This was one crazy read. It took me a bit to get used to the before and present. The whole memory issue was wild. It definitely keeps you on your toes, although a tad predictable. It’s sort of mind blowing to think of falling asleep and forgetting everything. I thought it was a really good psychological thriller. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

Liv wakes up every time with zero memory of the last two years. The narrative changes from Liv, the main character, to the police hunting her.
I enjoyed the very unrealistic story. However, I was left with several unanswered questions at the end. This would be a perfect beach read.

I loved this book! My favorite thing about this read was that it hooked me from the very beginning. It was well written and didn't have too many POV's and just the right amount of twists. I did figure out the big twist about 2/3 of the way through but I still enjoyed finishing it. This was my first book to read from Megan Goldin and I am already starting on another one of her books. Thank you so much for the ARC!

I am a sucker for an unreliable narrator and a disjointed timeline, so this sucked me in right away. I also think that it was a really unique plot and that the way it all wove together was pretty amazing. I really liked the two main characters, both strong females dealing with past demons, just trying to make their way in the world. But I also loved the mystery and suspense that Goldin created. I felt like the end was a little rushed, and I needed a little more closure and understanding, but all in all, a good thriller.

This 5-Star read was totally out of my comfort zone and I LOVED every minute!! The premise sounded silly, but it was Megan Goldin so of course I had to read it. Super-happy I did! Yes, still having trouble believing in the whole Groundhog Day/losing memory every time you fall asleep idea that the entire story is based on, BUT this is the beauty of this author! I still tore through the pages. Liv was such a cool and fascinating character. She wakes up in a cab with writing all over herself and a bloody knife in her pocket and no memory for the last two years. Each time I would think "Wait a minute! Why doesn't she just.....?", a different POV would come along, and I could make it all make sense again. Does that make sense? Well, that's kind of like this book, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it makes sense! The only issue I had (and it's a SMALL one) is I wish there had been more of an explanation for the reasoning of why the culprit was motivated to do what was done in the first place. Like I said, no biggie. Super-cool read and I highly recommend it!

Just a sidenote, this author did the same, exact thing with The Escape Room. No interest in an elevator/locked-room story. I read Night Swim, LOVED it and then gave it a chance! Loved that one too! Looking forward to seeing what Megan Goldin comes up with next!

Thank you to #NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Megan Goldin for this MUCH appreciated ARC!

I absolutely loved this book, and I’ve already begun telling people that it’s going to end up on my top books of 2022 list! This one gave me straight up “Memento” vibes- such a fun concept. Loved it!

What a thrilling read! This story grabs your attention from the beginning and keeps it straight to the end. How would it feel to wake up and have no memory from the previous two years and you must stay awake or you will continue to lose your memory. I loved this story and can't wait to read more from this author!

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin

*Imagine waking up and not recognizing where you are. Your last memory is a sunny day, a phone ringing at work, you picking it up...and that's it. Now it's fall, over two years later, and you have no memory of what has happened in those two years. You've written things like "STAY AWAKE" all over your hands and arms. But you can only stay awake so long before your body gives out on you. *Imagine waking up and not recognizing where you are. Your last memory is a sunny day, a phone ringing at work, you picking it up...and that's it. Now it's fall, over two years later, and you have no memory of what has happened in those two years. You've written things like "STAY AWAKE" all over your hands and arms. But you can only stay awake so long before your body gives out on you. *Imagine waking up and not recognizing where you are. Your last memory is a sunny day, a phone ringing at work, you picking it up...and that's it. Now it's fall, over two years later, and you have no memory of what has happened in those two years. You've written things like "STAY AWAKE" all over your hands and arms. But you can only stay awake so long before your body gives out on you.

That's Liz's reality, She wakes up to confusion and has to start all over again, trying to figure out where the people she knew have gone, She has a bloody knife in her pocket and her short hair is now down to her waist. Her apartment belongs to a couple she doesn't know, her former co-workers think she's been in London. They reference something bad having happened. This story is told in multiple timelines, from several POVs. Something is wrong with Liz, wrong with her life. She has notes to herself to trust no one. Strangers seem to know her, people she knows are acting strangely around her. She's getting weird phone calls from someone who says sinister things.

Liz's situation can definitely fit in the "one's worst nightmare" category. Other than Liz's POV, we see the present day investigation of a murder by two detectives. One is pretty sure Liz committed the murder, the other thinks something is off and wants to give Liz the benefit of the doubt. Red herrings fly, smacking the wall, distracting from a very obvious suspect for the evil that has transpired. The story is intriguing, the plight of Liz is horrifying, and I felt as exhausted as she did as she goes through utter confusion every time she wakes up. We do go back in time to learn what led up to her last memory two years ago but then...nothing...after Liz picks up the phone at work. All she remembers of the last two years is what has happened since she last woke up. She's all alone, she can't trust anyone. And she knows someone has been watching, is watching.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Woke by an Entirely Different Alarm.

Liz can NOT sleep. She won’t let herself. Because everytime she lays her head down, she loses her immediate memory of all preceding experiences.

She’s justifiably paranoid and probably in danger - in addition to being wanted by the police.

If you’re familiar with the movie Memento, this has a similar frenetic pace featuring a confused and vulnerable character. How disconcerting it would be to go to sleep and then wake to discover that everything you’d experienced since you’d last slept had been erased from your memory.

However, different from the movie, the intensity was dispersed between two time periods in Liz’s life and the detective’s perspectives while investigating a murder. This approach kept things from being one dimensional. A police procedural AND a psychological thriller? Sign me up!

I had thought this would be an easy five stars from the beginning but there were a few inconsistencies which reigned in my rating. All in all, this was a fabulous buddy read with Marilyn, Jayme, and DeAnn, giving way to some lively comments by the entirety.

Thank you to Megan Goldin, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for my electronic copy. I was excited to be approved and loved reading this. Due for August 9, 2022 publication.

Wow! This was so exciting and thrilling. I haven't read a good thriller in a while because I think they start off too slow, or they're just not thrilling enough. TBH, I held off on reading this book but I'm glad I finally picked it up. A great read :)

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)

My thoughts: Have you ever read a book that captured you from the very beginning, and refused to let you go until the very end? THIS is that book.

What I loved; the lead detective is a woman, the main character follows her instincts even though she has no memory to assist those instincts, the Memento/50 First Dates similarities. What I disliked; NOTHING.

This book has earned its spot as my favorite book of the month, if not the year. I loved everything about it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Megan Goldin for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Stay Awake will be available for purchase on August 9th 2022.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)

My thoughts: Have you ever read a book that captured you from the very beginning, and refused to let you go until the very end? THIS is that book.

What I loved; the lead detective is a woman, the main character follows her instincts even though she has no memory to assist those instincts, the Memento/50 First Dates similarities. What I disliked; NOTHING.

This book has earned its spot as my favorite book of the month, if not the year. I loved everything about it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Megan Goldin for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Stay Awake will be available for purchase on August 9th 2022.

4-5 caffeinated stars

We meet Liv when she wakes up in a taxi and she has no memory of the recent past. She is shocked when strangers answer the doorbell at her apartment, who are these people? Where is her roommate Amy and her cat?

Liv discovers writing all over her arms reminding her to stay awake and not to trust anyone. She’s in a pickle with no cell phone or purse, but luckily, she finds cash in her pockets.

The book toggles back and forth between the present and the past so we get to know Liv, her boyfriend Marco, roommate Amy, and a bit about her job writing for a culture magazine.

Now in the present, Liv discovers a crime has been committed and she realizes she might be responsible as she can’t remember anything from the night before. Why was there a knife in her pocket? As she works to put the pieces together and struggles to stay awake, danger seems to be following her and the police seem to be closing in. My sympathies grew for Liv as the book went on, how horrible to not be able to remember things!

Speaking of police, I liked the storyline with Darcy, the interim homicide detective who is working the case. She is smart and stands up for herself. As they close in on Liv as the prime suspect, I kept hoping there was another answer.

This was a fast-paced and well-written thriller. I really like this author’s writing style and this one exceeded my expectations!

STAY AWAKE

Liv Reese doesn’t know why she has this written in black pen all over her hands. In fact, she has no idea when she wakes up in the back of a taxi of how she got there, or why, in place of her cell phone, her pocket contains a bloody knife. (Think the TV show-Blindspot”)

It’s because she suffers from a rare form of amnesia which can be described as repetitive dissociative fugue. When she falls asleep, she forgets everything that has happened over the past two years. So, she lives on caffeine, No Doz tablets, and energy drinks, hoping she can avoid repeating the cycle. But, nobody can avoid sleep indefinitely.

STAY AWAKE

Written in the Victim’s own blood, these same words have been painstakingly written on the window of a crime scene. Is it possible that Liv committed this crime? Is that why she has the knife? It can’t be a coincidence! Who can she trust to help her figure everything out?

The book unfolds in two timelines, TWO YEARS PRIOR and the PRESENT-told through the perspectives of Liv, and a detective on the case-Darcy Halliday.

The story was entertaining but NOT very surprising. I figured most of it out, including the PERP, pretty quickly. So, it lacked the WOW factor of a five star thriller for me.

Still, I enjoyed learning the details and reading to see if I was correct, and Megan Goldin remains an auto-request author for me!

See if you can figure it out on August 9, 2022!

Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Liv is a writer at a fashion/foodie magazine. She wakes up in a cab, with blood on her, and words written on herself such as "stay awake" and "trust nobody" and "don't sleep" She then discovers that two years have gone by. She is alone and afraid. She tries to discover what happened , and what is going on.

In the meantime, there is a murder and someone has written "stay awake" on the window in blood. This part of the story is told from the detective investigating it, and you know the two stories will intersect at some point. The plot of this story was something a little different, which I appreciate. I was getting tired of the same story being told over and over and it was really great to read something different.

This was a fast, engaging read. It was suspenseful and I found myself rooting for Liv. That being said, I liked the first half of the book better when I had no idea what was going on. The second half felt just a bit repetitive - was this on purpose?

This was worth the read. However, I had a few issues. I couldn't help inserting myself into the story and thinking what I would do. Why would she not go to the police or the hospital? why was she making the decisions that she was? Normally, this is a good thing, but in this case, it kept removing me from the story because she was aggravating me. On the other hand - the fact that I was feeling aggravated is a good sign right? It means I was invested in the book.

Overall, this is a 3.5 star read rounded up to 4 .
Thank you to the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

This book grabbed me from the start. Memory is such a large part of a persons life and to lose your memories would be horrible. I really liked the storyline and the different plot lines

Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book. The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. It was so good, it was actually stressing me out. The writing is suspenseful and full of detailed. The characters are well rounded, and you have no problem rooting for Liv as she goes through the horror of what is her life. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a good thriller with believable characters, action, and suspense.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions expressed are
my own.

This book was so jacked up in such a good way! I cannot even fathom the vulnerability and confusion of forgetting recent history every time I fell asleep. Liv is an awesome character, with such a unique set of circumstances. And the twist at the end! And the detectives! Once I got into it I couldn't put it down and I've already recommended it to like three people since I finished. One of Goldin's best!

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. WOW! This book has it all!!! It's absolutely the most twisted action packed book you may ever read! I loved it so much! You will NOT be able to put it down once you begin to read! So darn good!