Wayward by Blake Crouch Review: Wayward Pines #2 (5/5)

I read Wayward during an eight-hour flight, wedged into a cramped airplane seat, and this book almost made the flight better. Almost. (The seat fought hard.)

Wayward is book two of the Wayward Pines trilogy, which makes the premise unspoilable — if you haven’t read book one, start with my review of Pines and come back. What I can tell you: the mystery of book one widens instead of deflating, and the town keeps smiling.

What I Loved About Wayward by Blake Crouch

Middle books are where trilogies go to stall. The mystery’s been opened, the finale isn’t allowed to happen yet, and a lot of authors just vamp for 300 pages. Wayward doesn’t vamp. It’s a great follow-up that keeps book one’s slick action-thriller pace while turning up the sci-fi underneath, and if you love action thrillers with sci-fi elements, this series is your exact blood type.

Also, I can highly recommend the specific experience of reading it at 38,000 feet. A story about a town you can’t leave lands differently when you, too, cannot leave your row.

What I Didn’t Love About Wayward

Just one honest series note, no spoilers: for me this is the trilogy’s sweet spot, along with Pines. The finale has great worldbuilding but an ending I found less satisfying than the ride deserved — so savor this stretch of the story. It’s the good part.

Final Thoughts on Wayward

A great follow-up that dodges every middle-book trap, best consumed somewhere you can’t escape from. And if you finish the trilogy hungry for more Crouch, Recursion is next on the syllabus. For where it lands against his other books, see my Blake Crouch ranking.

My final score: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Do I recommend this book? 👍 Yes!

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