I enjoyed this book for the most part. I like post apocalyptic stories and this one was fast paced enough for me. Family of four on the run from violence? Sign me up. Jack's family were a little unlikable but I was able to power through. Blake Crouch books are must-read books for me so I'm glad I was given this ARC. Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine.

“‘Are they going to shoot at me, Daddy?’
‘They might, Cole.’
‘Why?’
𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒅.”

Holy action, Batman. This book never let up! I think it would make a fantastic dystopian movie. It kind of reminded me a bit of the premise of The Walking Dead.

3.5 stars rounded up. This book was originally self published by @blakecrouch1 in 2011 and I am so happy for him that his very first breakthrough novel will now be available in stores!

The audiobook is narrated so well. Scott Brick really keeps that momentum going and the action and stress high, so much so that if I could have listened to it faster just to know what was going to happen I would have.

Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Netgalley, Random House-Ballantine, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I was iffy on this book going in, since I’m not really a fan of apocalyptic books but oh my gosh did I love this. About half way through, I was hooked and binged the rest in one evening. I felt so emotionally connected to the characters by the end. This is my second book by Blake Crouch, and I’m a huge fan.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

2.5 rounded up.
It was an action packed story for sure, but I wish we learned more about the phenomenon behind the attacks. Plus it seemed that all the plot points went the same way - characters find salvation and food/shelter, people find them, they run. Rinse and repeat. And the wife and kids characters were not likable and made the whole experience of being stuck in a car that much more unbearable.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like I’m out of breath after reading this book.

Phew! I’ve read and loved 3 of Blake Crouch’s other books, and this one might be a top-contender for “most likely to put me on edge”. The premise of this book is what drew me to it, and the action starts right from the first few pages. I will say that the first 1/3 of the book felt a bit slow in certain ways and maybe a little repetitive, even though there was a lot going on plot-wise. That said, that was a pretty minor issue for me.

I found myself picking this up every chance I got, and the race to find out what was going to happen to these characters kept me going. There were times where things got a little gory, but nothing too intense. I really enjoyed how we got dual POV between Jack and Dee for a lot of the book, and it was great seeing what each of them was going through/thinking during those moments. I loved how Crouch packed such an emotional punch with the character dynamics; it helped balance all the action. The fast-pace keeps up all the way to the last chapter, and I was really happy with how everything wrapped up.

This book was non-stop action from start to finish. In Blake Crouch fashion he hooks the reader in right at the start and makes it very difficult to put down. In this story we are following a family who heard their name on a national broadcast of people are going to be unalived if they don’t escape fast enough as an epidemic of violence and murders has occurred throughout the country. There is a big vibe of the apocalypse and end of the world that permeates the whole book as we follow the family on through run. I was rooting for them the entire time and became invested in the plot. I am surprised that this book has not had more buzz, I totally recommend it.

4/5 Stars

This takes place in a world where something (or someone) has caused some people to “change” in such a way they violently kill those that haven’t “changed” and we follow a family of 4 trying to survive. For a good part of this book I had no idea what the heck was going on. It was hard to put down because it was broken up into short sections and had a lot of dialogue which made it easy to read. I also kept thinking if I just read a little more I would understand what was happening. It was extremely fast paced and a very compelling read and I really felt a sense of fear when it came to encountering some of the crazy people, but the lack of emotion from the characters (especially from the mom and dad) about the whole situation in general was a bit frustrating. It wasn’t very realistic or genuine, UNTIL the last quarter of the book. Another thing that was strange about Crouch’s writing was the lack of pronouns. There were so many sentences that should have started with “He” or “She” or “They” and he just dropped the pronoun. For example: Went on. It was really annoying. The last quarter of the book, though was excellent and I really enjoyed the ending. I think he really nailed it. His characters also started showing real emotions at the end that I could relate to. It’s obvious that this was an early work by Crouch, but still quite excellent. Definitely recommend!
***Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and Blake Crouch for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Crouch actually wrote Run over a decade ago; this publication is a reissue. I didn’t read the original, so I’ve no idea if if he’s made any significant changes to it, but it’s very much in character for Crouch’s work. The premise itself is your run of the mill dystopian scenario – essentially the world as we know it is ending, and the protagonist is racing to get his family to safety. At this point such things are a dime a dozen.
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Crouch doesn’t break any new ground with the genre here, but he puts his own spin on it. While Run has action in plenty and will easily keep your eyes glued to the page even when they ought to be closing in slumber, the best thing about the book is actually the protagonists. Jack, Dee, Naomi, and Cole – parents and their two children, on the book’s namesake trek - could be any family from anywhere, but as Crouch often does, he turns his characters inside out and takes the reader along for the emotional roller coaster ride. Every single one of Crouch’s books is a journey of discovery as his protagonists find things within themselves that they never expected to find, often leaving the reader touched in profound ways as well, and Run is no exception.
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I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for the review above, but I will eventually purchase the final version. Run is the kind of book that, having finished, you sit with for a spell. And then read again. 5⭐️.
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#run #blakecrouch #bookstagram #bookreviews #booknerds #booklover #booklife #netgalley

When I requested this ARC, I didn't realize that this was a rerelease from Crouch's backlist but I'm so glad that I discovered this title. In Run, people exposed to the Northern Lights become violent. The MCs are a family of four on the run from this violence.

This was an entertaining read but Crouch's writing has clearly improved in the intervening years since this title's original release. A funny, frothy thriller but nothing exceptionally original.

This book was emotional whiplash and stress in written form. I spent most of the book feeling the panic of the characters and wanting to know what on earth caused their world to devolve into chaos and craziness. Read if you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic novels or if you’re looking for a book to raise your heart rate to unsafe levels.

Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors and I really wish this would have worked for me, but unfortunately it didn’t. This was obviously one of his earlier books because it just didn’t have the same vibes, but that’s okay! It shows that he has grown so much! This was a family oriented thriller that was pretty gripping with each chapter ending with a cliff-hanger, but this is very repetitive and felt more like a mob/action movie. I prefer his sci-fi dystopian tales, so this just wasn’t a new fave of mine but I still liked it a bit. He’s still a fantastic storyteller and writer but the ending was also pretty ambiguous. Overall, not terrible and I do recommend it, but also not a new favorite.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book was originally published 13 years ago, but it could have been written last week. In a country filled with political division and then a major viewing of the northern lights (hey! sound familiar?), people start behaving erratically, attacking and killing those around them. The reader follows a family trying to escape the violence. Parts are a tad too unbelievable, and I wish there had been a clearer resolution the initial problem, but it was a thrilling adventure that feels a bit too realistic/possible.

Thank you Random House Ballantine and Netgalley for the ARC of this insane survival/horror read!!

I love Blake Crouch, and this one didn't disappoint! HOWEVER--you *will* be disappointed if you go in expecting a deep understanding of sci-fi that are prevalent in his other works. This one isn't about the science or navigating the science. This one is about *surviving* it.

What would you do if seemingly overnight, your neighbors and friends suddenly became blood thirsty, violent people? If they were hunting you to torture and kill you? But...it's not just your neighbors and friends. It's a large portion of the entire United States population. We have a nationwide purge that lasts for months and weeks, but not everyone is impacted--you only become a monster if you saw the lights. And if you didn't? You better run.

Y'all this book basically solidified that I will not do well in any sort of apocalypse scenario. I absoLUTELY do not have the will to live through anything even remotely resembling this. And I'm saying that in the "good" times--forget it if I was actually living this scenario. I was HOOKED from the first page and couldn't put this down. Because as much as I don't want to live it, it absolutely feels like you're part of this family of 4 running from something you don't understand to a place you don't know is safe.

Are the characters loveable? Not really. Was I necessarily cheering for them to survive? Also know. Do I 100% expect to look at reviews and read how awful everyone found the FMC? SURE DO! But that's honestly one of the best parts of this--how do you react when the world falls apart around you? How do you cope? When everything devolves and you just need to SURVIVE--what kind of person are you willing to become to keep your family safe?

The short chapters, the time jumps, and the dialogue all make you feel as though you're living through it too. The suspense is amazing, and it's violent and gruesome without being overly gory and "ick" inducing. If you read James Patterson's "Zoo" and wondered what it would be like if people were the ones impacted--this book is absolutely for you!!

Blake Crouch is an auto-read author for me. It doesn't matter what it is, if he wrote it, I will read it. So I was very excited to receive an ARC of Run. I had high expectations after Dark Matter and Recursion, but unfortunately, Run wasn't up to par with them.

Don't get me wrong, it's an interesting premise, and was entertaining, but I felt like it kept repeating. They run, they stumble upon the 'bad' people. They hide. Then they run some more. Then they hide, etc. Then suddenly, it is just over?! How?! Why?!

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Run in exchange for an honest review.

Theme/Tropes: Thriller, Survival Story, Apocalyptic Sci Fi

This book is nothing if not a story of enduring love and survival. As a global events causes people to go into a murderous frenzy one family must try to escape and survive as the world falls apart.

This book is violent and graphic at times as it is a book for those who loved the survival aspect of shows like The Walking Dead. It lives up to the name Run as this is what most of the book is about. I found myself engrossed in their survival story and wanting to see an happy ending for this family. The end was worth the wild ride and the endless ups and downs. I felt myself cheering for Jack and his family as they beat the odds.

This is not a light hearted story and please take care of yourself if you as sensitive to certain themes. I could see this being a tough read for some audiences but overall I did enjoy it. The writing style, character development and the overall story made it hard to put this one down.

After reading Crouch's most recent works (Upgrade, Recursion, & Dark Matter), I was extremely excited to be offered the opportunity to read RUN. At first, I was not impressed by the first few chapters of the book. I felt as if I was dropped into the middle of a book with presumed character development and no real hint at where the book was going to lead. I honestly thought I had missed reading something like a prequel. After those first few chapters though, I got into the plot line and was so curious about what would happen to this family that I couldn't stop turning the pages. And then, THE ENDING! Down to the last sentence. What a suspense! I understand this was Crouch's first novel, but I am curious as to why they decided to re-publish it (that piece of information was not included in the acknowledgements). I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Crouch's work and wants to see how it started, and for anyone who wants to thrilling ride of a book that is both exhilarating and downright horrifying.

This was my first book by Blake Crouch and I enjoyed it! I will definitely read more books from him.

It has been a long time since I read an entire book in one day, but with this one I felt like I needed to. This is a terrifying book that seems like it could be all too real in our current world. Humans have become monsters that are on a rampage to kill others that they deem “not like them” in the most violent ways. The gore and a few other minor issues are the reason that I didn’t give 5 stars. This is the story of a family trying to survive and get away from the horrible wasteland that has become the of the United States. It is violent, scary, gross, and very intense; but, also tells the story of how trauma can bring people together. I had to know what was going to happen so I just kept turning the pages. It also helped that I have really enjoyed others book by this author. Grab this one if you’re not easily disturbed!

I rarely DNF books, but I did DNF this one at 40%. I just really wasn't enjoying the storyline. I LOVED Dark Matter, and went into this being excited to read it. There wasn't any background or leading information about the family, we just immediately jump into this apocalyptic world. I didn't connect with any members of the family, I was just dreading reading it. The story felt pretty repetitive as well. I will stick with Blake's later work & continue to read his new upcoming releases.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Crouch is back with a rerelease of a 2011 fav! This is dystopian fiction with a survivalist plot line, flawed characters, and fast paced action. Readers who enjoyed Dark Matter and Recursion will appreciate the familiar elements layered throughout this story.