It's kind of ironic I started this book during quarantine when staying awake was the last thing I could do. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for a review.

I would TOTALLY have binged this book if I had been able. The chapters are the perfect length. It switches between the present and two years ago with enough mystery to keep you wanting to read more. The main character Liv was easy to root for and I didn't predict the ending. I think because it switched around enough that your brain is just totally confused. Liv's memory issues were so unique that it made this book stand out from other thrillers. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller and I will definitely be reading more from this author!

This book disorients you as though you yourself are losing your memory each time you start a new chapter, which makes it a pretty immersive read — albeit confusing. Goldin did a great job with the memory reset chapters, but I definitely preferred the flashbacks. It was difficult for me to follow at times with the memory resets, which frustrated me as a reader.

The twists were really creative and inventive and I was pretty shocked by the villain! I think this is a super super love or meh type of read.

This was one tightly woven rollercoaster of a nightmare and I had no idea how Megan Goldin even began to think this up and construct the plot. She finessed so many of the details while ramping up the level of anxiety to such a fevered pitch that there was no way any of this was going to work out. But when you are a very talented writer, well, this thriller makes for a white knuckle trip.

I had a little trouble with the back and forth timeline but that was my fault for not paying attention as I was anxious to see what was coming next. Points for the portrayal of very human, intelligent and supportive detectives and hoping they aren’t in a one-off story.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy.

First of all, this book you will NOT be able to put it down until you finish! It's such a compulsion to find out what in the world is going on that it just keeps you riveted.

Liv had a specific amnesia that stems from a trauma she experienced.... That she can't remember. Anytime she falls asleep, she wakes up thinking she's back in her life 2 years ago. She becomes very confused and scares a lot of people because her life has been dramatically different.

I was obsessed with Liv. I loved how we slowly got glimpses into what happened 2 years ago. While I figured out a few things, I didn't figure out the main *spoiler here* until closer to the end.

This was a bit like the movie 50 First Dates not with murder. That's what I kept thinking during the whole thing. What a terrible thing to go through not remembering anything once you wake from sleep.

Stay Awake was a great, fast paced thriller! I really enjoyed the alternating chapters between Liv in the present, Liv in the past, and Detective Halliday. Each chapter left me wanting more so it made it easy to keep reading! I thought the premise of this story was unique and it definitely kept me guessing all the way to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a great thriller. The whole idea of Liv not remembering anything when she wakes up and then what she does remember is 2 years ago. The timeline jumps from current day with Liv, current day with the detectives and then 2 years ago and then 24 hours ago. It's very easy to follow along though. It kept me guessing the whole time and it's one I would recommend.

Do you ever read a book and when you aren’t reading it all you can think about is when you can read it again? Well Stay Awake by Megan Goldin was that book for me! Completely intoxicating. When I was reading the book I was enthralled, unaware of life around me, and when I was not reading Stay Awake it was constantly on my mind. In my books, that’s a 5 Star read. I loved Stay Awake. It gave me thrills and chills, captivating my attention from start to finish. At points the story got a bit creepy for me so I had to go read in bed next to my husband so I wasn’t as scared! But rest assure when I use the words “creepy”and “scared”, I mean them in a positive way. I’d equate the feelings to reading Colleen Hoover’s book Verity. It’s so dark and creepy that it sucks you in and you cannot help but continue on.

Stay Awake is the story of Liv Reese, who suffers from dissociative memory fugue. Or lapses in memory, with a twist. If she falls asleep she has no memory of her previous day and her memories always jump back to a specific day two years ago. So imagine waking up in a taxi in the middle of the night having no clue how you got there? No wallet, no phone only a wad of cash and a bloody knife wrapped in a T-shirt in your sweater pocket. Your hands covered in written messages such as “don’t trust anyone”, “stay awake” and “nocturnal” and having no clue what any of it means. Imagine how you’d feel!

Stay Awake is the first book by Megan Goldin that I have read and I know it’s cliche to say, but it definitely will not be my last. Thank you to St. Martin Press, NetGalley and Megan Goldin for my eGalley copy of Stay Awake in exchange for my honest review.

My third novel of hers. A fast paced thriller, i absolutely loved the setting of the city. I also loved the suspense in this one. A fantastic read. Goldin is an auto buy author for me now for sure.

Read this if…you like popcorn thrillers with an amnesia trope.

A big thanks to Netgalley, St Martin’s Press, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Liv Reese wakes up confused in a taxi with a bloody knife in her pocket. She has no memory of how she ended up in this situation. She becomes more alarmed when she discovers nothing in her life is what it should be. Her apartment, her job, and her boyfriend are nothing like she remembers. And then she sees on the news that the police are looking for her in connection with a brutal murder. Liv must investigate her own life in order to save it.

I’ve read all of Megan Goldin’s books and this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. While it was interesting enough, I didn’t love it as much as her other novels. The premise is definitely intriguing, but the book ended up underwhelming me. I correctly guessed the culprit halfway through and found it to be repetitive and muddled in a lot of areas. The writing is still solid and I think people who enjoy the amnesia trope will probably like this one as long as they don’t go into it expecting too much. For those who have never read this author, I’d recommend skipping this one and checking out The Night Swim instead.

My rating: 3.5/5

Going in I was a bit skeptical due to the clichéd overuse of the amnesia trope but I’ve gotta say this one totally worked for me! I’ll admit, the beginning was a bit slow but over time the curious plot line and suspense started to build and I was totally here for it. Megan Goldin steadily revealed breadcrumbs and pieces to the puzzle that left me wanting more. Piece by piece we’re given more and more answers. While at the beginning, the reader starts out as clueless as MC Liv, the end reveals an intricate roadmap to the truth.

I also loved the multiple viewpoints and thought the way the story was told was very clever. The story is told in three points of view: Liv in present day, Liv beginning two and a half years ago and going up until present day, and Detective Darcy Halliday, the detective investigating a murder case connected to Liv. All three viewpoints add unique and crucial details to the overall plot line creating a full-picture, well-rounded story.

There were a few minor details here and there that were provided to be convenient to plot. I also found it somewhat irking that Liv kept running off from multiple situations and people before getting answers. I felt like certain things could have been discovered or explained sooner on if she’d just stayed out and heard others out. I’m guessing it was written this way to show how untrusting Liv was of everyone I but just found it a bit annoying that it kept happening. Overall though, an enjoyable read!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Megan Goldin, and NetGalley for my Advance Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

When Liv wakes up in a taxi, she has no idea where she is or how she got there. As she arrives at her apartment, she realizes strangers are living there. She finds a bloody knife in her pocket and writing scribbled all over her hands with phrases like, "STAY AWAKE." Confused and afraid in New York City, she sees reports of a murder on the news with the same phrase, "STAY AWAKE" written at the scene. Liv starts to fear that she was somehow involved, but how can she figure out what happened when she forgets everything when she falls asleep?

"The last thing I remember before opening my eyes was working at my sun-drenched desk by the office window until I was startled by the sudden ring of my desk phone... Everything after that is a blank, until now."

This is a really exciting read that moves at a fairly breakneck pace so that you feel as if you too are not sleeping and racing around in New York high on multiple caffeine drinks. Liz forgets the last two years of her life every time she falls asleep. The forgotten memory piece can get a little old (as Liz wakes up yet again and makes the same discovery over and over) and Liz can drive you a bit wild with her poor decisions. But this is a really fast-paced and thrilling book filled with fun twists. It's necessary to keep with the then and now timeline, which can get a bit confusing from time to time.

I loved the police in STAY AWAKE--Halliday and detective Lavelle. I think Halliday was probably my favorite character, a cop trying to get a place on the detective squad with Lavelle. I would truly love to see those two in another book. Halliday's portions gave the book a police procedural sort of feel, which is always a plus for me.

There's a ton of false lines and red herrings in AWAKE and it will certainly keep you flipping the pages. It covers timely topics such as female stalking being ignored by the police, which was a nice serious aspect to a slightly bizarre plot.

The first chapter of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin caught my attention and held it throughout the entire book.
The "Unreliable Narrator" isn't exactly my favorite trope when it comes to thrillers, but in this case is worked rather well, I thought. The pacing was good, the plot moved along nicely, slowly peeling back layer after layer, filling in the memory gaps, until the final reveal, which took me by surprise. Overall, I well plotted and well executed thriller.

Stay Awake is the first thriller I've read by this author and I was NOT disappointed! I had so much fun with this one. It was so suspenseful and truly kept me on my toes the whole time! The plot was unlike anything I've read before, so I thought it was very unique. I will certainly be picking up Megan Goldin's backlist and future books.

Thank you so much to for the opportunity to receive this book early for review.

Sometimes I really enjoy diving into books that people either love or hate because I just want to see which side of the argument that I inevitably will end up on.

Stay Awake is most definitely one of those books.

I’ve been hit or miss with Goldin’s books. The Escape Room wasn’t for me, but I loved Night Swim. I ended up really enjoying Stay Awake.

Stay Awake is a psychological thriller that is 50 First Dates meets Christopher Nolan’s Memento. Liv Reese suffers from a type of amnesia where every time she goes to sleep (which the reader learns is due to a trauma that she experienced), she forgets everything. The story begins with her waking up in the back of a taxi and trying to return home only to find out that strangers live there, and there’s a bloody knife in her pocket. She also has the words STAY AWAKE scribbled all over herself, which the reader quickly learns becomes the mantra that is said on repeat throughout the story.

Now, if you’re a person that hates repetition then you will HATE this book. Since the only lens that the reader has is Liv’s, the reader learns everything as she does, which means that a lot of things get repeated since she inevitably forgets things when she dozes off. And home girl is not doing herself any favors with loading up on caffeine pills and everything else to ward off sleep since she ends up creating an insomnia induced fever dream more often than not.

I really commend Goldin for taking on this type of storyline because it’s difficult to execute an unreliable narrator in this type of setting. So yes, this story is repetitive, but I found myself really engrossed and wanting Liv to get the answers that she desperately needs. And while I can’t say that I was completely surprised by the turn of events, I found the execution of the story engaging.

And as a last caveat, Memento is one of my all time favorite movies, and I think that Goldin did a fantastic job creating a storyline in a similar sort of vein.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. all opinions are my own.

I went into this one trepidatiously (this is a word!); having seen the reviews from fellow readers with ratings all over the place, I wasn't sure what I'd be getting from Stay Awake. I ended up pleasantly surprised, a nonstop binge read occurred after I found myself sucked into Megan Goldin's latest release. How can one fall asleep when the main character of their read is fighting sleep, horrified she might have done something terrible? Liv Reese remembers two years ago, but she doesn't remember that it was two years ago, it feels like just yesterday. Only everyone around her seems surprised to see her, a person keeps calling with haunting warnings, and the cops are tracking a killer with their sights set on her for information.

Fast-paced, engaging, and impossible to predict, Stay Awake was the thriller I needed. I liked the Groundhog Day feeling of Liv waking up each day, unaware that she's forgotten everything, unaware that at one point she had moved away and that she is in danger. The little twists that Goldin fits into there feel like a knife twisting in your back, shocking you, surprising you, and in Liv's case, breaking you a little. Plus, with dual timelines and dual narrators, readers get to approach this novel's plot from two very unique perspectives. We see the past, we see the present, and we see how that present, and the crime that was committed, impacts two distinct characters, Liz and the Detective desperate to reach her.

Stay Awake was a win for me, one I'm glad I gave a chance, one that deserves its polarizing reviews, because it's just that unique. It's clever and unputdownable, a novel that delivers on it's titles promise, keeping you awake as Liz fights to Stay Awake.

This book grabs you by the collar from the first page and doesn’t let go. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. I don’t want to say too much and give away anything but the way the author unravels this take is top notch. I definitely want to read more by them!

Liv wakes up everytime with no recollection of where she is, how she got there, or what has happened in the time since she fell asleep. Two years prior, Liv survived an attack, one which killed her best friend/roommate and her boyfriend. Since that time, she can't remember what happened to the two people who meant most to her.

Now back in New York City, she's got messages to herself written on her hands and up her arms... Stay Awake. Wake up. Trust no one. You lose your memory when you sleep. She doesn't remember who she meets from day to day and often has the same conversations over and over again.

One day she wakes up and finds a bloody knife in her hands. But she's fallen asleep so she doesn't know how it go there. Did she kill someone? She can't remember, but she's determined to find out... As long as she doesn't fall asleep again.

I can see how some people didn't like this book. The repetitiveness of her waking up and trying to figure things out multiple times did get a bit annoying. Yes, we know she can't remember things after she falls asleep, just kind of get on with it.

However, the book was written in such a way that made it quite a fast paced read. So while we had to constantly re-read about Liv's memory loss, it moved quickly.

There are two timelines throughout the story, two years ago (before the attack) and "present day." The storyline for two years ago provides clues as to why Liv is back in NYC and if she murdered someone. The "present day" timeline actually takes place in about a 36 hour period. So again, it's pretty fast paced.

I had figured a couple of things out as I read, putting clues from two years ago and "present day" together. I'll admit, I wasn't sure who the actual killer was right away.

I did enjoy this book, but not as much as Night Swim. I felt the constant reminder of memory loss and how quickly the ending wrapped up could have been better.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed "Stay Awake" by Megan Golden. Liv is in trouble, but can't remember what happened. It's almost like she woke up from a coma and the last two years of her life were erased. She goes to what she thinks is her flat, but finds other people living there... and in her purse is a knife. Did she kill someone? I enjoyed how the past and present were weaved into this story and also enjoyed the dual POV with Liv and Detective Halliday. The plot was great (no glaring holes!) and the tempo was fantastic. Highly recommend.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for this opportunity to read the ARC.

This is an interesting story. It's a woman who has memory loss and trying to piece together what happened after a violent circumstance. I was a little disappointed in how it ended but overall it's a good mystery and I enjoyed it. 3.5

I had been looking for a good thriller and I am so glad I picked this one up! The story starts off a little slow and I was confused in the beginning, but I definitely think this was by design. Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea how she got there, and the words STAY AWAKE written on her hands. As the reader, I felt her confusion as I was also trying to figure out what was going on. Liv finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and its made worse by the fact that she has no memory of the last two years. Even worse, she loses her short term memory every time she falls asleep. Besides Liv's POV, we see the perspective of Detective Halliday, who is investigating this murder. I thought both POVs were great and they both helped fill in the blanks of the story in completely different ways.

This book is definitely twisty and had me turning the pages every time I had a chance to pick it up! I felt like the twists were fun and while I was able to call some of them, a bad habit I have every time I read thrillers, I definitely liked the way the reveals were done. Despite the slow start, the pacing was well done and I felt the plot moved along well. I liked the two timelines and felt both converge towards the end when everything start to make sense. Overall, I enjoyed reading this one and would definitely recommend it to thriller fans, especially fans of psychological thrillers!