Wow. This was a quick and riveting read that kept me on edge through its conclusion. This isn’t my usual genre and I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Blake Crouch for the advanced copy of Upgrade in exchange for my honest review.

Science Fiction is well and truly not usually my thing, but Upgrade is so well-written and fast paced I tore through it super quickly. There is an immense amount of science presented throughout the book but I thought it was written in such a way that I never felt lost or bogged down by details.

This book reminded me of Inferno by Dan Brown in that it brings up an interesting moral dilemma and kind of challenges the readers to think "what would I do in this situation?" I found I really wasn't sure I could answer the question, and that I'd much rather be an oblivious bystander.

I found the ending to be satisfactory, but also... not...? I won't spoil it but there was what I would consider a pretty contradictory moment. A quote I really loved did come out of it though:

"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."

Upgrade will be on bookshelves July 12!

Blake Crouch does not disappoint. I’ve loved his previous works and this one was on par with Dark Matter and Recursion. If you like science fiction that feels plausible then this book is for you!

Crouch is unparalleled in his ability to turn complicated science into tense action and suspense. This is a lightning quick read, and thoroughly entertaining the entire time. Explores the idea that humanity is doomed and not exactly concerned with doing anything about it. Doesn’t beat you over the head with the science, it’s always in service of the story.

Does humanity need greater intelligence in order to survive? If not, what does humanity need? Blake Crouch's newest novel has few answers but a lot of excitement as Logan Ramsay tries to answer these questions.

After a booby-trapped basement raid goes horribly wrong, Logan Ramsay knows that things are changing. He can feel his mind becoming quicker and different even as he recovers from the blazing fevers and the aches that he alone is suffering through. But why him? and how is this connected to his brilliant but dead mother?

Reading Blake Crouch always makes me feel smarter than I am because of the way he works science into the future plot and the fast-paced action. One of his best!

Loved the story. Characters well developed and science well thought out. Blake Crouch never disappoints.

Blake Crouch has become an auto buy author for me and for a good reason. This sucked me in from the get go and felt like an action packed, thriller of a sci-fi movie while I was reading. There was never a dull moment!

This review has been posted on Goodreads, and will be posted to IG 2 weeks prior to release.

… “You are the next step in human evolution.“ Think about that.

I picked this one up since Dark Matters was an absolute favorite of mine and because Recursion left me so empty I was needing more, much more, Dark Matter.

The beginning of the story grabbed me by the throat, then the middle portion set in, and it got hard to stay engaged, and honestly, awake. The ending, while not great, was certainly better than the middle. I wasn’t in love with the ending. It definitely fell flat for me. I loved the premise, I just didn’t love the resolution. Is it because I am comparing the subsequent work too Dark Matter? Quite possibly!

All in all, would I recommend it? Yes, there will be a number of readers out there who absolutely love this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

#BallantineBooks #Upgrade #Sci-Fi #Arc #AdvancedReadersCopy #NetGalley #Bookish #Booklovers #Bibliophile #ReadThis #ReadingTime #BooksToRead

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sending me an ARC of Upgrade in exchange for an honest review.

Logan Ramsay is a federal agent with the Gene Protection Agency. Gene editing has been banned in the US after “the largest accidental mass killing in human history.” An arrested informant tricks Logan into a basement where an explosion pierces him with a synthetic virus that later improves him physically and mentally. Why would someone target Logan for this upgrade, and what is he expected to do after he’s been changed?

Upgrade is a tale of one possible future of humanity in the upcoming age of gene editing.; a fast-paced, action-packed sci-fi thriller that is hard to put down. This was my first Blake Crouch book and after reading this I am already in the process of getting my hands on more. Highly recommend you do the same!

Loved this book. Blake crouch keeps his intriguing sci-fi writing in this book and brings it to the next level. His concept of unlocking for potential of the brain is brilliant and he doesn’t waist any potential with it!!

As with all other books I've read by Blake Crouch, I was simultaneously riveted and clueless. More science-oriented readers will probably understand this much better than I did, but I'd venture to guess that just about any reader will have a hard time putting it down. Entertaining in the extreme!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Fans of Blake Crouch will be impressed again with Upgrade. A father reviews a genetic upgrade that gives him enhanced physical and mental abilities. The only problem is these enhancements are illegal, and his mother and her experiments are the reason why. It's a fascinating speculative story, and the main characters' love for his wife and daughter add emotional depth to the story.

As a major fan of Crouch's "Recursion" and "Dark Matter," I couldn't wait to get my hands on "Upgrade." This action packed novel focuses on gene editing and its dangerous implications.

Crouch is an incredibly smart author. Everything he writes is very well-researched and through-provoking and this title was no exception. While this novel could be a bit overly-scientific and jargon-heavy at times, I still found the read very enjoyable with interesting characters and a plot that moved. I would certainly recommend the read to fans of science fiction, action movies, and/or Crouch's previous work.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Upgrade by Blake Crouch follows Logan and his sister, Kara, as they decide how/if to follow in their famous/ infamous mother's genome engineering footsteps. I am a huge fan of Blake Crouch and have been since reading Run, many years ago. I think he is phenomenally talented as a a writer of realistic science fiction. That being said, this wasn't my favorite book by him. I hate to even say that. While his books tend to have a heart-racing tempo, which I love, this one felt rushed. The premise is great, but maybe because it felt rushed, it also felt a bit underdeveloped? This story was a good one, just not his best. I will STILL continue to read everything this man writes.

Another fantastic book by Blake Crouch. The perfect cross between reality and fiction. Great job of visualizing a future world stemmed off of current global affairs.

Upgrade .::||::. Blake Crouch

Blake Crouch out there writing some of my fav science fiction! Whatever he has coming out, I know I’m guaranteed an enjoyable read every time. Upgrade did not disappoint.

Logan finds himself genetically upgraded, his potential and abilities astoundingly improved. The book explores the old superhuman trope, like Scarjo in Lucy or Will Smith in Focus, but manages to stay fresh and suspenseful as the stakes climb higher. I plowed through this book and honestly, couldn’t finish fast enough, not surprisingly, it’s already been snatched up to be made into a movie.

Loved the DC references, had to pause a moment to check if Blake Crouch lives in the DMV… he does not but he must have lived here at some point because he nailed it like a local.

This book will definitely make the reader examine which qualities are the ones that make us human, and if it will be our intelligence or our compassion that will save us as a species. Not unsurprisingly, it gives us pause to think about the possibilities and dangers of gene editing, a future that disconcertingly feels not too far off.

I think Dark Matter is still my favorite of his books but Upgrade is not far behind!

Read this book if you want an entertaining and fast-paced read that skews slightly science-nerdy!

Thank you to Random House/Ballentine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC and share my honest opinions.

Upgrade is set in the future, and the government has outlawed gene editing. Scientists are closely monitored, and illegal labs are raided and shut down. Logan belongs to the GPA, an organization designed to find and eliminate the illegal gene editing operations.

During a raid, Logan and his team are ambushed, and Logan is injured. They soon discover that he has been infected intentionally with a virus that could have been designed to change his genetic makeup. Logan is lucky, and eventually gets cleared to return home. This is when he starts to notice some changes in himself, which soon lead him into a complex race to save the world.

This book starts out with action, but it took me a minute to get a (general) grip on the scientific jargon and world building that was happening. I remember enough biology that I was able to understand the basic terminology, but at times I felt like this really weighed down the story for me. However, science fiction is not a normal genre for me, so I would imagine this is somewhat expected.

I felt that the premise of this book was very interesting and the story was pretty fast paced. I thought it took me a bit longer than normal to wade through the book since the writing is so dense, but I enjoyed the plot and found it very well-structured. I really enjoyed the epilogue of the book as well, and was very glad that was included in the story.

This was my first Blake Crouch book, and I look forward to reading more of his work. I will just make sure I am prepared with time and full focus when I do so, if they are anything like this one! If you are a first timer like me, strap on your thinking cap and get reading—I don’t think you will be disappointed!

3.5 stars

This was not my favorite Crouch novel. It started off fast, then got slow, then got fast again. A lot of the science jargon I just skipped over (like I did in Dark Matter and Recursion). I liked the storyline but I felt like Crouch didn't do enough with it. Will there be a sequel? The ending is pretty open. There's still a LOT of unfinished business. I would be interested in a sequel. I hated the fact that he got in touch with his family again. I didn't like how much he disrupted their lives, even if Crouch didn't show that it was a big disruption. It just didn't feel right to me. Let them move on completely without lurking in the background.

This book will turn your world upside down in the BEST WAY.

Blake Crouch is the modern day Michael Crichton. No one around can do a science-fiction thriller better. NO ONE.

Upgrade was mind blowing on so many levels. Im talking gene splicing, potential world ending, real super hero shit.

It’s a bit complicated but allow me to somewhat set the scene: *ahem* many years in the future, at home gene editing becomes a thing. Black market underground labs pop up all over. So, naturally, the FBI creates a unit to stop this. The son of the scientist who made gene editing mainstream is part of a FBI team that regulates this crime, and becomes injured during a raid. His injuries infect him with a virus that alters him. Suddenly he is smarter, stronger, and more capable than any human should be able to be. Of course there are people who want access to this, and will do anything to use this advance for their own purposes.

There. That’s just a skim of the surface of this book. There is SO much more at play, but I can’t give it all away and definitely can’t convey it better than Crouch himself so you’re just going to have to read the book.

Everything Blake Crouch writes brings me deep science nerd joy. His books are full of action and always contain thought provoking topics. I never want his novels to end and Upgrade was no exception. There were parts that felt strange to read, but the reader is dealing with an advanced life form of the future here so just roll with it.

I highly recommend getting this when it’s published - if you love science thrillers. Even if you don’t, get it and find out that you do. Thank you netgalley for providing me this ARC and hours of entertainment.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a totally amazing story. It catches your attention immediately and holds it throughout the entire book and then some. I have always been interested in DNA research and this one has the science of DNA modification throughout the entire book. It is futuristic in time setting. I have never read one of Bake Couch’s books before but I am hooked now.

The setting of this book is futuristic when gene editing is a Federal Crime. Federal Agent Logan Ramsey is with the Gene Protection Agency. Logan is the target of a viral infection that changes his body, intelligence and personality. He goes on the hunt to discover what and who is behind these changes. The goal seems to be to produce a superior race for the chosen few and to kill the masses who are not the chosen ones. There are times when the science of gene mutation is far above my understanding but the action in the book makes it impossible to put it down. I cheered him on as he works to find the answers and felt his pain at the loss of family and friends. It leaves you searching your own life and asking what would anyone do if faced with his choices?

I highly recommend this action packed book and expect to see it on the Big Screen in the future.