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Stay Awake: A Novel Hardcover – August 9, 2022

by Megan Goldin (Author)

2,737 ratings

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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.

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

New York Post's "Best Books of Summer"

“Highly diverting…Goldin disorients the reader by deploying multiple timelines.” –New York Times Book Review

“Goldin ― writing in sharp, uncluttered prose ― cleverly keeps us guessing.” –The Washington Post

“Goldin seamlessly ups the tension…Stay Awake will have readers staying awake to the last page.” –South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“An adrenaline-fueled thriller…Shocking twists and resourceful, well-drawn female characters keep the pages turning as the clever mystery unfolds. Goldin reliably entertains.” –Publishers Weekly

“Misdirection has always been a key tool in [Goldin’s] toolbox, and she uses it to perfection in this beautifully conceived and executed thriller.” --Booklist

Praise for The Night Swim:

*A Book of the Month Club Book of the Year Nominee*

“Goldin’s prose is inviting, at times electrifying, and always sensitive in dealing with hot-button issues…well done.” ―Booklist (starred)

“Outstanding…[Goldin's thriller] casts a searing light on small-town politics.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Remarkably strong.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“A blistering plot and crisp writing make The Night Swim an unputdownable read.” –Sarah Pekkanen, bestselling author of The Wife Between Us

Praise for The Escape Room:

“The pages turn themselves…a sleek, well-crafted ride to a surprisingly twisty conclusion.” ―New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice

“THE ESCAPE ROOM works as the ultimate locked-room mystery…Goldin excels at illustrating the pressures of a Wall Street career.” ―Associated Press

“Addicting.” ―Time Magazine

"High wire tension from the first moment to the last. Four ruthless people locked in a deadly game where victory means survival. Gripping and unforgettable!" ―Harlan Coben

"Fantastic. One of my favorite books of the year." ―Lee Child

"Amazing...a thriller set in an elevator [that explores] the vast territory of people's worst natures. A nightmarish look inside ourselves. Simply riveting." ―Louise Penny

“A shrewd, brilliantly structured thriller doubling as a takedown of corporate culture.” ―Shelf Awareness

“There is clearly no happy ending likely for the four colleagues trapped inside [the escape room]; but fans of JP Delany and Ruth Ware will want to be right in there with them…a nail-biting tale of a corporate team-building exercise gone horribly wrong.” ―Booklist

“Riveting…[a] tale of greed and revenge set on Wall Street…Thriller fans will eagerly turn the pages to see what happens next.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Cancel all your plans and call in sick; once you start reading, you'll be caught in your own escape room―the only key to freedom is turning the last page!” ―Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“Smart and compelling... I devoured this novel!” ―Karen Cleveland, bestselling author of Need to Know

“A sharp, slick, utterly engrossing thriller. This knockout debut hooked me from the first page and didn’t let go.” ―Cristina Alger, USA Today bestselling author of The Banker’s Wife

About the Author

MEGAN GOLDIN, author of THE ESCAPE ROOM and THE NIGHT SWIM, worked as a correspondent for Reuters and other media outlets where she covered war, peace, international terrorism and financial meltdowns in the Middle East and Asia. She is now based in Melbourne, Australia where she raises three sons and is a foster mum to Labrador puppies learning to be guide dogs.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 9, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250280664
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250280664
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.56 x 1.06 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #349,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,948 in Psychological Thrillers (Books)
- #3,822 in Suspense Thrillers
- #4,009 in Murder Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
2,737 ratings

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Megan Goldin

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MEGAN GOLDIN worked as a correspondent for Reuters and other media outlets where she covered war, peace, international terrorism and financial meltdowns in the Middle East and Asia. She is now based in Melbourne, Australia where she raises three sons and is a foster mum to Labrador puppies learning to be guide dogs. She is the author of The Escape Room, The Night Swim, and Stay Awake.

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2,737 global ratings

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Customers find this novel to be a great mystery/whodunnit with lots of twists and turns, and one review notes how it grabs readers from the first pages. The character development receives positive feedback, with one customer particularly appreciating the female detective character. The writing style and pacing receive mixed reactions - while some find it cleverly written with quick pacing, others note logical inconsistencies and find it disorienting.

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Suspenseful plot Readability Character development Concept Pacing Writing style

27 customers mention "Suspenseful plot"22 positive5 negative

Customers enjoy the suspenseful plot of the book, which features lots of twists and turns and keeps readers guessing, making it a great mystery/whodunnit.

"...book and definitely recommend it to others who like a suspenseful psychological thriller." Read more

"Loved the plot , twist and turns . I just didn’t understand the villain at the end (don’t want to spoil it too much ) ...." Read more

"...A good, otherwise standard procedural, twists, speed bumps. I finished the book in two sittings. And, I certainly recommend it...." Read more

"...Honestly, don't start this unless you can finish it. The story boasts short chapters, often ending with terrifying revelations, bouncing between..." Read more

19 customers mention "Readability"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book incredibly engaging, with one mentioning it grabs readers from the first pages.

"...Did I guess the ending? Nope. Looking back it was so easy to know. One more reason to make me like this one a lot...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the story and mystery behind Liv’s amnesia and it made sense why she was having these bouts of amnesia as well...." Read more

"...There is much to be admired and enjoyed here. A good, otherwise standard procedural, twists, speed bumps. I finished the book in two sittings...." Read more

"...Netflix for your kids, order take out, and clear your schedule, this one is wild." Read more

7 customers mention "Character development"5 positive2 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one customer particularly enjoying the female detective's perspective.

"...was written from Liv's perspective but also, alternately through the perspective of a female detective...." Read more

"...detective in there, but for the most part, it was her and I loved her character. Series spinoff anyone??..." Read more

"...Unfortunately, it isn’t. An unrealistic premise, unengaging characters, and writing filled with logical inconsistencies, clichés, and errors,..." Read more

"...I also really liked the character development of detective Halliday and would love to see more stories in the future with her." Read more

4 customers mention "Concept"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the concept of the book interesting and smart.

"...I do hope we can get to see her character in another book. She was smart, resilient, and resourceful...." Read more

"...I liked Liv as a main character, she was sympathetic and smart. She was someone I wanted to see succeed in her mission. I loved the NYC setting...." Read more

"...Live is a great character......vulnerable and smart and the detectives involved work well together...." Read more

"This book kept me guessing from page one. Interesting concept. How would a person function when they..." Read more

9 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it moves quickly while others describe it as disorienting and confusing.

"...thing that bothered me was that occasionally the "waking up and forgetting and searching" thing got repetitive...." Read more

"...A good, otherwise standard procedural, twists, speed bumps. I finished the book in two sittings. And, I certainly recommend it...." Read more

"...characters, and writing filled with logical inconsistencies, clichés, and errors, combine to produce a story that is far from thrilling...." Read more

"...reading and wanted to know how it ended, but it was challenging to slog through the stilted, halting dialogue. The characters have little depth...." Read more

9 customers mention "Writing style"5 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book, with some finding it cleverly written while others describe it as mediocre.

"...The book was written from Liv's perspective but also, alternately through the perspective of a female detective...." Read more

"...An unrealistic premise, unengaging characters, and writing filled with logical inconsistencies, clichés, and errors, combine to produce a story that..." Read more

"...They are brilliant narrators, and I was exceedingly happy to have 2 narrators for the 2 different main viewpoints...." Read more

"...Good book, but terrible translation from print to ebook." Read more

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MrsLeif
Stay Awake was unputabledown!
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase

Stay Awake was unputabledown!

I can already imagine the movie or a limited Netflix series.

Liv Reese was living a normal life. She had a good job as a writer for a magazine, a good roommate/best friend, Amy and she was falling in love with the man she was dating, Marco.

Then everything changes when she wakes up in a taxi and arrives at her apartment early morning. The people who answered her apartment door are strangers. Her best friend Amy is not there, her things are gone and her cat is missing. Nothing makes sense. Worse, she finds writings all over her hands and arms, and on her knuckles, the words STAY AWAKE are spelled.

Of course, she starts to freak out and while looking for her cellphone, she finds a knife with blood in her pocket.

What is going on? What did she do?

And this is all I'm going to say about the plot. I believe it's best to go in blind.

I will mention that besides Liv's POV, we also get the POV of the detectives following a crime. Darcy Halliday and Jack Lavelle. Their timeline is in the present while Liv's is both past and present.

I'm not sure why this book reminded me so much of Memento since they are not at all alike. Maybe it was because of the sense of urgency I felt while I was listening to it. I knew time was running out for Liv. The audiobook narrated by Imogen Church and January LaVoy did a great job at wanting me to keep on going and finding out the truth.

Did I guess the ending? Nope. Looking back it was so easy to know. One more reason to make me like this one a lot.

As for the characters, I liked Liv and felt horrible for her. I also like Darcy a lot. I do hope we can get to see her character in another book. She was smart, resilient, and resourceful.

This is the second book I read by Megan Goldin (Night Swim was my first) and I'm now a confirmed fan.

Sign me up for her next novel!

Cliffhanger: No

4.5/5 Fangs

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RSW Kindle Customer
4 Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This 4 Star psychological thriller, Stay Awake kept me reading day and night!

SUMMARY
Liv has a big problem! Every time she wakes up, she finds herself in a place she doesn't recognize and cannot figure out how she got there. The last thing she remembers is sitting in her office on a hot summer afternoon and answering her phone. And then, nothing.

She keeps waking on on a chilly November day and has woken up on a park bench, on a train, in a crappy apartment; all kinds of alarming places. Usually when she awakens, she tries to return to her life; she goes to her apartment or job or to see her boyfriend; but is dismayed when she sees other people living in her apartment, sitting in her desk at work or living in her boyfriends apartment.

Once Liv has been awake for a while, she tends to follow a trail of clues and most days, she discovers that a traumatic event in her life two years ago triggered the memory loss and she cannot seem to get past it. She writes notes all over her hands and her apartment telling herself to stay awake and to trust no one, she just can't remember why!

One day Liv sees herself on the news being accused of the murder of someone she doesn't know and, although she cannot image ever killing anyone, she has no idea if she did actually do it. She tries to avoid the police until she can figure out what happened but it seems that the police aren't the only people looking for her. Her notes tell her to trust no one and some days she finds out that someone seems to be after her. Can she stay awake long enough to figure out what is happening?

WHAT I LOVED
The story follows Liv through several days of her amnesia. It's kind of disorienting and kept me off balance. She will wake 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. Then she follows the clues laid out in front of her, trying to piece together what has happened. She starts to make progress, and then at some point, overcome with exhaustion, falls asleep and has to start over. The suspense of the whole endeavor had me going. I couldn't stop reading!

I liked Liv as a main character, she was sympathetic and smart. She was someone I wanted to see succeed in her mission. I loved the NYC setting. I loved to plot.

The book was written from Liv's perspective but also, alternately through the perspective of a female detective. I loved seeing both sides and I LOVED the female detective as a character. Wouldn't it be nice if author, Megan Goldin wrote another book starring that detective...

WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE
Generally speaking, I hate "falsely accused" plot lines, but this one worked for me. The only thing that bothered me was that occasionally the "waking up and forgetting and searching" thing got repetitive. I know that was on purpose to create the feeling of disorientation, but, it did get repetitive.

OVERALL
I liked this book and definitely recommend it to others who like a suspenseful psychological thriller.

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Alix
An entertaining amnesia thriller but underwhelming climax
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2022
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
3.5 stars

I was really excited to read Stay Awake because amnesia is one of my favorite thriller tropes. I enjoyed the story and mystery behind Liv’s amnesia and it made sense why she was having these bouts of amnesia as well. I felt just as stressed and panicked as Liv was each time she woke up with no memory and no clue where she was. It also gave me slight Memento vibes with how she was writing on her body things to remember.

What I didn’t like was the underwhelming reveal of the killer and the multi-POV’s. I don’t have an issue with the identity of the killer but I found the climax and aftermath to be lacking. Maybe if we had seen this character more and had more of an explanation for why they did what they did I wouldn’t have been as underwhelmed. I also strongly dislike multi-POV’s because often times I find one POV uninteresting. I felt the same way here. I didn’t care for the POV of the detectives and I rather have had it focused on Liv only. Between the flashbacks of the past and the multi-POV’s it felt like too much. Overall though, I enjoyed the story and thought it was a decent amnesia thriller.

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Chanel
very entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2024
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Loved the plot , twist and turns . I just didn’t understand the villain at the end (don’t want to spoil it too much ) . Did they do the crimes because they are a serial killer or was it a one time thing ? It just felt like a bit much for something someone you were dating did that you really didn’t spend that much time with. The going out there way to stalk someone you don’t like is crazy . I just felt like other people were better candidates villains. I understand why you wouldn’t want to be predictable but it just didn’t feel like that person was the good option .

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Top reviews from other countries

Christine Lennartsson
It was ok
Reviewed in Sweden on December 15, 2024
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Book was ok

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Relaxed Reader
Very very clever!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 3, 2025
Verified Purchase
This is utterly brilliant and it has a more than satisfying ending. Couldn't put it down. Ps The Escape Room was brilliant so I tried this next. Glad I did!

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Chantell
⭐Absolutely Brilliant! Loving this read
Reviewed in Germany on May 26, 2025
Verified Purchase
⭐Absolutely Brilliant! Loving this read ...

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Heidi (but books are better)
Messed with my mind
Reviewed in Australia on November 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
There is a good reason why Megan Goldin is one of my favourite thriller writers. I think that THE ESCAPE ROOM is still one of my all-time-favourite 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 disjointed reality of Liv’s world.

I love thrillers that rely strongly on the doubt cast on the main protagonist’s mental state. Liv, a traumatised 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, 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.

Liv’s world is like a crazy kaleidoscope of disjointed images and unanswered questions that consumed me until I had reached the end and finally found out the answers. It was lucky that I read this book on holidays, because I was loathe to put it down. With a perfect blend between action and mystery, Goldin again delivers a psychological thriller so carefully constructed that I never had a chance to guess the culprit – all my theories were totally wrong. I loved every minute of this novel and can’t wait to see what Goldin will come up with next.

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Tinalouise1969
Enjoyed
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
Liv Reese is suffering from a rare form of amnesia. Everytime she falls asleep she has no recollection of the past two years. She has the words Stay Awake written on her hands along with other messages for when she does fall asleep.

I quite enjoyed this book although it find it along the same lines of When I fall Asleep by S J Watson. The storyline is different but the premise is similar.

The story is told in the present as Liv is very confused and doesn't know who she can trust. The story also goes to two years ago and what happens to Liv and why she is in the situation she is in.

I found the book a quick, snappy read with short chapters. There was plenty in the story to hold my I interest and I did want to find out the why and who. I have to say I didn't guess who was behind everything. I did think at times the story became a little repetitive but I don't think that could be helped due to the premise of the story.

Overall I quite enjoyed the book. Again it's a thriller so for me had the typical thrillerland ending and no big twist. I would read more by the author in the future.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Stay Awake was unputabledown!

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 Stars

3.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining amnesia thriller but underwhelming climax

5.0 out of 5 stars very entertaining

Top reviews from other countries

3.0 out of 5 stars It was ok

5.0 out of 5 stars Very very clever!

5.0 out of 5 stars ⭐Absolutely Brilliant! Loving this read

5.0 out of 5 stars Messed with my mind

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed

Stay Awake was unputabledown!

4 Stars

An entertaining amnesia thriller but underwhelming climax

very entertaining

It was ok

Very very clever!

⭐Absolutely Brilliant! Loving this read

Messed with my mind

Enjoyed