Stay Awake

Megan Goldwon is a master of the tense atmospheric thriller. In Stay Awake, a girl wakes to find herself covered with handwritten notes on her arms. The novel is journey of discovery of what these messages mean, who to trust, and what is real. It kept me guessing at every turn! I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a unique thriller. Thanks to the publisher and author for allowing me to read this book in advance.

This book was a different take on the unreliable narrator trope that seems to be in so many thrillers these days. This was a fast paced thriller that kept me guessing. I'm normally pretty good at figuring out the twists in thrillers and I did figure this one out eventually but it took me longer than usual. Highly recommend!

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Megan Goldin and Netgalley.
This is most definitely a case of me being so happy that I give an author a second chance!
Ms. Goldin has one other book that I've read, and I truly didn't like it! But, the writing was great, it just wasn't my type of story. At all.
This? Crikey! I haven't read a book this fast in a very, very long time!
I loved each and every moment of it!
"Stay awake?" That's what Liv's wrist said! I took that to heart! For a day and a half I was obsessed.
Read the synopsis and nothing more.
This is one book that you really don't want any clues or feedback for.
Yes! It's that good!
I'll admit that I missed that one GLARING clue! Damn, shit and hell!
Best darn whodunit that I've read so far this year!
Recommended!

🔪 Stay Awake by Megan Goldin 🔪

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the digital ARC of this book!

Liv Reese wakes up with no memory of the past two years, strangers living in her apartment, and notes on her hands telling her to stay awake and trust no one. Talk about nerve-wracking! 🤯

Megan Goldin does an exceptional job at keeping you on the edge of your seat dying to see what happens next! I’m not a big fan of the timeline jumping around, but I think it works in this story. I was questioning everything and couldn’t wait to figure out the murderer!

You DEFINITELY need to read this if you like mystery/thriller books! 📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

Publication date: August 8, 2022

This was a real page turner! Liv wakes up and doesn't remember where she is or how she got there. As the story unfolds, we are switching between the past and the present trying to piece things together. Liv is on the run and has no memories of her life for the last 2 years. She uses the messages she writes to herself on her arms as clues as she backtracks through her old life realizing that it no longer exists. I couldn't put this down as I tried to figure out what was happening and who was after Liv. I loved the storyline and how it kept me guessing right up until the ending.

I loved this thriller! There was such a unique plot to this story and the twists and turns were endless. I loved the added layer of suspense and doubt created from having a character with a memory disorder. This book was incredibly hard to put down, and had short chapters that alternated perspectives between characters.

Strongly recommend!

A heart-pounding, deeply psychological tour de force.

Liv Reese is unraveling. She wakes up in a cab not knowing where she is or how she's gotten there. She has no phone, no keys and a large wad of cash in her pocket. Cryptic messages are scribbled on her hands. She learns on the local news a man has been murdered. Has she committed a violent crime or is she the victim of one?

You will Stay Awake all night devouring this frenetic, fast-paced thriller.

Liv Reese woke up in the back of a NYC cab with no memory of how she got there or where she was going. When the driver dropped her off at the apartment she shared with her roommate, she was relieved to be somewhere familiar and finally home. But it was not her home and hadn’t been for over two years. Confused and overwhelmed by this knowledge, Liv examined her pockets and cardigan looking for her cellphone to call her boyfriend or roommate. She didn’t find her phone, but she did find a blood stained knife wrapped in a T-shirt. Once again, Liv had no knowledge of how it got.

Liv had a certain type of amnesia. Every time she fell asleep she lost the past two years of her life. Those two years held secrets that she desperately tried to remember. But in order to do that she had to stay awake.

This was a very engaging story from the first to last chapter. You could feel the tension build with every scene as Liv battled mental and physical exhaustion, trying to piece her life together before the cops found her, and more importantly, before succumbing to fatigue and sleep…and ultimately amnesia once again.

Highly recommended for mystery/thriller fans.

A murder she doesn’t remember committing. A killer she doesn’t remember meeting. Megan Goldin’s Stay Awake is an electrifying novel that proves memory can be deadly.

Fantastic! It will be one of my favorites of the year! Quite a nail-biter and I loved the MC. Bring me all the Megan Goldin books!