Stay Awake by Megan Goldin
Publication Date: 09th August 2022
Genre: Contemporary Thriller
3.7 Stars
One Liner: Fast-paced and entertaining if you ignore a few hiccups
Liv Reese has no idea of anything around her. She wakes up in a taxi and stumbles to her home only to find out that she and her friend Amy no longer live there. Nothing is the same. The scary part is the scribbles all over her arms.
Why did she write Stay Awake, Wake Up, and other messages to herself on her body? Why does she forget everything when she falls asleep? What happened in the past? Who can she trust?
Liv has too many questions but no answers. She is confused, scared, and unsure of what to do next? To make things worse, there has been a murder in a familiar-looking place. It appears that Liv is somehow involved in the crime. But how and why? Why does she feel as if her life is in danger?
Can Liv and the detectives find answers to the questions? What happens to Liv?
The story comes in the first-person perspective of Liv (past and present) and the third-person perspective of the detectives.
My Opinions:
The premise was intriguing, and the story had a solid start. The alternating POVs were well done. There was no confusion about the past, present, or person.
The book had a great pace which is always a plus for me. However, it was repetitive in many places. I can’t help but wonder how much better the book would be if the repetitions were cut out.
I liked the detectives’ track to a point. Darcy and Lavelle looked like they had potential (despite the stereotyping). But the backstories felt a bit unnecessary. Sure, they can add to the character depth, but it isn’t required unless the characters will be used in another thriller.
I’m not sure how I feel about Liv. Sure, I felt sad for her initially, but later on, I started to wonder if she was one of those TSTL heroines. She did redeem herself towards the end, so maybe I’ll cut her some slack.
The dialogues in the book are a bit weird. Some of them don’t even make sense (in both tracks). It feels like reading in circles, which is essentially what happens given Liv’s medical condition.
A couple of sidetracks/ red herrings seemed a little too much. Those could have worked better if they were properly woven into the main plot. Right now (mine is an ARC), they don’t blend well.
The book kept me hooked even though I could guess the twists. Most of them were right, and the reveal wasn’t a shock. Since I like thrillers with solutions that make sense (at least a little), I didn’t mind the rest.
To sum up, Stay Awake has its flaws (quite a few) but is an enjoyable thriller if you don’t think much about the whole thing. Just let it flow and give your gray cells some rest.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the eARC.
*****
P.S: If you’re wondering why I still rated it 4 stars, it’s coz I could finish it fast (in 2.5 days). The book was enjoyable once I decided not to stress too much about the details.
This is my first book by the author, but I intend to read her other works. Seems that some of the previous ones were very good.
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