Using a premise that has been done before, the author writes another heart-pounding and addictive thriller. Liv wakes up to realize that she’s missing the last two years of her life and all the clues she has, is what she wrote on her skin. Yes, that was the plot of Memento or Fifty first dates but Goldin makes it her own. The chapters alternate between Liv in the present, when she’s plagued by serious memory issues, Liv in the past, when we find out what happened that caused her amnesia, and the detectives investigating a murder that clearly Liv committed. Or did she? I figured out some of the clues, but the plot is so well-crafted that I had to know what would happen next. I like how it’s so easy to feel Liv’s desperation and disorientation, she doesn’t know what’s going on and is trying to piece the puzzle together missing most of the pieces. I really enjoyed this novel.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#St. Martin's Press!

"The footage cuts to police officers standing behind crime scene tape at the entrance of an apartment building. A graphic at the bottom of the screen says: MURDERER WRITES MESSAGE IN VICTIM’S BLOOD. The camera crash zooms from street level to an apartment window.

Painted on the window in red letters are the words WAKE UP!

I’ve seen that message before. I push up my sleeves and stare at the same words scribbled just below my wrist bone."

Liv wakes up in a situation she doesn't understand. There's been a murder, and it seems she is the main suspect. But Liv literally can't remember what happened. Every time she falls asleep her memory resets to 2 years prior. She stumbles around, reset each time she sleeps, leaving clues to herself by writing on her skin.

This is a really good mystery that starts off somewhat slow and really picks up in the second half - so much so that I finished the last half in one day. A very quick and enjoyable read. I look forward to reading other books from this author.

Thank you netgalley and St Martin's press for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was brilliant! I'm a huge fan of Goldin's and this one did not disappoint. I literally missed meals because I could not put this book down. Go get it now!

I thought this was a great thriller. After I got about halfway through, I was dying to know what actually happened. It's a story of a girl who was part of a double murder, and she was injured so badly at the same time that she was in a coma, which affected her memory. Then she traumatized herself so badly to the point of self-inflicted amnesia in which she wakes up not remembering anything after the day of the murders for the next two years.

I thought this was original and intriguing. Thank you so much to @netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

Stay Awake is the latest story by Megan Goldin, and true to the title I stayed awake longer than I should have reading it! Every time Liv goes to sleep she loses her memory of recent events. With stay awake and trust no one written on her hands Liv doesn't know where to turn. Stay Awake is an excellent face paced story. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy to review.

Megan Goldin knows how to write a thriller that'll keep you guessing. With short chapters, the perspectives of both Liv the main character and the two detectives working the murder case, and a number of twists and turns along the way, you will have a hard time putting this book down because you will need to know what is going on! The book also takes place in the present, a few days before the murder, and then two years in the past which really help in building the storyline and moving it along at a rather quick pace.

Liv wakes up in a cab thinking it is two years earlier and can't recall what has happened and why she has a bloody knife in her pocket. You truly feel like you are in Liv's head as she tries to figure things out, doesn't understand why she can't recall things that happened in the past, what all the notes she has written on her body mean, and who she is supposed to trust. I do think there were a few questions left unanswered, but this was a really enjoyable thriller, and I can definitely overlook a few plot holes left open.

Stay Awake is a classic unreliable narrator story, interspersed with the POV of one of the detectives that’s trying to find her. The narrator is Liv, who after a traumatic event two years ago, wakes up in New York City and has no idea who she is. Not only that, she doesn’t really process that it’s been two years and that having lived in London, many of her connections in the city are gone. With the amount of caffeine she’s consuming and her lack of memory she’s incredibly paranoid, and convinced she may have committed murder. She’s also not the only one, as Detectives Halliday and Lavelle continue to close in on her as the killer of a man found murdered in a short term stay apartment. The story also tells the story of the last days before Liv lost her memory, and how things were not quite right. Liv was convinced she was being stalked but was dismissed as being crazy by the detective she reported her concerns to. As the story goes on the reader learns what event caused her to lose her memory, but not until the end do they learn the person that was the cause of it. In many ways the story is great. The reader follows along as the detectives slowly close in on identifying and finding Liv for the murder committed in the current time, but the reader also experiences the frustration of reading along with Liv as she loses any progress she’s made in figuring out why she’s lost her memory each time she falls asleep. This could probably happen, but almost feels a little too perfect a premise for a mystery/thriller book. And while I enjoyed the reveal, it never really explains why what happened in the past, happened. Liv figures out what led up to her memory loss, but how did that person know what led them to take the actions they did? There’s also a character that feels like a red herring, but that storyline is unresolved. As someone who likes closure I feel like the author almost forgot at the end of the book about that character. I enjoyed the book, but I think it would be a better one if several plot holes were cleaned up more. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of this novel, which thrilled me to no end! Megan Goldin is one of my instant read authors! I have enjoyed every single one of her previous novels so I was thrilled to be approved for this opportunity. If you enjoy a good mystery/thriller then you will not be disappointed by this, or any, of Goldin's novels. Her writing is fantastic, her characters are always intriguing, and she keeps it very engaging for the reader.

I was hooked from the opening chapters. The dual timeline, the two narrators the slow burn, Stay Awake had it all. I am usually not a fan of unreliable narrators but Liv was different in all the best ways. I truly raced through this book, I couldn't read fast enough and figure out how and who. As the back and forth in timeline got closer and closer together the book became un-put-a-downable! As a big Megan Goldin fan, this book delivered and for other fans it can't be missed! Be Sure to pick up Stay Awake when it comes out on August 9th.
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Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Stay Awake is about Liv, a woman who literally needs to stay awake to remember what is happening. She has a rare form of amnesia. She wakes up with a bloody knife in the back of a cab having no idea what happened or where she is going. Detective Darcy Halliday is a new homicide detective, who along with Jack Lavelle, is called to the scene of a murder. A gruesome message written in the victim's blood says "STAY AWAKE". Back to Liv, she pulls up her sleeve and it too says "STAY AWAKE". Liv is in a time loop of the past two years and has to figure out what is real and what is not and who is trying to kill her to finish the job before she figures it out. I was on the edge of my seat and thought I had an idea of who the killer was, but I was wrong!

I really liked The Night Swim so I had high hopes going into this book and I ended up being a little disappointed. Overall, I think The Night Swim was executed a little better, but the premise of this particular book was a little more challenging, from a readers point of view.

I had a hard time getting into the book initially. The time jumps and the POV swaps make it hard to get invested in the main character and left me a little confused. However, once the cops are involved everything starts to come together. They kind of act as a grounding element - the one reliable POV. And I actually found the cops storyline to be the most interesting!

I did enjoy the ending - though once it came to it I was able to predict it pretty easily. While I didn’t get super invested in the characters lives, the plot was really interesting and once I was into I was fully into it. I had a hard time putting the book down once I was halfway into it. Megan Goldin is just a stunning thriller writer and I will read anything she puts out.

You know I was honestly considering not finishing this book because the first half is very slow and extremely procedural. As a matter of fact I would find myself cringing from the threat of boredom each time I delved into a chapter featuring the two detectives.

It wasn’t until I had reached the 50% progress mark on Kindle that the story really took off. Once the plot began to reveal itself to me I became so engrossed in the story that I had a very hard time putting it down; I just had to find out who had made it their mission to destroy Liv’s life.

“Stay Awake” is psychological suspense at its best. All of the mind games and gaslighting that the perpetrator directs towards Liv is simply maddening. BY the end of the book I was surprised by the identity of killer but once I considered everything that was going on in the story it totally made sense.

I am glad I was given the opportunity to read this Netgalley advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

WOW Megan delivers another fantastic thriller. Once you start this book, it is very hard to put down. This is such an exciting book. If you read the blurb, Liv Reese wakes up in New York with writing on her hands stay awake. She goes to her apartment she shares with her best friend Amy and there is a couple living there. She is totally confused and every time she falls asleep, when she wakes up she remembers nothing. Then someone named Ted who she doesn’t remember, whom she was engaged to when she went to live in London tries to help her out. I must digress. Two years before she was stabbed and hospitalized in New York. She was in a coma and when she came out of the coma she didn’t remember what happened. She then moved to London where she met Ted and got engaged but then became obsessed with what happened to her. They eventually broke up. As the book starts is where she wakes up in New York remembering nothing. I am afraid if I continue my review I will give away spoilers. I truly recommend this book. It is a non stop psychological suspenseful thriller which kept me pounding till as the end nears all the pieces of the puzzle come together. BRAVO Megan!!! I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC for an honest review. Thank you net galley for a 5 star book.

This book took me days to finish reading. I typically read a book per day, but this one was a bit slow for me. The premise was also one I’d seen covered before in movies and books.

I read this about a week ago, and although it was a good read, it wasn’t one that held with me. I do not remember any longer how it ended.

All of that said, I love to read this author and it wasn’t an unpleasant read at all.

A refreshing new perspective in the thriller genre involving alternating timelines. I enjoyed the detective investigation thread best of all and hope Halliday will show up in a future book. Suspenseful and well done.

This was a really solid thriller, perfect for a summer read.

The premise is every time Liv falls asleep she forgets everything. Including some major bloody events! This u reliable narrator piece made for a confusing but fun read. Her lack of sleep was scaring me haha.

I do think there are a handful of loose ends to tie up which makes me wonder if the ending is tying to a SEQUEL?!!

Murder, Mystery, Suspense and Thrilling rolled into one novel. If you like any of these then you will love Stay Awake. I don't even know where to begin. I can say that this novel had me from the very beginning. Once I started I could not put it down.

Liv Reese is a young women on the verge of turning the big 30. She has a job at a magazine that she enjoys, A roommate whom she loves like a sister and a handsome boyfriend that she is head over in love with what could be wrong? All is fine until Liv wakes up in a cab and has no idea what is going on in her life. She does not remember her job or the apartment she shares with Amy her roommate. Strange people are living in her apartment, she has written on her hands and arms STAY AWAKE..Her office has people working there that mean nothing to her Plus she cannot locate Amy or her boyfriend Marco. Liv doesn't know what is happening and then a bloody knife shows up.

Detectives Darcy Halliday and Jack Lavelle are called in to the murder of a man that is stabbed and a message is written in blood. Is it the killer leaving a message, who was this women that was with the dead man? Was she the killer? The problem is the one person who could help them is roaming the city not knowing where to go or who she should turn to.She is so confused because if Liv falls asleep she forgets what has happened. She has some kind of amnesia that prevents to get any real answers. What is going on!!!!!!!

Every chapter had me glued to it because every chapter had you learning more and more about Liv her so called friends and what happened to them. I enjoyed the sort of cat and mouse level of suspense that Ms Goldin writes involving the detectives and Liv. Every lead leads to something or someone else , Each chapter was written with more suspense then the one before. The roller coaster thrills one after another.

I liked Darcy's character and how she came to be. Her military training that led her to the NYP Department. She is smart and quick minded which I liked in her character. I also liked that her partner listened to her and her suggestions and didn't fluff her off.The author gave her grit and determination .

I was scared for Liv, hoping she wouldn't end up a statistic and never know the truth. She was a survivor even though her memory left her. From start to finish I liked everything about this book and I do not say that often. Especially when I am reading a thriller like this one.

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. Happy I was approved and would love to read any future novels by Ms. Goldin.

Great book, and a great thriller because I spent most of the time second-guessing what was going on. We follow Liv, who has lost her memory, and does so every time she falls asleep, but turns up at the scene of a murder. The story was so well written and engaging that I definitely had no idea who to suspect and all the loose ends were woven together very nicely in a little package at the culmination of the book. Not only was it interesting from a thriller standpoint but also from research, because it would seem that the author went to great lengths to research not only just medical issues but also art history and art critique as well. The story was fun, fast-paced, and great for a summer read due to it's release date and I would highly recommend this if you want something that will keep your attention the whole time without boring you!

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Considering I was not a fan of Goldin’s popular The Night Swim, I had low expectations going in. Even with my low expectations, I was unimpressed.

Liv Reese wakes up unsure where she is or how she got there with writing on her hands and arms. Stay. Awake. Don’t trust anyone. Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a dual POV story that follows Liv Reese and the cops who track her down as Liv is the prime suspect for a murder she doesn’t remember happening.

I found this book to be choppy, with the timeline just all over the place. I sometimes found it difficult to keep track of where I was chronologically. The “big” reveal was underwhelming, and the motive was never really explained. It is inferred and I guess made sense, but I was left wanting something more from this book. About 20% in, I was just annoyed waiting for some sort of clarity or explanation.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced cop of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thought provoking plot start to finish, that really kept you in detective mode the entire journey. The idea of her day restarting every time she slept, was a vastly different direction that kept you wondering, what was the trigger. Although the twist was not what I was expecting, it tied together really well.