Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of Recursion.

This was my second Blake Crouch novel and I have to say I like this one a lot more. The fake memory syndrome sounds like something that could actually happen (in fact, just driving the other day I saw a building that I swear wasn't there before and thought of this book). It makes you question things that you think you've experienced before and whether it is reality or fake.

Highly recommend this one over Dark Matter.

Sci-fi is not a genre that I would normally pick up, so I this review is coming from that lens...if you love sci-fi, your feelings might be different.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and my mind was blown by what the Memory Chair could do. I related to both Helena and Barry as characters and empathized with them for what they'd each been though in their lives. I also really enjoyed the last part of this book, as it I had an "aha" moment (more on that in a minute). There was this weird part in the middle that felt a little to "Groundhog Day" repetitive and I got bored, reading the same day over and over (literally).

With that said, my mind was blown thinking about time and perception of time. This book also made me think a lot about technology and how to balance the good that comes from technology against the risk of technology being used irresponsibly.

As for that "aha" moment, I loved that I walked away from this book with an important life lesson...stop thinking about how you would live your life differently if you could go back and change something and try to find peace with where you are and the life you have.

Recursion was our bookclub choice and I wasn't expecting anything from it if I'm honest, sci-fi just isn't my genre. Well I do love it when I am proven completely wrong.

Recursion is set around this idea of mapping memories and storing them Helen is thr scientist she wants to map memory because her mum has dementia, she gets the opportunity of a lifetime the best lab no budget she just has to sign a NDA.
Barry is a police officer who wants to find out more about these dead memories. It's a wierd new epidemic where people can remember a whole other life they lived. On his search his path crosses with Helen and two strangers end up having to fight this epidemic and put an end to these dead memories but Helen's creation has a lot to answer for.

There is honestly no way to even explain what this book is about without sitting here for half a day and telling you everything that happens. However the structure of the book is written so well. We jump from last to present and this is normally just a good way to set the scene for a story. Yet as the book is based on time travel.

The two leads Barry and Helen both have a different a different relationship to "the chair" yet the chair is what brings them together . It was just beautifully written.

The love story I was hit of miss with but I understand the importance and significance.
One thing that gets me is the answer to the problem seemed quite basic for how long it takes to be solved. But I want upset about that..

Both protagonist have their own issues and the chair has different meanings for them both however they share a connects to end dead memories and make sure they end the issue of dead memories .

It doesn't sound much and that's because my words cannot do it justice.!

Highly recommend 5 stars all the way

This book is incredible. Blake Crouch is the master of science fiction thrillers. The description for this book tells you just enough to know what you’re getting into, but there’s no way to predict what happens in part two of this title. Great for readers who are interested in time travel and alternate timelines.

Recursion is quite the ride! Blake Crouch has kept us on the edge of our seats and leaves you contemplating the possibilities of going back in time. Would you want to? What does is mean to history if we do? It is a great story that keeps you reading until late in the night. Helena, who is working to save her Mother's memories is approached to collaborate with someone who she doesn't know to further develop her ideas. However, things don't turn out as planned and she ends up on a journey that lasts many lifetimes, If you like the sci-fi genre you will enjoy this book, and even if sci-fi isn't your favourite, you will enjoy this book!!

I'm not a science-fiction person, but I really enjoyed this book! The beginning was a bit slow for me, but I found myself very engaged in the plot in the second half. The pages flew after that!

This book was exciting and action-packed. I felt a bit lost with all the timelines and scenarios repeating but it was still a good read. I especially liked the romance piece. I would love to see this as a movie!

I received a copy of this book as a host of the Girly Book Club.

This book was wonderful and gritty. The world is full of twists and turns. The premise is interesting and feels so close to our own world. I would be surprised if this book doesn’t become an awesome movie someday.

4.5/5

Well I wish I hadn't waited so long to read Recursion by Blake Crouch! I absolutely loved his previous book Dark Matter but for some reason it took me forever to get to this one and believe me I am regretting it. Recursion is so complex and in depth, and I don't know how Crouch manages to come up with this stuff. It was a great mix of both thriller and science fiction, and I was incredibly intrigued by the time travel aspect as well. You can tell he had to have spent ages researching this and it is very science heavy. However, like his last book, things are explained in a way that the reader can understand most of what is going on with minimal confusion. I love that about his writing, and it is amazing to me that something this complex can be relatively easy to understand just because he is that great of a writer.

One part I especially loved, was the relationship between Barry and Helena. I was surprised that there was a dash of romance in this one, but I loved it and I loved them. There is more than one timeline which could get confusing at times, but for the most part I didn't have any issues following along although I would say it would be helpful to read this one. I listened to the audiobook, and I loved the way it was done with Jon Lindstrom & Abby Craden narrating, but it could definitely be harder to follow along that way for some people.

The way Crouch wrote this book really impressed me and I agree with the other readers that have called Recursion both unputdownable and addictive. It took me a minute to get into it and I was beginning to wonder if it was my mood, but that changed and then I couldn't stop. If you loved Dark Matter, I highly recommend reading this too! I also hear it's going to be on Netflix and that might be the best news I've heard all day.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

I'm not a science fiction fan at all. I read this book as part of the Girly Book Club. It's the book we are discussing at the February meeting.

The story revolves around Barry and Helene. Barry is police officer whose daughter passes away and his life seems to fall apart after her death. He meets someone who is suffering from False Memories. Helene is a scientist whose mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimers.

False Memories is becoming something that is happening in social circles and it hasn't been determined whether these fall memories are contagious and a pandemic..

Even if you aren't into Sci-Fi it's worth reading.

4.5 stars. Blake Crouch is the master of speculative fiction. I found this novel to be compulsively readable. I found the perfect balance of just hanging on to what was going on without being completely confused. I found Recursion to be a much more emotional read than Dark Matter.

Scientist Helena Smith believes that memories are crucial. In fact, she is working on a new technology that would allow people to preserve their most cherished memories forever. But police officer Barry Sutton sees the danger of memories, especially when he encounters a woman suffering from False Memory Syndrome. This woman remembers an entire life that no one else believes is true, and her inability to align her memories with that of the world around her drives her to suicide. Barry and Helena team up to find out how and why memories are changing. But how can they find a solution when they can't trust their own memories?
Blake Crouch is one of the most interesting writers working in science fiction today. His books consistently make me think about the limits and ethics of technology and when I finish one of his stories, I always want to discuss it with someone. What could be more human or more emotional than a book about keeping our memories? Recursion is a book for sci-fi/speculative fiction readers, mystery readers, and anyone who loves a great story.

Recursion
By Blake Crouch
Crown Publishing June 2019
324 pages
Read via Netgalley

Fascinating premise, but the writing style just wasn't for me in the end. I might try another book by this author.

I absolutely loved this book! It's even better than Dark Matter. I selected it for my library's book club and purchased 20 print copies for that purpose. I can't wait to discuss it with the group tomorrow. This is sci-fi at its most human. I could not put it down and yes I cried towards the end.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I liked his first book more, but maybe that's because it was the first glimpse into the mind of a mad genius author. His books are a perfect marriage between physics and fiction, and we all need to stimulate our minds to comprehend the multi-verse.

"Would you like a do-over?"

The premise for Blake Crouch's Recursion is a little hard to get into without getting a little spoilery, but at the core it is the story of Helena, a scientist and researcher trying to find a way to reverse, or at least halt, Alzheimer's, and Barry, an NYC detective who lost his daughter over a decade ago. And a mysterious new contagion or disease of the mind is emerging: False Memory Syndrome (FMS). As Helena's research advances and Barry's new case takes him deeper into cases of FMS, what becomes clear is that our perception of time, of our present and our past, is not what we think.

Recursion blends some interesting philoso-science with some more straightforward Mission Impossible-type thrills. Recursion is broken into Books, and at the beginning of each is a quote from a philosopher, scientist, or other great thinker meditating on the nature of time and reality. Yet in the chapters of one Book emerges a very Lex Luthor type villain, another Book gets flavors of precrime and Minority Report, and another seems to be a very sci-fi Monkey's Paw.

Recursion is interesting premise well executed, with enough blend of high and low to not become to stuffy but to also not lose substance.

Thanks to the publisher, Crown Publishing, and Netgalley, for providing this copy to review.

Another excellent offering from Blake Crouch. Recommened purchase for collections where his previous titles are popular.

This is not the normal type of book that I would pick up! But, I sure was glad that I did. This book has me looking into sci-fi as a genre that I may like! When Barry stumbles into something that he shouldn't he thrust in the middle of something that could change the world. You travel with Barry as he figures out just what is going on and how it will come to affect the world in the future.

This is an interesting novel that is kind of creepy when thinking about future inventions and things that can happen in the future. I don't think that this book is probably for everyone but I highly enjoyed it!

This was a fast paced read that kept you turning the pages long into the night. A fantastic combination of Thriller and Science Fiction, fans of Dark Matter will not be disappointed by this one.