Stay Awake did not disappoint. This was my first Megan Goldin book and I can’t wait to try more. Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a cab and has no clue how she got there. She finds a bloody knife and writing all over the back of her hands. As she goes back to places she thinks she is currently living and working at you realize she has lost two years from her memory. The book alternates between what happened two years ago with what is currently happening. I was hooked from the start. I had to finish this book to find out what was happening. I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley for my honest review.

This book was just what I needed to get myself out of my thriller/mystery reading slump. I was kept on my toes throughout the entire book and finished it in less than 24 hours. Would definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fairly quick read that kept me guessing. I also looked forward to picking it back up to read when I had the opportunity.

Stay Awake definitely had me awake to finish. I couldn’t wait to see how all the pieces tied together. Great thriller/mystery. five star recommendations!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin. After reading the Night Swim last year, I knew I needed to get my hands on this book as soon as I heard about it! Five MASSIVE stars - I’ll be recommending this one to all of my book-loving friends.

The human brain is so complex - and given that this thriller deals not only with memory but murder, I was instantly captivated. When Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with absolutely no clue how she got there, her life begins to unravel. How has she forgotten the past two years of her life? Why is there writing all over her hands telling her to STAY AWAKE, and what is this bloody knife in her pocket that seems to be a linked to a brutal crime scene?

This thriller is complex, offering POVs from both Liv and the detectives solving the bloody crime scene that she may be connected to, the true definition of an unputdownable book. Not surprisingly, Stay Awake kept me awake all night while reading until the early hours of the morning.

Very fast paced and engaging! I enjoyed this story right from the start, it jumps right in but was not confusing or jarring at all. I also enjoyed the characters and dialogue.

Just finished, and it was a true page turner. The characters were good and engaging. My only quibbles were that the protagonist was able to go to London as a dual citizen through her dad (if she could do that, why not have him help Liv through her childhood?) and that the "stalker" that hired the neighbor was never revealed (If it was the killer, why do that so early on?) Those holes are why I dropped the review a star. Otherwise a good solid thriller.

This is a fast paced, winding ride through the mind of an amnesiac. Liv is an unreliable narrator which I am not too fond of in general but it works here. The story itself unfolds over dual timelines which was a bit confusing but also worked well and blended the two timelines to tell the story. This is very fast paced and gave me some anxiety (in a good way)...it really throws you right in the middle of the action. I wasn't expecting the ending but I also wasn't shocked either.

4.5 stars - rounded up. Absolutely loved the premise of this book and the execution was great. I typically get frustrated with unreliable narrator stories but felt this one avoided all the most frustrating tropes. (Spoiler-ish ahead...) I would have liked a bit more closure at the end - the resolution seemed to happen quite quickly and while the reveal of the was antagonist was well done and surprising, there was no explanation of their motive whatsoever. (Also felt their "final speech" was a bit contrived. The dialogue was so overly-explanatory it came off a bit goofy)
The other thing I felt was a bit confusing was Liv's life in New York. Why was she in that gross apartment? She had only been there a few weeks but was already a "regular" at a bar and a bodega - to the point where they knew about her condition? That felt like the stretch - hardly possible in a tiny small town, let alone a big city!
Overall this book had me totally hooked and the premise was so interesting and well done I can forgive some of these missteps.

One of the best thrillers I've read in a ling time! I read this so fast I almost finished it in one day! Liv Reese wakes up in the middle of the night in New York and tries to go back to the apartment she shares with her best friend, except a new couple lives there and two years have passed since Liv has lived there. Also, Liv discovers that she has a bloody knife with her. There are so many twists and turns in this book, starting with the fact that Liv loses her memory of the last two years every time she falls asleep. Who do you trust when you don't remember anyone?

It took me a little bit to get into Stay Awake, I found it dragged on a bit in a few places and while the constant jumping back and forth in timelines made sense for the plot I did find you were left in the middle unknown section of the book for a little bit. In the end, the resolution and "who done it" portion wasn't fully explained to the extent that I would have wanted in terms of the motive and why. Still a good read, definitely a unique storyline.

Stay Awake made me want to stay awake just to find out what happens!

Liv forgets everything the moment she falls asleep. When she wakes up, her last memory is from two years ago when she answered the phone at her desk. Everything from that point on is a complete blank. She tries everything to stay awake and writes notes on her hands and arms and keeps post it notes to remind her what she should and shouldn't do. When we meet Liv, she wakes up in a cab with a bloody knife. Having no idea what happened, she tries to go back to her apartment and talk to her roommate only to find that she no longer lives there and the current tenants are fed up with her showing up thinking she lives there. As she tries to figure what exactly happened, when it is, and where to go, she also has to fight to stay awake so that all of her progress isn't erased if she falls asleep.

We flashback from two years ago to now to learn more about Liv and what caused this rare form of amnesia. Interspersed from Liv's point of view, we meet the detectives working the mysterious murder of a man in an apartment with the words Stay Awake written in blood on the window. A woman is sought after and Liv begins the woman they are looking for is her but she has no idea how that could be possible. As she works to figure out what is going on the present, she begins to realize that what happened two years ago is the key to everything.

Quick paced thriller. Slightly confusing about the present timeline and how many times Liv falls asleep and wakes up but all in all it makes sense in the end. I suspected what happened in the past but did not suspect who the ultimate villain was. Excellent read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I literally couldn't stop; not even to sleep - I felt as if the main character Liv's motto 'Stay Awake,' was my own. I would give it a solid 4.5 stars if I could.

This was my first time reading a novel by Megan Golding, and yet I'm already looking for more. She navigates the plot through multiple timelines and points of view near-flawlessly for and edge-of-your-seat experience that refuses to let you walk away until you know what happens next.

Beyond all of that, everything is well researched, planned out, and complexly written in a way that is refreshing from many of the novels that I've picked up on a whim lately.

The story sounded so intriguing but the delivery fell flat for me. It skipped around from first person to third person POV. Sometimes it was Liv and sometimes it was the detective and the chapters weren’t labeled whose perspective it was so I had to figure it out. The timeline was confusing. All the time stamps and flashbacks and present were introduced in a confusing way. The memory loss and repetition got very boring. I started skimming to get through it. I figured out who the murderer probably was and I was right. It felt too easy and predictable. It was a great storyline and I wanted to like it a lot more than I did.

Addicting, unputdowable, thrilling - the list goes on and on!! A must read for thriller readers and lovers of unreliable narrators. I loved uncovering Liv’s memories alongside her, and I felt just as obsessed as her with solving and unfolding what her memory keeps from her. The pacing of the book keeps you on your toes, leaving you on the edge of your seat for what will unfold in both the past and present.

I read Megan Goldin's new book Stay Awake in one sitting. If you are a fan of S.j, Watson's book Before I Go to Sleep, which I am, you will love this one too. Every time Liz Reese falls asleep, her memory resets to two years earlier when the phone rings on her desk at work. With a killer closing in, she doesn't know who to trust or where to go She tries to stay awake by staying wired on caffeine. She writes messages on her hands and wrists to remind her what to do and who to call when her memory resets again. Amnesia, insomnia, psychological tension, and a good murder mystery make Stay Awake a five star read for me.

Oh my!! Stay Awake is fast-paced and well-written thriller.I Megan Goldin had me right from the first page til the very last page. I was rooting for the main character the whole time. A must read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone else

What a ride! Megan Goldin delivers in this edge of your seat thriller being published August 2022. If you loved Before I Go To Sleep you will love this book. Maybe more so. I loved the back and forth timelines and the multiple POV of Liv and the detectives. I honestly did not figure it out until the end when Ted and Liv figure it out. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Twisty and turny. Reminiscent of Memento and unpredictable enough that I didn't want to put it down.

A really good thriller that I wanted to 'stay awake' and finish!

Fifty First Dates comes to mind ... only this time it is a psychological thriller that is twisted, dark and yes, deadly. Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a NYC cab only to realize she has no idea how she got there or where she is. In fact, she can't remember the last two years. She has no cell phone or purse with her. Only a pocket full of cash and words on her hands and arms. She writes cryptic messages on her hands, arms, Post-Its, and walls of her apartment to help her remember.

The book jumps back and forth between present and past so we get to know Liv, her boyfriend Marco, beautiful roommate Amy, her ex fiance Ted, and a little bit about her job writing for a high-end magazine. Liv soon discovers that she is a suspect in a murder investigation that she can't remember she is now on the run. But running from who? Many people seem to know her and try to talk to her but she can't remember any of them and doesn't trust them. Now, the police are looking for her ... and also the real murderer.

Fast-paced and well-written. I loved Liv! I also loved Detective Halliday as she looks at all of the evidence with an open mind. Megan Goldin draws you in and make you feel the tension that Liv is feeling right from the start. Even with a few plot questions that I have it still is a fun and unique read!

Special shout out for the ARC of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley.
OUT August 9, 2022.