At first this one was a DNF. But then I decided to pick it back up and give it a try. And then... I was hooked. I'm so glad I started reading this one again!

It seems Megan Goldin does not disappoint.

The suspense every time Liv, the main character, was piecing things together and had to pause to sleep... it was maddening and exciting all at the same time.

My only challenge with this book was I had a hard time keeping up with timelines. There were moments I had to re-read certain sections to make sure I was understanding correctly.

Overall LOVE.

Plot and characters were well developed but I had a hard time following the timeline. I really liked the short chapters; it always helps me read faster.

I thought this was a really unique thriller, and I loved the concept - we have Liv, an unreliable narrator who has no idea why she wakes up with bloody knife in her pocket and the words "stay awake" on her hands. I got sucked into the story right away and was really kept guessing throughout the book. Megan Goldin is a great writer and spins a great mystery!

I really enjoyed this book in the beginning, it had my hooked straight away. However; it didn’t quite live up to my expectations in the end, I found it a little far fetched at times and I still don’t really understand why what happened, happened.
A well written, interesting story with some really good characters.

iv has a medical condition that causes her to lose all her memories for the past two years every time she falls asleep. She finds messages writing all over her arms urging her to STAY AWAKE -but obviously she can't remember why. She wakes up at the scene of a crime and determines that a murder has occurred. When she finds a knife in her possession and a familiar message at the scene - STAY AWAKE - she assumes that she must be involved but she can't remember how… Unfortunately, I've ready too many books over the past few years using amnesia as the main plot device. I'm totally over it. This book did keep me guessing as to the overall plot and identity/motivation of the villain. However, it was very repetitive and there were some large plot holes that I struggled to get past. I'm going to try very hard to avoid any further books using the amnesia trope because I just can't do a single one more. Between the good and the bad, I thought it averaged out the 3 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an e-galley of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really liked this one and the pacing of it made it hard to put down. Having a main character with amnesia really made the whole story unravel in an interesting way.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Stay Awake is the third book I have read by Megan Goldin- her other 2 being The Escape Room and The Night Swim (which I enjoyed quite a bit!)

So when I was sent the e-ARC of Stay Awake, I eagerly started reading!

What I liked:

Well the cover. I love that bold red.

The plot of the book. A woman who loses her memory every time she falls asleep? Oh that sounded intriguing.

How Megan tied all of this book together!

However, I will say that as much as I enjoyed it- there were times it was hard to read. Sometimes Liv frustrated me. Sometimes I felt frustrated by the fact that I was only able to read a few pages each night- this book needs to be read in longer time frames to really get sucked into the book.



Bottom line: Not as good as her first 2 (to me anyway) but still worth checking out!



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

I had so much fun with this. I read it in under 24 hours. Megan Goldin is a MUST read for me now.

I have not read a lot of books under the amnesia trope and I am not sure overall it is for me, but they way it played out in this story was so compelling. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. There were some predictable plot lines but this did not take away anything for me. I was 100% invested from page one and could not put it down.

Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi with zero memory about how she got there. She gets dropped off at her apartment, only to find someone else is living there now. She reaches in her bag to grab her phone, but it is missing. Instead of finding her cell phone, Liv finds a bloody knife. Her arms are covered in writing that says, "Stay Awake".

Liv catches a glimpse of the news, only to see a crime scene where the victim's blood is used to spell Stay Awake. What did Liv do? Did she kill someone? Any why can't she remember the last two years of her life?

Wow, what a great twisty read! It is super quick and easy to read, filled with twists and turns that keep you wanting more. It is addictive and action packed. The unreliable narrator trope always makes for a fun and mind-bending read - which is exactly what the author did here. Character development was excellent. The dual timelines and POV's were done well.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Forgot about posting this review after reading!

I couldn't put this one down. Such a fantastic thriller: I rarely give 5 stars to thrillers because I often catch holes, feel like I've read it before, felt like it was too unbelievable, etc. Not this one! This may have pushed me to be a Megan Goldin superfan...I'll def be reading more of hers!

I always enjoy Megan Goldin’s books. She writes fast pace thrillers and there is always an interesting curve ball. In this case a woman who doesn’t have memory every time she wakes up from sleeping. The back and forth timeline and multiple view points makes the plot even more engaging.

WHY DID I PUT THIS OFF FOR SO LONG.
IT WAS INCREDIBLE. I sat here and read this in one sitting. I think Megan Goldin is a genius.
This kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. And now that it is over I just want to go back to the beginning and start again.

Man, I would recommend this to any and everyone.

This is the best thriller I’ve read all year and might be the top one for 2023!!! Such a good concept and I couldn’t put it down!! I buddy read this book and we both just FLEW through it. Highly recommend

I raced through this book as I couldn’t stop reading it!! Perfectly paced with lots of intrigue. Thoroughly recommend, this must-read novel!

Liv is suffering from a rare form of amnesia. Every time she wakes, she has forgotten the last two years. The story switches back and forth between present day and two years prior. As the story progresses, we discover Liv was injured in a terrible attack. Or was she??? The farther into the story, the more we understand what happened. Liv does have some coping mechanisms but seems to have gone off the rails. I did find the ending lacking. It just seemed to come together too quickly and without a lot of planning on the author’s part. Overall, I did find myself immersed in the storyline and anxious to find what happened next. This was a 3 star read for me.

This was a mind-bending ride for me! At times, I struggled to keep track of the plot but ultimately I enjoyed it. This author is one that I will definitely keep on my radar.

The writing is just not so good. The premise had potential but it's written in a way that makes the story more confusing than it needs to be. I also found the story to be repetitive and it left alot of questions to be answered.

I just couldn’t get into this book. I know it got a lot of buzz and tons of people loved it but not I. When I read the description it sounded right up my alley.

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi having no memory of where she is and what she has just done. She is dropped off in the middle of the night at her apartment without a phone, purse, or key only to find out that she does not live there with her roommate anymore. She has the message "STAY AWAKE" scrawled on her hand and a blood-stained knife. Liv doesn't know where to go and who to trust. She can't believe that she would have harmed anyone. But, someone is out to get Liv. That person is hoping that she doesn't remember a thing.
This is a fast-paced, intense novel. I loved it. It truly kept me guessing.

STAY AWAKE packs in the twists and turns. I had been worried when I read that it was an amnesia thriller, but this one didn’t get monotonous or bog me down too much in the memory lapse phases. The pace is great and the characters are well-developed despite the memory problems. A fun thriller!

Liv Reese wakes up in the backseat of a taxi with no idea where she is or where she is coming from. When Liv arrives at her apartment, she finds that someone else lives there now and she is covered in writing largely reminding her to “stay awake” and a bloody knife in her pocket.

Her last memory is 2 years earlier when she was working at a magazine, dating her boyfriend Marco, living with her best friend Amy, and living in New York City. In present time she is in New York City, but nothing else seems to be the same. Shortly after her most recent awakening, she sees a news story about a man who was murdered and the same message from her hand is written on the window “stay awake”.

It was easy to cheer for Liv because even though we aren’t sure what exactly happened and how she might be involved in the crimes she is clearly linked to, she felt innocent. The amnesia helps with this—even if she did end up doing something awful or witnessing something awful, it’s clear her brain has completely disassociated from it.

As the story progresses, the pace continues to speed up because we start learning more and more. I loved how some of the answers just led to a new question, because there were lots of twists and turns throughout. It really felt like solving a jigsaw puzzle where some pieces connect and others don’t work until more comes into place. I was shocked by the ending!