Wow what a ride. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It wasn’t until right before the reveal that I was able to figure out what was going on. Definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an ARC of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin!

I had previously read Escape Room by Meag Goldin, so when I saw this ARC available, I decided to request it! I really enjoy the writing style. This book was a bit slow in places, but it is still a very good read.

At first I was intrigued by the storyline. However the back and forth timeline was a slow burn. Also the author just glossed past the betrayal by the two people she trusted the most. Although that was the catalyst for the series of events that would occur later it was never truly addressed. Ending was rather underwhelming due to various subplots being introduced but never fleshed out nor resolved.

I was in a bit of a reading slump but Megan Goldin knows how to snap me out of it! This one starts with Liv waking up in the back of a taxi and no recollection of how she got there! She goes to the place she thinks she works and find out she doesn't work there anymore. But when she looks at her hand, she finds the words Stay Awake written in sharpie. Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn't remember committing.

I just could not flip the pages fast enough. I couldn't wait to get to the end and see how it ended! Highly recommend this one!

This was a solid mystery novel. I found some parts to be slow but for the most part the pacing was pretty good.
(netgalley e-arc)

Thank you SO much to Megan Goldin, Netgalley, and St. Martin’s press for my copy of Stay Awake! The book opens with a bang, as Liv wakes up in a cab with no idea how she got there. When she gets home, she realizes that someone else lives there now and her world has changed around her. Come to find out, her last memory was from two years ago, and all she can remember are the words written on her hands…stay awake. Years ago she was a successful magazine writer, but now she is wanted for murder and isn’t sure if she had anything to do with it.

Thoughts: This premise was SO fun! I usually don’t enjoy amnesia as a plot point, but this was pretty well done and very fast paced. I like that the book did have chapters that were about the police and focused on Detective Halliday. I found the chapters from Liv’s perspective, both in the past and in the present much more enjoyable. The difference in perspectives did break up the repetitiveness and I think I would have been bored with just her perspective.

It really annoyed me how Liv kept running off, and how many problems could have been solved if she just stayed put. There were a few plot holes and things that happened conveniently, but it was such an engaging story that I didn’t mind. If those little things bother you, it will be a bit annoying. Goldin does a great job of building tension and making a fast-paced story have good character development. I did guess the ending, and wished there were more suspects to choose from. However, this story was heart-pounding and kept me engaged the whole time- 4 stars!

Wow-I have read all of Megan Goldin's books and now this is my favorite. It is about a woman that forgets everything from a point of time until the present every time she falls asleep. I like the characters and the plot-very unique and not something very new. I also like the way the author travels back n forth and then in the end everything wraps up. Well done Megan!

So I was excited to get an advance copy of this one from NetGalley, and I tore through it in just a couple days. I really loved Goldin’s previous books The Escape Room and The Night Swim.

Overall, Stay Awake is a fast paced read with great writing and an interesting story. The only negative is that i thought it was a fairly predictable, but that didn’t hurt my overall enjoyment of the story.

One thing I really like about Goldin is that I feel like her characters make decisions that normal people would make. That might sound silly, but so many times in these thrillers, people do things that no rational person would do, and it always gets a big eye roll from your buddy Nate here.
But I feel like Goldin’s characters do smart things and ask the questions you and I would ask if we were in these incredible, tense situations. That gets bonus points in my book.

This one comes out August 9th, so give it a try.
I’d give it 4 stars.

Another great book by Megan Goldin! One of my favorite authors. This book was full of twists that I didn’t see coming. Highly recommend!!

Stay Awake was a page turner from the first chapter through the last! It’s a well written, suspenseful thriller where we are introduced to Liv and her struggle to piece together why she isn’t able to remember a block of 2 years in her life. Along the way we’re introduced to characters that play a role in her life, whether big or small, that add to the story of who she can or can’t trust. There were times I felt it was a bit jumbled, or I started to get frustrated, but it only added to what Liv had to be feeling in not being able to remember such an important span if time in her life. Throughout the book I had my suspicions of who was behind the murders but not once did I suspect who actually did it. This is definitely a book I’ll recommend.

I don’t think I have ever been this excited to write a book review!! This book took the cake so far for being my favorite this year so far! What a crazy story!!! I am officially a huge Megan Goldin fan!

Ok, let’s talk about Liv! Liv is the main character who is both extremely weak and very strong. She suffers from amnesia whenever she falls asleep. I cannot imagine going to sleep and waking up with no memory of the past 2 years. How did she get where she was? Where does she live? How is she ever going to figure out where to go or what to do if she can’t remember where she came from?

Liv had been working a job she loved, she had a best friend for a roommate, and was dating a great guy. She had it all! Then one day she wakes up and she is 2 years into the future back in NYC without ever remembering living in London prior. What happened to make her lose her memory? I WANT TO TELL YOU, but you have to go order the book NOW!!

Megan Goldin does such an amazing job of capturing the emotions of Liv and all the other characters who she encounters that are trying to help her. However, Liv has writing all over her hands and arms that tell her not to trust anyone, never talk to the police, a mystery phone number, and most of all STAY AWAKE.

When she sees that she has the same writing on her hands as the windows on the apartment where someone was just murdered, she instantly thinks she was somehow involved. What did she do last night? What happened to her? And why is no one answering their phones? Liv continues to chase down her friends while also forcing herself to stay awake. Dodging cops, getting her hair cut, and ultimately running into people from her past, she learns who she can and cannot trust. The notes on her hands and arms are meant for her to look when she wakes up so she knows she hasn’t lost her mind.

I can go on and on with my review and scream at the top of my lungs how much I LOVED this book, but do yourself a favor and go to your local bookstore and grab a copy. You’re welcome!!

Thank you NetGalley and Megan Goldin for allowing me an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. Can’t wait to buy my copy once it is published!!

A crazy, intense ride. I had no idea what was going on for most of the story—which I loved.

I couldn’t trust a single person in this book. I love the unreliable narrator when it’s done well. And it so was. I couldn’t get a grasp on Liv or who she truly was.

Perfectly executed suspense, even if most of it is a little over the top.

I loved this read! It started out fast and kept me confused and invested the whole time. I loved the dual time line although I did get a little confused at times. I would highly recommend this book!

Since this is listed a psychological thriller, I anticipated a bit of a roller-coaster ride throughout the book. The very best ones, like this one, keep me reading late into the night, not knowing, but anticipating what kind of revelations will happen next. Often my best guesses are way off target as the plot unfolds. And it's often the case that many of the people in the story, aren't who I thought they were.

This story was crafted so carefully that I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The book left me wishing for a few vacation days--because work was definitely keeping me away from reading. The author did an outstanding job of spinning a story that caught and held my attention from beginning to end.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this is a good choice.

I was so excited to get an ARC of this book based on the description! However, I would be lying if I said it got more exciting than that. I feel like there were many things this book did well: the ability to keep me guessing in the beginning and the clever way the reader was unraveling the story with Liv and the detectives.

Yet, I also feel like there were many repetitive moments, distracting plot holes that weren’t resolved (the graphic art show scene, Marco’s investment dinner, the waiter, the intricate stalking plots), lack of character development (especially with detective Lavelle),and a lack luster reveal within a rushed ending that held this book back for me and have prevented it from leaving a lasting impression.

Expected publication: August 9th, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley & St Martins Press for the advanced copy.

Liv Reese doesn't remember anything. What did she do last night? Why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn't remember committing. There's someone who does know exactly what she did, and they'll do anything to make her forget permanently. This has a well-crafted set of characters and a plot that is cleverly written. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. If you love complex thrillers, then you will love this one.I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy for an honest review.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a spectacular, mysterious thriller. In Stay Awake, a girl wakes to find herself covered with handwritten notes on her arms. The novel is a journey of discovery of what these messages mean, who to trust, and what is real. The book starts off quick and the pacing is consistent, there aren't moments where the plot is dull. Everything is active and the mystery is suspenseful. The plot twists were so unexpected that they came out of nowhere and throughout the book, there are moments where it feels like you cannot even trust the narrator. I love the concept Megan Goldin came up with regarding not remembering anything and not trusting anybody. There are moments when reading when I knew in my gut something was wrong and it was this effect that made the book such an amazing read. When reading this book I got engrossed in the book forgetting that I was just reading, not actually the main character trying to solve the mystery. I really appreciated the book being very plot-oriented because then there was only one focus and it didn't disappoint. Megan Goldin does an exceptional job at keeping you on the edge of your seat dying to see what happens next! I was very interested in finding out who the murderer was and the whole story!! If you haven't read a Megan Goldin book yet I would recommend reading this as soon as it comes out!!!!

Stay Awake quickly hooked me. Liv Reese wakes up in a cab with no memory and a bloody knife in her pocket. The chapters switch back and forth between Liv and the detectives who are searching for a man's murderer...someone who has written "Wake Up!" in blood on the apartment window.

For the most part, this was a gripping read, but, for me, it fell short in a few areas. There was a flashback scene maybe halfway through in which Liv goes to see a performance art piece...I don't want to give any spoilers, but that scene was absolutely terrifying! After reading it, I expected the last half of the book to ratchet up to that level, but it didn't. I guessed who the murderer was pretty early on, yet never felt satisfied with them as the culprit. Also, I felt very little connection to the detectives, particularly the male detective. I just didn't have much sense of him as a character. Nevertheless, I read this in two days. Thrillers aren't my go-to genre, though I read them from time to time. If they are yours, I would recommend this.

My latest read-on-the-run is one I totally recommend you keep your eyes open for come August 9! Thank you the ARC!

Every time Liv Reese wakes up it's to confusion + no memory beyond answering a phone call at her desk two years ago. Unable to remember even where she lives, Liv tries to make sense of lifewith the reminders + warnings scrawled all over her arms + hands. "Trust no one." "Stay awake."
Detective Halliday is trying to prove herself in the homicide department, her way of transitioning out of life in the miliatry, when she's the first to respond to a crime scene with a message written in the victim's blood.

I loved that this is told by an unreliable narrator. Because of Liv's memory loss I was just guessing the entire time. For a second, I thought I had it figured out but it turns out I did nahhht. Chapters bounce back 'n forth between Halliday's investigation + Liv's life, both her current day confusion + two years ago's memories that she's convinced are yesterday's, so this book does not lag for a moment. Miles flew by under my feet + with this one!

I could not put down this book. If you enjoy mysteries, you will like this book. I’m adding this author to my list of favorites ASAP. It’s a fascinating psychological thriller. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year so far.


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for my ARC.