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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
This is my 2nd Megan Goldin book and I am officially obsessed with her! The premise of Stay Awake is WILD so I knew off the bat I'd be hooked.
The main character suffers from a very rare trauma-induced form of amnesia and the book follows her as she wakes up to a 2 year memory gap, writing all over her hands & arms, and a bloody knife in her pocket. Is Liv Reese a killer or a victim?
This novel time jumps between the present and the last that Liv remembers anything - just over 2 years ago. This intense back-and-forth kept me guessing and intensely invested. Trying to figure out who Liv could trust and what is going on was a thrilling adventure. I was constantly piecing scraps of clues together to try to figure the puzzle out - and there were more than a few suspects around each corner.
I thought this novel was so well done. It is a fast-paced and thrilling mystery with some really intriguing twists. Highly recommended!!!
The main character suffers from a very rare trauma-induced form of amnesia and the book follows her as she wakes up to a 2 year memory gap, writing all over her hands & arms, and a bloody knife in her pocket. Is Liv Reese a killer or a victim?
This novel time jumps between the present and the last that Liv remembers anything - just over 2 years ago. This intense back-and-forth kept me guessing and intensely invested. Trying to figure out who Liv could trust and what is going on was a thrilling adventure. I was constantly piecing scraps of clues together to try to figure the puzzle out - and there were more than a few suspects around each corner.
I thought this novel was so well done. It is a fast-paced and thrilling mystery with some really intriguing twists. Highly recommended!!!
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
A chilling and fast-paced psychological thriller where a woman wakes up with no memory of the past two years - and someone is hunting her down. Stay Awake by Megan Goldin blends memory loss, dual timelines, and a relentless mystery that keeps you turning the pages late into the night. Perfect for fans of suspense that starts strong and doesn't let up.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was really good! I had no idea who the murder was but when it came out in the end I was like well yeah that makes sense.
Poor Liv has been so traumatized that when she falls asleep she can’t remember what has happened when she wakes up. Special kind of amnesia and hell. One night she wakes in the back of a cab with no phone, no purse and is dropped off at an apartment she hasn’t lived in for 2 years. She also has no idea why she has a knife with someone else’s blood on it.
This was my first my first book by Megan Goldin and I really loved it! I couldn’t put it down.
Poor Liv has been so traumatized that when she falls asleep she can’t remember what has happened when she wakes up. Special kind of amnesia and hell. One night she wakes in the back of a cab with no phone, no purse and is dropped off at an apartment she hasn’t lived in for 2 years. She also has no idea why she has a knife with someone else’s blood on it.
This was my first my first book by Megan Goldin and I really loved it! I couldn’t put it down.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Megan Goldin's books have been a mixed bag for me. [b:The Night Swim|51169341|The Night Swim|Megan Goldin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569898236l/51169341._SY75_.jpg|70932279] was a compelling mystery with a powerful payoff, [b:The Escape Room|41150380|The Escape Room|Megan Goldin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539265141l/41150380._SY75_.jpg|60014954] was fine but didn't live up to the originality of the first book. Stay Awake has been the most disappointing so far, as the characters felt extremely flat and the plot had a pretty terrible payoff and it felt like there were plot holes.
Stay Awake alternates between two perspectives - that of Lila Reeves, who is extremely confused about her life as she can't remember anything that has happened from two years ago to date; and the detectives that are investigating into the murder of a man that they can't identify yet. Lila and the man's death are inexplicably connected, as she wakes up with the murder weapon on her but no memories of how she knows the man and how he died. However, there's a message written in blood on the window of the site of the crime: STAY AWAKE - the exact same message that Lila finds scribbled on her hands.
Like I've mentioned before, the characters are really flat. We're told that Lila has a terrible childhood with a mother who basically uprooted them each other she got into a new relationship, that Lila is a fantastic cook (though we don't actually get to witness any of that cooking) and she's in love with Marco, who treats her pretty poorly. However, we don't learn much more about Lila - such as why she can't let go of Marco, even after her best friend and roommate Amy, basically hints to her that Marco is a terrible person.
Regarding the police detectives, they felt like extremely random additions to the story. Darcy Halliday is a veteran turned homicide detective and it's briefly suggested that she might've worked in military intel, with a close friend that had died after failing to adapt to civilian death but then this point isn't really developed upon? Meanwhile, Jack Lavelle is the more senior detective on the case and aside from being widely respected at his job, there is nothing else that we know about him.
The book might've been saved if the plot had a better payoff as there were some genuinely creepy moments in Lila's past. Lila believes that there's someone stalking her as this mysterious person messages her cryptically; sends her gifts and seems to following her. However, the police don't seem to believe her, even as the scenarios become stranger and more menacing. However, the reveal of the mystery on what happened to Lila was just kinda "meh".
Stay Awake alternates between two perspectives - that of Lila Reeves, who is extremely confused about her life as she can't remember anything that has happened from two years ago to date; and the detectives that are investigating into the murder of a man that they can't identify yet. Lila and the man's death are inexplicably connected, as she wakes up with the murder weapon on her but no memories of how she knows the man and how he died. However, there's a message written in blood on the window of the site of the crime: STAY AWAKE - the exact same message that Lila finds scribbled on her hands.
Like I've mentioned before, the characters are really flat. We're told that Lila has a terrible childhood with a mother who basically uprooted them each other she got into a new relationship, that Lila is a fantastic cook (though we don't actually get to witness any of that cooking) and she's in love with Marco, who treats her pretty poorly. However, we don't learn much more about Lila - such as why she can't let go of Marco, even after her best friend and roommate Amy, basically hints to her that Marco is a terrible person.
Spoiler
The Lila of today is even more underbaked, but then I suppose this may be because Goldin wants to maintain the air of mystery around Lila to cause her to appear delusional or ill.Regarding the police detectives, they felt like extremely random additions to the story. Darcy Halliday is a veteran turned homicide detective and it's briefly suggested that she might've worked in military intel, with a close friend that had died after failing to adapt to civilian death but then this point isn't really developed upon? Meanwhile, Jack Lavelle is the more senior detective on the case and aside from being widely respected at his job, there is nothing else that we know about him.
The book might've been saved if the plot had a better payoff as there were some genuinely creepy moments in Lila's past. Lila believes that there's someone stalking her as this mysterious person messages her cryptically; sends her gifts and seems to following her. However, the police don't seem to believe her, even as the scenarios become stranger and more menacing. However, the reveal of the mystery on what happened to Lila was just kinda "meh".