A review by readandsip
Upgrade by Blake Crouch

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

✨ A MOST ANTICIPATED 2022 READ✨
 
And it was all I’d hoped it’d be from one of my fave authors! I already know this will be a top read of 2022 for me and I’m beyond excited I got to read it pre-publish thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House. 

Author: Blake Crouch
Genre: sci fi / thriller 
Mood: adventurous, mysterious, challenging 
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Pub Date: July 12, 2022 

#readandsiprecommends to read if:
• you don’t think sci fi is your thing but want to give it a try - see below for why 
• you were enthralled watching the augmented human experience of Bradley Cooper a la Limitless
• Project Hail Mary was one of your favorite reads of 2021

Review: Crouch’s Dark Matter is one of my all-time favorite books - just bought it for my shelves and thinking about a re-read this year! And I’ve been hard pressed to find something quite like it since reading it years ago (aside from Andy Weir’s space adventures also incredible and top faves of all-time). 

Crouch has a way of writing sci fi that’s both high level intellect - and accurate because he collabed with genetic experts - while being digestible to someone without a background in science. While I love learning the science behind, I don’t want to be bogged down by too many details that’ll go over my head and Upgrade strikes that balance for me. 

This story is so unique to anything I’ve read and the near-future relevancy to the current state of our humanity is uncanny. And the way Crouch was able to tie the story to bigger picture philosophical implications made it all the more powerful. 

The world the main character Logan lives in is already in an apocalyptic state after his genius mother’s genetic work leads to a massive wipe out of the population. Trying to save humanity from extinction altogether his mother worked up a complete genetic upgrade and Logan’s one of the first to receive it. I found myself rooting for Logan’s character from the start, seeing his love for his family and how it’s upended.

It’s up to Logan to find a way to save humanity without losing his humanity. I felt that emotional pull to him and his journey - and yes I even cried a bit. 

I pre ordered this book before being approved for the  e-ARC and I am happy I’ll have this one on my shelves. 

🚨 TW: death of a parent, mentions of torture  
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