You weren’t planning to sleep or to put this book down after picking it up, were you? Beginning with the novel’s imperative title, the action is non-stop as Crouch layers tension and unease with interesting characters and a dystopian mystery. I was excited to read this since I’ve loved the nuance of Crouch’s other novels. Although this is a re-release of an older title by the author, Crouch’s immersive writing is just as strong as more recent work. The author is building towards the intricate plot structure in more recent novels. Some of the scenes in Run could be from other dystopian thrillers such as The Walking Dead or The Last of Us, but the novel’s elements converge to tell a satisfying story that transcends the typical thriller. This is a love story that celebrates the gift of a second chance and the persistence of those that lived.

I was immediately on the edge of my seat reading Run by Blake Crouch. It was a non-stop, heart pounding dystopian/apocalyptic Hunger Games-ish book. A family of four is on the run of their lives. They don't know why or who or what but there is destruction and death everywhere. Sometimes/most of the time, it's pretty horrific.


SPOILER ALERT...






And it has to do with an aurora in the sky?! WHAT?! Didn't most of the US just witness the beautiful Northern Lights?! W.T.F! That really made it creepier to me.

I need more Blake Crouch. STAT.

Crouch’s writing is quite chaotic compared to his other books but, I believe that may be intentional to add to the chaos going on in the setting. Overall, it’s a pretty good read with a refreshing original idea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine books for this early digital ARC copy. This novel was originally self published by Blake Crouch in 2011.
Run was an exciting fast paced book that had me not wanting to stop reading.
What would you do if all of a sudden you had to pick up and run with your family? You had to try to find a place where you were safe and able to survive until whatever was happening in the world either was cured or safe havens were found. This book had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I would definitely recommend this book to readers.

Let me start by saying Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors. Dark Matter is one of my top 10 books of all time. Run, while being a fast paced, action packed thriller is not what I come to expect from this author… but I believe this is his first book which is actually being re-released in October. In that case I feel better about it in that I expect his books to be so unbelievably smart… and this one reads more like an end of days limited series. The world seems like it is coming to an end and we are on the journey with this family running for their lives. It is a lot of starving, dehydrating, finding shelter, and fighting. To me it felt like a lot of the same thing over and over… however…. It had me scared for them and rooting for every member of the family to make it through and have the world go back to normal. I did think it was a good book and enjoyed reading it. I just normally expect a 5⭐️ reading experience from a Blake Crouch book and this was more like 3.5⭐️

Blake Crouch…. SIR. I am unwell. This books was absolutely captivating and absolutely everything I expected out of a good thriller

I’m a huge Blake Crouch fan having read all his more recent stand alone sci fi novels and I really enjoyed reading this book. As an example of some of his earlier writing it’s clear he’s come a long way. I was definitely left with some unanswered questions but was undeniably hooked by the story because I finished reading the whole thing in one sitting! Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a quick read that doesn’t get too deep into worldbuilding or complicates explanations.

I think this book had a super interesting premise. Sometimes, it jumped around a little bit for my liking and there seemed to be a lot of unanswered questions. Overall, it was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed it.

I was willing to overlook the parts of this book that I didn't like because of the page-turning action. But then it got boring. At about 40% of the way through it lost steam for me plot-wise. Now what really bothered me about Run was the characters. The main character of Jack drove me craaaazy. He was so deeply annoying and controlling. I guess he had to be controlling though because his wife Dee was pretty useless. She and the kids look to Jack for literally everything. He tells them what to do, and it seems that they can't have any ideas of their own. Jack is happy to be the unquestioned leader of the family. Dee who is A DOCTOR is trying to help him MEDICALLY, and he's still trying to tell her what to do. I just could not with all these people. I didn't care about them, and then once the excitement of the plot dropped off the book totally lost me.

I understand that this is one of Blake Crouch's earlier works, so I won't completely hold it against him.

Unfortunately, DNFed. I've loved Crouch's newer works, but I'm realizing this is a re-issue of an older book, and it's just not holding my attention.

Run by Blake Crouch is a gripping apocalyptic thriller about a man and his family running for their lives in an America gone mad.

The story is classic Blake Crouch and reminds me a bit of an episode of The Walking Dead mixed in with the movie The Happening. I did think the ending would turn out differently, but the story was still very good, held my interest, and pulse-pounding in some scenes. A few times, what the characters went through was repetitive.

Overall, a good tense thriller. I would recommend this book.

#Run #NetGalley @atrandom @blakecrouch1

I’ve been waiting years for a Blake Crouch book as gripping as Dark Matter. This is probably the most Unputdownable book I’ve read this year. Will be promoting the hell out of this one!

Blake Crouch is always a win for me. I recommend Dark Matter and Recursion frequently and was intrigued by Run. This is a non-stop ride so be prepared when you open to page one. Run is an action-packed thriller that follows a family as they run from the crazed vigilantes that seem to be everywhere. What happened to these people? Why are they on a killing spree? And will Jack and his family escape or be the next victims? This one kept me up at night!

What would you do if half of the U.S. population decided the other half didn’t deserve to live? Jack and his family ponder that question as they run away from everything they’ve known. They don’t know who is affected or why. They just know they need to stay together and run. The concept of this book was exhilarating, and it had so much potential. Unfortunately, it was monotonous and, frankly, boring. The action picks up a bit at the end, but the slog to get there wasn’t worth it. The structure of the book didn’t help with the pacing. There were short vignettes instead of chapters, but chapters may have helped orient the story more. The execution of the book just didn’t live up to the plot synopsis.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Blake Crouch’s Run is a high-octane thriller that plunges readers into a terrifying apocalyptic scenario where survival is the only goal. The book grips you from the first page with its relentless pace and intense action sequences, but by the end, I couldn’t help but feel that it ran on a little longer than it should have (pun intended).

The story centers around the Colclough family, who are thrust into a nightmarish world after a mysterious event triggers widespread violence and chaos. As they flee across a landscape teeming with danger, the stakes are constantly high, and the tension rarely lets up. Crouch excels at creating an atmosphere of dread and desperation, and the storyline is undeniably exciting, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

However, despite the adrenaline-fueled narrative, I found it difficult to suspend disbelief when it came to the family’s journey. The idea that they would become separated in such a chaotic, apocalyptic setting and then somehow manage to find each other again felt too far-fetched. In a world where everything is falling apart, their reunion stretched the limits of plausibility.

Another aspect of the book that stood out was the sheer amount of pain the characters endure. The Colclough family goes through excruciating physical and emotional torment, and while this adds to the sense of urgency, it also becomes almost overwhelming at times. The relentless suffering left me feeling more drained than engaged as the story progressed.

In the end, Run is a thrilling ride, but one that might benefit from a tighter narrative and a more grounded approach to its characters’ journey. While the intensity of the plot is certainly a draw, the believability of the story and the unrelenting pain the family experiences can detract from the overall enjoyment. If you’re a fan of fast-paced thrillers and don’t mind a bit of disbelief, Run is still worth the read, but be prepared for a story that might push your endurance to its limits.

Thank you to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #Run. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Crouch has become a "must read" author for me and this re-release of one of his earlier books didn't disappoint. Set in (presumably) present day America, random, mass violence has erupted across the country and it's everyone for themselves. Jack, Dee and their kids, Naomi & Cole, barely escape their home in Albuquerque and start heading north. Along the way, they face unspeakable horrors, but they keep fighting for their lives and each other. This is a page-turning thriller that will keep you up late just to know what happens next.

Oh my gosh. I’m obsessed with these book. It is so well paced and engaging. It’s a story of survival and emotional strain. It bears the question of what would you do for those you love in a world of chaos. Well done Blake, well done!

Another amazing book from blake crouch. seriosuly do not know how he comes up with the stuff that he writes, because everytime I read one of his books I am just blown away.

I did not realize when requesting this ARC that it was an older published book by Blake Crouch. I loved Dark Matter and Recursion, this felt different and I could not understand why until realizing it was his early work.

I liked that it was fast paces and filled me with adrenaline. I wanted to keep reading to know what would happen next! It was graphic and vivid in that imagery. The beginning of the book kept me engaged but the second half of the book felt somewhat repetitive. Overall it was a simple palate cleanser, but not one of my favorites by this author.

Thank you for the ARC!

This story is about a man, his wife, his teenage daughter, and young son. The father's name was read on the Emergency Broadcast System from a list of people to be killed. Certain people from certain parts of the country are killing other people in massive numbers. They hunt them down and murder them with no questions. What is happening and why? These are the main questions from the reader who, like the characters, don't have an immediate answer.

The story keeps you on the edge of your seat from the beginning while cheering on the main characters as they dodge their killers at every turn while on the run. Everyone is suspicious as they don't know who to trust. It's fast pace with little "down time" for the reader, much like the characters.

No age range or family dynamic is off limits. If you are on that list, you and possibly your family dies. No questions asked. And the way they died was terrible. By any means.

There were moments in the book where I felt that the transitions weren't really smooth and a bit jumpy. Was that on purpose? I also expected more from the ending. I guess the sudden halt to the killings was to mimic the sudden start of the killings. And what about the son and his ability? Why? And that list soon became obsolete as one didn't really need it to know who to kill. I do wish there was more of an explanation to these killings than what was given. It didn't really satisfy me on those points.