Great quick and easy read . Very enjoyable ! I actually preferred this one over The Night Swim . Looking forward to reading more of this authors work !

What would you do if you fell asleep and couldn't remember anything about the past two years? Would you panic? What if you noticed writing on your hands and arms that says "stay awake" and "don't trust anyone?" What if you thought you were wanted for murder?

Liv Reese can't remember anything from the past two years. Every time she falls asleep, she loses everything from a summer day in the park until the moment she wakes up, two years later than her last memory. Liv has no idea why she can't remember anything or why she has written warnings to herself all over her hands and arms. Then, she learns that she may the killer in a murder investigation. While simultaneously trying to piece her life together before she falls asleep again, and avoiding the police at all costs, Liv is desperate to find out what happened to not only her memory but to the man who was murdered. Was she really a killer? Did she do it and forget? And why can't she remember anything from the last two years?

This book sucked me in from the beginning. The premise behind this book was unique and interesting, and I couldn't put it down. I really liked Liv's character and I felt almost as equally frustrated as she did every time she fell asleep because she had to start over with piecing her life back together.

I really like alternating timelines and it worked so well with this book. Switching between present day and two years prior, it was intriguing to get a peek into Liv's life before she lost her memory. Some little clues were dropped as well to give the reader an inkling as to what was going on.

I could rave about this book for a long time. This was such a good read, and one of my top five books of 2022. 5 stars, perfect for those who like murder mysteries and heart-racing, intense scenarios.

Megan Goldin has a way of making the improbable believable and sustainable. That's a hat trick for thriller readers.
A confused Liv Reese finds new people living in her home, a bloody knife in her possession, and words written on her hands telling her to Stay Awake. Exhausted and scared, she stumbles around New York in what appears to be a few months and a season later than her last recollection. As Liv tries to re-enter her life, it becomes apparent that someone doesn't want her remembering what she now knows is actually a two year gap in her memory. Liz's best friend and roommate is missing, her fiancé is not returning her calls, and the scribbled writings are now warning her to trust no one. If you love a book filled with characters of questionable loyalty and misdirection, this is the thriller for you.
This is my third Megan Goldin book, and it won't be my last.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for access to an early copy. All opinions are mine.

What a great book! I absolutely loved this book and it kept my attention the entire time. I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed Goldin's "Stay Awake." I love thrillers and murder mysteries so this was right up my alley. Since I read a lot of them, sometimes it can be difficult to make me absolutely love a book. The book switches from the main character's perspective (who is narrating) to an outside perspective of the police department. What makes this book different is that the main character, Liv, is unreliable in the sense that she literally cannot remember things after she falls asleep and wakes up. So, every time she falls asleep in the book, she wakes up just as confused as before. I have never read something like this and found it interesting and different to join her along for this confusing journey. I was eager to figure out who the murderer was, however, once we found out, it was explicitly clear as to their motive. I can assume, but I just wish it had been more clear so I can confirm I was correct. Other than that though, it was well written, had my on my toes, and kept me wanting to keep reading. Definitely recommend it!

Stay Awake is Megan Goldin's best novel to date. It is twisty, fast-paced and clever. Liv Reese is struggling with insomnia and memory issues; she wakes up in NYC and the last thing she recalls is answering her phone at work....two years ago. Every time she falls asleep her memory is wiped. Now, she returns to the brownstone she called home to find strangers living there-and a bloody knife in her possession. Catching a glimpse of a breaking news story about a shocking murder that took place in Manhattan, Liv realizes she's being targeted as the main suspect and is now on the run for her life. She has to trace her steps back to that day two years ago to put the pieces together and outrun the one person who doesn't want her to remember.

Told in alternating timelines, the past and present dangerously crash into each other in a story few will forget. Goldin is at her best here.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Pretty far-fetched as there were some logistics that would have muddled the storyline a bit had this been real life, some repetition to the story (stay awake, stay awake, stay awake...), and left me with a few questions (that I'm still wondering about!) but I welcomed it! I really enjoyed it and finished it pretty quickly. Left me wanting to read, "just one more chapter," which is ALWAYS a sign of a good book in my opinion. First time reading this author and looking forward to reading more from her!

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Scheduled for release: 8/9/22

4 Stars

I have been spoiled with several intense, can't-put-down thrillers as of late, and this book did not disappoint!

This is the thriller book version of "50 First Dates." Liv, who suffers from a rare form of amnesia, wakes up in the back of a NYC taxi with no recollection as to how she got there. She finds that she has black ink all over her hands and instead of her cell phone, a bloody knife is in her pocket.

When Liv falls asleep, her memory of the past two years is wiped away. To combat this, she tries to stay awake by maintaining a diet of caffeine and energy drinks. But, as we all know, you can't stay awake indefinitely...

Why did Liv have the knife, what was her connection to the person whose blood was on that knife? You'll have to read the book to find out!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC!

I went into this book with some serious hesitancy. My experience with the author’s prior books have been…marginal. I’ve loved the plots but not the execution. Well, I’m glad I gave this a try because I loved this one!

I was so curious about absolutely everything here! Who was doing what and why? The book was nicely twisting and the suspense nail-biting.

Honestly, I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this author. She’s giving us a super suspenseful read and I just wanted more!

*ARC via Publisher

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.

Unfortunately I really did not enjoy this book. It was so hard to keep everything straight and the plot holes were glaringly obvious. It feels like a step down from The Night Swim, which I read and loved. I couldn't even tell these books were by the same author.

Liv, our main character, made insufferable decisions the entire book. And you're telling me that two extremely qualified detectives can't find this woman who wakes up every day and doesn't remember a thing? Not a chance (at least I hope not).

I rated this book two stars and do not recommend it, but I have seen a lot of five star reviews floating around so give it a shot if you are intrigued!

Stay Awake is a thriller reminiscent of the movie Memento.
Liv is a woman who cannot remember anything after she falls asleep. We learn she has a condition where she blacks out and has lost years of her memories. This is troubling on its own but now she’s wanted for murder after she’s seen leaving the scene of a crime. Liv finds she’s written words and phrases on her hands and on walls of her apartment to try to remember what do do, not to do, who to trust. Has Liv really killed a man? If not, who did and who can she trust?

This is a cool concept and I loved Momento but the writing and characters were not well done. Here’s a sample line from a detective, “We’d haul your ass back and we’ll throw the book so hard at you your hair will be snow-white when you get out of the slammer.” The slammer, y’all! The thing is a lot people are loving this book and I think if you like fast paced thrillers you may agree. If you like realistic dialogue and more literary books, even if they’re thrillers, I think you’ll feel like me and cringe at the dialogue. If you’ve read this let me know (send a DM) because I’m still perplexed at some of the plot points.

Quick, intriguing thriller! Great beach or poolside ride. Multiple POV and jumping back and forth in timeline - so not the best read for Disney when I didn’t have much time for it. Easy to follow along and sped through it on the plane ride home!

For big thriller readers, you will probably find this one to be predictable. I had this one figured out pretty early on, but it was still entertaining. With Liv’s amnesia, dual timelines, and multiple POV, nobody seems reliable and everyone was on the chase to figure out the truth. I feel like there were a few loose ends, but overall fun read.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC!

This is the third book I’ve read by Goldin and I personally think they just keep getting better.
Liv wakes up on a bench with the last thing she remembers is being at work, answering her phone. Two years ago. She quickly realizes once she falls asleep she forgets everything, which is why she writes things like “stay awake” on her arms. If I give one more detail away, it’ll ruin it for you. Go into this one blind because it keeps you turning the pages. I was pleased with the twist, because I didn’t guess it. But… I’m taking a star away because I got to the last page and said “that’s it???” I wanted MORE!

YOU GUYS. THIS BOOK.

I haven’t read a thriller in awhile and I was feeling super deprived, so I decided to read this one and prayed it was gonna be good.

Well needless to say, it DELIVERED!

I want to talk endlessly about the plot to anyone who will listen, but I also don’t want to say anything about it because I think you need to go into this one blind in order to appreciate it as much as I did.

When I started reading, the first few chapters had me like “…what is happening??” I was so confused but that confusion kept me glued to the story because I needed immediate answers. I felt that way up until the last couple of pages, so my investment in the story never ended for a second.

I will say that there were a few things I wish had been explained in the end. Again, I can’t say. But for the most part, the loose ends were tied up for me.

Also, the big reveal was HUGE for me!! Like I actually gasped. I thought I knew who the killer was almost immediately, and then when I found out I was wrong, I kept guessing other people and thought for sure I was gonna ruin it for myself. But no, I never figured it out and I was freaking out when all was revealed!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my eARC. I’m obsessed. It doesn’t come out until August but don’t forget about this one!! Preorder or put on your wish list right now!! Okay, I’m done.

I’ve posted my review on Goodreads and my Bookstagram account (link attached).

I have a confession: I’ve had this #arc for over four months 😬 I finally started reading it and could not put it down! That will teach me to ignore books based on the covers 😂 I finished this in one sitting. It was that captivating and very easy to read. The premise was unique, and the amnesia storyline/shifting timelines really heightened the suspense. My biggest complaint is how predictable the killer was. I figured it out pretty early on and was bummed at how anticlimactic the ending felt. Despite this, I’m still giving it an above average rating of 3.5 stars and would recommend it for all thriller/suspense fans ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

3 ⭐
I absolutely loved 'The Night Swim' by Megan Goldin and knew I HAD to request this one and the premise was so promising. the main character suffers from memory loss and can't remember anything once she's asleep. I loved the writing and flew through this one throughout the day. I don't really like detective pov's in my thrillers but this one was ok with it? I didn't find it overpowering but the story itself kinda flopped for me and some of it dragged but it was a solid thriller.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a well written psychological thriller. Liv wakes up on a bench and the last thing she remembers is being at work and answering her phone. It seems she is missing the last two years of her life and why has she written all over arms and hands, things like Stay Awake, Don’t Trust Anyone. Then she finds out every time she falls asleep, when she wakes up she forgets everything that happened before she fell asleep. She is terrified to find out that the police are looking for her for questioning in two murder cases. This was a great book that kept me guessing till the end. Thanks Netgalley for this Arc.

I had heard so many amazing things about this book prior to starting it, so I was SO a excited to start. It absolutely did not disappoint.

This book was INCREDIBLE! Such a crazy ride the entire time. Liv Reese has a rare form of amnesia, where she forgets everything that has happened over the last 2 years as soon as she falls asleep. Which is why she has no idea where she is or why she wakes up in the back of a taxi cab in the middle of the night. She looks down on her arms and notices advice such as “Stay Awake” and “Do Not Trust Anyone” written all over. As she searches for answers, she realizes she really doesn’t know whom to trust.

Such a great read! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stay Awake is a crazy, fast-paced mad dash of a novel with the perfect amount of suspense and intrigue. It’s hard not to be instantly hooked by the first chapter where Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi with no memory of the last two years of her life, holding a bloody knife. She has “stay awake” written on her knuckles in Sharpie, as a reminder to herself that every time she falls asleep she forgets everything again.

My favorite part about this book was the unpredictability and atmospheric suspense of following Liv around New York as she tries to regain her memory. It is told in partial flashbacks to Liv’s life prior to her memory blackout, and then in the present day as she and Detective Darcy try to piece things together. I became a little annoyed with how often Live falls asleep, wakes back up and doesn’t know what is going on, but you just have to go with it to appreciate the story.

Plus this book gets bonus points because I didn’t predict the bad guy or the ending which made it so satisfying to finish!

Stay Awake has many similarities to the Christopher Nolan movie Memento, so if you enjoyed that movie you will be a big fan of this book. Two summers I was obsessed with Megan Goldin’s book The Night Swim, and I think it’s safe to say this is going to be a big hit this summer as well (but for different reasons, they are very different books!)

Pre-order this one for sure!

I really enjoyed Night Swim and Escape room, so I knew I had to grab this one when it came out. This book was such and intense ride and I absolutely loved it. Liv Reese was the ultimate in unreliable narrators, and I sped through this book because I absolutely HAD to know how it ended.

If you're a fan of Megan Goldin, you definitely don't want to miss this one. It was everything I hoped it would be.