Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book took off like a rocket and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was twisty as hell and I am going to need some time to recover; overall, a great book.

Thank you Netgalley, Blake Crouch, and Ballantine Books for this ARC.

I read often to help reduce my anxiety....but this book gave me so much anxiety.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

That is all I will say...Read the book. You will not regret it.

I am obsessed with all of Blake Crouch writing's.

This was not a standout book for me among Crouch’s work. Although it was a good example of a survivalist story that really makes you think about the lengths you may go to if your life is on the line, there were a few negatives for me.

Firstly, instead of the classic structure with rising and falling action with a climax in between, this is very fast-paced and action-packed and the climax never really calms down. It’s going to come down to personal preference as to whether or not the reader minds this, but I felt the resolution was rushed and unsatisfying. No one can explain satisfactorily why the aurora caused people to act this why, why some were unaffected, why the effect was ultimately reversed, or what precautions society should take in case it ever happens again.

Secondly, although the author does use language to paint pictures of some gorgeous natural scenery (serving as a backdrop for severe horrors), I felt like a lot of a sentences had odd grammar - either because they were missing a subject or a verb. Again, this is going to come down to personal preference, and I certainly don’t need everything to all be perfectly grammatically correct all the time to enjoy a good story, but this happens continually and it grated on me after awhile. Some examples:

“Little knoll a couple hundred feet above the water.” - no verb

“Leaned back over. Vomited into the floorboard.” - no subjects

Finally, I did not really see why I should like the main characters. We find out that both parties have had affairs, and they say some things like “I want you to be a fucking man” and “our marriage was on life support,” but we literally never get an inkling why they felt that way in the first place. Instead of having never ending turmoil, I would have really liked a scene with a more substantial conversation where we found out more background. Instead, they have sex and get over it, and besides mentioning it had been several months since they had been intimate, that was it. The children also do not have a lot of distinguishing characteristics.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this republication.

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this digital ARC of Blake Crouch's 'Run.'

I've read a few of Blake Crouch's other books which can be quite complex and convoluted but this is a straightforward post-apocalyptic thriller and very well done at that.

It's not overly original - lights in the sky causing the collapse of civilization have been a theme for a long time (H.G. Wells' 'War of the Worlds' and John Wyndham's 'The Day of the Triffids' spring to mind from time past) and the immediate spilt between the good guys trying to escape/survive and the bad guys bent on murder and destruction are tropes we've read time and again but this is done with such energy that the lack of originality doesn't matter.

Jack, Dee, and their two children Naomi and Cole have fled Albuquerque ahead of rampaging mobs and encounter more rampaging mobs as the head north towards rumored safety, meeting a few good guys on the way. It's fast-paced and pretty violent and brings us on a very believable tour through America's heartland, over land on by road.

I really enjoyed it.

Last week, I was very sad that I missed out on the rare chance of seeing the auroras in person. Now I have what may be a life-long fear of them!

⭐️ 4.5/5
Though Blake Crouch is renowned for his masterful works of speculative science fiction, Run veers significantly closer to survival horror than sci-fi. It’s an unrelenting, bloody, and gory ride—one that I was utterly compelled to stay on.

I sat down with the intent to merely begin reading it, only to find myself glued to my couch until I reached its final pages. I was thoroughly engrossed in the nightmarish dystopia crafted from Crouch's clearly twisted imagination, with its relentless ups-and-downs keeping me permanently on edge.

The only qualm I have is that I wish the cause of the epidemic itself was better explained. A prologue depicting the day of the event perhaps could have provided some clarity. However, I do understand and can appreciate the choice to keep it shrouded in a bit of mystery, considering that even the characters themselves were struggling to understand why this hell had been unleashed upon them.

I highly recommend this book to all fans of survival horror media, especially those who enjoyed The Last of Us.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, & Ballantine Books for the digital review copy!

I'll always give a Blake Crouch novel a try, even if the premise isn't something I would have picked up from someone else. This was a quick, page-turning read. I was shocked and terrified nearly the whole time I was reading this. If you like Blake Crouch's other books, you should probably give it a try.

Blake Crouch' RUN is exactly what it sounds like - a story about running away from danger and towards safe shelter. This is certainly a propulsive plot that's riddled with action, but because I wasn't connected to any of the characters, this sadly did feel a bit like a generic "run away from killer" thriller.

Run by Blake Crouch The violence, cruelty, gore, and profanities were all over the top in this depressing and exhausting read. Read more than ever wanted to know about field dressing a kill. Then the story ran straight into an abrupt ending with no conclusion or closure. For me, definitely not a favorite story by Mr Crouch.
Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

When I requested this from NetGalley, I didn't realize that it was one of Blake Crouch's earlier works, but i was still excited because i hadn't had a chance to read this one yet. Dark Matter is one of my favorite thrillers, and I was obsessed with his Wayward series. This one wasn't for me, though.

It was fast-paced and adrenaline producing, but I personally found the amount of detailed graphic violence too much for me to handle. I had to try to skim past the dead children descriptions because that's a road I never want to go down in the books I choose to read.
I'm feeling conflicted about how I'd rate it because despite being drawn into the story's world, I can't say I truly enjoyed the experience. I'd only recommend this to people after providing a few trigger warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballentine Books for this ARC so that I may share my honest feedback and review.

While there have been mixed reviews for this book, I must say I found it to be excellent, captivating, and full of suspense and mystery. The setting in Wyoming and Montana resonated with me personally, adding to the vividness of the story. I appreciated the detailed references to various locations, although the omission of specific names at Yellowstone stood out as peculiar to me. Despite this minor quirk, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to exploring more of Blake Crouch's works in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Whew what a ride! Not my favorite by Crouch but still suspenseful and makes you think! Fans of his typical style of apocalyptic sci fi will enjoy.

Flawlessly written, this was fast-paced, action-packed, and absolutely nerve-wracking. The atmosphere was reminiscent of The Walking Dead, and the story was just as brutal and disturbing. This author is brilliant in creating suspense and conveying through the pages to the reader every emotion humanly possible. This is one of those books where I actually got sad as I was nearing the end, knowing the story was almost over. The unique writing style matched the plot, a family trying to run to safety and stay alive in a world full of sadistic killers in a post-apocalyptic world. This will stay with me for years to come and has earned its spot in my top reads. Five Stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group, for this ARC.

Most people may think I always look on the bright side and rarely write bad reviews, even calling me a Pollyanna-type reviewer who views the world through rose-colored glasses, with Disney hummingbirds and colorful butterflies flying around my head! Well, my moon is in Sagittarius, and maybe I do try to see the good in everything I read. And when it comes to one of my favorite sci-fi authors, I can be biased, even though there are really mixed reviews, including some one-star ratings, on Goodreads.

I just jumped at the chance to read “Run” as the title promised a heart-stopping, adrenaline-pumping, mind-numbing journey! Luckily, I also watch “Dark Matter” (in my opinion, the author’s best work) on Apple TV+, which is also adapted by Blake Crouch. (I wish it were a movie instead of a series or that the episodes were shorter.) So, it seems I’m dedicating my whole week to a tribute to Mr. Crouch!

Let’s talk about this book: Firstly, I know opinions are subjective and vary from person to person, but I didn’t find anything terrible about this book to warrant two stars. Honestly, I cannot rate this book less than four stars! I enjoyed the pacing, intriguing concept, aurora borealis-focused sci-fi plotline, and action-packed scenes. I had no problem with the characterization or dialogues. It was a thrilling, popcorn read that I was fully invested in and finished quickly.

I know this book is one of the author’s earlier works and isn’t on the level of Dark Matter, Upgrade, or Wayward Pines, but it’s still well-written, riveting, and keeps you on the edge of your seat as the mystery holds your interest. If you like fast-paced, heart-throbbing, smart sci-fi thrillers and are a devoted fan of the author, I advise you to give it a chance—you won’t be disappointed in the end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for sharing this heart-throbbing thriller’s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Though this book was action-packed, I never connected with the characters, which made it an unsatisfying read. The plot was a bit tedious at times, too, since it was basically a story about running away from killers, finding some refuge, running away from killers, finding another temporary refuge, etc. My main problem, though, was that there was never a plausible reason for people to have turned into blood-thirsty monsters. It seemed like an afterthought of an author who just wanted to an excuse to write about “being a real man” (*gag*) who hunts and fights and protects his family.

Thanks for NetGalley and Randomhouse for the arc of Run by Blake Crouch.

This book falls firmly in the camp of “books that would be great movies”. It was a bit much at times- trauma upon trauma upon trauma and so much violence. I would’ve liked a little bit more character development but I know that wasn’t the point of the book. A quick page turner of a read, just like all his other books!

Thank you Random House Publishing for this arc in exchange for my honest review! Dark Matter was a 5 star read for me, so I was very excited to see Blake Crouch is publishing a new book set in an apocalyptic scenario. If you’re like me and enjoy watching tv shows like The Walking Dead or The Last of Us, this book is worth giving a try!

Summary: The news has become flooded with reports of mass shootings and burnings popping up in alarming numbers all over the United States. As violent incidents reports escalate, Jack and his wife Dee worry about keeping their two children safe. When the power goes out in their town and a group of men arrive in their town with the goal of killing anyone they set their eyes on, the family flees for the country in hopes of escaping the chaos. Just when they think they’re safe away from the dense population of the city, the men find them again. Dee and Jack fight to keep their children alive, while also trying to understand what phenomenon has caused such large numbers of the U.S to suddenly thirst for violence.

This book was very fast paced and entertaining. While I don’t like this book as much as I liked Dark Matter, I would still recommend this to people that want to read something dark and thrilling and don’t mind frequent depictions of violence. I do wish that some of the characters were written in a way where we got to understand them more on a deeper level. Naomi’s character especially felt very flat to me and I feel like she should have had more dialogue throughout the book. Other than that, I found the sentence structure a little weird at times, and I don’t remember Crouch writing Dark Matter that way. Maybe he did and I was too immersed in that book to notice, but the sentence structure in this book bothered me at times and pulled me out of the story. I still found this book to be a page-turner and was always looking forward to see what would happen next.

I flew this book in two sittings! Nothing like I’ve ever read before. So fast paced and raw to read a story like this and think the whole time, “omg if something like this actually happened….” I fell in love with Jack, Dee, Naomi and Cole and was rooting for this family the entire time. The tears were flowing by the end. So, so, so good!!

This is an edge of your seat, thrilling, read in one sitting kind of book. This title does not feel as refined and original as some of Crouch's more recent work, however it is a repub from 2011. TW: graphic grisly descriptions of body horror/mass casualties

Run by Blake Crouch starts off with a frantic pace and doesn't stop to let you catch your breath. The story is a post-apocalyptic thrill ride about a family trying to survive. It is tense and violent. It is also endearing as you watch the family grow stronger together. Blake is a masterful storyteller that evokes emotions of fear, anguish, and trauma. It was a a short compelling read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine books for the advanced copy. The opinions are my own.

Unfortunately I didn’t like this one at all.

Aptly named, “Run” pretty much sums up the entire plot of this book. Beyond what you read in the blurb, there really is no other point or direction the story. The characters run for their lives, run into trouble, run out of gas, and just… run. They’re not even running anywhere in particular. Just running.

Listen, I loved Dark Matter. Whole heartedly recommend it, think about it all the time. This just feels like it cannot possibly be from the same author- I didn’t realize this was one of his earlier works when I requested it, and I’m guessing that might be the reason it feels so different. I’m not sure if they’re rereleasing it or something and that’s why it’s back on ARC, but I wouldn’t really recommend it. It’s fast paced, but just really repetitive, and the ending is unsatisfying.