I was so excited to jump into this book. Unfortunately it didn't live up to the hype for me. I was so interested in reading from Liv's perspective and I thought the idea of someone losing their memory every time they fall asleep sounded so intriguing. However I found it to be very repetitive and slow. I felt that it took a really long time to get where the story was going and felt that myself losing interest. There were some interesting parts, but unfortunately there weren't enough to bump up my rating. I wish there were more twists and turns and that there was more action throughout the book instead of only the last 30 pages. I would recommend to those that like the amnesia trope but I do think that there are other books that do it better.

This book was provided to me by Net Galley for an honest review.
Thank you!

Megan’s previous book (the night swim) was one of my absolute favorites last year so I was pumped to receive this copy. Stay Awake definitely kept my interest and kept me guessing. I feel that there was a pretty big plot hole with Q, but maybe I missed something? The format/timeline of this book was a bit tricky to follow on an e reader because it’s harder to flip back and forth. I would recommend getting a hard copy of this one vs an e or audiobook.

Everyone seems to either love or hate this book, while I'm in the middle. I loved the premise -- a woman loses the memories of the past two years every time she falls asleep. She wakes up with writing all over her hands telling her to stay awake, a bloody knife in her pocket, and scary and confusing things going on all around her. I could even handle the repetitive writing, because it felt necessary to convey the sort of "caught in a loop" existence Liv was in.

That said, the plot holes were big and many. The ridiculousness was over the top. Certain huge plot lines were inserted and were never mentioned again. Liv was written to be unforgivably dumb. The detectives were stereotypes -- the gruff male cops who jump to conclusions even when the evidence clearly points to something else, the young female badass cop who's an elite military vet and smarter than everyone else, the poor innocent woman who is so confused and naive, who everyone wants to either protect or lock up/kill. Oh yeah, and the gorgeous roommate who's also a doctor in her spare time. Okay.

I have so many questions after reading this. It's laughable. Killers wouldn't do any of this! Killers generally just take an easy route and arrange an alibi or something. The Q storyline is so unbelievable, the gaslighting/stalking storyline is so unbelievable, so much of this is so unbelievable. It really does seem like the villains are straight out of a Batman comic. And if I woke up with writing all over my hands and arms with no memory, I'd take the time to sit down and try to read it all. I get that she's also pretty insane from the massive quantities of coffee and no-doze and years of not letting herself sleep, so she would be this flaky I guess. But it makes it not very easy to root for her or like her. Shrug.

It wasn't a bad book and I read it quickly to find out what happened, but it certainly wasn't my favorite of the year.

I read a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Woah! This was a real psychological thriller!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing this as an advanced review copy.

I just devoured this book within a couple of days. I read this during work as well lol!

I loved the alternating timelines and the alternating POVs that definitely added confusion and mystery to the plot which is definitely a good thing!

I have to say there were a few minor plotholes but overall it was an absolutely wild read! It was creepy, thrilling, and face-paced! Kudos to the author!

AWESOME,THRILLING psychological ride that kept me guessing until the end. I was pulled into this story and could barely put it down. I loved the present and past timelines that just flowed so well . The pacing and the short chapters were perfect. My 1st great read by Megan Goldin, and I would definitely recommend Stay Awake for anyone in the mood for a good thriller! I will be purchasing her other books! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy!!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to receive an advance copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts in this opinion are my own!


This was a mix between thriller and maybe a *touch* of true crimeish feel. I take away one star because I’m not over the fact the author used the word “hooker”, in 2022. But, overall, I liked the pace this book went, I wasn’t really expecting a few bits and pieces, and I love the mental chaos of this story!

This book was a great psychological thriller. I enjoyed it very much. It left me anticipating Liv’s every moves and it was very interesting to connect the dots of when she was awake and asleep.
I did find that it bounced around a bit and I was a bit confused and found it hard to follow the timeline, but it all made sense in the end.

Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a complimentary copy of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: August 9, 2022

🔪Stay Awake was excellent! This thriller was a complete page turner that kept me guessing the entire time.

Goodreads Synopsis

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.

🔪This book was RIV E TING. I seriously couldn't put it down. The timeline flip flops between the present, where Liv can't remember anything and 2 years ago. As you learn more about what Liv does remember, myself as a reader was able to put some of the puzzle pieces together. I say some because during this twisty novel, I was only able to predict one of those twists. That's it! I'm usually good with my theories, but not this time. Goldin expertly kept this very seasoned thriller reader guessing. I highly recommend reading this one if you are a thriller lover like myself. I will buy anything this woman writes.

What a wild ride 🤯

Imagine the dread you would feel if you knew that every time you fell asleep, you would wake up with no memory! This book messed with my mind as I tried to keep track of Liv’s experiences while the story rotated between her last working memories two years prior, and the present day.

A solid thriller full of twists and turns, you should definitely put it on your list for when it’s released on August 9, 2022!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this review 😁

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a page-turner for sure. Goldin does a good job of putting the reader in the mindset of Liv because I feel like I was in a constant state of confusion for most of the book. It shifts back and forth from the present tense to the past tense. In the present, Liv is experiencing a "dissociative fugue state", in which she forgets basically everything about her life every time she wakes up. The reason for this is she is being triggered about a traumatic event that occurred two years prior.

Being in Liv's confused mindset got to be frustrating, but I know the point of that was to show us how it would feel to be in her mind.

What is going on with Liv? This question keeps readers glued to this page turner. The characters are well developed and the suspense holds you until the end. I highly recommend this book set in New York in an exciting plot as the main character unravels the tension.

This almost felt like a mesh between THE ESCAPE ROOM and THE NIGHT SWIM, in terms of the thriller elements and the detective POV. I feel like each time Megan Goldin comes out with a new book, it’s completely unique from the last book. While this premise isn’t new, it was interesting!

Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

WOW! Another gripping thriller I won’t be forgetting and will be adding to my favourite pile. One of my first book’s from Megan Goldin and won’t be the last!

Is Liv a murderer or a victim? The main character Liv wakes up with writings on her body “Stay Awake!” and on a journey to figuring out why! (I don’t want to spoil anymore!)

You get POV’s from Liv’s past and present, also the detectives POV. It goes back and forth with Liv’s past and present time, which I did very much enjoy. It’s a book that will keep you on edge with its unexpected twists and turns. Sucks you right in where you just need to keep on reading, Goldin did an amazing job with the characters they were very likeable. This book did not disappoint at all, add it to your TBR now! I’d highly recommend to Thriller junkies.

I absolutely LOVED this book. It's been such a long time since I read a fast-paced, intense thriller that I couldn't put down. I really enjoyed how the story was told from the perspective of the main character Liv who has memory loss as well as from the detectives who are trying to solve a murder case. With the chapters switching back and forth between the various characters and between different points in time, I was anxious and excited to keep reading to find out what was going on. And man!! - I didn't guess the murderer at all! Definitely a great pulse-racing thriller! Can't wait to read another book by Megan Goldin.

WOW this was good! 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 her home, a stranger answers who now lives in her apartment and forces her out. That's when she sees her hands are covered in pen, scribbled messages like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE. Liv is lost and disoriented in a New York she no longer recognizes and is unable to remember anything about her life in the last two years.

This book sucked me right in. Told from Liv's perspective in the past and present, as well as from the perspective of detectives investigating a murder, the story weaves together into a tale of trauma, trust, and murder. I wasn't the biggest fan of this author's last book The Night Swim, but this one completely blew me away. The story came together like watching the best episode of Criminal Minds, where we're put into the mind of a potential suspect and able to follow along with the police as they investigate. Absolutely loved this one and can't wait for what Megan Goldin does next!

Stay Awake
Megan Goldin
4-4.5 ⭐️

I was SO excited when Stay Awake was available as Read Now on NetGalley! I grabbed it as fast as I could.

Blurb: Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. 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.

What a gripping, twisty psychological ride that kept me guessing. I was pulled into this clever story right way and did not want to put it down. I enjoyed the dual POV’s between Liv and the detectives, and the present and past timelines. The pacing and the short chapters kept everything flowing so perfectly. The ending felt a little rushed and left me with questions, but overall I really enjoyed this one!

Pub Date 8/9/22 Pre-order your copy!

Another great read by Megan Goldin, and I would definitely recommend Stay Awake for anyone in the mood for a good amnesia thriller!

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

I really enjoy the way Megan Goldin writes. It really hooks you in right away. It starts with a girl trying to just get home to her apartment to find other people living there and it just keeps unwinding from there. The mystery keeps you on your toes and it's very well paced. No chapters overstay their welcome. The unreliable narrative completely works. I would 100% believe that the book clubs will be fighting over this one.

Great book from start to finish. Liv has memory loss so she can't remember anything every time she falls asleep. The book jumps back and forth between present and past time, and as the book goes on the pieces of the puzzle slowly come together. Hard to put down till the very end.
This book left my questioning who did it, but towards the end it became a bit predictable. None the less, still a great read!

This was my first book by this author and it most certainly will not be my last. From the first page this book kept me interested and engaged. I wanted to know more and needed to know more. The writing style was fantastic and flawlessly switched between two different time periods. I really enjoyed the character development of Liv and felt myself going through the emotions with her. The ending pulled it all together quite well and left me with a little room to imagine what I think should happen next. Definitely recommend this read!

The concept of this story was unique and would have made for a great thriller but....there are many unanswered questions in the end. If Liv Reese the main character had memory problems, it's surprising doctors allow her to be by herself for more than 2 years. Her condition is not clearly explained. There were some paragraphs that were repeated and the narrative dragged out a bit. The timelines were very confusing and hence I couldn't enjoy the read that much.