I'm a big Blake Crouch fan (especially Dark Matter), so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Upgrade. This story is about Logan, who was infected by a virus to modify his genetic structure. He has a small reaction (fever and nightmares), but seems to recover quickly, However, after a few weeks, he turns into some sort of a super human. He can run super fast and do one-handed pushups. But, in order for him to know what's really going on, he needs to take a deep dive into his family history... which isn't as easy at is seems.

2.5 stars
Upgrade started off well but then devolved into a fairly basic thriller story. The scenario is in the not-too-distant future, which has seen widespread famine caused by crop failure, among other environmental disasters - and the crop failure was caused by scientists trying to be helpful, by using genetic changes! The son of the truly brilliant scientist who unwittingly caused that crop failure is an enforcement agent for the Gene Protection Agency; early on in the book, he is ambushed and winds up being injected/infiltrated with a gene altering material that gives him an “upgrade.” Unfortunately the narrative was marred by the frequent inclusion of WAY too much technical/scientific word salad.

The best parts of the book were the author’s descriptions of the ruined cities, such as flooded Lower Manhattan and the landscape descriptions of northern New Mexican and southern Colorado.

Based on this book I wouldn’t read others by this author, but many people have given Dark Matter and Recursion much better reviews so I might give either One of those a try at some point.

I wound up listening to the audiobook, courtesy of my public library, on a long car ride and the narrator, Henry Levya did a great job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Enjoyed this sci-fi thriller from Blake Crouch! This was a fast read and very enjoyable with good character development in addition to the thrill ride. Crouch is good at making things that seem impossible possible and the technical easy to understand. Not my favorite from him but an interesting read nonetheless.

A great Sci-Fi that does a good job of focusing more on the characters and the action than the confusing technology.

There were a few times that I was hoping for a bit more character development than just constant action but overall, it was a great ride.

I really enjoyed this Crouch novel, but I prefer Dark Matter and Recursion more. It was a quick sci-fi thriller, more technical than the previous novels.

This is my second Blake Crouch novel. I found it intriguing but did not love it as much as Dark Matter. This one was thrilling and intriguing.

Blake Crouch is definitely an auto-read author for me at this point! However, this one unfortunately was not my favorite of his, but I think only because I wasn’t in the right mood for an action-packed sci-fi. This one also felt like there was a lot more technical science talk that I found myself skimming over. A fun and interesting premise though, and kept up with the fast-paced nature of his other books! Will absolutely pick up his next one.

Another wonderful sci-fi thriller from Blake Crouch! Crouch is wonderful at making the unbelievable believable. This was a fast read and very enjoyable.

I can honestly say I am excited to see this in movie form as reading this was so incredible. A psychological thriller with twists and turns. The main character wakes up feeling like his mind and knowledge have shifted and increased in a way that he is sharper than he was. He is the only one who is able to stop what is about to happen. Will he be able to stop the world from spinning out of control?

[1.5 Stars]

I found this underwhelming.

I've now read Blake Crouch's three main sci-fi thrillers. I started with Dark Matter (which I loved), then picked up Recursion (which was fine), and now Upgrade. My main issue with these books is that they all feel the same because all of Crouch's main characters have nearly identical narrative voices. Add this to the fact that they also all follow comparable story arcs......and it's starting to feel like "been there, done that".

I think the science was rooted enough in truth that I could believe the stretch in imagination. Which was nice. And the action was fine. But that's about where my enjoyment ended. I didn't care for the main character or his struggles. I didn't get wrapped up in the tension. I will probably forget a lot of this.

Overall, I'd say if you're interested in reading Crouch's sci-fi thrillers, pick the one with the premise that interests you most and stop there. You'll be able to guess what goes down in the others.

This is a solid story, fairly engaging overall but really, really science-y sci-fi. Almost overwhelmingly so at times.

It's the story about Logan, who at some point in the near future has been given an upgrade to his DNA that gives him various amazing abilities. I don't want to tell you too much about the plot because it would give away the best parts, but suffice it to say that in the end the book features an all-out battle to save humanity. It's pretty realistic and should put a bit of fear into readers, because everything that happens does feel plausible if not eventually possible.

I really liked the ending and the hopefulness it provided. I'm a fan of Blake Crouch's work, and while I thought this was a decent read, I have liked some of his other books better.

Worthwhile to read, especially if you like science fiction. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator does an excellent job with all of the scientific jargon.

Imagine a world in which gene editing was very easy so people not knowing what they are doing can do it and it can be done with the contracting of a virus. This is the world in which Logan Ramsey lives and it is all because of his mother. Over twenty years ago Logan's mother created a machine that allowed for easy gene editing and tried to save a rice crop in China with this technology. Things did not go as planned and over 200 million people starved to death.

Now gene research is illegal and Logan works for the government organization that tracks people down who are doing these edits. On an assignment in Denver, Logan is caught in a ice bomb that makes him sick but causes no major injuries. He recovers but not long after starts to notice changes in his abilities. His genes have been changed making him better. Who did this to Logan and why.

The story is compelling. moves quickly, and is a fast, enjoyable read. I highly recommend this to any reader of fiction and not just sci-fi readers.

Rounding it up because once I was engaged it was pretty good.

What I think Crouch did well with this book, like his others I've read, is that he made the science of it all believable. That, in the future this thing we're currently working on understanding better is fully realized and we're making alterations to it.

It read very new jurassic world movie, and even had some hybrid bugs. I can't say it's my favorite, but it really wasn't bad. I'd recommend to other readers who have enjoyed his work.

3.5 stars, rounded upward

I loved Dark Matter, Crouch’s award-winning science fiction novel based on the notion of parallel universes. When I was invited by Net Galley and Random House Ballantine to read and review Upgrade, I jumped on it.

This is a story that hits the ground running. Logan is a scientist, and he’s also a husband and father. He leaves home one day in the normal fashion, and he never gets to go back home. He’s been kidnapped, more or less, by his own government; they plan to use him in experiments, but then he’s busted out of there by a badass ninja type that turns out to be his sister.

Surprise!

The pacing is swift and at times, the story is electrifying. However, the first half of the book is more interesting than the second half. My main criticism is the unhappy appearance of one of my least favorite tropes, the Bad Mommy. How has any living author missed the fact that this device has been done to death? Without this annoying feature, I would rate this book 4 to 4.5 stars.

As always when I read science fiction, I cannot tell you whether the science aspect of this novel is credible or entirely made up. I am a humanities animal through and through, so with every scientific explanation of a development in the plot, I just nod along. Okay. I believe that. Of course, I’d believe anything when it comes to scientific explanations. I have no idea how much is actual science, and how much is pseudo-, and I am okay with that. After all, it’s also fiction.

Crouch’s fans will likely appreciate this novel, and those without my own aversion to the trope mentioned above may very well like it, too. It’s for sale now.

This absolutely lived up to the hype. Crouch does such a great job of creating a new world and fills it with people who you can connect with and make part of you.

Blake Crouch delivered again with this page-turning speculative fiction thriller. In the not-so-distant future, the main character Logan works for an agency that investigates and prevents genetic modifications. He is attacked on a job and begins to think that he has been subject to this very thing. I could not stop reading this one! My only complaint is that Crouch's main characters are very similar. I would love to see him branch out with a very different character.

This was definitely a very creative and in Crouch like fashion a fun ride of futuristic engineering!

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really love all of Blake Crouch’s books so I was highly anticipating his newest release and this did not disappoint! The writing and character development is phenomenal, certain aspects of the story just fell a little short for me, hence the 4 star rating. I would still highly recommend to anyone who like science fiction or chemistry in particular for this book.

initial thoughts: while I am not usually a science fiction fan, Blake Couch may just be the exception.

really enjoyed this one.

“what do you call a heart that is simultaneously full and breaking? maybe there’s no word for it, but for some reason, it makes me think of rain falling through sunlight.”

Well-solid 3 stars! This was probably one of my least favorites by Crouch, unfortunately. Even though I love sci-fi, I felt like at times there was a ton of sci-fi then read like a movie script. It was an interesting concept and interesting/ fun read-engaging, and interesting discussions could be made from this novel-just not my favorite. I still can't wait for his next book to come out though! This is a sciency sci-fi read-so if that's your thing-would highly recommend this one too you.


Many thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.