Everything Blake Crouch does is good, but this one is special - it's hard to believe that this hasn't been traditionally published before now! One of the things I loved about this story was that we do get a glimpse of the after of it all, I really liked getting to see that there was an after and what that looked like. Honestly I'd love to see something else set in this world, because I think there's plenty more to expand on.

I truly wanted to love this book, as I love Crouch’s other work. It was good, but very drawn out. I lost interest until the end. Not a bad book, just not something I could get into.

Was surprised to see this wasn’t new, but republished. Felt a little banboozled but I still read it. Lots of confusing time gaps and details that just aren’t believable. The end was ok, it got better for me! Won’t recommend but will continue to read anything Crouch offers!

I received an advance readers' edition of this book from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

I've read a few of Blake Crouch's books, and I like his writing style. From the start, Run is exciting and fast-paced. It was a fast read and kept me wanting to find out what happened next. Fans of Stephen King and Cormac McCarthy will probably like premise of the novel. It is quite violent, and the violence does not hold back when it comes to children. It is often very disturbing and depressing. It was also a bit hard to figure out what was going on in the beginning, since the story dives right in, and had I not read the synopsis, I would have struggled to get into the plot as early as I did.

The characters' emotions throughout felt real and relatable for the most part to me. I could connect with the feelings of despair and rejoice in the bits of good luck that they had. They felt every bit like a family that lives in your neighborhood with real flaws and conflicts. Sometimes, children in these kinds of books can be a bit exaggerated, but the younger characters in Run were well-written and demonstrate all the types of behavior you'd expect from seven and fourteen-year-olds.

That being said, I ran into a few areas that could have been better... I wanted more character development for the two adult leads. They are experiencing a lot of turmoil prior to the events of the novel, and none of that is really explored in depth, which seems like a missed opportunity. Also, for the characters being an average American family, their ability to survive in demanding and grueling scenarios is a bit far-fetched. Finally, the ending seemed so abrupt compared to the rest of the novel, with several unanswered questions. It just all felt a but rushed and convenient.

Overall, Run is a good read for people who like apocalyptic type thrillers and fans of Blake Crouch's writing, though the story wasn't as strong as some of his other work, in my opinion. It's a little hard to call it "fun" or "enjoyable" since it's so dark in nature, but it held my attention, and I was invested in the characters throughout.

I’m in an apocalypse phase so I loved this! Like usual, Blake Crouch kept me on the edge of my seat. This book had a faster pace and more action than others (and more of a horror element) and it worked really well in my opinion. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

It made sense to me when I found out this was an earlier Blake Crouch novel being rereleased. There was a world of difference between it and Dark Matter which was complex, action packed, and mind bending. This one was fast paced too, but it took a long time to resolve the matter. He did a great job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seats and giving the story a sense of do-or-die urgency as one would expect in a post apocalyptic novel. I did enjoy it for the most part, I just think it might have functioned better as a novella or even a short story. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I have been a fan of Blake Crouch for a while now. Abandon and Wayward Pines have been a few of my favs. Seeing that he was rereleasing Run had me pretty excited. Also, being from Albuquerque, NM made this book a must read for me. I love reading books where I can actually picture the scenery and locations. This book was originally published in 2011, but reading it now, with all the change we have seen in the world, makes it hit a little closer to home. For how long it is, it was a pretty quick and fast paced read. Gripping and entertaining. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this!

4⭐️

I realized 30% thru this I had read this book many many years ago when it was first released. Remembered that this book had the pit scene that was seared into my mind and how shocked I was the first time I read it.

I love old Blake Crouch apololyptic style books before his sci fi black mirror style stories. They are terrifying, thought provoking, and such a fun read. Run didn't disappoint. It's stressful and isolating as a family try's to survive an event. People who saw an Aurora event triggered a violent psychosis killing anyone who didn't see it. Doing horrible things to others. This family does thru hell as they run away.

It was fun revisiting this book and makes me want to reread wayward pines. I'm not a huge fan of the new cover and I like the original so much better.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for this advanced read copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Love love LOVED this! Blake Crouch’s independently published novel “Run” is finally getting the treatment it deserves!

From the first page you are dropped into a world on the edge of collapse - there was a weird light in the sky one night that turned those that saw it crazy! Neighbors are murdering neighbors for simply not seeing the light! All you can do is RUN to stay safe.

This book had me totally in this world. I read it cover to cover in one sitting because I simply had to know what happened next! Will the family survive? Will only some of them survive? The only way to find out is to finish the book!

Wowowow. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into but from the very first page I was sucked in. I was on the edge of my seat, anxious, and invested in the Colcough family.

The concept was fascinating!!! The entire time I was envisioning it all as if I was alongside Jack and his family. Blake Crouch creates such a visual with the worlds he describes and builds in his book. I am quickly becoming a fan of his work.

A must read! I can’t believe this is a rerelease! It’s amazing.

Huge thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine.

Love it!
I don’t usually gravitate towards action in books. However, from the start this book pulled me in. It was a fast read that I could not put down.
It had an apocalyptic theme which made it eerie. Highly recommend.
Thank you

Run is a thriller novel about a man keeping his family safe in post apocalyptic style America. The book does a brilliant job of not providing the reader any background information on what is plaguing the country, instead letting us uncover facts as the character does. This book moves! It’s hard to put down. As a father of two kids of my own, my heart broke reading the situations this father and his family were forced in to. I was thinking about this book days after finishing it. I missed the science aspect that I’ve grown to appreciate from Blake Crouch. Run has little to no scientific writing that is in books like Dark Matter or Upgrade. My other critique is that while much of the imagery was needed to accurately describe the brutality of this world, I felt there were a few instances where the narrative was overly graphic just to shock the reader. It felt a bit much at times. Overall, I loved this book and I deeply felt the emotions of the characters. Run is a modern day version of The Road and I thoroughly appreciated the ride! 4.5/5 stars
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for allowing me an advance readers copy of the book Run by Blake Crouch in return for an honest review!

This thriller reminds me of a zombie apocalypse story but what's even more frightening is that it's not mindless zombies coming after you. It's other human beings who still have their wits, memories, and a terrifying goal in mind. At the very beginning of this book, I was hooked. It was very fast-paced and brought you along on one family's attempt at survival in a world gone mad. People are coming to kill them but the targets don't understand why. I was so intrigued by this book, I found myself talking about it when I wasn't reading it. You become so invested in their survival that you go through the emotional roller coaster of fear/hope/defeat along with the characters. I was definitely more emotionally invested in this book than any other book I've read this year.

I realized that this is a re-release of Blake Crouch's first novel that he self-published over 10 years ago. I'm not sure if there were any changes made as I did not read the original release. Coincidentally, it was the first novel of his I've ever read and I'm so excited to read more of his novels after having such a great experience with this one!

Thank you Random House for letting me read this book.

I was hooked from the very beginning. This apocalyptic novel grips you from the very start and doesn’t let go until the last sentence. The pacing was great, the characters had depth and were complex. Even though the story wasn’t quite as unique and original, I still found it interesting and highly bingeable.

I liked the mystery behind the cause of the chaos. Crouch didn’t give much away which kept me enthralled. Even though this book was gruesome and down right disturbing, I still found it addictive and enjoyable.

I look forward to reading more from Crouch such as Dark Matter and Recursion.

If you make it to the Acknowledgments section of the book, you learn that Run is a novel Blake Crouch self-published in 2011.

I find it difficult to rate this book. It's hard to read someone's first novel after reading one of his recent books, like Dark Matter, because Run is not Dark Matter. I wish I had known this about the book before going in. I might have been more forgiving while I read it!

If you would like to peek back in time and read something Blake Crouch published in 2011, definitely read Run. It is fast paced and you will enjoy thinking about how far he has come as a writer.

However, don't go in thinking this is his next "new" book, because it's isn't, and you might be very confused, like I was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the Advance Reader Arc in return for my honest opinion.

This book was ok. Not my favorite Blake crouch book. It was a fast read. It had an interesting premise but the plot had barely anything to it.

Run
By: Blake Crouch

⭐️⭐️ (2/5)

Just like in true fashion Blake Crouch writing in RUN draws you in from the very first page!

An apocalyptic thriller that is terrifying and action packed literally until the end. An epidemic of rage and violence, a broadcast naming names for people to kill and tonight they called Jack Colclough. He has no idea why this is happening or how to stop it all he can do is RUN. The story follows Jack and his family try to survive!

It was so realistic! I felt like I was reading a script. Though the bones were good it fell flat for me. It was non stop high intensity with no real explanation. On the surface level the characters were annoying, it was hard to build a connection with them besides hoping they would survive. I can see some loving this but it wasn’t my favorite from Crouch. I will always recommend DARK MATTER (still need to watch the show) and RECURSION.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing group- B for the ARC for my honest review.

Have you read this? Do you have a favorite of his?

So, so good!! I read this a long time ago when Crouch self published it, and it's great that it's being published again! It's intense from page one, and never lets up. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Run!!! This is the perfect title!! This is also a COMPLETE adrenaline rush! Jack and his family leave for safety in the middle of a chaotic night. Where are they running to? What exactly are they running from? Massive killing sprees and bloodshed yes, but why? This is the best apocalyptic story I have ever read. From the first page to the last sentence, this is extremely fast paced, thrilling and relatable. Relatable? Yes! Jack is an ordinary dad with an ordinary family. I will admit, I had to take little breaks to catch my breath and digest certain parts, but that’s exactly why I am giving it all 5 stars!

I can't remember the last time I devoured a book in two sittings. RUN is that rare thriller in which emotions run deep and the characters are complex and fully realized: a mother and father, long at odds in their marriage, charged with saving their two children from unspeakable horrors.

In the wake of a solar flare, millions of upstanding citizens of the lower 48 have become vicious, capable of the most brutal crimes imaginable against their friends, their neighbors, even their own families. Much of the novel feels like a blueprint for the film CIVIL WAR, which came out more than a decade after RUN's initial publication. As the body count rises and the entire country goes to hell, the family keeps driving, climbing, crawling--starving, thirsty, and traumatized--in an attempt to reach the safety of the border. The stakes are clear from the word go, the challenges seemingly unsurmountable. Riveting. Sign me up to the Blake Crouch fan club.