Author: Jessica Goodman
Genre: YA Thriller
Release Date: 07.27.21
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: E-ARC via NetGalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars
SYNOPSIS: “Stella and Ellie Steckler are only a year apart, but their different personalities make their relationship complicated. Stella is single-minded, driven, and she keeps to herself. Cross-country running is her life and she won’t let anything get in the way of being the best. Her sister Ellie is a talented runner too, but she also lets herself have fun. She has friends. She goes to parties. She has a life off the course.
The sisters do have one thing in common, though: the new girl, Mila Keene. Both Stecklers’ lives are upended when Mila comes to town. Mila was the top runner on her team back home and at first, Ellie and Stella view her as a threat. But soon Ellie can’t help but be drawn to her warm, charming personality. After her best friend moved away and her first boyfriend betrayed her, Ellie’s been looking for a friend. In a moment of weakness, she even shares her darkest secret with Mila. For her part, Stella finds herself noticing the ways she and Mila are similar. Mila is smart and strong–she’s someone Stella can finally connect with. As the two get closer, Stella becomes something she vowed she’d never be: distracted.
With regionals approaching and college scouts taking notice, the pressure is on. Each girl has their future on the line and they won’t let friendships get in their way. But then, suddenly, Mila goes out on a training run and never returns. No one knows what happened, but all eyes are on the Steckler sisters.”
They’ll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman was the dark and twisty cross country thriller that I didn’t know I needed.
For some context, when I initially read Jessica Goodman’s debut novel , They Wish They Were Us, it sadly was not for me. I had a hard time connecting with the rich and privileged characters and ended up DNFing it. However, I knew that I could potentially love another novel from this author… and that novel was They’ll Never Catch Us.
I picked up this novel on a whim and was totally hooked from the beginning. The writing was gripping and it sucked me in rapidly, I couldn’t get enough. The atmospheric small town vibes full of cold cases was beautifully written and haunting. I loved the writing and Goodman truly brought this fictional town to life in a devastatingly scary way.
The thing that was most prominent to me in this story was the characters. To be blunt, they’re unlikeable. And it’s fantastic. All of the characters are unlikeable, flawed, and far from generic. They provide unique point-of-views and make choices that may be questionable (or leave you wanting to yell at them), but it’s also understandable and benefits the story. Truthfully, I’d rather have these flawed sisters and runners than cookie cutter individuals who don’t add to the story. I could never imagine myself befriending characters like this in real life, they’d intimidate me endlessly, but I can truly appreciate their darkness and unique personalities on the page.
A super fun bonus, that I had not expected in the story, was the feminist themes! One of the characters, Ellie, brings up some feminist themes that I think were incredibly important for this story. The author handles some very difficult topics in this story (see trigger warnings below) with grace and heart. I felt that many of the topics, especially in relation to Ellie, were well handled and received the closure they deserved.
So, overall, I honestly loved this! It was dark, addicting, twisted, and a fantastic thriller. Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC! I’m so grateful, and opinions are all my own.
TW: cheating, abortion, death, murder, and anger issues
ShootingStarsMag
I have not read this author yet, but that’s great you gave her another shot after a DNF and liked this one so much better! I do think it’s possible for authors to get better and have better books as they go along.
Stephanie
What a great review! I’m glad you wound up enjoying this book despite not *loving* the first book you read by the author. I also think it’s really cool how you liked that the characters were unlikable – and that it actually helped the story in the long run. I’m not a fan of thrillers because I spook way too easily, but this definitely sounds super interesting!
K.J. Haakenson
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book! I had been seeing it around bookstagram recently and the cover caught me eye (because it was kind of creepy LOL). It’s rare for me to read a thriller but maaan this actually sounds really interesting. I think dark books with unlikeable characters are actually so underrated – it just makes things so intense!