This thriller set in NYC was a hit for me. It starts out with Liv Reese waking up in the back of a cab with no recollection of how she got there, no phone, no purse, and no idea why there is writing in ink all over her hands and arms. Liv suffers from a rare form of amnesia where her brain resets every time she sleeps - and she can't remember anything that has happened in the last two years. Liv tries everything she can to stay awake, from No-Doz pills to caffeine drinks. We follow Liv as she tries to piece together the events of the last couple of days, weeks, and years.

I loved the premise of this book and it started off with a bang and pulled me right in. The book slowed down in the middle and got a little repetitive when Liv wakes up and has to discover everything all over again. But the ending picked up again and I enjoyed the way the author wrapped everything up. I definitely had a different suspect in mind throughout the book and was a little surprised at the reveal. And I really liked Detective Darcy Halliday and enjoyed her character throughout the story.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Stay Awake is yet another thriller that features an MC with memory problems, but this time, instead of a substance abuse problem, the cause is psychological. Every time the MC falls asleep, she wakes up thinking it's two years prior. It reminded me of Drew Barrymore's character in 50 First Dates.

I appreciated the short chapters. It was a quick read because I had to know how it would pan out. However, there were many moments where I almost rolled my eyes into the back of my head. There is always an expectation that suspension of disbelief is required when it comes to thrillers, but this novel went beyond the normal.

These were a few plot points that annoyed me the most:

-I may not be a LEO, but I know enough to know they would never publicly release a killer's calling card on an unsolved murder.
-The media does not give a moniker to killers over one murder.
-As you get further along in the book, you'll be able to figure out what's going on, but almost every chapter ended with a character about to learn pertinent information, only to find out it was unavailable. This was extremely frustrating.
-The basic details of high-profile murders can be found online, especially when they happen in a large city like New York. It's ridiculous that the detectives could not find ANY information until they got their hands on the police case file. Of course, they received it towards the very end.
-I've worked in NYC for 10 years. There's zero chance anyone is getting past building security to enter an office without a visitor or work badge.
-The novel takes place in NYC, but based on the descriptions, it was evident that the author wasn't too familiar with the city.

Overall, I found this to be a silly novel, but I will give Megan Goldin one more try, as I heard Night Swim is much better.

Started off strong, but about halfway through Is where I got lost. Add in the fact that the ending was just too nicely put together, and a few forced things to get the plot moving, and you have yourself a mediocre book.

I will say though, this author really knows how to set a scene! I will definitely read her previous book to see if it’s better!

Fantastic thriller that keeps you guessing and trying to put the pieces together. I really love this author and enjoy everything they put out

This was an expertly plotted thriller that will cause you to stay awake until you read the very last page.

Liv wakes up every day not remembering who she is and finds messages of “Stay Awake” written on her arms. She sees a news story of a murder with the same message written in blood on the window and Liv finds a bloody knife in her possession. The story then alternates between past and the present, where she spends the day trying to piece together clues only to do it all over again tomorrow.

I was blown away by this one and read it in two days. I literally couldn’t put it down.

I finally got around to reading this book and I ended up listening to most of it on audio. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it kept me very entertained. I've found it to take me on a ride. I wasn't prepared, for I didn't know there was gonna be so many twists, and that it was going to be so unpredictable. I also felt like it was a pretty unique premise, especially for many modern day thrillers, so I really appreciated that. All in all, it was a great book and I gave it four out of five stars.

This one was a fun thriller, I enjoyed my time with it. It’s not my favorite by this author, The Night Swim holds that title but I had a good time with this one

I greatly enjoyed this book. Amnesia books are usually a hit or miss for me but this one was so much fun. I loved the pacing of it and the side characters. This is my 2nd book by Megan Goldin and both have been 5 stars. Excited to read more of her work.

Stay Awake is one wild ride! This is the second book that I have read by Megan Goldin and she really knows how to come up with some original ideas in the psychological thriller genre. I am a sucker for short chapters and switching between past & present tense, not to mention that this one kept me on the edge of my seat. Liv could be a bit infuriating at times, but all in all, this was a solid thriller. I highly recommend this book!

This book was so hard to put down! I love an unreliable narrator when reading thrillers so this was perfect for me! There’s a lot going on in this story so you have to pay close attention. It was definitely an edge of your seat kind of book that will keep you wanting more. I read it over the course of 2 days because I just couldn’t stop.

Summary
Liv wakes up in a taxi and has no idea how she got there. Her hands are covered in notes, including STAY AWAKE. She has no phone and no wallet and her apartment is apparently no longer her apartment. Then she learns 2 years has passed from her last memory and every time she falls asleep, she forgets everything until that day again. But the news tells of a murder scene that has the words STAY AWAKE written in blood and she knows it must all be connected. All Liv knows is she's on the run from someone, and she doesn't remember who she can trust, what's happened the last two years and what sent her on this path to begin with.

Review
Wow, this one kept me on the edge of my seat the entire story. The anxiety that built the entire book settled in my chest. I felt Liv's fear and stress. I thought I figured it out early on and was disappointed, until I realized I was wrong! The book was fast paced and jumped between present day and two years ago leading up to Liv's memory loss, and culminate to the point in time where her past is meeting with her memory. Definitely was a wild ride and I enjoyed it.

Megan Goldin is true to form with her novel, Stay Awake. Another explosive, mind bending novel, Stay Awake is the story of Liv, who wakes up and has no recollection of how she got where she is. Liv has writing all over her hands and arms and the messages are quiet ominous - like STAY AWAKE and trust no one. Liv immediately goes home to check in with her roommate, but finds that she no longer lives there. She can’t find her boyfriend, and her best friend’s mom practically hangs up on her when she calls, and when she goes to work, she doesn’t recognize anybody at the office. With no one to turn to, how can Liv figure out what happened to her and her memory? And with the forbidding messages on her hands and arms, is she truly safe as she tries to get to the bottom of this mystery?

Told in duel timelines, Stay Awake quickly grabs the reader and tells the story of Liv’s past as well as her uncertain future. The dual timelines was a nice approach, as we continue to get bits of pieces of how Liv ended up in this situation while learning more about the situation she had awoken in. The danger for Liv increases throughout, and as the tension ratchets up, Megan more rapidly switches between the timelines to increase the tension.

Stay Awake was a delicious and unique thriller, as the memory loss that the protagonist deals with renders her helpless in a multitude of situations. Another great novel by Megan Goldin! Thank you to Megan Goldin and St. Martin’s press for the copy.

I like a thriller with alternating POV and short chapters because they keep the pages moving. While I saw “the twist” coming from early on. It was still a solid read. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

I couldn't even finish the first chapter of this book because I was that bored with this book. The characters lack depth and substance from what I heard so I'm not reading this book any further.

WHAT?! This one kept me on my toes the entire time! I can't believe I took so long to start it. I loved the thrill of following Liv on her journey and who she might or might not have after her. The murder/mystery vibes and police POV was so much fun to follow. 4.5/5!

I thought "Stay Awake" was very interesting. I don't usually enjoy books that weave back and forth between the past and the present. But in this case, the main character cannot remember things that happened in her past - so this was a good use of a narrative device and necessary to the plot.

This book was a page turner. The author plants clues along the way that made it enjoyable to try to guess what was going on. I liked the twist at the end and I was surprised by the ending! I was intrigued by the plot and it was hard to put down.

I think that readers who like mysteries and thrillers would love this book.

"Something terrible is going on, and I don't have the faintest idea what it is."

Did Liv Reese commit a murder? She doesn't remember. Every time she falls asleep, her mind reverts to two years ago, before she was almost murdered. She's on the run and suffering from a rare form of amnesia while trying to figure out what happened.

I loved Goldin's Night Swim and started this one with high expectations. Maybe I set myself up for failure. I started reading this one and put it down. It started slow, and the repetition regarding Liz's sleep issues wasn't working for me. 😬 However, I'm so glad I picked this back up! I did a combination of book and audio, which was the perfect way to read this book.

Once I got into the story, I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to know what happened to Liz. I had a couple of guesses, but I was wrong. This clever and tense psychological thriller will keep you guessing until the end.

The opening of this book was gripping, but even though the premise of Liv waking up with no memory of anything and cryptic notes to herself drawn on her body was enticing, I was disappointed with the execution. It ended up feeling, to me, like a cookie cutter thriller. There's nothing wrong with following a formula that works, so I'd still consider this a good book, but it didn't deliver on what it promised.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to finish so won't be leaving a full review at this time.

So good!!!! Kept me guessing until the very very end. I was changing my theories continuously throughout the story. The ever changing timelines got hard to follow at times but otherwise, it felt like a really unique storyline and a fresh take on a thriller.