They’ll Never Catch Us author Jessica Goodman shares details about her latest YA thriller

Jessica Goodman’s first YA novel, They Wish They Were Us, has already been optioned as a Netflix series, so it’s probably no surprise that her second, They’ll Never Catch Us is just as fantastic, despite its very different subject matter.

Yes, this book features a twisty murder mystery, but it’s primarily a story of sisterhood. It’s a tale of life in a small town, and an exploration of the way that limited options can make people do desperate and awful things. And it’s a story about women’s sports and the shameless way that young girls are both encouraged to see one another as enemies to be defeated and then shamed for being competitive.

They’ll Never Catch Us follows the story of Stella and Ellie Steckler, two sisters who are hopeful their talents as cross country runners will offer them a way out of their small town of Edgewater, a place that is famous only for the trio of girls who were killed there years earlier. But when another girl goes missing and both girls find themselves suspects in her disappearance, they’ll have to come together in ways they haven’t since they were small.

Culturess interview: Jessica Goodman talks They’ll Never Catch Us

Culturess got the chance to chat with Goodman herself about They’ll Never Catch Us, its story of sisterhood, what’s next for her as an author, and lots more!

Warning: There are some very mild spoilers for They’ll Never Catch Us below. 

Culturess: You are fast becoming the queen of twisty YA thrillers in my book! What would you say really sets They’ll Never Catch Us apart from your first novel, They Wish They Were Us?

Jessica Goodman: I like to believe these books are kindred because they’re both concerned with issues about class, privilege, and young girls finding agency over their own lives.

But They’ll Never Catch Us takes place in a much smaller, more insular setting, the Catskills. There’s not the same level of wealth as there was in They Wish They Were Us. I like to think the plot is a bit more twisted, too!

But the biggest difference is that this book is told [from] two points of view, that of Stella and Ellie Steckler. Seeing the same world through both sisters’ eyes gives readers a full, well-rounded picture of what their lives are really like—and who’s telling the truth.

Culturess: How did the idea for They’ll Never Catch Us take shape?

Goodman: A few years ago, when I was an editor at Cosmopolitan, we kept reporting on stories about women who were abducted or killed while running. Something about this horrific “trend” really disturbed me because jogging is supposed to be an activity that makes you feel free, that brings you joy—not makes you scared for your life.

I was obsessed with the idea that the thing that makes you feel the strongest might also be the thing that gets you killed. And at the same time, I had wanted to write a story about two sisters and the intimacy and competitive nature that exists between them. When I realized I could combine these two ideas to create They’ll Never Catch Us, I couldn’t stop thinking about the story that might stem from this push-and-pull.

Culturess: For all that this story is sort of marketed as a murder mystery the actual murder is only like, the third biggest thing going on in this book! How did you decide how to balance all these competing plotlines?

Goodman: Ha! This is where I like to say thank you to my editor. Sometimes it’s really hard to zoom out on your own work and focus on things like structure, balance, and pacing. That’s when I call in the big dogs (aka my publishing team) for help.

Books are such collaborative projects even though there’s usually only one name on the cover, and I really relied on my editor, agent, and early readers to help me figure out how much time to give each storyline.

Culturess: Talk to me about the Steckler sisters. Their stories are both so relatable even though they’re both so different. Whose journey did you enjoy exploring more and why?

Goodman: Both of these sisters have pieces of my heart but I really loved stepping into Stella’s brain. She and I are very different and she does and says things I would never do or say. Being able to express all that through her was a total joy. She also has major older sister syndrome, and since I’m a younger sister in real life, it was so fun playing around in her sandbox.

Stella and Ellie have major emotional arcs and we see them end their journeys in really different places than where they started. Charting those out and seeing where they diverged from one another—but then came back to each other—was really meaningful for me, too.

Culturess: One of the best things about this book, for me, was the really deft way it wove real-life problems and issues into its story: The difficulties facing many young women face in competitive athletics, the stigma that still surrounds premarital sex and abortion, and how life in a small town can make you feel locked into an identity you never chose for yourself. How important were those perspectives to you while writing?

Goodman: Super important. Teenage girls have to deal with all of this crap and more, and when you’re in this age bracket, everything feels high stakes—because it is.

I always aim to take these issues seriously and give my young female characters room to be furious or sad or whatever the hell else they deserve to feel.

Culturess: I love how many really well realized secondary characters there are in this story – who was your favorite character to write that wasn’t a Steckler sister?

Goodman: I loved writing Noah. No spoilers, but he’s an effed-up dude, and sometimes writing about the baddies can be a whole lot of fun.

Culturess: What’s next for you as an author? I did some digging on Goodreads and all it shows is something that is labeled “untitled”. 

Goodman: Great sleuthing. Next year, I’ll publish another YA thriller called The Counselors that my publisher says is “a Goodman classic mix of privilege and wealth meets murder and secrets with location perfect setting!”

Culturess: What are you reading this summer? I don’t know that my TBR needs to get any longer but STILL.

Goodman: Favorite question! I’ve been reading lots of fun thrillers like That Weekend by Kara Thomas, The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, and We Were Never Here by Andi Bartz.

I’m also all about the epic story right now—Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid really did it for me. Looking ahead, I’m super eager to get my hands on some of the most anticipated books of fall. White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson is high on my list!

They’ll Never Catch Us is available now wherever books are sold. (Support your local indie!) Let us know if you plan to give it a look!