Megan Goldin has done it again! This book was absolutely riveting and I read through it in two days! I consider myself a great mystery solver and often times when I read books like this, I can smell out the culprit or plot twist right away. I'm not sure if I'm out of practice or if Megan just did a great job distracting me, but I didn't see it coming until almost the twist was revealed.

Such a well thought out storyline and I love how it jumps from the past to the present as it was a great way to paint a picture of what was happening; without giving too much away. You will definitely stay awake reading this.

OMG. Megan Goldin can do no wrong. Her novels blow me away every single time. This book was no different and let me tell you how excited I was to read it... definitely lived up to my expectations and beyond. The writing is simply amazing and the characters always jump off of the pages. Wow, just wow. The suspense kept me up all night reading this.

Goldin does it again. A thriller masterpiece of intrigue, twists and turns, and an unexpected ending. I love the setting and characters as well.

The suspense and despair crackles on every page of this thriller, making it a particularly fast read for me. I tried not to imagine myself in Liv's shoes because it seemed all too hopeless.

Whenever she wakes up from sleeping, Liv can't remember anything that happened before she fell asleep, even after a short nap. In fact, the only way she can remember anything that has occurred in the last two years, or anything she desperately needs to remember, is to record it in a journal, or on Post-Its, or on her own hands and arms. And the messages she writes herself are growing more urgent and more alarming--stay awake, don't fall asleep, don't trust anyone. She has to rely on others to help her find her apartment, her favorite night spot, her car, and to tell her what she should be doing. Unfortunately, not everyone is reliable or worthy of her trust.

The story goes back and forth in time, sometimes back two years, sometimes back 24 hours, sometimes in the present, gradually revealing much of the information we need to know to understand what is happening to Liv. The author ramps up the creepiness to a fever pitch all the way until the end of the book.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's for providing me with this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was un-put-down-able! This is my third Megan Goldin - since her release of the Escape Room a few years ago, I've read all her new releases. I just discovered in preparation for this review, that she has one more book - her debut - that I haven't read yet. I'll be remedying that this year, and in the future, all of her books will be on my radar.

I absolutely loved this one. The premise is pretty awesome, and while I did figure out the mystery (I read a lot of mystery and sometimes it just jumps out to me), I loved the ride. I was so sucked in that I couldn't stop reading it. I needed to know what happened, both in the present and in Liv's past.

This was an intensely-paced and fantastically plotted, with reveals showing up at just the right speed.

My only gripe was that the main character was supposed to be an American, and it's set in New York City, but some of the language used is clearly outside US vernacular. Example: whereas in the US, we'd say "his phone was busy" or "she got a busy signal when she called him," this novel uses "his phone was engaged."

All in all, a very minor gripe, but did pull me out of the story a little bit.

If you're a fan of fast pace, danger at every turn, and never knowing who to trust kinda thrillers, this novel is for you! Highly recommended.

The premise of this is like 50 First Dates, but replace Adam Sandler with a murderer. Basically, a woman has a form of amnesia that causes her to lose all new memories every time she goes to sleep- which could be at night, or nodding off in random public places during the day. I would make a terrible protagonist in this situation because I would immediately take myself to the nearest hospital or police station and tell them I can't remember anything and they need to figure out who I am and what happened. The opposite happens in this book, so it's basically just her running around the city trying to figure out things on her own and also trying not to fall asleep so she doesn't forget everything. Plus, you know, avoid a murderer. Overall, a fun read with lots of twists and a satisfying ending.

This was my first book by Megan Goldin. True to its title, it kept me awake to finish it in one setting. It was compelling and riveting with amazing story. I thoroughly enjoyed the thrilling ride and kept thinking about it after turning the last page. This itself shows how much impact it has on me.

Liv Reese is suffering from a rare form of amnesia after a traumatic event in her life. She forgets everything that happened after this event so she lost memories of two years of her life. On top of this, when she wakes up from sleep, she forgets what happened on the previous days. This book starts with a murder and Liv waking up with a wad of cash and bloody knife in her jacket pocket with no memory of how she got it.

Narrated with three points of view, one, where Liv finds out she was the murder suspect, trying to keep awake, putting pieces together of how/why her life turned out the way it is now, who was responsible for the assault happened two years ago, another timeline about cops investigating and trying to capture the murderer and the last one goes back to Liv’s previous life and leading up to the gruesome life changing event.

I couldn’t imagine even a microsecond life with this type of amnesia. Goldin has brilliantly crafted Liv’s character, her helplessness. My heart was heavy reading about Liv’s plight. The dynamic detective duo was another highlight of this book. Their vast experience and attention to details, and different approaches they follow were delightful to read. Besides the tight storyline, gripping plot, this painstaking investigation stole the show.

In the middle, I felt some aspects of the story were repeated a few times. After turning the last page, I was left with a couple of questions. One of which was why the perpetrator carried out his/her first heinous act. Did the author provide the reason? Or I simply missed it? Deduced the reason but it was unconvincing to me. Didn’t get the whole point of that stalking?

Overall, I really really liked this book. I highly recommend it.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin in a solid psychological thriller. Liv Reese is a thirty-something professional in New York when she wakes up from a nap in a taxi to find the world is not as she left it. The last thing she remembers is answering the phone at her desk in her Manhattan office. Now the seasons have changed, there are other people living in her apartment, and she cannot get in touch with her best friend or boyfriend over the phone. Things keep getting stranger, and she realizes that she may be in danger -- or she may be the danger.

Clear your schedule before you start to read Stay Awake because you are not going to be able to put this heart pounding thriller down!

Liv Reese is an arts and food writer for a stylish magazine. Her best friend is Amy, her new boyfriend is Marco. Life is good. It is until she wakes up in a New York taxi, without phone or identification. Amy and Marco seem to have disappeared and her magazine has all new employees. Her only clues are the words written on her hands: “Wake up! Stay awake!” Then to her horror, on a news bulletin, she sees that Wake up! has been written on the window of the apartment of a dead man, a man she’s never seen before. What can’t she remember? And what will happen to her when she does?

As two detectives investigate the murder, they link Liv to the killing and possibly to earlier crimes. Liv is confused and can only believe what she wrote as advice: ”Don’t trust anyone!” As she wanders through New York looking for her past, she’s followed by those who want to help her and those who…don’t.

Megan Goldin builds tension carefully in this compelling psychological thriller, full of so many twists and turns. The nail biting conclusion is a total surprise. 5 stars.

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

This book got my heart racing. Also, I couldn’t sleep I needed to read and finish the book so the title of the book was very fitting. This book was really well done, it was everything you’d want in a thriller. Heart pumping, whodunnit, what happened, what’s real, what is sleep and adulting type of book. Bravo, Megan Goldin this one is definitely one to keep an eye out for this late summer! You won’t sleep, you wont stop until you know and you wont guess who.

Starting out 2022 with a pulse pounding thrill that has the edge of your seat excitement everyone should experience!! Liv is the perfect character scripted for this plot. I didn't see the ending until late in the book it didn't give much away. Liv seems to have dead bodies and murder follow her..... but she can't really remember to tell you why or what happened. She leaves clues for herself written on post its and herself, but they don't really make sense when she can't remember what they really add up to! Detective Darcy Halliday is a fierce character digging for the truth not just what the evidence says on the surface. This storyline was immensely immersing from start to finish...I had a hard time putting it down to do anything else once I started it!!! Each chapter, each page was engaging pulling back layer to layer of the mystery surrounding Liv needing to "stay awake" and not fall asleep since all her memories would trickle away from the day making it harder to find out why she had a body count attached to her name!!! Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this 5 star psychological thriller!!!

Having read Megan Goldin books in the past, I was excited for this one. However, I will say it was not my favourite of her books. I was confused in the beginning, which I guess mirrored the main character's confusion, but I found it annoying to be so lost when I was trying to get a handle on the character of Liv. I figured out who the villain was early on and it didn't fit for me in terms of motive towards Liv. It felt contrived. There were also a couple of plot points I didn't understand or weren't resolved. It just seemed a bit far fetched. On the plus side, I very much enjoyed the police characters of Darcy and Jack and would have loved to see more of them. Thank you St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy, I look forward to seeing what Megan Goldin comes out with next!

This book intrigues you from the beginning. Liv Reese wakes up in a taxi and has no memory of how she got there. The last thing she remembers is being at work answering the phone on a warm summer day. She gets out at her brownstone and hopes that Amy is there to let her in as she realizes she has no keys, purse or cell phone. She gets an answer from the apartment only to discover that someone else is living there. She leaves the brownstone only to discover in her pocket is a t-shirt wrapped around knife she puts this in garbage can. She notices she has wrote messages on her hands:STAY AWAKE.

She sees on the news that someone is murdered and wonders if this can somehow be related to her? Why can't she remember anything from the past two years? She keeps trying to get ahold of Amy hoping she will be able to explain what's happened. She becomes a person of interest in the murder and is trying to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together to unlock her past and move forward. This is a fast paced thriller that was hard to put down.

Thank you NetGalley for ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Halliday and Lavelle reminded me so much of Benson and Stabler that I had to simultaneously read Stay Awake while watching episodes of SVU. I loved this book. It was like reading a movie…or…reading an episode of SVU lol. I really hope Goldin writes more with this pair of detectives, because I am hooked. This was such an awesome and unique thriller.

Having read two of the author's previous books, I was eagerly looking forward to this one, and she did not disappoint. Liv Reeves wakes up in the back of a cab having no idea where she is, she is carrying a bloodied knife wrapped in a sweater and notices writing on her hands, Stay Awake, Trust No One. She eventually ends up at her apartment she shares with Amy, a doctor, only to find out a couple are living there and have no idea who she is. Liv also notices that it's fall, she remembers taking a call at work in bright sunshine and thought it had been around early summer. We learn through alternative points of view that Liv had been dating Marco, an entrepreneur. Liv also receives calls from someone asking where she is and wanting the knife back. There is a news article that describes the killing of a man where the words Stay Awake were written in blood on a window in the apartment. Liv starts to think she might have had something to do with it but has no memory of it. Two detectives investigate the murder and quickly determine their main suspect is Liv. There is a lot of back and forth between the timelines, but I did not find it hard to keep track of the story lines. Liv is a very resourceful person and although I had an inkling of who the bad person was, the ending was very satisfying. I would highly recommend. Thank you to #Netgalley and #St Martin's for the ARC.

This was a FUN ride!

I've read all of Goldin's works and while I really liked Night Swim, I didn't love it the way most people did. It was good, a solid read and enjoyable, but I preferred The Escape Room and really held out hope Stay Awake would be another home run. It was.

This was such a fun and wild ride. Goldin has a way of getting her hooks deep into you and nothing else matters. Chores? Cleaning? Adulting? Forget it. You're into the book and you're not putting it down until its finished! I read this in ONE DAY! I started it on our flight home and got to 52% in 2.5 hours. I couldn't stop. Then when we got home, I rushed through dinner so I could pick it back up and finished it before bedtime.

While I had a hunch who the bad guy was, I 100% talked myself out of it multiple times and talked myself into someone else. I was convinced I knew who it was and that is always a sign of a great story teller - if you can convince yourself based on their own words who it is then change your mind over and over and become more confused!

The pacing of this book was phenomenal - the story was fresh and I was thoroughly creeped out, in the best way possible.

I think this is my favorite Goldin work to date! I'm just sad I read it so early in the year - but mark your calendars, this gem drops August 9, 2022 and WILL be a buzzed about book!

Liv has a form of amnesia caused by a personal tragedy in which each time she falls asleep, she cannot remember anything since the tragedy happened. Each time she wakes she is confused, but reads clues she writes on her hands to try to discover what happened to her. She soon learns she is wanted for the murder of her boyfriend and roommate, one she cannot remember committing.

There was not a build up of suspense and a wow moment, but simply a well written storyline that keeps you reading well into the night to find out what really happened and who did it.

Megan Goldin has her finger firmly on the pulse-point of suspense. STAY AWAKE delivers her trademark signature of unrelenting tension, intriguing characterizations, and whiplash pacing. Don't expect to sleep if you pick this up at night....

I read STAY AWAKE straight through in one sitting. I had chores, and errands to run, but instead sat with my eyes glued to the page. Living in Liv Reese's world is complicated, at any moment she could fall asleep and have her entire life disappear upon waking. And when you wake up to find you are holding a bloody knife - and have no idea how or why - well, things get complicated. Especially when your note to yourself says "trust no one" and someone else is living in your apartment and you can't find your boyfriend. Although the villain was fairly easy to figure out, the way Goldin presented Liv's dilemma and thoroughly immerses the reader in it was gripping. Great read.

Had me on edge of my seat and kept me guessing throughout book .....great story line and character development. Enjoyed this book and hope to read more by this author!