This book was provided by the publisher for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
Stay Awake: A Novel by Megan GoldinPublication Date: August 9, 2022
Publisher: St. Martin's Press / Macmillan
Pages: 352
Goodreads
Source: From the Publisher
Genre: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Rating: ★★★
Synopsis:
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.
REVIEW
Stay Awake: A Novel by Megan Goldin instantly grabbed my attention with its intriguing premise, leaving me eager to dive into the story. However, I must admit that within the first 2 minutes of listening to the audiobook, I was tempted to give up. The portrayal of one of the male characters by the narrator didn’t quite resonate with me. Nevertheless, I decided to take a short break and return to the book a few days later, and I am so grateful that I did because it turned out to be an extraordinary and captivating tale.
Although the main character, Liv Reese, had a tendency to frustrate me with her reluctance to seek help or trust the words of others throughout the narrative, I couldn’t help but be drawn into her journey. The book skillfully delved into the exploration of memory and traumatic fugue states, shedding light on a topic that I hadn’t encountered with such depth before. Witnessing Liv gradually piece together the fragments of her story while listening to the audiobook was absolutely enthralling. The plot was filled with unexpected twists and turns, and even though I should have anticipated the ending, I was completely taken by surprise and absolutely enamoured by it.
Stay Awake: A Novel by Megan Goldin is undeniably a remarkable book that has not only satisfied my reading appetite but also sparked my curiosity to delve into more of her other captivating titles.
