Upgrade was another exciting and thought provoking read by Blake Crouch, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite science fiction authors. The beginning had me hooked immediately, the ending was generally satisfying, but felt a little rushed. If I had one criticism it would be that I found the pacing to be a little uneven. The middle of the book dragged a little for me compared to the first and the final third of the book. Overall I still enjoyed it a lot, and Crouch remains an author on my "auto-buy" list!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy! The views expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!!

This book is a great example of a hypothetical question about our future and some ways it could play out. In this not so distant future that Crouch creates, there is an evolution in what some are able to do by changing our genes to create a sort-of superhuman with a high increase in intelligence. The even more interesting piece to this is seeing through the author's eyes what a possible effect this would have on the main character.

This was a thrilling, fast-paced and brilliant read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I never could figure out the next twist in the book and it led me through a whirlwind of surprises. I highly recommend this!

Out July 12th!

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked the main character, Logan. He begins the book as a government agent and happily married family man, cracking down on rogue genetic scientists. He hates the job, but does it as a penance for his own role in a genetic-engineering disaster that caused hundreds of thousands of people to die of starvation. It is interesting to see how he changes throughout the book due to the genetic upgrades that are done to him.

The science seems very plausible and a cautionary tale against what we could do in the future. The family dynamic with his god-like mother and soldierly sister is tragic and entirely believable.

I don't have any criticisms of the book except for a slightly depressing tone over most of the book...which is kind of inevitable given the subject material. It ends on a hopeful note, though, which is great.

Blake Crouch’s latest book Upgrade missed the mark for me. Perhaps my expectations were too high, considering his two previous novels Dark Matter and Recursion were mind-blowing. The first third of the book is the best. The catastrophe facing the characters is high stakes and interesting. Where things dropped off was the amount of introspection the main character indulges in, while giving the reader long passages of science, and no action. As Logan, the main character, becomes less human, it becomes a challenge to care about anything going on. Perhaps that is exactly the point, but there wasn’t enough emotional connection to Logan in the first third of the story to carry me through the rest of the book. Overall, Blake Crouch’s writing is still strong and fans of sci-fi thrillers will enjoy it.

Blake Crouch introduces a hero whose genome undergoes an upgrade and changes his entire life. This story is thrilling and spooky at the same time!

I would like.to say thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I wouldn't consider myself a Blake Crouch super fan I have read and enjoyed the Wayward Pines trilogy, Dark Matter, and Recursion with none getting less than 4 stars. Unfortunately I will be breaking that streak with Upgrade.

I'm going to try very hard to talk about this book without spoilers since it isn't out yet, but this seems like a difficult task because the issues I had were pretty specific. I'll try to give a general overview but spare the details. First of all the things I enjoyed are some of the things I've enjoyed in the past Crouch books I've read. The novel starts with a bang and draws you in pretty much immediately. The writing is snappy, and you immediately want to learn more about this future setting and what is going on. The pacing stays quick which makes a 2 or 3 day type of read. It is true that you'll want to know what happens in the next chapter.

Unfortunately, that's where my issues really come in. A lot of times when I found out what was happening in regards to the narrative choices that were made I was pretty disappointed. That definitely includes the main antagonist. We know what their motivations are, but I think it's somewhat poor character work in that it seems like they adopt these motivations with huge implications on more or less a whim. Likewise, Logan has to be my least favorite Crouch protagonist for similar reasons. He's slightly more developed, but he makes quite a few decisions that I didn't think made sense given his capabilities and what he says he values.

I also had quite a few issues with the worldbuilding. We know this is the future, but it's never clear how far it is from our present. Some technology seems to not have changed at all, some technology seems to have advanced greatly to the benefit of humanity, and some elements seem radically dystopian.. Some of it seemed kind of ridiculous which broke my immersion. Entire lakes have disappeared and entire sections of cities under water makes you think it might be a far future, but so much seems very similar to our present. These were all kind of nitpicks that didn't really tank the book for me. The ending did that.

I can put up.with a lot of absurdity when it comes to sci fi. The climatic action sequence certainly fits that bill with its ridiculous melodrama and other elements of what happens to main character that would be a spoiler. However, the final conclusion to the story in the epilogue was utterly and completely ridiculous and could serve as the definition of cringe. My eyes rolled so hard I'm surprised they didn't fall out of my head when I read it. Not only did it feel like moral finger wagging, but there's no way I even remotely buy it as a resolution to the presented problem. Bottom line: I hated it and lowered the book from 3 to 2 stars.

Now to be clear this isn't going to put me off of Crouch going forward as he is 6 for 7 with me. Just if you're interested in reading his stuff make sure to pick up Dark Matter or Recursion instead.

Logan's mother was a brilliant geneticist who accidentally killed hundreds of millions of people when one of her tweaks mutated. Now all forms of genetic engineering are illegal and Logan helps enforce those laws as part of his penance. A raid on a lab turns out to be a setup and Logan finds himself the unwilling recipient of a whole slate of DNA improvements. He's stronger, smarter, and faster than he dreamed possible; so far beyond the rest of humanity he might not even count as human anymore. All of mankind is at a tipping point, and Logan is the fulcrum. Another smart scifi thriller from Crouch.

This was the first book by the author that I have read and it did not disappoint. It is a combination of science and science fiction that is well written and engaging. The premise of the book is the upgrading of humans through gene alteration, but not in the typical manner used in other books of this type. You will not be disappointed with this book.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you have enjoyed anything else by Blake Crouch, this book is no different. The story follows a man, who after a worldwide famine, works in Gene Protection. The premise of the book sounds bizarre and possibly hard to follow, but I can assure you, it is not. It's also absolutely fascinating and I can guarantee probably meticulously researched. The story was extremely engaging but at the same time made the possibly invented science in the book into something even I could understand, and I am not a very big science person. I was honestly stoked when I found out I would be able to review this book because I know that Crouch never disappoints, and I was not wrong.
The story hit all the right notes, it was engaging, interesting, feasible, and at times, sad. But it also made a very good point that I think we could all do with hearing at such an interesting point in time.
I honestly could not put this book down, and I bet you won't be able to either. If you are a fan of science fiction akin to things like the Martian or Crouch's other books, this will blow you out of the water. I could not recommend this book more, and I know if you read it you will enjoy it just as much as I did.

Upgrade was a very exciting book with a fast pace. The plot was full of action, and it was a very futuristic story. The story was very interesting and thought-provoking. One critique I would say is that there were a lot of technical terms and sometimes the book got bogged down in that.

Readers that like science fiction will really enjoy this book. I would definitely recommend this book and will be checking out Crouch's other novels.

Have you read Dark Matter and/or Recursion? Both of those just had me frantically turning pages to find out what happened. Even though I never read sci fi (and probably still won’t unless pushed by book club), I just loved the craziness of both of those books. The worlds were so inventive, the science so cool.

So, I started Upgrade expecting to go for a ride. I did, but…

This book didn’t do for me what the previous two did, I’m sad to report! I just couldn’t get lost in this one like I did the other two.

My main issue with Upgrade was the way Logan continuously describes his new abilities. I know we need the details to fully understand what’s happening with his body and mind, but it got to be too much for me, like he was just hitting the reader over the head with “look what I can do now!” kind of stuff.

Now, I’m definitely not saying that this book was awful because of that. It was still a fun and entertaining read! I enjoyed the rivalry in the book, which I won’t go into because it’s a spoiler. It was pretty epic, though.

As far as the science goes, this one was definitely just as intricately researched and detailed as Dark Matter and Recursion. Crouch drops a ton of facts and words about the human genome. At times, though, I did feel a little bit like they were there just for the sake of looking impressive and….well….science-y.

Overall I enjoyed Upgrade, but it definitely was my least favorite of Crouch’s three books. I’m giving it a 3.5.

My favorite Goodreads question ever from a reader comes from a Blake Crouch book when someone asked : ""Has Blake Crouch learned to write in complete sentences yet?".... the answer is no. No, he hasn't. However, he really makes sentence fragments work where he puts it into the story, and I enjoy it. Now that it's been pointed out to me, I stop whenever I read them and cackle a bit. Crouch has a distinctive writing style- if you have read Dark Matter or Recursion and enjoyed it, Upgrade has a similar style of writing and is also very good!

"Upgrade" has a Marvel-esque feel to it. Or at least a "Falcon and Winter Soldier" feel- this reads like an action movie/show and the main character has been 'upgraded' via a change to his genetic code, causing him to be like a super soldier (not quite, but he has been transformed into a 'better' version of himself). So the questions become-- is this something that should be given to the general public? What if the genetic transformation killed a percentage of the world population? Is it worth it, if making people become smarter versions of themselves will hopefully help solve world problems like overpopulation, deforestation, and global warming? Or could it backfire too easily- would enhancing a selfish person with political power just enable that person to be an even more selfish person? Is more intelligence what is needed to create a better future?

The thing I love about "Upgrade" is that while it is sci-fi, there are elements of the story that feel relevant to current events. In the end, I didn't enjoy "Upgrade" quite as much as "Dark Matter" or "Recursion," but it is a 5-star "must read" by an author that keeps throwing out action-packed, thoughtful books.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for an advanced e-arc of this book. Loving the cover designs for Crouch books, and looking forward to seeing this one hit the shelves on July 12, 2022.

While the plot was unique and interesting, the story and characters didn’t grip me. I found it to be a little repetitive and hard to follow with all the science talk.
I’m sad I wasn’t that into it because I loved Dark Matter and really liked Recursion.
I enjoyed the first half, it was off to a good start but then it kind of went down hill and I ended up skimming the last half of the book.

What does it mean to be human?

Well, to me it’s feeling all the feels and trying my best to translate them into the world in a way that isn’t hurtful. Upgrade does an incredible job having you question this about yourself. I don’t want to say too much about the “emotional” aspect of the book, because having it build and build until it hits you over and over is part of the fun.

Now, I used to be intimidated when reading anything too science heavy BUT Blake Crouch explains what all these terms mean AND why they matter in this world. Crouch doesn’t expect you to take it at face value and accept it just makes sense because he says so. He will take all that crazy research he did and explain it to where you also feel like you’re learning as the story builds.

This book was so action packed it felt like reading a movies subtitles and watching the screen. I love how Blake Crouch refuses to be put in a box by using all of these elements that we would immediately want to consider a specific genre. There’s moments of fear, love, anger and hopelessness that will have you pausing to breathe.

I understand Dark Matter is a very SciFi friendly book for those who read well, not science fiction. This means I’ve seen a lot of readers use that book to compare the rest of his works and I think that can be very hurtful because not every book is going to be on the same exact wavelength. I love both books in very different ways and for very different reasons.

All that to say, this is one of my favorite 2022 reads. 5 stars over and over. Happy readings and happy tears.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Actual rating : 3.5

Blake Crouch returns with another scifi thriller, Upgrade. Readers follow Logan, a geneticist by education in a near-future where no private industry geneticists are allowed. Logan's mother was a geneticist as well, and her actions led to the Great Starvation, resulting in a tainting of Logan's family name. Logan, post-pardon, works for the Gene Protection Agency to ensure nothing similar happens again. When Logan finds himself beginning to change accompanied by information that maybe his mother isn't quite as dead as he thought, Logan has to work fast to prevent another mass casualty event.

I was eager to read a book by Blake Crouch focused more heavily on genetics than on timelines and multiverses, especially considering that my own formal education centered on genetics. Crouch clearly had wonderful subject matter experts in his corner and was good enough to actually listen to them when writing this book. Sure there were a few errors here or there that clearly were not the product of artistic liberty, but nothing that was harmful to the success of the book. The science in general seems to hold up, at least in concepts, if not in specific methodology. I was very pleasantly surprised by this.

If the "scifi" aspects of the book were a strength, then I would have to point out the characterization as a relative weakness in comparison. We got some development on Logan, and a very little bit for Kara and maybe Edwin, but overall this is a very plot-centric story. Realistically, any of the characters could have been swapped out with little effect on the story beyond having another character with the same area of expertise. Unfortunately, I am a reader who prefers to be drawn in by characters and maybe have a cool plot to engage those characters, so I felt a little dissatisfied with this setup. Accompany that by stakes that always felt relatively low, and I was left feeling vaguely lukewarm. I did find the overall message of the book to be interesting and worthy of thought, if a bit heavy-handed and cheesy.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a fast-paced plot, but not to those who need to love characters in order to feel engaged with the story. I was happy to have an opportunity to read this book early and look forward to exploring Crouch's backlist.

Overall Rating: 🌟🌟
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First Line Rating: 2/10
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“We found Henrik Soren at a wine bar in the international terminal, thirty minutes from boarding a hyperjet to Tokyo.”
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I’ve come to expect Crouch openers to be less than superb, but it’s normally a good trade off for a great read. This one just has too many specifics to start of with without much to draw you in.
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I have loved almost every Crouch book I’ve read, but this one was a miss. The premise was solid, and I’d say the first 1/4 was pretty good. To me though, when a certain two characters change direction drastically for very little reasoning, it went downhill fast. Though the potential was there, it was missing the believable, intense urgency we all loved in Recursion and Dark Matter. I found myself ready to be done before the halfway mark. It’s worth the read because I’ve seen plenty of positive reviews and it was okay, so see for yourself, but it didn’t do it for me.

This is an thriller that packs a punch with its sci-fi questions. What does it mean to be human, and how can we save our world from falling apart? Explore some of the answers as we have some fight scenes and lots of rumination on the road.

Here is my video review: https://youtu.be/bqJ33eMl384?t=749

Logan is a government agent who polices genetic modifications. In an accident, he becomes genetically upgraded. As he struggles to hold on to what makes him human, he must now escape the government he once served and try to prevent this upgrade from spreading.

I loved this book. It is fantastically paced, with both actions sequences and passages of contemplation. (I’ve already recommended it to my friend who is a geneticist; there is a lot of science in this book.)

The protagonist changes so much. Because we’re given the time to get to know him at the beginning (with his emotional baggage and bond with his family), both his highs and lows mean so much more.

However, in the end, this doesn’t feel like a book about a man. This feels like a book about what the best and worst parts of humanity are. This is a book that is very interested in the question, “What is the best person like?” The end of the book resolves the Thriller Plot, but it is even more about finding an answer to the bigger philosophical question that started the Thriller Plot in the first place. I liked the ending. It felt like it fit the book, while also giving me some interesting ideas to think about.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

As much as I would like an upgrade to be smarter and do things better, these enhancements always come with consequences. So would it be worth it? Hmmm... that is what Logan deals with in Upgrade by Blake Crouch. The book reads like a movie and has good visual descriptions. The storyline kind of paralleled what is happening in the world today with grocery prices skyrocketing, restaurants having to close due to the Great Starvation (like the pandemic), and living in a surveillance state where people are more engaged with their screens than with each other.

There definitely were some heady concepts that I had some difficulty following, but it did not distract from my reading or liking the book.

As Logan states, his heart is full and broken simultaneously, and reading this book was also sad and hopeful. The DNA info was interesting even though at times a bit confusing. There were good characters and a good story, though kind of a sad ending.

I would recommend this book.

#Upgrade #NetGalley @atrandom

"I saw all the old versions of Logan through time.

Zygote to this moment.

I wondered who I had become.

What I had become."

Blake Crouch is amazing at writing fast-paced thrillers that blow your mind as you read them. This is no exception. I really don't want to say anything about this book because I think it's important to go in as blind as possible. You don't need any scientific knowledge to understand this book. And like all Blake Crouch books, this one was very hard to put down.

Thank you Random House publishing group - Ballantine and netgalley for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this newest one by Blake Crouch who is the absolute king of science-fiction. Though Dark Matter will always hold a special place in my heart, this one was no less exciting to read.

I found the plot to be intriguing and extremely detailed scientifically. However, as always, Crouch does a great job of making sure all of us can understand what is happening. I truly enjoyed how we watched our protagonist change, but not so much that he forgot his roots. I loved the moments when he had a flash of who he used to be.

The pace was a bit slower than previous novels and was probably the only reason this is a 4 star for me. To be fair it is also the last week of school and I am drained mentally.

Thank you to the publisher for a free Netgalley.