Lib wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. As she arrives at her apartment, she realizes that everything is not as she remembered. When she discovers her hands are covered in scribbled messages, she realizes there are much larger pieces of her life that she has forgotten.
As Liv struggles to figure out what is true and what is not, she finds herself in the middle of a murder with her as the prime suspect.
Highly recommended. I was hooked early on and loved the flipping from past to present as the story unfolded.

*I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review

It took me a while to get into this book. It starts off incredibly confusing (which I know is part of the point), which was a bit frustrating. However, I’ve enjoyed Goldin’s other books, so I stuck it out. Once I got pulled into the story, the pace was fast and the plot engaging. Because it was a bit hard to follow at times, the twists were harder to see coming. Another solid thriller from Goldin.

This book is written in a past and present style from the view points of Liv and Detectives. You slowly gets answers during each flip of time and you will think you have it all figured out....WRONG!!! Trust No One and Suspect Everyone!!!!! I sure did and still had my OH SHIT moment!!

I highly recommend this book to all my thriller, mystery or any reader for that matter. It will grb your attention and not let go!

Wow! I loved this very unique, very edge of the seat thriller. I definitely didn’t guess the outcome. The main characters days were repetitive so I highly expect some people to say the book was repetitive, but that was exactly what was needed to give the feel of what the Mac was going through day after day. I loved it!

Wow! This is the best thriller of 2022. It pulled me in right from the beginning and I never left the edge of my seat. This is a book I only put down because I didn’t want it to end. This is my first book from Megan Goldin, but it won’t be my last.

Absolutely loved this book. It sucked me in from the getgo and had me guessing all the way to the end. Did not want it to end at all.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was quite intriguing. Imagine being a victim of a heinous crime but having people actually believe you may have been the perpetrator. Then, 2 years later something happens and every time you fall asleep, you awake to no memories of the past two years. The only thing you know is that you have messages scribbled on your hand that tell you to trust no one and to stay awake. How terrifying would that be?

This story is told using multiple timelines and I found that that worked quite well. The reader is transported back in time two years prior (right before the crime occurs and the days leading up to it).. That narrative is intermixed with events occurring in real time. As it all unfolds, the reader discovers what events happened in the past and how they ultimately led to a man being found murdered in a rented room in the present. I definitely thought this was a page turner and I couldn't wait to discover the who and why.

There were a few things that bothered me a bit however. First, I really wish the characterization of the two detectives leading the case was developed more. The reader learns bits and pieces about the pair but I felt like I never really got to know them (which is essential to a murder mystery in my opinion). Second, I felt like a couple threads of the story were never brought to full fruition (and left me with some unanswered questions). Finally, (no spoilers so I'll just be very vague here) I wish I could have had more info about the killer.

I've read two other books by Goldin and really enjoyed them. This author is one I'd definitely recommend and this book is a great place to start!

Very mysterious and frustrating- where you think you are, who you think you know and what you think has happened. This is a very taut and intriguing tale, and one that would be horrible to live through. Well written, fast paced, this story starts off with a bang and keeps going.
There are twists, and while you eventually can see what's coming, it's not as clear you believe.
Horrible people out there,
Fun book, as long as you remember its fiction.

Reading Between the Wines book review #62/135 for 2022:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: Stay Awake
Author: Megan Goldin
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Audio version RELEASES on August 9, 2022!!!

Sipping thoughts: Can you imagine that you wake up and don’t remember the last 2 years of your life. Furthermore, you don’t remember a huge tragedy that involved you, a dead body, bloody knife and an unknown assailant. Or is that assailant you? This Groundhog’s Day modern day replica had me on the edge of my seat to see what actually happened that fatal day Liv Reese lost her memory. I cannot believe I did not figure out who the killer was. It was right under my nose the whole time and I overlooked it. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and really liked the detective Darcy Halliday and could see her character becoming a series. This book Stay Awake made me do just that- Stay awake entirely too long into the night to finish the book.

For those that said it was completely repetitive, yes it was-of course, because every time Liv woke up she would have to relive the moment she realized she has lost her memory of the last 2 years. Goldin's last 2 releases (The Night Swim and The Escape Room) were both 4 stars as well, I can't wait for the next release.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @megangoldinauthor and @StMartinsPress for an advance copy of @StayAwake.

#StayAwake #MeganGoldin #StMartinsPress #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

What happens when she goes to sleep and why doesn't she remember?
Liv wakes in a taxi with no recollection of where she is or how she got there. She arrives at her apartment to a stranger opening the door and claiming she no longer lives there, forcing her back into the cold outside. When she grabs for her phone to seek help, she notices that its missing, instead she finds a knife covered in blood and notices her hands are covered in pen ink, with scribbled messages like "STAY AWAKE". The memories Liv has is living with her bestie, dating a new man, and writing for a trendy magazine. Now, she's lost and confused. What has she done for the past two years or even just last night? She's horrified to see a news report mention a crime scene where the murderer used the victims blood to write a message on the window. The same message written on her very own hand... Someone knows what happened that night and they want to make her pay. Can she find her memory and piece together what happened that night?
I couldn't get enough of this story! I flew through it, dying to know what would happen next. I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook. The narrators did a wonderful job; You can really feel Liv's confusion and apprehension. I can't wait to read more of Megan Goldin's work. If this isn't already on your TBR, add it now!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and Edelweiss+. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Liv wakes up with no memory of the last two years. Notes are all over her skin telling her to stay awake. She also sees the phrase on the news at a murder scene.

I liked the plot and concept of the book. Liz’s plight was really interesting and it made me keep turning the pages. I wanted to find out what happened to her! The murder investigation was not as interesting to me and that was half of the book. It’s a bummer when you find one part of a book engaging and another part just not as interesting but it’s just how it is sometimes.

“Stay awake!”

Stay awake comes out 8/9.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ebook and audiobook arcs of Stay Awake. I was excited to read this one because I also enjoyed The Night Swim by the same author. I liked this one for the most part- it definitely kept me guessing at who might have been the one responsible for the murder. Because of the nature of the main characters memory loss, it did get repetitive at times, but that was also helping build the story. The addition of the different perspectives of the main character and one of the detectives was also a nice detail and kept the story progressing. It wasn't a page turner for me, but an okay book. 3.5 ⭐

This was a fast paced story that made me intrigued from the moment I started reading. I loved the concept of the main character having memory loss each time they awake from sleep. With notes written all over her arms, she has to piece together what has happened. It reminds me of 50 First Dates meets Memento. I loved the crime aspect and the dual POVs. I also enjoyed the past and present shifts in the story too. As the reader, I got to learn a little more about what was really going on and at times I knew more than the MC. I enjoyed the ending and only have a few questions about the story.

Liv the main female character has the most bizarre condition, she forgets the past two years every time she falls asleep. Full of twists and turns. Tells the story from the main female character‘s point of you as well as the detectives working the murder homicide case. Flows very easily and does have some flashbacks of her life from before. Definitely an interesting story, not a storyline I’ve read before. Kept me reading and wondering what was going to happen next.

Thanks to Netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

As much as I enjoyed Goldin's last book, this one was a huge mess. It was infuriatingly repetitive, entire sentences and sections repeated over and over (things like "I looked down at my hands, and saw STAY AWAKE written on them.") as if either the reader is completely brain dead or the author had stopped and started and forgotten she'd already written this mere pages prior.

On top of that, it's too long with too many POV switches and has an almost nonsensical ending. I hope Goldin's next is better, and I'll definitely give it a shot, but this really diminished a lot of the goodwill she had with me as a reader.

I did not finish at 25%. It just wasn’t holding my attention. It’s me, not the book. Maybe I’ll try again later.

Pub date: 9 Aug 2022

I liked this story. I can see how some would find it repetitive but I do feel like it was done well, to put the reader in Liv's frame of mind each time she wakes.

We meet Liv Reese in current time when she wakes up in the back of a cab unsure where she is, where she's going or been. We jump back in time about two years earlier several times throughout the book. Then, when we get towards the end, we go back two days from the current time. I found the multi timelines easy enough to follow.

Along with Liv in the current time, we follow Detectives Darcy Halliday and Jack Lavelle as they investigate the murder of a British man. Detective Halliday was my favorite character by far.

There were several times I rolled my eyes at Liv's decisions but then again, I can't imagine waking up with no memories of the past two years so I guess I can't judge.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and how everything gets wrapped up in a neat bow by the end. There's a lot of details included that explain each piece of the mystery.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the early ebook and audiobook to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC of Megan Goldin's Stay Awake. I absolutely loved this! I'm a bit hard to please when it comes to mysteries and thrillers. I often find myself guessing all the answers in advance and it makes it hard for me to relax and enjoy the ride at times. My favorite stories often involve unreliable narrators and sometimes multiple timelines. I think anyone who enjoys these tropes will have a fun time following along with Liv and her Memento-esque nightmare. This was a snappy and quick read, in that you'll sit down and stay there as you race through the twists.

This book was great! Not only was it a good read but the author managed to tell a story that kept your attention, without being repetitive. Sounds weird but the a protagonist has a problem with losing her memory every time she falls asleep. I thought it may get old with her waking up repeatedly saying “Where am I? What was I doing? Where do I live?” but the story is told so well, in multiple timelines, from different POVs, and really keeps your interest. Quite a feat, IMO. My favorite Megan Goldin book yet!

My New Favorite Book.
I loved this book from start to finish. It was a mix of the TV series "Blindspot" and "Gone Girl". I highly recommend this book.
I read Megan's book, "Escape Room." That book was a 5-star rating for me as well.
I received this galley from NetGalley.