Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy of Run by Blake Crouch. This fast-paced thriller grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go. The story plunges you into a terrifying world turned upside down, with characters whose struggles feel raw and real. Crouch’s knack for creating tension and a chillingly believable atmosphere makes this a gripping read.

While the breakneck pace doesn’t leave much room for deeper character exploration, it’s perfect for fans of high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled survival stories. If you’re looking for a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat, Run delivers in every way.

I have loved every book that I have read by Blake Crouch and I thought this one had a lot of the components of what I love about his writing. You can definitely tell this was an earlier work for him since it felt underdeveloped in comparison to his more recent novels. I just didn't find myself as invested as I normally do with his plots and characters. I will still read all of his books, I just think this one is not my favorite of his.

Jack Colclough quickly gets his wife and two children into their car to flee their home. Over the radio they heard their address and they know that means people are coming to their house to kill them. No one knows why, but the killers are organized and have no sympathy. What follows is a cross country journey where the Colcloughs are constantly fighting for their lives against organized groups of people who want them dead.

Run was a very strong early work from Blake Crouch. It has all of the intensity and breakneck pacing of his later works, but up until the final moment it was lacking the great emotion that shows up in his more recent novels. The plot gets a tad repetitive, but Crouch puts the family through so many intense scenarios that kept me stressed for how they would get out of it. Crouch also does a great job showing the scope of the chaos through the various places the Colcloughs end up, so the single family's story feels a lot bigger. The ending kinda felt like it cheated a bit, but it still felt like a satisfying way to resolve the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy of Run in exchange for an honest review.

In this apocalyptic thriller, everyone suddenly goes crazy and starts murdering, looting, and attacking people. Jack and Dee and their children are trying to get away and get somewhere safe. A bunch of absolutely terrible things happen to them, and it was just a smidge too dark for me 😅 it is VERY dark, so please be aware of trigger warnings before you read this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alternatively titled “Riding around in my automobile”

Although filled with spooky vibes, the plot (goal) was ill defined with the main characters wandering about exclaiming, “Ah! Ah! Ah!” (paraphrasing)

The characters are also underdeveloped. Why should I care about Jack and family? Even some of the standard tricks weren’t utilized. For example, readers usually cheer for the character that they start with. However, the book doesn’t even start with Jack.

But put away your pitchforks. This was Crouch’s first novel, and he has evolved as an author. For reference, Philip Pullman’s first book was so bad that he doesn’t even like talking about it, and it mysteriously disappears from his biography.

Everyone has to start somewhere. In Run, you can see the seeds of Crouch’s brilliance, but it just isn’t all there yet. And it will. It will. Check out Recursion, Dark Matter, or Upgrade!

This is a very hard one for me to review. I really liked Blake Crouch's Dark Matter and Recurrison, but I had a very hard time getting into this one. I didn't realize until later that this is one of his earlier books, and you can tell. It feels so different from the other two books I liked. I look forward to new books from this author, but sadly this one wasn't for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

This was ok.. It started out strong, but the ending was a big cop out and ruined it for me. If you're squeamish, I recommend you stay away. This is an post-apocalyptic book, because, well, because some thing happened that I guess Crouch knows and forgot to tell us. Everything was super dramatic and over the top. It was giving me Walking Dead vibes, and I made it through exactly one episode of that show, so, yeah.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Love Blake Crouch and his original ideas. Like his other ones this was super fast paced and very thrilling.

*Run* by Blake Crouch is a heart-pounding, mind-bending thriller that showcases Crouch’s signature ability to blend intense action with thought-provoking concepts. His gripping narrative and unpredictable twists keep you on the edge of your seat, while the novel’s emotional core gives it unexpected depth. If you love Crouch’s work, *Run* is a must-read—fast-paced, electrifying, and full of surprises.

RUN review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

🛣️RUN was my fifth Blake Crouch book for 2024 and I’ve been loooooving his writing. 👏I knew I wanted to read this one when I saw it was being updated and rereleased. It was a bit different from his typical sci-fi thrillers but I still enjoyed it!

🛣️Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Jack and his family are on the run after a strange epidemic has started to cause half of the population to become violent and murder others. His family’s names were read on the emergency broadcast as the next people to be killed. Can they escape before the danger is at their door? But where can they go when the entire country is affected??

🛣️This one started off so strong!! I was so creeped out and I couldn’t stop reading! I needed answers and to find out what was causing this epidemic?! I felt like the ending was a bit of a let down after the excitement and twists that were building up. The ending felt a bit rushed and I would have liked a bit more explanation on what exactly caused this whole epidemic. But overall it was a solid read and I’d recommend it if you like Crouch’s other books!

🛣️Thanks @randomhouse for my digital copy!

I’m a big Blake Crouch fan. Even though I’m not usually the biggest sci-fi reader, his novels Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade have all been favorites of mine.

I jumped at the chance to listen to the audiobook of Run and even it was a nonstop thrill ride and I really did enjoy it overall, it felt a little off from what I’ve come to expect from Crouch. When I looked the book up on Goodreads, that was when I realized it had actually been originally published back in 2011, so it made more sense to me why it felt a bit different from his newer books.

Run is a violent apocalyptic thriller. Something has happened in America and an epidemic of senseless rage and murders is sweeping across the nation. No one knows what has started this wave of violence but the killers are starting to band together, the power has been cut, and now the killers are broadcasting the names of those they plan to kill over the Emergency Broadcast System. When Jack and his wife hear his name, they decide to run and the book follows them as they flee for their lives, along with their two small children, against seemingly impossible odds.

The survival aspect of the story had me on the edge of my seat because it truly felt like this one little family against the world. Their survival skills were also pretty impressive, especially considering Jack’s wife had never even loaded a gun before.

Where the story felt a little off for me was that there were some plot holes - what set off this epidemic of violence, why did it impact some and not others, what brings it to a conclusion, etc. I felt like the answers to those questions were briefly touched on but I wanted more thorough answers.

3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4.

2.5/5

Blake Crouch always has this insane ability to come up with original concepts. I feel like his writing and storytelling has grown a lot over time. Unfortunately, this book wasn't really for me. It is very action heavy and has a focus on survival (including fighting for survival and...oh look...running haha). While this particular one wasn't my favorite Crouch, I continue to enjoy his books and look forward to seeing what crazy scenarios he comes up with in the future.

The good news is my expectations were tempered for this book based on seeing some of my friends’ negative reviews, and it wasn’t quite as bad as I was expecting. This read to me a lot like Bird Box, with a mostly unexplained mysterious danger forcing a family to go on the run and the reader rooting for them to survive. I didn’t feel much of a connection to the characters, so I didn’t end up caring about most of the things they went through, but at the same time the book was short and suspenseful enough for me to want to finish. I’m glad that Blake Crouch’s stories have become more complex and sci fi in nature, and I’d definitely recommend his newer releases to these dystopian early works of his.

This book was great. I enjoyed Dark Matter, Upgrade, and Recursion more, but this one was still interesting and had me hooked. I would rate this one 3.5 stars.

It was fun to read the beginning work of an author I have thoroughly enjoyed over the past few years. That being said, this was probably my least favorite of his books. The characters felt like that had very little agency in the story and were not all that likable. I did love the setting and thought the world building was well done.

I am a huge fan of Dark Matter and Recursion and I had no idea that this was Blake’s first book when I got my hands on this re-print. This was a fast paced post-apocalyptic story and you find yourself rooting for the characters the entire time. Each chapter ends in a little cliffhanger making you want to keep reading! I also enjoyed the subtle character development in this. The only thing I wanted to read even more about is the cause that started everything. Definitely some graphic body horror scene in here so beware!

This story was good overall and as a huge Blake Crouch fan it was not always at his best. It was lately forgettable and mundane compared to his newer words. That being said, this was still a fun story and a good read especially if you’re a fan of him.

With an engaging concept and a rapid tempo, Run addresses contemporary concerns regarding technology, privacy, and the vulnerability of human existence in an ever-unstable environment.

"Run" by Blake Crouch is a fast-paced, 5-star dystopian horror! Jack Calclough hears his name and address announced on the radio, forcing him to hastily pack up the car and do the only thing that makes sense to keep his family safe – Run. The story follows Jack, his wife Dee, and their children, Naomi and Cole, as they travel in search of a safe haven.

This was my first book by Blake Crouch, and I absolutely loved it! From the very first pages, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see how Jack would navigate the dangerous world he found himself in. While some reviews mention that the plot feels repetitive, I found the unique ways Jack managed to keep moving forward at any cost compelling. The fight scenes include some pretty graphic details, which I felt added a much-needed element of realism and tension to the story. "Run" is a must-read for fans of dystopian fiction!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Blake Crouch, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

I was expecting something different based on Crouch’s other books. I also was slightly confused towards the beginning, but it got clearer as the book went on. The thought of Run being realistic is also absolutely terrifying.