Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Stay Awake.

I enjoyed the author's previous book so I was excited to be offered the opportunity to read Stay Awake.

The hook was so exciting that I downloaded the ARC once I received it.

Sadly, I found the concept more interesting than the narrative itself.

First, Liv Reese is an irritating character. I realize she suffers from severe memory loss and is an unreliable character, but for someone with a horrifying condition, she seemed strangely calm every time she woke up with no memories.

Second, there was a lack of urgency and suspense in the entire plot. I guessed the reason behind Liv's memory loss from the second chapter and identified the killer in the third chapter.

But, I read a lot of mysteries/thrillers so it wasn't hard to figure out where the author was going.

Third, Liv is a typical cliche; nice, innocent but naive; a bit of a doormat who spent most of her life pre-memory loss mooning over her boyfriend and orbiting her very charismatic, gorgeous BFF. This is a book; almost everyone is stunning or devastatingly handsome.

I liked the detectives, but not so much that I want to hang out with them. At least they didn't bicker or harangue one another.

I was hoping their presence meant the plot would follow a police procedural where they follow clues and talk to witnesses but that was not to be.

The writing was fine, but this isn't one of the author's best. I do look forward to her next book.

Megan Golden never fails to draw me make my heart race as I keep turning the pages.I will not give anything away other then Liv will keep you reading late into the night follow all the twists and turns and keep guessing.#netgalley #st.Martins

I liked this much better than I expected to when I started reading it. I think the perspective changes helped a lot--I couldn't have handled the entire story being from Liv's POV. Anyway, it fooled me, a Hot Dummy, enough that the most obvious answer didn't even occur to me. Neat.

Once I started reading an advance copy of STAY AWAKE by Megan Goldin I finished it within a day. The book plays with memory and murder. The chapters alternate between the female protagonist and the detectives trying to identify, then track her down. Liv’s story also alternates between the present day and what happened to her two years ago that makes her lose her memory every time she wakes up. Did she commit this murder (she doesn’t know) and if she didn’t, who else could it have been? A good, fast paced mystery that was a joy to read. Five Stars to Megan Goldin’s STAY AWAKE. To be published in August 2022.

I could not put this book …from the first page until the last! A true thriller that keeps the reader guessing the entire read. Highly recommended!

Cool plot, book was irritatingly repetitive. I understand the MC has issues with memory loss and that's kind of the premise, but it got frustrating to read the same scene three different times.

I really liked this thriller!! Great premise and fun film noir feel, this story is about a woman who loses her memory every time she wakes up. We come to discover this is because of a trauma in her past. She spends the course of a day going from clue to clue, occasionally falling asleep and having to start over. Simultaneously the police are hot on her tail. This narrative is interspersed with a parallel timeline from two years ago leading up to the traumatic incident that started the memory loss. I found this book to be quite fun and well done and would recommend it as a solid suspenseful thriller. I would give it 3.5 stars. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review it in advance of its publish date.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Megan Goldin. This was another thrill ride for me. Megan Goldin is my auto read author. She has not done me wrong yet. This book was just so good. For the first 70% of the book, my heart was just pounding. I was just living Liv's life. I do not give spoilers but this book didn't fail and it is a must read.

Suspense with a capital "S"! What a compelling read. Liv Reese, the main character, can't figure out what's happened to her life. She's two years behind time for some reason. Is it time travel? Although I eventually had a theory, I wasn't sure until another character explained what was going on. But is that the end of the story? No way. It just gets scarier as Liv unwittingly gets herself into dangerous situations. She simply doesn't know who she can trust in this"s unfamiliar world. Liv resorts to writing messages on her hands and arms like "Don't sleep" and "Stay awake."

On top of all of this, someone is trying to frame her for murder. And they're doing a good job: some of the police are convinced.

Set aside a nice chunk of time and read "Stay Awake."

Wow! Another fantastic read by Megan Goldin. The storyline of this book was very unique to the situation of the main character which kept it exciting. I read it in 2 1/2 days. I loved that the chapters were short and succinct because I could just keep reading and reading.

I felt sorry for Liv for all that she was going through until I found out she brought it on herself. So many twists and turns, when I thought I'd figured out whodunnit, there was another twist to keep me guessing.

This story is the epitome of when you have no one you can trust, you can only trust yourself but can she?

Liv wakes up in the middle of the night in a cab with no idea how she got there. When she gets to her apartment a husband and wife answer the door and insist they live there. When she looks in the mirror her hair is much longer and darker then it was this morning.

What the what??

And so begins one of the best books I read this year. FIVE STARS!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.

My favorite books are those that move quickly while feeding out information at a slow but steady pace, just a little in each chapter to keep you hooked while withholding the critical bits until the very end. On this score, Megan Goldin's new novel, Stay Awake, checked every box for me. No slow burner here. From the very first sentence, I was instantly drawn into the story and immersed in the plot. This compulsive read kept me turning the pages as fast as I could to find out why Liv Reese didn't know what was happening to her or remember parts of her past. I was obsessed with this story and while I couldn't wait to find out the big reveal, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to it. In my opinion, this is Megan Goldin's best book to date.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

When Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi she has no idea where she is or how she got there. Another couple is living in what should be her apartment, none of her friends are answering their phones, there is a bloody knife in her pocket, and writing all over her hands with the message...stay awake. Liv soon discovers the police are searching for her as she is the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Uncertain where to turn or who to trust she tries to piece together her missing memories but someone doesn't want her to remember and he's coming for her.

Stay Awake is a tense and unsettling new thriller by author Megan Goldin. I love her novels and was excited to dive into this twisty new tale. Liv has an unusual amnesia due to a traumatic event that causes her to forget everything when she falls asleep. The situation becomes even more alarming as Liv doesn't realize that someone is looking for her who doesn't want her to remember. The novel transitions between Liv's most recent fugue and the events leading up to two years prior when she experienced the trauma. There are a few twists and turns in this novel along with a cast of disturbing and unpleasant characters to keep you guessing until the end. Another fantastic novel that I didn't want to put down...a must read for 2022!

Four and one-half stars

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

A sense of desperation is Liv Reese’s constant companion. She awakes in the back of a taxi not knowing how she got there. Strangers are living in the apartment she’s certain she shares with her best friend, Doctor Amy Decker. Amy’s phone is off, so Liv assumes she’s on duty at the hospital. And someone who isn’t Marco answers her boyfriend’s phone.

Writing, like graffiti, covers Liv’s hands . . . Stay Awake . . . Wake Up . . . the name and address of a place called Nocturnal. But everything around her feels strange and the past two years of her life are a blank, a complete mystery. Why can’t she remember any of it?

And then there’s the body and the message written on the window that matches the writing on her hands. What did she have to do with the murder? And can she find the answers before someone steps in and puts an end to her quest for answers?

=========

The intriguing premise of this propulsive thriller pulls readers into the telling of the tale from the outset. The tension is palpable; an undercurrent of foreboding throughout the narrative keeps the suspense building.

Told from Liz’s perspective, the narrative alternates between events in the present and events two years in the past [the last ones that Liv can remember], providing the necessary backstory for Liv’s story. Occasionally, this switch in time frames is a bit unsettling, but the chilling tale keeps those pages turning as fast as possible.

The swift pace of the telling of the tale keeps readers guessing as the plot takes several surprising twists. Unexpected revelations weave the disparate details into a multifaceted tapestry of connected events that slowly reveal the complex mystery of Liv’s missing years.

Strong, relatable characters and an intricately-layered plot work together to keep the readers on the edge of their seats throughout the telling of the story. Although the ending of this difficult-to-set-aside thriller may surprise readers, they are sure to find the denouement of Liv’s complex story to be completely satisfying.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley
#StayAwake #NetGalley

Liv was a magazine writer. She lived with Amy, an intern at a local Hospital. Liv dated Marco and Amy dated Brett, another physician. Two years and three months go by and Liv is living in a constant state of confusion. She has found a scar near her rib cage she doesn’t understand. She also has gone back to the apartment where she and Amy lived to find other people living there. She also finds, on her person, a bloody knife wrapped in a t-shirt that she puts in the trash. She discovers through a friend that each time she goes to sleep she forgets everything that has happened to her in the past two years. I won’t go any further into the plot because of spoilers, but I can tell you that today was a ‘lost’ day because I spent the majority of it reading and finishing Stay Awake. What can I say…Megan Goldin has done it again. Thanks to Net Galley and St. martin’s Press for an ARC for an honest review.

I'm just going to say it:  I'm a huge fan of Megan Goldin.  I really liked The Escape Room.  I really loved Night Swim.  At this rate, I could not wait to tear into this one.  STAY AWAKE. 

Liv Reese wakes up suddenly, in the back of a taxi—with no idea how she got there, and with a bloody knife where her cell phone usually is. Her bloodstained hands have two words written on them...STAY AWAKE.

This book unfolds at a breakneck speed, playing with memory and murder, and will definitely keep you up all night!! I finished it in one whirlwind of a weekend...and that's saying something (as I have a 2 year old and 4 year old who don't give me much of a break).  And I loved it.  It was a crazy, wild ride and I was kept guessing right up until the end.  I've never read anything quite like this one and REALLY enjoyed it. 5 stars!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Pub date: 8/9/22
Genre: thriller
In one sentence: Liv Reese wakes up with no memory, a bloodied knife in her pocket, and notes all over arms telling her to stay awake - what happened to her?

The Night Swim is one of my favorite thrillers, so I was really excited to read this one! After reading a number of psychological thrillers that all blended together, this one felt really fresh and new. The Memento-like structure - two timelines with constant resets in the present due to Liv's memory loss - worked really well here. I could feel Liv's confusion and relate to it because I didn't know much more than she did. The narrative also included the perspectives of the detectives trying to track down Liv, and I enjoyed seeing them work. I had a hint of who the killer might be, but I was still surprised with the unraveling of the mystery.

I ended up reading this one in one sitting, and I think a lot of other readers will have that experience! If you're sick of slow burn mysteries - this is a great fast-paced thriller to pick up! 4.5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review posted to Goodreads 12/19/21, to be posted to Instagram closer to pub date.