Liv Reese shows up home at her apartment building with no memory of the night before. Had she been drinking that much? She reaches for her phone but it's not there, nor is her purse. No keys then. She buzzes for her roommate to let her into the building. But it's not her roommate who shows up at the door. A couple she doesn't know comes to the door. They don't want to let her in but the man agrees to let her in long enough to borrow his phone. When she enters what she thought was her apartment, she doesn't recognize anything. None of her furniture or belongings are there. She calls her roommate but gets a message that the number is out of service.

Liv leaves after finding a knife in her pocket which she hurls away and heads back to the bar where she had been earlier. Her phone and purse aren't there but the bartender gets her a taxi and sends her to a hotel. Liv finds she has quite a lot of money in her pockets. The next morning she goes to the magazine where she works and where her last memory is of answering her phone. She finds no one there she knows and people who assume that she is back visiting from London where they believe she has been leaving.

A murder is on the television news and all the newspapers as well as everyone's lips. A man was killed in an apartment, stabbed. The words Stay Awake have been written in blood on the window. Liv looks down and sees the same words written on her hand. Has she somehow lost two years? Who is the man and why does she think she is involved?

Megan Goldin started her writing career as a correspondent. She is now writing psychological thrillers and has had several successful novels. This one is particularly scary as it is easy to imagine oneself in Liv's shows, unsure what is going on and everything you thought you knew turning out to be wrong. Liv is determined to find the truth and that is dangerous for her as someone is tracking her every move waiting for a chance to end her forever. I listened to this novel and had to stop it occasionally as the tension mounted. This book is recommended for mystery fans.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a heart-pounding thriller that throws readers into a whirlwind of paranoia, mystery, and non-stop suspense. The story follows Liv Reese, who wakes up in New York City with no memory of the last two years—her hands covered in cryptic messages like “Stay Awake” and “Don’t trust anyone”. As she pieces together her fractured reality, Liv realizes she’s at the center of a deadly crime she doesn’t remember committing.

Goldin expertly blends amnesia-driven suspense with a relentless cat-and-mouse chase, keeping the tension high and the twists unexpected. The fragmented narrative mirrors Liv’s disorientation, pulling readers into her confusion and fear while maintaining a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat momentum.

5 stars — a smart, twisty thriller that’s impossible to put down. Perfect for fans of Before I Go to Sleep and The Girl on the Train, who love an unreliable narrator and a race against time.

What a ride! Liv wakes up one day only to discover that she's lost all memory of the past two years. She's shocked to discover some shocking things on her person and has no idea how they got there or what they mean. She's thrown into a whirlwind of confusion and tries desperately to find out what happened in her life two years previously.

Liv keeps waking up each day only to find that she's lost all memory of the previous two years, including the day before. So it's like she constantly loses memory of what she just learned. So she finds out all over again that she might've murdered someone but she can't believe that. She discovers again that people she thought she was still in contact with are no longer alive or she's no longer in contact for one reason or another.

The narrator definitely added to the thrill and excitement of what was going on in Liv's life as she tried to discover the truth to her lost two years. The voice inflections were appropriate and the pacing also contributed to the emotional state Liv was going through at various times.

Pros:
• Unique and gripping premise centered on memory loss.
• Taut pacing that keeps the suspense high.
• Strong sense of urgency and atmospheric tension.

Cons:
• The repetitive nature of the plot can feel tedious.
• Some characters lack depth, making it hard to fully connect.
• The ending wraps up a bit too quickly.

Quick Rating Style

Rating: ★★★½☆
Summary: Stay Awake hooks you with its unique concept and keeps you guessing, but the repetitive plot and rushed conclusion hold it back from being a standout thriller.

Creative Blurb

Imagine waking up with no memory of the past two years and finding cryptic notes scrawled on your hands warning you to “stay awake.” That’s the chilling setup for Megan Goldin’s Stay Awake, a high-stakes thriller that keeps you turning pages. While the tension is palpable and the twists surprising, the story’s repetitiveness may leave some readers feeling like they’re stuck in a loop along with the protagonist.

Who Should Read It?

If you love psychological thrillers with a unique twist, plenty of suspense, and unreliable narrators, Stay Awake is worth a try. Fans of Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson will likely enjoy the mind-bending journey, even if it’s not perfect.

I loved this novel. The suspense and twists made it so hard to put down. You don’t know what to expect next or what’s to come. Megan Goldin definitely has a talent for suspense and thrillers.

I found the audio book just as good as the ebook novel. The narrator does a great job at bringing the story to life.

I was really excited to read Stay Awake because amnesia is one of my favorite thriller tropes. I enjoyed the story and mystery behind Liv’s amnesia and it made sense why she was having these bouts of amnesia as well. I felt just as stressed and panicked as Liv was each time she woke up with no memory and no clue where she was. It also gave me slight Memento vibes with how she was writing on her body things to remember.

What I didn’t like was the underwhelming reveal of the killer and the multi-POV’s. I don’t have an issue with the identity of the killer but I found the climax and aftermath to be lacking. Maybe if we had seen this character more and had more of an explanation for why they did what they did I wouldn’t have been as underwhelmed. I also strongly dislike multi-POV’s because often times I find one POV uninteresting. I felt the same way here. I didn’t care for the POV of the detectives and I rather have had it focused on Liv only. Between the flashbacks of the past and the multi-POV’s it felt like too much. Overall though, I enjoyed the story and thought it was a decent amnesia thriller.

I was not able to give a proper feedback to this since there was a technical issue with my copy.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this.

I thoroughly loved this book. It was clever and kept me so engaged, I couldn't wait to see what happened next. This was an excellent thriller.

STAY AWAKE is a solid thriller. Goldin never disappoints when it comes to building the tension and developing her characters. However, I feel like this is something I have read before. Normally, I love the way the author takes her unique spin on things, but this one just didn't shine as much as her previous books for me. It is still a bingeable read and I completely enjoyed it. I guess THE ESCAPE ROOM still is my favorite.

I receive the complimentary book via NetGalley in return for a honest review. Thank you to Megan Goldin & NetGalley. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

This is my second book by Megan Goldin. The book is a quick, fast-paced thriller. It wasn’t my favorite book but it isn’t bad either. If your in the mode for a quick triller read, this would be a good option.

The book is in two timelines: 2 years previously and the present-told through the perspectives of Liv and a detective on the case, Darcy Halliday. The story was entertaining and had good twists, but not super surprising. I figured most of it out pretty quickly, but it was still a great read.

Holy cannoli!!! Told from dual pov’s this story had me gripped. This author had me looking every which way trying to figure out what was really happening.

There were a couple moments I was like hmm really. (How many public phones have you seen lately 🤣) but for the most part I was gripped and didn’t want to sleep until I was finished.

I did have an issue with one narrator. At times they pronounced words oddly. (Turquoise as Turq-WAZE, Houston as Who-ston) which took me out of the story not enough it made me stop listening.

This really keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the end. I loved how different this book was and felt it was a solid 3 thriller suspense.

This book had a lot of potential. I mean imagine waking up and not remembering anything that happened in the last 2 years?

It follows Liv who is suffering from amnesia every time she wakes up, therefore has to try to remember to STAY AWAKE.

I felt like parts were repetitive because you are reading it from Liv’s POV, so whenever she wakes up the same things go through her mind, which is mostly confusion.

The storyline takes you back and forth from 2 years ago, to present day, to 2 days ago.

The twist wasn’t that shocking and honestly I was left with some questions.

Liv Reese is a woman with a big problem. She wakes up in a cab, without her purse or phone. She doesn't remember where she has been., The last thing she remembers is answering her phone at work that afternoon. She worries how she is going to pay the driver without her wallet, but when she reaches in her wallet, she finds a large roll of money. The driver drops Liv off at her apartment, but she realizes she doesn't have her keys. It's 2:30 AM and she knows she'll be waking her roommate, Amy. She rings the buzzer, knowing that her roomie of many years will be angry at being awakened. But Amy doesn't answer. After persistent buzzing, a strange couple comes to the door, who inform her that it wasn't her apartment, that they had lived there for months, and there was no Amy living there either. Liv knows she is at the right apartment, but she leaves,. She notices that her arms have writing all over them, including the words "Stay Awake" and "Don't Sleep". Reaching in to her pocket, she finds a bloody knife wrapped in a cloth. Terrified, Liz doesn't know what to do next.
Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a suspenseful and thrilling mystery. It kept me intrigued until the very end.
I was given an ARC of Stay Awake by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#netgalley
#suspense
#mystery
#megangoldin
#stayawake

This one was crazy! It messes with your mind by using your memory against you. I was guessing throughout the whole story. I did not see the twists coming. I love that! The story goes back and forth between the current day and flashbacks. If these things appeal to you, check it out! I cannot wait to read more by this author. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was a really unique thriller, and I loved the concept - we have Liv, an unreliable narrator who has no idea why she wakes up with bloody knife in her pocket and the words "stay awake" on her hands. I got sucked into the story right away and was really kept guessing throughout the book. Megan Goldin is a great writer and spins a great mystery! I really enjoyed both of the narrators here, and it was great to hear both Liv and the detective's perspective throughout the novel.

Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I’ve been sleeping on this book. Stay Awake is the perfect psychological thriller that I needed to jolt me out of my reading slump.
If you haven’t read this book and psychological thrillers/ suspense books are your jam, pick this book up asap.
Liv Reese wakes up everyday to a new world. She has no memory of the past two years. If that’s no enough of a problem, Liv starts each new day having no recollection that she might have a murderous stalker too 😱🔪
But there is one thing she feels sure of…. She must Stay Awake and not fall asleep 💤

The book had some exciting parts, but I didn’t care so much about the premise of memory loss. It became tedious.

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for this audiobook.

I love Megan Goldin. She does such a wonderful job hooking me in her stories. I loved this book as it has a really likeable narrator that you can't help but root for.

I loved the narration on this audiobook. It kept me listening and I didn't want to stop! I highly recommend this book on audio!