fan of the Groundhog trope so if I would have known that I probably would have never read this. What I did like was the ending it totally caught me off guard.

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Liz wakes up in the back of a cab, and she has no clue where she is or how she got there. She goes to her apartment to find someone else is living there. Then she finds a bloodstained knife in her pocket, and the words stay awake written on her hands. She then finds out she doesn’t remember the last two years of her life, and every time she falls asleep, she forgets everything all over again.

This book grabbed me from the start! I was so intrigued on the story line, and trying to figure it out what was going on with Liv. I thought the plot with memory loss was very unique, and I enjoyed reading this in both Liv’s current and past perspectives. This was a great fast-paced thriller that kept me reading more and more!

If you are a big thriller reader, I do feel like it was a bit predictable for the ending, but it was still entertaining with the multiple POVs and dual timelines. This was definitely an enjoyable read!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s press, and Megan Goldin for my eARC copy!

What a book! This is my first Megan Goldin book and I am really impressed. Stay Awake captured my attention from page one. It was such an interesting concept - a girl who loses her memory every time she falls asleep who is also a major suspect in a current and past murder investigation!? Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no memory of where she is or how she got there — her only clue to her whereabouts are the messaged she leaves for herself on her arms, her apartment door, her journal. She relies on these notes to survive and get up to speed every time she wakes up.

This will not be my last Megan Goldin book - I’d highly recommend Stay Awake for thrill readers who like a quick, captivating book!

Oh Megan Goldin, how you played with my mind! I don’t know if I’m coming or going with this book. There were red herrings swimming all over. My kids ate cereal for dinner today so I could finish this thriller. .
STAY AWAKE. It’s written on Liv Reese’s hands. It’s a mantra that keeps repeating over and over in her head. Why does Liv forget everything every day? You have to read this roller coaster of a book to find out why.
This is my second book by this author. I read “The Escape Room” two summers ago. This book was just as twisty and turny. I’m on the edge of my seat wondering what tangled tale Megan Goldin will come up with next.
I want to thank the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This book started out making me think it was heading in one direction and then took a huge turn into something completely unexpected! Liv suffers from a type of amnesia that means every time she goes to sleep, she forgets what happened. She thinks someone is after her, but doesn’t know who to trust. I enjoyed all the twists and characters in this book!

** spoiler alert ** 4.25 stars. I really enjoyed how the reader is thrown right into the story with no idea what is going on, and by the end of the book, things have come full circle and the reader understands how the beginning fits into the puzzle. Overall, I think this is a great comfort read— it’s fast-paced and keeps you engaged the whole time, but doesn’t require you to think too hard while you’re reading. I feel like some aspects didn’t have enough detail or were never fully fleshed out— like nothing ever came of the waiter who called her repeatedly or the art exhibit and it feels like those were elements that were meant to throw us off the scent of what was really happening, but then they were simply never addressed again. I still really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a unique thriller!

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin
Release date August 9, 2022

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress for this ARC! This was definitely a thriller I couldn't put down.

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a cab with no memory of how she got there. Or why her arms are covered in writing. Or why she's holding a wrapped up bloody knife. Over the next couple of days, Liv falls asleep and wakes up many times, each time starting from scratch and playing out each clue on her arms slightly differently. In the meantime, the cops are trying to track her down as a suspect in a recent murder. Is Liv connected to the murder? What is it she's forgetting? And who can she trust? Can she put together the pieces of her memory before the cops track her down?

I would have read this book in a day if work hadn't kept getting in the way. While I did assume the end result somewhat early, I did not know the how or why, and the story along the way was excellent! A fast-paced thriller that I highly recommend adding to your TBR!

4/5 ⭐

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgAjE0MrqTH/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Wow. This book is so riveting that I wanted to stay up all night and finished it, but alas I couldn't. I love how what has happened in Liv's life is slowly revealed to us at the same time that it is revealed to her. The only thing is that she doesn't remember when she wakes up after falling asleep. I also loving how Liv manages to stay alive with her own wits and people that she has met. I don't want to spoil the book by further describing it. Needless to say Megan Goldin is now on my must read list. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I would love to see a movie made of this story.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is an amazing thriller. It is fast-paced and chilling. I like the characters and the storyline. Liv Reese doesn't remember the last two years or the crime she is accused of. She is on the run and the story runs quickly. This is a book readers will want to read.

While I really enjoyed this book, it wasn't as good as The Night Swim for me. It WAS a good mystery....part police procedural, part amnesia trope. The writing itself read as from a less experienced author as compared to The Night Swim, but the plot had me sucked in to know what happened. I was always ready to read more in this every time I picked it up and it helped me get out of a reading slump.