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
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the Publisher
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reviews with images
An amnesia thriller with a twist!
STAY AWAKE packs in the twists and turns. I had been worried when I read that it was an amnesia thriller, but this one didn’t get monotonous or bog me down too much in the memory lapse phases. The pace is great and the characters are well-developed despite the memory problems. A fun thriller!Liv Reese wakes up in the backseat of a taxi with no idea where she is or where she is coming from. When Liv arrives at her apartment, she finds that someone else lives there now and she is covered in writing largely reminding her to “stay awake” and a bloody knife in her pocket.Her last memory is 2 years earlier when she was working at a magazine, dating her boyfriend Marco, living with her best friend Amy, and living in New York City. In present time she is in New York City, but nothing else seems to be the same. Shortly after her most recent awakening, she sees a news story about a man who was murdered and the same message from her hand is written on the window “stay awake”.It was easy to cheer for Liv because even though we aren’t sure what exactly happened and how she might be involved in the crimes she is clearly linked to, she felt innocent. The amnesia helps with this—even if she did end up doing something awful or witnessing something awful, it’s clear her brain has completely disassociated from it.As the story progresses, the pace continues to speed up because we start learning more and more. I loved how some of the answers just led to a new question, because there were lots of twists and turns throughout. It really felt like solving a jigsaw puzzle where some pieces connect and others don’t work until more comes into place. I was shocked by the ending!
Top reviews from other countries
Heidi (but books are better)
Messed with my mind
Reviewed in Australia on November 9, 2022
Mrs S Jones
One of the best books I’ve ever read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2022
