Stay Awake: A Novel
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.
Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers—a stranger who claims to live in her apartment. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing. In its place is a bloodstained knife. Her hands are covered in scribbled messages, like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE.
Two years ago, Liv was thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers. Catching a glimpse of the local news, she’s horrified to see reports of a crime scene where the victim’s blood has been used to scrawl a message across a window, similar to the message that’s inked on her hands. What did she do last night? And why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember committing. But there’s someone who does know exactly what she did, and they’ll do anything to make her forget—permanently.
A complex thriller that unfolds at a breakneck speed, Megan Goldin's Stay Awake will keep you up all night.
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Community Reviews
Excellent book!
This is my first book by Megan Goldwin even though I have had several of her books pop up in my "recommended reading" suggestions, So I was very happy to have been given the opportunity to read this one via netgalley.
The book begins with Liv Reese who awakes inside a taxi with no memory of how she got there. The last thing she remembers is looking out her office window. She has a cryptic message written on her fingers saying to, "STAY AWAKE" She has no phone and has a bloody knife on her person. Desperately she tries to remember what happens but as it turns out she loses her memory every time she falls asleep and has to reset. Boom!
This is a amazing plot point and readers will immediately draw comparison to the movie "Memento" It's a worthy comparison but Goldwin does enough to make this book her own. She tries to find clues via friends and boyfriend she can remember and through her apartment and employment. She has clues written all over body. Soon she is the number one suspect in a murder investigation headed by Detectives Darcy Halliday and Jack Lavelle and what follows is a amazing and twisty almost one night read to the end.
PROS: 1. Megan Goldwin nailed the memory loss portion of the book. This had to be difficult to write. I find it almost the same as a time travel thriller in the sense that the author has to keep multiple time and plot points to always be in sync even when they aren't. I have read many books involving time travel that could have been amazing but the author went too hokey with the timelines and just destroyed the book. Obviously this is not a time travel book but I think the plotlines you keep with resetting every time she wakes up to 0 when the world keeps continuing on somewhat similar. Nevertheless, Goldwin hit a grand slam.
2. The pacing was perfect. You had two timelines..... Present and two years in the past which met together. It wasn't overly complicated and enhanced the book not took away like some thrillers.
3. The creepy situations were great. Liv had no idea what was going on and who to trust. The dialogue between potential friends/foes was great. Actually the dialogue overall was great and well written.
CONS: Not much but the reason I couldn't leave a total five star was the ending....... And this is just my personal opinion but I felt it was anti climatic. I have to say that I hope nobody reads that to mean I don't recommend the book. I whole heartily recommend this book but I don't think she sticks the landing. I also think the main character Liz Reese needed a tad more depth. But again this has to be hard to create when you reset every time you wake up. I thought the main detective: Darcy Halliday had more depth then the main character and would definitely read another book with her.
In conclusion, a very well written and recommended book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is my first book by Megan Goldwin even though I have had several of her books pop up in my "recommended reading" suggestions, So I was very happy to have been given the opportunity to read this one via netgalley.
The book begins with Liv Reese who awakes inside a taxi with no memory of how she got there. The last thing she remembers is looking out her office window. She has a cryptic message written on her fingers saying to, "STAY AWAKE" She has no phone and has a bloody knife on her person. Desperately she tries to remember what happens but as it turns out she loses her memory every time she falls asleep and has to reset. Boom!
This is a amazing plot point and readers will immediately draw comparison to the movie "Memento" It's a worthy comparison but Goldwin does enough to make this book her own. She tries to find clues via friends and boyfriend she can remember and through her apartment and employment. She has clues written all over body. Soon she is the number one suspect in a murder investigation headed by Detectives Darcy Halliday and Jack Lavelle and what follows is a amazing and twisty almost one night read to the end.
PROS: 1. Megan Goldwin nailed the memory loss portion of the book. This had to be difficult to write. I find it almost the same as a time travel thriller in the sense that the author has to keep multiple time and plot points to always be in sync even when they aren't. I have read many books involving time travel that could have been amazing but the author went too hokey with the timelines and just destroyed the book. Obviously this is not a time travel book but I think the plotlines you keep with resetting every time she wakes up to 0 when the world keeps continuing on somewhat similar. Nevertheless, Goldwin hit a grand slam.
2. The pacing was perfect. You had two timelines..... Present and two years in the past which met together. It wasn't overly complicated and enhanced the book not took away like some thrillers.
3. The creepy situations were great. Liv had no idea what was going on and who to trust. The dialogue between potential friends/foes was great. Actually the dialogue overall was great and well written.
CONS: Not much but the reason I couldn't leave a total five star was the ending....... And this is just my personal opinion but I felt it was anti climatic. I have to say that I hope nobody reads that to mean I don't recommend the book. I whole heartily recommend this book but I don't think she sticks the landing. I also think the main character Liz Reese needed a tad more depth. But again this has to be hard to create when you reset every time you wake up. I thought the main detective: Darcy Halliday had more depth then the main character and would definitely read another book with her.
In conclusion, a very well written and recommended book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Liv is living the life in NYC. She writes a food column for an incredibly popular magazine. She shares an apartment with her best friend and her cat and has an Italian boyfriend that she adores.
One night, she wakes up in the back of a cab with writing all over her hands with no recollection of how she got there. The last thing she remembers is answering her phone at work earlier in the day. Her night goes down hill from there. She gets back to her apartment and thereâs a strange couple there that wonât let her in. Then the creepy, anonymous phone calls startâ¦
This novel definitely takes you on a ride and has some suspense! I would for sure classify this as a thriller. I really enjoyed the back and forth timeline, it helped build the story and made you understand Livâs condition more.
I did however find it to be very predictable and thatâs one thing I really donât like in my thrillers. I want to be surprised around every corner. The narrator was pretty good, I really didnât like how her voice had a synth type sound if you speed the narration up.
Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this ALC of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin in exchange for an honest review.
One night, she wakes up in the back of a cab with writing all over her hands with no recollection of how she got there. The last thing she remembers is answering her phone at work earlier in the day. Her night goes down hill from there. She gets back to her apartment and thereâs a strange couple there that wonât let her in. Then the creepy, anonymous phone calls startâ¦
This novel definitely takes you on a ride and has some suspense! I would for sure classify this as a thriller. I really enjoyed the back and forth timeline, it helped build the story and made you understand Livâs condition more.
I did however find it to be very predictable and thatâs one thing I really donât like in my thrillers. I want to be surprised around every corner. The narrator was pretty good, I really didnât like how her voice had a synth type sound if you speed the narration up.
Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this ALC of Stay Awake by Megan Goldin in exchange for an honest review.
50 first dates, but make it a thriller
Right away, this book drew me in and kept me on edge, trying to figure out what was happening and what happened to Liv in her past.
Right away, this book drew me in and kept me on edge, trying to figure out what was happening and what happened to Liv in her past.
This book…wow. I am torn between never going to sleep again and never waking up. Why do I say that you ask? Well how would you feel if every time you woke up and found out that the life you knew was no longer yours…or it is yours just not like you remember it. That’s what happens to the main character Liv. She falls asleep and wakes up with pieces of her life missing but no clues except things she written on her hands. She has nothing. From the get go I felt so bad for her that I was hoping the outcome wouldn’t be worse than how it started. I mean who would want to start over day after day? So I liked the fact the author made a sympathetic MC, however this is a thriller after all…so what was all the missing pieces? One thing I am not sure of is the situation that characters were found in that kicked this whole thing off. I can’t say who or what for spoiler purposes, but idk it felt a bit too set up to me. I understand how things were pieced together to make the outcome believable, but there was no evidence to that event aside from the “main event”. Maybe I am naive I don’t know. I enjoyed the fast pace and relatively short chapters. It did keep me hooked and wanting to read on. Detective Halliday was my favorite character after Liv. I know she is only fictional, but the way she was written as someone who doesn’t take everything at surface value was refreshing. I would have been very disappointed if she ended up agreeing with everyone else on their assumptions. I would recommend this to anyone of an adult age who enjoys thrillers and a bit of mystery. It might make you sad a bit though, but it is good none the less. Go read it!
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