Megan Goldin is a fantastic storyteller! A thrilling page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat. This book was hard to put down and had me guessing until the very end. Well written, fast paced, engaging. Overall a great read

I absolutely loved the ride this book took me on! I do desperately wanted to find out what happened to Liv and was cheering her on the entire story. It was full of suspense and Megan Goldin knocked it out of the park again!

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a cab, with words written all over her arms. Arriving at her apartment, she finds strangers living there, with no trace of her roommate, cat, or belongings. Worse still, when she reaches for her phone, she discovers a bloody knife wrapped in a t-shirt. And as news outlets begin reporting on a man’s murder, Liv is haunted by the words “Stay Awake” written in blood at the crime scene and also in ink on her arm. Could she have killed him? And why?

Two years ago, she was a writer for a successful magazine, with a boyfriend and devoted best friend. But she has no memory of the intervening two years. Or how she got that horrible scar on her abdomen.

New York homicide detectives are newly paired for this baffling case. One is eager to prove herself, while the other would prefer to work alone, but they unexpectedly find a rhythm to their partnership.

Vaguely reminiscent of Groundhog Day but with far more deadly consequences, this psychological suspense novel is so different but so very good. #StayAwake #NetGalley

"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."
It's hard to give a description of this book without giving everything away, hence the copied description from the publisher. This book was such terrifying rollercoaster of twists and turns, only getting snippets of the story as it jumps from Liv in the present with amnesia of the events of the past two years, and then Liv two years before and what led up to her trauma. Every time she falls asleep, her mind resets to that morning two years before. I absolutely loved the investigative team of Halliday and Levell. Their chapters and how they handled the investigation were my favorite. This is my third book by this author and they just keep getting better and better!! I was so excited to get an early copy through NetGalley!
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

This was one of the fastest paced, most propulsive thrillers I have ever read! I flew though the pages trying to piece together the murder mystery along with amnesiac Liv. The reader has a big advantage over Liv; while she forgets everything more recent than four years every time she falls asleep, the reader knows everything she learns along with her but we thankfully don't forget. It is a really interesting version of amnesia. I'm not sure if it exists in real life but it sure makes for an exciting story!

Discovering the fragmented pieces of her story then watching her forget everything she learned was frustrating and often horrific. There are several murders around her and she is either the killer or being set up by someone else. There is always the feeling that someone knows about her condition and is manipulating her. it is easy to gaslight someone who forgets the previous day after she naps! It is kind of a toss up between Liv being an unstable murderer or a victim herself. I won't give anything away but I was satisfied by the resolution. If you want to completely lose yourself in a book, this one is a perfect choice!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

Wow! I love when a book is so thrilling and suspenseful that I have trouble putting it down! Liv was a great unreliable narrator and I had no clue where all the twists and turns were headed. The dual timelines were done well, although there were a few times where it was a little confusing. I really liked the two detectives, Halliday and Lavelle, and would be so excited if they popped up in a future book! I was definitely surprised at the ending! The only thing missing for me was the motive.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the e-arc!

This was a very interesting and intriguing book since Liv forgot everything from the last 2 years every time she went to sleep. When she woke up she knew who she was but had no recollection of major events from the last 2 years. I found it to be super interesting. I wanted a little more motive and connection between the killer and the murders, but it was still a very good and gripping book.

Stay Awake started out with a bang for me and sucked me in!! I loved the beginning and thought it was intriguing!! Then, I felt bummed because it slowed down for me a bit, but luckily It picked back up at the end. Overall, I enjoyed it! I definitely felt a lot of suspense while reading and I liked how the story unfolded. I thought the storyline was unique and interesting!! 3.5 stars rounded to 4!

Thank you, Net Galley, and St Martin's Press for an ARC in return for my honest opinion

Megan Goldin does not disappoint. This story unrolls in a Momento type ride of memory loss. Imagine if every time you went to sleep, you lost your memory. It was an intriguing idea and the story went along at a fast and eager pace. There are reveals, such as the origin of some important details and phrases, that I found completely interesting and compelling. I was a little disappointed by the final reveal. The who of the who-dun-it, if you will. Everything else was taught and thrilling.

This one finally got me out of a reading slump! We follow Liv who every time she wakes up, she forgets everything that has happened the last two years. I loved discovering Liv’s memories beside her. I became just as obsessed with figuring out what happened next just as she did. I loved the paranoid/uneasy atmosphere this book gave off. There were times that I felt it was repetitive and the ending somewhat fell flat but overall, it was an overall exciting psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat!

I've loved the other Megan Goldin books I've read, but Stay Awake was a disappointment. Liv's segments were written like a young adult's book, especially the past Liv. The current Liv acts immediately resigned to the fact that she has to stay awake or lose her memory - shrug. The writing all over the body would be cinematic, but this theme was already done and mastered in "Memento".

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a New York taxi with no memory of how she got there or who she is. And written on her hands are the words “stay awake”. When she reaches for her phone, she discovers a bloodied knife in its place. Catching a glimpse of the local news, Liv sees reports of a murder where the victim’s blood was used to write the message on her very hands. What did Liv do last night and why can’t she remember the past two years of her life?

This 👏🏼 book 👏🏼 If you’re looking for a new psychological thriller that keeps you turning pages late into the night, you need to add this book to your TBR! I’m not kidding, I stayed up for half the night just to finish it. I couldn’t stop reading! I did get a little turned around at the beginning of the book but settled in pretty quickly. I really enjoyed the dual timeline of Liv’s present and life two years prior. I love books like that because it’s fun to compare the timelines and make connections! I found myself obsessing over Liv’s missing memories just like she was and it was absolutely fascinating. The suspense y’all! Chef’s kiss 🤌🏼 Thank you Megan Goldin and St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy!

“Stay Awake” by Megan Goldin
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 8/9
Genre: thriller

This thriller kept my attention the entire time. I really enjoyed it! I liked how the author went back and forth from the main character Liv to the detectives handling the case. It gave me a mystery thriller feel. The timeline was kind of confusing, so I would not recommend on audio as it goes back to two years in the past and the present. Sometimes it even goes back a couple days. It wasn’t too hard to follow reading it.

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi believing it’s two year ago. When she tries to resume her old life and finds nothing is the same she panics. Her old apartment isn’t hers, she’s told at her old job she moved to London, she can’t read her best friend or boyfriend. Her hands are covered in reminders. One in particular Stay Awake!
Two years ago she was living with her best friend Amy. She had a boyfriend named Marco who she adored. She has her dream job writing for a magazine.
Now every time she wakes up the day before is a blur. She can only remember two years ago.
When she sees news reports of a woman with long dark hair that looks suspiciously like her wanted for murder she has to Stay Awake to figure out what’s going on.

This was an amazing thriller. The action starts right away and I couldn’t put it down. I loved it was told from the point of view of the main character and the detective trying to solve a murder. It also seamlessly alternated between past and present. It was full of twists and turns and though I didn’t guess the ending, in hindsight, I’m surprised I didn’t. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my favorite Megan Goldin so far!

Going into it, I was concerned that I would feel like the amnesia trope was overdone, but this one certainly stood on its own. It was just so engaging! It moved at such a fast pace, despite the repetitive nature of Liv needing to re-remember who she was every time she woke back up. I thought this was very well done, in that Goldin was able to convey Liv’s desperation over and over again without boring the reader.

I was absolutely dying to figure out what was going on with Liv. I flew through this audiobook, because I just couldn’t press pause!

Unfortunately, the only thing that didn’t work for me was the ending. While I liked how the case wrapped up, I felt like certain things were resolved somewhat magically and without explanation, which always irks me. It didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment of the book, though!

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Megan Goldin got me again with this book. Her writing is superb. The way she can drop breadcrumbs and misdirections into a story with perfect precision and timing really sells the story and leaves you wondering if maybe you’re crazy too like the characters. You can never quite trust who’s a reliable character, who’s innocent, who’s the killer, who’s a red herring, because she sets up the story in such a way that you’re guessing and making up theories the whole time. It’s not heavy-handed but its not obvious either. Theres also just enough info to keep the story moving along until you get more of the details of what happened, there’s never too much or too little info given at once — its enough to keep you on the hook and guessing while still coming up with your own theories of what happened. The way she slowly reveals details until the final tada! are masterful. I never saw the killer coming, I guess its true what they say – its always the ones you least suspect. There were a couple things that I assumed that turned out to be true, once I was given enough information, and a couple of things that I missed.

I will say that I enjoyed The Night Swim more than Stay Awake, but Stay Awake is still a fantastic book. I love the jumping timelines aspects of her stories and how they slowly all come together into one timeline at the end, its such a fun, engaging, mind-bending way to tell a story and Megan Goldin really pulls off the format. You’re never second guessing the story or going “wait what?” as you’re reading. I will say though, that the beginning of the book threw off at first and it took me easily 50-75 pages to get into the story. However, by the time I got to the middle of the book I realized that the reason the beginning of the book is so jarring and confusing is probably to mimic the confusing and jarring nature of the main characters memory loss, which I thought was genius. Whether or not this was done intentionally I loved the idea of it once I made the connection further along into the story.

I loved discovering Liv’s memories along with her and was completely obsessed with who the killer was and if/how Liv was framed. Megan Goldin delivers the perfect amount of suspense for a psychological thriller, and I love how she handled the police side of the events. I really appreciated the back and forth between Detective Halliday and Detective Lavelle, Lavelle was ready to sign, seal, and deliver this case on a silver plater based on the evidence intentionally presented to them by the murderer and Halliday was sure that there was more to this case than what meets the eye and advocated for Liv being more than just the most convenient or plausible suspect in the murder they’re investigating. The motives of who the actual murderer is, isn’t really spelled out at the end but I feel like Megan was telling us the motives of the killer all along, spelled out in the conversations between Levelle and Halliday over the course of the investigation on why Liv would want to murder the victim(s). The seeds are there spread out over the course of the book as to the who’s and why’s but will only make sense once you get to the end and think back on the course of events.

I will read everything Megan Goldin writes because her writing is sublime and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. And you should too!

Liv Reese wakes up in a cab without any recollection of how she got there in the first place, She has writing all over her. It soon becomes clear they are reminders, and the biggest one she needs to remember is STAY AWAKE. Liv soon realizes that the world she knew is no more, she can’t seem to get a hold of her best friend or fiancé and someone else is living in her apartment. What makes matters worse is she sees the same message that was on her skin on the news scrawled in a window in blood at the scene of a crime. Where did the last 2 years of her life go and what is the connection that Liv has to this crime?

Megan Goldin did it again! In this book you get to see things from the perspective of Liv in the present and Liv 2 years ago, you also get the perspective of a detective on the case of the crime that was committed. This book was so fast paced and easy to get into! I wouldn’t necessarily say there were many twists but this book was such an exhilarating read it didn’t need them. I will forever read books by Megan Goldin and I cannot wait for the next one! Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this amazing ARC!

"Stay Awake" is a fast paced suspense that kept me guessing throughout the whole story! Liv Reese wakes in a taxi cab and has no recollection of the why or how. This story is told with flashbacks and current day, which I found to be easy to follow with the labels on each chapter. I didn't want to stop reading to know how Liv's questions would be answered. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐏 & 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐁𝐑

Reading Megan Goldin's newest book feels like the rush you get from drinking a double expresso. Your heart will be racing, your eyes peeling open wide & your body trebling with excitement.

Nothing beats a thriller that's fast-paced & feels like a puzzle. Stay Awake is extremely unique with a "Ground Hogs Day" flare.

Our main character, Liv, finds herself in a confused state riding in the back of cab. Her surrounding's are unfamiliar & the last memory she has is answering her phone yesterday afternoon while working. Rushing out of the cab, she quickly finds out that the world she has come to know has completely turned upside down when a couple she doesn't recognize answers the door to her home. With her memories erased & these strangers in her home, Liv is feeling alone and very much in danger.

I absolutely loved the complexity of this story. I praise Megan Goldin for writing an entertaining thriller with this much complicated detail. I have never read a thriller where our main character is constantly losing their memory & I absolutely loved it. The ending was a deep breath of fresh air. It feels complete & leaves no loose ends.

Multiple POV
Fast-Paced
Puzzle-esc
Unique & Complex Storyline
Chilling
Who-Done-It

I haven't divulged into a thriller in a long time & Stay Awake "re-awaked" my love for this high-speed pacing genre yet I did find it was a bit predictable. This didn't take away from how entertaining the plot is or the quality of the writing.

But for my regular thriller readers, beware the twist's aren't very heavy. "Stay Awake's" twists may be foreseeable although I think how deep & complex Liv's story is should be the main reason you check this one out!

Megan Goldin does a great job in Stay Awake in making sure the reader has no clue what really has happened to Liv Reese. Every time she falls asleep she forgets everything that has happened over the past 2 years. Revelations are slowly revealed. Did she kills the man in the apartment or not. The reader truly does not know what really happened until the very end. I love books that keep me guessing until the end and makes be say "well I didn't see that coming." Well done Megan Goldin.