I was soooo excited when I saw this pop up on NetGalley. I loved Blake Crouch's most recent books and couldn't wait to get into this one. I was about halfway through and so confused by the writing. I was thinking it was either a real rough draft or a rerelease. Sure enough, it's a rerelease. The writing style is the same, but the story is lacking. It's a fast read, but it feels like it needs more details and more plot. Good for a quick, anxiety-inducing read!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the chance to read this in exchange for a review!

While I normally love Crouch's books, this one seemed to fall flat. Premise was good, but it just fell flat for me. It seemed outrageous the number of coincidences that happened to bring the family together again.

I was excited about this one because I loved Dark Matter!! But the writing was hard to read. The whole book was so repetitive and I did not enjoy the plot or see the point in any of it.

3⭐️ this was thrilling for sure, but lacked plot! The title Run, is the plot 🤣

This had SO MUCH potential! I didn’t realize this was Blake’s first book that was self published a long time ago, and now re published by a publisher. He has come a long long way since this book to dark matter which I absolutely loved!

This was thrilling the entire time, but was very very repetitive! It definitely kept me captivated and turning pages. But It was basically the same thing over and over again for the entire book until there was enough story to be done lol. They drive, encounter bad guys, get hurt, escape and repeat 10 times.

Like I said, this had sooo much potential. I loved the idea of this book as I’m super into apocalyptic stories. I just needed more info on the actual apocalypse and why it was happening and more details about it rather than just running the whole time with the reader not sure why. The ending was also super unsatisfying with no explanation

If this is your first book by him, definitely try dark matter!

This was terrifying and I hated it 😂 I usually love Blake Crouch and as his first novel - it’s ok. But I was so anxious the whole time and it was not for me!

What an amazing, gut wrenching thrill ride! How much can one family endure?

Some type of an apocalypse is happening, turning ordinarily good citizens in to crazed killers. Blake Crouch tells an astonishing story of a family's epic trip of survival. Lots of exciting cliffhangers (literally) along the way.

An amazing story of the human will to live against all odds.

***thank you for allowing me to review this book. I will post the review to all social media closer to the release date on 10/22/24)

I was super excited to get this ARC as I really enjoy Blake Crouch’s books. This one, however, is not in the same league as his other books. Be sure to read the book summary so that you know what events lead to the start of the book. Otherwise you will be quite confused. This information is not included anywhere in the book. Disappointed.

I read this on kindle unlimited in May 2023- see review on Goodreads. I always enjoy reading Blake Crouch even though sci-fi is not my favorite genre. His books are so imaginative and well written and always make me think long after I finish reading.

I was disappointed by this book given how much I love his other works. It's a re-release of his first book and you can tell how much his writing has grown since. Given what I know he can do, I have to give it a lower rating. It is a page turner at least.

Wow this was intense! This book was go go go and did not let up. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I really enjoyed it. And it’s also really scary to think about something like this happening. I love Blake Crouch and this book was no exception.

No question, this is a scary story. With next to no exposition or reader preparation, the apocalypse was released onto the normal population by the "affected" members. There were no zombies, vampires, werewolves or undead, but the affected people were transformed into murderous monsters simply by witnessing a beautiful aurora-like light display in the night sky. There wasn't much speculation in the storyline - but then again, the characters didn't really have time for such speculation, between avoiding these 'affected' people who are bent on killing anyone who isn't affected, recovering from injuries suffered in confrontations with those people, and just trying to move on and survive in a landscape not designed for human travel.  The beginning and ending were a little rushed or abrupt, but the middle 80% was compelling and very fun to read.

I rated this re-release four stars. This was a good example of skillful storytelling, just enough character development, and creative, imaginative ideation. An edge-of-seat read!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books publishing for the advanced re-release of this intense fast paced thriller for my honest opinions.

Blake Crouch has come a LONG way since this debut novel, "Run," which he self-published in 2011. This edition will be released in October 2024 by Random House Publishing Group.

His novel, "Upgrade," is one of my favorite books ever, and I thought "Dark Matter" was terrific, also!! Those were thrillers.

"Run" is a very realistic horror. There is more human to human violence than anything I've read since "Night" by Elie Wiesel, which wasn't hardly graphic at all in comparison.

In this book, something causes a large percentage of the population to be "affected" and turn violent. They start killing and torturing others. Many kill themselves before they follow that imperative. Those who live become the worst monsters imaginable in humanity. Eventually, the affected work together to create mass destruction.

Jack and his family, which is his wife, Dee, and his daughter, Naomi, and son, Cole, have to run to get away from a violent neighbor who is targeting them.

Jack and his wife have been estranged when they have to go on the run. They travel from Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition to avoiding the bad guys, they need to find water and food and shelter.
Working together to save their family, they come back together with deep love and caring. That's the best part, along with a couple of times at temporarily safe hideouts.

When you find out that it was viewing the aurora that triggered the violence, it brings it home even more so. (The cover should have an Aurora.) In reality, we just had huge sunstorms that caused Aurora Borealis to be visible across a large part of the US. It seems like it could happen here and now. How terrifying!!

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 3/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 5/5
Enjoyment - 0/5
Cover - 2/5
Overall - 23/7 = 3 2/7

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Blake Crouch for providing this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Review of Run by Blake Crouch:

I am a long time Blake Crouch fan, and have read his numerous books. I was excited to receive an advanced copy of Run for my review. However, in my opinion this book reads very differently from his others. The story was fast paced, and I did finish the book because I was pulled into the narrative. However, trigger warnings abound. This book is filled with graphic and descriptive violence. I had multiple nightmares after reading it. I would not recommend this to friends and followers based on this. Read with caution.

Overall I am giving the book 3 stars, because it was an engrossing story, just not to my taste.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review.

This is not the typical Blake Crouch book that I’ve come to know and enjoy. I loved the idea of the plot but it fell short. It seemed like it just kept going with no real peak in the story, no big twists or surprises. It reminded me of Leave the World Behind but with more substance. If I hadn’t read other Blake Crouch books, I don’t know if I’d pick up another one. Overall, it was fine but it lacked the punch that Blake Crouch brings. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC!

I, like many others, have read some of this author's other books and loved them (specifically Dark Matter.) This is no comparison, though. While the premise seemed quite interesting, the story fell flat. The whole book, all 300+ pages of it, is strictly what the title says. It is a family of 4 running for their lives. The whole book! Every step they took was unrealistic and unbelievable, and I had a hard time suspending my disbelief. The ending didn't make it any better. 2 solid stars for this one.

This book was fun! Was it great? Nope! The ending was a bit of a let down and rather unrealistic when compared to the rest of the book. I didn't realize this was a rerelease of one of Crouch's older works. You can tell his writing has really improved over time. I would still recommend readers to check this one out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for an ARC of this book.

Didn't realize this wad an old book that wad being rereleased until I started reading. It's a decent enough story, but clearly old work that hasn't improved along with the author. Would have been nice if it had been made clear that this was a rerelease or that the story had been updated.

i actually have read this already! i didn't realize it was a rerelease. i reread it as it had been awhile since i picked it up and i remember why i love blake crouch so much. i think his newer, more commercial work is more my cup of tea but this is still a fun pick in the genre.

Jack and Dee Calclough are forced to flee their home with their two children when Jack's name and address is among those read off on the radio, targered by a stranger for reasons they don't know or understand to die. Taking only what they've managed to gather so far, with only minutes of warning, they start a journey with no destination in a desperate attempt to protect each other and their children.

This is a fast-pacedd apacolyptic type thriller written in a snippet style that really grabs your attention and keeps you saying 'just one more'. Jack and Dee are such relatable people, struggling with their marriage and on the brink of divorce, but putting all of that aside in a heartbeat for the sake of their children's safety. The lengths they're willing to go to, the things they never thought they could do, how far they're bodies can really be pushed, and what they're willing to sacrifice are explored startlingly fast as the world changes much more rapidly than any of them ever though possible.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys apocolptic and post apacolyptic style fiction. Especially if you're a fan of seeing how normal everyday people find out exactly what they're capable of and how far they'll go to survive and to protect those they love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an eARC copy of this book.

I am a huge fan of Blake Crouch. That being said, this definitely reads like an early work of an author that evolved. I downright hated the main characters in the story. The only dimensions I got were - cheaters & liars. The kids were written well, but I was still rooting for the bad guys. I also suffered from adrenaline overload. It was 30 action scenes tied together. I would have preferred more of a setup with and fewer chases. I can see the brilliance in the concept (loved it) but the execution left me wanting.