I was lucky to get the ebook and audiobook of this one! I have enjoyed Goldin's previous books so was excited to get stuck in!
This was a great premise. It screamed Memento vibes to me. (Great film by the way. You should watch it if you haven't seen it!)
I started with the audiobook and soon switched to the ebook. I think the narrator was trying to add suspense but seemed to come across as hysterical. I am a massive fan of Imogen Church, so I'm not sure whether it was me! When I switched formats, I enjoyed it much better!
There was some frustrating elements to the plot, and the pivotal one 'why write stay awake on your skin?' couldn't you have saved some voice recordings on your phone? But then as the book progressed my frustrations were eased and I ended up really enjoying it!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good suspense/thriller novel. Good weekend read. The narrator did a good job.

I'm not going to sugar coat it, so I'll just start with this... I feel dazed. Like I just walked out of a 4hr movie I didn't understand. The plot holes are everywhere, and they're huge, like little mines exploding every other chapter, only adding to the persistent confusion. There's also a lot of repetition, one of my big pet peeves when reading novels. So needless to say, I didn't enjoy myself. I admit I stopped after chapter 12 (no need reading something I'm not enjoying) I've seen this book's premise/storyline done before and done well, so I was excited to see another version with new characters and twists, etc. But it appears it was not meant to be!

Thanks netgalley for giving me a copy so I can share my thoughts and opinions with y'all 💛

I did not enjoy listening to this book. I felt like the author was working hard to keep the reader as in the dark as the protagonist, who has no memory of anything that happens before two years ago. As in Memento, in which the main character tattoos clues on his body, this main character, Liv, writes things all over herself to try to remember what she learns each day, but she is very bad at clue-gathering, so the main thing she writes to herself is "Stay Awake!" This is not very helpful, as she cannot stay awake forever without becoming completely psychotic, and each time she wakes up, she thinks she is herself from two years earlier.

I was gifted an advance copy of the audiobook version of this alleged thriller by Netgalley and Macmillan Audio. There are two narrators, Imogen Church and January Lavoy, and at least one of them pronounces the word "been" as "BEAN." You have no idea how often the word been appears in a book until it is gratingly mispronounced over and over again. (Is this the English pronunciation? I have listened to dozens of audiobooks by English and Australian authors and have never heard been pronounced this way.) Perhaps if the book had engaged me more, I wouldn't have been so distracted by word pronunciation.

Can I tell you about the twists at the end? No, nothing stuck. I remember the first half felt very repetitive and like we were never going to get anywhere, and that the second half sped jarringly along. I just can't recommend this...

Stay Awake is in the top 5 best narrated books I've listened to. Being introduced to a character who needs to write her life's details down on her body, right of the bat, built a new level of intrigue into the book. I can't imagine a more vulnerable position to be in, and that's what made me kept reading. A unique premise that delivered.

This book is amazing. Listening to the audiobook kept me on the edge of my seat. This is one of the best mysteries I have read/listened to. It kept me guessing who it could be but it had an amazing twist. And looking back it makes so much sense and clicks into place. I would definitely recommend.
One of my favorite parts of the characters is how the females are depicted. They are strong and smart. Even when Liv doesn't know what is happening she is able to take care of herself without playing the dumb damsel in distress that is the stereotype in most books like this.
When it was finally reveled of the who the murderer was I screamed because I was so shocked but it made so much sense.

I thought it was a fun and interesting thriller: an MC with amnesia who forgets everything when she falls asleep, a murder in NYC, a new homicide detective trying to prove herself. It’s told in dual POV and in multiple timelines. I occasionally find multiple timelines hard to follow in audio, but I must say the narrators do a fantastic job! I’ve never heard of Imogen Church or January LaVoy but I really enjoyed their voices. I loved The Night Swim by Megan Goldin and this one didn’t disappoint. Would definitely recommend checking it out!

Hold on tight! I was captured as soon as I started reading. It’s one of those books where you just have to read “one more chapter”. There were plenty of twists and turns and who doesn’t love that in a thriller? The writing was excellent and I look forward to Megan Goldin’s next book!

This book was just okay! Wasn’t my favorite. Didn’t overly love the characters and wasn’t immediately sucked in. Will still read more from this author in the future

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Loved listening to the audiobook of Stay Awake. Great mystery, super suspenseful, and it kept me guessing all the way to the end! Highly recommend this thriller. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Advance Review Copy.
#NetGalley #StayAwake

This was an entertaining book, though not one, I think, that will stick with me for very long. I am usually not a fan of amnesia plot lines, but this was one did sound unique. For the most part the story was engaging, but after a while, it started to feel quite repetitive and the ending rushed and not terribly satisfying. Overall, an okay read for me, but not as clever or gripping as I hoped it might be. I've just been in a bit of a thriller rut, though, so I probably need to try a different genre.

I liked this book much more than I expected to! Hopefully, that doesn't come off wrong. Megan Goldin is a solid author and a thriller writer. I read her first novel, THE NIGHT SWIM (3 stars), with my book club and everyone greatly enjoyed it.
What gives me pause is when the "thriller" aspect is centered around an unreliable (aka crazy) heroine.
But this story was extremely creative and quite an unusual situation! The memory loss added a different element to the book. I greatly applaud Goldin as I thought the repetitive timeline (waking up and having no memory) would get old, but she kept the story moving!

This is a perfect quick and spooky fall read!

Enjoyment: 5
Total rating: 4.43

This is my first Goldin novel, and I immensely enjoyed her style. The dual timeline worked really well in this narrative, and I like how each alternating chapter was paired with the flashback giving meaning and perspective to the present time chapter we have just read.

Here is where I remind readers that Stay Awake is a work of fiction, and if they aren't willing or prepared to suspend their disbelief to be entertained, maybe this isn't the book for them. I enjoyed how Goldin used Liv's unique condition to weave a fast-paced psychological thriller that delivers quite a few satisfying punches.

Stay Awake has many of my favourite devices in a psychological thriller - dual timelines, unreliable narrator, tension and some gaslighting. The careful plotting is evident, and things come together quite nicely. As a layperson, I do not know how accurate Liv's amnesia depiction is, but as a reader, I loved how it served the story.

I both read and listened to the audiobook, and I think Imogen Church needs to stop being so good! I adore her narration and for a book with gaslighting elements, her American accident got me questioning everything I have ever heard her in. After establishing I am not crazy, I continued the story in awe of her talent and was impressed with January LaVoy for her equally superb narration. I highly recommend the audiobook for Stay Awake.


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of Stay Awake

DNF @ 25%. I loved Megan Goldin's The Night Swim, but this one was both too hard to follow and boring. Maybe I've read too many thrillers, but this just wasn't interesting enough to make me want to continue. And, for me at least, the point of reading thrillers is to be entertained. So sadly, I decided to put this one down.

Loved this one! This is a fast paced book filled twists and turn Ms!!

Folsom’s newest thriller will keep
You up later devouring the story.

Liv is suffering amnesia, and is stuck in a time loop. Riveting will cliff hangers at the end most chapters, this was an easy read. Loved the character development and storyline unfolded in a perfect slow burn. This is a book you will think about long after it’s finished. Put it on your tbr list!

Thank you to St. Marin’s Press and netgalley for an advanced copu in exchange for my review.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for accepting my request to read and review Stay Awake.

Author: Megan Goldin
Published: 08/09/22
Narrators: Imogene Church & January LaVoy
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) -- Mysteries & Thrillers

Enjoyed this creepy story so much, I did not Google (not going to spoil) the author's targeted plot. I opted to go with the flow her claims felt realistic and believable. At this point, I'm moving on and taking with me more than 3.5 stars of memories.

The narrators worked so well, I forgot until I was writing this that there were two.

Liv, the main character needs to stay awake as the title implies. The rationale is done well. Occam's razor can be applied, as well as less is best. Goldin gave me just what I needed to continue reading. I thought she handled the lapse extremely well. I liked the puzzle her story created.

I did not see the overused trope of red herring nor did I notice any profanity. (I appreciate the author and immensely respect her for this.) There was one noticeable use of G-D if that is a problem for you.

I did not like the timeline bouncing back two years, etc. However, I do believe the story flowed for the most part evenly. There were a couple spikes, where I had to stop and ask what are you doing, and settle back into the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. This is a good stormy night read whether it be thunder or snow. I would gift this.

This isn't my favorite book my Megan Goldin (The Night Swim was god tier!) but this premise is so interesting and this book gave me anxiety in the best possible way. Not knowing what is going on, losing chunks of your memory, that is something that terrifies me. So extremely relatable.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin weaved together mysterious threads of intrigue and mystery which made for a fast-paced ride that kept me looking over my shoulder. Great characters with interesting backstories added to the experience.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I'll admit that unreliable narrators and time-loops are some of my least favorite devices. So it took me a while before I warmed to the story because every time the main character goes to sleep her memory resets. Having said that, it was compelling enough that I also couldn't put it down.

Liv wakes up in the back of a cab and has no idea how she got there, where she lives, or basically anything about her life. The last thing she remembers is answering the phone in her office, but that was in summer, and now it's winter...two years later.

As if that wasn't enough to deal with it appears she's also in danger. She has notes written to herself all over her hands, and she has to piece together the mystery...but starting from scratch each time she falls asleep.

Even though I didn't find any of the twists particularly surprising and I found the main character mildly irritating, I still enjoyed the story and the writing quite a lot. I absolutely loved this author's last book The Night Swim so I did have very high expectations going into this one.

I switched between reading and listening to this one, and I must say I really enjoyed the audiobook narration by Imogen Church and January LaVoy. The audio comes in at 10 hours 59 minutes. Imogen Church is one of my favorite narrators and has performed all of my favorite Ruth Ware novels as well. I can't say enough good things about January LaVoy either. She's narrated some of my all-time favorite audiobooks. So if you're an audio fan, definitely give this one a listen!

3.5 stars!

Okay, I LOVED the authors previous novels, so I had high hopes for STAY AWAKE. Halfway through reading, I found myself getting bored of the unreliable female plot, and that this was just an “okay” read for me. However, after just finishing, I’ve processed my thoughts and I really like how things came together in the end.

While I read the physical copy for the most part, I also listened to the ALC audiobook copy and enjoyed the narration. It really helped distinguish the past and present timelines.

*many thanks to St Martin’s Press/Macmillan audio for review