This novel was very slow in the beginning and eventually picked up, though it wasn’t until I was about halfway through (maybe more) that I began to become invested in the storyline and the characters. In the end, I enjoyed the plot and the twists that happened along the way. It definitely wasn’t predictable and that is the main thing that I like when reading thriller/mystery novels.

Solid 4 stars.
I felt a little dizzy with the timeline jumping around and trying to keep track of where the main character was at with her memory issues. Really enjoyed the detectives’ POV. Wished there was an afterward for the main character a year or so in the future. Felt like I cared about her well-being!

This was one of the best books I’ve read in a while! I loved the story line and it kept me wanting more with every turn of the page. Liv Reese forgets everything from the past two years when she falls asleep. Liv wakes up with no memory of how she got there. She has phrases written all over hands and arms that tell her she's in some kind of danger. Will she figure out why she's in danger before it finds her?

This book is definitely gripping and I stayed awake resting this until early morning. The two writing perspectives were interesting. Overall good writing but the ending was disappointing. there was a lot of build up but the end reveal did not live up. There were quite a few loose ends. I did skim through some parts that seemed repeated and the whole “writing on her hand” felt forced. The explanation of her condition wasn't scientific and lacked depth despite the multiple doctors in the story.
Overall though a good read.

This book is definitely a thriller! Liv wakes up in the back of a NYC cab with a bloody knife and doesn't know how she got there. It turns out she can't remember the past two years of her life and when she falls asleep, it all starts over with no memories. The narrator is told from two points of view - that of Liv and then homicide detective Darcy. I've never read a book by this author before and it's out of my traditional genre, but I liked it and would recommend to those who enjoy suspense and thrillers. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of Stay Awake.

Wow! This book primarily takes place over a couple of days but so much happens. Megan Goldin uses flashbacks well to keep the pace tense and the reader guessing.

The reveal was unexpected but I’m left with lingering questions. Who is Liv’s stalker? It’s unclear if the killer and her stalker are the same person, and if so, I’m confused why Liv was targeted.

For future readers - spoilers ahead!
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and while it was compelling up until the very end, I’m conflicted about how to rate it!

Pros: The plot line is so unique compared to all the other thrillers I’ve been reading, which is what initially drew me to this book. I was instantly hooked and it was fast-paced, constantly throwing you in different directions and making you question what’s going on. I liked that the timeline jumps from day to day so you have to connect the dots retroactively.

Cons: The ENDING! I got to the end and felt like we needed at least another chapter to wrap up all the loose ends.

The entire stalking plot line was not explained for me - why did Brett stalk Liv? I get the original murder, but we never get any insight into what drove the stalking element. And what was up with the creepy waiter at the beginning and the art exhibition that had apparently NO impact on the plot whatsoever?

Ultimately I landed on four stars because I absolutely, 100% loved this book until the very very end. I thought this would be a full five star review until the last 5%!! So we’re knocking it down a star, but I can’t deny that I loved the ride, even if the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped.

Imagine waking up and realizing you’ve lost two years of memories. What’s worse, this happens day after day for Liv Reese, who suffers from a rare form of amnesia. As the story unfolds, we learn along with Liv that something terrible happened to her two years ago. Her arms and hands are covered in black pen ink because she writes herself notes in an attempt to remind herself of what is going on because she won’t remember anything if she falls asleep.
Liv is walking down the street one day and sees police activity and a crowd of people looking up at an apartment window facing the street. People in the crowd say the words “Stay Awake” are written on the window in blood. Liv is gripped in fear when she looks at her hands to see the same thing written on her hands.
I enjoyed this engaging thriller which is told in alternating time frames which allows the reader in on Liv’s past, her present situation and of course the anticipation of what happens if and when she remembers what really took place two years ago. The book was well written. I liked the author’s descriptive writing style and her character development. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy psychological thrillers.

I received this book as an arc from NetGalley. I’m not sure if the definition of a suspenseful thriller has changed but there wasn’t anything suspenseful or thrillerish about this book to me. A good book would have me up at night reading and losing sleep over it. This book was just ok to me. I was hoping for something more of a page-turner

This book had me stunned from the get. It opened with a few main characters but the star is Liv Reese. The book takes you on her journey which tends to be frightening. She forgets, has flashbacks and incessantly writes on her hands and arms. Stay awake Please take a day or two and plan on reading. This book is hard to put down!


She has a condition that it turn out is a real thing. It tends to happen to people with traumatic events. So Liv loses her memory for about two years. The author does a past present with the past chapters moving forward in time from 2 years up to 12 hours before the "event". The even is spoken of in the text and past sequences but it is not revealed until about 70 % into the novel. When it is exposed



Other characters are Marco, Liv's boyfriend, and Amy her Doctor best friend and roomie. Marco is trying to get investors in his business, but not really a story there, or is it ? Then you meet Brett, who is Amy's boyfriend. Brett, also a doctor at the same hospital as Amy, has kids from first marriage and seems perfect. The dynamic that Amy and Marco hate each other because Marco is a moderate and Amy is very liberal. Liv is upset that her love and friend don't get along, but deals with it. Amy and Brett's relationship is sort of odd because both are doctors who don't spend a lot of time together.

Liv works at a magazine after being a teacher, she finds her niche and grows with the magazine. Occasions arise where she has to review an artist who honestly scared me to death. Performance art is a thing and this guy was a creep!

Some people involved in the sub plot are all supportive friends who constantly remind Liv of her condition. I mean these people are golden! She falls asleep on the E train, in the park and when she awakes it brings the tension. When things get super crazy the author introduces a detective that has more interest in scratching his ass than doing work to help Liv who feels like she is being stalked.




Hold on because at 50-60% in the reveals start to come. It was a complete shock. I was guessing throughout the book but it hit an all time high in the last few chapters. What a wild ride. I can not wait for the reviews to start pouring in. Lucky for me I have The Night Swim up next.

Super excellent book. I hadn’t read any books by Megan Goldin before and now I want to read them all. Excellent connection with the main character and full of adventure.

Stay Awake was an amazing psychological thriller. Usually I tend to stay away from this genre because I find it annoyingly repetitive. However, Stay Awake was so fresh and original. The plot was engaging, the characters felt real and oh the twists and turns. Absolutely loved it!

After waking up bewildered in a cab, with no memory of how he came to be there, Liv Reese realizes that she has lost her keys, her purse and her phone. She rings the buzzer for the apartment she shares with Amy, hoping she’s home to let her in. She rings and rings and rings, when finally 2 people stumble to the door. She assumes they must be more of Amy’s friends come to stay the night but when she pushes past them into the apartment, she realizes that this isn’t her apartment and these people have no idea who Amy is.

Later that morning, when a body is found and the message STAY AWAKE is found painted in the victim’s blood, Detective Darcy Halliday, temporarily assigned to the homicide unit, is first on the scene.
The story is told from the point of view of both Liv and Darcy as each begin pieces parts of the story together that will ultimately land them on a collision course.

Liv’s story is also told in a dual timeline. One in the present one tracing back 2 years ago where a traumatic event has left her with memory issues and a bit of an obsession to find out whodunit.

This was a fast, enjoyable read. Detective Halliday was built with a great back story and I can see her being used again. I enjoyed that she didn’t mind having differing opinions from the veteran closer homicide detective that she was paired with.

Liv’s confusion and fear was palpable at times.

The author left enough details to figure it out but not enough to make it obvious while throwing just enough red herrings in the mix to keep the reader guessing.

I was not thrilled with the overall resolution, and for that reason, I will give it 3.5, rounded up to 4.

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

This was a fun read... almost like the 50 First Dates movie except with a murder and from a few different perspectives. Definitely an original concept for a thriller, which there aren't many these days! I did feel like there was some unnecessary filler detail that didn't play very well into the story or wasn't wrapped up at the end... like the detectives' backstories and the fallout of poor Ted's death. I would definitely still recommend!

Review posted to blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Thrilling!

When Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a cab, she is devoid of memory. What she notices is that her hands are covered in black pen with messages such as “Wake Up” & “Stay Awake.” As she approaches her brownstone and tries to go inside, she realizes she doesn’t have her keys or her phone. It’s at that moment that she realizes that a stranger lives in her apartment and that nothing is as it seems.

Then she finds the bloody knife in her coat pocket.

Across town, a man’s body is found. The evidence is scant. There is however a phrase inked backwards in blood on the window for all outside to see.

Liv appears tied to the murder, though she has no memory of recent events, as every time she goes to sleep, she loses her memory. While I’ve never heard of this type of amnesia, perhaps anything is possible. While I raised an eyebrow, or two, I went with it.

An enjoyable mystery / suspense that kept me intrigued throughout.

A buddy read with Kaceey!

Thanks to St. Martins Press via NetGalley for the arc.

Published on Goodreads and Twitter

Solid 4 stars
Keep me up all night wanting more. We’ll developed characters & storyline. Multiple twists & turns!! Will be recommending to all friends who enjoy crime/thriller/mystery books

I really enjoyed this book. I can't say I loved it due to some frustrations with plot holes and a disappointing final twist (for me), but the writing and dynamics kept me engaged and I read it in record time!

We have multiple narrators for this story: Liv, an amnesiac who loses all memories of the last 2 years+ every time she goes to sleep, and 2 detectives who are working an odd murder case that Liv may or may not be a part of. Through expertly arranged time jumps that give us, the reader, just the right amount of information at the right time, the mystery slowly unravels and, very Scooby-Doo style, the ultimate villain is revealed. This is a well-told story with a style that was unique enough to be very engaging (think Momento with less violence). In true mystery style, the pacing of the story is very much slow-->rapid, so hang on in the first half, it will pick up pace. This is a murder mystery so we have to dredge through clues, misdirects, evidence, etc before the story can really take off. Overall this was a fun read that I would recommend to anyone looking for some surprises they definitely won't see coming!

**Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC**

3.5 🌟

Just average for me which is surprising because I really enjoyed The Night Swim!

The ending was missing something to me. Perhaps it could have been because I read this over a couple weeks and may not have remembered every single detail. I know the redundancy was intention based on the premise of the book but it seemed monotonous to me.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Personally speaking, I love EVERYTHING Megan writes — from The Night Swim to The Escape Room. The only difference between my feelings about Stay Awake and Megan’s previous books is that this one was a little long for my liking. Other than that, every thriller reader needs to read Stay Awake — NOW!

Excellent thriller with a number of twists! Read like a twisted, creepy version of 50 First Dates. Kept me guessing to the very last page.