It started with a bang, lulled in the middle, but picked up in last third. I was intrigued by the premise and felt committed to finding out the resolution, but there was a lot of repetition of details throughout the book. While the main character was reliving the same day over and over again, regurgitating the same information made for a bit of a tedious read. However, the mystery and circumstances of the case kept me interested enough to keep turning the page.

Liv wakes up in a cab with no memory of how she got there, with no purse, and no phone. She also discovers a bloody knife in her coat pocket. When the cab pulls up to her location, she knocks on the door to her apartment to ask her roommate to let her in, but she finds a couple living in her place. The problem is that every time Liv falls asleep she forgets what has happened since the last time she slept. In fact, she only has memories from two years ago. The chapters alternate between Liv in the now, Liv 2 years ago, and the female detective working the case. I was hooked from the first chapter until the end. I needed to find out about the bloody knife and what happened two years ago.

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I guessed the ending! Do I get a prize? Ha Ha!

Here's the deal though. The book was SO good that I didn't feel the ending needed to shock me. The rest of the book did that! I enjoyed the writing style SO much and this storyline ... YES!!! The fact it was split between the present and two years prior was perfection. I found myself tapping my Kindle pages like mad! I HAD to know what the heck was happening!

Overall an awesome and entertaining read! I can not wait to see what Megan Goldin comes up with next. In the meantime I think I better hit up her backlist.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my e-copy!

2.5 stars

Stay Alive, Megan Goldin's follow up after the breakaway success of The Night Swim, has an absolutely electrifying premise. Liv wakes up in the middle of New York City with no memory of the past two years, a bloody knife at her side, and numerous warnings to "stay awake" scrawled into her skin. Thrown into the crosshairs of a murder investigation, she must outrun the secrets hidden in her past in order to stay awake and more importantly, stay alive.

While the first few chapters definitely give you that pulse-pounding feeling, the premise for me began to wear thin due to what felt like an immense lack of urgence on Liv's part for a majority of the book. Considering how she begins the book, she seems more interested in trying to speak to her boyfriend or going to work than actually actively trying to figure out what is going on. Much of that plot advancement comes through the use of a second perspective, which just didn't really excite me since I ended up not really caring much about either character. On top of that, the final reveal is so poorly fleshed out in terms of connecting all the dots that had been previously introduced and the book literally just...ends.

It's a fast read with a great premise, but the actual execution of its thriller aspects felt particularly toothless.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Megan Goldin is an auto-buy author for me. The Escape Room is one of my all-time favorite books. Her latest Stay Awake will pull you in from page one.

If this summary doesn't entice you, I'm not sure what will: 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 claims to live in her apartment. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing. In its place is a bloodstained knife. Her hands are covered in scribbled messages, like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.

I struggled a little with the pacing of this book though. I became a little frustrated that no one seemed to even attempt to fill in the blanks for Liv.

I enjoyed this book and will continue to follow Megan Goldin!

Another fantastic novel by Megan Goldin! She remains one of my favorite authors.

Liv Reese cannot fall asleep because if she does, she will awaken with no memory of the past couple of years. She realizes that she is in danger but is unable to identify from who or what. As she slowly learns of her past, she writes things on her hands but cannot remember what they mean. She is being sought by the police and someone else in relation to a murder she has no memory of.

This book grabs the reader from the first words and flings them around along with the protagonist. Only bits and pieces of the mystery are revealed as Liv learns them. It is impossible to figure out what and who is involved in the danger she is in until the very end. As usual, Megan Goldin holds the reader in a state of intensity throughout the entire adventure. Superb writing. Great characters. Unfailing mystery and drama. A definite must read!


I received an ARC from St. Martin Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

This is a unique thriller. It has a dual timeline, one that switches from two years before to the current time, for reasons that I don't want to spoil for the reader.

Liv Reese is lost. She wakes up in the back of a taxi in New York City, a taxi that she doesn't remember getting into. She goes to her old apartment and discovers people that she doesn't know are living there - and have been for years. She finds a lot of cash in her handbag, and when she reaches for her cell phone, she finds a bloody knife. She goes to her work place only to discover that it has a new name and that she had left for a new job several years before. She has words written on her hands - Stay Awake - and she doesn't know what they mean, although it is her writing.

Then she hears on the news that a man has been murdered, and that the police are looking for her - but someone else is also looking for her...Pray he doesn't find her first.

My thanks to publisher St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.. These are my honest opinions.

Stay Awake
Megan Goldin, author

I enjoyed this fast paced psychological thriller very much. I thought it to be one of those stories that was hard to put down. This was up there with "Night Swim" for me. Goldin seems to be developing a style of writing that reminds me of Ruth Ware's books and I adore the books written by Ware.

The story revolves around Liv Reese. She continually wakes up with amnesia and has forgotten a two year period of her life. Her doctors have determined her amnesia is more than likely due to a traumatic episode that happened to her years earlier.

The story is told from two perspectives. Liv's and the detectives.

Liv is running from a strange man and perhaps the police. She just might also be trying to figure out WHY she has lost her memory for that period of time. It doesn't help that her most recent awake finds her in a cab with a bloody knife in her pocket and the words STAY AWAKE on her hands. As she attempts to return to her apartment, she discovers that others are living there, and her cat has been taken to a shelter. Then she discovers she no longer has a job when she goes there. She tries to reach her best friend and her boyfriend, but they're not answering their phones. What the heck is happening to her life?

Meanwhile, the detectives are hard at work on solving the recent murder of a man. It seems like the clues are leading them directly to Liv Reese.

The characters in this story were intense, especially Liv's characterization. I quite enjoyed the banter between the detectives as to whether Liv was the murderer or not.

I was gifted an advanced reader copy of the book from Netgalley, the publisher, and the author in exchange for my honest review. I highly recommend this intense and very thrilling novel. I am already looking forward to Goldin's next book.

Holy cow! Phe-freaking-nomenal
I was on the edge of my seat the WHOLE time! I yelled, "don't call" and "Ohmigosh!" MULTIPLE times. There were a few loose ends I would like to know the conclusions of, but since they were never *really* involved with the murder, its fine.
Such a good thriller! Highly recommend

Stay Awake will literally have you staying awake until you finish this book full of red herrings and twists and turns that will have your head spinning.

Liv is an insomniac that also has a rare type of amnesia . Every time she falls asleep she cant remember the last two years.

She has written on her hand Stay Awake. You can feel Liv's turmoil when she discovers her apartment is not hers any longer . She cant find her best friend Amy.

Nothing makes sense

Liv knows for some reason she is on the run from the police. Did she commit murder?

Who would she kill.

I don't want to give anything away but I will say be prepared to stay awake to the final page of this roller coaster of a read that will have you biting your nails and gasping out loud.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a hold your breath read.

Imagine waking up one morning and not remembering anything for the past two years and every time you sleep it's a repeat of the previous day. With each passing day you notice words that you've written on your hands as a reminder.
STAY AWAKE
DON'T TRUST ANYONE
MEMORIES LIE
HE'S COMING FOR ME!
Liv is a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Last thing she remembers in answering the phone in her office. Two years have passed. Not remembering the night before she discovers not only is she on the run but now there is a bloody knife wrapped in a t-shirt and she has black ink on her hands. STAY AWAKE!
The deeper Homicide Detectives Halliday and Lavalle dig into the current murder their opinions are divided about Liv.
Murder, mystery and suspense will keep you intrigued until the end.
Thank you Netgalley and the author for a digital copy. Read and reviewed voluntarily and the opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Fast-paced thriller involving the main character, Liv, who loses her memory every time she falls asleep. So she has no recollection of a man she may have murdered in cold blood. Did she do it? Who can she trust to tell her the truth?

The story kept my attention and was very easy to read. There were twists and turns and the ending was good though not unexpected to me. The author did a good job of creating the fear and isolation that Liv felt in her fugue state. The plot went back and forth between the present and two years in the past and was easy to follow except near the end when the story went back into two different times in the past over a 24 hour period. Overall, a solid thriller read which I really enjoyed and which entertained me.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC. Opinions are my own.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a gem of a book that will have lovers of suspense and thriller novels reeling with excitement. The reader follows protagonist Liv Reese as she tries to navigate life as someone who wakes up without a short-term memory every day. After experiencing a traumatizing event, Liv forgets everything that happened after that point. She forgets people she's met, the fact that she moved to London and then back to New York, and on top of it all, it seems as if there is someone out to get her, perhaps even kill her. She writes notes to herself on her arms, hoping to jog her memory every time she wakes up.

This book is absolutely fantastic. The book moves along quickly as the reader tries to figure out what happened to Liv and is only given snippets of her memory. Readers will not be disappointed at the twisted ending that is quite satisfying.

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

A fun, quick read that kept me turning pages - perfect for a summer read. This wasn’t a huge hit for me - I caught on to the theme of the plot but found myself rolling my eyes at parts where I wasn’t supposed to be…bummer. Lots of twists that most will enjoy. Thanks to St Martin’s press for the advanced copy. I’m grateful.

Stay Awake is the nightmare version of Groundhog Day. Just imagine that every night when you fall asleep, you will wipe away every memory you have of the day. Liv Reese is living this nightmare.

When the story begins, readers aren’t privy to Liv’s background. A recent murder, the investigation and Liv’s attempt to regain her memories will converge at a pivotal point in the story.

Liv had a great job, a good friend and roommate and a boyfriend she was in love with. Then things happened to make her believe she was being stalked. She thought someone had been in her home. The police didn’t believe her.

Then one day a horrific event happens and Liv’s life turns into a nightmare. She experiences a deep betrayal, an act of unspeakable violence and a life-threatening injury, only to wake up and not remember any of it.

This story had me on edge the entire time and it was not easy to guess the pieces to the puzzle. I found this to be a very satisfying mystery/thriller and highly recommend to other readers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I’m happy to give my honest review.

Entertaining fast-paced thriller. Every time Liv Reese goes to sleep, she forgets everything about her life. Now she's wanted for murder, and she has no idea what's going on. I liked the character of Liv, and the amnesia/fugue states were very interesting. I really don't want to say too much, because I don't want to ruin this book for others. It's a fun read. I really enjoyed it.

"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.

Two years ago, 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."

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Stay Awake is a mind twisting novel about a girl who can't remember what she does when she sleeps.
I am not a fan of the amnesia trope usually, but i think this was done really well. I enjoyed the book and It was very captivating. I found myself constantly flipping pages and trying to guess what was going to happen next. Megan Goldin has a way of writing dark and twisted books that make you cringe, but also you can't look away from it. I recommend.

Stay Awake is one of the best thrillers that I've read this year. The plot was fresh and executed well. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and never figured out who the culprit was. Waking up each day and having lost 2 years of time would be scary enough but waking up each day like that and also realizing that you're a suspect in a murder would be absolutely terrifying. Obviously, with this plot things have to be repeated as the MC is relearning things every day but it didn't feel boring but added to the anxiety I felt for Liz. This is my second Goldin book and I will definitely be a lifelong fan. Now, I need to read the 3rd book of hers that's been on my shelf for awhile.

Well, isn’t this ironic?

STAY AWAKE kept me company the first few nights I brought my newborn son home. Like the protagonist Liv Reese, he too has a propensity to stay awake.

In Goldin’s latest release, Liv suffers from sudden memory loss/possible psychotic episodes where she forgets the last two years of her life due to a lack of sleep. Yikes—this sleep deprived mama is paying attention. Liv is on the run for a crime she cannot remember if she committed and is determined to stay awake to avoid further amnesia.

I’m drawn to stories that play with memory and I appreciated the premise here. Although the book started off strong, it became redundant as Liv continues to wake up and rediscover her memory loss multiple times throughout the book.

Overall, this was a decently entertaining read albeit a bit repetitive. I much prefer the author’s previous book, THE NIGHT SWIM and would recommend adding that to your end of summer TBR.

RATING: 3/5
PUB DATE: August 9, 2022

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks in advance of publication date

I will leave a review on Amazon and B&N on Aug. 9th

Wow what a wild ride this book will take you on. I loved all the twists and turns involved in the telling of this storyline. Thrillers are one of my favorite genres to read, and this one certainly didn't disappoint. I most certainly would recommend it to everyone.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, and this is my fair and honest review.