Blake Crouch's latest offering in an exciting, brilliant and thought provoking sci-fi thriller that focuses on the challenges facing human survival, evolution and the field of genetic engineering. Set in the future where in the US gene editing has been banned, Logan Ramsey, works for the Gene Protection Agency (GPA), he finds himself being 'upgraded' after his presence at an explosion and he becomes transformed by a synthetic virus. We become immersed in the mind boggling changes that start affecting Logan slowly, but he is not the man he used to be. As Logan escapes, he finds himself on a mission to save the world. We learn of his background, particularly his notorious, if genius mother, Miriam, in this well researched and riveting narrative that explores the ethical and moral issues associated with gene editing, the prioritising of intelligence at the expense of all those qualities that contribute to what makes us human, such as kindness and compassion. The scientific details in the story may put some readers off, but others are likely to find them both helpful and informative in this action packed read with its timely look at the current challenges facing the human race. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I think I expected to like this book significantly more than I did because of how much I loved 'Dark Matter'.

This book follows Logan, who notices his body going through changes after he comes face to face with a bomb designed to rewrite his DNA. He goes through a journey to figure out what is happening to him and finds himself trying to save the world in the process.

I really did like the plot, I feel like there were a lot of philosophical questions and ideas that I'll probably be ruminating on for the next couple of days or maybe weeks. There were a lot of big ideas that felt very digestible which I liked.

I also liked how fast-paced everything was. The story progressed really quickly and I felt like there was a lot going on all the time. It made it all not drag out. Although there were some time skips that seemed rather large and confused me a little. I sort of wish there was more detail in that time period.

I think one of my main issues was Logan as a character. I felt that mainly because it was in the first person we should have fully been in his head and able to notice the drastic differences in his tone and the way he thinks as his body goes through but we didn't really get that. He felt very flat and generic at times and I felt like he didn't have his own voice. I also didn't like the science aspect of it. I love that Crouch tried to explain the science but I was still confused, that may have been just me but I was lost.

This was my first book by Blake Crouch and I was blown away by how brilliant it was and am now on a mission to read all his previous books.
This is a story that hits hard at what could seem to be a perfect world just by having an upgrade but nothing is ever perfect and this I think is at the heart of the story. The main character of Logan Ramsey is fabulous both likeable and compassionate he deals with the consequences of being upgraded and the book just races along and my head was spinning at the end. Lots of interesting information in the story which I really found it added to my enjoyment and made me think it was extremely well crafted and the author must have done a hell of a lot of research!
So what more can I say except if you want something different then this book has it all and I would highly recommend it, many thanks to Blake Crouch for taking me out of comfort zone and providing me with an amazing read.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Upgrade” by Blake Crouch is a little different to his usual fare, being more of a straightforward sci-fi story than something like the “Wayward Pines” trilogy. Crouch is an accomplished and entertaining storyteller, so I started reading, expecting great things.
Set far beyond our time in a dystopian future, “Upgrade” has everything we expect from a crime thriller - it’s twisty and engaging, with a flawed but very likeable lead and a cluster of suspenseful story lines to keep the story fresh and pacy. It utilises Crouch’s usual trope - man finds secret technology, goes on the run - to fairly good effect, but it does get very technical with frequent, detailed explanations of genetics and DNA which become rather boring. However, the pacing and action sequences make up for slow sections.
For sci-fi and future-tech fans, “Upgrade” is perfect, with a unique take on saving humanity from itself. Those who don’t usually read sci-fi but enjoy a good thriller, and can put aside the futuristic setting, should also find “Upgrade” an entertaining read.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch is told in first person from Logan’s POV. Logan Ramsay is living in a world where genome’s can be hacked. This happens to Logan and there’s a reason he’s been targeted. What’s happening to Logan is going to happen to the rest of humanity but only Logan can stop it. However, it is up to Logan to decide what he will do and he struggles. Should he let it happen so humanity can engineering their own revolution? This was an enjoyable sci-fi novel and it was easy to understand but I was bored in some parts as DNA and gene coding doesn’t really interest me. This was well written and if you enjoyed Blake Crouch’s other novels you’ll probably like this.