This was my first book by Megan Goldin and I was SO excited when I was approved for the audiobook due to hearing fantastic things about her first two books! Unfortunately this one ended up leaving me just kind of “meh” and a little unfulfilled with the ending.

While the entire premise of the book revolves around our main character forgetting everything every time she falls asleep, I found it to be extremely repetitive and honestly found myself checking to make sure I wasn’t listening to an earlier chapter again on accident. I will say though that I normally don’t enjoy a detective/police prospective but I did like the detectives in this book and would definitely read another book from their POVs.

Regardless, I still felt closer to a 3.5 rating for the majority of this book until the ending. It left SO many unanswered questions for me and never even really explained the “why” for everything happening. I will still pick up the other two books by Goldin but this one was just not really for me.

Stay Awake tells the story of Liv, who wakes up in the early morning and has no memory of the past two years. All she knows is that she's holding a murder weapon with blood on it. Liv believes that she didn't commit this murder. Yet, the cops are pin pointing her as the prime suspect. As they are closing in on Liv, will she be able to find help and stay awake to solve her own mystery?

The premise to Stay Awake was intriguing. There were twists and turns to Megan Goldin's latest however; this novel was definitely more mystery than thriller. It felt more like a look into your fears of insomniac episodes rather than running away from a killer. The narrator of the novel did a great job ditferntiating voices and even time periods. I felt more invested as I was listening in, trying to discover who had really murdered Ted.

Liv wakes up in a cab with no recollection of how she got there. She immediately goes home only to learn that she no longer lives there. Confused, and with no memory of what has happened, the only clue she has is a note on her hand saying “stay awake”. As a body is found, with the same message written by the murderer near the body, the reader is taken on a journey to understand what has happened to Liv and her connection to the murder.

I really enjoyed the premise to this book but it did not deliver for me. Parts of the book were overly confusing (perhaps deliberate to emphasize what the main character was experiencing) while other parts were duplicative and repetitive. Rather than explaining the story, I found it frustrating. As the pace was a little slower, I ended up skipping through parts to see if the book improved for me but unfortunately, this book was not for me.

I listened to this as an audiobook but didn’t really enjoy the narration - this may have been a novel that I personally would have enjoyed more as an eBook.

The premise was interesting and unique - when you have an MC with a very particular kind of amnesia with frequent resets, it leads to a lot of tension where the reader knows more than the character. However, I’ll be honest, it got old very quickly. I was much more interested in the flashbacks and the detectives, which were much more of a driving force of forward momentum.

But also take my review with a grain of salt because I don’t really enjoy thrillers anymore like I used to.

I am, however, always excited to listen to anything narrated by January LaVoy

Okay, slightly disappointed. I loved it. And Megan Goldin remains an auto-buy author for me; her books are great. It’s fast paced, thrilling, moves at a breakneck speed; I read it in a day and a half, but I saw the villain coming from a mile away and I cringed when I was right. Ugh. Megannnnnn, why???????

Up until the end reveal it was a solid 5 star book for me; you’ll probably still love it just like I did, but be prepared to not be wowed by the ending, even though the book is a really fun ride.

Thanks to St. Martins Press for the ARC.

3.5
I listened to this book in one sitting which made it
more enjoyable and fast-paced for me. The narration
wasn't my favorite. The author had a tendency to be
repetitive, which makes sense because of the main
character's memory loss, but was still annoying at times.
Overall, I was super entertained and was so interested to
see how it all turned out - but the ending felt rushed. I do
understand the reasoning behind the murders, but was it
really *that* serious that they needed to murder folks?
felt like there were some plot holes and the ending felt
lackluster, but I'm still glad I read it.

A very gripping story right from the beginning! I liked that the plot line wasn’t the norm and hasn’t been over done. Due to the nature of the memory loss the book can get a little bit repetitive. I also had a hard time with the cadence of the narrators voice. It felt like she was questioning everything even when it wasn’t meant to be a question. I thought it was an interesting ending. But I did feel bad for Ted.

Liv wakes up in a cab not knowing how she got there or where she’s headed or even who she really is. All she knows is that the words “Stay Awake” and “Don’t Sleep” and several other disturbing notes are written all over her hands and arms. So when a news story appears that shows the killer laving the same message written in blood, she tries to figure out what it could mean to her. Then she finds a bloody knife in her pocket and she has to prove her innocence while trying not to fall asleep so she’s doesn’t forget whatever she’s able to uncover.
The story alternates between past when the events took place and the present where the detectives are working to solve the crime. If you don’t pay attention, you may have to do as I did and have to go back several times and make sure you don’t miss any details.
Now, im going to keep my negative stuff short, but…there are plot holes. There is a LOT of repetition. I get that it’s a Groundhog Day type situation, but there’s times that things are said twice in the same paragraph! Some of the dialogue is too dumbed down-especially the detectives. They come off as not super smart.
All that to say that while there are definitely some flaws, I still enjoyed this story and it kept me on my toes trying to see If she was going to figure it all out.
The thing is, I could get past most of that relatively easily, but the issue that I can’t gloss over was the narration! Over acted, overly cheesy, over dramatic to the point where I was saying to her in my head “you are so fired!” 😂
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Yeahhhhhhh... this was a miss for me.

I was so excited to read this because the concept is really interesting and I was sold by the synopsis. But this just fell so flat and was incredibly disappointing because I feel like the author could have done so much better. I just ended up not caring literally 15% into the story.

Things that didn't work for me:
1) I cannot express how repetitive this book is. I get it - she has memory loss. But I was just tired of revisiting the same events over and over again.
2) The writing - I'm sorry but this. was some bad writing. THe.
3) The twist made absolutely no sense to me. I felt like we went around and around only to land on an ending that just left me feeling beyond unsatisfied.
4) I wasn't a huge fan of the narrator. It felt too forced.
5) The main character is actually insufferable. You are a grown woman and can't use some critical thinking skills?

I know lots of people loved this one and I totally get it. I was just disappointed because I was so excited for this release.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin

I will say I have been reading a lot of books this year and well this book I will have to say is in my number two book slot for the second best book I have read this year. Interesting enough they both are thrillers. Anyways enough of that lets talk about this wonderful book called Stay Awake.

The book gets you right from the opening chapter where you meet the main character Liv Reese she is in a taxi cab and has blood on her and a knife in her pocket with stay awake marked on her hands. If this does not pull you in I don't know what else will. Oh did I mention she has lost years of time as well.

This was one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a long time. You cannot help but wonder what is up with Liv and how is her boyfriend dead. The book was done so well and the issue with Liv and her sleep and forgetting information when she wakes up is just done so well. I like the complexity of the story and illness. Her trauma is so ingrained that she has memory lapse.

This is definitely a five star read for me and like I said this is my number 2 slot book it came close to knocking off what I put as my number one book so far this year and I am no slouch I have read well of 125 books so far so that speaks volumes of this book and story.

Megan Goldin keep writing books like this and you will continue to have a fan in me this was a book that you completely knocked out of the park. You have talent for making believable characters when they seem so unreliable.

What I think the biggest takeaway is trauma can do some weird stuff to people and I think this is what stuck with me. Her memory is the way it is because trauma brain has taken over. It is trauma that makes this book complex and Liv is knee deep in the experience of the effects of trauma on her.

Imogen Church; January LaVoy did a fantastic job of narrating the story they pull you in with the way they bring life to the characters. I recommend this book to all that like a good thriller. I cannot wait to read more from this author I will be watching for future books by this author.

Thank You to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio, and St. Martins Press for a free copy of the book and audio version of this story for an honest review.

One of the better thrillers I’ve read lately. I liked the MC and thought the concept was fresh. The only reasons I brought it down a star was the repetitiveness, the lack of explanation of the motive, and the very ending.

Such a strong start, all this anticipation and frustration, and then, well, it got tedious. Following a character with amnesia, whose memory is wiped clean every time she sleeps and who has no anchor to help her remember that she forgets, isn't fun. What it is, is repetitive. And annoying, because there's basically 1) frantic bewilderment and 2) the exact same questions being asked, over and over, for most of the book.

I don't know how many times we got to (ahem) "enjoy" Olivia awakening to not knowing a damned thing. Or how many times we were assured she should "trust no one" and "stay awake" at all costs. But let me tell you, it was a lot. More than I cared to see, with progress toward resolution too slow to measure. As frustrated as her character would be with such a debilitating issue, it was almost as frustrating for the reader to endure.

Even more frustrating was the big reveal. I won't spoil it for you, but it's too convenient and comes mostly all at once, in my opinion way too late for me to still care.

I think this would play very differently, and in a good way, on the big screen. In a book, ehh, not so much.

I first want to say thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was very pumped with getting the chance to read this book, especially with having such success with the author's previous book, The Night Swim, which was a five star read for me. This book immediately throws you into the story with very little information. This was a bit of surprise but I did enjoy that because it made you feel connected with the main character who is also trying to figure out exactly what's happened.

Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of this one and found it just be okay and slightly typical. I would recommend this for someone who is new to the genre or to Goldins writing but I wouldn't put this in my favorites. I will continue to read from the author in the future.

Stay Awake is perfect for readers who love a dual-timeline mystery/thriller. With captivating chapters and a confusing occurrence of events, this novel is sure to hook all readers.
4/5 stars

This Was a great listen. Creepy , suspenseful, and so full of twists your head will spin. Who is the bad guy? Who is the victim? Only one way to find out!

Oof! What a whirlwind poor liv went through. Losing her memory at a very inconvenient time when someone is hunting her and trying to pin his murders on her. It felt jumbled but also felt a step away from a psychological thriller.

Thanks for the audiobook Netgalley!

From the get-go, this book captured my attention and held it. I used all my free minutes listening to this book until the end. It was very engrossing and freaky. The narration for this audiobook featured two narrators, following the main character Liv, and the detective, Halliday. I had a little more trouble warming up to Liv's narration, but it ended up suiting the story well.

This story was reminiscent of the movie <i>Momento</i>, with the lead character suffering from amnesia to where her brain resets to two years prior each time she falls asleep. It was an interesting narrative that provided excitement and uncertainty. I wasn't quite sure where the story was going, and I found it to be worthy of being categorized as a thriller.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the published for a chance to read and review this book. Views are my own.

Liv Reese woke up in the back of a taxi with a bloody knife with no memory of how she got there. She asked to go to her apartment, but someone else lived there. Her phone is missing, and she has a message on her hands to STAY AWAKE!

Stay Awake is a tense and suspenseful psychological story written in dual timelines with two narrators. The story switches between Liz two years prior with everything going well for her and Liz's present-day where she is dealing with a form of amnesia where she forgets everything from the day before. The other narrator is a detective, Haliday, who is investigating a murder that Liz might have a connection to.

The audiobook was great to listen to. The transition between the multiple timelines and narrators was smooth and was not confusing. The pacing was also perfect, and it flowed well together with everything. The suspension was there from the beginning. It was fun trying to piece together the puzzle while Liz recovered her memories. I also felt that the premise/concept of this book was original, and the way Golden incorporated Liz’s amnesia worked for this story. I did not feel like it was overbearing or repetitive. The ending was unexpected. It was hard to stop listening and one that you should not miss!

Stay Awake earned a spot at the top of my Favorite Thrillers of All Time list! The suspense and twists were everything you could want in a thriller. I truly was stumped and unsure as to where to the storyline was going but was NOT disappointed by that. The audiobook was fantastic. The narrator had a way of making this such a performance. I found myself speeding up the pace to get through it quicker. It was just overall so addicting! I haven’t felt this way about a thriller since I read Local Woman Missing last year.

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.

The narrator who did Liv’s POV was hard to get used to. I understand why she read the way she did, but at times it sounded like really bad slam poetry and was just annoying.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced cop of this book in exchange for an honest review.