Crouch's first explosive self-publish book, reprinted for wider audiences.

An event has turned people mad, driving them to commit unspeakable acts of hatred and cruelty across the country, preying upon those unaffected, who need to run for their lives...

Sure, the premise is a typical survival story, but when written. With Crouch's singular ability to highlight emotion and the human condition, a slasher film becomes a harrowing tale of redemption, heroism and a testament to the power of familial love.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I unfortunately really struggled with this book. I am usually a Blake Crouch fan, but I found this book to be unrealistic to the point that it really took me out of the story at times. The family went through a lot of trouble when running; however, the resolution of many of these events seemed impossible. The fact that this untrained family could shoot down so many killers and keep each other safe just seemed impossible.

I really loved Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter book. If you haven’t read that, go do it now. However, I couldn’t see Crouch’s writing in Run and didn’t feel that urge to devour the pages.

This horror, thriller, post-apocalyptic book was a bit too violent for me and I had to read it in the morning so it would be out of my brain by bed time. (This is coming from a reader who dislikes anything scary.)

But what got me the most was how impossible the last 50 pages were and while I won’t go into it all, it left me thinking that no way any of this would happen to work out the way that it did. Like a nice little bow.

I think that if I hadn’t read Dark Matter first and got to see how Crouch has grown as a writer, I wouldn’t be so hard on my rating.

Jack and his family are running for their life, along with everyone else who didn’t see the lights. Imagine if one day, tons of the population turned evil and started killing people. Not just killing, torturing and enjoying it.

This entire book is sad and depressing and dark. That is some people’s thing and this is an apocalyptic type book, so it is to be expected to a certain amount. I feel that this book took it a bit too far, especially with the imagery and violence. When thought it cannot get worse, it does.

I do think the writing was good, but I’ve read 2 other Crouch books and think he has improved since this early novel. I also love how his books always have a supernatural or sci fi element. This one does too, however it’s not as dynamic as usual and doesn’t get the attention or explanation that I would have liked especially compared to his other books.

I will say that one reason I felt so affected by this book is because the family has a teenage daughter and a young son almost the same exact ages as my own children. I cried 3 different times reading this book. The ending was satisfying but not enough to balance the rest of the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a copy of this book before the re-release.

This was a fast paced insane book
25% done...what is even going on?
50% done, how are they still alive? I am exaughsted!
75% oh don't make me LIKE you!
90% really?
100% ahhh the science.that we know Crouch for.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A new top book of the year!! 🎉

Run follows a family of four: mom and dad, Jack and Dee, and their two kids Naomi and Cole, ages 14 and 7 respectively. When half the population goes mad and begins murdering their friends, family, neighbors and strangers (anyone who's not affected), Jack must get his wife and kids to safety, no matter the costs. But with convoys of "the affected" always on their tails, they can't stay in one place for long. They'll face unbelievable hardships and suffering as they outrun the murderous mob. Will they make it out in one piece?

This was WILD!!!! Run is a heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat scifi / apocalyptic thriller that I could not put down! Crouch pulled me in on the first page and held me, locked in suspense, until the very end. In addition to the action-packed survival story at the center, there's also a heartfelt story of marriage and family and what's really important. I just loved it!!!! 5/5 stars!
Thanks Ballentine for my gifted copy. 🩷
I'll be posting my review to my IG and Goodreads soon.

This book was as good as the others he wrote ! Thank you for the ARC . Very good story and easy to follow ! Definitely 5 stars !

Re-releasing October 2024! Run is the perfect title for this novel- I felt like I was on a sprint the entire time while reading. There is a m*rder spree taking place across America, and we don’t know why. The story follows Jack trying to lead his family to safety. It’s VERY graphic and gory, so fair warning, especially if you like to read at night like I do. I was pretty hooked in the beginning, but I had enough about 50% through. Now I need to read something cheerful 😂 Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Expected nothing less from Blake Crouch! I know this is an older booo but it was not on my radar before

I did not realize this was a republished book at first. I thought I had read everything written by Blake Crouch, but I was wrong. I did not enjoy it quite as much as Dark Matter or Wayward Pines, but you really can't go wrong with anything Blake Crouch writes. This was a very quick, fast-paced, entertaining read.

Couldn’t put it down. Couldn’t stop hoping they would be ok. Caught between cheering them on and crying on their behalf on almost every page.

Disturbing and apocalyptic are the best words I can use to describe this. As a mom of 4 with anxiety, this one was tough because it spelled out one of my biggest fears. However, I enjoyed it and think it is a fast, action-filled read for a rainy day.

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.