I didn’t realize until after I finished this book that it is a re-release of Crouch’s first novel. With that in mind, a lot of my issues with it make sense. His more recent books are quite good, particularly Dark Matter (go watch the Apple+ series!), which was the main reason I jumped at the chance to read this one.

I also think my timing in reading an apocalyptic, extremely violent, heart-pounding book a week before an already anxiety-inducing election was probably not a great idea. I could feel my heart thumping away every time I started reading, and it definitely wasn’t great for my mental health, though I did still keep reading…

The overall premise is intriguing, but the amount of violence felt heavy handed and the story became extremely repetitive and boring the more I read. Shelter, sleep, food and water, shooting/other violence, escape, deal with injuries, transportation/gas, etc. Repeat for many pages. I wasn’t convinced about the changes that occured in the relationships between the main characters. And, what exactly happened at the end? And why? Quite unsatisfying.

I will still seek out Blake Crouch novels, but this one wasn’t a great one for me.

Please note: I received a digital copy from Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.

Bookish thoughts: This is my 4th book by author Blake Crouch and this explosive apocalyptic thriller about a man and his family running for their lives packed a huge punch. My heart was pounding from start to finish. This story reminded me of the movie The Purge. I found it hard to put down and wanted to keep reading late into the night to see how it ended. This action filled story was scary at times… a perfect book for spooky season. Fun fact: Run was his first novel; first self published novel in 2011; first speculative story that helped to define Blake Crouch as a writer. Run was re-released in October 2024.

one of the most boring books i've read in my life, i would rather stare at a blank wall than have read another page.

i do wanna give blake crouch a fair shot since he's so loved so im going to completely ignore i ever read this. i just wouldn't personally recommend this to anyone at all.

thank you to netgalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Ballantine and PRH audio for review copies! *my apologies for a late review, I thought I had submitted this one, I really liked it!

TLDR: This is classic intense action Blake Crouch. Apocalyptic action, end of world doomsday vibes blended with walking dead like horror.
Run is a suspenseful, high-stakes thriller that combines sci-fi elements with horror, making it a compelling Halloween or October read. It’s an intense and often unsettling exploration of survival, following a regular suburban family as they navigate the terrifying unknown. The relentless pace and dark atmosphere create a near-constant tension, while its imaginative sci-fi aspects are both intriguing and, at times, stretch the bounds of believability. The characters are well-developed, each bringing emotional depth to the story, and the action is punctuated by unexpected twists that keep readers on edge. The story doesn’t shy away from depicting cruelty and horror, adding a haunting layer that makes it truly memorable. While the ending may feel a bit convenient, the journey is gripping and raises thought-provoking questions about one’s ability to survive in an apocalyptic scenario. If you’re looking for a short but intense read that blends mystery, suspense, and horror, this book is a fantastic choice

I've been a superfan of Blake Crouch since my mind was blown by Dark Matter, which is still my favorite if his. But Run gave Dark Matter a run for its money. I love books with a countdown theme and loved that it takes place in the west, where I live. This was an excellent addition to Blake Crouch's library.

I have read many of Blake Crouch’s previous novels and was so excited to get my hands on one I’ve yet to get to. This story was originally released in 2011 so this is a re-release. However, I’m so glad that they brought it back again. With Crouch’s more recent success, this novel deserved some attention.

Intense, smart, and utterly bingeable. This was a fantastic read!

A book dripping in blood. This is my first Blake Crouch book and I loved his writing style. The pacing, plot and characters all flowed together making this such an easy quick read. This book was such a journey where you felt like you were with this family each step of the way. That being said this story was bordering on a little too much for me. There's a lot of bodies, which you could probably figure from the summary. But that's just me discovering that I don't like extremely violent stories that at various points felt so hopeless. It was a similar feeling watching the first season of AOT.
That being said I look forward to reading more from this author. Might just be a little pickier in the future on which of his books I read.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc! I really appreciated it!

Harrowing and tense speculative fiction from Crouch rereleased and still just as timely. A mass extinction event befalls humanity when people turn on one another, culling the population with a sweep of brutality that is cosmic and cataclysmic, but still deeply personal. I loved the cinematic feel, the rich characters and the heart stopping pace.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Hmmm. I didn't hate this book but I didn't love it. He's definitely got Stephen King elements in the story. But I guess I didn't care about the characters so therefore all their struggles weren't that interesting.

Half of humanity is trying to kill the other half, essentially. And this family has to escape about 10,000 awful scenarios. Like, enough, I get it, it's fucked up. And yet it doesn't explain enough about what's going on in the world for it to be exciting. I don't know. I guess I just wasn't invested in the characters for some reason. They weren't likeable. So I didn't root them on. So then them being in danger constantly was just ridiculous and monotonous when I know it should have been exciting.

And I didn't find it realistic. Which is weird to say about fiction sometimes except I wanted this to be more grounded in reality. Physical, political -- a lot of it just didn't seem plausible. Like, Dark Matter is about traveling to multiple universes and that was 100 times more believable to me than what happened here.

Well, there you go. My insightful review. I'm sure other people love it. Me, not so much. Or maybe just not as much as I wanted to.

This book was originally published years ago, but I had never read it. I do love a Blake Crouch thriller. This did not disappoint. An epidemic of rage is sweeping the nation. Names of those who will be killed are read over the Emergency Broadcast Network. Jack has heard his name, so he must run. Whew, this one is fun. I couldn't put it down.

2.5 Stars
Great premise, but didn’t hold up to his other book.
I think there just wasn’t great character development in this one, and the writing was a bit lackluster. I loved Dark Matter so much, and so this one was just disappointing to me.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC in Exchange for my honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ Very intense, dark, apocalyptic, and graphic thriller. The action starts right from the beginning and doesn’t let up. This is an early novel from Blake Crouch and does not read the same as his newer books like Dark Matter, which I loved. At times, this is one long road trip book, which are not my favorite. Some scenes are very graphically violent and very disturbing so this is not for sensitive readers. The predicaments the family seemed to get out of were sometimes farfetched. Overall, this was not my favorite of his but i do think this will appeal to readers who don’t mind some horror, violence, and are not looking for deep character development. I did enjoy the survivalist aspects and trying to put myself in the character shoes to see how I would react (or not) in those situations. I also liked the parts of self reflection and the parent- child bonds.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

You call this a thriller.........?

I was severely underwhelmed by this book. It was incredibly uninteresting and the way it starts out is a little jarring. The reader is essentially just thrown straight into this unexplained disaster situation and after that it is just a ton of car rides, camping, and annoying a** kids being annoying. Imagine being in ONLY episode 4 of The Last of Us (minus the rebel group asides) for over 300 pages. Not a riveting experience to say the least.

This is my first Blake Crouch book, and I am hesitant to read any of his other books now. I know this is an older book of his that is being republished by another publisher and maybe his books have improved since then, but I won't hold my breath.

Thank you to Ballantine Books & Netgalley for the e-arc.

This is a fast-paced story with a unique storyline: people who saw a weather event (similar to the northern lights) suddenly experience rage and the need to harm the people who didn't see the weather event. The story is from the perspective of a family, trying to stay out of harm's way. My heart was pumping several times from the tension and the unpredictability of the story. However, you can tell that this is one of Blake Crouch's earliest indie-published novels because the writing just wasn't the greatest. He writes in a lot of incomplete sentences - which can be done to a certain extent. But had it been re-edited from the initial published before it was traditionally published, I think the story could have felt more cohesive instead of chopped up from the writing.

Still a solid story, but the writing could use a lot of improvement.

Run by Blake Crouch is a solid 3-star read for me. It’s super fast-paced and intense, which kept me turning the pages, but it didn’t totally blow me away. The action starts right off the bat, and while that makes for a thrilling ride, the story stays pretty surface-level. I wanted a bit more depth from the characters and the plot. Don’t get me wrong—the non-stop survival aspect is exciting, but it’s also a bit predictable, and there isn’t much to chew on beyond the action. If you’re just looking for a quick, suspenseful read, it’s worth a shot, but it’s not one that really stuck with me.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review Run by Blake Crouch. All opinions are my own.

First and foremost, big Blake Crouch fan here. I've read many of his books, including The Pines Trilogy, Upgrade, Recursion, and Dark Matter. Run is very different from all of these. It's so different in my opinion because Run is the first book he wrote, and it is now being published. I would categorize it as survival horror. Very dark, brutal, and depraved, how humanity would react in an apocalyptic situation. Content warning of lots of brutal killings and descriptions of death.

We follow a family of four on a wild ride of survival. Literally, this family goes through everything you can imagine, hoping to escape with their lives. Millions of individuals across the United States have made a decision that they can't control to kill others. Most of the book we do not know why they feel the need to kill or how they choose their victims. Civilized life degrades quickly with power outages, no safe shelter, no food or water, searches for fuel, and killers with no empathy for their victims.

This was an incredibly fast read for me. Once I hit the 70 percent mark, I had to know how this ended. I wasn't a big fan of the ending, but still a sold 4 star. The ending just happened to fast after all the buildup. I have a feeling this novel with be I love or hate it kind of situation. I would recommend for his diehard fans of Blake Crouch and those who love very gritty violent survival horror or apocalyptic genres. Run is available now at all major book retailers. Happy Reading!

A fast paced, heart-pounding, action packed thriller.
Everywhere across the country, brutal massacres and mass panic have broken out. Jack has a wife, daughter, and son to protect. He knows people are on their way to his house to kill them all. There's no time to plan, or pack, or even try to understand why this is happening.
He only has time to run.
The plot of this book was definitely the star of the show. We have a family of main characters and you are rooting for them the whole time to make it, to push harder, to SURVIVE. But I think the main focus really always goes back to why these characters are in this situation to begin with.
At some points I felt like it did seem to get just a little tedious, because good lord how many horrors can one family be subjected to? But at the same time, I was engaged and captivated the whole time while I was reading, always wanting to know what would happen next.
Even with all the action packed scenes, the ending made me shed a few tears and I can always appreciate a book that evokes strong emotions in me. It's a solid 4 stars for me.

I am a huge Blake Crouch fan. I have adored and rated/reviewed a few of his novels highly. I didn't realize that this was a rerelease of an earlier title. I likely would have DNF'd had I not had this background.

This is a post apocalyptic thriller where the entire everyone that sees the Aurora Borealis goes mad. The premise and dialogue aren't unique. The book drug on.

Sometimes, it's great to find an old title off an author's back catalog. This one, for me, would have been better off left alone. But, I will definitely continue to pick up Crouch's future reads!

i’m sad to say i’ve found a Blake Crouch book that i actively disliked. the concept was good with this virus that turns people into mindless murderers but the characters themselves were boring and the son was especially irritating. another thing to mention is that this is more of a survival thriller and i usually love those but this one just didn’t work for me. there wasn’t enough substance for me to care about anything going on.

Thank you to PRHAudio for the audiobook! I had no idea this came out in 2011, but it was so timely given that we’ve been able to witness the northern lights here recently.

This is truly one of the scariest, most suspenseful, books I’ve ever read. This was Kyle and I’s most recent audiobook buddy read, and we loved it! We loved The Last of Us and The Walking Dead, The Fall Out, and even though this isn’t a zombie book, it has that same feel because anyone who witnessed the aurora has been infected…with murder.