Wow! What an interesting concept! The main character, Liv, has an unusual condition. If she sleeps, she awakens with no memory of her life over the previous 2 years. Each new day, she must start all over again, searching for clues as to who and where she is. At the same time, detectives are trying to solve a murder, and Liv is their #1 suspect. As Liv’s identify begins to unfold, the detectives find connections to previous murders, and their search for Liv escalates.

Who is she? Why doesn’t she have any memories?Who killed three of her friends?

This was a fast paced, exciting book with a somewhat predictable twist at the end.
I highly recommend this book, and gave it 5 stars.

Thank you St.Martins Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: August 9, 2022

Liv has a problem; she doesn’t remember anything - nothing at all from the past two years. In her last memory she’s a food writer at a successful magazine, living with her best friend and happily dating a new man. All is right with her world. So what changed from this idyllic time to the present, where the moment she closes her eyes she forgets everything that’s happened? And why does the murder being broadcasted all over the news seem to echo notes written on her own hand? Can she stay awake long enough to solve the mystery?

PROS and CONS:
With some similarities to SJ Watson’s Before I Go To Sleep, I was worried it would be a duplicate of that story. Amnesiac heroines are usually frustrating for me, as they never know what’s going on and seem to spend their time chasing their own tails. Perhaps going into this one with low expectations worked because I loved it! Liv (with her unreliable memory) never stopped trying to find out what had happened to her and why, and I loved the detective duo in the background slowly uncovering clues as well. Very well done!

READ IT?
Yes yes yes! Goldin is quickly becoming a favourite of mine - both the Escape Room and The Night Swim were winners for me, and this one is too! Very different stories in each of them - I love an author with depth!

4 Stars

This book was a unique take on the mystery/thriller genre, and overall I enjoyed it. The main character has a type of amnesia where she forgets everything that happened before she falls asleep so that added some tension to the book that was really fun to read. I found some of the middle section of the book a little repetitive, as in some of the same dialogue was repeated a few times between the two detectives, but nothing drastic enough to make me want to stop reading. I was pretty surprised with the reveal of the antagonist, which doesn’t happen often.

I do want to know why the waiter was calling the main character so much, but I can live with not knowing!

Believable - not really. Fast-paced - yes. Fun read - yes.

Liv Reese must Stay Awake, if not she doesn’t remember anything that happened to her for the past two years, making the title of this book Stay Awake by Megan Goldin very appropriate.

The beginning was excellent, the middle was repetitive and the end was anti climatic. That being said, there are many people who loved this book so I say give it a try.

Thank you NetGalley and St. martins Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I completely devoured this book in two days! This is exactly what a psychological thriller should be!

Every time she falls asleep, Liv forgets the past two years of her life. She tries everything she can to stay awake, but eventually passes out and when she wakes she’s completely disoriented again, trying to return to her former life with no idea what is going on. Her hands are covered in messages to stay awake and not to trust anyone. While Liv is trying to figure things out, she sees news coverage of a horrible murder that occurred the night before, with a message to Wake Up written in the victim’s blood, one of the same messages on her hands. Why can’t Liv remember anything? Who can she trust? And what did she do last night?

Stay Awake was very fast paced and had my heart racing, with short chapters alternating between Liv and the detectives in the current day and Liv’s life two years ago. I felt like I was right along side of Liv trying to figure things out, and it kept definitely me guessing until the very (well done) end.

This is my favorite Megan Goldin book yet! Stay Awake releases soon, on August 9th. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a gripping psychological thriller!

Special thanks to Netgalley, Megan Goldin, and St. Martin’s Press for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Stay Awake is a new thriller that will definitely keep you up all night! Liv Reese has a condition where she loses her memory every time she falls asleep and one day finds out she's a suspect of a murder she does not remember committing.

things i liked:
- fast-paced
- dual timeline
- unreliable narrator trope
- unpredictable, full of turns and twists
- unputdownable

thing i didn't like:
- "stay awake" phrase is overused

(full review to be posted on my bookstagram near or on pub date)

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Megan Goldin is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This was my third read by her. My favorite was The Escape Room (because of the dark humor); her best so far was The Night Swim, and; this one too, had me racing through to the end. Although I read this a few months ago, I am sadly only reviewing now - so there are many blanks in my memory (chuckle, chuckle, chuckle). What I remember most is being gobsmacked by the final twist - my favorite kind, the one that was right up there in my face the whole way through the novel and yet I never saw it coming.

MC wakes up in a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there (I can totally empathize, I'm so overwhelmed with backlogged work that I often fall asleep at my desk and wake up confused and disoriented). She has messages scrawled over her hands, torso, and arms – all warning her to stay awake. As it turns out, every time she falls asleep, she wakes up with no knowledge of what she was doing or where she was before she fell asleep. It soon becomes apparent that she has "lost" two years - and that's not all. Where once she wrote brilliant articles for a successful magazine, had a gorgeous successful boyfriend, and an amazing flat that she shared with her best friend, she now discovers that she lives in a grungy basement flat with writing all over the walls, warning her not to open the door and not to trust anyone. It soon becomes clear that someone is chasing her, and that she is wanted in connection with a murder (or two or three). At one point in her quest to discover her background, she finds herself in a flat where a man she does not recognize lies murdered of stab wounds on a bed. She looks down to see a bloody knife in her hands...once more there is an eerily familiar message scrawled on the window across from the bed. Is she a murderer? Who is living in her flat and why are they threatening to call the police if she does not leave them alone? Where is her boyfriend and her best friend? There are mysteries galore in this novel. Obviously, she cannot remain awake forever, so she writes notes to herself on her skin to try to keep her on track if she nods off…but the messages are always a mystery to her when she wakes. Sometimes it’s back to square one and sometimes she reaches all the way to square five, but it takes a real shock at the end to jolt back those memories.

This is no Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy (50 first dates) but rather a suspense thriller that will keep you at the edge of your chair, flipping the pages until several mysteries are solved and you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this wonderful book by one of my favorite authors. Even five months after reading, I still remember all of the plot, all of the twists, and especially how much I loved Stay Awake by Megan Goldin.

This book BLEW MY MIND.

Megan Goldin is taking her place on the throne with the thriller of the Fall! This book is immersive, and it shocked me. Stay Awake is pure excitement, a psychological thriller beyond any others that I've read. Unreliable Narrator? SIGN ME UP! I read this book in one sitting. I'm sad that it's over, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. Thank you to St Martin's Press for the copy to review! I have preordered a copy as well because I must share it/own it.

Liv suffers from a rare form on amnesia, and she must not fall asleep. When Liv falls asleep her slate is wiped clean. 50 First Dates but a THRILLER. Waking up with a bloody knife, Liv must piece together her clues, and try to connect the dots in this unique thriller. Dual timelines/Dual characters were well connected, and the pieces fit together perfectly. I was able to stay with the story without confusion and enjoyed getting to know Liv prior to suffering from amnesia, as well as see the story from the detectives point of view.

The ending was perfect. It tied the book of beautifully. I was very happy with the plot twist and will absolutely be a fan of Goldin for years to come!

Every time Liv wakes up, she has no idea where she is or what happened the day before. She's been living in a terrifying loop from two years prior. The last thing she can clearly remember is that she lives in Brooklyn with her best friend Amy and her boyfriend is Marco.

But now, other people are in her apartment and Marco's phone is not in service. What has happened to Liv? Where is Amy? Why does Liv have a bloody knife in her hands?

Told in duel timelines and with three points of view, Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a thriller that is sure to be a late summer hit and fly off of the shelves. It's part Momento, part "The Night Of", and part of the real Agatha Christie story.

I did find that Detective Halliday's backstory was a bit uninteresting to me--maybe that's just me. I did really enjoy the flip between old Liv and current Liv--it was a fun look at the difference between the two, to compare the pre/post 'incident' Liv.

This is a fantastic, fast-paced read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this book! Every time Liv falls asleep she wakes up with no meme out from the last two years. So many twists and turns that will keep you needing to read more! Awesome job Megan!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed Stay Awake. I read it first and then listened to the audio – a winning combination. The storyline is unique. My interest built as things progressed. I found the first half slow and at times confusing. The second half is when Goldin hit her stride for me.

I absolutely adore Imogen and January’s narrations. The audio kept my interest and things moved along more quickly when I could envision the setting and the characters. Megan Goldin has fast become an auto buy for me. I highly recommend.

I couldn't put this book down! I loved Megan Goldin's previous two books (The Night Swim and The Escape Room) but this one may have been my favorite of all.

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of the cab with no memory. Her arms are covered in notes with cryptic messages to herself telling her to "Stay Awake". This novel is fast-paced and keeps you guessing who for the motivations behind these gruesome murders.

Good read! Really felt for the main character here and a fun mystery to follow. Finished it in one day!!

I started this book as an audio - but I couldn't handle the suspense. I finished the ebook.
This book was one of my most anticipated for this year - did not disappoint. This book's plot is compared to the movie Momento - it is not wrong.
Liv wakes up - confused an disoriented. Calling a cab, she goes home. Only to be told she doesn't live there anymore. Liv notices writing all over her hands, arms.
And the story begins.
Gripping. Creative. Ruthless suspense.
I'm counting down to Goldin's next release.

I had a hard time keeping up with this book, and the plot twists they were trying to incorporate. Liv wakes up with a loss of memory and is being framed for murder. The story wants to be a thriller, but it didn't really keep my attention,

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller by Megan Goldin. It's one of the only thrillers recently where I genuinely did not guess the ending until the end. Goldin did a really great job jumping from past and present between two individuals from chapter to chapter.
I found the dialogue between character, especially the two detectives, Halliday and Lavelle, to be pretty cheesy, but the attempt was there to establish characterization.
But for this genre, I'd say Stay Awake is a really great novel. It was a story unlike anything I have read before and I was kept up at night guessing what was happening and thinking about it throughout my day.
It's a fun and fast read, great thriller/mystery, and has a pretty satisfying ending.
Definitely an enjoyable read, thank you so much!

STAY AWAKE is my second Megan Goldin book and I must say I am far from disappointed by what I’ve read.

Liv Reese wakes up in the middle of the night in the back of a taxi, with no recollection of how she got there or why. When she’s dropped off at her apartment she shares with her long time friend and roommate, Liv is surprised to find a stranger within. Every phone number she calls is either out of service or a stranger answering. When she discovers the date is two years later than she remembers, she is even more confused.

STAY AWAKE is a gripping thriller from the get go - told in multiple timelines (which I did not find to be confusing in the least) and in two perspectives. Goldin’s writing style in this book was impeccable and kept me glued to the book eagerly waiting for all the pieces to fall together.

I really liked that the chapters were short and with such a unique and intricate plot, the book felt like it was speeding by. The main characters were dynamic and really well written. You’re placed in a situation where you trust no one, because you can’t tell who is good and who isn’t. Regardless, Liv is an unreliable main character, but I loved getting to the bottom of her and her story. Detective Halliday was also a really interesting character and would love to see another book with her featured *hint hint*!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.</i>

This is the first thriller I have read in almost a year because I had found them to be predictable and all "the same". Stay Awake was EXACTLY the book to get me back into this genre!! From the second Liv Reese wakes up unaware of her identity you're literally on a wild ride until the very last page. I flew through this entire book in 24 hours because I had to find out what was happening. I needed to devour this. My mind needed to figure out what was happening (I didn't figure out who the culprit was, by the way). This was written beautifully and is an amazing read if you want to be on the edge of your seat through the ENTIRE book.

Each time Liv goes to sleep she forgets who she is and is taken back to two years prior in her life. She is unaware of the events of the last two years. She wakes up to murder, writing all over her body, and lots of unexpected events that lead to one amazing 5 Star book that I definitely recommend.

3.7 Stars

One Liner: Fast-paced and entertaining if you ignore a few hiccups

Liv Reese has no idea of anything around her. She wakes up in a taxi and stumbles to her home only to find out that she and her friend Amy no longer live there. Nothing is the same. The scary part is the scribbles all over her arms.
Why did she write Stay Awake, Wake Up, and other messages to herself on her body? Why does she forget everything when she falls asleep? What happened in the past? Who can she trust?
Liv has too many questions but no answers. She is confused, scared, and unsure of what to do next? To make things worse, there has been a murder in a familiar-looking place. It appears that Liv is somehow involved in the crime. But how and why? Why does she feel as if her life is in danger?
Can Liv and the detectives find answers to the questions? What happens to Liv?
The story comes in the first-person perspective of Liv (past and present) and the third-person perspective of the detectives.

My Opinions:
The premise was intriguing, and the story had a solid start. The alternating POVs were well done. There was no confusion about the past, present, or person.
The book had a great pace which is always a plus for me. However, it was repetitive in many places. I can’t help but wonder how much better the book would be if the repetitions were cut out.
I liked the detectives’ track to a point. Darcy and Lavelle looked like they had potential (despite the stereotyping). But the backstories felt a bit unnecessary. Sure, they can add to the character depth, but it isn’t required unless the characters will be used in another thriller.
I’m not sure how I feel about Liv. Sure, I felt sad for her initially, but later on, I started to wonder if she was one of those TSTL heroines. She did redeem herself towards the end, so maybe I’ll cut her some slack.
The dialogues in the book are a bit weird. Some of them don’t even make sense (in both tracks). It feels like reading in circles, which is essentially what happens given Liv’s medical condition.
A couple of sidetracks/ red herrings seemed a little too much. Those could have worked better if they were properly woven into the main plot. Right now (mine is an ARC), they don’t blend well.
The book kept me hooked even though I could guess the twists. Most of them were right, and the reveal wasn’t a shock. Since I like thrillers with solutions that make sense (at least a little), I didn’t mind the rest.

To sum up, Stay Awake has its flaws (quite a few) but is an enjoyable thriller if you don’t think much about the whole thing. Just let it flow and give your gray cells some rest.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

*****
P.S: I still rated it 4 stars coz I could finish it fast (in 2.5 days). The book was enjoyable once I decided not to stress too much about the details.
This is my first book by the author, but I intend to read her other works. Seems that some of the previous ones were very good.

This is the second book I have read by Megan Goldin.

Thank you for providing me with ARC in exchange for feedback on the book.

This is the story of Liv Reese, who doesn't know what's happening and is disoriented. She tries to go back to her apartment and can't find her keys, she rings the doorbell in the middle of the night to ask her roommate to let her in. She discovers that she doesn't live there anymore and there are strangers living in her apartment. She ends up going to a park and falling asleep there and wakes up the next day not remembering anything that happened. We slowly discover that she has amnesia and is trying to survive. Liv has reminders written on her hands and arms to try and help her survive.

This book is a thriller and kept me up late at night reading this, I had a hard time putting it down to go to sleep and had to get through this book. It's really a book that you could read in one setting. Just like her previous book I had a hard time putting this down and enjoyed it. If you like psychological thrillers then you definitely need to read this one. I would rate this 9/10 as far as thrillers go. I will be recommending this one to my friends who like thrillers. She will be going on my auto-buy list.