★★★★

I screamed when I received the notification for this e-ARC! I have been such a big fan of Crouch since his ‘WAYWARD PINES’ series. If you loved Ethan Burke, meet Logan Ramsay! (Thank you, Crouch - they totally reminded me of each other) Although, this doesn’t top ‘DARK MATTER’ for me, it still holds a steady 4 stars because Crouch doesn’t disappoint. I love that the sci-fi jargon is just enough to keep my interest peeked and just enough so I don’t feel stupid. I knew nothing about DNA but somehow became an expert reading this. Who would’ve thought that editing genes can be so detrimental to our entire existence?

Highly recommend if you are looking for a character driven story. Crouch can definitely write up an amazing male character with his eyes closed and hands tied behind his back. I can’t wait for his recent 3 releases (including this one) being adapted to the big screen!

While not quite as unputdownable as Blake Crouch's last couple books for me, Upgrade was still an enjoyable read! What I love about his books, is that the fictional scientific premise sounds like something that could be real, so it's always so cool to see how it plays out.

In this case, the MC Logan lives in the not too distant future where advancements in gene editing and the consequences from that shape his world. It was almost scary how realistic his world looked. With a few more decades of climate change, for example, our world may look a bit like his. But they are dealing with a technology that allows DNA to be rewritten meaning that new species can be created along with new scary viruses that can either help or be devastating to humanity. The story explores the idea of what extent we should go to save the human race. Logan fights against what he feels is the wrong way and at the end, what he discovers was a really interesting approach to solving humanity's downfall.

The story was fast paced and high stakes. The science behind the premise was easy to understand. Biology isn't as interesting to me as time travel and parallel universes, which were the topics of his previous books, so that's the only reason I wasn't as sucked in. So while it's not my favorite of his, it was still super good!

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Blake Crouch is a must-read author for me. Upgrade fits well within his recent wheelhouse. I picked this one up before bed, then proceeded to stay up well into the night reading because I could not put it down.

4.75 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


Blake Crouch is the master of strangle happenings. Wayward Pines is one of my favorites, and I was so excited to get to read Upgrade. Spoiler alert… I wasn’t disappointed.

It’s the mid-21st century. Logan Ramsay is an agent for the GPA. The GPA protects our world from those who wish to genetically alter the human race and other things. Genetic alteration is no longer legal after the great starvation.

Logan and his partner Nadine are called out to investigate the possibility of a genetic drop in Denver, Colorado. They arrive at the drop house but cannot find anyone there. Nor any evidence of a lab. In the basement is a strange cube and a camera recording. The cube unfolds and inside is an ice bomb. Nadine gets out in time but Logan is hit.

When Logan awakens in a hospital, he is in isolation. Apparently he’s had some sort of virus. He recovers, but over the next month or so, he starts to notice changes. He’s more alert and aware. Something is happening to him. What was that ice bomb and what did it do to his DNA?

This is sci-fi at its best. Hyperloop travel, DNA alteration, global warming wiping out cities. It’s a brilliant look at a possible future for earth and the human race. A scary one at that. But Crouch truly understands how to write a novel with a topic way beyond my comprehension, yet something that I can truly enjoy. This one is amazing.

I think I’ll go rewatch Wayward Pines now.

Yes yes yes. This was such a fun ride. I've read both Dark Matter and Recursion and this one is definitely now in the top spot.

Logan's genetic DNA is hacked and now has the fate of humanity on his shoulders because of who his mother was, a famous geneticist.

Crouch has a way of crafting a lifelike world where you can imagine these crazy scientific situations happening - in a terrifying and fun way. Yes, there is a lot of science but you don't have to be a genome expert to enjoy this one. Honestly this reads almost like a thriller to me with the pace with which I was turning the pages.

This needs to be a movie ASAP!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great one from Blake Crouch! I don't often call a book compulsively readable, but Upgrade fits that definition in every way. This is a smart, sci-fi thriller that is plausible and does not get dragged down by too much science. Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC.

Upgrade is my new favorite Blake Crouch book! It is edge of your seat, nail biting, sci-fi greatness. There were so many times during this book where I would run up to my fiancé and go "OMG guess what happened?!?" To be fair, I think he is a little tired of me now interrupting him with Upgrade antidotes, but I just literally had to talk to someone else about it immediately.

Logan Ramsay gets a little genome upgrade. It reminded me a bit of the movie Limitless where Logan now has superior capabilities and more ability to understand what is going on around him. I do not want to give anything away about this book, but I found the genome upgrade fascinating. Crouch gave just enough scientific information to understand what was going on without it bogging down the book. Very fast paced and thrilling novel!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Groups, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not a huge sci-fi reader. When I do pick one up, I like the writing of the science to be accessible, and science that feels like it's reasonably possible in the not-to-distant future. I really enjoyed Dark Matter and Recursion, and Blake Crouch has done it again with Upgrade. I loved how this was told first person and going on this ride with Logan. Lots of twists and turns, a total page turner. And raises some interesting philosophical and existential questions to ponder!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

This is my third Blake Crouch novel. While I think recursion is still my favorite this book is still a masterpiece. I truly feel Blake writes to the highest level of his readers. I have three advanced science degrees and I feel like no other author engages my brain the way he does. I love that he always seems to write himself into a corner that I think couldn’t possibly be fixed but always manages to eloquently deliver the plot resolution. This book had a lot more social commentary than his usual but I felt it was very timely and well done. Will absolutely be recommending upgrade to my complex science-fiction loving friends.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc of this book!

I am not a huge Sci-Fi reader. That being said, I will read anything Blake Crouch writes. Crouch continues to engage me with their works, and Upgrade does it again.

Blake Crouch’s newest novel explores what a super-genius might do to save the human race from extinction. It all starts out reading like a fast-paced movie, but soon one major flaw after another crops up in the super-genius fan. Despite all the ups and downs of the plot, I found the full story to be a satisfying and quick read.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC of Upgade

When I read the premise behind this book I was excited being the science nerd I am...stick tampering with DNA in and I'm here for it! (the description reminded me of GATTACA)

This book was really enjoyable but also very scary! After an explosion, MC Logan Ramsay feels off and not really like himself. He can think clearer and sharper, reading and talking faster too. Functioning on less sleep and much improved memory - why is this happening - his body went through an "UPGRADE!" But his was no accident, he was a target individual for genome hacking based on his family. This upgrade does not stop with Logan but expected to be done too many around the world. This upgrade will change everything and is believed to save the species after all the damage humans have already cause. However, when people start exhibiting strange side effects and the death toll rises, Logan begins to question if this is really a good idea. Logan is the only one who can stop this event from occurring. He faces numerous challenges and makes difficult decisions along the way. However, he realizes that he must use his new abilities to save the human race.

Another great read by Blake Crouch

Crouch, the author of Recursion and Dark Matter, has done it again with a super smart, future-speculative, scientific thriller that reverberates with you long after finishing it.

Logan’s brilliant genetic scientist Mom Miriam mutated locusts in China to introduce crop gene changes for better vitality, only to have the unintended consequences of the gene mutation spreading to destroy crops around the world. Over 200 million people die from starvation as a result. Miriam subsequently suicidally drives her car off a cliff.

Her son Logan in contrast has to do years in federal prison convicted of genetic alteration crimes his Mom committed in her lab, in which he only worked as an underling. Meanwhile, Logan’s sister, who had escaped their Mom by joining the military, serves as a special forces soldier.

Logan in an attempt to make up for his Mom’s wrongs and get out of jail earlier, now serves as an agent for the Gene Protection Agecny (GPA), dedicated to detecting and stopping gene editing.
Unknown to Logan, before her death Miriam managed to create a highly complex genetic upgrade for humanity, improving everything from intelligence to stamina, strength to disease prevention. Logan gets called on in on a raid for work, explosives ignite while he’s in a basement investigating, and shrapnel pierces his hazmat suit. And just like that, Logan has been infected with his Mom’s virus that begins upgrading his entire genetic structure.

Written into a “safe harbor” in his upgraded genetic code Logan finds a message with latitude and longitude co-ordinates- and he and his sister are off to find the source. Fasten your reader’s seatbelt for what comes next!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

4.5 stars

Blake Crouch is an auto-buy author for me, having been thoroughly blown away by both Dark Matter and Recursion, and Upgrade is no exception to his sci-fi storytelling prowess.

What makes Crouch’s books so engaging is his masterful integration of high-level scientific explanations for his plots that feel simultaneously realistic yet approachable. Nothing feels dumbed down, but everything still makes sense and feels like it could be a real occurrence. This, paired with his thriller-esque pacing and writing style, makes for some very compelling reading.

In addition to its captivating plot, Upgrade also explores some very interesting and timely themes, ranging from philosophy and ethics, to bioengineering and environmentalism.

My only issue with the book was I found some mid-chapter scene changes to be very abrupt, but that might be the nature of me reading an ARC (there were no visual line breaks, asterisks, etc. to indicate a mid-chapter scene shift, so this might not be an issue in the final copy).

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I flew through this latest book from Blake Crouch. It is a sci fi thriller that is full of action, an entertaining story from start to finish.

Upgrade stars Logan Ramsey, who is attacked and genetically modified. Logan's senses are sharpened, his brain works faster, his body is stronger. But these upgrades come at a cost and Logan finds himself in a battle to fight against the sinister power working to alter all humanity with similar upgrades.

As with all of Crouch's recent novels, there are some scientific elements to this story. But I felt like the scientific explanations were accessible for the non-scientific minded like myself, and it was easy to follow and understand. This book deals with a lot of timely topics and lends itself to some thought-provoking ethical questions about genetic engineering.

I didn't think this story was as mind-bending or mind-blowing as Dark Matter or Recursion. But I really thought it was just a lot of fun to read! Reading it feels like watching a movie, and I believe the rights have already been sold to make this into a film. It definitely has the feel of an action-packed summer blockbuster!

What I love about Blake Crouch’s books is his ability to combine pulse-racing action with a solid, emotional center. But Upgrade, an examination of what it means to be human told through a man who is inadvertently upgraded and then must fight to protect and save humanity, is severely lacking in the heart department.

All the smart sci-fi and propulsive plot elements hit right and make this a fun, quick read, but the character development is lacking and the stakes don’t always feel tangible. That said, I absolutely adore the ending!

WOW THIS WAS SO GOOD. I would say it's better than Recursion, but not as good as Dark Matter. I love that this book was very science-heavy. but my non-sciencey brain never felt left behind! Mostly, I love the way this book made me think. It was a giant moral and ethical question in the form of a novel: what lengths would you go to to save the human race? I was so interested by Kara and Logan's perspectives and I loved getting to have an ethical debate in my head as I read. So engaging. I finished this book in one sitting because it was so fast-paced!

Upgrade is another goo story in Blake Crouch's collection of sci-fi thrillers. He succeeds again with a good story built on solid character development and world building. However, it's clear he has a formula to his books & he stuck with it in this novel. It's hard to put it above some of his earlier, more dynamic hits!

It was nice having another binge-worthy Blake Crouch book to read. This ended up being my least favorite of his. It started off really strong for me, but I felt like it sagged in the middle. This is super nit picky, but I got so tired of hearing the word microexpressions. I wish Crouch would have described the microexpressions instead of just saying "and he read the microexpressions on their face" over and over. I also got a little tired of the useless details, such as giving the name of every single gun that was used. Another reason for me not enjoying Upgrade as much as Crouch's others could also be that it felt too real given the state of the world currently. I think I needed more space from that before I read a book about spreading a DNA upgrade through a highly transmittable virus. So, it's probably a me thing. If you enjoyed Dark Matter and Recursion, I think you'll enjoy this one too.

BLAKE IS THE KING OF SCI-FI THRILLERS! I picked this up Sunday morning, and finished it by the end of the day. I have never read anything else like this, and I rarely dabble in dystopian fiction, but wow I really enjoyed this. After finishing the book, it is clearly a commentary on how humans handled the COVID-19 situation, which I didn’t super love but the build-up to the end had me on the edge of my seat. I found myself reading so fast because I had to know if Logan was able to save humanity from destruction