This was not a fast paced action packed thriller, it was a wonderful slow burn atmospheric thriller with slow building character and plot development .. The characters will frustrate you as the story evolves , there’s just not one thing to pinpoint because it’s messy and wonderfully done.

This is enthralling and confusing all at the same time. I listened to the audio and the flow was nice but it was easy to be confused on the POV. I hope in the physical there are chapter markers

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook copy in exchange for my honest review - full review to follow

4/5 stars

What happens when a new girl in town threatens your spot on the cross country team? What would the Steckler sisters do for the ultimate win?

A plot that is twisty and full of revenge - you'll love the way this was crafted and it will keep you guessing.

If you're a fan of Gillian Flynn or Karen McManus, this book will be one you want to pick up. A definite page-turner that will be a fun, quick read and could be listed as one of those books to get you out of a reading slump.

After loving her last book, They Wish They Were Us, I was thrilled for the opportunity to read this one! They’ll Never Catch Us is a delicious YA murder mystery, following a pair of sisters who are part of the school’s track team. But one of them has a spoiled reputation after the “incident” last year, and living in a town known for a series of murder presents its own teenage challenges.

Although years have past since the last murder, when one of the newest track team members goes missing, everything begins to unravel. Has the serial killer returned? Who can be trusted? What secrets are the sisters’ hiding?

I loved the alternating POV’s and the sisterly bond the girls had. I’m always down for a book about a creepy town where everyone knows everyone’s business, but with a murder mystery on our hands, it made it that more juicy and dramatic. This was a quick, enjoyable suspense—one that I definitely recommend for fans of the author’s first book.

Thank you to #netgalley and @PenguinTeen for my advanced e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book didn't end up being for me and I had to stop reading. I read the first few chapters and just nothing about the plot and the characters hooked me and made me want to finish it and I need to be hooked when I read a book to be fully invested in it.

I received an earc of this way before it’s release but I ended up picking up the audiobook after and I’m really glad I did because the narrator for Stella is one of my all time faves and they embodied Stella to perfection.

When I went into TNCU I was expecting a fun thriller-esque high school drama vibes BUT NO it was sooo much more

A beautiful and heartbreaking story of girls who don’t fit the mold, girls who fight back, girls who fight for what they deserve in a world that won’t allow them to, about sisterly bonds and the fragile line that can divide them, secrets that damage, friendships in people you wouldn’t expect, a very real look at racism in a small town, boys who take too much and expect nothing less, and eventually finding your stride and healing after tragedy can break so much.

This is all so vague but I highly recommend going in blind, the author does an AMAZING job of progressing the story forward through each sister’s eyes with enough mystery and suspense you won’t want to put it down

Is Jessica Goodman one of the best thriller writers out there? Yes. Yes, she is. But They'll Never Catch Us is a thriller with layers.

Three cross-country runners were murdered years ago and their killer is never caught. When new girl, Mila, goes missing the entire town goes into worry-overdrive. And for good reason. And now most eyes land on the Steckler sisters as the most likely to blame. Stella is known for her temper and Ellie has a LOT of secrets, making them look VERY guilty. But this novel explores the intricacies of sisterhood, addiction, mean girls, and most of all, what it means to be a strong young woman. The Stecklers must learn how to take up their rightful space in the world. To be competitive and strong and to speak your mind IS feminine. Nothing should ever get in the way of that. And nothing should get in your way to go and get this book!

Actual Rating: 3.5/5
This book was highly entertaining and I found it difficult to put down while reading. I enjoyed the characters and was very hooked on the mystery at the start, but as I got closer to the reveal I felt as if the plot slowed down. The actual reveal felt lackluster and I was hoping for a bigger twist. I’m also a sucker for anything with family dynamics so this book was definitely a good read.

I am quite the fan of these kinds of thrillers. This kept me so engaged and I could not put it down. I will say it got a bit graphic for me at one point and I had to put. it down as I had a panic attack. Otherwise, I felt completely engaged. I loved the writing style of Goodman and how it brought you into the narrators world. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone but give a warning that it gets heavy.

Welcome to Edgewater High. A school where fellow track mates will do anything, and I mean anything to make it to State and that coveted number one spot.⁣
I was a runner in high school, so as I was reading this I was thanking my lucky stars I never attended a school quite like this. But also in reality my passion was short lived so I probably wouldn’t have been on any crazy competitive persons radar! 😂😂 ⁣
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I was highly anticipating They’ll Never Catch Us after being hooked on Jessica Goodman’s last novel, They Will Never Be Us. I really freaking enjoyed that book and was hoping for some of the same magic. I have to be honest friends, sadly…it did not live up to my expectations. 😢⁣
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The Steckler Sisters are promising high school track stars in a rural New York town called Edgewater. The town was nicknamed Deadwater after several of the residents young runners were found murdered in the span of a year right near a secluded trail. All killed in the same way and with the laces removed from their shoes. All of the sudden after murder number 3 the killings stopped, but are not forgotten with an unknown murderer still in the loose. The sisters will do whatever it takes to come in first place and obtain a coveted scholarship to a good college and leave this small but morbid city behind. To add to their pressure and give them even more competition, Mila who is a top scoring runner, has transferred in from another school and is a new edition to the track team. Both Stella and Ellie, who are at first wary seem to start a friendship with their new teammate. And even though they make like her they always have to remember at the end of the day Mila is another top competitor and has to be held at arms length. ⁣
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One morning Mila doesn’t show up for school, or work. The next day her Mom and the police are at the school questioning who had seen her last and does anyone know what happened to her. Mila was on her way to an early morning run that she never came back from. Both of the Steckler sisters are suspects, but Stella is suspect number one after what happened between her and Allison Tarley last year. Are either of the girls capable of doing something to Mila to secure the number one spot on the team? Or is it possible Mila could be a new Deadwater victim?⁣
⁣
𝐏𝐫𝐨’𝐬 ⁣
-Even though most of the book was predictable The author pulled some punches and surprised me with some of the characters (can’t say more or I will ruin the book) ⁣
-I liked that there was character diversity.⁣
-One of the themes I noticed in this and JG’s prior book is about the problems that a lot of women, especially young ones face in a world that still caters more to men. Kudos JG for addressing some important issues! ⁣
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬:⁣
-Didn’t care for any of the characters. I hate to say it, but even Mila, the girl who goes missing. ⁣
-Took too long to get the story actually going. That was my biggest problem. It just felt like I was waiting for something to happen for most of the book.⁣
-As stated above this was for the most part extremely predictable.⁣
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Although They’ll Never Catch Us was not what I anticipated I am optimistically and expectantly waiting on Jessica Goodman’s next book. ⁣
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𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞..𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Despite being a book about runners and being the fastest, this book's pacing was super slow. The final explanation of the thriller aspect seemed not fully thought out. Other than that I enjoyed the characters, the alternate perspectives, and focus on the bond between sisters.

This was a bingeable young adult popcorn thriller that I really enjoyed. I loved the feminist themes and how Goodman included some really kick ass female characters. The Steckler sisters, while often unlikable, were such realistic high school sisters and you couldn’t help but to root for them.

My only gripe was the constant talk of cross country and descriptions of all their races that I didn’t care much about. I felt this made the story drag at times and could have been about 50 pages shorter.

Overall, a good YA thriller that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys those! I definitely plan to check out Goodman’s first book “They Wish They Were Us”.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO THEY’LL NEVER CATCH US BY JESSICA GOODMAN?
I really loved the audiobook of Jessica Goodman’s debut, so makes sense that I was looking forward to her sophomore follow up, They’ll Never Catch Us. I love that YA thrillers are really catching on. They are almost more appealing than adult thrillers because the stories feel faster paced and the characters are more diverse. Add in sports and They’ll Never Catch Us had my attention.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
They’ll Never Catch Us follows the Steckler sisters – Stella and Ellie who are competing for the top spot on their high school’s track team. You see, the town where they live has a reputation, as several girls were murdered while out running alone. However, the high school is working to rehabilitate that image that Edgewater has. Now the track team is tops and the Steckler sisters are the best. Things are going decently until Mila, one of the girls on the team, goes missing. The sisters come under suspicion as motive is there — given how competitive they are.

HOW DID I LIKE THEY’LL NEVER CATCH US?
As long as Jessica Goodman keeps writing contemporary YA thrillers, I will keep listening to them. I find these books really easy to get through and a good way to wind down while listening. Ellie and Stella are so different — but very well drawn as characters. I felt like both had depth and were well written. You can definitely feel the competitiveness between the two. Some scenes weren’t easy to read and I could see why the characters acted the way they did. Like at a track meet — all the team members do one thing, but then one of the girls does something else and it is so cringe, but I get it. I know I am being vague, just no spoilers. If you are looking to get into thrillers, Goodman is a great way to test those waters.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook has three narrators – Phoebe Strole, Kristen Sieh, and Jessie Vilinsky. It is 10 hours and 48 minutes unabridged. Of course you all know I listened to this one sped up to 1.5x. I really liked Strole and Sieh’s narration. I found this book easy to follow along with. The choice to use two different narrators for each of the Steckler sisters was a good one – made it so their characters were not easily confused with each other. Pick this audiobook up for a good autumn sort of read — you have sports and murder — perfect for the season.

Twisty murder mystery with running. Fun read that kept me guessing, thought I had it figured out, but I was wrong!

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.

Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

They'll Never Catch Us, is an extremely engaging YA thriller that takes place in a small town called Edgewater. We follow two sisters, Ellie and Stella, whose whole lives revolve around their high school's cross country team. There has always been competition and tension between them because of this but they both become familiar with a new girl on their team, Mila. Mila goes missing one day on a run and her disappearance bears resemblance to serial killer killings that occurred about a decade prior in their town.

I usually have a problem with YA thrillers and horror where it feels too immature and juvenile. I honestly didn't really have that problem with this book. I felt like this perfectly balances high school sports drama with heavy topics like abortion and abusive relationships.

The mystery had me engaged the whole time and I never ended up guessing the killer/what happened to Mila. I do wish we had more resolution to the killings that occurred before because that also really intrigued me. It had almost no conclusion and was left hanging empty.

While this did engage me I feel like I won't really remember it after a month because the characters didn't really stand out. I often got confused because the two sister's perspectives sounded identical and it was hard to distinguish what was happening to one of them from what was happening to the other.

I would recommend this book but don't expect to be knocked out of the park. It's more something to keep you engaged and be fun while it lasted.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Jessica Goodman, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good coming of age story! This book was a little bit of a slow burn compared to They Wish They Were Us but still just as enjoyable.

Sisters Stella and Ellie are stars of the school cross country team. After an incident the year before, Stella's promising college running career is now over. She is willing to do anything to prove herself. Ellie feels like she is constantly in Stella's shadow, being the younger sister. She now sees this as her chance to prove herself and that she is just as good. Both girls are eclipsed though by new girl Mila, who seems to be the new number one runner on the team. Both sisters are hesitant about her at first, but find out they have a lot more common than they think.

When Mila goes missing, the whole town begins to panic. Years ago, the town had a serial killer that targeted young female runners, and they wonder if the killer is back. Meanwhile, both sisters start to look suspicious in the investigation. Although they each hide dark secrets, they will do anything to protect each other.

This was a great thriller that focused both on pressures on student athletes and on high school students in general. This book not only had a great mystery woven through it, but was very suspenseful throughout and kept me guessing. I loved the alternate chapters from both of the sisters and how different their perspectives were. I also really liked the twist ending. I am looking forward to recommending this and reading more books by this author in the future.

This is a book that just isn't for me; all the characters are unlikable which is great in a lot of thrillers but I personally enjoy thrillers with characters that I want to cheer for. I also struggled to get into the story. It was almost halfway through that something "mysterious" happened, making the beginning of the book a bit slow. I'll definitely read another by this author. I really enjoyed her first book and I know many readers will enjoy the things I didn't with this one.