By Megan Goldin
Published August 2022
352 Pages
Liv Reese’s life was nearly perfect. She was a food writing for a trendy magazine, living with a vivacious roommate and dating Mr. Right. The next thing she knows, she’s in a taxi in the middle of the night with no idea where she’s going, she’s lost her phone and purse, and there are strangers living in her apartment. Her roommate and boyfriend seem to have disappeared along with her memories of the past two years. More disturbing, she woke up in that taxi with a bloodstained knife in her pocket and ink covering her hands. Graffiti that matches bloodied writing left at a recent murder crime scene: STAY AWAKE.
Now Liz desperately needs to try to unravel what has happened over the past two years and what she might have done during that time, but who can she trust when every time she falls asleep, she forgets everything she’s learned?
This was a breakneck-paced thriller where the suspense built scene by scene without almost no pause. What began as a simple case of amnesia turned into multiple head-scratching mysteries that were deftly woven together into a larger conspiracy, with Liv unwittingly caught in the middle like a fly in a spider’s web. At first I thought that Liv had simply lost her memories in a recent accident or something, but nope, she loses them every time she falls asleep and I wanted to scream in frustration for her when she’d get so close to uncovering a clue or answering a question, only to doze off and wake up with no knowledge of what had just transpired. Add in the weirdness of a stranger calling her, insisting they’re the only one she can trust, and Liz not being able to ask or get answers to what the hell was going on while the police are closing in on her as a murder suspect. Tension city!
I’ll admit, I guessed who the real killer was somewhat early on but dismissed them. Still, I didn’t even come close to unraveling the full plot.
I strongly recommend this for anyone who’s into psychological thrillers that never let up. The pacing is on par with James Patterson, but the characters are better developed.
A strong 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Until next time, thank you for visiting.
Ann Dudzinski 