I very much enjoyed Dark Matter and I like Crouch alot as an author. This one wasn't my favorite, it's a taut thriller and I wish I could stomach the violence but at the moment I think that it was too much for me. Which I guess makes it a good book when you feel something on such a visceral level.

Blake Crouch’s Run is a pulse-pounding, high-stakes thriller that grabs you by the throat from the very first page and doesn’t let go until the heart-racing conclusion. In a world spiraling into chaos, Crouch masterfully builds a tension-filled narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seat as the protagonist, Jack Colclough, is thrust into a fight for survival amidst a nationwide epidemic of rage and senseless violence.

The novel opens with a devastating epidemic sweeping across the country—people suddenly and violently lashing out at one another, culminating in mass murders that plague cities and towns. The epidemic quickly escalates, and when the Emergency Broadcast System begins reading out the names of the next targets, Jack and his family’s names are called. With no explanation, no time for questions, and no option other than to run, Jack finds himself on the run for his life.

What makes Run so gripping is the sense of urgency that pulses through the entire narrative. The timeline is tight, and with each passing day, the situation grows more dire. Crouch skillfully ratchets up the tension by feeding just enough information to keep readers hungry for answers, without ever slowing the relentless pace. The questions of what caused the epidemic, why certain people are targeted, and what lies at the heart of the chaos keep you turning the pages long into the night.

At its core, Run is a story of survival, family, and the lengths a parent will go to protect their loved ones. Jack is a relatable and sympathetic protagonist, thrown into an impossible situation, forced to make choices that will determine not only his survival but the survival of his wife and children. The horror of the murders and the chaos of society collapsing around him are balanced by moments of quiet determination and love, making his journey all the more powerful.

The world Crouch creates is disturbingly plausible—a world where society’s veneer of order can quickly unravel, leaving people to fend for themselves in the face of inexplicable madness. The pacing is relentless, with brief moments of respite only to launch back into the action. There is no room for second-guessing or hesitation. The only thing that matters is survival.

As the mystery of the epidemic unfolds, Crouch expertly weaves in questions about human nature, the fragility of society, and the unpredictability of the human psyche. There are moments of true terror, but also moments of hope and resilience, as Jack and his family navigate a world turned upside down.

In conclusion, Run is a captivating and suspenseful novel that delivers on its premise from start to finish. It’s a thrilling rollercoaster ride of action, mystery, and heart, with a narrative that will keep you questioning what you would do if you were thrust into such a terrifying and uncertain world. Blake Crouch has once again proven his ability to craft a pulse-pounding thriller that combines high-octane action with thought-provoking themes. Fans of psychological suspense and dystopian fiction won’t be able to put this one down.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

I really loved the story line of the book. I did struggle in middle, kind of felt like it dragged a bit, but the beginning and the ending were gripping and exciting. I wish we would have gotten more answers. Overall it was a good read.

First I want to thank the Publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC! This was my first book from the author and my first attempt to read sci-fi. I look forward to reading more books by Blake Crouch, like Dark Matter and Upgrade! This story was action packed from start to finish. Wasn't a favorite as I found the characters to be a bit boring. Im giving this book three stars and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers!

I realized during the cover page that this was an earlier release that is being republished.

As such, his newer work is definitely more sophisticated, but I still enjoyed this one. It starts off kind of slow, but then the action picks up and never lets go. It makes you think about what you would do in a similar situation. My only complaint here is that you need to suspend your disbelief BIG time, and it jarred me out of the story a few times. Still, this will have you on the edge of your seat, and it’s a crazy, thrilling ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC. All opinions are mine alone.

I love Blake Crouch writing! He has such a very interesting take on life and death. Run was a quick read that I could not put down.

Absolutely adore this author and will read anything they have written or will write. New favorite! Will purchase for libraries.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a readers copy of this book. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
Run is the story of a family struggling to survive after a strange aurora event turns those who viewed it into violent, dangerous people.
Their run to avoid the mobs of murderers to make it to safety is nonstop movement and hiding. No place is safe.
I enjoyed the book being a fan of Blake Crouch’s storytelling. I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys his work.

RUN by Blake Crouch is a heart thumping action story about a family escaping an apocalyptic event. The story comes together but felt a little far outside of what was reasonable at times. Overall, enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! RUN is out now!

Run by Blake Crouch, Published by Ballantine Books on October 22, 2024, is an Adult, Science fiction, Survival Thriller. We see a family watching television and start to see caption after caption, reading something like, "45 Dead in Mass Shooting at a Church in Columbia, South Carolina."
And then you hear a woman on the local radio station reading off the names of people to be killed, such as, "Jim Barbour....His address is Two Carpenter Court.....and while you're in the neighborhood, stop by the home of Jack Colclough, a professor of philosophy at UNM. He lives at 1414 Arroyo Way. Go now."
And YOU'RE Jack Colclough, living on Arroyo Way in New Mexico with your wife Dee, 14-year-old daughter Naomi, and 7-year-old son Cole. What do you do? You pack food, water, clothes, a road map, weapons, gas cans, camping equipment, etc.....and you RUN.
Jack, Dee, Naomi, and Cole load up their Land Rover and aren't even out of their driveway before they see the headlights heading for their house, with gunshots erupting into the night.
All Jack and Dee know is that five days ago, a good portion of the American population went insane. Affected people got out their rifles, handguns, knives, axes, chain-saws, and other killing tools.....and they began hunting down and murdering 'normal' people.
As you are reading, you can anticipate the family's adventure: they need to find food and gas; they're constantly under threat; they have good luck; they have bad luck; there are injuries; there are separations; there are reunions; they see horrible things; they experience terrible things; and so on.
Jack, Dee, Naomi, and Cole are average people with no special skills. However, they show remarkable resilience in unimaginable circumstances. They also have to deal with family drama because Jack and Dee's relationship was strained before their flight from New Mexico, with Jack staying in the guest room for months.
The interminable run and chase - isn't my favorite theme. In addition, the manic scenes of peril are interspersed with slow sections of the Colcloughs driving, looking for shelter, camping, preparing food, and the like, making fast and slow sections.
I thought the family would get somewhere and everything would be elucidated, but that's not quite the case. There IS an explanation of what happened, but the climax and denouement of the novel aren't completely satisfying. Still, this is a good first book by our beloved Blake Crouch. It is worth the read and is definitely for fans of his adventure stories.

OMG What did I just read?!!? This was sooooo good and terrifying at the same time! Blake Crouch has done it again and now goes to my always-read list! I can't wait to see what he comes up with next, it is sure to scare me to death!

#Run
#NetGalley

Run was my first Blake Crouch novel and I expected a lot from it because of the constant circulation of high praise revolving around Crouch and his various works. I am also aware that Run was his first novel and therefore may not be his best. That especially became clear to me after getting halfway through the book and feeling the redundancies littered through every chapter. I was really enjoying myself up to that point and then… I wasn’t.

It seemed to me that Crouch lost his direction while writing Run because it had such a strong start and then slowly petered out until the mostly satisfactory ending. It was also not easy for me to connect with and/or care about his characters because we know almost nothing about them except for the various infidelities between the two adults and the whiny natures of the two children. If there had been better character development, it is possible I would have been more invested from the offset.

However, what Crouch does really well is pull you into a story even when you don’t think you’ll be that enthralled by the characters themselves. His writing style perfectly suited the content of the novel and held my interest the entire time even when I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I wanted to.

I look forward to reading many more of his novels in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, this book stressed me out much more than any book in recent memory. A strange aurora borealis occurs one night, and those who witnessed it suddenly change into bloodthirsty killers, hunting down anyone who did not witness the phenomenon. We follow a family, Jack, Dee, and their two children, as they flee their home to try to survive.

Maybe it's the fact that I have two children and felt like I could see myself in the characters, or maybe it's the fact that the whole time I was reading the book I just kept thinking how I would die immediately, but whatever it was, I was stressed the F out while reading this.  That tension is something that I really commend the author on, especially as this must have been one of his first books.

I did have some issues with the book, though. I felt like I was getting whiplash from the pacing. One minute, I'm sweating, then we spend some time where not much happens, and it's a bit slow. Once we start feeling comfortable, boom, we're stressed again. It was also kind of depressing, and I just found myself feeling unhappy when reading it 😅 There were also some things that happened that weren't really believable to me (aside from the murderous light show, I'm okay with that).  The Goodreads synopsis seemed to give slightly more information than I got from the book, so either I missed a chapter or a lot was rewritten (both are equally possible).

Overall, it wasn't a bad book by any means. I just wasn't in love with it.

Okay Run was INTENSE! I’m so glad this Blake Crouch backlist read is getting new life because it’s absolutely deserving. It reminded me of The Last of Us in the best way—if you liked that show, definitely pick up this book!

Plot: Amid random mass killings in Albuquerque, Jack and his family are among those being targeted? Why? He doesn’t know but knows they need to get out and get out fast. His family takes the road trip of nightmares as they attempt to find safety in the midst of mass chaos.

This is one of those books that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. It’s a fast read you can fly through and will keep you in suspense throughout. The character development was surprisingly strong and I enjoyed experiencing the shifting family dynamics as they fought for survival together. Like many crouch books, I’d love to see this one on the big screen!

Thank you so much to Ballantine Books, Blake Crouch, and NetGalley for the ARC of Run!

I didn’t realize until after I finished that this is one of Blake Crouch’s earlier novels. As such, his newer work is definitely more sophisticated, but I still enjoyed this one. It starts off kind of slow, but then the action picks up and never lets go. It makes you think about what you would do in a similar situation. My only complaint here is that you need to suspend your disbelief BIG time, and it jarred me out of the story a few times. Still, this will have you on the edge of your seat, and it’s a crazy, thrilling ride.

Imagine: You know you need to leave, so you’re hurriedly packing everything up, when you hear your name and address read over the radio as the next person to die.

They are coming. And they won’t hesitate to kill you, your spouse and your children.

You better run.

I've heard great things about Blake Crouch for a long time. This is a must for anyone who enjoys apocalyptic scenarios. It made me think and had me rooting for the main characters to finally make it. It is violent in spots and downright heartbreaking. It reflects the love of a family against all odds.

Really a 4.5 star read rounded down-

Unlike the Blake Crouch novels I had read in the past, this one did not give me a migraine with a complicated but well constructed piece of sci-fi science. Instead, "Run" favors a different form of messing with the mind.

This is a fast-paced and addictive read. The opening "chapters" are brief but engaging, a surefire hook into the running sprint this novel moves at.

The way the narrative is broken down made me read the novel way faster than I intended.

It's sad, especially given the first few world events of 2025. The events in this book hit a little too close to home- It's not going to be an uplifting read.

The desperation and pain bleeding through every sentence from chapter one.

I'd reccomend this to any thriller or even horror reader.

I didn’t like this like I did the newer Crouch novels. I’ll keep reading him though! He’s a great author.

Blake Crouch has a way of bending your mind as you read each and every word on the pages of his novels. Descriptive writing is his strongest suit for readers who are able to play the plot in their minds as they read. I will never not read a book written by Blake.

My least favorite Blake Crouch book to date but also one of his earliest so I’m willing to give it 3 stars because I loved his more recent works.

Run is an appropriate title for this books since that’s pretty much what happens the whole time. We don’t get an easing into the plot and instead action starts right away. It’s well paced and kept me mostly engaged. That ending felt abrupt and I don’t feel like I got enough closure.