After reading her previous novels The Night Swim and The Escape room it is no wonder that I reach for a Megen Goldin novel whenever I’m in the mood for a complex psychological thriller filled with unusual characters, unsettling atmospheres, and devious page-turning plots.

STAY AWAKE is no exception as it explores memory loss and murder, deftly moving back and forth in the life of Liv Reese with one story line moving forward in time while the other goes back to reveal bits and pieces of what occurred in the past two years as well as the details surrounding a crime she supposedly committed. Liv is hard pressed to recall any of the details of her own life during the past two years. Every time she goes to sleep ………she forgets……….so she must do everything she can to STAY AWAKE.

The reader too will Stay Awake into the wee small hours of the morning navigating the fragments of Liv’s life in this smart, tense and well-crafted narrative that’s impossible to put down.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I’ve loved all of Megan Goldin’s previous books, so I was thrilled to read this one!

This book is about Liz Reese, who loses her memory every time she wakes up. The way the story is told was absolutely riveting. I couldn’t put this book down! It’s told from split timelines, as well as a detective’s POV. There is so much tension and lots of suspense. It’s a fast-paced, page-turner. The unique format constantly kept me on my toes and had my mind spinning with all of the possibilities in which direction the story might go.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I look forward to reading whatever Megan Goldin writes next!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Stay Awake was a great read by Megan Goldin. Luv wakes up in the back of a taxi and doesn’t know who she is or how she got there. She is dropped off at the door of her brownstone, where a stranger now lives. She reaches for her phone to call for help and its missing, but a bloodstained knife is there. She then notices her hands are covered in pen with messages on her skin, like STAY AWAKE. Just two years ago, Liv lived with her best friend, dated a new man, and was a successful writer for a trendy magazine. She’s now lost and disoriented in New York City. She catches the local news and sees a report of a crime scene where the victims blood was used to write a message in the window. It just so happens to be the same message on her hands. She doesn’t understand why she remembers nothing from the last two years. There is someone who knows exactly what happened and they will do anything to make her forget it. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

This is a review I struggled to write. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy this book. Quite the opposite, in fact. The problem was that this book lived up to its name so well that I did indeed stay awake way too late reading it, which led to trouble getting my thoughts in order.

Sleep-deprived though this book made me, it also put me in the right head space to relate a little better to the main character. You see, Liv Reese needs to stay awake as though her life depends on it, and it just might.

We’re introduced to Liv as she wakes up in the back of a cab, with no memory of what’s happened that night. She goes home, only to discover other people living in her apartment, and she’s lost her phone and her purse. The only thing she has is a bunch of notes written on the backs of her hands saying things like “STAY AWAKE” or “WAKE UP” or “DON’T TRUST ANYONE.” In addition, she also finds a fat wad of cash in one of her pockets, and a bloody knife in the other.

Meanwhile across town, Darcy Halliday, the NYPD’s newest homicide detective, is investigating the death of an unknown man found in an apartment. He’s been stabbed through the heart, though the murder weapon seems to be missing, and the phrase “WAKE UP” has been written on the window using the victim’s blood. Coincidence? I think not.

This was a fast, interesting read. The pacing was good, and the different perspectives were very well-balanced. First, we have Liv, who is confused, exhausted, afraid, and every time she falls asleep she has to start all over again. On its own this would get frustrating, which is where Detective Halliday’s narrative comes in. She balances Liv’s disjointed point of view by being cool-headed and methodical in her investigation, and this also allows us as readers to observe the mystery from two very different perspectives. Our final story line is also from Liv’s perspective but from 2 years in the past, which at first doesn’t seem to have any connection. Once you combine all 3 story lines, you have one intriguing novel that becomes harder to put down the further you go.

My only quibbles with this book are that the ending felt a little too abrupt, and I was left with a few questions (3, to be precise). However, in the end this didn’t impact my rating because this book was so compelling that the answers to my questions may be in there somewhere and I just missed them because I stayed up much too late, flying through it. In addition, my theories were almost all wrong, and I did not have this mystery figured out at all, which is excellent. So if you’re looking for a fast-paced mystery that will creep you out, this book will definitely make you “stay awake”.

Liv Reese suffers from memory loss after she experiences a traumatic past event. Every time Liv falls asleep, she can only remember her life as it was two years ago. When she discovers she is wanted by the police for murder, it opens her to a whirlwind of events while she tries to decide who she can trust.

The dates and times in the story jump around by chapter as the reader is led to paste together the details of the events that occur in the book. I did have to look back in a couple chapters to make sure when events were occurring, but the back and forth of the timeline made the book even more mysterious.

This is my first read by Megan Goldin, although I have heard rave reviews about some of her other books. After reading this book, I will definitely be checking them out! This is a true thriller! Most readers will probably be baffled until the end with the multiple twist and turns.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

This was an evenly paced thriller. Not a slow burn, but not quite a page turner either. The unraveling of the facts and circumstances were steady & intriguing.

This BOOK is like an iceberg. Stay Awake has a premise that is utterly terrifying.

Liv’s mental state is both eerie and unsettling. I was rooting for her the entire book, even when her reality was so uncertain. You just want her to win, to figure it out and be ok. It’s a whirlwind of what’s real and what’s not. You never know who you can trust.

I cannot imagine waking up everyday and not remembering the events that took place prior to opening my eyes. Liv was clever enough to write notes in her own handwriting BUT when you have writing all over your body…you may seem a bit…unstable to the general population. Who will believe you? Is Liv a murderer, a target…or a bit of both?

I really enjoyed this book and all of the characters in it. I definitely recommend checking it out.

So this was a pretty crazy book... I was just complaining that I needed something good to read and this was definitely a wild rollercoaster of a story...

This book destined for me to read it ask I happen to have 3 copies of it... you see I requested it when I saw it on Netgalley but kind of forgot about it. Then one day a package arrived at me house that I didn’t order to my surprise I actually won a paperback copy in a Goodreads giveaway... which I might have known if I paid attention to my email... anywho maybe a day or so later Netgalley was like here’s your ebook and later I saw the audio version was up for review so I have 3 arcs of the same book. And since I’m a combination reading I did use all three so I could read this story...

So long unnecessary (unasked for) explanation of why I have 3 copies of the book aside...

This is the story of Liv... a woman who loses her memory of the last two years every time she falls asleep. She wakes up in a taxi attempts to go home and finds out it’s no longer her home and this begins her journey... she has no phone nowhere to go and finds a bloody knife in her pocket and notes written all over her body telling her to Stay Awake. We follow Liv around New York as she tries to piece together what’s going on which her while being forced to start over again and again every time she sleeps.

We also follow Detectives Halliday and Lavelle as they try to solve a murder of a man who it seems Liv came in contact with. During the course of their investigation they find out about Liv’s condition as they attempt to track her down and figure out exactly what’s going on. Liv’s problems seem to come from a traumatic event that happened 2 years ago... Which of course is why we also follow Liv around in the days leading up the what happened to cause her trauma.

I could guess what happened to cause Liv’s trauma pretty early on but the killer was literally the last person I would have expected. The story was rather tense wondering if this next blackout would lead Liv to the killer she doesn’t know is out to get her. I can’t even imagine how terrifying that would be to keep waking up confused and to keep losing days of your life. It was a good story I liked Liv and Detective Halliday who was determined get to the truth no matter what the evidence might suggest.

Can’t wait to see what the author comes out with next I haven’t been disappointed by her work so far. Also the narration was great.

4.5 stars

Well wasn’t this a wild ride! Liv wakes up in the backseat of a taxi with no recollection of how she ended up there. Returning to her apartment, she finds her belongings gone and a new couple living there. They threaten to call the cops, I mean wouldn’t you?! Liv has no choice but to leave and attempt to call for help. But her phone is gone and in its place is a bloodied knife and messages on her hands and arms telling her to stay awake.

Stay Awake is a compulsively readable suspense novel that had me from the start. If I had to compare it to anything, I would say this was 50 First Dates meets Law and Order SVU. The chapters alternate between Liv, the detectives, and two years earlier. The present day portions of the book takes place in a single day. The pacing starts off slow but continuously builds as the story continues and the stakes become higher. There were so many twists and turns that I did not see coming.

The entire plot of this book was intriguing and fresh. I loved the psychological elements that were woven in. The ending was just a bit abrupt and left me with a few unanswered questions. I was captivated while reading and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you so so much Netgalley and St. Martin Press publishing for this opportunity

4.5 stars
Imagine waking up and having no idea where you are? You know it's supposed to be a certain date, but someone tells you it's now 2 years from the date you last remember... What do you do? The main character Liv Reese has no idea where she is or how she got there, but what she does know is that she's living with a best friend (Amy) and is dating a new man (Marco). However, she's now lost in New York and sees on the news she could possibly be involved in a murder, but how??

this is a book you'll want to read in one sitting to find out what in the heck is going on... I would LOSE my mind if I was Liv and I'm not quite sure how she hasn't (or maybe she has). Megan Goldin outdid herself with this novel and I think she may be one of my favorite thriller authors. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as well as [book:The Night Swim|51169341]. I found myself wanting to understand why and how then bam a twist or new information emerges. A fast-paced book and one I recommend to anyone looking for a page-turner.

I was pretty hesitant to read this one - thrillers aren't really my thing, and I'm not a huge fan of the narrator being unreliable. However, HOLY CRAP. This book was wild!!! It made my heart pound on more than several occasions, to the point where I had to literally stop reading and check all the dark corners of my apartment. What a freaking ride!!! I thought I would find it difficult to stay hooked, because there are a lot of thrillers that fall flat, but I could not stop reading this book! The premise is wild (I would absolutely hate to have Liv's memory problems - my word, that sounds like a nightmare), and the ending will completely blow your mind!!! So good!!!

I absolutely loved this book. It was the type to grab my attention from very beginning. I was very surprised by all the twists.

Another solid book by Megan Goldin! And a quick paced thriller!

Liv shows up to her apartment to find it occupied by complete strangers, she feels something’s won’t deep inside but can’t place what it is. He stuff is gone, her roommate too….

She then finds herself caught in the middle of a murder investigation of a killer deemed “the Sleepless killer” - but she has no memory of a crime, the location or the deceased.

This book, written in dual time likes will keep you engage until the end - with the feeling of Momento and all the makings of a great thriller this book checks a lot of boxes! Tons of red herrings, don’t over think it - and truly enjoy it!

I loved this edge-of-your-seat thriller. Imagine the horror of waking up to find you’ve been sleepwalking through two years of your life, and trying to piece it all together before sleep overwrites your memories yet again. Liv’s fast paced race to the truth as she outruns a killer kept me guessing until the very end. I also loved the strong female veteran detective. The ending was satisfying, and yet I would have loved to understand the “why” of it all a bit more.

I liked this well enough, it kept me guessing and was an enjoyable read… There were just way too many loose ends at the end that did not get explained. Why did he kill Marco and Amy in the first place? Jealousy I guess. And was Q really Zee and was he just a red herring? So weird. All in all not my favorite.

Liv Reese wakes up in a cab with no clue how she got there, what day — or even year — it is, and with a bloody knife in her pocket. As it turns out, every time Liv falls asleep — overnight or a quick nap — she forgets the past two years of her life. As unsettling as that is, Liv keeps seeing news reports on a gruesome murder where a man was killed and the killer wrote "STAY AWAKE" on the window, a familiar phrase to Liv, since its written on her own arm. Detective Darcy Halliday is assigned to the case and is determined to get to the bottom of what actually happened last night as if her job depends on it — because it does.

I've loved both books I've read by Megan Goldin — The Night Swim and The Escape Room — but this one is by far my favorite. Ultra creepy and super fast-paced — takes place within 24 hours! — this book hooked and consumed me. Having a protagonist who forgets the past 2 years every time she nods off could get kind of repetitive, but I think the author navigated that well enough.

I was lucky enough to have the audio version of the ARC too, which was great because I never wanted the book to stop! But... I couldn't do it. The narrator for Halliday was great, but for Liv, it was atrocious. Way too overacted. Sorry, had to say it. I'm not even that picky when it comes to audiobooks!

Liv Reese has a very unusual condition: Although she can remember everything up to two years ago very clearly, every time she falls asleep, the last two years get erased from her memory. So when Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi late at night, she has no idea where she is or where she’s going. Although the writing on her hands are arms is there to help her, it really only adds to her confusion. And when she has the taxi take her to her NY apartment and finds strangers living there instead of her and her roommate, she’s having a really hard time understanding what’s going on. But between the writing of “don’t trust anyone” on her arm and the bloody knife in her pocket, Liv is positive whatever’s going on is NOT going to turn out well. I’ve read other books by this author and thought they were just okay, but I have to say this one…THIS ONE…is the one I’ve been waiting for. The story kept me moving through the book so quickly, I ended up finishing it in about two days. I might still have a few questions now that I’ve finished it, but I’m not going to pick at it---the book was definitely suspenseful and worth the read!

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This audio was so good. I honestly couldn't put it down; I think I finished it in a day. Goldin really knows how to write a twisty little book and I am here for it!!

This book was such a fun, high-tension thriller. The premise sort of plays out like Groundhog Day meets Memento - if Liv falls asleep, she will wake with no memories. The story splits its time between Liv and Detective Halliday, and the mixed timelines help to keep the pace and pressure going strong throughout the book. This was an excellently paced thriller that’s sure to keep the reader turning pages, perfect for a quick summer read.

I was able to read this for free thanks to Net Galley, although that does not affect my opinion of the actual book. I have read the previous books written by Megan Goldin and loved them, which means I was so excited when I was approved to read her next book before it was officially published. I’m sad to say that I just couldn’t get into this book. I kept trying, but just found myself bored as I read it.

Imagine waking up every day not know where you are, what you have been doing and who you can trust? Now imagine being thrown into a crime scene and trying to to piece together not only your life but convincing people you didnt do this crime. Megan Goldin is a master at tense and roller coaster rides of emotion in her storytelling. An edge of your seat thriller is no doubt going to be a bestseller!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc