The thrashers was a nice break from romance and fantasy books. Its been awhile since I've read a mystery thriller. It gave off 13 reasons why kind of vibe which I liked. The story has a nice flow and enjoyed Jodi's development. But not all the core characters were convincing and whatever romance is going on felt forced.

I was hooked all the way to the end.

Julie never disappoints, and this book was no different. Thrillers can be such a hit or miss for me because you can just see what’s coming. So when I say I was on the edge of my seat the entire time just know I mean it. I couldn’t put this book down and found myself questioning everyone. Julie delivered with this book, and the plot twist blew me away. The paranormal aspect was the cherry on top for me because it just came out of nowhere.

I love this book, and The Thrashers so much! I hope there’s more to come with these characters.

I ate this book up and listened to it in one sitting. It was such a good story, and the twist at the end ah. I’m so excited to hear a sequel will eventually come to find out what happens next.

If you like pretty little liars, a good girls guide to murder, or one of us is lying, this has the same vibes! Please do check trigger warnings though, as suicide as statutory rape are discussed within the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

4.5 stars

This is a young adult mystery/thriller that gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes. I really enjoyed the majority of the book, and felt for Jodi's character a lot. It's honestly crazy how my opinions of most of the other kids changed throughout the book. Part of the suspense was trying to figure out if something paranormal was going on. This had your typical teenage drama, gossip, and cliques, but there were a lot of secrets too. Just when I thought I knew what had happened, something else would change my mind. Overall, this was a fun and twisty read that had me hooked throughout, however, the ending made me so mad!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

dnfed at 36%
I didn’t quite understand the hype from this book but I also don’t think YA thrillers are for me.

I think this was a great YA thriller, and Julie Soto did not disappoint with this one. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I would say that if you are looking for a fast paced YA thriller you should give this one a shot. There are definitely some trigger warnings, which include bullying and suicide so I would definitely research a little deeper if you have triggers. I got kind of nervous when they started introducing paranormal aspects as that isn’t normally my thing, but in the end I enjoyed the route that the book did take. I would recommend this to friends for sure!

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the DRC and Libro FM for the ALC of The Thrashers! All opinions in this review are my own.

I am a fan of Julie Soto so I was curious to read a new genre from her and The Thrashers delivered! This YA thriller kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't stop listening to it. While I do think the ending could have tied up the loose ends a little cleaner, overall, The Thrashers is a fast paced thriller with unreliable characters so you don't know who to trust!

Okay I have mixed feelings about this one!!

Did it keep my attention? Yes.
Did I know what was happening? No.
Did it make me have a nightmare? Yes.

The pacing was good, the story was interesting, but most of the characters (even the victim) were severely unlikable and frustrating. There are a lot of paranormal themes in this book which I didn’t know and I’m really not a fan of so take my review with a grain of salt if that’s your jam.

I feel like I could’ve used some clarity on some of the big twists, they were kind of glazed over tbh. And my biggest question is did nobody notice the insane events happening this teenagers?? Like all of their parents were chill with the fact that they were all having these freak accidents?? Hello??

My overall thoughts are that this was a fine book, bingeable, fast-paced and will keep you on your toes. But be warned there are some loose threads 🧵

Verdict: ehhh maybe? If you liked 13 reasons why you’ll probably enjoy it!

I really enjoy Julie’s books so I thought I’d take a chance on her YA book The thrashers, and I’m still sitting with that ending. It’s a mystery that follows Jodi, a girl who somehow ends up in the middle of the most elite friend group at her high school, the Thrashers, after the suspicious death of a classmate who wanted badly to join them. Secrets unravel, tensions rise, and there’s this eerie, almost ghostly presence that lingers throughout the book.

I was definitely hooked from the beginning. The writing pulls you in fast, and the whole “rich, popular teens with dark secrets” trope is done in a way that kept me guessing.

If you like books with toxic friendships, creepy undertones, and a main character caught between right and wrong, this one’s worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC for this book!

This story is about a group of friends referred to as The Thrashers, who are seen as untouchable and everyone wants to be them. They are rich, popular, and invited to every party—except for Jodi. She has been friends with Zack Thrasher, the head of the group, since second grade, and has found herself a part of The Thrashers even though she is nothing like them.

A girl named Emily Mills becomes obsessed with The Thrashers and tries to insert herself into their lives, even though they find her annoying and unlikable. On prom night, Emily commits suicide and The Thrashers get blamed for “thrashing” her. She leaves behind a journal chronicling all of the things that have happened to her, so the police are looking at The Thrashers as being responsible. Jodi tries to figure out what really happened and if everything Emily said is true.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I usually don’t like plots that follow popular, rich kids because I find it unrelatable and predictable, but this book was different. It didn’t have you rooting for The Thrashers necessarily, but also not really for Emily either. Most of the characters were unlikable to me, but not in a bad way. Sometimes it’s fun to dislike the characters you’re reading about. I’ve seen other reviews saying they thought Jodi was annoying, but she was the only one I actually liked. She didn’t always make the best decisions, but I found myself wanting her life to get better and for her to get some better friends.

I didn’t expect the plot to become a bit supernatural, which I usually don’t like. In this case, it didn’t bother me too much because it wasn’t the main focus. And in the epilogue was interesting…

Overall, I really liked this book and read it pretty quickly because I had to know what happened next. I would probably read another book by this author if she writes another mystery/thriller.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you Wednesday Books for the gifted copy which I got at B&N Book Con!

The Thrashers
Julie Soto
Publishing Date: May 6, 2025

🎧 Narrator: Eva Kaminsky & Jesse Vilinsky🎧

➡️ Swipe for Synopsis ⬅️

This book was such a good time. It reminded my of the movie The Heathers in how it used dark undertones to explore the world of high school and cliques.

The Thrashers… the crew that everyone wants to be a part of. And Jodi is. But her insecurities leave her wondering, do they really even like her? Does she really belong? The way Julie Soto captured teenage insecurity was so spot on.

Then add in a dead classmate who leaves behind a journal that implicates The Thrashers… and things get dark. The teenage angst. The self centered meanness. The morally grey nature of basically all the characters. The mystery and suspense. It was all so good.

And if that wasn’t enough… seemingly paranormal things start taking place. Flickering lights, mysterious texts, the feeling of a hand on an arm. Is it Emily or just a trick of the mind?

Julie Soto did a fantastic job of making this a fun and entertaining edge of your seat thriller, while also masterfully weaving in deeper themes surrounding high school and teenage life. The emotions felt so raw and authentic. The examination of the character of the characters was subtle but impactful. I freakin loved Julian so much. If I were in high school he’d who I would be swooning over. Get outta here Zack 😒

This is different than Julie Soto’s typical books as it dips into a new genre, but as my second of her books so far, this one reigns supreme!

🎧 Eva Kaminsky & Jesse Vilinsky were amazing on audio! I’m so glad I read this one with my ears. They perfectly captured the teenage vibes and attitudes.

Okay, this is definitely one of my top reads for this year so far!
I really enjoyed this!
I feel like it gave 13 reasons why vibes.
Julian became one of my favorite characters, and Zack, my least favorite.
I feel like Jodi was unreliable at times because she was just as mean as the others, but she was also the most on the outside.
The ending was a great twist/confirmation.
I loved this so much, and I would definitely recommend it!

The Thrashers is a young adult mystery/thriller from Julie Soto, who primarily writes romance/romantasy books. The Thrashers are close and not just anyone can join their friend group. When a young woman named Emily turns up dead, all heads turn towards the Thrashers.

All of these characters are perfectly imperfect variants of young adults grappling with guilt, grief, and peer pressure all while trying on prom dresses and filling out college applications. The plot line moves fast and hard plowing through unreliable narrators, red herrings and the struggling inner monologue of a teenager finding themselves being investigated for the death of a classmate.

I really enjoy zippy YA thrillers and this did not disappoint. Julie Soto does a fantastic job with character building, morally gray character development and adding in just a touch of otherworldly eeriness to keep you turning those pages and binge reading to find out what actually did happen. I hope Julie Soto gives us more YA mystery/thriller stories in the future because this was really enjoyable.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for my copy; all opinions are my own. The Thrashers is out now!

💫 Book Review

The Thrashers
By Julie Soto
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🤫 Secrets
🏫 High schoolers
🔪The thrashers
🌟 Paranormal thriller
💗 Lovesick girls
👦🏻 Young adult
💵 rich kids
📱unknown texts
📓 journal

🚫Check trigger warnings

I am loving some of the YA books being released lately. Also, I love reading thrillers in the summer so this book was perfect! If you like Kara Thomas or Olivia Worley this book is for you! Fans of pretty little liars look no further for your next obsession. There were secrets, lies, twists and turns and I was kept on my toes the entire time.

Okay WHAT a CRAZY ride! I am a huge wimp when it comes to thrillers, but if Julie Soto writes it, I must read it. So I buckled in for the rollercoaster of emotions that this book contained. There was never really a moment where I knew exactly what was going to happen, besides having a feeling that Emily’s sister was involved in some form. I was only mildly disturbed by my eventual adoration of Julian by the end, maybe I’ll give my therapist a call soon…ANYWAYS, I need book 2 pronto and will send JS my therapy bill for the cliffhanger she left us dangling off of. 9.5 out 10 me’s recommended this book

Really enjoyed this book. Kept me on edge with just the right amount of creepy but can we talk about that ending?! What the heck was THAT?! Will there be a sequel or will we just be left wondering for the rest of eternity?!
Had to take off .5 stars because some things didnt make sense. During the seance I got lost. It also doesnt make sense how Jodi's whole thing was telling the truth and as soon as Hannah told her she decided to keep quiet?! Yeah did not like that but everything else was great!

I’m still not sure how I feel about this one. I’ve sat on it for a while and my feelings about it haven’t changed so I’m giving it a solid three stars. I’ll be interested to see if Julie writes a sequel.

Pros

I was instantly interested in the story and had to see it through the end because I was invested. I appreciated Jodi’s unique point of view and the depth it brought to the story. There were some creative parts of the plot that I liked. The characters felt genuine to high school. Emily was definitely out there and you never knew where the story was going to turn next. The dynamic between the Thrashers was interesting and ever evolving with a lot of character growth.


Cons

I wanted the characters to be more developed. There were pacing issues and some plot holes. It felt to me like parts of the book were almost there but weren’t quite fleshed out all the way. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. I understand leaving things a bit open ended but it just felt a bit messy to me? I get the direction the author was taking with the book as I’ve seen it play out in some of my favorite movies but for some reason, it just wasn’t quite there for me. I also do not understand why Jodi wouldn’t tell the PD what Hannah said to her. That part made no sense to me.

The Thrashers is a gripping YA thriller that dives into high school privilege, guilt, and eerie mysteries. When Emily Mills (an outsider desperate to belong) dies by suicide at prom, Jodi and her elite clique become suspects. Julie Soto skillfully weaves a tense investigation with haunting supernatural undertones, all while exploring the fragile bonds and moral compromises of teenage friendship.

What sets this apart is its emotional complexity: Jodi’s internal conflict and the group's shifting dynamics feel genuine, not cliché. The pacing is swift, the twists land, and the combination of psychological depth with spectral hints keeps the tension tight. If you love intelligent, emotionally layered YA mysteries with a dark edge, this one’s a standout. Really enjoyed this one!

I love Julie Soto's romance and I equally love her YA. This was creepy, it was mysterious, and it was a fantastic YA psychological thriller.
I loved the twists and I loved how I kept feeling like I knew what was going to happen next, but it kept giving me another twist to had me guessing. The characters were fantastic - they felt very relatable & realistic to their age.

I will always read a Julie Soto romance and now I'm adding Julie Soto YA to my always read list.

One of my favorite YA books this year!! I am such a sucker for mysteries and this one blew my expectations out of the park!

Jodi Dillion, normal student in high school and no one not even herself thought she'd be in with them; The Thrashers, but after being bestfriends with Zach Thrasher, she always had an in. Everyone wanted to be The Thrashers but without even knowing, The Thrashers were created around Zach.
Emily Mills wanted so bad to be in the group and then one night, she turns out dead and all fingers point to The Thrashers.....with the exception of Jodi. Jodi now retraces her steps and has to uncover how her and her friends got tangled up in a murder case. She uncovers her friends weren't really telling her the full truth, but was it for her safety or their shadyness. The one she never thought would be by her side was the last option in the world but even friends can be deceiving.

Thank you Julie Soto, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.