Stay Awake

Megan Goldin is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This was my third read by her. My favorite was The Escape Room (because of the dark humor); her best so far was The Night Swim, and; this one too, had me racing through to the end. Although I read this a few months ago, I am sadly only reviewing now - so there are many blanks in my memory (chuckle, chuckle, chuckle). What I remember most is being gobsmacked by the final twist - my favorite kind, the one that was right up there in my face the whole way through the novel and yet I never saw it coming.

MC wakes up in a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there (I can totally empathize, I'm so overwhelmed with backlogged work that I often fall asleep at my desk and wake up show more confused and disoriented). She has messages scrawled over her hands, torso, and arms – all warning her to stay awake. As it turns out, every time she falls asleep, she wakes up with no knowledge of what she was doing or where she was before she fell asleep. It soon becomes apparent that she has "lost" two years - and that's not all. Where once she wrote brilliant articles for a successful magazine, had a gorgeous successful boyfriend, and an amazing flat that she shared with her best friend, she now discovers that she lives in a grungy basement flat with writing all over the walls, warning her not to open the door and not to trust anyone. It soon becomes clear that someone is chasing her, and that she is wanted in connection with a murder (or two or three). At one point in her quest to discover her background, she finds herself in a flat where a man she does not recognize lies murdered of stab wounds on a bed. She looks down to see a bloody knife in her hands...once more there is an eerily familiar message scrawled on the window across from the bed. Is she a murderer? Who is living in her flat and why are they threatening to call the police if she does not leave them alone? Where is her boyfriend and her best friend? There are mysteries galore in this novel. Obviously, she cannot remain awake forever, so she writes notes to herself on her skin to try to keep her on track if she nods off…but the messages are always a mystery to her when she wakes. Sometimes it’s back to square one and sometimes she reaches all the way to square five, but it takes a real shock at the end to jolt back those memories.

This is no Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy (50 first dates) but rather a suspense thriller that will keep you at the edge of your chair, flipping the pages until several mysteries are solved and you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this wonderful book by one of my favorite authors. Even five months after reading, I still remember all of the plot, all of the twists, and especially how much I loved Stay Awake by Megan Goldin. show less

This was one tightly woven rollercoaster of a nightmare and I had no idea how Megan Goldin even began to think this up and construct the plot. She finessed so many of the details while ramping up the level of anxiety to such a fevered pitch that there was no way any of this was going to work out. But when you are a very talented writer, well, this thriller makes for a white knuckle trip.

I had a little trouble with the back and forth timeline but that was my fault for not paying attention as I was anxious to see what was coming next. Points for the portrayal of very human, intelligent and supportive detectives and hoping they aren’t in a one-off story.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy.

Stay Awake is another thrilling success from talented author Megan Goldin. It’s a little like 50 First Dates except oh so not funny. When we first meet Liv Reese she’s a weird person experiencing weird events. It’s as if the last two years of her life never happened. She wakes up not knowing where she is or how she got there, her apartment is no longer her own, people she knows allude to events she knows nothing about. Why is STAY AWAKE written all over her hands? And a bloody knife – what??

Liv is exhausted and confused and afraid. And author Goldin makes us exhausted and confused and afraid as well as we go with Liv from place to place, event to event, person to person, trying to figure out what has happened to her life and show more wondering if she could possibly – no, can’t be – could possibly have committed a crime she can’t remember.

Unlike 50 First Dates, Liv has no one to watch over her, to gently bring her up to speed each time she awakens. She had a journal but it’s missing. Just as she seems to make some progress and put things together, exhaustion wins, she falls asleep, and it starts all over again.

Stay Awake is well-plotted and fast paced with clues and red herrings sprinkled throughout. It’s so suspenseful you almost have to put it down ever few pages and catch your breath. The big reveal when we learn the cause of her memory loss is astonishing – but it’s not the end yet. More excitement and danger to come. I was sad and worried for Liv and wished I could give her the answers she so desperately needs.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of Stay Awake via NetGalley for my reading pleasure and honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it without hesitation. Another great book from a favorite author. All opinions are my own. show less

Liv Reese wakes up in a taxi in front of her apartment and has no recollection how she got there. She has no purse, no phone and no house keys. When she rings the doorbell, strangers answer, not Amy her apartment mate. They say they’ve been living there for a long time. Because Liv seems hysterical, they let her in and as she looks around, the apartment is not how she remembered it.

Outside, she sits on the front steps. Feeling in her cardigan, her hands find fabric and when she takes it out, there is a bloody knife wrapped in a t-shirt. Not knowing why she has it, she throws it in the nearest trash bin.

Liv’s most recent memory is answering the phone in her office on a beautiful day in July. However, it’s cold out and clearly not show more the summer. What is going on? To make matters more confusing, Liv has a gash on her stomach that she has no recollection of and things written on her hands and arms, such as “Stay Awake” and “Don’t trust anyone”. One review said, “Readers certainly won’t need to be warned to “stay awake.” Needless to say, there is a murder and Liv soon becomes the prime suspect.

That’s all I’m going to tell you about the plot.

Stay Awake takes place in 24 hours. It alternates between the third person narrative as Detectives Halliday and Lavelle investigate the murder and a first-person narrative as Liv tries to understand what is going on in her life. Additionally, chapters describe events happening two years prior which impact current day.

Stay Awake is a taut psychological thriller that I couldn’t put down. I can’t wait for August and Goldin’s next book. show less

Four and one-half stars

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

A sense of desperation is Liv Reese’s constant companion. She awakes in the back of a taxi not knowing how she got there. Strangers are living in the apartment she’s certain she shares with her best friend, Doctor Amy Decker. Amy’s phone is off, so Liv assumes she’s on duty at the hospital. And someone who isn’t Marco answers her boyfriend’s phone.

Writing, like graffiti, covers Liv’s hands . . . Stay Awake . . . Wake Up . . . the name and address of a place called Nocturnal. But everything around her feels strange and the past two years of her life are a blank, a complete mystery. Why can’t she remember any of it?

And then there’s the body and the message show more written on the window that matches the writing on her hands. What did she have to do with the murder? And can she find the answers before someone steps in and puts an end to her quest for answers?

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The intriguing premise of this propulsive thriller pulls readers into the telling of the tale from the outset. The tension is palpable; an undercurrent of foreboding throughout the narrative keeps the suspense building.

Told from Liz’s perspective, the narrative alternates between events in the present and events two years in the past [the last ones that Liv can remember], providing the necessary backstory for Liv’s story. Occasionally, this switch in time frames is a bit unsettling, but the chilling tale keeps those pages turning as fast as possible.

The swift pace of the telling of the tale keeps readers guessing as the plot takes several surprising twists. Unexpected revelations weave the disparate details into a multifaceted tapestry of connected events that slowly reveal the complex mystery of Liv’s missing years.

Strong, relatable characters and an intricately-layered plot work together to keep the readers on the edge of their seats throughout the telling of the story. Although the ending of this difficult-to-set-aside thriller may surprise readers, they are sure to find the denouement of Liv’s complex story to be completely satisfying.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley
#StayAwake #NetGalley show less

No Rest for the Wicked


There is a good reason why Megan Goldin is one of my favorite thriller writers. I think that THE ESCAPE ROOM is still one of my all-time-favorites books and one that stands out from the rest, but her latest book is not far behind. It only took a few pages into STAY AWAKE to find myself utterly absorbed by the shattered reality that has become Liv’s life..

I love thrillers that rely strongly on the doubt cast on the main protagonist’s mental state. Liv, a traumatized woman who forgets everything that has happened to her as soon as she falls asleep, is a perfect candidate to star in that category of unreliable narrators. With every plot twist, I admired the author for being able to create such an intricate, show more multi-layered and challenging novel without ever losing credibility. Every time I was briefly concerned that a thread would be left hanging or would stretch credibility too far, I was soon reassured by the background detail that made it all perfectly plausible and tied things up nicely in the end. A highlight for me was the authors ablity to show Liv as she wakes up, completely confused and then start trying to go home or to work, only to realize that she has been asleep longer than she thought and that things have changed. Toward the end she tries to stay awake long enough to untangle all the clues of her current circumstances. The only downfall I had with the story is the constant need to be reminded that Liv is forgetful. I enjoyed this very much and will continue to be a fan of Megan Goldin moving forward. 4 STARS in other words this book is totally # All-Nighter Worthy show less

I've really enjoyed Megan Goldin's previous suspense titles and was quite happy to pick up her latest - Stay Awake.
Goldin has come up with some great premises and this latest is no exception! Liv wakes up in a taxi with no idea of how she got there. And why there is writing on her hands and arms. And the boldest letters spell out 'Stay Awake." I was hooked!

The reader is alongside Liv as she tries to make sense of what's happening to her. And there's much more than just writing on her arms and hands. She desperately tries to not fall asleep, but it's inevitable. And every time she wakes up, she's back to the beginning. Just imagine yourself in Liv's shoes!

But as a reader, we can remember and start to piece together what has happened to show more Liv. Or can we? Goldin has woven together a devious plot that will keep the reader turning pages, changing their guess and staying awake late into the night as more and more is revealed. I appreciate not being able to guess the final 'whodunit' early on in a book.

Yes, there's one or two things that require a grain of salt. But just go with it. Stay Awake is great escapist reading, perfect for summertime back porch reading. show less