Holy Smokes! THIS was a fantastic thriller. In a sea of mystery/thrillers that all kind of blend together, "Stay Awake" is a big, amazing outlier. I don't want to reveal too much of the story, but "Stay Awake" managed to be disarming and original from the start.
I loved how the novel kept moving, taking place in a relatively short period of time while staying completely enthralling throughout. It's been a bit since I had the chance to read a book that I couldn't put down, but this one was a true winner.

What a great read, reminiscent of Memento and 50 First Dates, yet not derivative.

We meet Liv when she wakes up in a taxi, unaware of how she got there. When she tries to get into her apartment, she finds a couple she doesn't know has been living there for quite a while. She finds words and phrases written on her hands and arms warning her not to fall asleep. With nowhere to go, she finds a park bench to rest, falls asleep, and wakes up not remembering how she got there... Soon, she finds out she's missing two years of her life and gets caught up in a murder investigation.

I loved this. There are dual timelines of Liv before and after her memory loss. There are also dual points of view, from Liv and from the detective investigating the murder. Liv is a great unreliable narrator and it was fun seeing everything unfold and her discovering more and more about her missing time.

Liv wakes up in the back of a cab with no memory of how she got there, and really no memory of the last two years. Her only clues are cryptic messages scribbled on her hands and arms. All of her familiar places are filled with unfamiliar people, some who seem to know who she is. What happened over those two years? Where is Amy, her best friend, and Marco, her boyfriend? And why are the police hunting her, accusing her of murdering a man she doesn’t even know?

This book felt like I was reading it sitting in the back of the bus while Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reaves try to keep it from exploding. I felt like I was inhaling caffeine drinks right along with Liv. Every twist and turn kept jerking me left and right, and Golden teases you with just enough information to keep you on the cusp of figuring it all out…and then jerks you around again. I loved it, and really couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this one! Haven’t read a lot of books like it. Every day Liv wakes up, it is two years ago in her mind, and everything that surrounds her now is unfamiliar. Her arms are covered with messages that read “Stay awake! Don’t sleep!” What is going on, and why has she found herself in the midst of a murder investigation? Really intriguing and fast-paced, ending the tiniest bit abrupt but still loved it!

Thank you for this ARC!

This was like Memento meets The Flight Attendant. I think there was some editing still needed in this book and I really thought the ending was odd and made little sense; however I finished it so I'll give it 3 stars. I don't have a ton to say because I am just slightly confused by it all.

There were a lot of plot holes....

Megan Goldin's books never disappoint me and always keep me reading well after my bedtime. Stay Awake definitely made me stay awake!!

This was an absolutely amazing thriller. Was unable to put it down full of twists and turns, highly egrossing and addictive i was unable to put this one down my only regret is that i didn't read it sooner

4 ⭐️

Here is a huge, huge thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my ARC of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin.

After reading The Night Swim last year, I’ve fallen in love with Goldin’s books. They’re creepy, goosebump inducing stories that have me checking behind me as I walk in the dark and this was no exception.

Stay awake has a Groundhog Day effect, that is, every time Liv falls asleep, she forgets everything that has happened in the last two years and finds herself thinking she’s back at her desk where she last remembers. This was done excellently. As is the nature of the beast, some scenes got a little repetitive, but not enough to take away from the storyline.

The dual timeline unfolded perfectly, with me kept at the top of my toes at the end of each chapter. I had suspicions all along, and come to find out I wasn’t right about a single one of them. I simply could not guess the killer. I was doubting our unreliable narrator, doubting the police, and doubting my own thriller reader gut as new twists unfolded.

Overall, Goldin remains one of my auto-buy authors, and I can’t wait for you all to devour this one come August 9, 2022 when it releases.

This was an interesting premise and I enjoyed getting to the bottom of what happened in the story. Amnesia was used as a way to keep the story going in order for us to find out what happened at the same time as Liv. Liv was a likeable character which made me feel vested in what would happen to her. I listened to the story and read it. Unfortunately I think the narrator kind of turned me off of the story at times with the way it was portrayed. All of the time hopping was confusing at times too, but I understand the need for it due to the amnesia. It felt a bit repetitive at times as well. Overall it was a good mystery and it never occurred to me who the actual killer was! I'd recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Goldin, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for access to this ARC!

If you're looking for a fast-paced suspenseful beach read - look no further. I enjoyed Goldin's previous book and liked that this one definitely reads faster and isn't such a slow burn. It's an unreliable narrator trope - which I feel can be overdone at times but Goldin tries to put a fresh spin on her main character. There are two timelines that propel the story forward, and while I was able to eventually guess the murderer, the red herrings, plot twists and writing made it such an enjoyable ride.

An interesting read, not an absolute favorite, was not an “I can’t put this down” but drawn in enough to finish. I typically enjoy all from this author. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC opportunity!

This was for me a superb read that I honestly didn’t want to put down. I highly recommend this book.

This was my first read by Megan Goldin and I thoroughly enoyed it! Gave me Memento and Before I go to sleep vibes.

I love amnesia tropes but I think it's hard to make them original because they're already overdone. This one was entertaining enough and kept me on edge from the beginning. Liv was very likeable and there was that tension and suspense of what happened and what will happen to her that stayed all throughout the story which I really like and is one of the reasons I read thrillers! I didn't think the result was surprising or too twisty and I would have liked a bit more depth to the motive, but all in all, it was a solid, fun, fast paced thriller!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy. I was excited to read this book as I really enjoyed Night Swim. Unfortunately, this book is nowhere near as good. The repetitive fugue state of the main character is interesting, but the characters in general weren’t very well developed, there were a couple of unnecessary plot lines (why the Q art exhibit thing???), and I knew who the killer was the second he was introduced in the story. Also, the ending fell so flat! All of this build up for over 300 pages and then the ending happened super quickly and the reader is never even given a motive for the original double murder! Overall, I will continue to pick up Goldin’s books, but this one was a little frustrating.

I could only make it barely past 50% in this book.

Liv wakes up every day not remembering who she is, and finds messages of “Stay Awake” written on her arms. She sees a news story of a murder with the same message written in blood on the window and Liv finds a bloody knife in her possession. The story alternates between past and the present, where she spends the day trying to piece together clues to your identity only to do it all over again tomorrow.

The amnesia premise eis a goo one if executed well.

BUT….
- Wait? Liv only writes ‘Stay awake” and other cryptic messages on her arm. If she knows enough to remind herself to write notes to herself WHY did she not write something more helpful?

- The detectives sound cartoonish and it doesn’t help that the author gives them dialogue that doesn’t remotely sound like anyone actually speaks, especially seasoned detectives. Thank you <b>Captain Obvious </b>

- The writing is just…<i>not good.</i>

- The story was so repetitive I found myself wishing someone would kill Liv just to shut her up. Actually, everyone here continually repeats themselves.

- There are huge gaping plot holes.

Ultimately this was not for me!

This is the second novel I have read by Megan Goldin, and it is by far my favorite! Momento is one of my favorite movies, and while at first I didn’t like reading a similar book, the story kept me interested and I could not put it down. I quickly got over the comparison of the movie to this book and started to really enjoy the book. If anything, my biggest complaint is that I wish it was a little longer - I did not want it to end!

I definitely recommend this book!

Hmm… I liked the book but didn’t love it. I felt the main character’s amnesia got repetitive and there was quite a bit that I felt was left out during the “black outs.” I did think the ending was a twist as I swore I knew who it was and I was wrong. But this book took me longer to read than usual as I just wasn’t super motivated or engaged to get it done. Solid 3 stars.

3.5 stars.

I buddy read this in a GR group and we all thought it started out so interesting and gripping! Poor woman Liv cannot remember how she ended up in this taxi, why she being dropped off at this apartment. She can only remember answering the phone at work 2 years ago. Hmmm!!!! Well, this got a bit repetitive, for obvious reasons, but kept pulling in new information so I was still hooked. For me, what didn't work was some glaring plot holes with the timeline and the amnesia/insomnia and the actual culprit. Because they kind of came out of left field. Plenty of red herrings but not a whole lot to lead the reader to the murderer. So it lost its spark for me by the end but I still enjoyed it. And I am hoping to finally read The Night Swim soon!

LOVED IT!!! Megan Goldin definitely knows how to write a heck of a thriller and I am never disappointed. I am not spoiling about any content within the book, you'll have to read it for yourself.

Highly recommended!

Thanks to Netgalley, Megan Goldin and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 8/9/22

This is my third novel by Megan Goldin and I really enjoy her writing. To date, I think my favorite of her books is still Escape Room, I really liked the twists. Stay Awake is based on a really interesting concept (which I won’t spoil because figuring that one out is half the fun) The first half off the book your trying to figure out what's going on with Liv and the second half you know what the story is with Liv BUT you still don't know what happened! The events unfold from two perspectives and also move from two years ago to the present day. If you're not paying attention you can get a little lost but the chapter date stamps help. Overall I really enjoyed the story as it went, but I had my suspicions on who the killer was at about 75% through, and while it's fun to guess right, I also like being shocked by an ending, so it felt a little anticlimactic. Nevertheless, I would 100% recommend this to fans of thrillers, especially if you're looking for a fresh twist.