Right from the beginning, it throws you into the action and never really lets up. I was hooked and read it in just a couple of sittings. The story was super intense, and I kept thinking about what I would do if I were in their shoes. The characters weren’t super deep, but that didn’t really bother me because the pace was so fast. It felt like an action movie in book form. If you like thrillers that keep you on edge, this one’s definitely worth reading.

I love Blake Crouch and will read anything he writes. He has a way of taking a fast paced, pulpy thriller and somehow adding some depth to them, even when they aren't that deep? It's hard to explain, but I just love what he does! This wasn't my favorite book of his (My favorite is PINES), but wow this was just a wild ride. I don't read books quickly and I read this in two sittings. If you are a thriller reader and haven't read Blake Crouch yet, what are you even doing?!

I'm a big fan of Blake Crouch's more recent work. He knows how to write a tight well-paced thriller.

This one? Not for me. Violent, gory, relentless. Lacks the emotional depth of his later work.

It's an anxious adrenaline rush, a quick read, and I imagine there are a lot of people who would love it.

I know this book has mixed reviews but I don’t understand why.

Blake Crouch novels promise a fun, edge of your seat read every time, and this book was no different.

I could not put it down.

I love how Crouch ends every chapter with a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting to read just “one more chapter”.

The less you know going into this book, the better, but it centers around a family who is literally on the run, and who is unable to trust anyone or anything.

I highly recommend it to fans of fast paced thrillers, fans of his other books, or anyone who needs a quick read to get them out of a reading slump.

I am a big fan of Blake Crouch and this was no different. Although, a bit different from the ones I loved, this did a great job of holding up to the “thriller” genre.

Blake Crouch is very good at keeping you at the edge of your seat. With an aurora borealis that makes people go crazy, you will definitely be eager to know what happens next.

This one hits the ground running — literally — and doesn’t give you much room to breathe. It’s tense, chaotic, and a little terrifying in the best way. The premise hooked me fast, and while the characters aren’t super deep, the urgency of the plot keeps you locked in. If you're in the mood for something high-stakes and relentless, this scratches that itch.

I wanted to love this as much as I love Blake Crouch but it just wasn't the book for me. I didn't feel anything strongly about the characters. The story itself was creepier than I typically like.

This book had me on the edge of my seat in such an intense way. I never knew what was going to happen and I just kept wanting more. I could not stop reading. I so highly recommend this book.

What I have come to understand is that Blake Crouch will deliver a book that keeps you thinking while your reading and long after you're done. All of the books that I have read of his have stayed with me, Run, included.

We are introduced to our characters as an epidemic of rage sweeps the nation. Murder is rampant in the streets and we don't know how or why, but the only thing to do is run - for your life. Jack listens to his name called on the battery-powered radio, they are coming to kill him, his wife, his daughter and his son. No time to think. No time to ask why. Only time to run. This is an epic blend of sci-fi, thriller and speculative fiction all rolled into a fast paced book that has you hanging on the edge of the page. I feel like there was enough action to keep you going and a solid story and plot. The character development wasn't as in depth as his other books and there were some parts of the story that had me going..."ok, what? Why?" but other than that and a weak ending in my opinion, I think the content of this book was solid!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and Blake Crouch for the eARC of Run in exchange for an honest review. Run by Blake Crouch was published 22 October 2024. Solid 4 star rating for me.

Not my favorite of Crouch's work but still enjoyable! The premise was exciting and interesting. I didn't realize this was an older book of his at first, but it makes sense. He's definitely grown a lot as a writer. Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

If you’re looking for a pulse pounding, adrenaline fueled, anxiety riddled read from start to finish I have it for you! Run is all this and more. I was so stressed out and hanging on every word! I couldn’t put this book down and the audio only added to the excitement and thrill.

I love Blake Crouch but this one read a lot differently than Recursion or Dark Matter. It’s action packed, gruesome, and the terror never lets up. Set in a slightly future state, we follow one family as they try to get to safety after the breakout of a mysterious violence where people are banding together and mass murdering in the name of God.

I appreciated that we got some back story and learned what triggered the event (sort of). I also liked that the characters had more depth to them than their current circumstances. The novel opens with a very interesting scene that I wanted more of but all made sense with the end.

Crouch really delivers on this one. He has quite the imagination and I loved that as wild as this book was, it felt somewhat plausible.

If you read The Violence and loved it, I definitely recommend Run as it has similar vibes.

Blake Crouch never fails to deliver a gripping, mind-bending experience—and Run is no exception. What sets this book apart immediately is its unconventional structure. Instead of traditional chapters, the story is divided into four main parts, with each part flowing in tight, cinematic bursts of content. While it might sound disjointed at first glance, it actually works brilliantly. There's no slow build-up or unnecessary exposition; instead, you're dropped straight into the action, and Crouch gives you exactly what you need—no more, no less—to keep the story rocketing forward.

This stripped-down structure is surprisingly refreshing. It’s fast-paced without being shallow, emotionally grounded without being overwrought, and always razor-focused on the story. Every beat matters.

And then there’s the twist. Just when you think you know where it’s going, Crouch pulls the rug out from under you with a conspiracy theory thread that absolutely blew my mind. It's the kind of revelation that makes you pause and rethink everything that came before it—and that’s what makes his storytelling so addictive.

Blake Crouch has a unique gift for blending sci-fi, thriller, and speculative fiction into something that feels both wildly imaginative and unnervingly plausible. Honestly, I don’t think he can do any wrong. Run isn’t just a page-turner—it’s a sprint, and one I’d gladly take again.

Run is a tense, gripping thriller about a family fleeing a violent, unraveling America. With relentless pacing and raw emotion, it’s a heart-pounding race for survival in a world gone mad. A must-read for fans of suspense and apocalyptic fiction!

I really enjoyed this apocalyptic thriller novel. Thank you so, so much to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title!

Blurb:
No time to think. No time to ask why. Only time to run.

Five days ago, the epidemic of rage began.

Four days ago, the rash of senseless murders swept the nation.

Three days ago, the president addressed the country and begged for peace—even as the murders increased tenfold.

Two days ago, the killers began to mobilize.

One day ago, the power went out.

And tonight, the killers are reading the names of those to be killed over the Emergency Broadcast System.

Jack Colclough is listening over the battery-powered radio on his kitchen table in Albuquerque, and he just heard his name. People are coming to his house to kill him, his wife, his daughter, and his son.

He has no idea what’s happening, or why, but the time for questions is long past.

His only chance is to run.

Following an ordinary family on a desperate race through an America that’s destroying itself, Run is a terrifying, brutally stripped-down thriller from master storyteller Blake Crouch.

First of all, I am very disappointed that NetGalley and the publisher put this on NetGalley for consideration. This book is Blake Crouch's very first book ever written in 2011 that he self-published. I understand that the publisher republished in late 2024, and was trying to drum up excitement, but it should have been very clearly noted this was not a new novel by Crouch.

I ended up listening to the audiobook and after listening to the first 30%, with very unpolished writing, dialogue that was boring and bland, and very little context for who these characters are, why they are on the run, and just reading about them driving around in an automobile trying to outrun crazed murderers, I ended up fast forwarding, spot listening, and then getting to the end.

This is a situation where I think a movie would have been better/stronger than a book. The premise of the Aurora Borealis triggering latent genetic material to switch and cause certain humans to go on a killing rampage and having other have to run and hide is a cool idea and could be a great 1.5 hour movie. But at just over 300 pages, this was more like trauma porn.

Don't waste your time reading this. Recursion is AMAZING and I think this is a case of we all have to start somewhere, but it doesn't mean I needed to read it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

I am definitely late to the Blake Crouch party, and I am soooo glad I finally read one of his books. Wow, this book was a wild ride and I am so excited to read more of his books. I definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Jack Colclough was just an average American. He didn’t think much about life until his was on the line. Five days have passed and the people have lost their minds. The crime rate has shot through the roof and mass murder is happening everywhere. Every night the emergency broadcast system lists off names of the next victims and Jack’s name has come up. Now he and his family must RUN. The only question is, where to?

THIS BOOK STRESSED ME OUT!! I’m going to be thinking about this long after today. I could NOT put it down. I had to know what was happening next after every page. Watching people devolve is seriously so scary and I loved every minute of it! The biggest reason I’m only giving it 4 stars is because of the ending. I’m not going to spoil it but if you know, you know.

I still can’t decide what I want to rate this. Maybe 2.5-3?

This HAD the potential to be an edge-of-your-seat thriller, and at moment it was. There were times where my heart was racing, and Blake Crouch’s ability for describing brutal, vivid violence made the danger feel real.BUT for a book built on the premise of life or death stakes, the overall pace was surprisingly sluggish.

The biggest let down for me was the lack of sustained tension and urgency. In a story where survival is the central theme, I wanted to FEEL the pressure on every page and, too often, I didn’t. The sheer number of miraculous survivals these characters had pushed the limit on believable and authentic. I found myself rolling my eyes more than once.

DESPITE THIS, one of my favorite things about Blake Crouch’s writing is how well he writes action, and the brutality of the worlds he builds is undeniably gripping. But for a book called “Run” I expected a stronger pace and more tension.

What a premise! I love Blake Crouch's books so I was excited to get my hands on a re-print of one of his earlier works. This is classic Blake Crouch - an intriguing story, lots of gripping details, some dark gore, and ending that leaves you wondering how he does it! As someone who has read all of his newer books, it was fun to read this and see how far his writing has come. This is just as gripping as his newer work, but I did feel it was repetitive at times. Nonetheless, if you're a lover of Blake Crouch and exhilarating thrillers, you must read this one.

More of a 2.5 stars.

It was a bit of a let down.

Throughout the whole thing I was unable to care about the survival of the family. They felt empty, but also annoying. So I was never able to actually root for them.

Another thing that bothered me was the uneven pacing. When they're together, the narrative felt a bit repetitive and slower... but when they got separated, everything happened and ended so fast.

One last thing: the way the author portrayed the wife did not sit well with me.