At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion.
And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

Upgrade is fast-paced, and stunning in concept and delivery. Highly recommended. #Upgrade #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

I love Blake Crouch’s books - they’re like nothing I’ve ever read before. Somehow he makes very complex science come to life and writes thrillers that have you on edge with a dose of moral dilemma thrown in. Upgrade is another great read that I couldn’t put down- just so good..

Creepy take on what humanity’s future could be. I can easily see this story becoming a movie. This book was not quite as horrifying as Blake is capable of writing, but it was still exciting and interesting and should appeal to fans of science fiction stories,

I received an ARC of this from the publisher and NetGalley.

"Upgrade" by Blake Crouch is an exciting biotech hightech thriller with a bit of milfic, spy craft, and survival thrown in for good measure. The story starts strong in the first sentence and the author never takes his foot off of the accelerator. With the immediate survival of the main character and the long term survival of the human race at risk, this book was quite hard to put down. The writing was clear, the technology exciting, the motivation strong, and the journey thrilling. I look forward to reading more by Blake Crouch.

I thank Black Crouch and Ballantine Books for kindly providing a temporary advanced electronic review copy of this book.

Blake Crouch is an excellent writer and this book again showcases that. Although there is a lot of scientific lingo, the book is fast paced and enjoyable. I loved the idea that humans can be upgraded and what that allows them to do as well as the philosophical questions that upgrading poses. Wonderful book!

I give this five out of five stars for making the read difficult to put down and something I was thinking about when I wasn’t reading it. Like Crouch’s Recursion and Black Matter, Upgrade dives head first into a hard science possible future. All of the gene sequencing and DNA references he made are palatable for mass audiences, and made better by a fast moving plot that is entertaining in a thriller blockbuster movie kind of way.
I was surprised by how some of the plot aspects and ideas emotionally provoked me. The posturing of intelligence against human sentiment got me agitated, then angry, followed by sad and eventually really satisfied and amused at the end. I grew attached to the protagonist, Logan pretty fast. It hurt to see him morn his ties to his wife and daughter and how the change in his genetic abilities also created a massive separation from them. I was vested in Logan and what would happen to his various friends and family connections after the finale. For me all of these different emotions were great proof I was in deep with this book, and I suspect Crouch did a lot of bleeding on the page as he crafted this.
I enjoyed the future earth with humans on a rebound after a worldwide famine caused by genetic tampering. I pray I never have to grow acclimated to the meat substitutes described as a necessity. I liked how technology had continued to flourish post famine and transports existed that moved near the speed of light, while old beaters were the modern electric cars of today. The third act was very visually interesting with Logan swimming his way through a flooded Manhattan Island. Overall a satisfying read that I whole heartedly recommend. Fans of Crouch’s work will not be disappointed, and I consider this my favorite among his recent works.

I read very few science fiction books, but I keep coming back to Blake Crouch. He tells interesting, compelling stories that are written in a way that even people without science brains can understand them, and this book is no different. I did get a bit bored by some of the science, and I think it could have been told without some of it, but other than that, I definitely enjoyed this book.

This book is hard to rate. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I was over the moon when I was chosen for an arc. And it started it so well. I loved the first half. Then.

The upgrade happens. And now the relatable MC turns into the worse kind of know it all. Not in a charming way like the Martian. But just like a horrible character that just. Ugh. He was just so superior to everyone. His mom. His sister. Even the way he talks about his wife and his kid after the upgrade is just so condescending. He’s just so unlikeable. I had to force myself to finish this and it didn’t get better. He just continued to be totally just yuck. And I like unlikeable characters. But not him.

So the first half. Five stars. Second half is zero. Rounded to three

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This typically isn't my genre of book to read however I found this book really good! I might add I really liked the writing style of Blake Crouch. I recommend everyone take the time out of their day to read this.

Crouch is great as always. Propulsive and engaging. I read it in one sitting. Will definitely recommend it!

Another ridiculously fun page-turner from Blake Crouch, UPGRADE is an entertaining mix of sci-fi and thriller, close enough to the edge of possibility to be keep-you-up-at-night scary.

This was a scary story without being a thriller, looking into our possibly future and left me thinking about what's to come in our future and next generation's future. It was a fascinating science based story without getting too in depth into the science behind it, which I and the rest of the public would not need in the story. It was a great balance of emotion, future possibilities, and maybe government crimes. It was very exciting story which left me guessing at every page turn.

I loved this book and everything about it! It was a completely unique concept and I felt the science was very approachable for someone who usually couldn’t care less. I loved all the twists and turns of the story. Definitely going to think about this for a long time!

Recursion was one of my favorite reads of the past 5 years so i was very excited to be gifted a galley of Upgrade.

while the sci-fi conceit is completely different than Recursion or Dark Matter, the writing style is just as fast-paced & economical &, like both the previously mentioned novels, tackles love & relationships in the midst of all the madness.

there is a whole lot of (what felt to me) unnecessary biology jargon but i'm guessing the sciency crowd (of which i am not) will appreciate it much more than i did.

still, i'm definitely going to recommend.

**I received a free ARC from NetGalley and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.**
I was not aware of this author before I was invited to read this book. Skimming through the other reviews, I now need to go read his "Dark Matter" books. This book was just sublime. It was intelligent (sometimes a tad too deep into the biology of things), fast-paced and kept me turning pages.

The reason I did not dole out the coveted five-star review is because at times, as alluded to briefly above, things got a tad too mired in specific chromosomes, what they did, etc. I "think" this may be a quirk of the writer, but for me, it got a bit much at times. Still a fantastic read!

Upgrade by Blake Crouch exists in a fictional near-future that is deeply and unsettlingly possible. After a minor gene editing mistake in insects causes the unforeseen consequence of decimating part of the world's food supply, indirectly killing thousands of people, all gene-editing is banned. But since there will always be people who decide to live outside the rules, there must also be people ready to enforce them. One of those people is Logan Ramsay - the son of the microbiologist who almost killed the world. He's chosen to try to pay for his mother's legacy by making sure nothing like it ever happens again, but when someone starts 'upgrading' humans in order to save the world, Logan has to decide if being smarter, faster, and stronger will actually save us - or just make us much better at killing ourselves. As Logan tries to figure out how to save the world, and what the world might look like after it's saved, he discovers uncomfortable truths about himself, his family, and humanity as a whole. The book is a fast-paced thriller that kept me turning pages long after I meant to put it down, but it turned out to be a quick read with a long tail, leaving me thinking about the questions it asked for quite a while after I finished it. I enjoyed this book a great deal and look forward to anything else the author puts out in the future; hopefully we'll all still be around for that.

I am so grateful to have gotten an invitation to an ARC of this book! I've been hooked on Blake Crouch's books since Dark Matter. I love how he is able to make these science-y/nerdy plots into exciting reads.

Upgrade starts with Logan, who is on a team of agents responsible for seeking out those conducting illegal genetic research (his mom was one of the reasons it was outlawed!) getting an "upgrade." Very Boorne identity but with genetic editing and more science.

This one is going to be a hit so I'm grateful for the opportunity to get an early look!

Ah, Upgrade is my pain. It feels that this book what written on the wave of covid. I was looking forward but it was too raw. Sometimes I was really bored. I wonder if the author needed a page count. Damn, I love this author and the premise of Upgrade is kind of cool. Upgrading DNA to the point that you become proficient and super human.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this arc. I enjoyed the book. Very fast paced and would make a great movie. The premise was interesting of a super human created by DNA manipulation.

A fun and fast-paced thriller from Blake Crouch, "Upgrade" will keep you turning pages until you hit the surprising (and logical) ending. The book follows Logan Ramsay, a geneticist in a world where genetic research has been outlawed after a horrible genetic engineering tragedy has caused the death of millions, What he doesn't realize is that someone's hacked his DNA too. At first, he's puzzled by the fact that his memory is improving, he can read faster, and he can multitask like a champ. He doesn't even need as much sleep. The problem is, he keeps evolving even as he realizes that there's a deeper conspiracy and that these changes might not just be limited to just him...

This was a terrific and eminently readable book, based on some interesting genetic research, without getting bogged down in technicalities like so many other modern "hard" sci-fi books. Highly recommended.