I absolutely loved Crouch's "Dark Matter" and was excited yet nervous to see how "Recursion" would measure up. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Crouch is a master at the sci-fi/thriller combo, keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire story. I am typically only a suspense/thriller fan and really not much of a sci-fi fan at all, but "Recursion" made me want to try more sci-fi!

Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC!

I read 58% of this. I normally either give up on a book at 10% or finish it, so this was unusual. But in this case, I really enjoyed this first half, and then it just became ridiculous--too hard to follow, too confusing.

WOW. This was fantastic. A total mind-trip. There were SO many times while reading this that I just said "wait WHAT?!" to myself. Or maybe out loud.

We follow Helena and Barry as they navigate a world beginning to suffer from a condition called False Memory Syndrome. For part of the novel, no one really knows what causes it, and it's suspected to be contagious. After a particularly difficult call as a NYPD Detective, Barry begins investigating the root of FMS himself and finds himself drug into a world that is losing its collective mind. How Helena and Barry are connected, and her role in FMS, is really best left to be told by the novel itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. I can't wait to read more of Crouch's work!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a premise. The idea that, theoretically, a memory can be tapped into to breach the fabric of the time-space continuum and alter outcomes. It’s not necessarily a new premise, but still...

Helena Smith is on the verge of creating a device that will allow her to implant and/or resurrect memories in her rapidly deteriorating mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. When she is suddenly approached by a mysterious businessman with unlimited money and the prospect of taking her project even further, she goes for it. Thus unravels the plight of modern man in a series of seemingly parallel linear storylines that may or may not have occurred simultaneously. It began very promising and then devolved, imho, into a difficult to maintain an investment into the characters depth assuming they were incessantly doomed yet somehow immortal and repeat the loop. Think: watching Inception if HG Wells had written it while punching you in the face with morphine needles.

This book really hit the spot for me. It was a little like Black Mirror, a little like Back to the Future, and a little something else altogether.

When I started the book, I thought I was getting one story, but in reality, I was getting another one, and I loved where the book went. Books that play with time, and memory are super intriguing to me and this one kept me super entertained until the end.

The book comes out in June, get ready guys, it's a good one :)

MY THOUGHTS:
Somebody hand this guy a movie deal already! This book read like an action movie. It was Minority Report meets The Bancroft Strategy. Plus some kind of time travel movie with all those consequences and morality questions mixed in. And it was awesome! I read it in less than 24 hours. I was hooked beginning to end. It was an action movie with so much heart and so many questions of morality and ambition and human frailty...

Loved it! Love Blake Crouch! Read it!

MY RATING:
Entertainment Value: 5
Characters 5
Voice: 5
Plot: 5
Overall: 5 stars!

See all my reviews @ www.mamaneedsabook.blogspot.com
<i>Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!</i>

Barry, a detective, begins investigating a case of suicide, the cause, False Memory Syndrome. Those with FMS have more than one set of memory, often involving family members, relationships, or situations that never really existed. It is enough to drive someone mad. Helena Smith, a neuroscientist interested in preserving memories, is hired by a mysterious man to build a chair, one designed to preserve, and re-experience one's memories. Accidentally, she discovers that the process allows one to "travel back" and change the memory.

This was a fascinating book. I found myself reading late into the night, waiting to see what happened with the characters and storylines. Barry and Helena were both interesting and dynamic characters. They were fully realized and grew/changed throughout the story. The plot was well paced and entertaining. Overall, well worth picking up.

Thank you @Netgalley for this ARC. I can't wait for other people to read this book. Just as good as Dark Matter. I loved the story line. I had to stay aware because the booked moved so fast from one thing to the other. I'm becoming a big fan of sci-fi.

This was the first book by the author and I didn't like it much,I got so bored and didn't care for the story and characters

Blake Crouch does it again. This book had me coming back to it until I finished. I keep thinking about it at least once daily, trying to get a handle on the sheer complications of writing something this complex! Full review to come on pub date.

I don't know what it is about Blake Crouch that always ultimately leaves me unsatisfied.
I liked the premise of this book and I really enjoyed reading it until somewhere around the middle then I began to lose interest. Maybe I didn't care for the characters enough. Maybe the story changed in a way that didn't sit right, I don't know.
This book is definitely worth a read. I just wasn't completely blown away.

3.5 stars.

This was some crazy s--t.

"What's more precious than our memories? They define us and form our identities."

Blake Crouch's new book, Recursion, is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

Crouch's Dark Matter, which was one of the top five books I read in 2017, blew me away, even though I wasn't 100 percent sure I understood everything I read. But this book? This is a fascinating, albeit confusing, meditation on memory and how crucial what we remember is to our identity. It's a roller coaster ride which cements Crouch's reputation as a master of meshing unbelievable science and emotion.

Barry Sutton is a detective in New York City who is summoned when a woman is threatening to jump from a skyscraper. She tells him that she is suffering from False Memory Syndrome, which somehow leaves you with vivid memories of a life and experiences you never had. Often these memories feel more real than the life you are living, and it is immensely disorienting—and possibly contagious. The woman tells Barry that she is devastated by the fact that her son has been "erased," even though people tell her she never had a son. And then she leaps to her death.

Meanwhile, Helena Smith is a neuroscientist who has been working on research to help map our most precious memories and how to preserve them. If she succeeds, people with dementia and brain injuries might one day be able to remember moments and people that have slipped from their grasp. The pace and scope of her research is significantly accelerated by the involvement and support of an eccentric, wealthy benefactor. But what's behind his interest?

As Barry tries to investigate what's behind False Memory Syndrome—or if it exists at all—he finds himself in the middle of a disturbing mystery. Has someone figured out the ability to manipulate our memories and make us believe things that never existed? If our true memories are wiped out and replaced, does that change who we are? And at what cost?

Barry and Helena's stories alternate as they represent both sides of the coin—the beneficent research looking to make a difference in how we retain our memories, and the shadowy side, using memories for destructive purposes. Recursion started a little slowly for me, but picked up speed as the book moved along, until it careened toward a conclusion.

The ideas behind the book were fascinating and thought-provoking, but the book itself didn't quite work for me as well as I had hoped given how much I loved Dark Matter. Each story on its own was compelling but the constant shifting back and forth, and having to keep track of when things happened, often made me lose focus. But once again, Crouch proves his talent as a storyteller and a brilliant mind.

If you're a fan of science fiction thrillers that make you wonder if what you're reading might actually be possible, pick up Recursion. And don't miss out on Dark Matter or Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy, because this guy knows how to write.

NetGalley and Crown Publishing provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

This book will be published June 11, 2019.

There's just something about the way Blake Crouch writes that completely immerses me into the lives of his characters. I've been a fan since Desert Places.

A fantastical ride from Blake Crouch. Things happen you don't even want to think are possible but seem like they can happen tomorrow.

I you read Dark Matter, you'll enjoy the journey Recursion takes you on. Personally I didn't connect to Recursion as well as I did Dark Matter. The characters just didn't do it for me. But overall a highly enjoyable read.

All across the country people are waking up into different lives and memories than what they fell asleep to. Is it False Memory Syndrome or something else. Barry Sutton begins searching for the truth. Very interesting novel.

I have read a few books by this author, and they are all exciting and thrilling, and this one is no different. It was much better than I was expecting. It hooked me early on and kept me turning pages. I was interested in the characters and the plot and found myself devouring it while losing track of time. Recommended for sci-fi fans and thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy to read and review.

As always, Crouch provides a lot to think about! This was a fast, exhilarating read. I really enjoyed it and was unable to put it down until reaching the end. I believe it could have used some editing for length however. The story would have been just has compelling had there been a few less "recursions."

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year- and did not let me down!

If you could have a redo of your life-what and how would you do it differently?

Fast-paced thriller/sci-fi. This will make you question everything you know about memory, loss, regrets, and love.



(Spoilers Ahead)
A mysterious disease, or so everyone believes is affecting people’s memory -or False Memory Syndrom (FMS). People do not know what is going on- as they have two separate lives of memories. Barry Sutton, NYPD detective tries to uncover what is behind FMS. He ultimately comes face to face with Helena Smith, who we later find out created something that would change the world.

At first, it is a little confusing, as you have no idea what is going on or what is even real in the story; however, bit by bit, it all starts to unfold and nothing could stop me from reading.

All that being said, Crouch has done it again! Another 5 star read for me. I recommend this to anyone who loved his Dark Matter book, interested in neuroscience/memory, or just looking for an exceptional read.

(Will post this review closer to publication)

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would also like to thank Blake Crouch, and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read and review this ARC early.

"What if someone could rewrite your entire life?"

That one line made me want to read this book. I had such high expectations when I started reading this book. For me, it was a followup to the exceptional Dark Matter. I wasn't disappointed.

It's a pretty dark sci-fi novel that explores the question "What if you could relive your life?" The book starts with NYPD detective Barry Sutton trying to prevent a woman from jumping from the roof of a sky rise. "My son has been erased." Those are her last words before she leaps. He begins investigating her case as across the country people wake to new memories of different lives. They seem to be suffering from False Memory Syndrome, a mysterious disease that afflicts people with vivid memories of a life they never lived. Or have they? Is something much more sinister behind the fracturing of reality all around him?

In San Francisco, neurologist Helena Smith is developing a technology that would allow us to preserve our most intense memories and relive them. If she's successful, anyone would be able to relive their most important memories, a first kiss, the birth of their child, their last moments with a loved one.

Barry's journey in the search for truth leads him to the discovery that Helena's work has yielded a terrifying gift- the ability to not just preserve memories but remake them... at the risk of destroying what it means to be human.

Recursion is a thrilling fast read that makes you question your life, memories, time and morality. Like Dark Matter this book too is a mind fuck. I didn't anticipate it being as dark as it was though. As much as I enjoyed it, I found the ending lacking. I felt it could've been better. There just seemed to be something missing throughout the book. It wasn't as captivating as Dark Matter, which I found disappointing. It was a thrilling read, but I felt like it could've been a little bit better.

That said, I do recommend reading Recursion. Blake Crouch is an excellent writer who has put out another winner.

This was an ARC I received from Netgalley in return for an honest return.
4.5/5 stars.

Ever heard of the Mandela Effect? In Recursion, people all across the U.S. are waking up to completely different lives than they remember. Are they suffering from False Memory Syndrome? Or is something much scarier and widespread happening to the world’s shared reality?

Pros: Crouch is a master at pacing and creating suspense, and this was tricky to do from two different perspectives (we switch back and forth between the two main characters every few chapters.) I enjoyed the exploration of the nature of reality, how your brain perceives your environment, and the effects of dementia. And it got dark and gruesome at times, which was deliciously scary to read.

Cons: The only thing that diminished the story for me was its own complexity. The concept of time travel itself is intricate. As Recursion worked to keep the details of the plot clear, it also kept building and building onto it with more action and twists. Because of this, it does lose a little steam about 2/3 of the way through.

I loved Crouch’s previous novel Dark Matter, so I went into Recursion with high expectations. Recursion is addictive and suspenseful, but it definitely calls for a little patience--and probably multiple readings--to fully work out its puzzle.