They'll Never Catch Us - by Jessica Goodman

This book was hard to get started and through until the story picked up! I didn’t much like Stella she was almost bipolar. It just made me so mad that she’d freak out over the smallest things.

They'll Never Catch Us is a tightly written, gripping, suspenseful YA thriller which explores some important issues. It takes place in Edgewater, a small Catskills town with a star high school-cross country running team. Stella and Ellie are two sisters on the team, with very different personalities, both highly competitive. A new girl and runner, Mila, moves to Edgewater, joins the team and becomes competition for Stella and Ellie. Ellie is immediately drawn to Mila's friendliness. Shortly thereafter, prickly Stella starts to open up to Mila as they have much in common. Then Mila vanishes on an early morning run. Stella is blamed as she allegedly had a violent incident with another runner the previous year. The mystery is complicated by the town's legacy of a series of unsolved murders of female runners that happened over 10 years ago. The characters are really well developed, interesting and complicated, especially the sisters. The story, told in Stella and Ellie's points of view, moves quickly with twists, turns and an unexpected ending. Relevant themes such as sexism, racism and addiction are addressed. The female athletes face misogyny and are treated like a stable of race horses, their purpose to bring glory to the coach and the town, yet are denigrated for being competitive and driven. It is the women who must alter their behavior in the face of violent crime. Ellie's boyfriend is a lying, gaslighting, abuser. The incompetent police department does not take the murder of the first victim, years ago, seriously because she is Black. One of the characters has the perspective of being one of the only Black people in a small town. The main characters are profoundly affected by the substance abuse of a parent. The portrayal of these important issues adds depth and substance to the motives and events of the story. They'll Never Catch Us, although categorized as YA, is a compelling read for adults as well.

Even though Stella and Ellie Steckler are only a year apart in age, their relationship is a complicated one due to their vastly different personalities. Stella keeps to herself but is incredibly driven. Cross country is her passion and she will let nothing get in her way of being the best. Ellie is also a successful runner but she allows herself to have fun in addition to focusing on her running. She goes to parties with friends and has a life off of the cross country track. When new girl, Mila Keene arrives though, both Stella and Ellie's lives are turned upside down. Both sisters initially see Mila as a threat but Ellie starts to become drawn to Mila's warm personality and Stella isn't far behind in wanting to be close to Mila. The pressure is on for the girls with college scouts and regionals. Then one day Mila goes out for a run and doesn't return and the Steckler sisters are top of the suspect list. I really enjoyed this one. It was very suspenseful and the writing kept me interested. I didn't want to put it down! I felt there were some aspects that weren't completely explained in the end but it was still a good read.