3.5 stars rounded up. I am not the target audience at all, so it is a testament to Blake Crouch’s writing that I enjoyed this as much as I did. Stories about surviving while running from zombies or people make me uncomfortably anxious. I am not the person you want to draft for your apocalypse team, despite having a few essential survival skills, I don’t have the constitution for running. Run is perfectly titled as I was in a state of mild panic for the entire book as the literally characters ran for their lives. Some of the story felt tired, a community akin to Woodbury lead by the Governor in Walking Dead as one example, but I think it would have felt fresh when Run was originally released in 2011. There is a lot of violence and gore (which I usually don’t care for- again not the target audience) but the violence didn’t feel gratuitous, given the circumstances.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I am glad I stepped outside my comfort zone and read this, but it is back to contemporary fiction with a sprinkle of fantasy, romance, and sci-fi for the sake of my nerves.

This is classic Crouch doing what he does best. This kept me attentive and eager to see how the story played out. I enjoyed the action and suspense.

An incredible and unique story! Blake Crouch gets me into sci fi with every book he writes - so well done!

Run is not a new Blake Crouch book, but rather a re-release of a book first published in 2011. The story follows a family as they attempt to reach safety in a post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The plot is engaging, but circular, and the family’s trials begin to feel a little bit like groundhog day. I missed Crouch’s seamless weaving of science and suspense that are present in his more recent works that add more originality and depth to the stories. Cliffhangers keep the pages turning and its sorter length make it bingeable. An entertaining, but not necessarily memorable, read.

I feel like I read this before so I’m not sure why but I was given an arc of this book and it was fine. I love Blake Crouch and this is one of his earlier books. He does a great job of setting the world and giving the characters depth and emotions that I can feel. I liked this book the first time I read it but I’m not really into the post apocalyptic themes that much anymore. Is last 3 books were absolutely amazing though. You definitely feel a sense of dread in this book and I was a little stressed reading it, but that’s a good thing in thriller books.

I got to 50% in this book and do not even want to know what happens at the end. I don’t like the fact that there are no real chapters and nothing has really happened. I also don’t understand the very beginning of the book before it goes to Jack and his family.

Wow this should be a movie! What a ride! Absolutely thrilling and fun to read. Definitely recommend!

SUCH a timely and creepy book to read only a few weeks after the aurora borealis was seen all over the US… I couldn’t put this down, read it in one day, and it freaked me out quite a lot (I didn’t see the northern lights and really found myself imagining some “what ifs” around that!) The writing was great for the style of the story - short, incomplete sentences, very staccato and very train of thought for the narrator. This makes it a really quick, breathless read that you kind of have to gulp down and it worked so well to keep the tension ramped up and make the violence (and it is a very violent, gory book) all the more shocking. It’s not as polished as his later books, but that can be fun sometimes, like you’re really there in the author’s head instead of reading the cleaned-up, edited-to-sanitary version. Definitely worth picking up for a quick, gory, heart-pounding read.

I could not put this down! From start to finish it was a wild ride and I had no idea what was going to happen. There were several twists that kept me guessing. I was not disappointed in how it all wrapped up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random house/Ballantine Books for this eARC copy of what will be a republication of Run in October of 2024. This book was originally published in 2011. I can only assume that with the success of Dark Matter and Recursion, as well as attracting new readers from the Apple+ series that there is renewed interest in BC and his entire back catalog. I will say that for fans of Crouch, you will likely eat this book up and will enjoy its fast paced, unhinged character work typical of BC. Let there be no mistake, this is a horror novel. It is vaguely sci-fi in that there are some supernatural elements but overall this is a gory brutal horror. Here's the thing, what Crouch really excels at is fast paced storytelling. His character work is, as usual, not great. LOL and uses many standard tropes. For background, I have read Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade which all lean more into sci-fi elements, this book is a hard left. It's easy to see the growth of his writing by comparing it to Dark Matter and Recursion, and Run is just overall a standard C+ work for the reasons I just described. Overall I would recommend this for folks who like horror and thriller novels that are NYT bestsellers/airport ready books. You don't need to know much going in (you also don't really get an explanation of anything either) and can easily read or listen to this as a good summer read nor while on travel. If you are coming here because you like Dark Matter and Recursion, I would not recommend it as their are other writers who tell a better horror/thriller novel that's just more well rounded than this one. For one, its just too long. we get it, they are on the run, and the character work is just so lacking that there isn't really much to sick your teeth into and so overall I was just bored. A couple of standouts include a POV shift and character arc surprises. Overall a solid attempt but misses the mark that Crouch is really known for.

This book kept me on my toes! I’m glad I got my hands on it as an ARC.

Just when I thought things were going to be okay… BAM… another mess of chaos and murder. Blake Crouch has a way of making you feel what his characters feel and this story was no different. It was heart-wrenching, nauseating, and beautiful. The thriller/cat and mouse chase elements kept it engaging, but were frustrating at times (though, I think that was the intention). I could definitely see this adapted into a short series and more detail given to the origin of the “affected”.

Run had my attention from the very first page. Maybe it’s because I am firmly in my “apocalyptic thriller girly era,” or maybe it’s because this book was so thoroughly readable that I sailed right through it? I finished it in two days.

This is a story of one family’s survival in the face of unimaginable terror. Knowing that you are on the run from like…just about everyone? Because they just…want to kill you? Wild. Seriously gave me some anxiety.

Is it an epidemic? What is the cause of all of these people committing horrific acts of violence? You don’t really get an idea until about a third of the way into the book.

Do I wish we had a little more explanation on what caused everyone to start acting this way? Yes. The book throws us a theory, but maybe it’s scarier if we don’t really know all the details.

My favorite section of the book is one in which the family finds a brief respite from the horrors that chase them. Truly a lesson in the practice of being present where you are and finding small joys when everything else is falling apart.

The choppiness of this book is jarring. But it served to emphasize that this family was literally surviving day by day, flying by the seat of their pants, with every single moment of every single day counting toward getting to see the next one. Every decision, every moment matters. The choppiness adds a little je ne sais quoi to emphasize the unnerving vibe of the plot.

This is such an excellent read that any fan of Crouch should visit. I was very happy to read this.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read the eARC for honest feedback!

The plot elements of this page-turning horror-laden dystopia about an outbreak of horrific violence in North America weren’t all that original, but were delivered in an entertaining way that had you turning the pages with a satisfying amount of tension and adrenalin. Not all aspects were believable, but since you wanted to believe them, at least with respect to the likable hero Jack and his family, it didn’t matter too much. Nevertheless, I thought the ending was rather improbable, which is amusing to myself (or a sad commentary) that I would think that it was more unbelievable than the speculative dystopian hellscape that preceded it.

Final verdict: Enjoyed it a lot, in spite of some nit-picking shortcomings.

Well that was soooky and yet predictable. I cannot decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I enjoyed it but it didn’t do much.

I haven’t inhaled a book this quickly in a long time. I was on the edge of my seat, heart racing. The book isn’t flawless and it’s interesting to see how far Blake Crouch has come with his writing style, but in terms of a page Turner, this was a winner.

Wow!!! Where do I begin? Run by Blake Crouch was such an amazing thrill ride for me. I loved the dynamics of the family from the start. There is angst and drama following a couple having marital issues that are clearly together for the kids. The kids are along for the ride with mom and dad as they escape from New Mexico and head towards what they hear could be safety in Canada. I’ll stop here for a moment, because why not just head south, I asked myself. This is a new take on an apocalyptic ride you will want to take! This book will not leave your hands! I found myself taking breathing breaks because my blood pressure was so high while reading it, and I found myself holding on to each breath even longer! This is such a creative journey that will have you rooting for the characters as they try to survive every horrible thing lurking behind each turn. The story shifted and moved in all of the right ways to keep you on the edge of your seat. Incredible!! Thank you, Blake Crouch, for another mind blowing book. Thank you, Netgalley and Ballantine Books, for the chance to read and review this copy of Run by Blake Crouch.

Blake Crouch is a master. This thrilling book had me on edge the whole time. It reminded me of his earlier works such as Desert Places. In this book he displays his mastery of characters and setting. I can only hope that Blake will continue his mastery of writing and continue to put out books that I just can’t put down.

Interesting concept, made even more interesting by the recent global auroras, but I didn’t love the execution of it. While the fragmented writing was probably done purposely to make the reader feel stressed (it worked) it made the overall story and characters lack depth. I also did not appreciate that there wasn’t a better explanation of why everything had happened. I have really enjoyed this author’s other books though so will continue to follow him.

Thank you to the author, Ballantine Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a solid book. I enjoy Crouch's writing in this book and I liked the setting up of the world. Very exciting and a highly impactful story

This book gripped me from literally page 1! It was so intense and so suspenseful! There were so many moments that I literally gasped out loud. It took me on an absolutely emotional rollercoaster, while also scaring the shit out of me just thinking about this apocalyptic future! I loved the bonds of family and the themes of courage or survival. I so enjoyed the clever way the author began and ended the story. So powerful!

This was my favorite Blake Crouch so far!

Thank you to Net Galley for this e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion.