This one was not for me. I’ve loved Blake Crouch’s books because they were different. This was like every other apocalyptic book I’ve read. The ending really left a bad taste in my mouth though. “Maybe sometimes we just need to kill each other.” No thank you. I will not recommend this to anyone.

I fell in love with Blake Crouch’s writing with the Wayward Pines Trilogy. This book was written years ago too, and it is also a great read! It is a thrill ride from the start. I didn’t really think an entire book about a family running would be so entertaining, but it kept me turning pages as fast as I could to see what happens to everyone. It’s like having one of those days where you can’t take one more bad thing and then something else horrible happens.. A few of the things were even a little hard to read, because the way it was written you could picture the horror of what was happening so vividly in your mind! Read this book if you like to gasp and need to give yourself a minute before reading on to the next page.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

I love all the books I have read by this author and this one is no exception! He keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat the whole time. You think you have everything figured out but you are so wrong! He never disappoints in his writing styles and has become one of my favorite authors to read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Blake Crough for the opportunity to read Run.

At first I was very confused if this was already published or if it was an upcoming book. The listing on NetGalley says it's being published in October 2024 but I saw reviews on Goodreads from five, seven, and even ten years ago and that it was released in 2011... Checked the publishing info in the beginning of the file and saw the 2011 copyright. I don't have an issue with books being updated and republished but I would’ve maybe advertised it to say as much? I might be alone in that though.

I'm writing this portion at 39% read. I was pulled in by the summary and I've ultimately been let down at this point. Honestly the writing does in fact scream ‘written in 2011’, and I'm finding it very difficult to continue the book. It’s not the horror or gore aspect, because I read books with those themes all the time, to a much more disturbing degree. The writing is just... I don’t know, it’s writing, I guess.

I have a completely personal issue with the fact that the file is showing as one chapter in my Kindle app, as well as the NG reader app, so I have no clue how many chapters are here which makes it harder for me to be able to get through. I'm not sure if that was the intended approach but… it's definitely a choice. Not being able to incentivize myself to get through the book adds to the drag.

At this point in the book, none of the characters are likable. None. At all. Except maybe the guy the MC was talking to over the ham radio. He seemed pretty chill, but I guess we’ll find out if that holds true going forward.

The daughter feels like a budding psychopath. I don’t know what it is, but she does. The son is probably going to get them killed if he keeps whining the way he is. The wife is a hypocrite and makes me want to slam my head into a wall. I don’t understand her criticism of the MC. He’s literally just trying to keep you and those kids alive. But honestly, the MC isn't much better.

I didn't like the reveal of why people are acting the way they are. (The concept of) Seeing Jesus in an aurora borealis honestly just sounds like a track title taken from an indie band’s first EP, but I would also hop in a DeLorean so I could pitch it to an early Fall Out Boy. I think they would've liked it during their From Under the Cork Tree era.

I’m now writing this after finishing the book and I really only have one thing to say, and I hate to say it; however: this was neither a memorable nor an entertaining read for me, unfortunately.

I liked that the son was affected and could in turn see who else was affected, but it took so long for him to actually say that truly useful piece of information that it felt like an afterthought.

The writing didn’t really improve. There was nothing captivating about any of the characters. They felt like they were pulled off of a shelf of safe characters. None of them had any real personalities. None of them had any redeeming quality. None of them were given any true development.

I really, really liked the premise of this book. So much. I found the execution to be severely lacking, to the point where I think I can safely say that the author will be going on my “Do Not Read - Authors” list for the foreseeable future. Which is really quite a shame because I really enjoy books with the same general topics/genres. This one was just... I don’t know... It mentally felt like a door stopper without the physical page count to match, which is kind of bizarre.

2/5 rating because the idea was there but the lack of character development and overall lack of any type of development kind of shot the book in its foot. The ending was an ending. I truly feel like a lot of the book was eaten up by the repetitive early chapters where nothing added to the story. If the ending was developed a bit better, I think the book could have gotten a 3/5. It felt rushed, which... I expected after hitting 50% and nothing really standing out in complete honesty.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Blake Crouch for allowing me the opportunity to read this book ahead of its re-release. I wish each party involved much success.

4.5 stars - Run grips you from the very beginning. It’s fast paced, non stop thriller that reminded me of Taylor Adams books. My heart was racing the entire time and I could not read this fast enough. This is not like Blake Crouch’s other books that I have read. Less sci-fi and more apocalyptic, end of the world survival.

You will not be bored reading this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6612840517

The very first thing that I want to write (for those of you who are considering reading this book, especially if you have read any of Crouch's other work): Run was Crouch's first ever self-published book. It is over a decade old. While it is just now getting published by a traditional publishing house, it is *not* a new release from Crouch. I think this is important to know, because I believe that Crouch has grown significantly as an author since writing this book.

If there's one thing I can say about Blake Crouch, he certainly knows how to write a page turner. This book went from 0 to 100 in suspense right from the start, and then it just stayed there, leaving the reader constantly wondering what horrors lay ahead for the protagonists on the next page/in the next paragraph/in the next sentence.

Even though the book was highly suspenseful, it was also surprisingly quite monotonous. (I know this may sound contradictory, but those are the two words I would use to describe this book: suspenseful and monotonous.) The storytelling was very linear. The family travelled from one place to the next, and in each new location they ran into variations of the same threat over and over again. At a certain point it started to feel a little tedious, and I was just waiting for something *else* to happen. While I didn't love this aspect of the book, it certainly didn't keep me from turning the pages. What did disappoint me, however, was the ending. Even with some fairly significant suspension of disbelief, I found the ending to be much too convenient (and also kind of unbelievable). I don't want to elaborate more, at risk of spoiling the whole thing, but I think the resolution could have been significantly stronger.

If you enjoyed The Last of Us (especially the video game), you might enjoy reading Run.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

I have read other works by this author and I am always impressed by their work! This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It truly made me process how I’d react if I only had minutes to gather a few belongings and my family to go on the run. The story follows a family of four that are encountering that exact situation due to a mass outbreak of murderous people, and the reader gets to endure the chaos that ensues. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to my friends!

Run is an apocalyptic novel in which people begin to murder randomly and the murders increase exponentially with the passing of every day.

When the husband in a family of four hears his name for elimination he and his family have to go on the run in an effort to survive. And of course the killings must end.

The book wasn't as clever or well written as some of Crouch's other books. I wasn't a great fan of the characters and the plot seemed convoluted. It isn't a bad book but is rather mediocre.

I love everything Blake writes and this is another to add to the list!! Quick read, but full of excitement. Loved it!!

I am a huge fan of Crouch’s books! I was excited to see one of his older books getting more attention! This book is everything you expect to see in his books: fast-paced, lots of energy, conflicts, and also a lot to make you think and examine yourself and what you would do in this situation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC in exchange for my review.

My third Blake Crouch novel and I’ve loved them all. This one was self-published by the author many years ago, and is being released again. Many times, when you come across a first novel of someone you’ve been reading, you can see how for they’ve come or, conversely, maybe they really only should have written that first book. Mr. Crouch is just consistent. I’m always sucked in right away, the action starts from the first chapter, the story doesn’t falter, and things stay intense until the end.

This story is about a family who is on the run from pretty much everyone. A mysterious “event” has occurred that has turned anyone who saw it murderous, and the targets of that violence are anyone who didn’t witness the event, so there really isn’t anywhere that’s safe as they flee across the country. I’m reminded a lot of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, with a bit more directness and less eloquence, which was totally fine with me, as it sets this novel apart from the other. It also delivers quite a bit of Walking Dead-level gore, another thing I’m fine with, but not all readers will be.

Overall, a great, fast-paced read.

I loved Dark Matter, so I was so hopeful and excited for this book. It’s very fast paced and very intriguing and will definitely keep you in the edge of your seat.

I thought this book had a lot of really good in it. There was intrigue in the story, background, and good character development. I think my major issue was the rush of the story from one place to the nexts everything happened so fast, things changing so quickly, that it just was hard to get my feet underneath me at times. I think if some of the scenarios were more drawn out, it would have gone over a little better. Overall it was good, just not great.

Thanks to NetGalley, Black Crouch, and Ballantine Books for providing me an advanced reading copy.

This was a very fast paced book about an apocalyptic world. I don't often read about this kind of thing, but since I was absolutely in love with his book Dark Matter I had to give this a try. I'm not mad at this book! Let's see here - This book was disturbing at times, chaotic, suspenseful, heart racing, blood pumping, and entertaining. This is not a new book even though it was give not me as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. It's actually a re-release.

So, without going into too much detail because I don't I try really hard for my reviews not to have spoilers in them... this book was a good book. If you're into an apocalyptic world type of book then this one is definitely for you. If you like things a bit disturbing and fast paced this is also a book for you.

I have read a few books by Blake Crouch now and I love his writing! This one was no different! Intense, edge of my seat, eager to keep reading! I loved the setting and the plot of this one!

Aptly titled, “Run” is fast paced and unrelenting from the first page to the last. This apocalyptic story grips you from the start and is nearly impossible to put down. Strong premise and good characters. If you enjoy Crouch’s newer offerings you should definitely check out this book.

What a ride! I am a big fan of Blake Crouch and this one didn’t disappoint either. Be ready to spend all day and/or all night reading it cause you will not be able to put it down. Great engaging thriller! I highly recommend it!
Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited by the plot of this book however, I wish I was given more background on the characters so that I actually cared about what was happening to them. The entire book just blurred together for me.

Run by Blake Crouch is an anxiety-inducing dystopian thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Set in a world where people in the southern US and Mexico suddenly start committing murders without any apparent reason, the story follows Jack Colclough and his family—his wife Dee, son Cole, and daughter Naomi—as they desperately try to survive after Jack's name is broadcasted on an emergency alert, marking him for death.

The lack of chapters in my NetGalley copy added to the intensity, making my heart race as the Colclough family faced relentless danger. This is Blake Crouch's debut novel, and it's fascinating to see the early signs of the mind that created my favorite novel, Dark Matter. While the narrative can be choppy and hard to follow at times, Run is still a captivating read that echoes elements of The Purge and The Walking Dead TV series (though I haven't read the graphic novels).

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Run (originally published in February 2011 and being republished in October 2024). Overall, I rate this book 3/5 stars.

I selected this book for my husband, a huge Blake Crouch fan. And this book was no exception. He enjoyed the plot and pace of the book