Megan Goldwon is a master of the tense atmospheric thriller. In Stay Awake, a girl wakes to find herself covered with handwritten notes on her arms. The novel is journey of discovery of what these messages mean, who to trust, and what is real. It kept me guessing at every turn! I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a unique thriller. Thanks to the publisher and author for allowing me to read this book in advance.

Stay Awake
Megan Goldin
Fiction
Nancy
3

The last memory Liv Reese has is that of answering her phone in the lush office where she works as a writer for upscale Cultura Magazine. Now, waking in a cab as it pulls up in front of the building where she lives with her best friend Amy, she becomes aware, first, that she answered that phone on a beautiful summer day and, second, that it is obvious from the almost-bare trees and the chill in the air that summer is over. Why can’t she remember anything from those missing months? Why, when she arrives at her apartment, are there strangers living there? Why are scribbled words covering her hands and arms: “Stay Awake,” “Wake Up,” “I forget everything when I fall asleep,” and why do people know her in a bar she’s never been to, while her bank says she doesn’t exist and her co-workers barely remember her? Dazed and confused, terrified by her discovery of a bloody knife in her pocket, Liv tries to assemble the missing pieces of her life, defeated by the memory loss she experiences every time she sleeps and mystified by the fact that not only is she wanted by the police, she is also the target of someone who doesn’t want her to remember.

An interesting concept, but unfortunately the plot is weakened by giant, unexplained holes in the narrative. Sadly, this is a book that doesn’t live up to its promise. Meh.

This was my first ever ARC from netgalley ! I was so excited to finally get one ! This was my first book by this author , Megan Goldin. It was a very fast paced book , I really enjoyed it! I would definitely recommend it!

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers—a stranger who now lives in her apartment and forces her out in the cold. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing, and in its place is a bloodstained knife. That’s when she sees that her hands are covered in black pen, scribbled messages like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.

Two years ago, Liv was living with her best friend, dating a new man, and thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers. Catching a glimpse of the local news, she’s horrified to see reports of a crime scene where the victim’s blood has been used to scrawl a message across a window, the same message that’s inked on her hands. What did she do last night? And why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember committing as she tries to piece together the fragments of her life. But there’s someone who does know exactly what she did, and they’ll do anything to make her forget—permanently

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

WAKE UP. STAY AWAKE. DO NOT TRUST ANYONE.

I haven't read a lot of amnesia based novels but Stay Awake was SO good! Liv Reese wakes up one night in a cab with no recollection of how she got there, where was she going, and why was she covered in blood and holding a knife. There are notes in her handwriting all over her hands and arms telling her to stay awake. Liv forgets everything that happens every time she falls asleep with the exception of 2 years prior. The story jumps back and forth between timelines of 2 years ago to present day and multiple POV but hyper focuses on Liv's POV. The clues throughout the book were not enough for me to figure out who the killer was but kept me wanting more. All supporting characters were essential to the story and not just thrown in for fluff. I really enjoyed this one.

This book was a different take on the unreliable narrator trope that seems to be in so many thrillers these days. This was a fast paced thriller that kept me guessing. I'm normally pretty good at figuring out the twists in thrillers and I did figure this one out eventually but it took me longer than usual. Highly recommend!

I've never read a book about a character experiencing memory loss in this context and it kept me intrigued the entire book. Worth reading!

This is the first time I read this author and I can say that it wouldn’t be my last.

“Stay Awake!”

This was an absolutely cleverly written book with unbidden plot twists that I didn’t see coming!!!

Liv Reese is our protagonist and she avoids sleeping. She can’t afford to fall asleep. Why? You ask. Well, you have to read to find out!!

Darcy Halliday is an Army veteran who now is a homicide detective. A really great character.
I absolutely loved Liv and Darcy, two brilliantly written characters.

A riveting and cleverly crafted mystery, that kept me turning the pages.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Liv wakes up in a taxi, on the way to her apartment. She has no phone or wallet, but she does have a big roll of bills. When she gets to the apartment, there are strangers living there, who are quite annoyed at being woken in the middle of the night, and who clearly don't know her. She borrows their phone and tries to call her boyfriend, but the call doesn't go through. When she gets outside, she finds a bloody knife, wrapped in a tshirt, in her pocket. And her hands and arms are covered with writing.

She gradually realizes that the last thing she remembers is 2 years ago. And whenever she goes to sleep, there's a re-set - she no longer remembers anything even from the day before.

The book proceeds along 3 tracks - there's the "2 years ago" story line, Liv's current story line, and the story line of the detectives trying to solve a murder which Liv appears to be involved in. This is actually not at all confusing, but it allows a gradual reveal of what has happened and why. An effective way of telling the story.

I don't want to go into more plot details, because part of the power of the book is the gradual reveal. Since we don't really want to believe that Liv is actually a villain, we figure that there's someone trying to harm her, and in the "2 years ago" sections, we're introduced to a number of possibilties - red herrings abound! When I was about 2/3 finished with the book, I started making my case for who was really out to get Liv, and,frustratingly, I was able to make a decent argument for several characters!

The book kept me reading furiously, because I really, really wanted to know what would happen next. Definitely worth reading!

This was an incredibly ambitious plot that takes the reader on a pretty wild ride. I saw “murder” and “amnesia” and “written by Megan Goldin” and I said, "Sign me up!" I adored The Night Swim and was so excited to read this. Sadly, my expectations might have been too high because I didn’t love it.

I think the amnesia trope can be a difficult one to tackle and it wasn’t executed as nicely as I had hoped here. In Stay Awake, a young woman named Liv wakes up in Manhattan with no memory of the last two years. She doesn’t know the basics, like where she lives or who she’s dating, but she’s also lacking some pretty substantial knowledge like what the heck is going on. Liv wakes up on trains, planes, and automobiles with zero knowledge of how she got there. The writing is a bit too repetitive and there is quite a lack of urgency for a woman with amnesia who is somehow connected to a brutal murder. She is literally clueless but somehow still escapes doctors and social workers and the gosh darn NYPD who are all aggressively searching for her. It’s quite chaotic. And unbelievable.

I love a convoluted storyline with lots of twists and turns, but I felt like Stay Awake had too many inconsistencies and there were a number of plot holes that left me scratching my head. I truly wanted to enjoy this but things didn’t add up and the things that did were pretty predictable. The good news for those anticipating this release: I am very much an outlier! Most people seem to be loving this and I’m sure the good reviews will keep on coming!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Megan Goldin for allowing me to be an early reader.

Talk about a binge read! I couldn’t fly through STAY AWAKE fast enough.

What I loved:
-unreliable narrator storyline that was perfectly executed, imo
-had me questioning every single person
-short chapters with cliffhanger endings
-dual timeline & POV was a little hard to follow at first but all the pieces came together nicely

While I thoroughly enjoyed & recommend STAY AWAKE, I am left with some questions & want more info on motive from the perp.

Stay Awake is an enjoyable thriller from Megan Goldin. Fast paced, with alternating timelines, an unreliable narrator, and short chapters this one kept me turning the pages as quickly as possible. However, the ending left some unanswered questions - primarily what was the motive for the initial crime?

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Megan Goldin, and Netgalley for this book in an exchange to an honest review. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is a fast paced book. My sympathies lies with Liv through out the book, while wondering if she’ll be able to remember and be remain safe. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 solid stars for this book. Stay awake for it’ll be published in August!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this ePub with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

Praise for the Author: I recently read The Night Swim by Megan Goldin and was so impressed with this writer and her edge-of-your-seat storytelling. So you can imagine my excitement over receiving an advance copy of her latest book, Stay Awake. Megan (yes, we are now on a first-name basis) has quickly become one of my favorites in the thriller genre and I will definitely keep an eye out for whatever she writes next!

I am not ashamed to say that I stayed up until 2 AM and read (more like devoured) this entire book in one sitting. This book is a fast paced - pick at your cuticles - call in sick to work so you can finish - forget to eat your dinner - type thriller that had me hooked from the first chapter.

Liv Reese is living her very best life in NYC: falling in love with a smart and sexy entrepreneur, living with her best friend in a charming brownstone, and celebrating the fact that she just received a huge promotion at the magazine she works for.

Record scratch and cut to her current predicament: she has just woken up in a taxi covered in blood with a sharp knife in her jacket pocket. She has no purse, identification, or phone on her. She's confused and unsure of what's going on in her life and decides to retrace her steps. She soon finds out that strangers have taken over her apartment and her belongings are nowhere to be found, her cubicle at the office is taken over by someone new and she doesn't recognize one person in the office, her bank accounts have been drained and closed, and she can't seem to get in touch with her best friend or boyfriend. Why is her last memory from over two years ago and why can't she remember anything between then and now?

On the very same night, two NYPD detectives are investigating the gruesome murder of a man who has been stabbed and whose blood was used to write STAY AWAKE! on the window for the world to see. They are on the hunt for a psychotic murderer and their murder weapon, which has to be a knife right?

This story is told from alternating points of view, as Liv tries to regain her memory and the detectives pursue this case. The creepy message from the victim's window is also written on her hand in pen. Is she connected to this murder? Does her memory loss have something to do with her sleep? Can she find someone who knows what's going on with her? Is there something more nefarious going on in her own personal life?

Conclusion: I've read so many thrillers over the past few years and pride myself on being able to spot the plot twists or figure out the bad guy way before it's revealed. But Megan Goldin absolutely snatched my wig and had me stressing up until the final reveal at the end of the book.

Even though I did receive this ebook for free, I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy of Stay Awake for my own collection and peer pressure my friends and family to read it. Be sure to get a copy when it releases on August 9, 2022!

Megan Goldin has become an auto-buy author for me, as I love the way she writes and her books always keep me guessing. Unfortunately, for me, this one felt a little more formulaic than her standard thriller and I was surprised to have figured out the ending early on in the novel (a rarity for me with her work). This one felt a little underwhelming for me, but I recognize from reading other reviews and talking to other book reviewers that they loved it- so please don't give up on it based on my review!

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Megan Goldin and Netgalley.
This is most definitely a case of me being so happy that I give an author a second chance!
Ms. Goldin has one other book that I've read, and I truly didn't like it! But, the writing was great, it just wasn't my type of story. At all.
This? Crikey! I haven't read a book this fast in a very, very long time!
I loved each and every moment of it!
"Stay awake?" That's what Liv's wrist said! I took that to heart! For a day and a half I was obsessed.
Read the synopsis and nothing more.
This is one book that you really don't want any clues or feedback for.
Yes! It's that good!
I'll admit that I missed that one GLARING clue! Damn, shit and hell!
Best darn whodunit that I've read so far this year!
Recommended!

#StayAwake#
By: Megan Goldin
Reviewed by: Librarian
A well-written thriller. A young woman suffering from a rare form of amnesia where her memory is erased after sleeping forces her to forget two eventful years of her life during which her best friend and her boyfriend are brutally murdered. She lives her fragmented life by trying to stay awake at all costs, drinking enormous amounts of caffeine-laden drinks, and consuming over-the-counter medications to ward off sleep. The detectives in the story are well written. The only problem I had with the story was the killer's motivation for committing the murders. This was never satisfactorily revealed.
Thank you #NetGalley# and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Stay Awake kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I read this book in record time because I could not get enough! The storyline kept me guessing right up until the last few chapters.

If you're not a fan of alternating timelines and unreliable narrators, this may not be for you. But if that type of storytelling works for you, this might be your next five star read.

Normally I would find amnesia an easy out for an author to take, but Megan Goldin pulled it off flawlessly. At times, I did start to get my timelines a little bit crossed, but the chapters are so short that it's easy to sort out any confusion.

A huge thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

🔪 Stay Awake by Megan Goldin 🔪

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the digital ARC of this book!

Liv Reese wakes up with no memory of the past two years, strangers living in her apartment, and notes on her hands telling her to stay awake and trust no one. Talk about nerve-wracking! 🤯

Megan Goldin does an exceptional job at keeping you on the edge of your seat dying to see what happens next! I’m not a big fan of the timeline jumping around, but I think it works in this story. I was questioning everything and couldn’t wait to figure out the murderer!

You DEFINITELY need to read this if you like mystery/thriller books! 📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

Publication date: August 8, 2022

I love Megan Goldin!! I was super-excited to have my read request granted for this book!!

This book!! If you are looking for a book you can't put down, look no further!

Liv Resse has a rare form of amnesia and wakes up in a taxi two years in the past. At least she thinks its two years in the past. Her apartment isn't the same, she can't seem to find her friend or her boyfriend and she has strange writing on her hands.
She quickly finds herself involved in a murder investigation, but who was murdered and why does she keep waking up to the same July day two years in the past?

Told between two timelines, this book moves fast and you can't manage to turn the pages fast enough! Pick this one up!

Yes, yes, yes!!
This is my second thriller in like 48 hours and lets just say, I am entranced. This is just one of those books that once you pick it up, you cannot put it down. I love Goldin's writing style and I especially love the genius behind this plot.
Stay Awake follows a woman who suffers from memory blackouts after every time she falls asleep. She will live a day, fall asleep, and not remember anything within the last two years of her life. Not only does she forget anything, but soon learns she is the prime suspect in a murder. In order to prove herself innocent, and stay alive, she must find a way to combat the blackouts and remember.
Stay Awake is plastered with deception and adrenaline that will constantly keep you guessing. Don't be afraid to invest in this new thriller!