This was underwhelming.

I enjoyed the topic but this book didn't have the elements I usually like from the author (twists and unique concepts). It somehow felt a bit dated a la Jason Bourne (I have a personal vendetta against Matt Damon) so I quickly lost interest.

I only finished because I've enjoyed his past work.

This is my first Blake Crouch book, and I can see why he’s such a popular author. I enjoyed his writing and the entire book is pretty intense and fast-paced. This is a story that I can see made into a movie.

However, there are some fundamental problems with the premise. Let’s be real, we’ve seen many movies about enhanced superhuman power and kill people to save humanity story so I don’t think there’s anything new or unique that would stick with me. Then, the ending seemed pretty contradictory to the whole purpose of the story….soooo…. I’m not really sure how I felt.

Overall it’s still a very entertaining read and definitely make me wanna read Dark Matter and Recursion.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the free e-copy in exchange for my honest review

3.7 roundup to 4 ⭐️

I don’t read as much science fiction as I used to and when I do it tends toward the literary more than the scientific. And I think that is probably the main reason for my rating here. There is a well established plot with interesting characters, background on genetics necessary to the story, but what felt, to me, excessive details that occasionally stopped the onward flow of the story. And believe me, the story does move, sometimes with fury. There is plenty of action for those who crave it, as well as thought and attention to how humanity has arrived at and is dealing with the degraded environment they are currently living in throughout the world.

While there were interesting points and the author has demonstrated a breadth of knowledge, too often, I was pulled out of the action or contemplation by another string of genetic code. I have a feeling that many, perhaps most others may feed differently and enjoy everything.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review.

A sci-fi book with an interesting concept regarding genetically altering human beings in order to save them from extinction. I liked the characters well enough, there was plenty of action, but just too much scientific gobbledygook. I found myself skipping big chunks of it to try and move on with the story. The ending was decent and had a very meaningful letter regarding humanity. This is the third book I’ve read by this author and rated each one 3 stars. However, I keep reading them so something is definitely keeping my interest, and I will probably read Mr. Crouch’s next book. Hope that one’s a 5!

I'm shouting from the rooftops that Crouch's latest "Upgrade" is one of the best books of 2022! A believable story of genetic modification and a glimpse at the future - regardless of how distant or near. This book with keep you engaged as you flip through the pages at rapid speed.

I loved the message of this story. Blake does it again with the sci-fi thrillers and does not disappoint!

Ultimately, I was disappointed in this book. It was not nearly as good as Dark Matter. I never became emotionally invested like I was with the last one. I'm not sure why, if it was specifically because he himself disengaged so much from his emotions or because the stakes didn't feel as high, I'm not sure. Also, there wasn't a lot that felt new to me in this take on genetic engineering nor was it an actual thriller. Several parts in the middle dragged quite a bit for me. I'm really sad that a book with such an interesting and promising premise ended up being so boring and underwhelming.

Blake Crouch is a master at stories that feel so real - even as wild as the science is, he makes you think it could really happen or could definitely be our future. Upgrade is no different - a very cool story.

This one hurt...I've really enjoyed Crouch's previous books but this one really fell flat for me. It was simply "ok" when I was expecting such great things. I felt like it was extremely easy to check out while reading this one and a lot of it was repetitive and somewhat cliched, and a bit phoned-in. Will this stop me from reading his next book? Nope.

I have been a Blake Crouch fan since I read Dark Matter, which is still my favorite of his. But this book did not disappoint. I was intrigued by the plot and thought it was well executed. Logan was an interesting character and I felt engaged in the story and the excitement. This one is right up there with Dark Matter and Recursion for me!

“Upgrade” was an interesting work of science fiction, which isn’t usually my genre of choice. I was into the story from the beginning and enjoyed the unsuspecting ride. There were twists and turns and overall, while not my usual cup of tea, I liked this one. 4 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy for review.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the subject is fascinating - genetic mutation and how it can alter the future. The story is fast paced and dynamic. But on the other hand, I was bored through much of the book. Not enough happened and there were too many scientific details. We were mostly in the head of the main character, and at times I found myself quickly skimming parts of the book. It was a quick read and mostly enjoyable, but not crouch’s best in my opinion.

Thank you netgalley for my advance reader copy.

Another great book by Blake Crouch. He has a great way of explaining convoluted topics that leave you feeling smarter after having read his books, rather than dumb for not knowing these in depth topics.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Upgrade a lot. Great "summertime" read with lots of fun quirks and great genetics related science fiction. See my full review on youtube: https://youtu.be/1N9Uj0yFGoA

The perfect summer read! Interesting and unique plot, a sympathetic main character, and propulsive action that kept me turning the pages way too late into the night. Blake Crouch has a way of making science fiction very accessible for readers like me who normally do not read much of the genre. I have recommended this book to several different people who read across all genres.

I finished Upgrade a couple of weeks ago and as always @blakecrouch1 had blown my mind. I love the concept of altering DNA and upgrading to become something of a superhuman. Enhancing one’s strength, knowledge, and senses doesn’t come without consequences.

Logan Ramsay works for the GPA, Genetic Protection Agency, when he gets caught in a genome-attacking bomb. The background on Logan is his mom was a geneticist that unwittingly caused the death of billions when her project caused worldwide starvation or “Ramsay’s Famine.” Soon after Logan’s attack, he becomes smarter, faster, stronger. He believes that if everyone gets this kind of “upgrade” then it will be the end of humanity. Who’s behind this DNA-altering attack? Logan is out to stop them.

I definitely enjoyed this heart-pounding read but loved Recursion more. (I still have to read Dark Matter *gasp*). The epilogue of Upgrade was so so great in my opinion. Once again, Blake Crouch leaves us with another great book to ponder and discuss. One I’ll be thinking about for awhile.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the eARC! I made sure to get the @bookofthemonth copy for my husband so we could read it together.

A big thank you to the author Blake Crouch, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

This is an intriguing story of gene manipulation gone awry. It is a very timely story about the advantages and dangers of experimenting with manipulating genes.

This is an epic read and I recommend it.

If I would have read this pre-pandemic I would have never believed the plot of this book. Now, having lived through some pretty bizarre happenings, I honestly feel like this could happen. By "this" I mean a genetic engineering experiment gone wrong. I would even go so far as to say it is too soon for a fictional story like this. It really just hits too close to home, what with a lab-created virus infecting people without their knowledge. I generally like Blake Crouch's books, particularly Dark Matter, but this one just wasn't for me. I still give it a 3 star rating based on the quality writing; I just didn't care for the subject matter.

A huge thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface this review by saying that I am a biology major working in health care so Blake Crouch and his sci-fi/thrillers (emphasis on the SCIENCE part) are right up my alley. I was over the moon to receive an early copy and even more ecstatic when it turned out to be my favorite Blake Crouch book yet.

In Upgrade, we follow Logan as he navigates life working in DC for the Gene Protection Agency. This agency came to be after Logan's mother, Miriam, used gene manipulation on an insect which lead to the death of millions of people. Now, as a GPA agent, Logan hunts down rouge scientists still using gene manipulation and arrests them. During one such mission, Logan is hit with a mystery projectile and wakes up in a hospital bed. At first he feels normal, but quickly we learn that all may no longer be as it seems. We continue to follow Logan as he learns about himself and his family and watch as he begins to understand the full implications of the work his mother started so many years ago.

Like Dark Matter and Recursion, Crouch is perfectly able to make very complex science feel attainable to the average reader and also follow principles that make sense and feel like this is a real scientific project. Also like Dark Matter and Recursion, the connection between the main character and his wife/partner/lover/child is always incredibly important and an anchor connecting them to humanity. It makes his stories relatable and also emotional, which is rare for a thriller book.

I think it's very clear the author has been deeply affected by Covid and also the Tr*mp administration. There is clear theming around a lack of compassion and "relative loss" for the greater good. There were a few quotes that I thought really highlighted this:
"Human beings are not a means to an end."
"We were a monstrous, thoughtful, selfish, sensitive, fearful, ambitious, loving, hateful, hopeful species. We contained within us the potential for great evil, but also for great good. And we were capable of so much more than this."
"We don't have an intelligence problem. We have a compassion problem."

I think if covid has shown us anything, it has shown that compassion for others and not taking a human life for granted is not a universal trait of human beings. This story explores that same notion and makes the reader consider another side to the problem. Progress for the sake of progress is not always the best choice and "relative loss" is very different when you or a close friend/family is the loss in question.

Blake Crouch always makes me think. I contemplate the decisions I've made and how they have affected the world around me. Western society in general has always tried to push the boundaries; manifest destiny, the space race, automated everything, etc. But, just because we can do something, doesn't always mean we should. There needs to be a level of compassion factored in. Upgrade literally takes place in a world where lower Manhattan doesn't exist due to flooding and any protein you consume is likely manufactured in a lab. The author is showing us our future if we continue on our current trajectory. I found this book to be insightful and emotional. There are obviously a lot of positives; the pacing is fantastic, the characters relatable and the action intense, but it's more than than. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science and/or thrillers but there's a lot more to gain than just a fun action packed thriller. Definitely pick this book up!

I got almost all the way through this book and then realized... I don't really care how it ends? Crouch's books (excepting Recursion) follow a very specific formula: smart science guy (but not TOO smart) gets into trouble and ends up separated from his wife and kid and he must cheat the system / hack the science to be reunited with wife and kid who have moved on in his absence.

In this one in particular the writing is very dry. It fits with the character, but it's very boring for the reader. Each encounter is boiled down very methodically and stripped of its tension (if you want good smart person using brainpower in combat, read Zero Sum Game by SL Huang). It started to feel like I was only reading out of inertia.

Then again, I also haven't loved (or even really liked...) any of the Crouch books I've read so I should just stop trying.