Stay Awake: a murder suspect with no memory of the crime

Stay Awake  by Megan Goldin is a psychological thriller as Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no clue how she got there or where she was. When she is dropped off at her New York City brownstone, a stranger answers and informs her she no longer lives there. As she leaves, she realizes she doesn’t have her phone and her hands are covered in black ink. Messages scribbled like graffiti telling her to STAY  AWAKE.  Her last memory is from two years ago when she was living with her best friend, Dr. Amy Decker, dating a new man, Marco, and has a thriving career as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now she’s lost, disoriented and unsure where to turn and who to trust. At the same time, police detectives are investigating the brutal murder of an unknown man and their lone clue is the fuzzy security camera image of a woman leaving the building. Is Liv connected to the murder? Is there someone who is trying to make sure she doesn't remember anything? 

After reading Ms. Goldin’s The Night Swim (2020), I was excited at the chance to read Stay Awake. Right away, Stay Awake reminded me of Christopher Nolan’s cult classic movie, Memento (2000) and the memory loss of 50 First Dates (2004). Told between the present and the events from two years ago, the reader is taken on a roller coaster of twists and turns. It was a fast paced story as Liv is an unreliable narrator as she can’t remember anything from the last two years and she is afraid to fall asleep. I enjoyed Detective Darcy Halliday who wasn't ready to make snap judgments. She knows there’s something about the evidence that doesn’t make sense. Stay Awake wasn’t as thought provoking as The Night Swim but it was as attention gripping. About two-thirds into the story, I had a feeling about who the killer was and even though I had a clue, the reveal was thrilling. Overall, I enjoyed Stay Awake and look forward to future books by Megan Goldin. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, I recommend Stay Awake. 

Stay Awake is available August 9, 2022 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

Imperfect Rose: first in the series about four sisters

Imperfect Rose by Celeste Messer is the first book in the Patrick’s Garden series. It is the story of Rose McRae, who is oldest of four daughters. She is the smart one, Lily is the beauty, Violet is the sweet one and Daisy is the wild one. With each one in their category, Rose feels she has to live up to the title as well as resents to attention given to her younger sisters.

Rose has a mind for business and she lives in New York City trying to build a successful company with her boyfriend (and she hopes soon fiancé). She has not return home to Texas since her father’s death two years prior and she has effectively ignored her mother, Margaret, and sisters as well. Until one day, after learning that she was not invited to her boyfriend’s family’s weekend party, she decides to head to her hometown, New Layne, Texas. There she learns that her mother has had a terrible accident and has lost her memory. Her mother thinks its 1983 and is asking for her fiancé, Blue. Rose and her sisters must help their mother recover her memory as well as solve of the mystery of who Blue is. Will Rose be able to put aside her resentments and help her family or will she leave them again?

There is a lot I liked about this book and a few that I didn’t. First, I loved the dynamics of the sisters. I liked how Rose was seeing her sisters in a new light and she realizes that there is more to her sisters than the label their father placed on them. I also loved the mystery of Blue and how he fits into Margaret’s history. There were a few surprises revelations. In the story, there is the question about one particular book written by reclusive author Adrienne Louis. When the author is revealed, Daisy says “I didn’t see that coming.” I did. The set up for the surprise was a little too obvious. But who the author is was a surprise. The other revelations I can’t write about because they will ruin the surprise but I can say that I was shocked and eager to finish the book to see how it ended. One thing I didn’t like was the sisters’ use of “crapdonia” which I suppose is their phrase instead of saying a curse word. It wasn’t said too often but it was often enough that it got annoying and it didn't seem to fit. Overall, I enjoyed Imperfect Rose and I am looking forward to the rest of the books in the series.

Imperfect Rose is available on Amazon for the

Kindle for $0.99 and on paperback for $12.95