I absolutely flew through this book. Run is the story of a family on the run after a phenomena leaves a significant portion of the lower forty-eight infected with a desire to murder those who didn't experience. The main character, his wife and two kids are trying to fight their way towards Canada, which has been deemed a safe zone.

The pacing of this book was rather non stop, diving right into the thick of things as the family packs up the car and gets on the road. I wasn't always sure where it was going but I was absolutely along for the ride. There were several times I told myself just one more little section and then I'd put the book down and do something else only to find I had burned through another 20 or 30 pages without thinking about it.

Definitely recommend this to anyone who is into post apocalyptic end of the world type stories like the Stand or Survivor Song. It's a short book and a quick read and very enjoyable if you're into that sort of thing. Because it's an end of the world story there is a lot of violence and if that's not something you can stomach this book isn't for you.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 Another Blake Crouch wild ride!!!! Pretty non stop from start to finish. I enjoyed the characters so much and I really loved the relationship development. Rather than focusing on the post - apocalyptic plot, surviving is the main focus. So if you like that, I highly recommend. Not as clever as fleshed out as Dark Matter but similarly paced! I had no idea this was an older book. So glad it was added to Netgalley and I got a free copy on exchange for an honest review!

I love Blake Crouch, but this is not a new book. This is a reprint of the 2011 book Run. I was really surprised that it was available on Netgalley and really thought I was going crazy when Goodreads had the publishing date as 2011. With that said, it’s a fantastic book, typical Blake Crouch but I was excited to get something new from him.

Wow this book was a wild ride. I didn’t know what to expect from this going on and didn’t have high hopes but it over delivered!

I'm a huge fan of Blake Crouch and was absolutely thrilled to receive this advanced read. The story drops you right in the middle of the action and doesn't stop. It definitely had a darker vibe than most of his other books. It wasn't necessarily a win for me, I felt unattached to the characters and was struggling for some answers along the way.

The plot of this book might be my actual worst nightmare and I still loved it. I felt like I held my breath from the first page and didn’t exhale until the last! A great suspenseful thriller and brings up a lot of questions about how one would act in a life and death situation.

Being somewhat new to the Blake Crouch fandom, and having read just a few books but loving them all, I was glad I received this re-release from many years ago, before I even knew of this author. I personally love the apocalyptic storylines, and I think this author always does such a great job of creating that chaotic, disturbed and confusing atmosphere, without overdoing it. So we have the same scenario here. In this world, people are killing other people and the murders are out of control. A list is ultimately released of people who are to be killed - this includes Jack and his family. So...run. I just enjoyed this book, it is a creative storyline and like with his other books, the author delves into deeper subject content that makes you think. Combine thrills with intellect - win win...

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for this ARC (re-released) in exchange for an honest review.

3.25/5.00

Every time I pick up a Blake Crouch novel, I know I am going to enjoy it. Crouch's novels remind me of the action movie that maybe was not a summer blockbuster, but yet every time you see it rerunning on TV or find it on a streaming service on a rainy day, you let it run and get immersed in the story. Those are the best kind of action movies.

Run follows Jack, his wife Dee and their children Cole and Naomi as they are on the run, trying to escape the inexplicable violence that is now ravaging their friends and neighbors. Murder and chaos reign as the trek across the countryside trying to get to safety. There are rumors of a refugee camp right over the Canadian border (why is there always safety in Canda in these types of situations?). Jack finds himself trying to protect his family from the unimaginable, but not only that from the most frightening thing of all; failure to survive. In this apocalyptic world, surviving is proving to be the hardest of all the challenges they face.

Is this the most unique novel you have ever read? No, as it follows most of the apocalyptic tropes common to this style of novel. Is it enjoyable? One hundred percent. It will give you anxiety and keep you rooting for Jack and his family from start to end. If you are Blake Crouch fan, or a fan of post apocalypse novels, I highly recommend this novel for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the Advanced Reader Copy!

Let me first start by saying that I love Blake Crouch; Recursion and Dark Matter are two of my favorite books of all time. I was very excited to have the opportunity to read Run because it has one of my favorite plot points, written by one of my favorite authors: an apocalypse survival survival story. Lots of action, which I was absolutely in the mood for. Unfortunately this didn’t work for me, and I found myself skimming much of it. There are parts of this that are very graphic, and it lends itself to being identified more as horror than a thriller in my opinion, and to be honest, it may have been marketed that way in the first place and I missed it, but I assumed it would be more thriller given Crouch’s recent books. It actually seemed like a completely different person wrote this book, which makes sense since this was his first self published novel written over 10 years ago, that is only now being traditionally published. My main gripes with this are that really nothing made sense. The reason behind why people just start to become violent and murderous was so lame. There were so many plot holes, too, like why only in the United States? The murderous people aren’t making their way to Canada or flying planes to Europe? They had a month! Why weren’t other governments coming in and getting involved; and maybe they were, but our characters didn’t know? Listen, I’m all about suspension of disbelief, but there was nothing that made sense. Also, the characters were paper-thin. I didn’t feel for them at all. Things just kept happening to this family that we were supposed to believe were a family prior to this? I don’t know… It was strangely boring for such an action packed book. The action scenes didn’t flow, and were so confusing to follow. I can see how this was one of Crouch’s first books, his writing has come so far since this and I think he should stick with speculative thrillers from now on instead of horror. Either way, thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity. I will still be reading more from this author, of course, this was just a miss for me.

I am a big fan of Blake Crouch's works and eagerly await anything new coming from him. I didn't realize this was a reprint of a earlier work. The age shows in the work to some extent. If you try to not focus on that fact, this is a halfway decent thriller with non-stop action. Don't let this be an introduction to the author though. Take up some of his later books they are much better.

I’d read anything Blake Crouch writes. I was excited to get into this one until I realized there were no chapters. I figured I’d give it a go and I was not disappointed. There are no chapters bc the book never stops! It is nonstop action. You can read this one in one sitting and it was hard not to.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Run.

I didn't know Run is a reprint of the author's earlier work. I enjoyed Upgrade and Recursion and was pleased my request was approved.

Sadly, this was a letdown for a number of reasons:

1. Repetition. The post-apocalyptic storyline is similar to The Walking Dead, except without the interesting, well developed characters.

A family goes on the run after an atmospheric event turns most of the population into crazed, violent murderers. They escape, meet crazy people, escape, find shelter, more crazy people appear, they run, find shelter, rinse and repeat.

There's a lot of tension and action, but it gets tedious fast.

2. Lack of interesting characters. We know Jack and Dee's marriage is on the rocks when the world goes to hell, but we don't know how or why.

Their kids are annoying, but I get it; Naomi is a teenager, and Cole is only 7.

And we have to get past the middle of the book to discover Cole has an ability that could have protected his family?

Way to bury the lede, Mr. Crouch!

3. I'm not sure about that ending. I love happy endings yet it felt contrived, like it had to be happy after everything the family had been through.

What I did like: the prologue and the ending and how it all ties the narrative together.

I look forward to the author's next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the pop to read and review this book. Blake Crouch is an author I stumbled upon a few years back and have loved everything he has put out since. I have not had the chance to explore his backlist of books. This is one of his earlier novels and it shows. It wasn’t bad. But it lacks the complexity and depth of more recent books. The overall reason for everything happening is explained with minimal context. Parts just seemed to go on and on. But some parts, the militia and humanity’s disregard for each other, was frighteningly accurate. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t live up to my expectations for this author.

Five days ago, the epidemic of rage began. Four days ago, the rash of senseless murders swept the nation. Three days ago, the president addressed the country and begged for peace—even as the murders increased tenfold. Two days ago, the killers began to mobilize. One day ago, the power went out. And tonight, the killers are reading the names of those to be killed over the Emergency Broadcast System.

Jack Colclough is listening over the battery-powered radio on his kitchen table in Albuquerque, and he just heard his name. People are coming to his house to kill him, his wife, his daughter, and his son. He has no idea what’s happening, or why, but the time for questions is long past. His only chance is to run.

While this is one of Crouch's earlier books, and admittedly isn't quite at the level of his last few, it was still a good read. It was fast-paced, a brilliant premise, and it was pulled off well. As long as you go into this one knowing it's one of his older books, I would highly recommend it. The ending, especially, is well worth it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

4.25 stars

Another solid book by Crouch. He is at the top of his game and I’m here for the ride.
This was edge of your seat thriller, where things will unfold as they are supposed to not when you want them to.
I love Crouch’s style, and will always pick up a book with his name on it.
Dont miss this one.

I don’t think there is a Blake Crouch book that I didn’t love. Even though this plot has been told many times before, it was fast paced, tense, and made me finish it in less than 24 hours. Knowing this book is a re-release, I was able to recognize so many scenes that also inspired movies and shows over the last decade to pay a nod to this story (e.g. the pit scene is also in Civil War 2024). I would recommend this book to any thriller/dystopian fan. Thanks for allowing me to review this book!

Run is quite a thrill ride! An enjoyable read that keeps the pace going at an unbelievably fast clip, this one had me glued to the page all the way to the bitter end. An apocalyptic story that strains credulity on more than one occasion, this one could have used a bit more fleshing out to make it truly great. I found myself looking for a little more character development, a little more science, just a little more set up please. It was like being thrown straight into the deep end and I think it would have benefited from a smoother entry and more information. Still, I was totally engaged and entertained! It's very gruesome and the action is seamless. A Mad Max-esque story that left me breathless.

Run was a heart racing, action packed apocalyptic set thriller that was just nonstop. It had me on edge the entire time. Crouch has a way of terrifying you while simultaneously entertaining and keeping you invested in the storyline.

We question the essence of humanity and how the will to survive intersects what we’re willing to do for others when our own lives are on the line. This story was brutal but necessary and presumably accurate for such a setting. I did enjoy the ending and the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book was so good! I really really enjoyed this one. It was so engaging, I read it in 1 go. I couldn't put it down, I just had to know what was going to happen next. It was intense, scary, sad, horrifying, all of the things. The characters were interesting, the story was scarily realistic (no spoilers, you'll see why), and the ending was what i wanted it to be. This was my second book by this author, and definitely won't be my last. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating 2.5 ⭐️s

So... Here are my unfiltered (possibly chaotic) thoughts on this book as I literally just finished it.
** I read this in one sitting and maybe if I spread it out longer and took my time to digest the story, my thoughts may be different.


At first I was very confused but intrigued.
So... I kept reading.
Then I was bored and the plot felt predictable, the characters like cardboard and one-dimensional. When I tell you I wanted to DNF this book 6 times, I am not exaggerating. THEN I shifted my mindset and read this as if it was a second-chance romance with a f*cked up thriller, M. Night Shyamalan (think: The Happening) inspired subplot AND.👏IT.👏WORKED.👏
I cried. I gasped. I cried more and by the end... I simply just tolerated it.