This was my first experience reading a thriller by Blake Crouch and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Upgrade explores the ramifications of genetic engineering that transforms Blake Ramsey, an agent of GPA (Genetic Protection Agency) into a human with enhanced skills. This science-fiction story also explores family relationships and delves into the science of DNA. It is an action-packed story that keeps you motivated to keep reading. Some readers may not enjoy the intricate details about DNA, but it did not detract from the story. I highly recommend this book for lovers of science fiction.

First let me say that I LOVE Blake Crouch's books. Having said that I did not enjoy this book at all. It was way too detailed and descriptive and it was just plain boring. Sorry.

Blake Crouch returns with another buzz-worthy novel of trippy and smart science fiction, and I'm somehow lucky enough to be graced with an advanced reader's copy. I was going to wait a bit...but I couldn't resist diving in.

Upgrade is the near-future story of Logan Ramsey, an ordinary guy working for the Gene Protection Agency (GPA) who has a hell of a traumatic family history and carries a large amount of guilt. In this near-future world, the planet is careening towards destruction (Lower Manhattan has been reduced to a flooded no man's land inhabited only by the homeless) and gene editing / DNA manipulation has been made common enough to necessitate the creation of an entire agency to crack down on it. Here we meet Logan heading on a raid with his partner, where he's exposed to something that slowly begins to rewire his DNA, making him stronger, colder, more intelligent, and less human. Logan quickly finds himself ensnared in a deadly plan encompassing all of humanity and tied directly into his family trauma.

As with Recursion and Dark Matter before it, Upgrade asks plenty of Big Questions through its science fiction setting. Upgrade settles on a very existential and ponderous tone regarding the nature of humanity and our responsibility as a species in a crumbling world. If given the ability to act unilaterally for the good of the planet and the species, should we take that chance regardless of the cost? Can we have Free Will and still survive? Most importantly, what role has compassion played in the story of Homo Sapiens, and what role should it strive towards in the future?

I can't say you'll be able to definitively answer all of these questions by the end of Upgrade but you'll definitely have a hell of a ride trying to get there with Logan, and your knowledge of what DNA strains are tied to things like cognitive functioning and memory will certainly get a kick in the pants.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Netgalley**

This is a fast paced book with multiple locations. The characters, though never fully developed, have enough flaws for the reader to partially understand their reasoning. This book asks a timely "jurassic Park" question....they were so busy wondering if they could, the never stopped to think if they ShOULD!
With biohacking into our genes and DNA, this book provides a look into the future of gene modificaiton.
While I really like the story, the ending left a lot to be desired.
I felt that the author could have picked any one of a number of things to conclude the book, and it was the same thing that his mother and sister did.
Overall a great book till the last 5%.

Blake Crouch's latest novel is a sci-fi thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat while making you think. I've been interested in reading his books over the years and never did. So I'm very glad I was pre-approved to read Upgrade early. That's never happened to me before, I feel special, haha. I know for sure I'll have to catch up on all that I've missed now.

Set in the near distant future that seems plausible and realistic, gene modification is illegal. This is thanks to Miriam Ramsay's work that while brilliant and well meaning, lead to the deaths of millions. Our protagonist Logan is her son and feels guilt for what his mother did.

Working for the Gene Protection Agency is a way to atone for everything. He is an agent that takes down the people that try to mess with the natural way of things. He's not as brilliant as his mother, he's a normal man. Until the day a raid goes wrong and he's exposed unexpectedly to something. Something that changes him. Upgrades him..

I'm certainly not a genius, I can only grasp mostly the basics in anything STEM related. I mention this as proof that even if this book doesn't totally dumb down the gene stuff, it's still easy to get into. I like that it's not a "cold" scientific story. Upgrade has heart.

It would probably be enough for the plot to just be about Logan being transformed and on the run from the agency he used to work for. But there's other stakes involving the fate of humanity. His opinion differs from others that think upgraded people are the only ones that can fix things. Well, he claims to disagree with their methods anyway.

So I guess the real point of the plot is we've all been indifferent to the effects of climate change for too long. And it takes better people that have overcome the problems in our genes that make us ignore all of our continuing harm to our planet. This doesn't take into account the fact most of the people on this earth aren't to blame and can't really do much to make a real difference.

Overall, I really did enjoy this. I'm glad I was given the chance to read this and that I accepted. And I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't want my genes manipulated in ways that would keep me healthy and make it so I'm sharper and don't really need sleep. But..maybe it's best to leave well enough alone.

Thank you Kathleen Quinlan, Penguin Random House, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

I’m not one to read sci-fi and this book totally blew my mind. It felt very much like a thriller with a heavy emphasis on the science of genetics. The premise was accessible, thought-provoking and honestly quite believable, so don’t be intimidated if you’re not a science person. I wouldn’t even read the story’s synopsis going in.

What’s most fascinating about Upgrade is that it is set in the future. We do not know the exact time period but it includes a world where downtown Manhattan is flooded due to climate change, the cars are all electric, planes move at supersonic speed, security cameras have facial recognition and people eat synthetic meat due to a changes in food supply. In this world, scientists are now banned from altering one’s DNA. The fact that DNA modification is even a thing in this time
period is scary to think about.

In this novel, the main character, Logan Ramsey, is a brilliant scientist who displayed a great amount of empathy and emotion. From the very first page,
the story depicts the struggles between scientific superiority and human ethics. At times, it’s hard to see what is right or wrong and how far one can go to protect the human race.

Read if you like:
🧬 Biology/ genetics
🧬 Thrillers
🧬 Books set in the future
🧬 Exploring the effects of climate change
🧬 Strong character development
🧬 Satisfying endings

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for the honest review. Pub date: 7/12/22

4.5 stars
If you're a fan of Blake Crouch and fast-paced sci-fi thrillers, be sure to  mark your calendar for Upgrade's release on July 12, 2022!  In the near future, Logan accompanies a SWAT raid, only to become infected with a strange virus.  Instead of extreme illness, the virus rebuilds his DNA, making Logan stronger, smarter, a more super-human version of himself.  Who created this virus and for what purpose?  What will Logan have to give up to learn the truth?  I was quickly pulled into the story, and I loved the fast pace and the mind-blowing twists.  I can't wait to get a physical copy to add to my library (and to read again!).  Highly recommend.

Another Sci-Fi Thrill Ride from Blake Crouch. This futuristic technothriller is an entertaining adventure.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm a big fan of Blake Crouch and this didn't disappoint. There's quite a bit of scientific discussion, but I'm not really a science person and was able to follow along even when it got very technical. I definitely learned some things too! Overall really enjoyed it.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Logan is sensing many things in his life that are changing. Logan believes that their is something going on that is not good and will try everything he has at his disposal to stop it. This was an entertaining read.

Wow, Blake Crouch does it again!
4.5

Although not my typical genre, I’ll read anything Blake Crouch writes. He is such a talented author, with a distinct way of mixing science fiction with romance, family drama, and suspense.

This story takes place in the future, where gene editing has gone awry and is banned by the government. Logan Ramsey, personally affected by the gene “upgrade” and a sense of responsibility, sets out on a mission to protect his loved ones and help save mankind.

Upgrade is an emotional, action-packed story, full of scientific information, and many twists and turns. I loved every minute of it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Blake Crouch, and Ballantine Books for my advance reader copy. Upgrade publishes 7/12/22, add it to your tbr list now!

While I enjoyed 98% of the book I felt that the ending was a let-down. The story is well written, exciting and full of action and science to keep the reader interested but the epilogue seemed to be thrown together and resulted in me disliking the protagonist when I had rooted for him the entire book. Not giving anything, away I did not have “elevated compassion” for this book at the end.

In Upgrade, Blake Crouch has written a page-turning, scientific thriller that is also a morality tale.

In the near future, we meet Logan Ramsay, whose mother was the most brilliant geneticist ever born. She brings on a global famine by releasing genetically-modified insects that were meant to cure a rice blight. Logan, just out of college, was working for her at the time and ended up going to jail for it. His mother wasn’t held accountable: she drove her car off the highest cliff on the California coast.

We meet Logan some 20 years on, working for a government agency established to police genetics. On a raid, he gets hit with the shrapnel from a bomb and contracts a horrible fever. It turns out that he was not a random casualty but the target, and the virus he was infected with is changing his DNA.

The changes are the “upgrade,” making him stronger and smarter. He discovers he is part of a rogue plan to upgrade all of humanity in this way, in order to stave off the extinction of the human race. The problem is, being smarter doesn’t make anyone more likely to work together.

Logan must give up his old life and self and make his own choices. Can he save the world?

As enticing as it might sound to be able to tweak the human genome, I think the ideas in this book are fantasy. From what I understand, there are no precise genetic markers for qualities like intelligence. In addition, the changes that happen in Logan’s brain are based on a faulty understanding of memory and perception.

I do appreciate where the book ends up, with the idea that it’s not intelligence we need to expand in people, but compassion. If this book can be a vehicle to get just a few people who don’t normally think about such things to consider how we might combat climate change with compassion, it will have been worth it.

I thought this book was great. It was fast paced and the premise while somewhat unrealistic still held some kernels of what our future holds that made it feel not impossible. I like the original plot and all the action. Would make a great movie.

I was so excited when I saw that I could get a Netgalley arc of Upgrade by Blake Crouch. I adore his newer works, and he has become an auto-buy author for me.

Unfortunately, Upgrade was a miss for me.

The Wayward Pines series, Dark Matter, and Resurgence were well written, but they also had a hook that held you until the end. When I attempted to read Crouch’s books prior to Wayward Pines I found I did not enjoy them. They were not as well written thrillers without the satisfying plots.

Upgrade was more reminiscent of Crouch’s earlier works. At its core Upgrade is a thriller. Layered over the thriller is A LOT of scientific jargon. I am not a neurologist, but I have grad school level neuropsychology training. I love learning about the brain and how genetics shape us. I will read genetic non-fiction books for fun, and the science in this book bored me to tears.

I kept hoping that there was something that would redeem this novel at the end. I kept reading because it is Blake Crouch and I respect him so much as a writer. And I finally found it. My favorite part of the book was the prologue. If that could have been the book then I think I would have loved it. But if you start this book and are not enjoying it, it isn’t worth sticking around. Just skip to the prologue and call it a night.

I have seen so many positive reviews for Upgrade, don’t let mine sway you from picking it up if it interests you. I will say it is a fast read - and you can gloss over all the science. But if you have never read Crouch before then let me guide you over to his book Dark Matter.

First, full disclosure. This book doesn't fall within the universe of my normal reading or the kind of books I would say I enjoy. I don't read sci-fi, ever, and I don't really like set-in-a-dystopian-future stuff regardless of the advertised genre.

Now second, I loved every page of UPGRADE. It's the kind of book that breathes new life into the cliche 'page turner.' It transcends genre and becomes simply a hugely compelling narrative that you simply MUST follow to the end. And it was more fun to read than any other book I can remember for years. Full stop.

My thanks to the publisher for allowing me access to an ARC. I am greatly flattered to be included among those getting an advance look at UPGRADE.

This book describes what happens when genetic modification is out of control. Just think, if you were a super human, modified to be the best in everything. Would we then modify everyone to also be the best? Where would it end? How would we control it? Would there be oversight? This is a thriller that will have you asking these questions as one man’s DNA gets updated in a stealth attack. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t read a lot of what I think of as science fiction, but I always enjoy Crouch’s books because of how they are rooted in our world, but have enough of a futuristic twist that the stories are both very creative and plausibly scary. The story moved fast and worked well from a narrator point of view. It’s been a while since I’ve read Dark Matter and Recurison but it also felt like this was a more straightforward story. I think readers will really enjoy it. I know I did.

Stays with some of Blake’s relatable, but still very alpha, protagonist tropes, but with a Limitless vibe. As always, the pages flew by. I also got kind of a Bobbie Draper vibe from a key side character. A lot of melancholy here, but as I recall, that is pretty normal as well.

Blake Crrouch does it again. Quite honestly I haven’t been as big a fan of his later works such as Dark Matter and Recursion, but Upgrade was a smash. It was a riveting read with well developed characters and a great story. I found myself staying up later and later each night to keep turning the pages. The plot of the story itself is riveting and well researched, though sometimes it felt as if he was showing off just how much he researched.

This was a spectacular read and harkens back to some of his earlier books.