I have been on a major amnesia kick lately but all of the books with this troupe have been great!

STAY AWAKE! I had no problem staying awake for this book! It was a great whodunnit murder mystery/police procedural! It reminds me of 50 first dates with major twists of psychological thriller! I flew through this book in a matter of 2 days! All of the amnesia, gaslighting, and secrets lead to a roller coaster of a book! While there was some repetitive parts with Liv forgetting everything every time she fell asleep, I still loved this book! I felt exhausted by the end of the book, just as Liv did throughout.

With two POV and nonlinear timeline, it added the much needed complexity to the amnesia troupe! This was my first book by Megan Golding and it will not be my last!

***** Many thanks to St Martin’s Press, Megan Golding, and NetGalley for the gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

I will post this on thriller_book_sisters IG account closer to the pub date.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin
This book lived up to its title because I stayed awake late into the night reading it. Stay Awake is a fast paced, riveting,psychological thriller that will keep you guessing till the very end.
The main protagonist, Liv, has a rare form of amnesia where she loses her memories each time falls asleep. When she wakes she has no memory of what happened to her. We find her in the beginning of the story waking up in the back of a cab with no memory of how she got their and with the words STAY AWAKE written on her hands. She discovers that two years have passed and she has no recollection of what has happened over those two years.

Liv narrowly escaped being murdered two years prior, but due to her memory loss doesn’t know that she is still in danger from her attacker. Liv does anything to stay awake and it starts to put a toll on her mental health.

This story is told from two points of view, the present and the past. And the reader learns what caused the amnesia along with Liv. Along with a current day murder that we must solve and that Liv may be involved in.

I got a lot of 50 First Dates and Before I Go To Sleep vibes from this story and I absolutely loved both movies. So if you are fan of those movies and like a edge of your seat psychological thriller this is a book for you.

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel in return for my honest opinion.

This was so different from what I expected. This psychological thriller is so unique in that I've never seen a storyline quite like it. The POV jumps between the past and present where the main character continuously loses her memory every time she falls asleep. This was fast paced and full of intrigue. It kept me guessing until the very end and gives almost no clues to who the real murderer could be until its actually revealed. Megan Goldin does a great job of keeping the reader in the dark along with the main character. The ending was very fitting in my opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fast-paced amnesia thriller that is told in alternating timelines and also incorporates a third POV (the detectives trying to solve the main crime). Goldin is excellent at writing engaging, suspenseful reads, and this was no exception. Liv’s increasing self-doubt and devolving mental state was well-written, especially since the present timeline took place over the course of one day and was time stamped. My main critique was regarding the ending. There were lose ends that were not resolved, and the motives of the murderer are left unclear.

I read this all in one sitting and could not put it down! Such a fast-paced thriller that kept me guessing until the end. I loved the focus on the construct on memory and thought it was a unique take.

Is it a Coke can or a bottle? Scarves and puffer jackets or a summer storm?
Make up your mind, Megan.
I agree with the other reviewers' descriptions of this book as 50 First Dates, but d-a-r-k with a splash of police procedural. I mean like fruit flavor in LaCroix kind of splash. Sometimes there was way too much detail, other timess left me wanting more. Like what happened to the cat? And I need more with the detectives, potentially a sequel? Probably not fair of me that I read this at the same time I read one of the best books I've read in my entire life, but this was not Goldin's best.

Oh hell yeah this was a solid thriller!

This is for sure, a slow burn but so worth it in the end. Though I did know who the baddie was very early on, I still loved the way this thriller unfolded.

This is my second Megan Goldin and I'm officially a fan and will be picking up her future stuff!

This was a Really Great Book. I enjoyed it so much. It is a page turner that keeps you going until you reach the end. Liv Reese is the main character, but you are never certain exactly what is happening which makes for a great thriller.

The story starts with Liv living with her roommate Amy in NYC. Everything seems to be ok, but then Liv starts to think someone is stalking her. It makes her seem crazy or paranoid. First she notices someone was in her room and her clothes and other items are out of place. She calls the police, and is treated as being over worried about nothing. She thinks someone is following her, but she can’t prove that either. One night she comes home and there is a new milk container in the fridge. She knows she did not buy it and neither did Amy. This type of gaslighting is driving her crazy, she starts to doubt her own sanity. Last, she comes home and in her closet, the dry cleaning was picked up, a casserole is being made that she did not make, and in her room there are flowers for her with a text that says ‘this is how a boyfriend should treat you’. How creepy, but also Amy thinks she is having psychological problems and is making something out of nothing. Liv calls the police and they take a report, but especially one officer makes jokes and does not take this seriously. Basically, until she can prove someone is following her, is in her apartment, or she gets hurt nothing can be done.

I did find it a bit strange that her best friend Amy constantly doubts what Liv says. She does not have a history of being terrified in the city. Her boyfriend, Marco also pays no attention to her worries. Are they involved I wondered? Eventually, we find out what was causing all this trouble and Liv decides to move to London to start over.

So, the story is quite intriguing, we do not know why Liv moved to London and now she is back in New York. She is so confused and is trying to go back to her old apartment, talk to Amy, goes to her Job, and everyone is telling her that was a long time ago. That is how the story begins, what is going on here. It ends up Liv is actually remembering her life from 2 years ago. You find out that Liv has lost her memory when she comes back to NYC. She writes notes on her hand that say Stay Awake. The reason is Liv will remember all that was told to her only for that day, but when she falls asleep, her brain resets and she starts right back at the same point 2 years ago and forgets everything that happened.

People are trying to help Liv, but she in unsure who she can trust. I man dies and she is terrified she had something to do with the murder. She may have. She does not trust the police since she doesn’t have her memory and can’t say what did happen. Luckily, two police officers Lavelle and Halliday decide to keep their minds open to all possibilities and just want to connect with Liv.

The ending was not that surprising to me, but it was not obvious. Liv is in severe danger and this time she may not be ok. I was definitely flipping the pages to see what would happen. So, I liked the ending, but thought it wrapped up a little fast. I would have liked a bit more background information. However, it was certainly quite terrifying and was afraid for Liv since she loses her memory. That was a great addition to the story.

I had both the Kindle e-book and the Audio 🎧 for this book. It made a great combination. I was that much more jumpy and terrified reading and listening at the same time. It definitely increased the tension and added to the thrill. The narration was done very well and I enjoyed the narrator, thought the voice was done very well.

Thank you NetGalley, Megan Goldin, and St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for granting me the book and the audio. I am always happy to review books I read.

Whoa!! Stay Awake by Megan Goldin was a wild ride. It certainly kept me awake reading it well into the night. The funny thing about the book is that I actually figured out the "whodunnit" puzzle very early on in the book. While I, of course, wanted to keep reading to verify I was right, I also wanted to keep reading because I felt personally invested in Liv's wellbeing. I have no idea whether a condition like hers actually exists, but it SEEMED plausible, and given that, I can't imagine how vulnerable a person would be who had such a condition: Live had a type of amnesia that at a certain traumatic point in her life, her memories just stopped and every time she sleeps she forgets everything that happened up until shortly before that traumatic event. In this case, the book opened two years after the event so everyone Liv had met, every place she had lived, every action she, herself had taken prior to the last time she slept was totally forgotten. It you have seen the movie Fifty First Dates, that is what Liv's condition reminded me of, only terrifying because she was seemingly all alone with no one looking out for her and someone wanting to kill her and/or frame her for murder.....or did she actually kill someone? It was a mind-trip to say the least. Even trying to write a review, it is difficult to describe the breathlessness the reader feels while navigating the story with Liv. I appreciated the alternating points of view: A female detective investigating a murder Liv is somehow tied to, Liv in the past leading up to her traumatic event, and Liv in the current day trying to navigate her circumstances with no memory, and no help other than the writing she does on her own body with notes of instructions for herself such as "Stay Awake" or "Don't Talk to the Cops". I did think it helped make it more believable that there were actually a few "strangers" who seemed to know a bit about her condition and attempted to help her even though she didn't remember them.

Basically, this thriller was a unique premise, and a true page turner. Stay Awake was my third book I have read by Megan Goldin, and while I didn't quite love it as much as Night Swim, it was awesome. Megan Goldin is a must read author for me.

What would it be like to wake up every day with no memory of your life, your friends, your job? For Liv that is her life. The story opens with Liv waking up in the back seat of a cab in NYC. She gets dropped off at her apartment, but when she goes to the door she is met by two strangers. She reaches in the pocket of her cardigan and finds a bloody knife wrapped in a t-shirt. Her last memory is of her phone ringing in her office. To try and deal with her rare memory loss she writes notes on her hands and arms - Stay Wake. She remembers no one, and in turn trusts no one.
For me the character of Liv was frustrating and seemed repetitive. I know that the author had to keep the storyline going, but several times I felt like I had read the same scene over and over. Also, I felt the true killer was just thrown in at the end for an attempted plot twist – it felt disjointed. And what about Z or Q (not sure which name he went by)? His character in the story was really strange and felt like it didn’t belong. I’m not really sure of the point of him.
I can honestly say the book did keep me turning the pages to find out what was next for Liv, but it did not live up to all the 5 star ratings. I loved The Night Swim but felt Goldin missed the mark on this one. With that being said though, I will continue to read Megan Goldin books.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

She’s back! This book is going to be a star! I recently watched The Tourist on HBO and got the same vibes from this book! Girl wakes up without a clue as to who she is… there’s blood, mystery, and glimpses of the past. This book is an insane psychological thriller and I can’t believe I have to wait for it to release to get my hands on a copy for my shelves! This is it, this will be one of the top reads of the year and would be perfect adapted to TV. Edge of your seat and stay up all night for a wild ride trying to solve the mystery but in the end it will mess you up! Fantastic! Brilliant! I love a book that really makes my skin crawl, 5 stars!

This book is thrilling and the pace is pulse-pounding. As complex as the plot seems to be throughout, it is solved simply in the end, something I am having a hard time understanding. This is my first book by the author and found her writing style very engaging. She roped me into the story and I read until I could no more. Excellent psychological thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy. People will love this book!

This book is a thrill ride! One of the best thrillers I have read in awhile! I loved how every single detail the author put into this book meant something. The main character has amnesia and it was such a ride uncovering the mystery right along with her! It’s like 50 first dates turned into a thriller! I could not put it down! Will recommend to all of my thriller loving friends!

Big thanks to NetGalley and St Martins press for this ARC!

Pros: I went into this book with high expectations because it has gotten great reviews on Goodreads. Although I didn’t enjoy it as much as other reviewers, I’d recommend this book to readers who love thrillers with unreliable narrators and characters with memory loss. I read this book both on ebook and audiobook and think it works well in both formats.

Cons: I read a good number of thrillers, and this one didn’t stand out as anything special, hence the three stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan for the opportunity to read this book.

Liv Reese doesn’t know why she woke up in the back of a taxi. The last thing she remembers is answering the phone at work. It was in the summer, but now it’s cold. She shows up at her brownstone and finds strangers living there, and they don’t let her stay. Her phone? Gone. Her wallet? Also gone. But she does have a knife covered in blood and messages scrawled all over her hands and arms. Some of these messages include an address to a bar, or the words STAY AWAKE, WAKE UP, and DON’T FALL ASLEEP.

You see, every time Liv wakes up, she forgets everything that has happened in the last two years. She doesn’t recognize the New York City that for her, existed only moments before. She learns quickly that police are investigating a crime scene where the words WAKE UP were written in blood on a window, and since she can’t remember the last two years, she has to wonder what happened. She slowly begins to piece together some of the events of the last two years while she tries to evade the police.

Readers also read from the perspective of Detective Darcy Halliday as she works with another detective trying to find the mysterious woman with long hair on the CCTV footage. On top of Liv’s present day perspective, we also get glimpses of her past that lead up to the final moment she remembers from two years before.

The unreliable narrator trope can get old, but I think that Megan Goldin handled it extremely well. Near the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure I would like the explanation for Liv’s amnesia, but it made sense and fit well with the story. I also appreciated how Darcy tried not to jump to conclusions as she and Lavelle tried to find Liv.

My main complaint about this book is that the ending felt a bit rushed. I also felt like the motives for one character weren’t explained as well as I wanted, so although the story itself was engaging, the ending left me feeling a little unsatisfied. Even then, I don’t think I’ll ever hesitate to pick up a Megan Goldin book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I also obtained a copy of the eBook from Libro.fm’s ALC program.

Okay so. I started and finished this book on a long international flight. (Partly because I needed to Stay Awake and… well.)

I think the premise of this book is awesome. Basically the plot of 50 first dates — our protagonist forgets all recent memories every time she falls asleep/wakes up — only with murder and intrigue instead of romance. Tons of potential. And everything that focused on that character & that storyline was pretty good — it allowed the reader to discover things as she discovered them, then be one step ahead when she woke up, etc. I was interested.

HOWEVER. The author made the choice to tell this in two POVs: the protagonist’s and the detective’s. And the detective chapters… were so boring. And came across as very lazily written to me. All explaining, no character development/believable dialogue/forward momentum. Here’s a word-for-word conversation between the two detectives working on the case to illustrate:

“If we can find out the victim’s identity then we can blow this case wide open by working backward.”
“What do you mean by ‘working backward’”?
“We get an ID on the victim. After that, we find out who his enemies were.”
“What if he didn’t have enemies?”
“Everyone his enemies. Ninety percent of homicides are about figuring out who the victim pissed off enough to kill.”

“What do you mean by working backward?”??? Does not ring true for two senior detectives working together on a case. And there was so much of that superfluous defining/describing. It just felt like I as the reader was being explained/talked down to throughout the detective chapters.

And then I guessed the ending — and I’m NOT someone who’s actively trying to figure out what happened throughout, it just felt that obvious who the culprit was.

If the premise sounds intriguing to you, I wouldn’t automatically give it a miss! Just be prepared for some dips in the action & weird storytelling.

Thanks to Macmillan & St Martin’s Press for the eARC!

Stay Awake is the latest explosive thriller by Megan Goldin about Liv Reese who wakes up in the back of a New York taxi with no memory of where she is or where she has been. Quickly, Liv discovers that everything in her life has changed…strangers now live in her apartment, she can’t get a hold of her boyfriend and roommate, and her trendy workplace of Cultura magazine has been completely transformed. Furthermore, she has messages scribbled all over her arms, most notably STAY AWAKE and TRUST NO ONE. Liv can only remember things from two years ago and must piece together the present while living with amnesia where each time she falls asleep she forgets the present. Liv encounters danger from an unknown stalker and potential killer. To add to her confused state, she is a potential witness/ suspect in a murder investigation with the matching phrase ‘Stay Awake’ written on a window in blood. Liv must trust herself and piece together her past while trying to figure out what is happening in her current circumstances.

What I liked:
-the unreliable narrator coupled with memory issues (it had a Memento meets 50 first Dates vibe)
-the taut pacing of the plot…each chapter kept me wanting more
-dual timeline of present versus 2 years ago in the past
-NYC setting
-the tense feeling of not being able to trust anyone while being pursued by the police as a murder suspect
-the twists and turns as the story unfolds

What I didn’t like:
-I wanted more explanation and character development of the killer and the stalker of two years prior…Goldin did a great job creating the tense, suspenseful build up of these characters but I felt something was missing
-less repetition at times which may be difficult when trying to convey memory loss

Final Take Away

This was an enjoyable, suspenseful read that kept me wanting more. I was intrigued by the premise of a protagonist with memory loss with nowhere to turn and I enjoyed the dual timelines with an unreliable narrator.

My rating 4 out of 5 stars
I’d recommend this book to fans of popcorn reads and books with amnesiac protagonists who appreciate twists in the story.

Many thanks go to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me this ARC!

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin. This is an thriller about Liv Reese, who has amnesia every time she sleeps. This was fast paced and I loved it!

I'm looking at all the 5 star reviews and wondering if I received a draft version of the book, because what I read wasn't all that.

I requested this book after enjoying Goldin's other titles, The Night Swim and The Escape Room, but unfortunately Stay Awake did not live up to her other work. The story starts off with our protagonist having some mysterious psychological issue that causes her to forget everything that's happened in the last two years every time she goes to sleep. This was a stretch to believe but could have been more plausible if the author gave some scientific basis for this type of memory loss to be real. Instead her memory loss came across as farfetched and got in the way of feeling sympathy for the MC.

The writing was highly repetitive and bland with characters I couldn't connect with . The plot was highly repetitive, and I get that we were trying to experience life with Liv as she repeats parts of her life after each sleep, but it was too much for this reader. The twist/reveal was rather uninspired.

Liv wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there... This mix between Before I go to sleep meets Memento meets 50 First Dates turned into a gripping psychological thriller that had me hooked from page one and read it in one sitting (I did have to Stay Awake to finish this!) I do however have to say that although it was better than her previous book The Night Swim I liked her first book The Escape Room better. Also, on the negative side, the two timelines and different points of views sometimes had me a little confused; I did kind of see the ending coming early on; and it was a bit repetitive at times. It still gets a 9/10 from me.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.