I loved Megan Goldin's Night Swim, so I was highly anticipating Stay Awake and was so excited when I received a review copy. Sadly, while this book has been receiving a lot of praise and great reviews, it just did not work for me.

Stay Awake follows main character Liv who loses her memory every time she falls asleep. We also have the point of view of the police detective trying to solve a murder that Liv seems to be connected with. The story is told between 2 timelines and progressively helps the reader understand more of Liv's background and her current predicament.

This book was a fast read and I completed it in 2 sittings. I was curious and anxious to get to the end to officially discover the whodunnit and the why, which I think is where my greatest disappointment comes from. *This next section contains spoilers* In the time point 2 years prior (the time point prior to the murder the detective is investigating), there is a traumatic event that Liv experiences. When we get to the end of the novel, there are threads relating to this initial trauma and timeline that left unconnected. For instance, we do not learn the motivations behind this event. While the motivations can likely be assumed, there are also periphery events that are never explained. Is the whodunnit trying to mess with Liv, trying to scare her (and if so, why), trying to create a red herring or were these events completely unconnected. We never learn it. This was a major hole to me and something that detracted from my overall enjoyment of the novel. Had this hole been filled (which when it goes to publishing, it very well could be), this read would have likely been an either 3 or 4 star read for me. But as is, I struggle to call it good with this piece missing.

Another drawback was that it was very repetitive. This can be partially explained by the main character's memory lapses, but for the reader, it still became a bit tiresome and redundant and I believe the author could have found a workaround to cut down on this burden, maybe by not writing it in first person.

Lastly, something with the writing style in this novel was not connecting with me. It often felt choppy and informal when I wanted smooth and flowing.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

While this book as I read it didn't work for me, were the plot hole fixed, I would be open to rereading and re-evaluating this novel. It had great potential and I was intrigued, I just didn't feel like I could overlook that missing motivation.

This is a story about a girl who really needs to get some sleep.

I loved the authors first, so I was delighted to receive an audio/eArc of this one- and I enjoyed it even more than anticipated! The premise was incredibly unnerving- imagine forgetting everything everytime you fell asleep? And it was *so* well executed that I never found myself unable to believe the narrative. I was suspicious of everyone, and convinced I knew what was going to happen- but I ended up totally surprised by the end. I really hope to see this made into a movie- it’s like something between Momento & Before I Go to Sleep, both of which I loved.

Thank you so much @netgalley @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio for the e & audio arcs!

STAY AWAKE
by Megan Goldin
Release date: 08/09/2022

Liv wakes up in a cab with a message in her hand. Stay. Awake. She tried to go to her apartment, but someone else lives there. Her cat is gone. The only person who does know her is the bartender at a nightclub. Somehow she can’t remember the last two years of her life, she loses her memory due to trauma and is instantly back 2 years ago - with no memory of the days prior. this is a for-real coping mechanism, see def below. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Dissociative amnesia is amnesia (memory loss) caused by trauma or stress, resulting in an inability to recall important personal information. People have gaps in their memory, which may span a few minutes to decades.

So Darcy Halliday is one badass detective. She did several combat tours in Iraq and worked he way up the ranks to detective pretty fast. You will love her. I hope there are more books with this character in the future. And please make sure Jack Lavelle is there, he is a def a favorite too. They just made the book kick more ass. 🙌🏼
They’re called to an apartment with a man who’s been murdered, the killer used his blood to write a message on the wall.
The messages match one on Liz’s hand. (There are a few different messages ). She uses those messages to jar her memory.
It’s a crazy, fast-paced, page-turning. Thriller ride. I devoured this book
5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟S҉҉T҉҉A҉҉R҉҉S҉҉


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I love Megan Goldwins writing. She does a great job at short, fast paced chapters that keep the reader interested and make it easy to fly through one of her books. While this one jumped a bit too much for my taste, it was well written and the main character was made to be understood. I guessed the ending twist about halfway through the book, but I still enjoyed reading it to see how it played out to the end. This was a solid fast paced thriller. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Megan Goldin delivers again.

STAY AWAKE opens with Liv waking up in the back of a taxi, with no idea where she is or how she got there. She buzzes her apartment -- can't find her keys -- just to find an irate stranger who claims to live there now. And then when she slips her hand into her pocket, she finds a wad of cash and a t-shirt wrapped around a bloodstained knife.

Perspective switches between Liv in the present day, homicide Detective Halliday, and Liv two years ago.

The plot's more developed than I let on above, but I don't want to give too much away. Suffice it to say, I hit the halfway point and still wasn't quite sure where the story was going -- a true sign of a good mystery/thriller. Not to mention this book managed to hold my attention when that was a tall order.

Very excited for whatever Goldin writes next, and for friends to get to enjoy this one too.

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