Definitely a page-turner! This started fast and didn't let up through the entire book. It was a little heavy on the gore for my taste, but overall an engrossing book.

Set aside a block of time because once this thriller grabs you you won't want to stop reading! Blake Crouch writes a manic, intense rapid fire of a dystopia which rarely pauses for breath as it careens across a western landscape, a family that had been slowly disintegrating racing to survive in a world gone crazy. Those who've watched a rare auroral event have become murderous, seeking to kill all those who who aren't one of "them". The story line, characters and plot are well drawn out as this ordinary family fights in ways they never before thought possible as they seek even brief safety but find themselves lurching into one crisis after another. They grow together as a family as they struggle to survive, needing to find water, food, fuel while they battle those seeking to kill them amidst a harsh western landscape.

Fair warning, there is quite a bit of violence, blood and gore but it's a necessary part of this story.

Highly recommended.

Run by Blake Crouch
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Blake Crouch for the ARC.

This apocalyptic thriller is extremely intense from beginning to end, verging on horror at certain points. Crouch is skilled at balancing plot and character, creating a crisp, emotional, and thrilling experience.

I appreciated the clever approach to providing the reader with information on what’s happening in this world within a paragraph; just enough to inform us, and then the action continues. My adrenaline was pumping as I devoured this book, unable to put it down. I read this in less than a day and it was a fantastic binge-read. I was horrified by the brutality of the situation, imagining being in the place of the MC’s and awed by their resilience.

While this is a fast-paced and action packed read, it’s also a story of humanity and family. Another hit from Blake Crouch!

I was only able to get about 15% of the way into this book before I found it so poorly done that I had to stop. I was particularly offput by the scene where the patient who has been in the hospital runs into the road conveniently giving the narrator an opportunity to explain the leadup to the current event. The characters acting so illogically to further the plot felt so weak and contrived to me. I really wanted to keep going but when it happened again pages later that they get out of the car to speak to another random injured woman for no reason, I knew this wasn't going to be a book for me.

I requested this because the concept was very intriguing and I have loved some of Crouch's other books, but I will not be continuing this one. I would need more purposeful story telling and character development in the first 15% of this book to justify the trauma porn I just endured.

I’ve read Recursion by Blake Crouch and really enjoyed it so was excited to read Run! The novel follows a family during an apocalyptic event and all that they have to face to survive. Overall and enjoyable read, I liked the thriller/suspense aspect of it but this is not my usual genre and felt like I would have enjoyed it better visually / as a movie. Anyone that enjoys apocalyptic and action stories will enjoy this one.

Thank you for an advanced readers copy of this title via NetGalley.

Talk about a wild ride. I’ve been trying to figure out what exactly happened with the story since finishing it, and I’m still at a loss. I really enjoyed reading this book, I’m just confused at what I read. The character development was lacking. I didn’t have a firm understanding of who Jack was, but he was the main character. He was running for some reason, what was the reason? I don’t know, but it was a fun ride. I enjoyed all the action, and it most certainly kept me on my toes, but again, I really needed more information. What was the big event that happened that caused everything to go to mayhem? There were references to some aurora, but nothing in detail. And then the book ended. The conclusion was not satisfactory in my opinion. I read afterward that this was an early novel by this author and that made a lot of sense, because it did not seem like his current works. As much as I enjoyed this journey, I’m still confused, and for that reason this book is memorable to me.

3.75 stars

This book was very Bird Box meets The Purge meets A Quiet Place. I thought it was a really interesting concept and I was definitely curious to find out what happened. I did find that it dragged in the middle and I was kind of skimming because it was just the same thing over and over (which is a problem I’ve had with other Blake Crouch books). This family was also way too trusting. They literally stopped for every person they saw and trusted them when they said they were good. I was begging them to have some common sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC

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

Holy wow! This was my first book by author Blake Crouch and to say I'm now a fan is an understatement! Run started with action from page one. I was honestly surprised by the twists and turns that just kept coming. If you liked the Purge movies, you'll love Run by Blake Crouch!

Thank you to NetGalley, Blake Crouch, and Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books, for this copy of Run, out October 22, 2024!

📜Quick Summary: The country is in disarray as Jack hears his name over the Emergency Broadcast System. This means he and his family- his wife, son, and daughter- have no choice but to run for their lives! Only five days ago, the epidemic started. With the President begging for peace, the murders only increased. Jack has no clue what’s happening or why, but he knows he has to survive. This story took off from the get go, and there was no downtime once they started to run.

❣️Initial Feels: Oh my gosh, what is happening!? Why are they running, what is wrong with these people, what is Jack and his family going to do!? I also felt confused at first, because I kept trying to figure out what was happening every time he ran into someone… I just needed to give the story some time to draw out.

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: At different times I felt anguish for at least everyone in the family. Jack really had to put himself out there to provide for his family and continually think on his toes. Those children though, went through some sh*t, and oh man, did they persevere. Cole, his 7 year old son, really fought some invisible demons, and my mama heart hurt for him and his sister.

📖Read if you want: nonstop action, no formal chapters, edge of your seat paced writing, descriptive settings,

💡Final Sentiments: At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this book, but I ended up devouring it! There are no formal chapters, only small breaks in between changes in action, so it’s hard to put down. You feel like you are on the run with the family, and cannot stop reading/moving with them. As a mom, I FELT for these children, and just couldn’t fathom being in that position. Some areas did feel repetitive…run, rest, attacked, run, rest, attack, etc, but it kept the novel rolling!

🌟Overall Rating: 4 stars

This novel was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

This was a scary, fun time. Blake Crouch is a great writer and I am shocked at how his brain works. I have liked his previous works better, but this was still highly enjoyable. I recommend to all his fans.

I absolutely loved this. It was brutal and violent, so if you are sensitive to that I wouldn’t pick it up. But this families story of survival pulled me in right from the start, I almost felt like I was playing The Last of Us again for the first time. I was constantly anxious for this family and intrigued by the mystery of what exactly was going on.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for an arc of this novel in exchange for my review.

I loved Wayward Pines and Dark Matter so when I saw Run on Netgalley I couldn't wait to get my hands on it, and it did not disappoint. His stories are all so different and yet equally as entertaining.

A series of bizarre murders sweep the country, disturbing, brutal, and unconnected. A cop shoots up a nursing home, mass school shootings, prison riots, and when they begin increasing at a shocking rate the President addresses the nation begging for peace. But instead, they begin to mobilize, the power is out, and now the killers are announcing on the Emergency Broadcast System who's next. When Jack Colclough hears his name he knows he must protect his wife and children, but with no time to waste the only choice is to RUN.

This reminded me a little of Purge, and was as equally disturbing, this book had me on edge, and I couldn't put it down. Another must read from Blake Crouch.

Thank You Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think I need to just stare at the wall after reading this one, it was so intense. My heart was pounding the whole time I was reading it and could not put it down. Here you’ve got yourself a classic Blake Crouch speculative, sci-fi premise but bolused and jacked up on horror and suspense.

You have a family that’s on the brink of implosion when a mysterious “event” happens and throws their life into chaos. Strangers are suddenly becoming violent and murdering innocent people left and right, throwing the world into anarchy. Jack and Dee’s family now is on the run (hence the title of the book) searching for safety. They search for it externally in the world around them but internally within themselves as a family unit as well.

I found the prose and passages on family to be touching and beautiful. I felt misty-eyed at times as Jack and Dee search within themselves for strength throughout the novel. But the action and suspense is what really sold it for me. Just when you start to relax and get complacent about the story, Crouch pumps the gas and you are accelerated into the action. As a horror fan, I really appreciated the crossover from sci-fi into this genre. I truly felt scared at several points in the book and it’s refreshing to see Crouch go there.

The writing seemed a bit choppy and felt disjointed during the slower sections, to the point where I got confused about the chronology of the story at points. Check your trigger warnings though because this does have some graphic descriptions of violence and horror.

Bottom line: if you wonder what a Blake Crouch novel would look like with a heavy dose of horror infused in, look no further. 4/5 for this adrenaline-fueled thriller!

Deepest gratitude and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Random House for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Run was wildly stressful - in the best way possible. Read it in less than a day - could not put down! It’s a quick read, if only because it’s so hard to stop reading.

This is a super fast paced thriller but also a bit of a sweet family story. Terrifying but also made me cry happy tears. Highly recommend.

This read was thrilling from start to finish. It gave me a lot of Walking Dead vibes, which is awesome because I'm a huge fan of that series. I enjoyed the fact that the characters seemed to grow throughout the story, and that the suspense wasn't all just one continuous arc. There were a lot of hidden surprises and the unpredictableness made it even more exciting to read. This was the first book I've read by Blake Crouch and I'd definitely try another after this thrill-ride.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

#netgalley
#Run

This was a gory, intense, apocalyptic horror book that has me on the edge. No kidding. It was fast paced and creepy AF!! This is a great book to read in October during spooky season. His book DARK MATTER was one of my favorite books, so I had to get to this one. I didn't know that it was a re-release, but I'm glad I picked it up. It's an easy read and fast paced. I highly recommend you check it out.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This has a lot of graphic/gruesome material in it - so I would recommend if that doesn't sit well. I've read Blake Crouch's books before and this was seemed really different from some of his others. I did realize it was one of his earlier books. I was really sucked into this book and it was along the lines of 'The Last of Us' and 'The Walking Dead' shows. I felt like there was great character development around the whole family. At first, I was confused about what exactly happened but the book slowly explains what happened and how people have become affected. The book jumped forward a little bit but I felt like it was necessary. The ending did leave you wondering a little bit but overall I liked this book.

Along with other reviewers, I didn't initially realize that Run was Crouch's first first that he self-published in 2011. I tried to keep that in mind as I was reading because I didn't think it was fair to hold that against him too much. I've read Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade (Dark Matter being my favorite!) and there is just something about his writing that is haunting and stays with you. Run is no different. I found myself experiencing so many emotions as I was reading this and I always feel like I need a mental vacation or to watch 14 episodes of Park and Recreation (my happy show) because his books can just be so raw! Another great one by Blake Crouch!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When an aurora hits, those that have seen it turn to murderous intentions.
One family is on the run to reach safety. This story is their journey. It is a lot of running and hiking and driving. However, I wasn't board I was tense with waiting for the other shoe to drop when they seemed safe and enthralled in a walking dead level of gore when they were caught.
I really enjoyed the premise of this story and felt that it was well paced and original.

I also though the introduction chapter and closing set up an extra layer for the book.

Don't read if you are squeamish or don't like violence and tense situations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

This was a thriller about a family trying to survive an post apocalyptic world. It was fast paced, had great characters, and it kept my interest.

My overall beef with this is how repetitive it was and then the ending was super rushed and some parts of the story didn’t end up getting explained.