Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for allowing me the opportunity to read this latest Blake Crouch book prior to its publication date. I have been a huge Blake Crouch fan for years, and absolutely loved Dark Matter and Recursion. Going into Upgrade, I knew to expect a complex sci-fi story that really made me think, and that is exactly what this book provided! Blake Crouch has a very cinematic way of writing -- which I think is a good thing! I can always so clearly visualize the characters and events of his stories, which is important when you're trying to transmit complex genetic science to readers. The story always felt accessible and engaging.

While I did enjoy this book, I did find it to be somewhat less gripping than Recursion and Dark Matter. I had some trouble connecting with the main character of Logan. However, I did like the ending and found the book to be very enjoyable overall. I am definitely a devoted Blake Crouch fan, and I am already excited for his next book!

Upgrade is the third Blake Crouch novel I’ve read. This sci-fi thriller explores human evolution, gene war, control, and compassion. Overall, I enjoyed this one! I really loved the word building and the “gene war” that Blake Crouch created in this novel. I found that Logan’s DNA transformation to be fascinating and at times reminded me of the movie, Limitless. The writing style is incredible and kept me on the edge of my seat from page one. I had no idea where it was headed which was good. The only part I found myself wanting a deeper dive into his relationship was like with his mother and sister in the past.Though Recursion will always be my favorite, but Upgrade is definitely a must-read for any Blake Crouch fans out there!

Blake Crouch is this generation's Michael Crichton writing stories about the unintended consequences of technology. Upgrade may be his finest book.

"Logan Ramsey feels a little sharper - his body and brain are responding in new and amazing ways. His genome has been hacked and there's a reason that goes back to a dark past and a horrible family legacy. This is only the first part of someone's plan to change humanity.

And Logan may be the only one who can stop it."

I could not put this book down. Crouch has given us a story set in the near future that feels real. The story is incredibly fast-paced. There is conflict galore in the pages - between Logan and himself, Logan and his boss and colleagues, Logan and his current family and Logan and his mother and sister.
Logan is pulled in so many ways. His transformation is amazing. Who wouldn't want to be enhanced? But what happens when everyone is enhanced? Crouch looks at the consequences and offers a way.

There were moments when the gene science got a little too much. Biology nerds will love it. I skimmed it because I didn't think it added to the story.

You'll want to add this to your summer reading list. Make sure you have time, because you will want to keep reading until the end. Great new book from Crouch.

This is actually my first Blake Crouch book and I don't know why I haven't picked a book up earlier. I was instantly hooked from the first chapter and wanted to know where the story was going. I finished it in one sitting. There is definitely research that the author has done but it isn't shoved down your throat every single page. It is just placed perfectly in the text so you know exactly what is happening without feeling dumb. The crazy thing about this book is that I can see it happening in the future with all the research that is out there and the evolution of the human speicies. I think he did a wonderful job with this book and I can see a lot of pople loving this book no matter what they usually read. Great book!

What a fantastic ride!! I don't often finish books in 24 hours, but I could not put this down!! It grabs you from page one with a masterful story, real, flawed characters, and a pace that just never relents. Absolutely loved it!
Set in the not too distant future after a global famine caused by a genetically engineered species, the story follows Logan Ramsay, an agent for the Gene Protection Agency(GPA). After this global catastrophe, genetic experimentation was outlawed and the job of Logan and the GPA is to monitor and arrest those who violate these laws. It is after one of these raids that Logan's life changes in ways that put the entire human race's survival in jeopardy.
Logan is a wonderful protagonist, a family man, loyal to his team and doing what he feels needs to be done with the GPA. The government overreach is frightening and in so many ways this feels like a direction we are definitely heading down. There is a lot of information about DNA, gene expression and gene manipulation, but you can certainly follow the gist of what is happening without a thorough knowledge of genetics. Can't recommend this highly enough, it's thoroughly enjoyable and yet frighteningly prescient at the same time.

Incredible and fast paced, Crouch hits the mark again with this one. I picked it up and read almost the whole thing in one sitting. If you are into genetics and creating super humans (almost like, but better than, Captain America) this is it. Add in a little evolutionary roulette, biological warfare, ethics, morality, and whether or not we can save the human race, you have yourself a thriller.

Our main character falls victim to a biological attack and ends up “upgraded”. Not only does he need to find out what has happened to him, but when he does find out, what does he do with that information? Can all humans be upgraded? What are the implications for this? What if these upgrades end up in the wrong “hands”?

It’s a race to save humanity (or not?)

Clever, clever book. Some sad bits, but in the end, it ended in a way that makes sense while still telling an interesting story.

It's almost publication day for the new Blake Crouch book - Yay! BC books are always such a fun, mind-bending ride, and Upgrade was no exception. As with Dark Matter and Recursion, Upgrade is heavy on the science-y side of sci-fi. What's great about BC is that he makes science accessible to the common reader (hello me!). While there's plenty of science, you don't have to understand all the details to understand and enjoy the story as a whole. This story was primarily about genetic engineering - the good, the bad, the ramifications.

I have to say I felt some Flowers for Algernon vibes as the story took off - but they didn't last long b/c this story quickly went off in a direction all its own. And then we were off to the genetic races! That said, there are two things about this book that kept it from being a 5-star read for me. One is that the pacing of the middle section felt a little sloggy. The other was that there was a bit of a political agenda. It didn't go deep off one side or the other, but it was there. What I enjoy most about BC is the fast-paced rollercoaster action, steeped in science, and these two things detracted from the fun just a bit. There's also the fact that this is the first BC book that I read in book form rather than listening to in audio form - and I have to say I really enjoy his books in audio form.

Despite a couple of small glitches, Upgrade is well worth the time spent reading, and I'd recommend it to anyone - even those who think they don't like sci-fi. As an aside, I spend a lot of time in Colorado and it has become my practice to read BC books while I'm there. How much trouble do you think it would be to ask Blake Crouch to publish a book every time I travel to Colorado so I can keep up the tradition?

Thank you Random House, Ballantine and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Always a pleasure to read a Blake Crouch book.. I find the writing to be engaging even if the subject matter can be dense and there is always a very human element to the scifi. Fans of Crouch's other work should very much like this.

Blake Crouch certainly knows how to write an engaging thriller. Rather than exploring time travel or alternate universes, he has instead chosen to take a look at the manipulation of gene expression in order to create superhumans and the fundamentals of what make us human.
Our main character Logan Ramsay has a very interesting backstory. His mother was an infamous geneticist, known best for her role in what was called the Great Starvation - a famine caused by her attempt at genetically altering crops. Logan worked in her laboratory at this time and later spent several years in prison until he was pardoned and has spent the time since working for the Gene Protection Agency trying to atone for his mistakes. The GPA spends their time tracking down rogue geneticists (a science that is all but illegal) and their creations, and monitoring those who used to work in the field to ensure they don’t go rogue. During one such operation, Logan is struck by ice shrapnel during an explosion. Initial tests show nothing has changed, but as time goes he begins to notice his mind is sharper, his memories are perfect, and he’s stronger and faster than he has any right to be.
He must go on the run from his own agency and let his family think him dead in order to stop the inevitable. Humanity is headed toward its own destruction and Logan has to basically decide if he’s willing to let the extinction train wreck or if he’s going to help stop it.
Much like Crouch’s recent thrillers, Upgrade blends an exciting mix of action, emotional decisions, and pseudo-science into an unputdownable tale. I always enjoy seeing what branch of theoretical science Crouch blends into his latest story and gene modification was a good choice! There’s plenty of fascinating research out there on the potential applications of CRISPR (with interesting article titles!) in terms of disease treatment, gene therapy, etc. and it’s easy to see where the author got some of his ideas. What if you could edit someone’s genome cell by cell and make a superhuman? Are you still a human if you’ve changed or replaced line after line of genetic code?
Overall, this was an extremely entertaining, easy to read book that would make an awesome movie. Lots of action. Definitely gives me manly man with a gun vibes (because that’s totally what it is with a bit of science thrown in). Totally a fun summer thriller! I do admit, I preferred Dark Matter and Recursion a bit more because this really was basically about a guy who gets turned into a super soldier but he has some morals.

1st time Blake Crouch reader here. And while this book is heavy scientifically speaking, it does make you think about humanity - where have we been and where are we going.

In the not to distant future, the world for humans is changing and not for the better. What if a gene altering drug afforded civilization to better itself? Need better concentration. Better reasoning and deduction? Better at your job. Better at solving problems and foreseeing trouble that you can avert. Now consider that someone has already altered their genetics and is set to introduce it in mass quantities to alter human society. Imagine that person is your mother and she takes it upon herself to mass spread their drug knowing some will die senseless deaths. What would you do? This is the crux of Crouches book.

In today’s pandemic world, Crouch gives us a lot to think about in Upgrade. Ultimately his book is about humanity and family. It’s a book about morality and ethics. The characters are for the most part relateable. This is a book to savor and think about long after you close the book.

Thank you NetGalley, Blake Crouch and Random House Ballantine for the opportunity to read and ponder our future.

3.5 ⭐️

I just finished this book and I feel so empty and sad. That epilogue really made me cry. I want nothing but the best for Logan as I grew very attached to his character.

This is definitely a little bit different than Recursion and Dark Matter. The scientific talk got to be a lot at times. It’s my least favorite read of the three but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I don’t know if it’s because I read an uncorrected proof copy but the pacing was weird. Very fast at times and dauntingly slow at others.

This book, like all the books I read from Blake Crouch, makes you think deeply and reflect on life. And just like Recursion and Dark Matter, it has a little bit of an open ending which makes the reader think about the book a long time after they’ve finished it. That is the reason why I love Blake Crouch’s writing so much.

𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃:

I did, however, find a little bit of a “plot hole” (for lack of other words). At one point in the book our main character has to perform a certain type of surgery and it didn’t explain how he managed to do it. I guess he could’ve read and watched videos on how to perform that specific type of surgery but even then, it’s very different to apply that knowledge in real life with success without previous experience.

Other than that, I enjoyed my time with this book and I can’t wait to see what Blake Crouch will come up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the free e-arc in an exchange for an honest review!

Pub day: 7-12-2022

“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.”

It’s the not too distant future and gene modification is now on strict lockdown due to unintended consequences. What happens if someone in the bio world goes rogue and decides to modify humans?

In classic Crouch fashion this book delivers. This is, as I’ve come to expect from crouch, a suspenseful, action-packed, original story. The plot, content, and pace kept me invested and up late into the night. Of the three I’ve read - Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade - this feels like the most scientific and detailed of the group and that made me like this one ever more. I know some people don’t enjoy an epilogue but I thought this one was done perfectly and the book was better because of it.

I also loved that Crouch dropped in the mention of my home town, Walla Walla, Washington and it’s wine. As my husband can attest, I was way too excited when I read that reference to the valleys wine. 😂

Thank you Netgalley and for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Would you like to be better at concentrating? Better at multitasking? Read faster? Memorise better? Need less sleep? This is Upgrade in a nutshell. You can genetically enhance yourself to the next step in human evolution.

This was my third book by Blake Crouch, Recursion and Dark Matter were both 5 star reads for me so I was ready for the next mind-blowing read but unfortunately this fell flat for me.

I’m an avid sci-fi fan when it comes to film/tv and was so excited to read Crouch’s spin on the classic human upgrade trope. It was missing something. The storyline was so tired! I did enjoy the overarching message in the book about compassion. Crouch is a clever writer indeed and highlights many timely moral issues. It felt like it was written for a scientific audience. Some of the scientific jargon was way too much for me. I got lost in the ACGT. It would be a great screen adaption!

I recommend Upgrade for those who want to dabble in sci-fi or if you are a huge lover of the human upgrade sci-fi theme. This take was just not fresh or riveting enough for me.

Blake Crouch's books keep getting better and better.

Upgrade was intense from beginning to end. With twists and betrayals, you never know what will happen next.

Set in the near future, Upgrade follows Logan Ramsey, an average man working for the GPA- Gene Protection Agency- trying to stop gene modifications. This is until he unwillingly receives an upgrade; his mental and physical abilities improve, making him a sort of super-human. His upgrade is only part of a bigger conspiracy, and humanity's fate suddenly rests on his shoulders.

Crouch goes into the fine details of genetic editing, and while I do not know much about this subject, it made the book easy to understand.

Ultimately, this book is about humanity and compassion; the last chapter, along with the epilogue, delivers its message in full. I got teary-eyed by the end of this book.

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

I'm a fan of Blake Crouch as an author, and coming to one of this books, I know what I'm hoping to find: relatively "fluffy", but well-researched, sci-fi. Admittedly, the types of subjects crouch chooses for the books he writes (time travel, alternate dimensions, and in this case, genetic engineering) don't _feel_ fluffy, but it's definitely the sort of thing that translates well to a 90-minute action-y sci-fi movie (ideally one from the mid-80s with practical effects, but one can't be choosy).

On this level, Upgrade succeeds - I read this basically in one sitting, metaphorical popcorn in hand the entire time. He defines his protagonist well, and it's clear he's done the work on the backend with how the science behind his sci-fi is supposed to work. Does it get a little too contrived 2/3 of the way in? Yes, but that's generally the way you want this sort of high-concept thing to work. Crouch is an author I go to when I want to have a good (if not too serious) time with a book, and he's delivered again with Upgrade.

Let’s get it out of the way – I LOVED THIS NOVEL!

Upgrade is the newest of Crouch’s sci-fi/thriller standalone novels. It takes place in the not-too-distant future where climate change effects are seen – NYC is partially sunken, and the Rockies don’t have snow. There are hyperloops crisscrossing the US, billionaires casually going up to low orbit for NYE, and a newer government agency, the GPA – Gene Protection Agency. You were expecting more of a summary of what the novel is about? Well, this is all I’m giving, because I think it’s best to go into this novel without knowing much of anything. It’s how I entered this novel and am thankful I hadn’t gone searching for more details. TLDR: pick this novel up and have fun on the ride.

Crouch writes hard science fiction, and one can tell there is a lot of research done, but his novels feel so much more accessible to the everyday reader because they read like a thriller. Upgrade is no different – I was on the edge of my seat, and because of that I read this incredibly fast. Like I was surprised how quickly I was getting through it because I just had to know what was going to happen. On top of the sci-fi and thrilling aspects I think this novel also has some interesting thoughts on morality and other philosophical topics. On top of all that, the world building, character work, and pacing were all great too.

I want to gush about how much I loved this novel, but I will wait until others get a chance to read it first. If it tells you anything, even though I read this via eARC, I went and pre-ordered the audiobook after I finished so I can listen to it again and so my family members can read this novel when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Upgrade did nothing to calm my post=pandemic anxiety; Crouch's latest work sounds the alarm on our very near future without being preachy or pedantic. I found the scientific explanations to be a bit tedious at times but appreciated that Upgrade not only feels realistic, but reasonable. The genre is outside of my comfort zone but I am so thankful I had the opportunity to read it!

VERDICT: Brilliant reflection on genetics and the future of our planet. Scifi as I love it.

The last book I received for review took me forever to finish, as I found it quite boring.
It just took a few days for Upgrade, which I avidly devoured. This was my first try with Blake Crouch, and now I really want to read his two previous books.

I really love it when scifi is based on solid science, and when the author tackles some major issue. Here, it’s about the survival of Planet Earth. At the point we are at, there no longer seems to be much we can do, or to look at it more deeply, there doesn’t seem much we are willing to do.
So how about we modify our genetic make, so that we would use more our reason and make the right choices to save our Planet?

Little by little, Logan feels different, mentally (imagine being able to read several books simultaneously and remember almost 100% of the texts after reading them just once?) and physically.
But his transformation opens up lots of questions about his past, his family, his future and ours!

What do you think: would such a genetic modification be a good idea? And what about all the ethical questions? Which parts of us could be enhanced to make us choose and act more wisely: our reason? our emotions? And ultimately, what really makes us human? And can we safely modify that?

Blake Crouch brilliantly puts all these questions together in his latest novel. He contacted scientists, and the book is full of fascinating information on genes. The author even proposes some possible answers at the end.

This is brilliant, with also lots of suspense and some serious human pathos.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Logan Ramsay is a government agent tracking down rouge scientists that hack genes. Logan is targeted and exposed to gene editing that changes him in huge ways.

There is a lot of interesting science that makes you think about so many moral and ethical issues coming our way. Very interesting book that I will think about for a long time.