Upgrade

"I like Blake Crouch and this is a solid book. I didn’t love it as much as I had hoped but if you like his mix of hard science fiction and action then this is worth a read. "

"…can’t go wrong with Blake Crouch…"

"This is definitely an interesting book to read,pretty good read too!"

"*mild spoilers* The laziest book I have ever read. So many plotholes that were never cleared up, repeating the exact same thing multiple times, needlessly spending paragraphs of the character talking about irrelevant math to show how smart he is... like, we get it, he is so smart. Things that happen go against the very premises Crouch set up - like, if Kara's upgrade had so many faults Luke finds, why didn't he bring up how he fixed those issues in his upgrade? Did he test if his would kill people too, or does he not care? And don't even get me into the prion thing. If you're going to use real science in your book, use it correctly or make up something completely fake to not misinform. As a scientist who researches prions and uses genetic manipulation, I'm cursed with being aggravated by the inaccuracies. Also - murder hornets? Really? The panic over them really made an impression on everyone for about 5 minutes in 2020, including Crouch, clearly. Overall, Upgrade was really disappointing considering how good Dark Matter was. Worst book I've read since Andromeda Strain and the fact that it ties with that at grinding my gears says A LOT. "

"This is great vacation reading. Keeps you riveted but is also very surface level and doesn’t require a lot of thinking on the part of the reader. Also seems more like a thriller/action script than sci fi, so know that going in if you were initially drawn in by the sci fi label like me. I was excited to read another book by this author after loving Dark Matter, but this one was not as good. Still, if you’re looking for an easy and engaging read that talks about scientific concepts and is kinda dystopian, you will like this one"

"I would need an upgrade to really understand all the genetic technical speak. The story was realistic in a terrifying way. A near-future thriller."

"3½/5 ⭐ + The element I most liked about Upgrade is how it handles the theme of uncertainty and how we deal with it. The book questions the use of logical intelligence in pursuit of solving problems that only the heart is meant to deal with, and how things can turn catastrophic when we meddle with what we don't understand. It also deals with the heavy burden we all seem to carry from the generations that preceded us, and how that shapes how we see ourselves and live our lives. The focus is naturally on family, and it's in these aspects where the story is most engaging. The idea that acquiring what we think we lack won't necessarily give us what we need is a worthwhile theme to explore and I would recommend this book on that premise. - In terms of high concept science fiction, gene manipulation didn't quite hook my attention, and when remembering how well Blake Crouch's previous two books (Dark Matter and Recursion) worked and their huge scope, this book didn't quite reach the height in terms of character and scale. It moves along well enough, but I wasn't particularly turning pages to see what would happen next or how the overall dilemma would resolve. I also didn't care as much for the main character as I did with both Dark Matter and Recursion. Overall: Solid scifi story with interesting family themes and questions about what ails the human race while exploring the best and worst ways we tend to deal with it. The scale and scope of the story didn't quite live up to the hype, while the story involving the main character didn't feel as intimate or fleshed out as I would have liked. I still think it was well done."

"Binge worthy. Futuristic "

"I skipped the summary of this book and if you haven't ruined it for yourself I highly recommend it.<br/><br/>Definitely my favorite Blake Crouch book so far. Imagine a superhero scientist but down to his basic elements. How he ticks, perceives time, and most importantly, keeps his sanity. I found this story riveting and the thoughts of Logan after the shift, mind-boggling. I got to the point where his constant stream of thoughts made me a little crazy. But that was the entire point and it made me appreciate the lengths Blake Crouch went through to write this story. I loved watching Logans thoughts, seemingly scattered, then connect. <br/><br/>So much happens to Logan consequences I could never imagine. I found it very intriguing. He was also relatable even though he seemed to be inhuman at times. Though for the pace of the story, the protagonist barely rests, so neither can the reader.<br/><br/>The ending really steps the book up a notch. I found the message impactful and humbling."

"important reminder to treat people and yourself with kindness "