I desperately tried reading this...with all of the press and excitement surrounding it...but I couldn't get very far! Its fantastic, rich in detail and a complex world there's a particular density that left me starting and stopping so often I would forget large swathes of the story and key players which with Recursion is a no no.

I think this a book I need to pick up at a different moment in my life, as I loved Blake Crouch's writing just something about this one kept me popping in and out which effect my experience as a reader this go round.

The first half of the book went totally over my head. Honestly, I don't think I've ever had a book make me feel that dumb in my life. The second half was a lot of fun and really brought up some great questions if this technology were ever to exist... The ramifications were frightening. Overall, a really fascinating read!

Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, Crown Publishing and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Blake Crouch's newest book just might be his best book. Gripping and suspenseful, the story grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go. Excellently written and thoughtfully done, characters feel all too real, making the story all the more engaging.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Way back when I first started blogging, I read and reviewed Dark Matter which quickly became one of my favourites! As a person who rarely reads novels with a science fiction vibe, I was shocked by how much I loved it. I raved about it. I shouted from the rooftops. I reread it.

So, at the end of my school year, when I realized that Blake Crouch was releasing Recursion, I rushed to add this one to my summer TBR and I dove in.

Like Dark Matter, Recursion is a novel that bent the line between reality and fiction leaving me uneasy…and I loved it! Essentially looking at the idea of memory and recalling memories, Recursion follows a scientist, Helena, and a cop, Barry, as they navigate lives, past lives and memories. Fast paced and thrilling, the novel moves back and forth through narrative view and time. As their stories collide (along with their past and present memories), I found myself flipping through the pages and completely hooked!

My one complaint with this work is that I felt like it was about 100 pages too long. I loved the pacing at the beginning, and I found that I needed all the explanations; however, by the end, I felt the story dragging and stalling without reason. I was frustrated with the continuous repetition by the main characters, and, even though I understand the plot relied on this repetition, I felt like I could have done without a few of the minor story arcs.

Regardless of my length issue, I did feel like this one would be a great read for summer. I lounged around my patio for countless hours devoured by this storyline.

I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and will recommend it often!

I really loved this book. I think it twisted in all the right ways, and kept me on my toes. While sometimes I wanted a bit more explanation, the pace kept a rapid click, and I really enjoyed that. Would recommend for anyone.

This is my first time reading anything by this author and I have to say that I am super impressed by this book. Not only has he written a brilliant science fiction book but the concepts of memory and time are also impressive. If you like time travel then you need to read this book. I also appreciated the love story between the two main characters....it made for a more interesting and engaging story.

"Recursion" by Blake Crouch is a thrilling, sci-fi mystery about memory and time. Helena Smith is a brilliant scientist with a mother losing her memory to Alzheimer's and dementia and is desperate to find a cure to preserve core memories so that she can keep her lucid enough for the rest of her life. She is bankrolled by an investor who sees the potential in her research in developing a chair that can preserve these memories.

Barry Sutton, a New York City detective, is struggling with his daughter's sudden death, subsequent divorce, and then drifting off in nostalgia blaming himself for her death until one night he comes in contact with a sufferer of False Memory Syndrome (FMS). The affliction occurs when a new memory timeline is overlaid in the memory of present day with a life they have never before experienced.

Crouch weaves together the central characters in "Recursion" by recounting alternating days in the timeline between Helena and Barry until their stories converge into one. Stream of consciousness moving in and out of timelines is an effective tool Crouch uses to portray the many timelines and memories created.

The book was very engaging. I couldn't put it down. The mystery behind the science and experiments Helena and her team perform draws you into this believable reality that could possibly exist. Questions about what is time and how memory is formed and affects its owner are all important questions addressed in the book.

I received this eBook free of charge from Crown Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I did not receive any fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Okay, I’m going to give this 5 stars even though the last line of the book felt like a stupid cop out!!!

I loved this book so much because it felt like I got the opportunity to re-read Dark Matter without actually knowing what was going to happen next. The storylines, while dealing with slightly different quantum concepts, are actually still really similar in a lot of ways, and the scientific ideas somewhat overlap and complement one another theoretically.

This one didn’t blow my mind AS MUCH as Dark Matter did, but I think that’s because I was oblivious to the ideas behind time as a construct and nonlinear realities prior to reading that one, whereas I had a base understanding of those concepts going into this one. It still left me, at times, really contemplating reality and existence as we perceive it. And a lot of my theories that came about in Dark Matter were expounded and solidified even further after reading this.

Call me a conspiracy theorist if you like, but I think quantum physics and Crouch are really onto something here...

I ended up listening to this book on Audio instead of the ebook galley.

Blake Crouch has a distinct way of telling a story, and this felt a lot like Dark Matter - not in a bad way. This is a technology-gone-wrong story set in the recent past, present, and near future that once again focuses on character development and relationships between people in addition to the hard science elements that guide the plot.

I would recommend this book to others, and despite the excellent audio production and narration, for me it was the kind of story that would have done better in print. I found myself off-and-on confused and it's totally on me. It's the kind of story you really have to pay attention to and there are times with audiobooks where I don't. So in future, I'm going to stick to print with Crouch.

Recursion is an outstanding sci-fi novel! I was really entertained and couldn't put it down. It was eerily scary, a thriller, and I didn't want it to end. I'm not sure I'll be able to get it out of my head for awhile either!

Imagine you woke up one morning and learn that your entire life wasn’t real. Your memories are distinct and vivid but they are overlapped by a conflicting set of memories. That, my friends, is known as False Memory Syndrome (FMS) and it drives people to suicide. NYPD Officer Barry Sutton’s first experience with FMS is on a call to talk a woman out of jumping off of a building. Something about her story doesn’t sound right so he decides to investigate further. That one call sends Barry down a rabbit hole that even Alice would balk at going down.
To describe the plot any more would deprive the reader of an intense and emotionally charged experienced. Crouch manages to write creative speculative fiction that manages to be both emotional and an adrenaline rush. Just when you think you have figured out where he is taking you, BAM! The bottom falls out and your heart starts racing even more. If you are looking for an intelligent, thought-provoking, and addictive thriller, Recursion is absolutely the book for you.

Dr. Helena Smith has committed her career to finding a way to preserve memories for Alzheimer’s patients. When a mysterious tech millionaire offers to fund her research, she thinks she is closer than ever to realizing to her dream. But things quickly spiral out of her control and she must try and find a way to save the world from this technology.

Recursion is a realistic kind of sci-fi that is almost scary in how much it feels like the real world. It is a fast-paced and exciting read. In this case it’s best to go in not knowing too much about the plot, so as to be swept up in the suspense of it. I would call this more plot driven than character driven. Character development goes a little bit by the wayside, but the action makes up for that, in my opinion. The technology elements are intriguing, with complex and though-provoking ramifications.

My only complaint would be that the ending was too dragged out. I personally would have preferred more of the exposition and build up instead. That said, Recursion is one of the best sci-fi books I’ve read, maybe ever. I think this would be a great introduction for readers who normally shy away from this genre. Looking forward to reading more from Blake Crouch!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Recursion
Author: @blakecrouch1
Pace: ⛰
Science: 🧬️🧬️🧬️🧬️🧬️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Synopsis: Barry Sutton is an NYPD cop investigating a phenomenon known as FMS- False Memory Syndrome. It drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. That’s why neuroscientist, Helena Smith, has dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease. Helena and Barry need to stop it before it unravels our world completely.

Review: One word: WOW. Blake Crouch does it again. He takes science and danger and makes an outrageous story that could absolutely happen in real life. This book will make you think so if you don’t like thinking while you read, don’t pick it up.

At times this book had me questioning my own reality. What is real and what is fake? I have no idea. Now whenever I have a moment of déjà vu, I’m going to be wondering about false memories… I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like for people if they all of a sudden had all these memories of a life that didn’t exist. I really can’t say much more without spoilers so I would definitely recommend you read this book. Who do we talk to about getting this book and Dark Matter made into movies?

Blake Crouch lays out a terrifying twist on our reality; how do you know what has happened in your past? What if the things you know were never real to begin with? Who can you trust when you can't trust your own mind? An intense look at the definition of reality, past, and memory that will keep you up all night - or do you just remember staying up?

An interesting story line and technological concept make this novel worth reading. It does get lost at times as the author seems to be having a difficult time keeping the plot going without moving into excessive and needless rapid fire chaos. The excess found in the latter portion of the book was redundant and overdone but he was able to pull the strings together at the end for a satisfying ending.

I couldn’t really get into this story. I absolutely loved Blake Crouch’s book Dark Matter but this one did not hold my attention the same way. I am sure this book will be well received in some circles, and I appreciate the opportunity to give it a read.

Wow, I really had a great time reading this book! I felt like there was a good portion of the book where none of the science made sense but then all of a sudden everything just pulled together in the best way. I think Blake Crouch did a great job of keeping the reader intrigued and leaving enough suspense without making them feel like I'm just not smart enough to follow what's going on. I also felt like the science/technology was believable enough to make me wonder if something like this could be a possibility in the not-so-distant future. Overall, this book was so fun and I will definitely be recommending it all my sci-fi loving friends....and even those who think they don't like sci-fi.

Thank you to NetGalley & Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this for free in exchange for an honest review.

4.2 - I'm not sure I understood what was going on in the last 1/3 of the book, but I just kept turning pages! Well-written, engrossing, very creative ideas throughout.

I think I am at a point where I will read anything that Blake Crouch writes in the future. I love his writing. I love the imagination, and this book delivered it all in a near-perfect package. I knew when I cracked the book open, it will be the only thing consuming my reading time and I was right. From the moment I started it, I had a hard time putting it down until I finished it.

So what is the book about? I’ll try to explain some of it without going too deeply into it because I think it’s best to go into this book with the unknown and an open mind.

This book follows a cop named Barry and a neuroscientist Helena. Barry Sutton is investigating a phenomenon dubbed by the media as a FMS – False Memory Syndrome. People are popping up claiming they remember another life they lived, and that their memories feel so real as if they really did live them out. But how could it be if the life they are currently living in isn’t the same?

Helena Smith has devoted her entire life to create the technology of preserving precious memories, especially since her own mother’s memories are failing due to Alzheimer’s. What she ends up creating is far beyond that. A machine that can send you back into memory and have you relive that life all over again. People who were meant to die, don’t have to die. But what happens if they remember their deaths? In the wrong hands, the piece of technology is terrifying and possibly world ending.

This book was fast-paced, one wildly entertaining ride that is both imaginative, scary, and well written. I had a hard time putting the book down and love every minute of it. Blake Crouch is an amazing author that knows how to hook me from the first sentence until the very end.