Review Detail

THEY'LL NEVER CATCH US is an intriguing YA thriller that follows 2 sisters, Ellie and Stella. They need scholarships to attend college, and both are talented cross-country runners, but scholarships are hard to come by. Stella seemed to have it in the bag until an incident the year before had her labeled violent and unpredictable. Stella loves to run and keeps her emotions close, which does not help with making friends. When the new girl, Mila, arrives, Stella can't help but see her as competition, though they do make a grudging connection.

Ellie is lost in her own drama, in love with a guy who is in a serious relationship with and cheating on the cross-country team co-captain, Tamara. She also knows that this is her chance to make a name for herself with recruiters if she can keep her personal drama out of mind. Living in her sister's shadow has never been harder since the incident Stella had last year and her own secret she has been holding since the summer. When Mila arrives, she cannot help but like her and share her secret.

When Mila disappears, everyone seems to want to point fingers at the sisters. But what really happened to Mila? Whose secrets will need to come out to find answers?

What I loved: This was a dark and character-driven read that really takes a deep dive into Ellie and Stella's personalities and the the events that have brought them to where they are. Answers are slow to come, both about what happened last year with Stella and what happened over the summer with Ellie. The disappearance of Mila felt like a smaller element compared to the other pre-existing secrets, though it does pick-up and we are left wondering who all knows what happened to her.

There are some really intense and thought-provoking themes in the book around alcohol/drug abuse, emotional abuse/gaslighting, cheating, sexism, sisterhood, abuse/bullying in athletics, and biased policing.

What left me wanting more: The pace felt pretty slow in places, and some secrets were held onto longer than it seemed to warrant. I think I would have liked to hear about them earlier and focus more on Mila's disappearance. I also I think I needed some more hints earlier to fully buy into the ending that felt a bit like a sudden twist just because it was expected to have a twist. I guess some hints were there, but the character seemed to suddenly morph in a way that seemed odd to me.

Final verdict: With a creepy atmosphere and thought-provoking themes, THEY'LL NEVER CATCH US is a dark YA thriller about sisters, girlhood, and ambition for something better. Recommend for fans of THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD, BRIGHT BURNING STARS, and ONE OF US IS LYING.