Run by Blake Crouch

Fast paced page turner. The situation makes no sense, the reader is just as perplexed as the characters, learning more page by page. Reminded me of ‘Pines’ in that way. Realized after reading that this book was originally written in 2011 and releasing in US this year.
A suspenseful tale full of surprises, horror, the worst of people, and the best of people all at the same time. Hard to put the book down once you start, be warned! Keep Running, don’t stop! Don’t let them catch you! But who are they, and why are they chasing you?

I loved Dark Matter and Pines by Blake Crouch. Run was also fast-paced, but the characterizations were a bit under-written.

After a strange astral event, an epidemic of rage overtakes the country and random murders start. There is no rhyme or reason; people are killing strangers, neighbors, friends, and even family. When they start reading names of people to target over the radio and Jack Colclough hears his name, he knows he has to pack up his wife and kids and get out of town. They keep running, trying to reach Canada where they learn of refugee camps but will they all stay alive?

Even nearly a week after finishing this book I don't know what I think. I don't know if I liked it, but I didn't hate it as I was fully expecting it to become a DNF. I found it gripping and compelling, but I don't know if I would recommend other people to read it.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me an ARC copy via Netgalley in exchange for my review!

This book had me in a choke hold from the beginning! It was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time (in an amazing way). Run was so fast paced, intense, and I could not put it down! My heart was pounding while reading the entire time and towards the end I started sweating because I was so into it. It kept me constantly on edge and was truly an amazing read. I knew I loved Blake Crouch for a reason. His writing is captivating and so easy to read. The story line was amazing and interesting. It left a lot of questions, however I enjoyed the questions I was left with. I will be thinking about this book for a very long time. Absolutely 5/5 stars!!!

*Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

What would you do for your family?

Be warned, this is NOT your usual Blake Crouch sci-fi thriller. If you are squeamish, this is not the one for you. It absolutely leans way more towards horror and was quite jarring. But once we really settle into the genre, it was scary, invigorating, and everything I want from a horror novel. Violence spreads across the country, with a viral "us vs them" mentality that literally kills. My heart raced as the Colclough family fled New Mexico, hunted by armies of rabid killers. Ultimately this is a story about humanity and family in the face of imminent danger and how far you'd go to survive. If that sounds good to you with all of its caveats, then I definitely recommend it.

This book was crazy. Wild from the jump and action packed. The world is ending...people are killing each other. But why? This gives the typical Blake Crouch eerie and unsettling vibes. Unfortunately, I found the story to drag a bit during the middle. The chase and rest. The chase and rest. It did give me anxiety for sure but I think I wanted more. More explanation of why this was happening. And my god some parts were super gory which I was not prepared for! This was still an enjoyable read and I was absolutely rooting for this family to survive and make it through. But the ending - I just wanted to know more. So 3.75 rounded up to 4.

Wow this was incredible.

Fast paced, fascinating story premise. I ate it up.

Blake Crouch did not disappoint with this one. Gave post-apocalyptic/World War Z/Walking Dead vibes.

Blake, Blake, Blake.....I expected more.

I was an instant fan after Wayward Pines and loved Dark Matter. This book had an appealing premise - post-apocalyptic, people killing each other. The people IN this book...ugh, some of those kids needed to GO.

Maybe it's my own fault. I was expecting this to be very character driven - but it was more family centric than I would prefer.

I'm sure people will love this - but not so much me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

I received an ARC of this book and at the time I did not realize that is was a re-release of an older title. But I know this author is really popular, so I picked it up and went in pretty blind.

This was just not the book for me. I felt like I was trapped in a Zombie movie, and my issue with it is the same one I have with those movies. I just find it repetitive and overly gory at times. If apocalyptic books or movies are your jam, then this one might be for you. I just kept waiting for the payoff and didn't really feel I got it. The ending seemed abrupt and rushed and didn't really give the answers I was hoping for.

Go into it with the proper expectations and you will probably enjoy it. Thank you to @netgalley, @randomhousepublishinggroup and @ballantinebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Crouch's self-published apocalyptic work was so much more violent and terrifying than I anticipated. He wrote this work over a decade ago and it is now being published by Ballantine Books. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire read. The central family gave this book so much more depth - this isn't the typical genre with a family-centric narrative, but the family is what gave the story inertia. This isn't the most realistic or compelling thriller, but it is a quick and intense read. For those with weak stomachs, it is incredibly violent. (It probably didn't help that I read this book during Hurricane Helene while trapped in Asheville).

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC!

What a wild ride this story was. The story jumps right into the action. Jack, his wife Dee and their two children are on the run. America has gone mad. People are killing each other for no reason at all it seems. The story is action packed and anxiety inducing! I was drawn in from page one. I enjoyed the writing and the characters. It was kept interesting by the author slowly revealing what was going on in this apocalyptic world. Definitely different in ways from Crouch’s other sci-fi works, but similar in ways. Overall a gripping, enjoyable read.

I discovered Blake Crouch a few years ago and was blown away by Dark Matter and Recursion. This one is actually his first book that he self published, that is now getting a bigger publication with @randomhouse !
Categorized as an apocalyptic thriller, this story follows Jack, an average college professor in Albuquerque, his wife, and two kids as they make a crazy "road trip" across country trying to avoid death! For some unknown reason, mass numbers of people have suddenly become violent and are killing others. What started as sporadic killings have become organized groups searching out people to kill. Jack and his family try to reach Canada by any means necessary hoping the rumors of refuge camps and safety are true.
I struggled with this one. For one, it's a bit outside of my normal genres. There is a LOT of tension, a lot of violence, a lot of hopelessness, and a tad bit of light/goodness. Secondly, I was reading this when Hurricane Helene hit, and there is a lot of real world devastation and apocalyptic pictures circulating, and still so many people in unimaginable circumstances as I write this review. So although the scenarios were different there was a lot of scariness/hope it never happens reading this book, while also seeing some things really happening in real life (people without power, food, water, etc.)!
I know there are many who will enjoy (and already have enjoyed) this book, and if you're a fan of thrillers, Blake Crouch, or average people overcoming crazy odds, definitely pick this one up. It is set to be published towards the end of next month (22 Oct), so add it to your TBR and get a copy!
Thanks to @netgalley for providing me a free advanced copy to review!
#NetGalley #Run

Run follows a family as they are fleeing from what appears to be random acts of wide spread violence. The world is in chaos and they are desperately trying to find a safe place to hide.

In true Blake Crouch fashion, this was very fast paced and entertaining to read and easy to binge. But there is not much more than that.

The characters are hard to like and feel very one dimensional. The dialogue did not feel like it flowed naturally but felt forced.

The storyline does not feel fully flushed out, rather this read like a plot of a quick movie. We get from point A to point B but there is not a lot of substance in between.

This was an unsettling story with graphic depictions of violence and body horror. So check your trigger warnings.

If you are looking for something a little more cerebral like Dark Matter or Recursion, you won’t find that here. Take this story as it is meant to be, a wild ride.

This was a fairly typical, but enjoyable post-apocalyptic novel. No zombies, per say, but there were "infected" - and they were determined to kill those who weren't. It took a long time to get to that point, but the story is basically that of a family on the run in the southwest, trying to stay alive. The book was enjoyable, but felt a bit repetitive at time, and took too long to understand exactly what was going on. And then it got resolved very quickly. That all said, I enjoyed it, but can't say I loved it. I appreciate the advanced readers copy, and thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for it. I eventually realized the book was one of Crouch's earliest works and re-issued. That might help explain some of it.

Firstly, I know opinions are subjective and vary from person to person, but I didn’t find anything terrible about this book to warrant two stars. Honestly, I cannot rate this book less than four stars! I enjoyed the pacing, intriguing concept, aurora borealis-focused sci-fi plotline, and action-packed scenes. I had no problem with the characterization or dialogues. It was a thrilling, popcorn read that I was fully invested in and finished quickly.

I know this book is one of the author’s earlier works and isn’t on the level of Dark Matter, Upgrade, or Wayward Pines, but it’s still well-written, riveting, and keeps you on the edge of your seat as the mystery holds your interest. If you like fast-paced, heart-throbbing, smart sci-fi thrillers and are a devoted fan of the author, I advise you to give it a chance—you won’t be disappointed in the end.

Hang on because this is one fast paced, wild ride and I loved every minute of it. It follows Jack and his family when all hell has broken loose. People have gone crazy and are killing anyone mentioned on a kill list - his name has just been mentioned! In Run, the action is non-stop, but the story is also well developed. Jack's wife and the 2 kids act like shits quite a few times - which is true to life right! But Jack found something in himself, and his survival instincts kick into high gear. Highly recommend - and also read the Afterword for some history of this novel.

Wow, what a ride! Run, by Blake Crouch, originally published in 2011, is one of the most intense and riveting books I’ve read in a while. From the moment the action starts, there is just no let up. Jack and Dee, along with their young son and adolescent daughter, start a wild journey in a desperate attempt to survive inexplicably horrific events.

This novel is not for the faint of heart as the violence and incredibly brutal nature of the actions taken by those people who apparently saw an aurora are so descriptive you can practically smell the blood. The humanity of so many people is just gone. But that is balanced by the strength, love and hope represented by Jack and Dee’s story. This is truly a terrifying story that I could not put down.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

This is so different from Crouch’s other works, but still a compelling and addicting read. He tells the readers it was his first novel, so the different feel makes complete sense.

I love the level of horror and stress, never being able to sit and take a breath, because you must always be moving, always on the run. While I didn’t wholly love the characters, it didn’t deter my enjoyment of the book.

If it wasn’t for bedtime, I would have read this in one sitting.

Run is a rerelease by Ballantine Books of a previous self published book by Blake Crouch that was originally released back in 2011. This apparently was Blake's first self published book and it shows. The novel is rather fast paced, but has some obvious holes in the story. While the premise is captivating it leaves one asking a few questions. I have read several Blake Crouch books over the years and enjoy them, but this one could have done more and it shows that it is his early writing. Would have loved more back story on what caused everything to occur and more details to the ending. Not his best work but not terrible. Definitely an entry point for new Blake Crouch readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

#NetGalley #Run #BlakeCrouch #BallantineBooks

Blake Crouch has the best method for pacing his stories to keep you completely engaged and turning pages as fast as you can. The plot was so amazingly realistic and believable I felt my breath catch and heart race over and over.