Stay Awake by Megan Golden, 3 Stars

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, Stay Awake will keep you up all night.

My Review:

Liv Reese has no idea where the last two and half years of her life have gone. She doesn’t know where she lives, she doesn’t know where her friends or boyfriend are, and she doesn’t even know who she can trust. All she does know is that someone keeps repeating the same message to her. She sees it written on walls, on her hands, everywhere. Stay Awake.

I appreciate the premise for the book and perhaps it was on purpose, but during the beginning of the book, I found myself as confused and turned around as Liv herself. Once I got into the book more, it started to make more sense, but I was a little bummed by how it kicked off for me personally.

Still, I think it was definitely an interesting book and it did keep me guessing. I definitely recommend this one if you like to be surprised. I will say I absolutely loved Megan’s book, The Escape Room, so I will be checking out future books. Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now.