THEY'LL NEVER CATCH US BY JESSICA GOODMAN

While I found They’ll Never Catch Us to be slow in the beginning it picked up and became a fast-paced mystery that I couldn’t stop reading. I just had to get past 100 pages first!

Rating: ★★★★
​Release Date: July 27, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Mystery and Thriller
Series: None. Complete Standalone. 
Pages: 336 pages
Format: Hardcover. Source: Purchased.

From rising star Jessica Goodman, author of They Wish They Were Us, comes a new fast-paced thriller about two sisters vying for the top spot on their cross-country team—until a teammate’s disappearance throws their lives off course.

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. At first, Ellie and Stella view the new star athlete 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 to share her secrets. 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.

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𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗧: While I found They’ll Never Catch Us to be slow in the beginning it picked up and became a fast-paced mystery that I couldn’t stop reading. I just had to get past 100 pages first!

Jessica Goodman has been on my radar since she published her debut novel, They Wish They Were Us last year (I own that one too!). When I saw this go live I immediately one clicked and never even had to think twice about it because I just KNEW her book(s) would blow me away. Did it? Yes! While the beginning was a little slow for my tastes it picked up quite a bit after about 100 pages and then became a fast-paced ride filled with mystery and suspense. I don’t want to say it’s necessarily thrilling because I found this to be a bit slower burning in its suspense, but it still FELT fast paced because I whipped through the pages without looking back. Overall, its just a really good book that held my interest the entire day (yep, I read it in one sitting).

One thing I found so unique about this story is how the author portrays the girls (or women, they are high schoolers though). Every one of us is flawed, we all have a little weirdness in us, and sometimes things seem to take over our lives before we even realize it. All of this is described in this book through the characters thoughts and actions, and I commend the author for doing so. Some leading examples include making decisions for YOURSELF rather than what’s expected of you, being your own person despite how others are trying to portray you, and even mental health issues. It’s depicted quietly but its quite apparent when reading. I really loved this.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book especially the depth the author put into the characters. The sports behind the story were really cool too and I found it so intriguing to be in the shoes of an athlete for a few hours. I never knew too much about running/cross country besides what I do on a treadmill, so I was really intrigued with how this fit (and made) the story! Kudos! If you enjoy young adult mystery novels, grab this one!

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• Young Adult mystery and suspense novels
• A fast paced and page turning read
• Authors like Kara Thomas, Karen McManus, and Sarah Shepard

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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