Meg Goldin does not disappoint on this twisty ride! Liv Reese is forgetful.. but not where did I leave my keys forgetful. She does not remember anything of her life for the past two years. Her hands are covered with jot notes and warn her to “stay awake”. When watching the news Liv is horrified by a murder that was been committed. The killer used the victims blood to write the words “ stay awake” on the window. She is horrified to realize the connection between the messages scrawled on her hand and the message left by the killer. Will Liv be able to stay awake long enough to uncover the truth?
I really enjoyed this book. Liv was an interesting character and one couldn’t help but be on her side and want her to get to the bottom of things. The plot was fast-paced and kept me intrigued and wanting to find out what was going on and why Liv could not remember a whole two years of her life. This book will force you to “stay awake” to see how it ends .
Well done Meg!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was a huge fan of Megan Goldwin’s The Night Swim and was excited to see her new book listed on NetGalley. Since I am fairly new to being a NetGalley reviewer, I did not expect for my request to be approved, so I was ecstatic when they said yes!

Stay Awake is a psychological thriller that will keep you awake so you can read this book as fast as possible. Liv is suffering from a rare form of amnesia - every time she falls asleep, she forgets everything that has happened for the past two years. Whether she awakes in a taxi, a park bench or a bed, the only clues she has is that it is not summer outside anymore and whatever messages she has written on her body.

This book had 50 First Dates vibes, but instead of the cute love story thar only Drew Barrymore can bring to the screen, Liv’s loss of memory stems from a traumatic experience 2 years earlier. She recalls some strange experiences of being stalked 2 years ago, is she still in danger? Why can’t she find anybody from her past life and who are those people that live in “her” apartment. Throw in a current murder with Liv as the prime suspect - and everybody is chasing her. She does not know who can she trust,, as her own memory fails her.

I genuinely enjoyed this book and found that the pace and intensity lasted from start to end. I enjoyed Liv’s character and was really impressed with Detective Halliday. Could this be the start of a series? I would love to read more Halliday! I am rating this book 5 stars and highly recommend readers grab a copy of this one - when it publishes in August 2022.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. I have really liked this author's other two books and this one did not disappoint. Everytime Liv goes to sleep, her memory is completely erased. She has no recollection of what has happened the past two years and all of a sudden she is a suspected murderer. The chapters flip between past and present of her view and the detectives trying to solve the case. This was a fast paced thriller and I was actually surprised with the ending. Very well done!

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the eARC of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin. Goldin is becoming an auto buy author for me. I was so over the moon happy to receive a copy of this book!

Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me. It didn't really get suspenseful until the 70% mark and I found the storyline to be overwhelmingly repetitive. Okay, Liv can't remember the murder of her room mate and her boyfriend. At least she remembers them thought. Liv moves to London to start over and mets another beau. Unfortunately it doesn't work out because she is consumed by the murders she is running from. When this beau is found murdered all fingers point to Liv as the murderer; but she doesn't even remember who he is. We spend so many pages learning what Liv can and can't remember that I couldn't even remember what I had read prior. It all wraps up in the end. It just took too long to get there!

Lots of people have loved this one so give it a go. I will still read whatever Megan Goldin writes next!

This one releases August 9, 2022!

Wow this book was a rollercoaster! So many possible endings since Liv can't remember anything when she falls asleep. Wonderful concept! I loved the intrigue and the suspense that was kept until the very end. Loved that we went back and forth between the past anf the present and that we got to see the dectives' insight on the situation. Highly recommend if you're looking for a fast paced psychological thriller!!!!

Very interesting book and nothing like I've read before. I really enjoyed this, but found the ending or the "who done it' a tad silly. Overall 3 stars from me.

Generally, I’m not a fan of an unreliable narrator trope but, I think this was done so experly. The way she was able to craft a multiperspective book that remained engaging and interesting throughout was an amazing feat. I will say it took me a while to get through mainly due to a reading slump, but, the ending I could not put down!

✨Book Review - Stay Awake by Megan Goldin✨

Liv Reese wakes up and has no recollection of the past 2 years. Every time she falls asleep, she forgets everything that happened that day. She has markings all over her hands telling her to “Stay Awake”. She is horrified to see on the news a murder where that exact phrase was written by the killer. What did she do last night? Who should she call and who should she trust? There’s someone who knows what she did and will do anything to make her forget.

Loved this book. Megan Goldin has a great eye for thriller/suspense. I was hooked the entire time and really wanted to know what had happened to Liv, in her past and her present. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my memory every time I fell asleep. It’s like 50 First Dates but with murder instead of love. Told in two timelines: present and 2 years ago, we see Liv’s POV and get a side of the story by following Detective Halliday. I would have given it a 5 but had a feeling about the big reveal and some things just felt a little off in the plot. But, I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what Megan comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book will be available August 9th, 2022 if you want to add to your TBR list!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️STARS

This is the first book I've read by Megan Goldin. I saw it on NetGalley as a Read Now book and had to try it. I think it's safe to say I'll be reading her previous titles. Stay Awake is a fast-paced thriller that's hard to put down.

The story opens with Liv Reese, a woman who quickly discovers her life is upside down. She can't remember how she ended up in a cab and finds out other people live in her apartment. Her friend/roommate and also her boyfriend are not answering their phones. It's autumn when it should be summer. And oh yeah, there's a bloody knife in her pocket.

You're as lost as Liv wondering how she got to this point and why she doesn't remember anything. Eventually you find out there's a two year gap in her memory and her mind resets to two years ago every single time she falls asleep. Which is why there's writing on her hands telling her to stay awake.

There's dual timelines between two years ago and now. In the present there's the detectives' investigating alongside Liv's point of view. I will say the timelines were written well and were cohesive. I was never confused as to if I was reading something happening now or in the past. Clues and red herrings are dropped at the right moments to keep you interested.

I will say I preferred reading from Liv's perspective. I didn't really warm up to the detectives though I did like Halliday more. I do think breaking up Liv's parts to focus on the investigation was a good call though. Because her parts would end on a cliffhanger and make you eager to get back to her. If the story had only focused on her, it would have been a lot shorter and way more repetitive.

That's another thing I appreciated, Liv forgets everything constantly and that could have easily become annoying, having to read the same things over and over. But that wasn't the case here. The times she fell asleep it didn't feel like I was forced to repeat the same information.

The reasons why this isn't a five star read for me is there are some plot holes and like I said I felt ehhh about the detectives and all their scenes. And it might just be me but I think I missed the killer's motivation. Though I can assume the reason for it so it's not a big deal. Overall, I enjoyed Stay Awake and I will be catching up on everything else Megan Goldin has written.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was so crazy!! It definetly kept me guessing the entire time! So many different twists and turns, sometimes it seemed like she was paranoid, crazy, just going on zero sleep. I also like the female cop and her story as well. Such an awesome story! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!

Liv Reese wakes up not knowing where she is, or where she's going. She's in the back of a cab, covered in pen-messages like "Stay Awake" "Wake Up" and "Don't Trust Anyone" inked all over her hands and arms. Her purse and phone are also missing.
She heads to work, thinking she must have left her things there. Once she gets to her office, she discovers it's not her office anymore. She recognizes no one.
The apartment she shared with her best friend Amy is inhabited by someone else.
Her boyfriend Marco won't answer the phone.
Then, breaking news. A man, as yet unidentified, has been murdered in an apartment close by. The grisly scene leaves few clues, aside from the words "Wake Up" written in blood on the window. Just like what's written on Liv.
Was she there?
Did she do it?
Why can't she remember anything?
Where are Amy and Marco?
Who was murdered?
It all comes to light in this fast paced thriller that leaves you wondering what you would do if you woke up one day in a world you didn't recognize.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC! I really enjoyed this one.

I really enjoyed this book! A lot of thrillers can be predictable, but I was on the edge of my seat during this whole book! I didn’t see the final twist coming at all!

Stay Awake
Megan Goldin
Thriller
352 pages

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Megan Goldin is officially an auto-buy author for me after reading her latest novel, STAY ALIVE. The premise of this story was incredibly unique; I sometimes find that rare diseases/conditions can give the author convenient outs for plot holes, but I thought this particular condition of losing your memories when you go to sleep was handled well and added to the plot intrigue instead of taking away from it. It gives unreliable narrator without the stereotypical “drinks too much, takes too much medication” trope. The pacing was great and the story kept you on the edge of your seat. While I appreciate the red herrings inserted throughout to potentially lead the reader astray, there was one loose end that I felt left hanging on when it wasn’t wrapped up, but other than that, I really loved the ending. Overall, this was an excellent thriller and I highly recommend adding to your TBR!

⏰ Psychological thriller
⏰ Multiple POV
⏰ Dual timelines
⏰ Unreliable narrator
⏰ Fast-paced
⏰ Suspenseful
⏰ Detective storyline

#caitsquietplace #caitsquietplacereviews #cqpthrillers #megangoldin #stayawake #stmartinspress

This story intrigued me. It pulled me right in and I couldn't quite figure out what was going on and then as things unwind it gets crazy. After a witnessing a violent occurrence Liv blacks out and has memory problems. These problems get worse until she can't fall asleep without forgetting everything that's happening in her life. She's confused and keeps following messages she's written to herself on her hands to try to figure out if she's guilty of a murder that the police are trying to find her to question her about, as her DNA, fingerprints and photo proves her to have been at the scene. This is a fast paced thrill ride, jumping back and forth in the past and current time and also from the detectives point of view who are trying to find her to possibly save her life. Definitely a book to be added to your to be read list!

I enjoyed the escape room and night swim so when this authors new book came out i was excited to read it. It didn't disaapoint. Everytime LIv falls asleep she forgets everything that has happened in the past. She is stuck in a time loop from two years ago and is trying to figure out why she woke up in a cab with a bloody knife. This book will keep you wanting to turn pages to find out how the story ends, and will have you thinking STAY AWAKE, DON;T SLEEP. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review.

WOW! Do not sleep on this one! (Sorry, that is the only bad joke I have).

In Stay Awake starts with Liv waking up in the back of a taxi not knowing how she got there with her hands covered in blood and a knife in her pocket! She then discovers that her memory is rest to two years prior every time she falls asleep. We also get the perspective of Detective Halliday who is a looking to make her place in NYPD as a full time homicide detective. Halliday is working to solve a mysterious murder where a message left written in the victim’s blood is the same that is written on the back of Liv’s hand.

I was hooked was the beginning in this book and could not put it down. My pulse was pounding for Liv just trying to put myself in her shoes and what I would do and who I would even think about trusting. As we were getting flashbacks to Liv’s life two years prior to piece together what happened to her there were a few frustrating moments that she had for me in choices she made. But, honestly stepping back and thinking about these moment they were really not that unrealistic at all. This book kept me hanging on from page one to the and I loved it! I continue to look forward to more from Megan Goldin!

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Stay Awake

I don't want to say too much about this book, as going into it completely blind is the best way to approach it. Even the description online is too much information. I've ready every novel by Megan Goldin, and this is by far her best work. The mystery, the characters, the pacing, it was all amazing. I loved this so much.

Wow, what a trip. This was unlike anything I’ve ever read. You felt as if you were right alongside the detectives investigating the case and then next to Liv trying to piece together her memories from the last two years. I was invested from the very first sentence (literally) until the end when we got answers. I thoroughly enjoyed how the story was wrapped up. I would’ve liked to hear from one certain character at the end, but that’s okay! This was so well written and after loving The Night Swim too, I’ve added Megan to my list of auto-buy authors!

I loved:
-Dual POVs
-Past and present timelines
-Detective Halliday being a strong female character doing one of the most challenging jobs in such a hard environment

✨ thanks to St Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Megan Goldin for this ARC ✨

Stay Awake was such an EXCITING thriller to read!! What I wild ride. We’re introduced to Liv, seeing everything in her perspective. She’s lost and confused each time she wakes up, memories reverting back to two years ago. Liv wakes up in a cab, scribbles written all over her hands to “STAY AWAKE”, and a bloody knife in her pocket.

Liv reaches her apartment only to find out she hasn’t lived there for over 2 years. And without her purse, phone or any memory, she sets out to find her roommate Amy and any clues to sort out her life. Along the way in search for Amy, Marco, or anything to help piece together what’s going on, Liv sees on the news that she is wanted for murder. “STAY AWAKE” written on the window in blood, the same words written all over her hands and arms.

Typically I don’t enjoy detective POV’s but Halliday and Lavelle were very much enjoyable! I loved Halliday’s bad ass character.
This story is told in multiple timelines and the way it merges together and unravels was very well done. Although it was easy to figure out things early on in the story, I still highly enjoyed it. I’ve never read anything like this and it had me by the throat!! Fast paced & cliff hangers each chapter. I will def be buying the physical copy once this releases 😌

Liv wakes up in a cab and has no idea how she got there. Written on her hand is the message "stay awake." When she realizes that two years have passed since her last memory, she needs to figure out what happened to her and who she can trust.

I really did not enjoy the first half of this book and was confident that I was going to hate it. It was giving me Groundhog Day vibes which totally stressed me out. I will say that the story really picked up in the second half and I ended up being very glad that I stuck with it.

It was clear that Liv needed help and she was a character that I was rooting for. In the same breath, I found myself very frustrated with her. If she could write herself a message on her hand, couldn't she write herself a note and put it in her pocket so she wasn't at square one every day when she woke up?! Is that not the first lesson in Amnesia 101?!

I enjoyed the short chapters and the dual narration. There were parts that were perfectly creepy and I admit to being surprised with some of the twists.