By Megan Goldin
A Tense and Unsettling Adrenaline Rush of A Story
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SUMMARY
Liv Reese wakes up in the back of an NYC cab early one Wednesday morning with no recollection of how she got there. Mysterious messages are written all over her hands: Don’t Sleep, Stay Awake, and Trust No One. She clutches a fifty-dollar bill in her hand but has no keys, phone, or purse. Strangers answer the door when she buzzes her roommate at their shared apartment. After spending the night on a park bench, she returns to her Manhattan office and finds that the decor and people have changed. While there, she hears a news report about a murder where the killer wrote “Wake Up!” on the window; she fears this might be connected to the writing on her hands.
Book Epigraph: “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.” -Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
REVIEW
STAY AWAKE is a tense and unsettling adrenaline rush. It’s a psychological thriller on NoDoz tablets. Author Megan Goldin skillfully weaves a story of Liv’s present-day odyssey with flashbacks from two years earlier. This tapestry is then combined with the perspectives of NYPD homicide police detectives Darcy Halliday and Jack Lavelle’s unwavering search for Liv. The story will definitely keep you up at night and you won't need NoDoz.
Liv’s vulnerable, anxious, persistent character was expertly developed from the beginning. Liv's vulnerability is so compelling she makes you want to jump into the book and try and help her. Detective Halliday's perseverance serves as a breath of fresh air and rationale for this worrisome thriller.
Other delightful and not to be missed psychological thrillers by Megan Goldin include The Escape Room (2019) and The Night Swim (2020).
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher St. Martin’s Press
Published August 9, 2022
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
