Slow start to this one but once I was hooked, there was no stopping me from putting this down. A predictable twist or two, but this was fast paced and fun. I enjoyed Megan Goldin’s Night Swim and after finishing Stay Awake, I’ll definitely keep her futures books on my radar. Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ARC! I was excited for Stay Awake and it didn't disappoint. I loved how the author played with the timeline and even how she structured the chapters with the time. I definitely was surprised by a few of the twists and liked how the story played out. I'll definitely be recommending it to people!

This was a book that I was anxiously awaiting. And it did not disappoint! The characters and the writing were amazing kept me turning the pages - and I finished it in one sitting.

Wow!! This book was one crazy ride.
Definitely a psychological thriller, as you really have no idea what is going on.
Liv Reese wakes up in a cab with no memory of how she got there. She is dropped off at her at her brownstone, she finds out she doesn't live there anymore. In fact, in looks completely different, and the new owners threaten to call the police.
So begins one of the craziest stories I've read in a long time.
You begin to piece together what happened to Liv, and how she ended up in this precarious situation. It is a little confusing, but that's the point. You feel as confused as the narrator.
Not my favorite of Megan Goldin's works, but a fast-paced read nonetheless.

I have not been a fan of Megan’s past books, but I was very excited for this new release by her. The chapters were short and made it a really quick read. I loved her writing and descriptions of what the main character was going through. Liv, the main character has amnesia and you could really feel her confusion throughout the book. The switching of timing was slightly confusing when we got closer to the end, but overall I felt like the book kept me engaged. I figured out who the actual killer was pretty early, but I just wish Goldie explained what the killers motive was.

Liv wakes up in the backseat of a cab. She doesn’t know how long she has been asleep or why she is even in a cab. When it pulls to the curb to let her out, she looks at the building in front of her and remembers that this is where she lives with her best friend, Amy. She looks up at the sky and thinks how lovely the stars are.

When she realizes she does not have her keys, she rings the doorbell over and over again. Why won’t Amy wake up and let her in! A few minutes later, the door is opened by two irate strangers who tell her she has the wrong building. Confused Liv goes to a park to think about this situation. After a time, she nods off and wakes to sunlight. Once again, she doesn’t know why she is sleeping on a park bench or what happened to her purse.
Everywhere Liv goes, she bumps into people she knows and they all ask her questions she doesn’t know the answers to … Is she back in the states now? Did she like living in London? … What has she been doing the past two years? Liv’s mind is a blank. Where is Amy, her best friend; and Marco, her boyfriend?

I found this book very suspenseful. I devoured it in no time at all and then gave it to my sister who said it was the best book she had read in some time. I read Megan’s previous two books and found them wonderful. She writes in a way that mesmerizes the reader and you don’t want to put the book down until you are finished. Keep them coming Megan, we love your books! Readers of B. A. Paris will enjoy this novel.

This was my first Megan Goldin book. It was fast paced and kept me guessing, although towards the end I kinda guessed who was behind it. The downside to this story is that it was so fast paced, that it steamrolled past the concrete "why" and "how" that the killer usually gets developed to state. Kind of disappointed that it seemed to abruptly stop. I'd read another book by this author though!

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

This review has spoilers.

Yikes! This was frankly a mess. The main character, Liv, forgets the last two years of her life every time she wakes up—therefore, she tells herself to STAY AWAKE. She writes it all over her hands and arms. And wouldn't you look at that... someone killed a man and wrote those exact words on a window, in blood. The book follows Liv as she tries to figure out what the hell is happening to her while also taking us two years back and showing us how she gets to this point.

First of all, Liv is kind of an idiot. Her boyfriend sucks and her best friend is, sorry to say, shady. It's very obvious on paper, so you'd think the character would realize, but she doesn't. That's just bad writing imo. Secondly, Liv without a memory is even worse at decision making. I mean, I guess that makes sense, but I personally wouldn't be running all over New York City if I couldn't remember a single friggin thing from the last two years. If she doesn't know her address how did she book a whole ass flight from Paris to NYC????? Present day Liv spends 3/4 of this book not knowing a single thing while readers get more information—bad writing!!! Every time she's about to get some information she leaves the area before someone can explain to her! This happens twice within two chapters! Girl, sit down and wait!

There is also a second POV in this novel from two detectives. Unnecessary! We get both of their inner thoughts without care in the same section, which always annoys me, and they are simply caricatures. The detectives lay everything out for us, constantly, repeating themselves, constantly, which became incredibly annoying incredibly quickly.

Liv is finally told that her best friend and boyfriend were killed two years ago—which as a reader I knew VERY early on—and the murderer tried to kill Liv herself. That's why she escaped to London, to start a new life, but she came back to NYC because she needed to solve the murder to move on. Okay... Except she literally cannot remember anything from the past two years. She doesn't even remember the attack... Why does she go back to NYC? What does she have to move on from if she can't remember it?? The reveal of the murderer was lacklustre in my opinion and it also didn't make any sense! What was the motive?! Why did [redacted] even want to kill Amy and M...Martin? Marco? Whatever.

oh and at the end of the novel, somehow Liv can sleep and wake up while still remembering everything. How convenient! Wish she could've magically healed 200 pages prior.

To fully enjoy this novel I fear you have to have Liv's diagnosis: dissociative fugue amnesia.


Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read and enjoyed this author before but this one was a bit of a letdown for me. It started out strong and pulled me right in. But it went a bit overboard on the sleep deprivation part. I understand that it was one day basically not counting the fact that it went back two years to before things went bad. Yes Liv suffered from extreme insomnia, or actually forced herself to STAY AWAKE.. She would forget everything when she fell asleep.

This book was just ok for me. It held my attention and made me want to keep reading but I had it figured out fairly early. I was convinced as to what happened to two people and who did it. I didn't know who the other person was that was murdered though. The author did a good job of keeping that hidden. I kept hoping for a bit surprise ending but it just didn't happen. It was a good ending but kind of flat for me. I hope Liv was able to go on and make a life eventually. She could be a bit of a nut but she was scared and sleep deprived. She had a lot going on and someone was out to kill her. She should have been a total flake!

The detective scenes were good but not great. They read, to me, like something I've seen multiple times in tv cop shows. But still they were ok. I was very happy that they didn't fight and bicker or fall head over heels in love. They worked good together and the male seemed to have lots of respect for his female partner. She deserved it. She was actually the smarter of the two in my humble opinion. She seemed to put more thought into things that he did. They worked well together.

This book will hold your interest. It will have you turning the pages. It will have you on the edge in a couple of parts. It's more of a mystery than a thriller but that's ok too. It was well written and engaging in parts. Liv goes through a lot between "naps" she takes at crazy times. A park bench. A subway train. A taxi. A train station. Her memory just vanished each time so yeah she would be very loopy I believe. I understand that she was terrified for the most part. I felt bad for her. I also wonder if this is a real thing. Can people actually forget two years of their lives when they sleep? I'm not so sure about that. But it made for an interesting story that kept me wanting to read. The very end was a bit short for me. I wish it would have elaborated just a bit more. It was still ok though.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MegaGoldin, #StMartinsPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book. It's good but not breath holding good. Just good.

3.5 stars and I do recommend you read it for yourself. Seems there are many different points of view about this one. It's worth reading for sure but was just a bit over the top and underwhelming for me.

One of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time with a multi-layered, extremely clever plot line that keeps readers reeling until the very end. Imagine having to start each day fresh with no memory of anything that occurred over the past 2 years? You try to keep yourself from falling asleep with copious amounts of high caffeine drinks and over the counter anti-sleep aids, but that just seems to make the problem worse, causing you to be so exhausted you fall asleep in random places. Your situation is dangerous, scary, and hopeless. And then, to make matters worse, now you are wanted by the police in connection to a recent murder and you have no recollection of any of the events of the past 2 years. Now, you’re on the run, but you aren’t even sure why. You have no idea who you can trust, if anyone. All you know is that you must STAY AWAKE.

I really enjoyed this book by Megan Goldin. It kept me guessing until the end. I would recommend it.

This author is fairly new to me, but I'm definitely going to look into her other books! This thrilling suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat from the very first page!! Liv has a successful career, a steady boyfriend and a good life. One night she wakes up riding in the back of a cab and has no memory of the last 2 years of her life! Every time she falls asleep, she has no memory of the current time frame. Everything is different, nothing makes sense and people are dead. Liv doesn't know who she can trust. Will she be able to get her memory back before it's too late? You will not want to put this down!!

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a cab not sure how she got there. When she gets “home” she discovers there are strangers living in her apartment and her roommate, Amy is nowhere to be found. Liv finds she has these strange messages written on her hands and she discovers as bloody knife in her pocket. Thinking he can help her, Liv tries contacting her boyfriend, Marco, but she cannot reach him. “Stay Awake” follows Liv through a harrowing day as she tries to piece together the events that led her to losing the memory of the last two years of her life and now has her on the run wanted for murder.
“Stay Awake” was a quick read and kept me guessing until the end. However, there were some plot holes that were not fully fleshed out at the end, possibly due to the fast pace of the book. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book.

Stay Awake, by Megan Goldin, is one of the very best thrillers I have read all year. Absent the humor, the protagonist has memory issues, similar to that described in the movie "Fifty First Dates." Goldin is an accomplished writer who augments her twisty and foreboding plot with atmospherics that create a sense of desperate inevitability. While a couple of plot turns strained credibility, for the most part I was able to glide by. I should note that readers pay close attention to the chapter notations as to date and place as the plot does jump back and forth in time. I really enjoyed the characters, including the two police officers who I would like to see again in other novels. I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was a pleasure.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Megan Goldin, and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm keeping my review somewhat vague in the interest of avoiding spoilers.

Liv Reese is having a bad day. Really bad. Stay Awake, Megan Goldin's latest thriller, begins with Liv waking up in a cab, on her way to, well, she's not sure. Her last memory is of being at work, sitting at her desk in the afternoon sun, about to answer the phone. Now it's the middle of the night, she's in the back of a cab, her hands are covered in messy writing that's practically illegible - addresses, phone numbers and phrases like 'Stay Awake' and 'Don't Trust the Police'.

The more she searches for the life she remembers, the more confused she becomes. Her BFF and roommate, Amy, no longer lives at the apartment they share, but then, neither does she. What's more, Liv discovers she now lives in London, has a different job, and her boyfriend Marco and Amy are missing. When Liv sees reports about a murder on the news, she begins to wonder if she's somehow connected.

I've read two of Goldin's previous novels and greatly enjoyed them, though Stay Awake left me with somewhat mixed feelings. The story throws you straight into the action, with a puzzling mystery on the very first page and MC Liv Reese is a great unreliable narrator. It's a fast paced, intense read, that'll give you that tingling, never-ending sense of WTF, as you try to figure out what's going on. It's not what I expected at all.

While Stay Awake had me fully engaged from the start, it didn't quite keep me. Certain aspects of story became a bit repetitive. I don't usually like dual narratives. I always end up liking one and not the other, and my mind was not changed here. I was enraptured with Liv's uncertain voice and the drama of her storyline. I could tell the author wanted Detective Darcy Halliday to come across as a smart, independent, strong woman, and while she does to an extent, her narrative felt tired and drawn-out in comparison, brought even further down by her partner and other males around her. What I consider to be the main mystery of the book is revealed quite early IMO, and afterwards I found myself not as interested in the story. In a cast of few characters, the killer becomes somewhat obvious.

People's opinions on this book seem to run the gamut, from love to hate, so it's still worth checking out. You never know what you will like that someone else doesn't.

3½ stars rounded up to 4 stars
Recommend for fans of: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense, Mysteries, General Fiction, Action/Adventure, Women's Fiction

This story was so gripping and one of my favorite thrillers of the year. Usually, I have a pretty good idea mid-way through a book who the bad guys are but this one had so many red herrings that kept me on the edge of my seat. A couple of my predictions rang true but I never knew what to expect next with Liv and her memory. I found it so fascinating learning about this type of amnesia Liv suffered through after a tragic incident. I am a forever fan of this author and cannot wait to read more!

Fully dazzled and definitely not sleeping on Megan Goldin's latest book, Stay Awake. The title may as well be a command, because you won't get any sleep until you turn the final page!

Liv Reese is caught up in true nightmare. She woke up in a taxi, hands bloodied, and no memory of how she came to be there. She finds written messages scrawled all over her hands and arms, saying such strange things, like STAY AWAKE and TRUST NO ONE. There's a bloody knife in her pocket, but no phone and no purse.

Liv used to have this beautiful brownstone, an adoring best friend/roommate, a hot boyfriend, and a job she loved at Cultura magazine. That was two years ago. Now Liv is wandering around a New York that she doesn't recognize, lost and alone. Then she sees her own face on the news, and understands she is being hunted. Liv is wanted in connection to a rather bizarre and gruesome murder, where a message was painted in the victim's blood. The words eerily similar to the ones inked all over Liv herself. Liv can't remember what happened last night. Or anything at all about the last two years of her life. They are just gone, like a puff of smoke. And so is Liv, trying to stay ahead of the cops, and figure out what's happening to her. But it isn't just the police that are seeking her, and no matter how hard you try, you can't outrun bad memories.

Whoo! This book is a doozy! I can't remember the last time I was so excited to FIGURE IT OUT! I gave my overworked thriller-detective brain a break and enjoyed this book as pure entertainment, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! It's fast-paced, adrenaline inducing, tension filled, and spine-tingling. Megan Goldin has lived up to her last name with this book. It's so good, it's golden.*
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to review this advance copy. Stay Awake is available for purchase everywhere you buy books now!

*So sorry about that, I couldn't resist.

Best thriller I've read in a long time. Great storyline. Really different from the usual thriller stories. Liv loses her memory every time she falls asleep. So she has notes written on her hand and sticky notes around her apartment to remind her of things. I usually can guess the perpetrator but in this case I couldn't and I didn't see the twists in the story coming either. Excellent thriller author. Looking forward to reading more by her. Just read it , you won't be disappointed.

"The unique plot of STAY AWAKE reeled me in and kept me in its thrall until the very end!"

My full review is posted on FreshFiction.com.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Murder, messages written in blood, reminder notes written on the body...What did you do and what do you do if the you you remember isn't you at all? A pulse-pounding thriller a la: Momento style (maybe too much of an 'alike' to not be obviously inlfuenced by?) and one all around rolicking read.