Overall satisfying thriller, although not the best writing. Fast paced and with plenty of twists and turns. I wanted to see how it would turn out. The characters were pretty likable and made me care about the outcome. Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to read this digital ARC.

My thriller-loving heart skipped a beat when I discovered Megan Goldin had written a new novel. After falling in love with her 2019 novel The Escape Room and again in 2020 after the release of The Night Swim, Stay Awake quickly became one of my most anticipated thrillers of the year.

“ Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.” - Catch 22, Joseph Heller

Stay Awake tells the story of Liv Reese, a 30 something woman living in New York City. Liv wakes in the back of a taxi with no memory of where she is or how she got there. When she arrives at her brownstone apartment, a stranger answers the door and will not let her inside. When she reaches for her phone to call for help, Liv discovers a blood-stained knife in its place. That’s when she also discovers the words “stay awake” written all over her arms and hands.

The story alternates between two years ago and the present. Both timelines are told from Liv’s point of view.

Megan Goldin once again delivers another entertaining thriller. This action-packed story centered around a suspenseful mystery kept me on my toes from page 1 until the end. There are cleverly planted red herrings throughout the story and although I did figure out the mystery early on, it didn’t take away any enjoyment I had seeing how it would play out. Liv Reese made an interesting main character and I loved the secondary character Darcey Halliday, who is a detective and veteran.

I would recommend Stay Awake to fans of fast-paced, action-packed thrillers seeking an entertaining book that will keep you on the edge of your seat! I also recommend Megan Goldin’s older novels, The Escape Room and The Night Swim.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin will be available on August 9! Many thanks to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Hold on to your seat with this one! Imagine going to sleep every night and waking up with no memory? Well, that is exactly what Liv experiences in Stay Awake. This book bounces back and forth between present time and two years ago in multiple timelines. Poor Liv keeps writing herself notes to STAY AWAKE but she´s only human and that is not possible.
This book had me on my toes the entire time. What a fantastic, page-turning thriller! I won´t spoil the ending, but I will tell you that I did not see that coming!
If you loved Goldin´s The Night Swim, you will thoroughly enjoy this banger of a book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Goldin, and MacMillan publishers for this eARC.

This story absolutely sucked me in. I couldn't put it down and read it in less than 24 hours. It was a true mystery and very layered. This is my genre of choice, so I'm definitely picky about how stories are put together, characters, and twists when it comes to wanting to give a book 4 or 5 stars.
I will say that the writing was not great. It was more "telling" than "showing" and read in kind of a juvenile way. I'm hoping it hits another editor before publication. (for example: I don't need the author to explain to me that "BOLO" means "be on the lookout" in an unnatural way)

Absolutely loved everything about this book!
I usually get slightly confused when books time jump, but I was so hooked in this story that on read right through it.

I felt for Liv so much.
The Twists were so good.
Id 100% Reccomed this book to everyone.
This is my favorite book of Megan Goldin's that I have read. And one of my top books that I have read in a long time.

Synopsis: Liv cannot remember the past two years when she wakes up in the backseat of a taxi with a bloodstained knife with messages written all over her hands.

This book was amazing with a capital A!! I cannot remember when I took such a fast-paced gripping ride in a novel. I am a huge suspense/thriller junkie and this book satisfied all of my thriller cravings. Reader pay attention while on this literary journey, buckle up for one amazing ride with Liv as she tries to figure out what happened two years ago. Liv keeps remembering two years ago in bits and pieces, bringing past and present together is creating a problem for Liv but everything comes together in a shocking twist as she works with a police detective to try and solve a murder.

Awesome read! Keeps the readers engaged and wanting to know more. Read the entire book in two sittings.

Fun creepy thriller from Megan Golden. I struggled from time to time to fully understand what was happening, but I think that just added to the suspense--so many questions about what was going on, with a twist I didn't see coming!

I’ve never read a police procedural thriller before. It’s definitely not my preferred type of thriller. This book felt very repetitive at times and as if the author was dumbing things down for the reader too much when it came to the detectives explaining their theories. I felt like the murderer was obvious and there were some loose ends that weren’t fully wrapped up (ie the waiter who kept calling Liv, the cop who made fun of her instead of helping, and the guy who helped stalk her).
The concept of this book was very intriguing and would probably be thrilling for a lot of people but the cop aspect really made me uncomfortable a lot of the time so it was hard to really enjoy the thrill of it all.

Liv forgets the last 2 years every time she goes to sleep. I enjoyed learning about her past little by little with her, and every chapter became more and more suspenseful. My favorite book by this author, so far! 🙌🏻

“𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘠 𝘈𝘞𝘈𝘒𝘌”

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: liv wakes up in the back of a taxi with no phone, no wallet, and a bloodstained knife in her pocket. her skin is also covered in messages reminding her not to fall asleep.

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: this book was soooooo good. our MC, Liv, has a condition where once she falls asleep she forgets everything when she wakes up. she wakes up and finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. this book was so unique and i absolutely loved the way it all came together. we had the flashbacks from 2 years ago (which is the last thing liv remembers before waking up) and then the current timeline with the detectives trying to solve the murder case. detective halliday was seriously one of my favorite characters too! she was such a badass & stood up for what she believed to be true. i thought the story flowed so well & was so well written. the ending also completely shocked me & took a turn i never saw coming. i highly recommend checking this one out when it’s published in august!

𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: i loved it!

special thank you to megan goldin, st. martins press & netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Bummed I didn’t like this more. It just never grabbed me. It was a little suspenseful, but not thrilling. I guessed a few things, and the killer was no shocker.

This was a good book ! Keeps you on edge about the plot and it took me until the reveal to figure out who the killer was. Well written.

I really liked pieces of this book but as a whole, was not impressed. Goldin is very adjective heavy, so much so that it takes away from the story as a whole because of how heavy-handed she is with descriptions. While the concept felt moderately unique, the story itself was predictable. One of my biggest complaints is that Goldin seems to not have a lot of faith in her readers, as she feels the need to drop massive hints in regards to the whodunnit piece, leading to the twists to not be surprises at all.

I had hoped that, as a reader, I'd feel as discombobulated as Liv to keep the story fast-paced and to build intrigue. But instead, I was spoon-fed information. Many things simply didn't make sense, and honestly, by the end, I felt like Liv was an absolute idiot rather than a victim.

I wouldn't recommend this novel for true fans of thrillers as they may find it too predictable.

I wanted to love this book, especially seeing so many 5 star ratings coming in! Unfortunately, I found the writing to be repetitive and unnecessarily explanatory. I’m happy to suspend believability to a certain extent, but this just required too much of it for me. Stay Awake was not her best work, but her previous books were so good I’ll continue to read anything Megan Goldin writes in the future!

Megan Goldin is quickly becoming a new favorite thriller author. Her work is fast-paced, engaging, and leaves you on the edge of your seat. Stay Awake is no different. I also love how she includes themes that really relate to the female experience. I think this will be enjoyed by new and seasoned thriller readers alike.

My second 5 star rating for Megan and I’ve only read 2 of her books.

What a wild ride this story was. It keeps you on the edge throughout the novel. It is written from multiple points of views and jumps from the present and the past. Liv wakes up with no memory of the last 2 years of her life and finds herself to be a prime suspect in a murder. Did Liv really commit murder? Guess you will just have to pick up the book and find out for yourself.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the advanced copy of Stay Awake.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me going till the very end. I was surprised at the twists in this book. I would definitely recommend this book!

This was a good psychological thriller. It had a few twists that kept me on my toes. I loved the Night Swim by this author, and this book didn’t beat that one for me. I did like it better than The Escape Room though. I will continue to read anything this author writes.

Freakin' Flippin' Flamin' Flapjacks!! 😳😯🤯😳🤯

What?! I'm sorry, excuse me, pardon me... MOTHER FLUFFIN FLOOFFIN' WHAT?!?! Hold my purse; hold my coffee; hold my darn dog! This has to be Goldin's best book yet folks! I absolutely loved & adored this. All the crazy parts, the pretzel-like twists. Don't get me started on the conclusion & ending! I'm gobsmacked by this novel and how it all came together. It was riveting, kept my heart beating & just when I thought I had it figured out, Goldin changed it up. A mastermind of true proportions with this thriller! Undeniably delish and yummy! Completely satisfied!
Liv doesn't remember much as she travels by Taxi to her apartment block. When she gets out & rings the bell in the middle of the night, expecting Amy, her best friend, to answer, it ends up being instead a couple. Being shooed out, Liv reaches for her phone in her pocket, only to find a bloody knife. Upon closer inspection scrawled across her hands are the words "stay awake".
Liv used to be thriving in life, dating Marco, living with her best friend, & a successful writer for a popular magazine. As she walks the streets of New York, she comes across a news broadcast about a bloody crime scene that also shows the same message scribbled on her hands. How can she not remember anything from the past two years, and especially last night? She may not remember, but someone else very much does and they may go to any lengths to make sure she doesn't ever remember.
This novel had it all & I gobbled it up like cheesecake. She keeps outdoing herself with each new novel. Fan-freakin-tabulous!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this DARC.
Release Date: August 9, 2022

I give this 5 / 5 Bouquets! 💐