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.

I made the mistake of starting this while winding down before bed - this book had my anxiety through the roof from the very beginning. Naturally, that meant I was hooked and, while I was eventually able to sleep that night, I finished it in well under 24 hours.

The pacing is fast, fast, fast, and it has a choppy style that I enjoyed for the genre because it cut out a lot of fluff. I would consider it mostly a thriller with a touch of science fiction. The action starts quickly and there’s little respite throughout the story. True to form for thrillers, the characters in this story make some of the stupidest choices. Maybe that’s just from my perspective and I’m asking a lot of these characters to be the ultimate survivalists.

There were some plot holes and unanswered questions, but overall I ate this book up and definitely recommend it as a quick thriller. Like Dark Matter, I think this is a good one for book clubs or buddy reads as a good story for discussion.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and Blake Crouch for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I’m not a Sci-Fi person by any means but I couldn’t put this book down! I finished it in less than 24 hours. Blake Crouch had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out if the family was going to make it out alive. This is my first by him and now I’m excited to read more.

DNF at 40%

Let me start by saying that I adore Blake Crouch and the things he writes. And I loved the premise of than book. The apocalyptic book where people were crazed and out to kill them, the family on the run. But damn, did this disappoint. It was just so repetitive and incredibly boring. Somebody can only run away from people and run into of gas so many times

Special thanks to NetGalley for my first ARC!!! I really enjoyed this one! I was so excited to read a new Blake Crouch book after enjoying Dark Matter. This one started off a little clunky, but nonetheless I was hooked. The family aspect asked added a new twist to the average post apocalyptic story that I really enjoyed. I look forward to reading more of Blake’s novels!

This review was posted to Goodreads on September 27th.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6851356781

This is NOT the type of story you read before bedtime! A very chilling apocalyptic story that will keep you anxious on the edge of your seat until the very very end. Unfortunately it did get a little repetitive at times, but I guess that’s kind of the point of the story? They’re in total and complete chaos. For those who have issues with violence or gun control, this ain’t the story for you. I was hoping for a little more sci-fi as that is what I most know Blake Crouch for. One thing I disliked and I’m unsure if this is just the format it was downloaded in, there are no “chapters”. There are breaks I guess but my kindle told me “5 hours left” in this chapter, but that was also the length of the book. As someone who struggles with putting the book down in the middle of the chapter, this was stressful for me.

I "enjoyed" this story of death and apocalyptic behavior. It was one of those stories that makes your anxiety peak and you can't figure out why until you pick the book back up and immediately feel it. How do. stories do this to us?! I can see this on a screen, definitely written for that. I am now preparing a care package for just this situation ;)

This book had a decent storyline but I felt like it moved so slow for the first 80% of the book where they were just running for their lives and constantly trying to get killed that we could’ve made the book even longer and elaborated on what happened after they crossed over the border like they just wasn’t much we knew they all made it and everything was good and he led them to the gravesite where he was shot and thrown in a pit but his way out of it …… Like I felt the buildup took too long and the end was just cut off it’s done. This book had such great reviews and I’m just not seeing it

Great read from Blake Crouch. This high adrenaline book kept me reading until the very end. Highs, lows and all the suspense! Thanks for the advanced read copy Netgalley!

This was my first Blake Crouch book at it didn’t disappoint! Thrilling and exciting and I could not put it down! I can’t wait to dive into more from Blake Crouch!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this to review in exchange for my honest opinion!

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Republication: October 22, 2024

Rating: Not for me

I loved Crouch’s newer books so when I saw this book up for request, I was very excited! However, the writing style was very jilted and choppy. The plot was an interesting concept but I couldn’t get through this type of writing style.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

Oh my goodness. I’d read so many of Blake Crouch’s books and loved every single one. That said I couldn’t remember if I’d read this one (Goodreads said no) but it still griped me. Definitely not a before bed read.