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Genre : psychological thriller
This one was so good!
Imagine every time you wake up you lose the last two years of your life & have no idea of the traumatic things that happened since then. You have to re-live those terrible moments each time you wake up and someone you may not even recognize fills you in on the blanks missing in your life. Not only that, but you may be in danger for the things you witnessed years ago.
That’s Liv’s life.
This is a twisty-turny, page turning ride you’ll want to hop on, out August 9th!
Thanks so much @Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press!

The book follows three different POVs - Liv, present day, Liv, 2 years prior, and the investigation. The storyline is extremely fast paced, edge of your seat and engulfing. I read this over the course of 24 hours and only put the book down to sleep and work.

Liv is a successful writer for a magazine called Cultura where she writes about cuisine and restaurants. But Liv has a condition in which she doesn’t remember anything after waking from sleep. Live wakes up slumped in a taxi with a bloody knife in her pocket, she doesn’t remember how she got there or where she is, all she knows is she needs to get home. Unfortunately, “home,” is no longer there. Unbeknownst to Liv, she has lived 2 years of her life and she remembers none of it. The last thing she remembers is picking up the phone at work, then waking up in the taxi. She has writing all over her hands and arms - she is covered in cryptic writing and advice. The most prominent? STAY AWAKE.
Darcy Halliday is a new homicide detective who is the first on the scene when a murder is called in. A man has been murdered in an apartment bedroom - Stabbed once through the heart with no signs of a struggle. They find a message written on the window in the victim’s blood - WAKE UP.

Stay Awake kept me so engaged the entire time. I struggled to not stay up all night and read this in one go. I did not predict the twist or the baddie - it was thoroughly enjoyable. However, there are some misses.
The last 15% was a struggle to get through, if I’m going to be honest. All of the cliché actions and events happen at the end, and I literally through up my hands in defeat. I had enjoyed every second of this up until the 85% mark and I was NOT HAPPY. I wish authors would not tie everything up in a bow for fan service. Unfortunately, it ruined the experience I was having with the book.

WOW! I loved this book SO much! It has been a while since I’ve read a thriller that completely engrossed me. If you like shows like FBI, SVU or Criminal Minds then this one is for you! I loved how there were different perspectives. One was an unreliable suspect/victim with memory problems which was SO intriguing and so different from anything else I’ve read. And two was the perspectives of the detectives who had a very unique case to work. I had so much fun trying to piece together all the different clues in this big puzzle. And the end?! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough
10/10 recommended this amazing book!

I really enjoyed this thriller. It captured my attention right from the start and I struggled to put it down. The characters were very relatable and I found myself feeling connected to each of them. I have read several of Megan's books before and I really love her style of writing. Highly recommend this one

I loved this book so much! This is the 1st book I have read of this author's and I will be purchasing the rest! It was a roller coaster of thrills every min. Could not put it down! Everyone needs to have this in their tbr pile for sure!

magine waking up with no memory every time you fall asleep…

Liv Reese wakes up in a cab with no memory from the last two years and a bloody knife. Everyday Liv Reese finds out new details to help her untangle her missing memories, only to start all over after falling asleep.

This book was a good, fast-paced thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It was not at all predictable and kept me guessing.

My only reasons for deducting a star are that it skips back and forth between time frames and POVs, which made it hard to follow at first. The ending also seemed to tie up in such a neat little bow, that it seemed a little unrealistic in the last few pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the advanced copy. Will be published August 9th!

Four star read! I had been told this was a really great book, and it did not disappoint. Liv suffers from memory loss, and can’t remember the last 2 years of her life. Once she falls asleep, she will only remember 2 years ago when she heard the phone ring, and she has a bloody knife and had no idea where it came from. She goes to her home, but it’s not her home anymore and nothing is familiar. She sees there is a crime investigation with the same phrase she has written on her arm, and is worried. The rest you will have to find out for yourself 😉

This was one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time. It kept me interested and wanting more the entire time I was reading it. Definitely a 4.5 from me, I can’t wait for Megan’s next book!

Oh my gosh. This is the best thriller I’ve read in a long time. As a fan of The Night Swim, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Stay Awake. Liv wakes up and thinks it’s two years prior with no recollection of the time between. Her day only gets crazier when she realizes the is the prime suspect of a murder. This book was SO fast paced and suspenseful. I woke up in the middle of the night, couldn’t fall back asleep and had to pick it up to know what was going to happen next! I can’t wait for it to be released so I can tell everyone else to read it.

When I saw a new book from Megan Goldin I did not hesitate to pick it up. She is an author that consistently surprises me with her story telling. Not sure where she gets her ideas from but she 'gets me'.
This was a thrilling book to read. She left me confused (in a good way) and slowly feeds the reader pieces of the puzzles. Some reviewers mentioned they figured out the perp pretty quick, but I didn't So KUDOS, you got me. I also wasn't concentrating on trying to figure out 'who did it'? I was enjoying the memory loss weirdness and enjoyed being in the moment wondering what Liv's next move would be, when she would have to 'restart' and who we (Liv and the readers) could trust in this story.
The only criticism I have is the ending. Such a good thriller and it felt like the author kind of gave up when she reached the end. Parts of the story were repeated. A useless journal entry (with more repeated story telling). An ending that didn't wow me.
Otherwise, a solid 4 star book for me. A very enjoyable thriller. I would recommend this book and all of Megan's previous books.

WOW WOW WOW! I really enjoyed this book. I was a bit nervous because The Night Swim was not my favorite. I really liked that it took me back in time but not in a confusing way. I really enjoyed the back and fourth. Although I enjoyed it, I wish the ending was just a bit different. I think it was sort of a letdown after a fun and thrilling ride. 4 stars for me!

“𝚆𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝚄𝙿!“

This new read (pub. date, Aug.09.22) from Megan Goldin is one wild ride! Through short, fast-paced chapters, we are introduced to Liv. She is the epitome, the absolute definition, of an unreliable narrator. Every time Liv falls asleep, she wakes up having forgotten the last 2 years of her life.

“𝚃𝚠𝚘 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝. 𝙸𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝙸‘𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚊𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎.“

Through multiple, first person POVs and shifting, breakneck speed time jumps, we are treated to an engaging narrative full of lyrical storytelling and fantastic imagery.

“𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢‘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚜𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚋, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙸‘𝚖 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐.“

Although I was able to guess the big reveal 3/4 of the way in, it didn’t matter. This tense thriller was definitely worth the read!

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

I'd give this 3.5 stars. Overall it was a good concept, but there were some places where things got a bit confusing since the story was switching back and forth between timelines. It was a good story and definitely help my interest, but there were places where it dragged a bit or felt like the same story points were repeated.

Stay Awake is so different from other thriller books, It is fast paced and will keep you guessing from the beginning till the end. Liv wakes up and doesn’t know where she is or what has happened she tried to resume her normal life but everything has changed. What ensues is a run for time and some much needed rest.
Thank you NetGally for providing me a copy for a fair and honest review.

I was so excited to get a chance to read an advance copy of Stay Awake by NetGalley! This is my second Megan Goldin book and it did not disappoint! It reminded me of 50 first dates with a lot more drama and mystery! I love reading books with multiple points of views and this book gives you the point of view from Liv and detective Halliday. I would definitely recommend this book!

I read this book in one sitting.

It starts with our main character Liv waking up in a cab. The last thing she remembers is sitting in her office and answering a phone call. She arrives at her apartment to discover that someone else has moved in and that she has a bloody knife in her pocket. She also had scribbles on her hands warning her to stay awake.

The story goes back and forth between the present and her life 2 years before. We also get to see the POVs of the detectives who are investigating what happened prior to Liv waking up in cab.

This was a fun read. I enjoyed trying to solve this one!

I couldn’t put this book down! I love psychological thrillers, and while this one had the usual whodunnit plot, the trauma-related amnesia gave it a different feel. I liked the back and forth between the cops and main character as they pieces everything together.

Megan Goldin's Stay Awake begins with magazine editor Liv Reese returning to her apartment tired and disoriented to find there are two other people living there, she has exhortations not to sleep scrawled all over her body and there's a bloody knife in her bag. The tension in Stay Awake begins at a 10 and crackles throughout the book as the narrative races between Liv's current situation, her life 2 years prior (which is where her memory returns if she does not, in fact, stay awake and two NYPD detectives trying to solve the stabbing death of an unknown man, The reader similarly races to the conclusion of the book. I tore through this while getting my hair done-- I even held my Kindle up awkwardly at the shampoo bowl-- neck pain be damned-- because I simply could not put it down. Stay Awake comes out August 9-- pre-order it to add a shot of adrenaline (like Liv's oft-used caffeine) to your summer reading list.

For such a fascinating premise, the execution felt very dull and hard for me to get invested in any characters or story.

I just finished this book and I don't know how I feel about it. I will say that this the third megan Goldin book I've read and I am a fan. My favorite so far has been 'The night swim. This one just felt a little odd to me. I don't know if it was my expectations not being matched or the book itself. For one, the memory plot just kept reminding me of the 50 first dates movie. I don't know if it's a real condition so I found it kind of far fetched just on the surface. I was also hoping for more of an explanation/ resolution of what was happening to Liv 2 years in the past when she first started noticing symptoms. I know once we find out the killer it's him but I would've liked more about why the killer did this in the first place, why they decided to frame Liv and screw around with her. Those answers were lacking for me.
Having said all this I read the book in 2 days and couldn't put it down. It was a very quick and easy read and I'll drumroll keep reading books by this author