I always enjoy books with a heavy science piece that makes me wonder if, one day, “could this happen?” This book was fun and exciting from the first page all the way through to the end.

Fans of Blake Crouch will not be disappointed in this book. He does sci-fi thrillers in such an interesting and exciting way.

We follow Logan after he gets a gene modification that makes him more intelligent. He was targeted for this modification for a specific reason, and he needs to choose whether to help or stop what has been set into motion.

This was a fun, fast paced sci-fi thriller. I still prefer Recursion because it was more emotionally impactful. However, I feel like Upgrade is equal to Dark Matter in enjoyment. The epilogue was my favorite part of the book, and I’m still thinking about it almost five months later.

If you really like sci-fi and genetic things, and little thrill mixed in, this a book for you. It was bit slow for me I usually like some sci-fi but couldn't understand the story very well. Some of the terminology was hard to understand and kind of hard to follow story . I will try to read other books by him because he gets highly recommend. Thanks to ballantine books, netgalley, and the author in exchange for a review.
Publishing date : July 12th, 2022.

Blake Crouch’s science fiction novels bring complicated science quandaries to the masses, and Upgrade is yet another fantastic “what if” sci-fi story.

What if you could be smarter? Stronger? Faster? More intuitive? More cunning? Better at multitasking? Better at everything? Logan Ramsay wakes up after a harrowing fever and aches that reach into his bones to find he is “better” all of the sudden. He has unintentionally been upgraded while out on a raid for the Genome Protection Agency, and he has a sneaking suspicion his newly hacked genome is no accident.

The Ramsay name is notorious in the near future as one who killed millions in the name of science. Logan suspects his family is behind his upgrade and he is likely not the only target. Logan’s own boss at the GPA wants to know what exactly has been altered in his genome and will do whatever it takes to find out. Not knowing who to trust, Logan spends the majority of this novel on the run doing what he can to not only save himself, but to literally save humanity.

Upgrade is a novel for everyone. Even if you are not into science fiction, this story—one ultimately about choices and their consequences—is worth reading. Logan Ramsay is an imperfect hero whose choices will help restore your faith in humanity.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and of course Blake Crouch for the advanced copy. Upgrade will be available on July 12th. All opinions are my own.

📚Book 23 of 2022: Upgrade by Blake Crouch

💬Reader’s digest version: What if you had the power to upgrade your genes and become superhuman? What if that causes you to lose connection with the people you love the most. Would you still do it? And more importantly, if this upgrade could potentially save humanity but at the cost of billions of human lives…would you want to give it to everyone against their will? Logan finds himself in a precarious physical and moral situation when a genetic upgrade is forced upon him...completely smashing his old self into pieces.

🏃🏻‍♀️My Take: Blake Crouch can do no wrong. I haven’t read recursion but I read dark matter and loved it. This book is part sci-fi, part thriller, and part literary fiction.

At times it reminded me of an action movie but with far more substance. The one drawback for me was all of the scientific jargon..it pulled me out of the story, but I always got sucked right back in.

More importantly this book made me think about the power of human compassion, and how truly undervalued and powerful it is. Couldn’t we all live a little longer if we took better care of one another?

🙏🏻Big thank you to @netgalley and @ballantines for the e-arc

⭐️My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Set in the near future, Upgrade follows Logan, an enforcer of the Genetic Protection agency. The field of genetics has become outlawed after Miriam Ramsey caused a mass starvation event and the business of genetics is now a black market dealing involving anything from illegal mutations to curated diseases.

While on a sting, Logan is infected with the volatile SCYTHE virus which promptly begins changing his genomes. The threat of SCYTHE becomes a race for Logan to preserve humanity. There is plenty of action, making this feel like an action-packed sci-fi thriller as long as the science parts of the story are extricated from the plot.

Unfortunately, there's a little too much science and DNA talk in the story. While the first third of the novel starts out thrilling and develops a truly terrifying threat, the middle of the novel takes a weary drop. Logan becomes a touch annoying, and the exposition on DNA matters, how it and viruses work, becomes tedious. Crouch's writing gets in the way and the plot falls by the wayside while he tries to give science lessons instead of narrating a fictional novel.

This is my first Blake Crouch novel. Based on reviews of previous books, I jumped at the chance to read this latest book. While well written, and an interesting plot, not sure his writing style is for me.

I had a hard time engaging with the main character, Logan. He seemed, less than. Not sympathetic and yet not unlikable. Just, so NOT very interesting. The story was fascinating, at first. Changing someone's DNA to 'upgrade' their intelligence and abilities, and how that would affect an individual and, eventually, mankind. But it started to bog down for me when the author went in the most minute detail about all things scientific. I wanted to read an entertaining tale, not a textbook.

For example, here is one paragraph/sentence from the book:
"My hunger - another sensory artifact that I was not blindingly aware was simply the serotonin (5-HT) and catecholamine neurotransmitters in my serotonergic neurons, intestinal myenteric plexus, enterochromaffin cells in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, and blood platelets - telling me to eat."

Again, a perfectly fine and capable writer, but I want to be told a story, not lectured on the medical makeup of the human body.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I thought this was great. So well written, and kept me absolutely hooked from beginning to end.
Logan Ramsay has been trying to get out from under the dark shadow of his mother’s past for years when something suddenly drags him right into her world and changes his life forever. When faced with incredible changes within himself and fear of what could happen across humanity as a whole, he may be the only person in the world capable of changing the course of impending doom. But, can he do it in time…
This is a thought- provoking, enthralling, fast-paced read that kept me turning the pages.
Definitely check this one out on July 12th!
Thanks @Netgalley !

I’m not typically into science fiction, but I really enjoyed this one! It was the first book I ever read by Blake Crouch, and I’m definitely going to read his others now. The book reads like an action movie, kind of like a biologists’ James Bond haha! The plot components were paced really nicely, with the perfect amounts of character development sprinkled in. Climate change topics such as sea level rise are introduced in pieces of this book without being overwhelmingly dystopian. COVID-19 is mentioned in the past tense of course, which is something I’ve had to adjust to reading about in a few other books as well. Overall, this was a super enjoyable read!

This book was fantastic! Loved getting to read before publishing date and will be recommending on Instagram, goodreads, and Amazon.

Don't read this book if you're already planning for the end of earth. It will hurt you.

I did not follow any of the science in this book, but the story pulled me along, and the last 4 pages of this book affected me in a way that very few books have in recent years.

I give you fair warning: you will be inundated with science, and then find yourself crying.

Wow, where to start? I’m not a huge Sci fi reader but Blake Crouch makes the is genre so accessible. The book is set in a dystopian future where gene modification takes over our main characters life and body. He begins the process of an “upgrade” to his mind and body. He’s stronger, faster, smarter, more intuitive. And now he has to figure out why? I think this is a good one to go in blind to post that description. I really enjoyed the characters- Logan, our hero, his sister; some friends he encounters but the real focus is on the fast paced nail biting action. This is a story ripe for a movie and it’s hard not to try casting as you read (I’m going with matt damon). I’ve seen some people say they felt the ending was not well resolved but I really liked the afterword. In any event, non sci fi folks need to give this a whirl. It’s a lot of fun and thought provoking at the same times
4.25 stars.

Crouch knocked it out of the park again! I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It really makes you think about where we are heading.

I read Dark Matter in the past and thought it was amazing and the science didn't feel overwhelming. Upgrade, however, is heavy science. I had to read slower than usual to grasp the DNA/genetics passages and didn't really look forward to picking it up again. It was still an interesting and sometimes scary read. If you've ever wondered what the future could be like when DNA manipulation becomes a common occurrence this would be a good book for you. I was leaning towards a 3-star but the last 10 pages made it a 4-star.

It’s a strange feeling when you read a book and can already predict exactly what the reviews will be focused on: that ending.

Inside me are two wolves and they have been fighting over their thoughts on that ending since I finished the book more than a week ago.

But, without getting into spoiler territory, if anything it’s a mark of how good this book is that this ending is going to cause so much buzz.

This was my first Crouch novel and I get the hype now (I will also be devouring everything else he’s ever written post haste). This book was fun and inventive and terrifying in a real world way and I loved every pulse pounding second of action. It’s also an incredibly intellectual book that somehow didn’t make me feel dumb. And despite its focus on science and technology, it holds onto its humanity and makes you care deeply about the characters.

There were only two small places where this story lost me a bit: 1) there is a section on a train that I found ridiculous and way too over the top; and 2) is of course that ending. I don’t think I’ll ever decide how I feel about that ending.

Rating: 4.5

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine for this ARC

This was probably my favorite of Blake’s books! I felt to story was fast enough with just enough science intermingled to keep your attention and be just a little nerdy too!

I always enjoy a Blake Crouch novel - he's an excellent storyteller. And while I did enjoy this one, it didn't grab me as much as earlier novels. The plot was quite as twisty and there was a little more hope at the end than you typically get. But upgrading the human race is an interesting premise and, of course, things go very wrong along the way. I'd recommend it as a dark science thriller.

I don’t always read sci-fi, but when I do, it’s Blake Crouch. After enjoying Dark Matter, I can happily say that Upgrade satisfied the itch to read a great sci-fi thriller. Thank you for the ARC Ballantine Books and NetGalley!

Set in a chillingly realistic future, Logan Ramsay works for the GPA (Gene Protection Agency) in a world where black market gene-editing has nearly taken over. While on a top secret raid, Logan falls victim to his DNA being compromised by an “upgrade.” The upgrade will uncover truths about his family and past, but will it save humanity?

Like I said, I hardly ever read sci-fi, so it took me awhile to get used to the scientific jargon used in this book. The next thing I knew I was flying through the pages. I got really strong “Limitless” vibes from this book (ya know, the movie with Bradley Cooper). I think this will be highly praised, especially for Blake Crouch fans!

4.5/5 ⭐️

5 Stars

Okay, first, I have to admit that I did love love love this book, even though I have some harsh words for Mr. Crouch. I was so so so thrilled to get an ARC of this book because I have read and loved the other books written by Mr. Crouch and had been impatiently waiting to even pre-order this one. I was at work and actually squealed when I got the notification. But Mr. Crouch, you did me and all your readers so so so dirty! You took a major dream of all book nerds and ruined it! I won't say more so I don't give anything away for those who haven't read it, but YOU KNOW what you did! If you even think of taking our dream of a favorite character coming to life and ruining it, I will curse you to spend eternity in perpetual edits of your books. I am not a writer, but I have friends who are, and they say the editing stage is the most tortuous, so that is what I will wish upon you if you dare touch that dream. You have been warned!

(**if you want to know, scroll to the very bottom. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very minimal and 10 being ruining the book, this spoiler is a 1).

Now that I have sufficiently warned him, on to the things I loved. I really enjoyed the concept and how it was developed. There were times when I thought he would have written himself into a corner and wondered how he could get out of a situation or pivotal plot point while keeping it realistic and plausible. He did such a great job with these, as he had in "Black Matter" and "Recursion." Another thing that I am always impressed with is how he keeps the science basic enough for non-science-loving readers. People can enjoy the story and follow without feeling overwhelmed by the science but keep it interesting for those who love science and read a lot of it. I found the idea of genome mapping and altering so interesting that I made several notes along the way to look up more about them after reading the book.

This is an excellent book for all readers, even those who think they don't like "science" books or never liked science in school. Mr. Crouch takes a famous science idea or theory from paper and makes it a reality. The consequences you think would happen are not always what happens, or they are only minor ones. There are so many consequences that are triggered that you don't see happening. As I said above, the science is not overwhelming, so don't let that stop you from reading this book. If you like movies like Star Wars, Armageddon, and The Martian, then you can also follow the science in this book. Basically, this book is for everyone curious about what science will make possible in the future.

I loved it so much I have pre-ordered a signed UK copy and a US copy so I can have both cover versions. Kinda love the UK cover more, sorry!

Thank you, NetGalley, Random House, and Mr. Crouch for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!



SPOILER!!!



In the book, Mr. Crouch lists many benefits of having an upgraded mind, one of which is being able to recall everything in detail. Many readers would love to remember all the details of a book, so when they finally get the next book in the series a year or more later, they don't have to go back and do a reread or struggle to remember the details. Well, one of the negative consequences of this upgrade is that while you remember all the good in vivid detail, you also remember all the tragedies of your life in vivid detail. The dream is gone, no one wants to remember all the bad! Shame on you Mr. Crouch for killing the dream!

Upgrade starts in the near (ish) future were many of the possible causes of ending homo sapiens loom on the horizon. Our main character, Logan, is an agent of the GPA. They monitor people altering genes illegally and raiding genetic labs.

Logan’s history is complicated. Him and his mother’s actions caused a famine that killed millions of people and is the reason the GPA was started.

During what seems to be a routine raid, Logan is exposed to some mystery substance which causes an illness the doctors aren’t able to identify. After a short recovery, he is released from the hospital. After his release, he notices some difference in how his brain and body works. Could it have been from the exposure during his raid? Is it the beginning of the end?

This book was definitely a Blake Crouch book. Plot driven with simple writing. Fast paced heavy on the science. At first I was intrigued by the upgrade Logan received but about half way through I stopped caring. It lacked heart which was present in his previous books. This was probably a consequence of certain aspects o the plot. When he attempted to shine a light on some humanity, it was too little too late for me. Until the epilogue. I wish the book would have went in the direction that the epilogue implied. That would have worked better for me.

Overall I was mostly entertained but left me wanting more.