Okay I'm with the small minority on this one, and have no idea how everyone else rated it so highly. I loved Night Swim. Escape Room was not as strong in my mind, but still very easy to read and fall into. But this one, eek...

I was drawn in both by the author and by the construct, as Memento is one of my favorite movies. But this is no Memento... It feels scattered and repetitive and I never connected to any of the characters enough to care what happened to them - most especially Liv. She's a ditz. It's utterly unbelievable that someone would keep waking up to blind confusion with nothing but $1,000 in their pocket and wander about Manhattan all day every day. I get that there's trauma. I get that it sparked amnesia. But still - it pushed the bounds of credulity to the snapping point early on, a point that was exacerbated by the incredibly slow burn.

Onscreen you might be able to get away with numerous days of waking up to the same thing, with visual tension and clues, but in a book it starts to get monotonous fast, especially when so much of the writing is so repetitive not only in form but format. I understand the shifts in time and perspective are meant to highlight the confusion in her brain, but without some structure or guideposts - or some sensible/self-preservative decisions or actually useful notes to herself - it makes the story meander in a way that is difficult to follow and feels formless rather than like an intentional build.

This one was not for me.

Need a book to keep you up at night? This'll do it! I couldn't put this book down until I finished it because I needed to know what happened next!! I definitely enjoyed this book!

3.5 stars rounded to 4. Stay Awake is about a woman named live who wakes up every day confused, with no memory of the last 2 years. Every time she falls asleep, she doesn’t remember anything that happened since the last time she woke up. Now accused of murder, the story goes back and forth between Liv and the detectives trying to piece together the gruesome murder.

A thriller that will make you feel as vulnerable as live and I stayed awake far to late since I couldn’t put it down. The ending fell a little flat for me and I feel like pieces of the story didn’t fully wrap up. Either way Megan Goldin will always be a must read author for me

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for a digital ARC of Stay Awake. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before publication.

THE PLOT

50 First Dates but make it horror. Every time Liv wakes up, she thinks it's a summer day in July before everything went to shit. She can't remember anything. She tries to Memento it and write notes on her hand, but it leads her to more confusion. Oh, and now she's being framed for murder. Liv does everything she can to stay awake and figure out what in the fresh hell is going on.

MY OPINION

Ok, guys, we need to have a talk. I was so excited to have my request accepted because 1) the premise sounded juicy (like one of my fave novels Before I Go To Sleep) and 2) the 5-star reviews were coming in hot and heavy.

So either all y'all are lying or I'm way too picky. It could be both tbh. Either way, this book was NOT IT and the only way I would rate this 5 stars if I were like Liv and lost my memory after reading this book. The math just ain't mathin.

Where do I start? Ok. I understand Liv lives in a time warp where she tells herself the same shit all the time, but did the author have to repeat herself every other paragraph too? Literally within 3 pages she writes:

I have the same message written on my skin. It must be more than a coincidence.

And:

The words WAKE UP! are written on my wrist. It’s more than a coincidence.

But this groundhog day situation beats the cake. Goldin writes:

"Why invite your fiancee's ex to your engagement party?" "I didn't expect her to actually turn up... I hoped the invitation would drive home the fact that [spoiler] wasn't hers anymore"

**JUST ONE PARAGRAPH LATER**

"Then why did you send her the invitation to your engagement party?" "...I sent it because I wanted her to know that our marriage was real."

I have to wonder if Goldin suffers the same diagnosis as Liv and fell asleep then woke back up and forgot what she had just wrote.

All this to say... The writing was relentlessly repetitive and just poor in general. For example: "I cook a cheese and asparagus omelet, which I eat while watching the TV in the living room." What in the YMCA creative writing class did I just read??? Oh and my personal favorite: "He also knew she was very fit because he often saw her running to work." Congratulations, Nancy Drew. Ok and lastly... why did she need to repeat the full government names of Halliday and Lavelle every chapter? Girl we been knowing.

Ok and now onto the plot. So this was clearly a rip off of 50 First Dates/Before I Go To Sleep/Memento. Nothing original about it. There was no suspense, nor mystery. Liv, if you don't know what in the cotton-eyed joe is going on, STOP RUNNING AWAY!!! Liv is always moaning how she needs answers, but whenever she's about to get them she's like jk, lemme slide out this fire escape real quick. Logic on zero.

The ending was very anti-climatic. Big ass plot holes. So you're telling me homegirl can't remember her own address but somehow booked flights and moved from London to New York on her own? Ok.

Liv seemed like a sad case before her memory loss. Halliday's backstory made zero sense and I'm not sure if the author was trying to make a comment on veteran's in America but it wasn't hittin. I couldn't get a sense of any of their personalities, and I didn't really want to. So, yeah.

I'm giving it 2 stars because... I think it had potential if the writing wasn't so distractingly bad.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: I was approved for this book
Cons: I read it and now I wish I could have a Liv moment and wake up tomorrow and forget it

One of the best thrillers that I’ve read in a long time! A thrilling and twisty roller coaster ride through an amnesiac's mind — it pulls you in with its unusual circumstances right from the get-go. Megan Goldin is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me! If you’re a fan of thrillers, add this one to your TBR list now! Thank you to St. Martins and NetGalley for my gifted e-copy!

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin follows Liv Reese after she 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 prior, 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.

Stay Awake made me stay awake all night in order to finish this book. Stay Awake has the ultimate unreliable narrator in Liv Reese who struggles with a rare kind of amnesia. This book is highly reminiscent of the Christopher Nolan movie memento and a super fast-paced read. Like most Megan Goldin's books, I couldn't put it down. Megan Goldin is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller/mystery authors and I would highly recommend her books.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this book down since opening it for the first time this morning. I know it doesn't come out til August but I couldn't wait until then. This title was one of my most anticipated reads and first from this author. Will definitely be picking up others in the near future.

With Stay Awake, we have a unreliable narrator, Liv, with memory issues, two police officers investigating a murder and a lot of different timelines and characters to follow along. From beginning to end I couldn't put the book down trying to figure out what was going on and feeling pleased with myself when I figured out who did it before the reveal.

There were some loose ends and things that didn't come to conclusion too realistically but other than that solid book!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review*

While it’s only January, I wouldn’t be surprised if Stay Awake ends up as one of the top thrillers of 2022. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book and Goldin has the unique ability of making me feel all the heart pounding terror you would imagine a character might feel in a thriller. It’s like going to a movie with special effects- the wow factor is 100% there!

There came a point maybe halfway through the book where it was obvious to me who did it. I don’t know if I just caught on too easily or if it was supposed to stand out. It didn’t stop me from wanting to stay awake and find out if I was right. My only other critique is that there were a few aspects that could have been tied up a little better. I think some pieces of the plot were meant to throw the reader off but ended up being loose ends.

The character development is fantastic. I felt like I knew the characters well enough that I could visualize the book in my head as I was reading. This was my first Megan Goldin and I will absolutely be picking up another soon!

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. This was my first time reading anything from this author and I am now hooked! Amazing storyline. I felt so bad for the main character , Liv , as she tries to figure what is going on in her life. She runs all over trying to stay awake because if she falls asleep she forgets everything . When murders of people she finds out were close to her begin to happen she isn't sure if she's to blame or if someone is after her. I loved the ending and it's not predictable at all. This book will easily be a top book this year !

5 stars. What a friggen ride!! This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year along side another book that failed to give me that feeling I was looking for so I wasn't totally convinced going into this that I was going to be satisfied. Boy was I wrong. Every time I thought I knew what was going on I was blindsided which is exactly what I look for in a book like this. Highly recommend and will continue to pick up this authors works in the future.

Wow!!!!!! This book kept me up reading for hours when I should have been sleeping! I have read a ton of thrillers lately but this one is unique and catches you from the first page . This story is great and will keep you interested until the very end. This author never disappoints! This is the kind of book where the ending could have sucked (it didn't) but you still would like the book because it was such an interesting journey to get there. Loved it!
Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book.

4.75 – 5 STARS

WOW! What the heck did I just read?!

“Stay Awake” is one of those truly exceptional thrillers that drew me in from the very first page and held me captive right up until the very last!! It’s the story of Liv Reese, a young woman stuck in a rare fugue state, trying to piece together the missing fragments of her life before she falls asleep and wakes to find her new memories lost to her once again. At the same time, Liv appears to be the lead suspect in a murder investigation, and time is ticking as homicide detectives try to track down Liv, while Liv herself, is on a desperate search to uncover the truth. Despite a few lingering questions that remain unanswered, “Stay Awake” is one helluva twisty, unpredictable roller-coaster ride for sure!!

What did I just read! After enjoying The Escape Room but and The Night Swim I was excited to read this. I could not put this one down, I was kept up long past my bedtime reading page after page gasping at least once a chapter. This thriller was expertly written and although I may have been able to call the ending had I thought about it more, I did not. Goldin did a phenomenal job writing the character of Liv and I enjoyed the alternating POVs that allows the story to unravel in the way it did. Looking forward to more by Goldin! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book due to be released in summer 2022.

This book really had me going! It's about a woman who loses her memory 10+years ago but builds a new life and eventually moves out on her own in a town where she isn't known as the lady who lost her memory, she leaves behind her best friend who also happens to be a lawyer. Of course things do not go as planned and the memory loss lady goes missing and it's up to her best friend and the police detective to make links between the past and the present and figure out what happened! The characters were great in this book and the book itself was a fast-paced and very easy to read I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes a mystery or thriller! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This book actually kept me up at night….to finish it. I needed to know what happened!!!

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.

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 is incredibly well written. It is told from several characters POV. The twists and turns are fantastic. I highly highly recommend reading this book!!

I almost didn’t finish this book. I HATE when psychological thrillers have chapters in the POV of a detective or cop. In my opinion, that makes them crime thrillers, period. And I don’t read crime thrillers. But the premise kept me reading. I was hooked on the idea behind the plot and the easy writing style of the author. I tried to read The Escape Room by her previously and I couldn’t make it through, so that’s saying something. Anyway, I flew through it in just three days. I saw the twist coming, but there were enough suspects to keep me second guessing myself. I’m surprising myself by giving this one five stars because at the end of the day it was well written and thrilling, even if mislabeled.

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a NYC taxi and has no idea where she is or how she got there. The story is very well done with lots of twists and turns. This book is fast paced and is a compelling read from a very good writer. Recommended!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or why. A stranger is living in her apartment and a bloodstained knife is in her coat pocket instead of a phone. All over her hands and arms she finds notes to herself, including one that stands out among the rest: STAY AWAKE. Soon, Liv sees reports of a murder with the same message written on the window in blood. What did Liv do, and why can’t she remember anything?

I found this book super interesting and I was into it from start to finish! Every time Liv falls asleep, her memory resets and she can’t remember anything from the last two years. Throughout the book we learn more about her disorder as she tries to piece her life together (present POV), and more about the trauma that caused it (past POV). There are also chapters from the detective’s perspective as more and more evidence from the murder scene points to Liv. (There are some confusing shifts in POV between the two detectives, but it’s a minor issue.)

Overall I enjoyed this story. The plot kept me reading late into the night, trying to figure out what happened to Liv!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for honest review.
Liv, the protagonist, wakes up disoriented and can't remember the last two years. Something bad happened that trigged this fugue. She is wanted by the police in a recent murder and someone is out there looking for her. A decent thriller filled with puzzles and memory loss.

Excellent

This caught me right from the start. Liv has a disorder, probably caused by overuse of caffeine and other stimulants that keep her from sleeping, where she "resets" every time she sleeps. She goes back to a time two years ago, right before she was almost killed in a brutal attack.

The plot was excellent. Liv was well-written, as was a detective that would make an excellent recurring lead character in future books. The ending faltered a little to me, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It would make an excellent movie.

It s nothing like "Gone Girl", but if you enjoyed that, or even if you didn't, I highly recommend this book.