This book was a compelling and fast paced read but the jumping timeline and unreliable narration made it difficult to keep track of where we were in the story. I enjoyed this book as I read it but afterwards felt like most of the characters were two dimensional (name three character traits of Marco, Amy, Halliday, etc...hell, even Liv, our main character). The suspense is top notch and kept me reading, even if it wasn't propelled by my love of the characters. Another issue with the book is that the chapters with Halliday and Lavelle started as if from Halliday's perspective but would randomly jump to Lavelle's, and vice versa. It's confusing and poor editing.

My biggest issue with the book is that the motive for the killer is never revealed. I guessed the killer at 70% into the kindle edition and can guess at their motives but their motive for stalking Liv prior to the murders is never explained. Where they obsessed with her? Framing her? Making her look crazy? I don't necessarily appreciate when authors (or movies) have our villain monologue about their motives and decisions, but some clarification here would have been nice. Especially as it could have been included in the final chapters about the investigation. I recommend the book to anyone looking for a fun beach read, but not a book I loved.

Wow! A fast-paced thriller that had me hooked right from the start. Liv wakes up in a park. Not sure how she got there, she heads to her apartment only to find that it is now occupied by a couple she doesn’t know. As she traces the places and people that are in her life, she finds out that she can’t remember anything that has happened in the past two years. Liv finds messages written on her body that tell her that when she sleeps she forgets. Constantly struggling with the reset of her memory, Liv puts the pieces of her life together. But there’s another mystery, the same night that Liv slept in that park, a murder happened and the lead suspect was a woman that looked just like Liv. This book is good! I loved the suspenseful journey of Liv trying to figure out what has happened to her coupled with the slower burn of the flashbacks that show what led up to Liv waking up in the park. The twists kept me on pins and needles. The characters are written well and in a way that you can’t help but feel for each one of them. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Note: This was a really difficult review to write because it’s almost impossible not to spoil things!

I was immediately sucked in to this amnesia-laden story! I read it in two days!! It was kind of like 50 First Dates meets a police procedural, and add a side of creepy stalking!

Can you imagine waking up and not remembering anything about your recent life? It would be terrifying! I could feel Liv’s fear and paranoia throughout the whole book.

And can you imagine thinking that you’d possibly murdered someone before you fell asleep? How could you possibly prove that you hadn’t if you have no memory?

Did Liv kill someone? Or was it someone else? It was impossible to know for sure until close to the end! I loved the guessing game.

I have enjoyed all of Goldin’s books, thus far. I can’t wait for what she comes up with next!

Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan publishing and Megan Goldin for this ARC.. This was a thriller that was hard to put down..Back and forth timelines, which actually are pretty easy to decipher the going back and forth, not like other books that you have to go back pages or chapters to remember. .I loved all the storylines, and the characters within. This was a “great ride” of a story . 5 stars.

I’m officially obsessed with Megan Goldin! I loved her previous books and when I received an arc of this one, I was ecstatic! And let me tell you, this book did NOT disappoint! I actually went in expecting NOT to like it because of the mixed reviews. But, I always like to judge a book for myself because I’ve seen reviews on certain thrillers everyone seems to love that I actually didn’t like. Two things I always appreciate about an author is the ability to keep me reading and to keep me wondering who did it? And in this book, the author did just that! As I was reading, I found myself pausing to appreciate the book because she wrote such an intriguing tale that I truly went back and forth with suspects or theories so many times!

So, the premise: Liv wakes up and can’t remember anything that has happened the last two years. Every time she goes to sleep, it’s like her memory resets. When she realizes she may be wanted for murder, she does whatever she can to find out what happened. Is she a killer? Is that why she blacked out and can’t remember the last two years? Or is it something or someone else?

I so wanted to give this book 5 stars UNTIL the last couple of chapters. I felt it was a bit rushed. That does not discount what a great, twisty, mind boggling book this is! Cannot wait for her next book already!

I’m in the minority here. Most folks have loved Stay Awake. Me, not so much. The story involves a woman with amnesia. Every time Liv Reese falls asleep, she forgets her life over the past two years. The story begins with her waking in a cab. She doesn’t have her purse or her phone; what she does have is a bloody knife and writing all over her hands.
Meanwhile, a pair of detectives are investigating the murder of an unknown man where the words Wake Up have been written on the window. The same words that are on Liv’s hands.
I was engaged by the police procedural portion of this story. I enjoyed seeing the way the two detectives learned to work together and suss out what had happened. But Liv’s portions continually relied on over the top stretches of belief. She makes one stupid decision after another. Silly example, if she thinks a stalker is getting into her apartment, why doesn’t she change the locks? And I got so tired about hearing how sleep deprived she was. Her story veers back and forth between the time before and the present giving the reader clues as to what has led to her amnesia.
The book maintains a fast pace, with frequent changes in perspective and time period which definitely helped keep me going. I will admit that I was totally invested in seeing who was behind the murder. Golden threw up lots of possibilities and I, for one, didn’t get it right. The ending is strong, but it was too little, too late.
It didn’t help that I found the narrator’s voice for Liv’s portion irritating and whiny.
I’ve been a fan of Goldin’s other books so I will definitely give her another chance.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book.

I loved this book. I loved the various POVs, flashbacks, and semi parallel storylines. The writing flowed really well and kept great paced. The concept was pretty original and most importantly, I did not guess who-dun-it. Megan Goldin has officially cemented herself as a must-read for me.

Thank you St Martins Press for the approving my request and allowing me an ARC for an honest review.

This story grabbed me from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down. I've seen reviews mentioning 50 First Dates (which I have seen) meets Before I Go To Sleep or Momento (which I haven't read/seen) but, for me, this was original and compelling. I literally wanted to "Stay Awake" just so I knew wth was happening.

This book alternates between timelines so we get a good look into Liv Reese's life before she wakes up in a cab with no idea how she got there and her life as she knew it unravels. I think the switching of timelines is helpful in understanding her past with her boyfriend, Marco, roommate, Amy, job at Cultura magazine, and the creepy things that kept happening to her. It helped set up the current timeline and gave a clearer picture for the reader about the lead up to the current timeline.

Truly, I felt just as confused, in a good way, as Liv was. I felt very immersed in the story because of the murkiness of what was going on. I loved the detective's side of the story and learning all the things Halliday and Lavelle were learning along with them. The pacing of this story was excellent and kept me wanting to keep reading "just a few more pages."

What didn't work for me completely, were the loose ends/plot lines. There were two main story lines that never seemed to lead anywhere and were there I suppose for the purpose of throwing off the reader. The ending was also a bit too "clean" for me. Can't say to much but it all wrapped up with a pretty bow and I just wanted more explanation or struggle.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book regardless of some plot holes and confusion about some parts and how they could have happened. Although the story was somewhat unrealistic, the paranoid and distrustful atmosphere worked very well with this book.

Read if you like:
- Amnesia plot lines
- Alternating timelines
- Detective work plot lines
- Female detectives
- Fast paced reads
- Unreliable MCs

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the chance to read and review this book before its publication date (8/9/22). This is no way affected my review and all opinions are my own.

Liv Reese wakes up in a taxi in New York. She has no memory of how she got there. She’s also missing her cellphone and her purse. Yet, she has a wad of cash in her jean pocket and a bloodstained knife in her cardigan pocket.
The trip down the rabbit hole begins. Strangers are living in her apartment and have been for some time. As she stumbles around the city she sees the ink stains on her hands are actually messages. The most frightening is one that says “Stake Awake.”
She goes to her favorite salon and gets her hair cut and then to her office. The layout is completely different but people seem to know her and she’s taken to another room and set up with a laptop. When she turns it on she sees the date, she has lost two years of her life. The big story is that a man has been stabbed to death and the police are looking for a woman with long, dark hair. An hour ago she fit that description. She has a bloody knife. Did she kill him?
The problem is with her memory. Every time she goes to sleep her brain erases everything that’s happened in the past two years.
There are three timelines in this book. Liv’s present, two years before and the police as they investigate. Each timeline has a clue to the present danger she’s in.
I enjoy Megan Goldin’s books. The beginning of the story was a little too slow for me and that’s the reason I deducted a star.
The “real” killer seemed obvious to me. Still, once the threat to Liv’s life happened, it kept me turning pages.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reading copy.

This is the latest from a suspense author that I really enjoy.

What if every time you fall asleep you lose your memory of the last two years of your life? And what if you committed murder during one of those “blackouts”… or not.

This was an interesting premise for a plot, and Goldin does a great job of keeping what could have been a convoluted timeline in good order. We learn a little bit more each time we glimpse our heroine Liv’s life from two years before.

That said, as a reader, I do admit I did get tired of rehashing the empty spaces after each sleep (others helped her fill in the blanks along the way). But may I just say on a personal note, she faced her vulnerability with a lot less terror than I would have. Yikes! The big question of who she could trust kept me invested so I valiantly curbed my impatience of any repetition for the enlightenment of the endgame.

Nicely done…just be steadfast and above all, don’t fall asleep…I couldn’t resist. 😂

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the free early arc of Stay Awake for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Liv Reese wakes up in a cab and has no idea where she is. Her last memory was answering a call at her desk while working for a trendy magazine. She is dropped off in front of her apartment building, where her and her roommate, Amy, have been living. To her surprise, Amy is not the one who answers the door, but a random couple she has never seen. To make matters worse, Amy hasn't lived in this apartment for a few years now, and Liv has discovered she's carrying a bloody knife around in her pocket. Liv cannot remember anything, but written all over her hands are messages like "Stay Awake!" making her seem delusional and confused. Liv starts to put the pieces together and realizes that every time she falls asleep, she forgets everything in the past two years. Can things get worse? YES! While Liv is trying to stay awake long enough to figure out what is going on, a murder has taken place nearby with the a message written in blood on the window saying "Stay Awake!" and the perpetrator in question looks a lot like her. Will Liv stay awake long enough to find out if she's a murderer? Or is someone
actually out to get her...!

This book is suspenseful from page one and does not slow down! Fast paced, with no unnecessary dialogue, i was on my toes the whole time. I enjoyed this take on an unreliable narrator, as it was different to most books that follow this trope. I loved the short chapters and alternating POV, as we see Liv and the detectives simultaneously try and figure out what is happening. I will definitely be checking out more of Goldin's work! 4.5 caffeinated stars!!

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is available on August 9th, 2022!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for graciously sending me a copy of this e-book! #NetGalley @StMartinsPress

Stay Awake

STAY AWAKE by Megan Goldin is a solid thriller. I was so excited to read this book since I loved her other book The Night Swim. I’ll just let you know right now this book is not as good as The Night Swim. It’s about a woman, Liv, who has amnesia and might be a murderer. I really liked how this story was told in dual POV between Liv and the detective investigating the murder. Two narrators on the audiobook was great!! I much preferred the detective’s parts. I didn’t care for the constant and repetitive aspect of Liv’s parts. I’m all for an unreliable narrator but this one just didn’t work for me. There were a couple surprising twists but the lead up and reveal wasn’t spectacular. I think I was just a little bit disappointed because I was expecting to love this one as much as the Night Swim.
.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for my eARC and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!

Definitely an intriguing premise. The plot kept me interested, and the mystery was fairly satisfying overall. I would recommend this read for any fans of domestic suspense or murder mysteries in general.

4.25 stars

This book has an exceptional start and it keeps being pretty good for the first third of the book.

We have the story of a girl who wakes up, has no clue what is going on and everything she knows about her life seems to be outdated by a few years. The confusion grows even more when she's noticing the inscriptions on her body urging her to stay awake and not go to sleep.

This is a really good mystery and the story goes fast keeping the reader guessing all through out the book.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book!

What a tangled up story!
Liv wakes up and doesn’t remember anything. Her phone and wallet is missing. She goes to her apartment only to find someone else living there. She has a bloody kitchen knife wrapped in a t shirt and she’s not sure where it came from.
It’s a fast paced book that kept me on the edge of my seat.
It’s a page turner!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Firstly, thank you to St. Martin's Press, Megan Goldin and Netgalley for this ARC.

I had been looking forward to reading this from the moment I saw the cover and read the synopsis.

You wake up in a cab in NYC and don’t know where you are or how you got there. Your phone and keys are missing, but you find a large wad of cash in your pocket and cryptic messages are scribbled on your hands, reminding you to “stay awake” and to “trust no one.” As you start to piece together what happened to you, your face flashes across the news, saying you’re wanted for murder. How can you finds the answers to any of your questions if you keep forgetting them when you fall asleep?

Such a thrilling ride that I could not put down. I would have like some more of my “why” questions answered and flushed out, but overall an amazing read that I devoured.

Highly recommend!

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of an NYC taxi cab and doesn’t remember how she got there. The last things she remembers is answering a phone call at work. When the cab drops her off at her apartment she shares with her roommate, Amy, she is baffled that other people are living there. If that isn’t strange enough she is carrying around a bloody knife in a shirt. Trying to piece everything together she discovers that it is two years later than she remembers. What happened two years ago and could she have been involved in a murder that took place the night before? The writing all over her hands tells her to “Stay Awake” matching the words at the crime scene. As Liv tries to figure out what has happened to her there is someone out there who knows everything and won’t stop until all the lose ends are tied up.

Wow, wow, wow! This book goes from 0-100 real fast and never slows down. The plot is super interesting with Liv’s memory issues and I was biting my nails at points in the book. I love how fast paced this book was, no drawn out or unnecessary writing or dialogue just pure entertainment. I loved her other books and am not surprised at how utterly awesome this book was. I kind of wish I had no memory of this book so I could read it all over again for the first time. Read this book!

I very much enjoyed this novel. The plot kept me turning pages well into the night. The police elements seemed well-researched and realistic, as well as the memory-loss issues. I was wary this would be a copy of Before I Go To Sleep but it was quite different. I would recommend this one.

I was super excited about this one because I loved The Night Swim so much. It was a lot different than I expected it to be but I didn’t hate it! It kept me interested enough but it didn’t have me itching to read more every second. A little slow at times, but in the end, I did really enjoy the ending and it caught me off guard! 3/5 stars ⭐️

Thanks, NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This was a doozy, such a crazy thriller that had me not wanting to stop listening to the audiobook, I had to know how this was going to be resolved! So wild! I know a lack of sleep can make us crazy but our girl Liv was losing her dang mind. She wakes up and heads home, where someone else is living in her place. Turns out it’s 2 years later than she thinks it is, she apparently has written on herself to remind her what happens before she goes to sleep, oh and most importantly, she tells herself to STAY AWAKE, because she forgets it all again when she sleeps. Maddening, right? The reason she needs to stay awake is there have been a couple of murders she is tied to, can’t remember if she did it or not, and seems the most obvious suspect.

This was a fast paced page turner and I thought it was very well done. We have Megan’s POV as well as the POV of the detective on the case and this POV was very helpful. It got a little repetitive as the reader to have to be told along with Megan what happened each time as well, but it was a different spin each time and we progressed further into the story after each sleep so that was good.

This was very well done, I was so intrigued with how this was going to end as very often these types of stories start strong but end flat. However, I promise you this one does not. Just make sure you set aside some time for this one, because once you start you will not be able to put it down until you are done!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy to review. Pub date is 8/9/22 and you definitely want to have this one on your radar for August!