This was a very fast-paced, apocalyptic & creepy read. I liked the overall concept of the book, I just didn’t love the book itself. If you are a fan of apocalyptic thrillers I could definitely say this one could be for you!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Blake Crouch’s Run. This was a very quick and easy read. Blake keeps you engaged during the whole story making you want to turn the page to see what happens next. Was this my favorite Blake Crouch book? No. But it had all the action and Sci-Fi aspects that I have come to expect in a Blake Crouch book. Some aspects of violence were quite gruesome. There were a few plot holes that I found once I finished but nothing that kept me from wanting to keep reading until the end! Thank you again NetGalley for the ARC of Run!

So, if I hadn't read the synopsis of this book before reading, I wouldn't have known at all what was going on until well into the book. The story starts with Jack's name and address being called out on the radio and then his whole family is on the run. There are convoys of vehicles full of murderers seemingly affected by some unknown phenomenon, whole cities are burned and none left alive. The book is almost nonstop action as Jack and his family struggle across country to a rumored safe zone, fighting bad guys and the elements to survive.
This story wasn't at all what I expected from this author and at first I was confused by the snippets of time described between paragraph stops and the lack of chapters. It made more sense when I realized this was one of his first self published novels. I can see the shadow of the brilliant author he's become in the writing of this book and it kept me interested and on the edge of my seat the whole time.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: October 22, 2024

Anxiety inducing from the first page. The lack of chapters keeps you in a constant frenetic energy in this fast-paced thriller. Not the a relaxing bedtime read, but definitely worth a read!

Aptly titled Run…because that’s all I wanted to do while reading it! Self-published over a decade ago before all the other books you’ve read by Crouch, this is getting a shiny new US release! This one may hit a little too close to home for some at this moment in time. It takes place shortly before an election and an “infection” of sorts has hit the US…possibly linked to those saw the aurora across the country a few weeks back. Sound familiar?

Although I'm a little suspicious of the timing of this getting a rerelease this year, this was a gripping, entertaining thriller that I breezed through. Although it still has Crouch's distinct style, this is from the early day's of Crouch's writing career. Even though I didn't find this *quite* as thought-provoking as some of his later books, this was still an entertaining read that I'd recommend if you like his other books.

I love me some Blake Crouch and was thrilled to dip into this backlist selection. This book is a violent, apocalyptic, and thrilling. It gives roadtrip Purge. There are many things missing from this fast paced thriller, but a reader isn't given the opportunity to lament their absence with the speeding plot that keeps you turning each page. To tease the storyline just a bit, Jack and Dee Colclough of Albuquerque, NM, along with their two children are forced to Run for their lives from masses of people trying to kill the rest of the population for a mysterious reason. The family travels north hoping to find help and safety but, instead meets with life threatening situations at every turn. This book is a quick read that might have you thinking about current weather happening, and thus send chills up your spine. Run was worth the afternoon it takes to read it. I recommend this backlist Blake Crouch thriller. Thank you to NetGalley for setting me up with a copy. It was a great fall, creepy season read.

Originally released in 2011, RUN is Blake Crouch’s self published novel now being pushed out to a wider audience. I’ve long been a fan of Mr. Crouch’s novels, even if the science is beyond my understanding.

RUN differs from his later novels in that the focus is less on the why and more on the what. This is a fast paced, gruesome apocalyptic book that is not for the squeamish. Something awful has happened in the United States. It starts with a few random murders and quickly escalates into mayhem where entire cities and towns are being obliterated in the most horrific ways possible by rampaging mobs.

When Jack Colclough hears his name and address broadcast over the radio as a target for death, he flees with his wife, teenage daughter, and young son. RUN details their harrowing journey from Albuquerque toward the Canadian border. What happens along the way is a heart pounding nightmare that defies description.

This is a brutal, violent book that does not scrimp on gore. Buried in all of that, however, is a tale of sacrifice and devotion. Jack and his wife, Dee, experience exponential character growth. Neither is likable in the beginning, but they transform over the course of the book into badass superheroes of mythic proportion.

This action packed thriller will have you on the edge of your seat. You won’t be able to look away.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing House - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you Ballentine for the gifted eARC

This book was a fast and furious wild ride. The action starts almost immediately and it lasts for the entirety of the book. If you’re looking for a complex plot or deep character development, this probably isn’t the book for you. However, if you want that feeling you get watching an action movie, but add an apocalypse vibe and lots of unaliving, then look no further! Honestly my overall feeling about this book was that the action never stopped and yet it felt like nothing was really happening as far as furthering the plot, and as a result I found myself feeling bored. The characters were also so unlikeable. Which at times was hard to tolerate but then I found myself thinking… how would I behave/react in this situation? And I found myself empathizing with them a bit more. Except Jack, I just could not stand him.

It was interesting reading this book (which is really a rerelease of a book Blake Crouch initially published in 2011) after having read some of his more recent work. Seeing the stylistic differences and the growth of the author was pretty cool. I have to say I am more of a fan of present day Blake Crouch.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for Run from NetGalley for the rerelease on October 22nd! Blake Crouch is an author I've been wanting to read for a while.
Run is a dystopian thriller that follows a family from New Mexico on their journey to survive. The book is fast-paced and throws you right into the action from page 1. It took me a while to figure out why they were running and what caused society's breakdown. Locally there was an Aurora Borealis visible while I was reading Run and it made the book all a little more freaky.
The family is a mother, a father, an older daughter, and a younger son. Reading over 300 pages about this family's survival should evoke emotion, especially with some of the gruesome scenes depicted. Unfortunately, though I did not feel a damn thing. The dialogue between the characters was choppy and none of them were particularly likable.
While I enjoyed the fast-paced plot the lack of affection and intriguing dialogue of the characters made this book fall flat for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book had me locked into it from the first chapter and I could barely put it down.

So much action and the intensity of everything kept me glued to it every moment I could and I finished it in less than a day.

I'll admit, it touched on some hard topics and questions like most of his other books. This one felt a lot more real though because WHAT IF this had happened?? Also, we recently had an Aurora Borealis sighting in the States and that really drove this home.

The characters started off a little unlikable, but you really see the strength as everyone grows and especially the love Jack has for his family. It makes you think big thoughts like "could I survive if this happened to me?"

I had so much anxiety, terror, disgust, happiness, and even tears. Definitely felt all the things.

If you like high stakes thrillers and tension, this book is for you. Keep in mind, it is a tough read and there some triggering things that happen there.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC of this book. My thoughts are entirely my own.
Release date: 10/22/24, Finish date: 10/20/24

Thank you to Blake Crouch and Ballantine Books for this ARC.

Blake Crouch is one of my auto-buy authors so I was beyond excited to get this advanced reader copy. “Run” was Crouch’s first self-published work and is being re-released.

“Run” is set in a chaotic and disturbing world. From graphic violence to heart-pounding escapes, this book had all the tension and suspense I look for in a thriller.

This concept is not unique, but Crouch’s execution was very well done. I was truly surprised by the vivid depictions of violence against other human beings, so if this is not your cup of tea, you may want to skip this one.

With a title like “Run,” how could this be anything but fast-paced? However, there are some wait-and-see moments, and much of the plot takes place in an automobile. I never felt like it was stagnant, though. It reminded me a lot of a Walking Dead episode minus the zombies.

If you like Mad Max, the Crazies, or the exploration of humanity in The Walking Dead, you'll love the vibes of this book. It’s unapologetically graphic, and while it's not as twisty as “Dark Matter,” this is still a solid plot line from Crouch.

Blake Crouch did it AGAIN!!!
Another book by Blake that I could not put down till I found out what happened to Dee, Jack and the kids. Run follows the Colclough family as the flee New Mexico heading North after unthinkable acts of violence start happening. Jack's name gets announced over the radio as a target, as his wife, and two kids are packing up their car to get out of town. As Jack drives out of town he faces insane obstacle after insane obstacle threating the lives of himself and his family. They drive away from New Mexico and head north to Colorado, after more life-threatening events they lose their car and are forced to hike through the forest and over the mountains to Canada where there are rumors of safety. After succeeding on summiting and then descending the mountain range, Jack is separated from the rest of his family and each group then faces more extremely difficult barriers to test themselves and to try to be reunited. I would recommend this book to anyone willing to think of a world that isn't as peaceful as it is now, it really makes you wonder how our world would be if there was not laws and kind hearts.

A fast-paced post-apocalyptic story about a family of 4 fleeing Albuquerque because a madness has swept their town. Family and friends are turning on one another and murdering in cold blood. No one can be trusted, and it is up to Jack to take his family to safety. Blood is spilled, loyalties are tested, and death seems inevitable. Blake Crouch did a great job putting the reader in the middle of this family's escape. The plot moved quickly, the angst was believable, and the concept was not too far-fetched. I enjoyed this novel and found that I kept coming back to this story time and again to find out what happens to Jack and his family. I loved Dee's courage, I respected Jack's bravery and sacrifices for his family, and I loved the last heart-stopping moments at the conclusion of this novel. I look forward to reading more of Blake Crouch's work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random Publishing House for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own and I am grateful for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Blake Crouch self-published Run in 2011. It was his first novel. This is its wide release with a major publisher, thirteen years later. I liked Wayward Pines and some of Crouch's short stories and was interested to see what this one was all about.

Jack and his family are on the run, trying to escape a world gone mad. It's very violent, very "us vs. them", and had strong The Walking Dead vibes, if The Walking Dead's zombies were real people mindlessly killing. Oh right, the zombies were real once. In Run, there were even some of "them" on a leash, Michonne style.

This was too violent, too over the top, too relentless to suspend disbelief. The family's stand, escapes and journey could be called cartoonish if they weren't so blood splattered. In a country today that is so divided and on the verge of erupting violence, I don't need to read a fictionalized version of it. I honestly don't understand why Crouch wanted to release it now. YMMV.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the digital ARC.

Run by Blake Crouch is a fast-paced, intense thriller that grips you from the start. The story follows Jack Colclough and his family as they flee for their lives after an epidemic of rage sweeps across America. With their names broadcasted on the emergency radio as targets, they must escape the chaos around them. The tension builds as they face brutal enemies and overwhelming odds while struggling to stay alive.

Crouch keeps the action going, making it hard to put the book down. The family's desperate journey is filled with suspense, but there are moments where the plot feels a bit extreme or unrealistic. However, the non-stop action and the emotional struggle of a family on the run make it a compelling read. Run is a thrilling survival story that showcases Crouch’s early writing style, and it’s a great pick for fans of heart-pounding apocalyptic tales.

Blake Crouch has grown significantly as a writer. Even though this is getting republished in a few days, you can definitely tell this is a much earlier book, so the writing is nowhere near the excellence that his recent scifi books are. However, I still really enjoyed this and couldn't stop reading it. The story itself is kind of repetitive but that's to be expected since this is a zombie like apocalypse. Only so much can happen being on the run lol. Bottom line is, if Blake Crouch writes it I'll read it. And I'll likely enjoy it.

I’ve only read two books by this author and LOVED them. I was super excited to read this, even after realizing this is his first novel. The beginning was very slow to me It was difficult to continue the book after putting it down a few times. It mainly consisted of the main characters driving around. We didn’t get much background on the characters either. I didn’t find myself caring about them much. Up until around 40% of the book it started to pick up and I couldn’t put it down. We finally got some depth to the characters around halfway through as well. I liked the protective (fatherly) energy of the main character. I wanted him and the family to survive the crisis. Another aspect I enjoyed from the book was the banter. I found it funny which is comforting within this apocalyptic setting.

Run by Blake Crouch, for the past week it seems people in America and Mexico have gone crazy, slowly but surely more and more people are becoming violent and are killing people at random cell phones are down as well as TV and radio what does play on the radio is someone giving out the addresses of people they believe need to be taken out and one of those people are Jack a philosophy professor at the University of New Mexico and this is why he his wife D 14-year-old daughter Naomi and seven-year-old son Cole are trying to flee their home. When Jack has to fight for every block he takes can he really get his family to safety? It seems at every turn there’s someone who wants to kill and Jack and his family will do. Soon it gets even worse when the violent people start organizing and going around and convoys looking to kill the unaffected to make matters even worse when they learn what infected the people they only know because seven-year-old Cole was exposed to it as well. I really like this book, but found there were times it almost got to the point where things were unbelievable like when Jack and his family scale a 12 foot Rockwall I just don’t see how they could’ve done that but I DK I am not a climber of rock walls it was still great for entertainment purposes I do want to say Dee really got on my nerves with her what if questions especially when something would’ve already happened and she would ask “what if you would’ve been killed?” “What if the kids would’ve been killed?” such pointless pontifications in a time of peril. Not to mention his kids who couldn’t read a room with a map because when he tells them to duck despite they hear gunshots they both have to ask why why do we have to duck why can’t we look… Really! Having said that however this book is well written and I found myself rooting for this family mainly Jack and the children and if there’s a second book I would definitely want to read it. #NetGalley,#Random House Valentine, #BlakeCrouch, #Run,

Blake Crouch can do wrong! He is on my automatic buy list. He writes it - I will read it and enjoy it!

Thank you to Random House for my copy of RUN.

Run provides readers with a fast-paced apocalyptic story that highlights the lengths someone will go to save themselves and their loved ones. Blake Crouch provides page after page of chaos while emphasizing the desperation of survival. While the storyline didn't feel overly unique, this was a quick read that was full of action that I'd recommend to anyone that's a fan of Blake Crouch.