I enjoyed They'll Never Catch Us more than They Wish They Were Us. They'll Never Catch Us is a slow burn thriller, with a twist coming in about half way into the novel.

CW: cheating, alcoholism, substance abuse

Stella and Ellie are sisters close in age that are both trying to be the best. I loved that despite their competitiveness, they always had each others backs. They felt like authentic siblings, with rivalry and comradery blended together. I felt like Stella's role as the older sister and protector was one I could relate to, especially when it came to protecting Ellie from the real and messiness of their parents. Referring to the past as the Dark Years ensured that the reader would understand how formative those years were for Stella. In the end I appreciated that both the sisters were able to share an honest moment with their mom.

I liked that everything in this mystery wasn't predictable, I didn't see the twist coming about what actually happened with Stella. I guessed the ending, but I still enjoyed the experience of the truth unraveling. This book was intense and full of competition, which felt real. I also loved the female empowerment theme.

If you want a mystery with teen drama you should check this one out. I can't wait to see what Jessica write next.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did not like Jessica Goodman’s first book, “They Wish They Were Us”. I thought the characters were mostly flat and made bad decisions. I also found the plot to be predictable. Her second book “They’ll Never Catch Us” started out similarly for me but I ended up liking it much more.

The beginning was a bit slow as you were given some background information, it was almost 100 pages before the crime actually happened. Also as with, “They Wish They Were Us” I felt as if the author was purposely hiding information to drop later that didn’t really need to be kept secret. For example, the abortion was eluted to several times in the first few chapters but it wasn’t said outright until almost a quarter of the way through the book, even though I felt it was obvious that was where it was going.

Many of the characters were petty, judgemental, and consistently making horrible decisions. I tried to understand where Stella and Ellie were coming from because they do have a troubled childhood and that creates scars. The further I read the more I liked these characters, although I still hate many of Ellie’s decisions when it comes to Noah, of course, that is the reaction the reader is supposed to have.

The best part about this book for me was the overall idea of toxic masculinity and how strong, competitive women are treated. The girls in the town are targeted and told they cannot run alone or at night; the competitive girls are looked down upon because they take up space and demand a fair fight. Almost every male character was allowed to be loud, competitive, pompous, and demanding, but when the girls or women in the book showed those same characteristics they became targets for all sorts or judgemental behavior both from men and other women. The topic of abusive coaches is also timely with so much coming out about this in the news in the last few years.

I am pleased to say that the murder mystery part of the story was more difficult to figure out in this one. The killer was on my personal suspect list from the beginning but I think the typical teenage reader will be shocked by who the killer is.

Overall, I found this an enjoyable read. After the slowish beginning, it moved quickly and kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next. It is a definite purchase for our library.

They’ll Never Catch Us
by Jessica Goodman

The story of Stella and Ellie kept me intrigued. However, there was a lot of story build up before the murder happened, so it felt like a really long time before the mystery finally got started. I didn’t suspect the outcome at all, which in my opinion is a good thing. The cross country stuff was actually pretty interesting to me but the day to day lives of these kids felt unrealistic. The fact that both sisters kept some major secrets from their parents and each other really bothered me as a mom. One secret in particular was especially hard for me and it made it difficult for me to enjoy the book. Maybe I’m just too old or too much of a mom of teens to simply enjoy this type of YA read.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for a complimentary digital ARC. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Stella and Ellie are sisters with big dreams to get out of their small town. The girls are very different, but both are hoping a cross country scholarship will be their ticket out. When the new girl Mila moves to town, she threatens to take the top spot on the team, and in the recruiters’ eyes. But then she disappears and no one knows what happened, but many are ready to blame Stella and Ellie.

This is a book that I read in one sitting before I realized how long I had been reading. Goodman’s writing style made this one such a quick and easy read. I was engaged from the start and just didn’t want to put it down. I spent most of the book thinking I knew exactly what was going to happen, and thinking I was right, but at the last minute I was so, so wrong.

Things I loved about this book:
-The sisters’ relationship. I love that although they were technically competing with each other they had each other’s backs no matter what.
-The teamwork and competition aspect. I’m not athletic at all and know nothing about cross country so it was really interesting to see what these girls were doing.
-The girl power message. Y’all these girls were incredible!

If you are looking for a mystery with lots of teen drama, pick this one up!

Thank you Penguin Young Readers for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Premise-wise, this book was very intriguing and it doesn't hurt that the cover looks great. I loved following the sisters with their competitiveness and their relationship throughout the years and the secrets they've kept from each other. The non-communication and miscommunication did frustrate me but it was something that I understood but definitely not easy to read still. I wish there was more building of Mila's character because I ended up feeling like she was just used as a plot point with everybody saying that she's a great person, kind and smart but we do not get to see her actually be all that ourselves. The sisters have very different personalities but are both heavily pressured and stressed in different ways and from different people. The ending was very underwhelming though. The entire reveal was told instead of shown and went over in one (maybe two) short chapter.

"'We all know teenage girls are capable of lying,' he said. 'But now we know just how far they'll go to protect themselves. Since the Edgewater killer is gone, we'll think long and hard about how we look for the next girl who goes missing.'"

They'll Never Catch Us is sure to be a hit with true crime afficiados, as it explores again and again, toxic masculinity and the way in which women are held responsible for the violence that befalls them.
"It was hammered home year after year that even though going out for a jog can make you feel alive and whole and powerful, it also leaves you vulnerable and alone. But we keep running anyway. Because we have no other choice. We run in spite of this. We run knowing the dangers, knowing who we are and why we could be targeted. But that won't stop us."

The Steckler sisters are running stars in their small town of Edgewater. Or at least they were, before Stella got in trouble her sophomore year and lost her scholarship opportunities to Georgetown. Now, with Stella in her junior year and Ellie in her sophomore year, they are each struggling to be the best and win a way out of their small town. A small town that was once nicknamed Deadwater because of the unsolved murders of other female runners years before. The town and all the girls in it are haunted by the memories of dead girls and a killer who was never caught.

I loved the characters of these two complex sisters. I loved the way Goodman used the sport of running to stand in for the way these girls are running to make their lives better, to get out of their situation, to survive.

I devoured this novel and am eager for more. I would follow the Steckler sisters wherever they go.

Thank you so much Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC! This book was absolutely incredible I can’t say enough good things about this book! There were so many twist and turns on the book and had me sucked in from the start I didn’t want to put it down. Each character has something tragic going in their their life even with what had happen in their town. Honestly the twist and turns and how everyone’s story lead together it had me so emotional!

Jill Newman attends an exclusive prep school on Long Island. Now that she is a senior and a “Player,” her year should be perfect. But nothing has been the same since her best friend was killed by her boyfriend when they were freshman. While Jill should be focusing on being part of the exclusive Players, she begins to consider that maybe Graham didn’t kill Shaila. I love anything set in a fancy prep school, so this one was right up my alley. Characters doing whatever it takes to get into the Ivies? A murder mystery? Count me in! They Wish They Were Us delves into grief and loyalty, and the consequences of changing yourself for the sake of fitting in.

I love anything by Jessica Goodman and this book was no exception! I loved all of the suspense and drama and I always love a good mystery! I loved all of the character development and was never bored. This book made me stay up late and not want to put it down! Amazing writing and story building!

Tw: alcoholic parent in recovery, cheating, abortion, parent with pill addiction in recovery
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THEY’LL NEVER CATCH US follows sisters Stella and Ellie Steckler as they compete for the number one spot on their cross country team. Their position is threatened when the new girl in town, Mila, shows up just in time to outshine them. When Mila goes missing, everyone is looking at the two unstable, selfish Steckler sisters.
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This book gave me the small-town feeling of a Karen McManus novel but where the kids do less sleuthing, because this a story didn’t have as much mystery as I expected. I enjoyed these characters, though. Especially Stella. I didn’t think I’d like her at first, but she grew on me. She’s hard and selfish— a total force— and we get to see her softer, protective side as well. I loved the love/hate relationship between Stella and Ellie and how the girls stuck together and stood up for themselves in the end.
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I did struggle a bit with this book at first because I expected it to be more fast paced, but it kept my interest once it picked up. Then I was caught off guard a couple times by flashbacks that seemed to come out of nowhere; that took me out of the story for a few moments. I did find it odd how there was a lack of consequences. For instance, there was a big reveal with Ellie’s boyfriend that should have caused a scene, yet nothing happened. It felt like there was a lot of build up and little pay off. Overall, I had fun with this story. I thought I had guessed who the killer was in the beginning, but I’m happy to say I didn’t see that reveal coming! I do wish I had an answer for the cold cases, though. I need to know!
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3.5 stars! THEY’LL NEVER CATCH US by Jessica Goodman is available July 27, 2021.

Review to be posted to alisoninbookland on July 19th.
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Goodman does another fantastic job of painting a realistic high school complete with flawed humans. I was never 'in' the athletic world so I can't comment on how realistic that aspect was. It did portray the competitive side and the girl-eat-girl side of high school very well. Make one mistake, one misstep and one of your classmates will happily swoop in for blood.

Stella and Ellie are absolutely flawed people (like we all are). Over the course of the story, you'll see how they try to get out of that hole. How they try to overcome their upbringing as well as their own personal problems. It was great to see them as real people with real problems.

I wish there was more to the mystery. I don't advocate for teenagers meddling with missing person cases/murders in real life, obviously, but it would have been nice for there to have been more teenage sleuthing. There was some but not quite enough for my taste. It felt like too much of the mystery came to them if that makes sense.

All in all, another can't-put-down thriller from Goodman.

They’ll Never Catch Us is marketed as this murder mystery/thriller and if you go into it with that mindset you’ll be disappointed. The murder doesn’t even happen until around the halfway point, but after that it is definitely a mystery. Who has motive to kill a track star on the radar of many college scouts? When you’re a girl from Edgewater whose only way out is track, the answer is too many.

The story could have gone down a lot of different ways, more interesting ways. I would’ve liked to have explored the cold cases more, have it been the true murder mystery I wanted. The sisters coming together to solve the crimes. Instead it decided to take the route of a small dead end town where people will do anything to get out. Think Panic but less high stakes games.

The town of Edgewater is known for two things; the mysterious cold cases and their all star female track team. I do have to say I liked the picture that the author painted about the discrimination girls face. Don’t take up space, stand out but not too much and be cutthroat. That was something that was explored quite a bit along with how the boys in this town were unaffected. Sexism at its finest.

Stella was intense go say the least but she’s been through some s**t. She’s tough as nails and is covered in barbed wire, but she has to be to fight to get out of this town. Yes she’s overtly competitive but the world of college athletics is cutthroat. Ellie on the other hand seemed like a less intense version of her sister. Sweet, kind and a little needy. She survived on natural talent alone and I got where Stella was coming from sometimes. Ellie didn’t have to try hard everything just was with her. It would’ve drove me nuts too.

Stella and Ellie had this sister dynamic that was intense to say the least. I remember reading the first chapter and being like “wow how can someone hate their sister THAT much?” That’s just not the case though. They loved each other fiercely but were also each other’s greatest competitors. The sister would do anything to protect each other but could come to literally blows between each other. Typical sister stuff. I loved their relationship and watching it mend throughout the book. It was probably the highlight of the book for me.

While I still enjoyed this book, I was slightly disappointed. The writing was well done and the world perfectly curated, just not what I was expecting. If you’re okay with exploring sexism and small town dynamics with a bit of a mystery though, it’s still worth checking out.

I picked this one up right in the middle of my reading slump - mysteries and contemporary romances are my favorites to pull me out. And holy hell did it do the job well.

Every trope in the set of the primary murder mystery in this book consists of something that would usually grate my nerves. It has rival sisters, an overly responsible older sister, the partying younger sister, illicit romances, sports- any of these details in a book is enough to put me off, make me DNF, and considering this one has all off the above I shouldn’t have loved this story as much as I did. But I trusted Goodman, and it payed off.

Stella is so uptight and competitive that it hurts my head. Ellie is so naive it hurts my heart. But somehow they make it work. Goodman brings out every ugly detail and I eagerly read through it all because who knows what could hold hold the clues to the answer? It’s addictive, which if you’ve read my reviews before, you know is my favorite word to use. I cannot make myself look away for too long, I need the answers and I need them now.

I do wish that the ending was louder, more chaotic, in a sense. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed the book and it’s a testament to Goodman’s writing that she had me hooked even with so many tropes I usually dislike. However, part of me still feels like there simply weren’t enough puzzle pieces to fall together for it to be satisfying. Because everything was unraveling so slowly, the ending wasn’t as much of a thrill as I would’ve liked.

Having said that, I still really enjoyed the mystery, don’t forget to preorder it!! The book comes out July 27th, thank you so much to NetGalley and PenguinTeen for sending me an eARC!

I am of two minds when it comes to this book. I read THEY WISH THEY WERE US last year and, to be quite honest, did not enjoy it really at all, so going into this one, I had lower expectations and I certainly enjoyed Goodman's follow up much more. But on the other hand, I do not feel it is being marketed properly (from cover design--which is not to knock the cover itself, it's stunning--to it's branding and description calling it a "fast-paced thriller"). Quite simply, this isn't a thriller, and in many ways I don't even think it is a mystery.

Yes, at the center is a missing girl, a case which echoes the cold cases the town is still trying to come back from. But that feels so secondary to the stories of Stella and Ellie.

At its true center, this is a story of these two sisters trying to find their way back to one another despite years of being pitted against each other and constantly competing. It's a story about each of them dealing with their own problems in a town where they are misunderstood and vilified due to being misunderstood bye their peers.

At no point do the characters in the book try to take it upon themselves to solve the case, they all just sort of languish in the disappearance of this promising young track star, occasionally partaking in a search party or a difficult conversation with friends or family. It isn't until just before the mystery is solved that the tone feels even remotely thriller-esque.

Had this not been marketed and pushed as a "fast-past thriller," I think my feelings would be different. But as it is, this is neither fast-paced, nor a thriller.

I found Goodman's writing much improved, though she still relies rather heavily on near constant flashbacks which, while at times important to the events of the story, at other times feel so tangential and just as a way to pad the length and justify the book being longer.

The characters are...fine? Stella and Ellie's narrative voices are very similar, and while for the most part we alternate back and forth from chapter to chapter, I found it jarring that at times we would get 2 Stella chapters back-to-back, it felt like a strange break in routine and sometimes I would have to go back a page or 2 to make sure I was reading about the right person.

There are interesting family dynamics, and near the end a few well-written passages about how strong, determined women are always asked to dim themselves to make men comfortable, but these sections while definitely ringing true felt a little our of left field for me.

I also found it...almost not believable (?) that of all high school sports, cross country was the one that this town depended on the most. I'm sure this is the case somewhere, but it felt a little off to me.

Overall, an easy read though not nearly as enjoyable as I was hoping.

*Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

Having enjoyed They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman, I expected to like They'll Never Catch Us just as much, if not even more. Unfortunately, my hopeful expectations were let down. My main problem was that it didn't feel like a murder mystery to me. For one thing, the murder didn't happen until nearly 50% of the way through the book, which left me just waiting for it to happen for about 100-and-some pages. I was also disappointed that we didn't get to read about any of the murder investigations aside from when Stella or Ellie was being interviewed. I wish that Stella or Ellie had done a bit more investigating on their own, but they both seemed too focused on their cross-country training to bother digging further into the murder case. I was pleased by the conclusion to the mystery; at first, I thought the murderer was going to be the person I'd suspected since the beginning of the book, but then I ended up being shocked by a last-minute twist.

One thing that bothered me throughout this book was how similar the voices of Stella and Ellie's POVs were. Their characters were supposed to be starkly different, yet their narrations sounded exactly the same. It was hard for me to keep track of whose POV I was reading from since they sounded so similar, which detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

Overall, I felt like this book focused more on the cross-country elements of the story than the mystery ones which was a bit disappointing to me. I went into this hoping for an engrossing murder mystery and unfortunately it didn't deliver. Paired with the confusion of the POVs, this book just wasn't it for me. I gave it 2.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨.

THIS WAS SOLID YALL! I didn’t really love Goodman’s first book but she didn’t come to play this time. Amazing. I thought I had it all figured out and ended up giving up because the twist and turns just kept coming.

Let me preface this review by saying that I know an excessive amount about Cross Country. From the moment I was born, Cross Country became everything. My dad has been a Cross Country coach for almost 30 years, and I have helped him coach as well. I also competed competitively for years. So when a book is about Cross Country I am more biased about the details than your average reader. If a book does Cross Country wrong then I am not able to look past those details. Unfortunately this book got so many things about the sport wrong. Some examples are practicing on the track every single day, getting the distances and the measurements on the track wrong, and some of the workouts just did not make sense for Cross Country. Also the mean girl side of things is almost nonexistent in Cross Country so that part of the story was just not realistic. These runners also partied and got drunk a lot, going so far as to party in the middle of a race. Not only is that unrealistic, but serious Cross Country runners that want to make a life out of racing do not act like that. Now on the non Cross Country side of things, these characters were so unlikeable. Some people don’t mind reading about unlikeable characters, but for me, if the characters are awful then I will not enjoy the book. The mystery aspect did not happen until about halfway through the book and I was hoping it would come into play sooner. By the end I didn’t even care about the reveal and I just thought everyone was awful. Overall, I believe this book is for people who don’t know Cross Country and who don’t care if the characters are likeable or not.

Never Saw You Coming is a story about betrayal, competition, lies and sisterhood. The thing that was hard for me was that the majority of the book had a strenuous relationship between the sisters that was quite toxic. I didn’t enjoy the cheating plot line either, and it made it hard to really get invested and stand behind either sister. Personally I found the excessive language to be distracting too but that’s a preference. It was fine but the ending seemed a little anti climatic to me as well. It was fine but I don’t think I was the right audience for it.