Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I am a huge Blake Crouch fan, but this one definitely fell short for me. It was confusing at times and hard to follow along. It just wasn't for me.

**DNF 46%**

I have read from Crouch before and have enjoyed him. However, I fear he becoming a bit to formulaic for me. I love how faced paced his writing is and that it’s compulsive reading, but I need a bit more.

When I read the plot summary, I thought definitely up my alley who could pass on a story where people are smitten by a borealis and turning into violent killers and a family on the run. Sounds like a fun ride until it isn’t.

I didn’t find any of the characters likable and if I’m being honest at times I rooted for them to be plucked off either by each other or by the violent crazed mob of killers.

Even though I didn’t get along with this one, I will still give Crouch a read.

It was something different from the latest Black Crouch reads. This book definitely fast paced and has a lot of twists. It explores humanity and morality.

‼️ Run ‼️
Author: Blake Crouch
5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
331 pages

‼️ Blake Crouch is reissuing this debut novel that he self-published back in 2011! So cool!

‼️ Blake is the king of suspense and captivating storylines! He is hands down one of my favorite authors! I love everything he writes and this was another one he knocked out of the park! It as SO good!

‼️ Run is a suspense thriller that has apocalyptic and dystopian themes. It’s about a family on the run through mountainous wilderness. You will be on the edge of your seat the whole time!

Where do you go when the world has gone crazy? For Jack and Dee Colclough and their children, the only solution is to run. Murders happening, power failures, nobody is safe. So they pack up their children and travel from New Mexico towards Montana.

This is a classic popcorn thriller, with each chapter ending on a cliffhanger making you want to keep reading. Simply put, I loved it. The post-apocalypse vibe had me turning the page dying to find out what happened next. However, I do feel like the characters weren’t well fleshed out and everything wrapped up a little too smooth.

Thank you Ballentine Books, Blake Crouch, and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel!

This one was insane, but so good. It was definitely on the sci fi thriller side because I was constantly on the edge of my seat wondering if they would get away. Then the reason for the massive change in people. It was crazy! I enjoyed it very much. I want to read all of Blake Crouch’s books now just to get that sci fi thriller feel. It was a great read. I highly recommend if you are into zombie apocalypse vibes (that is not what happened here but think along similar lines).

Blake Crouch is always going to give you this tense atmospheric “What the hell is going on”. Run is just like that. you’re on this frenzied escape and literally have no idea as to why. I felt just as panicked as the characters. Blake has mastered the art of that !

As for the plot ehhh, it was a whole lot of nothing. the concept was great. This “major event” that caused people to turn violent but the story got real dry. I wanted to either know all the who’s and whys or nothing at all. here the bait was dangled in front of me. Also, the characters were kind of insufferable.

I hoped the ending brought it all together but nope. More nothing

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this copy of the book!

✨BOOK REVIEW✨

Run - Blake Crouch

I was intrigued when I saw this pop up on NetGalley because I love Blake Crouch’s books and didn’t realize he had back listed independently published stories out there. Run was self published in 2011 and is considered to be Crouch’s debut novel.

Run is a story about a family of 4 on the run from a rage epidemic sweeping the nation. Seemingly over the span of days Americans have begun to hunt, torture and kill others without any explanation. When Jack hears his name and address being announced over the public emergency system he knows he needs to take his family and flee. Run follows Jack and his family as they try to outrun the millions of people hunting them in attempts to kill them.

This is a fast paced action packed speculative thriller/horror. Though I can see glimpses of what I have come to love and expect from a Blake Crouch book, this story felt far less fleshed out, there really was no plot and little character development. Instead you are offer a wild anxiety riddled cross country trip from your worst nightmares. The body horror is graphic and there never seems to be a lull in the chaos. The ending felt very rushed and I would have loved less near death interactions and more explanation of what caused the violent phenomenon that eradicated most of the country. I quite literally could not put this down and yet found myself grimacing and my heart racing as I kept reading.

For fans of:
Mysterious epidemics/pandemics
Fast paced thrillers
Zombie apocalypse stories

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book; all opinions are my own.

Blake Crouch mostly writes sci-fi these days, and I’ve really liked a couple of those, so I requested this one without looking at anything beyond the author’s name. Once I found out it was more horror than sci-fi, I was a bit worried, as horror is pretty hit-or-miss for me.

I shouldn’t have been. I hadn’t really been in a mood for something dark, but I read it anyway because I got it from Netgalley. Once I got into it I had a hard time putting it down. This is a tense and gripping story of survival in an apocalyptic situation where a large part of the US population has gone into murderous rampages, and no one knows why. Jack and Dee are determined to keep their children safe, no matter the cost. This novel gave me strong “The Road” vibes, though The Road is bleaker than this book, especially with regards to the ending. I was surprised to find out that Crouch actually wrote and self-published this novel more than ten years ago – it's a pretty solid book for an author’s early work.

Enjoyable (as all Blake Crouch novels are), but not as twisty as some other works. The author is great at creating and maintaining tension throughout the plot. With this one, however, there was a bit more disconnect than usual. Still a good read though.

Thankful to have received an ARC copy of this book.. However, I’m still confused about what I read. It seemed like it dragged on and on and there was hardly a storyline. It was honestly difficult for me to get through. I kept having to force myself to pick it back up again and keep reading. The idea had a lot of potential, but it fell flat for me. I will admit, I did have high expectations because of how good Dark Matter was.

When I requested a copy of this title, I had no idea that it was Crouch's self-published debut brought back to life by his current publisher. Only an author as talented as Crouch could write something this remarkable for his debut novel - what a gem! His writing and storytelling never disappoint! I flew through this one and then purchased a copy for my husband and he could hardly put it down; I think he now understands the concept of a book "slump," or book "hangover," as he's having trouble moving on to anything else after such a propulsive read - so good!

CHILLS.
This book had me from start to finish. This was such a gruesome, intense, and heavy ride. It had me constantly pondering whether or not I would survive some sort of epidemic like this, and I'm 90% sure the answer is no. Blake Crouch never disappoints when it comes to gutting stories and this one was top tier. Definitely one of my top authors of the year!

I love Blake Crouch novels. This one follows his usual fast-paced tempo where a character is in trouble and constantly finds obstacles in their path. As someone with a young family, I resonated with the need to get a family to safety.

This was fun. It was very fast paced and I was always curious how they would get out of things. With that being said, the writing did feel very repetitive at times. I often felt like there weren't many stakes and like the reason behind what was happening was a little flimsy. Either way, it was fun and I can definitely see the Blake Crouch vibes in this repub

Blake Crouch takes us on a heart-pounding ride in Run, an apocalyptic thriller where survival is the only thing that matters.

In a nation descending into madness, Jack Colclough and his family have only one choice: run. An epidemic of rage has turned ordinary people into violent killers, and now, their names are on the kill list. With the world collapsing around them, Jack must protect his loved ones as they flee through a terrifying, chaotic America.

This book is a non-stop race against time, with Crouch’s signature style of taut, edge-of-your-seat tension. There are no answers, just relentless action, making you question humanity's very nature. If you loved Dark Matter or Recursion, you won’t want to miss this.

Not quite the level of Dark Matter or Wayward Pines which I simply adore, but this is still a strong and action packed sci-fi thriller that was more than worth my time. Blake Crouch is a tremendous story teller.

Do not pick up this book if you do not have time to read it all in one sitting! This is an adrenaline rush that will keep you turning the pages. When violence erupts over the United States with no explanation, the Colclough family goes on the run. Dee, Jack, and children Naomi and Cole are in a race to stay alive. With no technology, no idea what is happening and no one to trust, this book will have you on the edge of your seat. I would recommend this book if you want a thriller and a family to root for. It did give me some stress! I also wanted a little more at the end to explain everything, but overall I gave it 4.5 stars.

Blake Crouch's Run is a heart-pounding thriller that will keep you on the edge of their seats. The novel follows a man who wakes up to find himself trapped in a terrifying reality where he is the target of a relentless pursuit.

Crouch's masterful storytelling and ability to build suspense create a relentless pace that will keep readers turning the pages. The protagonist's desperate struggle for survival is both thrilling and emotionally charged. The novel's exploration of themes such as identity, free will, and the nature of reality is both thought-provoking and mind-bending.

Run is a must-read for fans of thrillers and science fiction. It's a thrilling and thought-provoking ride that will leave readers questioning the nature of their own reality.

Blake Crouch is a favorite of mine. His books always keep me on the edge of my seat and Run is no exception. I loved reading this one. Highly recommend!