Better than average thriller! I enjoyed the original premise (which I don't want to give away) and the main character's backstory of having been raised in a cult (love reading anything cult related- especially when it turns out well but effects them for life.) This is the book that I wanted The Girls by Emma Cline to be (it was not very good). Solid, female driven thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free, advance copy. Put this on your summer reading list.

A decent thriller with an interesting premise, 'You Can't Catch Me' hit all the right notes. With a unique selling point, it's well worth picking up. While there were moments that dragged a little, and I would have liked to have learned just a touch more about the cult, overall this book was a fun and fast-paced read. It does require a great deal of suspension of belief, but if you just immerse yourself in it you can just enjoy the ride.

Catherine McKenzie gets better and better with every book. This one is a gem of a story, a suspenseful tale of a former cult member at the receiving end of identity theft. A fresh breath of sneaky, twisty air I couldn't put down.

I have read numerous books by renowned author Catherine MacKenzie and each novel has a unique way in order to entice the reader in until you are wrapped in a web of intrigue that try as you might you are surprised by the ending. In her latest novel “You Can’t Catch Me”, Jessica is a journalist who is running away from the world because her career has imploded due to a serious stupid mistake that has made her famous for all the wrong reasons. In a chance meeting in the airport, she meets another woman with the same birthdate and name and she spends some time drinking with the new Jessica, as she is leaving to catch her flight she accidentally shares her sensitive information with her new acquaintance. It is not until she plugs bake into society that she notices that her bank accounts have been emptied. Jessica makes it her mission to recover her money by making a plea on social media to see if any other Jessica’s have been taken in by this stranger. With the help of her friend who rescued her from a cult years ago, Jessica takes on a journey that is part confrontation of her past as well as the need for vengeance. I was given an advanced copy of this book, and all of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. I am a fan of Catherine McKenzie and have read the majority of her work. This wasn't my favorite; however, the story kept me entertained. I thought the storyline was unique and that was a huge part of the draw. Whilst it dragged on slightly in parts, it was very cleverly written and a book I would highly recommend.

This was a winner for me. I've read many books on cults, leaving cults, escaping from cults, they always hold my interest, and with identity theft thrown in for good measure this made an excellent read. I was gripped right from the start. It was easy to read and I read it in just a couple of days which is good going for me. I'd highly recommend!!! 4 stars from me!!

I really really enjoyed the first 50% of this book the most, I thought it kept good pacing (it did this throughout) and it was captivating. I was intrigued at finding out what was happening in the present storyline and what had happened to Jessica in her past, so it was good.
I cringed so bloody hard at her love interest, not because of who she chose but how it was written. If we keep having these cringe narratives then people really become really weird about liking people instead of enjoying it and our character was someone who was too in their head and annoying about the whole relationship.
I really enjoyed the search for the girl who stole her money, I could believe it and honestly, it was fun and really well thought out. I hated the first twist though but upon the second twist, I could see why it was necessary so I felt that I hated it less. The second and final twist also made me like the book a lot more because after the first twist the book sort of loses its way, she's done something she can't come back from and you're just not really sure how it's going to end and the book itself and the writing does sort of seem to linger. This was fun to read through and I devoured it in 3 sittings, pretty much read the first 60% in one sitting because it was very captivating.
Also not sure if this is because this is a proof copy but there's one inconsistency when she says Liam makes her dinner (the first time) but then she goes on to describe her making the dinner. Glaringly obvious. Also there's some very descriptive parts sometimes when it adds absolutely nothing.

Catherine McKenzie just gets better and better with every book she writes. I’ve long been a fan of hers, ever since her earlier books like Arranged, Forgotten, Spin. Now she is writing suspense and her latest novel, You Can’t Catch Me, was a thrilling read!

Take a look:

After being fired from her investigative journalism job for plagiarism, Jessica Williams is looking for a break from the constant press coverage. She decides to escape for a week to a resort in Mexico boasting no connections to the outside world. While waiting at the airport for her flight, she encounters a woman with the exact same name, who she dubs Jessica Two. Drawn together by the coincidence, they play a game of twenty questions to see what other similarities they share, and exchange contact information.

A week later, Jessica returns home and discover that large cash withdrawals have been made from her bank account. Security footage from the bank confirms her suspicions—Jessica Two has stolen her money. She goes to the police, only to be told that the crime is a low priority. Frustrated, she meets up with a trusted old friend, Liam, who is an investigator. When the two Google “Jessica Williams,” they get thousands of hits—Jessica was the most popular girl’s name in 1990 and Williams is almost as ubiquitous as Smith. Convinced that this isn’t the first time this scam has been run, Jessica is determined to catch the imposter, and writes a Facebook post hoping to chase down some of Jessica Two’s other victims. When she gets a number of responses, she sets a plan in motion to catch the thief, encountering a string of identically named victims along the way.

Then, the threatening messages start arriving. Filled with incredible twists and turns, You Can’t Catch Me is a tantalizing, character-driven exploration of how far people will go to get revenge.

I really enjoyed this book. The premise was a great one (stolen identity) and the story was executed very well, keeping me engaged the entire way through. It was fun to read how Jessica went about trying to catch the other Jessica and the adventures we go on as a reader earned this book four Goodreads stars. I can envision playing out like a Lifetime movie, someone quick write the script!

I am already looking forward to Catherine’s next book! This is FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited and $4.99 if you don’t. You can pre-order here, the book will be out on June 9!

Catherine McKenzie has the ability to generate anxiety in the reader, and her latest novel continues the trend. The anxiety is often a result of fear that the main character has taken a road that will end in disaster. You may like and sympathize with the protagonist, but the apprehension generated by her behavior just keeps building.

You Can't Catch Me has two principal threads--one in the present and one in the past.

from description: After being fired from her investigative journalism job for plagiarism, Jessica Williams is looking for a break from the constant press coverage. She decides to escape for a week to a resort in Mexico boasting no connections to the outside world. While waiting at the airport for her flight, she encounters a woman with the exact same name, who she dubs Jessica Two. Drawn together by the coincidence, they play a game of twenty questions to see what other similarities they share, and exchange contact information.

The game of twenty questions is clever. "Jessica Two's" game has elicited answers to questions that will enable her to Jessica Williams' bank account. Our Jessica on finding her recent settlement money gone, sets out to find "Jessica Two."

The connection to the past is our Jessica's having been raised in a cult which she escaped when she was eighteen. These sections alternate with the present search for "Jessica Two."

You can count on plenty of twists from Catherine McKenzie. There are more Jessica Williams that have been tricked and had their accounts emptied, and each one is given a number.

I really liked McKenzie's last book (I'll Never Tell), but this one didn't work as well for me. Yes, the suspense was intense as worry for Jessica One increases, and yes, it is slick and manipulative, and yes, the grand twist was a surprise...and yet....

Read in February. Blog review scheduled for May 18.

NetGalley/Lake Union Publishing
Suspense. June 9, 2020. Print length: 355 pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

You Can't Catch Me follows Jessica Williams as her life unravels after she meets someone who wipes out her bank account. But it is not just anyone.... it is another woman who shares Jessica's name AND birth date. Is it a wild coincidence or a set up? McKenzie strategically reveals Jessica's past in a cult as Jessica works to get her money back from the thief and make amends to a past she would rather forget. The twists in this book continue until the very end!

Suspenseful and addictive domestic thriller about identity theft and growing up in a cult. But it is so much more, Jessica is an investigative journalist fired for plagiarism, who wins a settlement for sexual harassment and loses it all. She uses her skills to hunt down the perpetrator, finding others who were duped along the way. Full of twists. Can’t wait to recommend to customers.

You Can’t Catch Me had me on Page 1. I was intrigued with the interesting storyline and wanted to keep reading. However, I was lost in the end. Really, I had trouble following who was on first.

“You Can’t Catch Me” is a psychological thriller from author Catherine McKenzie. She's been a favorite of mine for a while and her books seem to keep getting better and better. Jessica Williams was liberated from a cult when she was 18 years old and had to learn to adapt to life in the “real world.” More than a decade later, she’s established herself as an investigative journalist, but was accused of plagiarism and fired. To try and put that out of her mind and give herself a break, she takes a trip to Mexico. At the airport, she runs into another woman with the same name and birthday who she later dubs Jessica Two. They play a game about what else they have in common and exchange contact information.

What follows takes many different turns and twists that I do not wish to spoil. I did not love the ending, but I enjoyed the journey to get there very much. I am thankful for the opportunity to read this book early. Thank you, Net Galley & publishers.

I received this book "You Can't Catch Me" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. This was a bit of a strange book. I like unusual most of the time but this book was a bit over the top. I just found the storyline jumbled. I think there were too many things going on in the book. Parts of the story seemed to be dropped. I didn't connect with the characters at all, as a matter of fact I don't think the characters and story really connected. Just jumped around too much!

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review
Jessica, with help escapes the cult call the land of Todd.

When catching a plane she discovers another girl with the exact same name. They decide to tap phones to share contacts.
And when Jessica returns home she finds her bank balance empty.
And then she discovers there are more girls who have been jilted and they decide to get together to set a trap.
Grab this book to see what happens.

Interesting but somewhat convoluted plot. What happens when numerous women share the same name and birthday and one of them decides to go rogue and scam the others? Read You Can’t Catch Me for one scenario. It definitely kept me engaged, although it was far fetched. Loved the descriptions of the Tetons...would love to visit some day. Figured out who Serene was early on. The ending made me sad for the original Jessica as I was hoping for a happy ending for her. The revelation her mom shared was somewhat redeeming. For the most part this is a fast paced and entertaining read. Many thanks to Catherine McKenzie, Lake Union, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read this book, to be published in June.

I started this book and couldn't stop until it was finished. It is definitely a "5 star 10/10 would recommend" suspense story. I was educated on cults while I turned the pages of this thriller.

Another FANTASTIC 5 -star thriller from Catherine McKenzie! This one packs a punch and I read it in one sitting. Un-put-down-able and addicting with twists that keep you guessing. Cults, identity theft and fascinating characters oh my! I've read all of McKenzie's books and this one is the best yet.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The plot had so many twists and turns that I'm still trying to process it. Catherine does such a good job with the Jessica Williams story line and building the stories and backgrounds for each of them. The original Jessica came from the mess that is LOT (Land of Todd) and it is such a crazy background story that makes it all so interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery type books and books that keep you guessing!

Another wonderful twisty mystery by Catherine McKenzie! I've read all of her books and she just keeps getting better! Great cover too!