I loved Recursion and Dark Matter but this sadly fell flat to me. It didn't feel as complete as the other two and the ending felt rushed and disappointing.

LOVED this book. I am a huge Blake Crouch fan and this book was great. I was hooked after the first few pages.

Logan Ramsey is an agent for the Gene Protection Agency charged with bringing in black marketer, Henrik Soren, who is believed to have had dealings with an illegal gene lab in Denver. Logan and his partner need to find the lab and shut it down. Upgrade, A Novel is set sometime in the not too distant future where genetic manipulation is outlawed internationally. Logan is well versed in this subject as he is the son of renown geneticist, Mariam Ramsey, who unintentionally let loose on the world a mutation that caused the destruction of much of the world’s food supply. The Great Starvation followed, killing millions of people. Subsequent to that event, Mariam committed suicide and Logan was jailed for participating in the work that caused the famine. Now pardoned, he works for the government agency that attempts to shut down any illegal activity involving genetic or bio engineering.

Once the lab in Denver is located, Logan and his team, attired in protective gear, enter the building. But nothing is found – nothing except a padlocked door. Breaking in, Logan enters a dark basement. An explosion follows, sending shards of ice into the air that penetrate Logan’s suit and, subsequently, his body. The ice melts inside of him, bringing with it what could be a genetic nightmare.

This novel started off great. Logan is beset by dangers – the government agency he works turns against him, wanting to study what is happening to him; the motive of the unknown person who engineered the attack which targeted him and him alone; and the riddle about what has been done to his genetic code. In the first third of the book, the pace was fast, a real page-turner. However, at a certain point the author gets bogged down in detailing genetic code and sequencing which left this reader cold. A little of this scientific jargon goes a long way, but I think Crouch overdid it, causing the plot to drag. I found myself skimming chapters, wanting to get back to the action and Logan’s plight. The novel has a satisfying ending, however, I did think some of what happens in the later stages was a bit too far-fetched. If you’re a techno-science junkie, you’ll probably love this book. I, however, was left with mixed feelings.

I want to thank the publisher, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy of Upgrade.

Let me first say, I normally don’t read sci-fi but the description intrigued it and so I took a chance. Boy, am I glad I did. This book was fast paced, intriguing, I was pulled in from the moment I started reading and the motion never stopped. I could see the possibilities as described in the book actually happening which is a bit terrifying, I could see how humans can do both wonderful and horrible things as we are flawed.

Logan Ramsey has had a sorted past, part of a horrible plot his mother unleashed, he paid the price by going to prison for it. Now he is part of a government agency trying to prevent those same types of plots from happening. However, after a botched mission, Logan begins to change, he is evolving, his mind is sharper, his senses are keener, his genes have been hacked. When he starts to uncover the who, why and what of the plot, things really take off.

If you enjoy mind boggling possibilities, fact paced action, intrigue and mystery then this book is for you. I really enjoyed this book, the story had me from the first chapter. I could see the struggle, the main character had, understand his choices and feel for his dilemma. The author did a good job of describing how genetics work, how they can affect or change humanity and painted a thoroughly scary future world.

Logan Ramsay is just doing his job, tracking down scientists and criminals trading illegal gene editing technology, when he's lured into a trap and infected with an unknown virus. At first it seems everything is fine, but soon he begins to notice changes - his memory is sharper, his brain is quicker, his muscles seem strong. Ramsay has been upgraded, and now he needs to know who is behind this, and why.

So this starts as your basic techno-sci-fi-thriller - quite enjoyably so!- and towards the end takes a philosophical turn. Do the ends justify the means? Is it ok to sacrifice some of humanity to save the rest of it? And if so, where is that line - 100 lives, 1000, 1 million? What do we owe each other as siblings, as parents, as members of the human race? And he does this without being preachy about the discussion - always careful to include multiple points of view and sides to the debate.

Crouch also does a great job of integrating the philosophy into the thriller, so we're listening to characters debate while engaging in fight scenes, chases, and building invasions The science is a bit heavy, but in a way that I totally enjoyed (I love getting a little science or math class when I read). An all-around enjoyable read.

I might have a new favorite author.... I loved Recursion (and still highly recommend!) so it amazes me that this book could be so completely different and yet just as good. I read a lot of books and am always looking for something original and engaging. This is both.

For Upgrade, it incorporates two very timely themes: climate change and gene modifications. This book is set far enough in the future that both have advanced enough for it to be realistic. Combine those two things and you get an incredible ethics dilemma. However, don't worry that this is too heavy and academic because the action draws you in immediately. Even at 90% through the book, I wasn't sure how it would be resolved.

Some of the book was technical but not in a way that made it unmanageable. It all felt necessary to the plot and understanding. The most meaningful piece to me was how we have evolved as humans and how what was important to our species when we were just starting out are hampering us now in dealing with climate change.

Another Blake Crouch masterpiece. Upgrade is a fascinating blend of suspense thriller, clandestine spy novel and high-tech joy ride. One of the things I appreciate most about Blake Crouch is how he's able to completely immerse the reader in an enthralling, fast-paced story all while effortlessly weaving in a complex backstory AND scientific details to make the impossible seem perfectly plausible. Not to mention his ability to keep you just enough off balance that you'll never see the jaw dropping plot twists he throws in on the regular. Trust me, just hit the Amazon "BUY NOW" button and you can thank me later.

Blake Crouch is truly a master of modern scifi and while it’s not my normal genre - he is an auto-buy for me. This one is one of the best I’ve read by him thus far.

When it comes to writing a story that will both blow your mind and get your pulse moving, with a lot of deeply interesting science thrown in, there's no one like Blake Crouch.

We're in a dystopian world where the study of gene science is not allowed by scientists. In fact, all the scientists are rounded up by the government for even trying. This is due to an apocalyptic event that went wrong where thousands of lives were lost. Logan Ramsay works for a government organization that finds illegal gene labs/activity and shuts it down.

As a result of a raid gone-bad, Logan Ramsay is now a super-human. He got the brain he always wanted and his body is operating at an extremely high level on all counts. He's strong, smart and fast. But, like all good things, all this comes with plenty of caveats. And his live soon turns into a cat and mouse chase on multiple levels.

I loved Logan Ramsay the moment I started reading the book. As with all Crouch books, the pace at which things happen here is fantastic, it's fast-moving, exciting and there's so much twisting and turning that you're not always sure who to root for. And of course there's a deeply-interesting social discourse underlying this whole plot. I won't give it away here, but there's a lot to think about and no clear answers as with all of life's big questions.

Another great read from Crouch!

with gratitude to netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch does for novels what Don't Look Up did for movies. It takes the world we live in and will live in and places us in the crisis. Here we are living in this world. Climate change is right before our eyes and what we are doing to combat it is simply not enough.

In Upgrade the waters have already risen and the world keeps moving forward. The smartest people in the world have decided to combat climate change by upgrading the intelligence of the world. By taking it upon themselves to illegally modify the population’s DNA. After all, if everyone was smart enough to get it then we wouldn’t be in this situation, right?

Upgrade once again delivers for Blake Crouch on the action and a future more terrifying than my worst nightmares and I loved every second of it. If I could complain about one thing it would be its length. I would read what I felt like was just a little bit and my kindle jumped from 10% to 20% to 30%. Was this a novella? No, it’s 352 pages of pure pleasure that basically absorb into your brain as if you have been upgraded yourself. I can’t wait to talk about this one with fellow readers. If I wasn’t already, this one for sure would make me a Blake Crouch fan for life.

Upgrade is a story about the need for technology and the dangers of technology as the population increases and resources decrease. I liked the premise of the story and the character development was sufficient but found myself skimming the sections that got bogged down in the science and biogenetics. Crouch constructs an entertaining, fast-paced thriller with a sci-fi movie vibe.

Three stars - I liked it, just not over the top awesome. Crouch continues to hold a spot on my auto-buy/read list.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Blake Crouch for the electronic ARC.
Expected publish date: July 2022
#NetGalley #Upgrade

Upgrade follows the basic structure of a Crichton-esque techno-thriller (technology brings progress but technology is bad) and moves swiftly with that structure. But unlique Crouch's other books along this vein Upgrade felt like it skipped any of the character work. Despite a good start with a little world building and character background, I felt I knew nothing of the characters or their worlds as the book went on. It didn't explore the cause and effect of the story world's recent history, I only got stock understanding of characters relationships to other characters, and plot just felt like going through the motions. The first Crouch novel I've been disappointed in, but I will return to him in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

If you liked Blake’s other books and weren’t too overwhelmed by the detailed sciency bits of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, then you’ll love this one when it comes out in July!

Upgrade is set in a not too distant future where climate change has dramatically impacted the earth. Scientists are researching further into the genome to see how they can make adjustments to help humanity survive.

After the great famine, where millions died from starvation due to an accidental gene manipulation, the Gene Protection Agency has been established to ensure genes aren’t being adjusted inappropriately. Logan is a GPA specialist on a lab raid when everything goes wrong.

He wakes up after the raid to find he has heightened intelligence, can mentally process things at warp speed, and remembers every detail from every moment of his life plus more. Who has illegally changed his genes and why? The race is on to find out before Logan is captured and becomes a lab rat for others to study his upgraded genome or worse.

There’s TONS about genes and DNA and how it all works, which can get a bit overwhelming but is fascinating. There’s also the moral/what would I do question threaded through. As with Blake’s other books, the love of family is a major driving theme. My best read of the year so far!

(Instagram review will be posted closer to pub date)

This was a solid Blake Crouch novel. I personally didn't think it delivered as much of a punch as Dark Matter or Recursion. I got a little lost in the DNA details, however I think that was part of the point - it was a heavy science-based book. That is the only reason I am not giving this one 5*.

For fans of Sci-Fi, you need to read this! It's equal parts nerdy and futuristic, and kind of funny too. Buckle up and enjoy the ride that is "Upgrade"!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great story! This book is full of twists and turns. Much of the story has to do with DNA and genetics the author did a great job explaining how it all worked without making the reader feel like he was “dumbing it down” for us, at least I didn’t feel that way. This book has it all, science, mystery, family drama, a romance of sorts, and a few skirmishes to round it all out. I am not a huge fan of the science fiction genre, but I truly enjoyed this book.

I really enjoy the way that Blake Crouch writes. I have been captivated by his books in the past, and although Upgrade was good it didn't hold my interest as well as his previous books had. I found it to drag through most of the middle of the book and really only picked up for me toward the end. The back story of the main character, with his aloof mother and mistakes that he had made in the past was a good place to start, but it fell flat afterwards. Upgrade has a good moral lesson in the demise of mankind if we don't start caring for the planet and caring about each other. The ending ties it all together and redeems the slow moving middle part of the book. I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC copy and wish great success for Blake Crouch's newest novel.

Really enjoyed this book! Fast paced, interesting topic. A bit too many technical details for me -- but I would pick up other books by this author.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I was so excited to receive this arc after reading both Dark Matter and Recursion in respective single sittings. Those two books were not only unique in their premise but also well thought-out and researched. Upgrade was a significant step down. The idea was generic and the execution was lacking nuance and detail. I'd read more Blake Crouch because his other 2 books were so awesome, but this one was not great.

Like all Blake Crouch’s books this was a quick read. A mix of Science Fiction and thriller. I did not find it as engaging or mind blowing as his previous books.

In another fantastic Blake Crouch novel. An excellent but very terrifying story. I am still questioning everything. I feel like throughout the book there was this line about everything and I was bouncing back and forth on how i felt. I know in the grand scheme of things you pull for Logan and want to think the best in humanity, but long story short, Logan still had to "fix" society in the end. So in actuality humanity failed us. which is just super depressing. Either way, i loved the story, and can't wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blake Crouch, and Ballantine Books for providing me with an advanced reading copy.