This book was addictive. I was struggling to put it down and kept telling myself “one more chapter.”

I honestly did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I’m here for more thrillers by Julie Soto please!

I thought the characters were perfectly flawed and loved learning about their past, their motives, and their secrets. I had a great time piecing everything together alongside Jodi. The plot twists really hit.

The epilogue was my favorite part of this whole book. It’s what made me give this 4 stars. My jaw was on the floor. It had me questioning everything, to be honest. 10/10 ending, in my opinion.

Highly recommend once this is released next month!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

So. I liked this. Especially since it said it would be like kara Thomas. But I didn’t like the supernatural aspect. That’s not something I like in my YA thrillers, making this book less amazing for me. Still, this was a good read and I did want to know how it was all going to play out. I think the only character I did not hate was Julian. Everyone else was just ugh. Definitely be warned about the suicide element if that’s an issue. I’m unsure if I would read more of this author in this genre if she did more supernatural mysteries.

This book had me absolutely hooked! I was constantly so curious about what was going to happen next. Wish there was a bit more on the legal side and more CW about the heavy talk of suicide, but otherwise, really loved it.

HOLY COW THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this YA thriller by Julie Soto! These are my honest thoughts!

WHAT EVEN WAS THIS STORY?? It was Mean Girls x Gossip Girl x One Tree Hill... set in California, so with The O.C. thrown in there for good measure (these are millennial references, so I'm sure the younger generation will have their own comparisons).

I was enthralled with these characters from the first page, and I kept turning every page waiting to figure out what was truth, what was lies, what was real, what was real but unexplainable, and what in the world happened to Emily Mills?

I hated and loved everyone, and I sometimes like when a book makes me feel that way, but I really liked some characters and I really hated others. Julie Soto did an amazing job of making these kids feel important. They are mostly rich, and they are nice to their friends. But if you're not a friend? You'll be *Thrashed*. And yet, I felt bad for them when their futures and college was on the line. Kids are meant to learn and make mistakes without the world crumbling to the ground, yet when they find out they are being pursued for the death of a classmate, it's hard to go through it with them.

Add in all these really strange incidents where really bad things keep happening to the cast of main characters? The weird texts? The seemingly once-in-a-lifetime occurrences, that KEEP HAPPENING?

I still have so many questions. And I think with the ending, that hints that there is more to come?? Hopefully? It doesn't end with a neatly tied bow, and I have to accept that I am okay with it right now.

Shoutout to Eva Kaminsky, Jesse Vilinsky - narrators who brought this story to life. This is a fast-paced story, and Eva was amazing making the plot jump off the page.

5 stars. Out May 6th.

This book had me in a CHOKEHOLD!

I LOVED THIS! I've been recommending this book to anyone who'll listen. I'm honestly still not over it, and it's definitely going to be a favorite of 2025!

The suspense. The police investigation. The High School drama. The toxic friendships. The paranormal elements. The secrets. FLAWLESS.

Also, I'm a romance girlie at heart, so give me a thriller with a little romance in it and I'm SOLD! The slooooowwww burn, the enemies to lovers vibes, I was OBSESSED.

This book made me go through it all: creeped out, suspicious of everyone, furious, giggling, chilled to the bone, shocked, swooning, kicking my feet, GASPING.

I can't recommend this book enough! I have another ARC from Julie Soto on my shelf (Rose In Chains) and I can't wait to dive in! This author has definitely become a favorite!

Did I listen to this entirely in one day? Yes. Does that mean it was amazing? No. But it is definitely entertaining! I really wanted to see how it all turned out at the end.

Personally, I felt Julian was the best character and deserved to be the one free to live his life after all was said and done. He was the only one besides Jodi that seemed to have remorse for everything. The fact that Zach got off on a technicality made me angry because he was complicit in this whollleee thing. He even admitted to never feeling the same way about Emily but never once spoke up to stop the hatred. And also lied to everyone about their prior history. Would have probably loved it more if Zach ended up in juvie and Julian/Jodi romance went further.

I think I went in expecting a super twisty mystery but I don’t think one twist shocked me in the whole thing. The epilogue was fun but other than that the ending was just whelming. Overall, not mad I read it but won’t be shouting about it from the rooftops either.

This is also coming from the girl (me) who DNFd ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ which everyone seemed to love! I just don’t think I’m the target audience for the YA thriller/mystery books 😅

OMG! Julie Soto can do it all--contemporary romance, romantasy, and now YA thriller with a hint of romance! I'm going to be honest, I'd read Julie's grocery list at this point because she is such a spectacular writer that what she needs at the grocery store will be just as enthralling as her books!

Jodi, Julian, Lucy, Paige, and Zack are an elite group of friends, aptly called "The Thrashers", after Zack Thrasher. Everyone is dying to be a part of their group, but no one more than Emily Mills. The book opens up with the group dealing with the aftermath of Emily's death. Jodi, who feels like an outsider most of the time, is torn between sticking with her friends or protecting herself when secrets come to the surface.

I loved this entire book--the realness of how teenagers act, the supernatural aspect, the little romance storyline that I hope we get more of in book two. I could not put it down once I started; I snuck little chunks here and there at work and definitely stayed up too late to finish it. If you love toxic friendships and a mysterious drama-filled storyline, this is the book for you!

And this review would be incomplete if I did not mention the friendship/situationship/relationship between Julian and Jodi! They had instant chemistry and I loved every time they interacted on the page. There's a certain scene towards the end that had me screaming with joy. Julian and Jodi are definitely Logan/Veronica coded.

Thank you to Wednesday Books (St. Martin's Press) for the e-ARC!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book was giving Thirteen Reasons Why x Euphoria. I was captivated by the storyline and I loved the spooky atmosphere. I felt like it had great pacing and the scenes were so vivid. I will say I didn’t love the jumping through time and the reveals at the end felt a bit rushed. It was a bit odd that the parents were so permissive but I liked how Jodi grew throughout the book and took charge of her own life. If you’re in the mood for a fast paced thriller, this is the book for you!

I felt like this was taken out of the 13 Reasons Why playbook. I’m familiar with this author’s previous work and loved them both so I knew she was debuting a whole new genre. For me personally, I thought this was fine. The pacing was quick which made it very easy to read. There were some cringey parts where I had to roll my eyes because I thought those scenes were so unnecessary. Specifically when they were at the Rose Garden so IYKYK. I probably won’t read this genre by the author, but I will definitely be sticking to her romance books.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I enjoyed reading The Trashers by Julie Soto. There were themes of loneliness/fitting in that I found a very interesting aspect to this story. The plot moved quickly and provided a lot of mystery as to what actually happened. I'd recommend this to any YA mystery fan.

Thrashers is a supernatural YA thriller focused on the beyond-the-grave revenge of a girl who took her life after being allegedly bullied by a high school clique of popular, beautiful, self-conscious teenagers on prom night. While I found the thriller aspect intriguing, I'm a romantasy girlie, and any hint of enemies to lovers is going to have me sat. There pacing is well done, and the surprising depth and complexity of characters is unusual not only for YA, but also any novel featuring this age demographic. We are far from the spoiled rich kid stereotypes instead featuring abusive families, struggles with learning, and coping with addiction issues. There is normalized underage sexual activity mentioned as well as drinking and drug use on the page. Additionally, one character is arrested for statutory rape. The one part of the novel I could have really done without is the frame narrative; I just didn't like the content within it personally.

Recommended for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why as long as you have an open mind to ghost stories 👻

Thanks to NetGalley and SMP Wednesday Books for this ARC

3.75 stars! ⭐️ Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books & NetGalley for the ARC 💌

Okay WHAT just happened—
I was eating this up, pages flying like I was on a mission… and then BAM, the ending smacked me in the face. Like, excuse me, Julie?? That epilogue?? Straight-up WTF-core. I sat there blinking at the last page like, “Nah, that’s not it... right?”

But let’s rewind real quick…

I actually liked this. A lot more than I thought I would. I’m a big romance girlie, so when I saw reviews hyping up the thriller AND some lowkey romance, I ran. And it was giving what it needed to give—for most of it. The vibes? Elite high school drama + secret diaries + shady rich kids + dead girl haunting them from the grave?? Yes pls!!!

The writing was super fast-paced—I didn’t even notice how far in I got, which is saying a lot because I’m usually checking page count every five minutes like it’s a sport. Jodi was such a well-written lead too. Not the usual pretty, rich, confident YA main character. She’s insecure, messy, relatable, and trying so hard to hang onto a toxic group she doesn’t even like.

And then there’s Julian. JULIAN MF HOLLISTER.
The minute he walked in all dark and broody, teasing Jodi, I KNEW. He had that annoying bad-boy-who-sees-through-everyone energy and I was here for it. Their chemistry??? Paint scene??? I squealed. Like full-on grinning at my phone. I need 300 pages of them just being chaotic and in love.

The mystery part though? Slightly predictable. Like yeah, I saw the twist coming halfway in. But somehow that didn’t ruin it for me because the tension still stayed high, and the paranormal elements?? Did NOT expect that. It added this creepy vibe I wasn’t prepared for but actually kinda loved.

Now let’s talk ending.
Or… not talk about it because I have no clue what that epilogue was. It gave open-ending-meets-plot-hole-galore-meets-possible-sequel-bait??? I NEED a sequel. There are questions. Many. And I need more Julian and Jodi moments.

Final thoughts? I had a good time. Not flawless, but addictive AF, and it kinda pulled me out of my reading slump too. Julie Soto, ma’am, I need answers. And a romance spin-off. Immediately.

Tropes:
🎭 Rich clique drama
🕯️ Girl stuck between truth and loyalty
🎭 Morally grey love interest (Julian ily)
🕯️ Paranormal twist you didn’t see coming
🎭 Paint-flirting enemies-ish-to-maybe-lovers thing
🕯️ Dead girl haunting from the grave
🎭 Unreliable social circle
🕯️ Open ending / Sequel bait

CW:
- Suicide
- Bullying
- Stalking
- Alcoholism
- Toxic relationships

Okay that’s all, go read it if you want drama, chaos, and a dead girl making everyone suffer from the grave. The vibes are immaculate.

This book starts off with a compelling hook—a death on prom night, a mysterious journal, and a tight-knit group of privileged teens with secrets to hide. The story has a strong setup and good pacing (I never felt bored while reading). The characters and themes around bullying and social dynamics were compelling, and I appreciated the moral complexity the story explored. That said, I was expecting more suspense or a big twist, especially from something marketed as a “YA thriller”. It felt more like a drama with light mystery elements, which left me a bit underwhelmed. Not a bad read, just not quite what I thought it would be.

Did I immediately rewatch Veronica Mars, Disturbing Behaviour, and I Know What You Did Last Summer after reading this? No, but I will (I spent my time making these edits - priorities, ya know?). Julie Soto is releasing a YA thriller in the same year she is releasing an EPIC romantasy and said “bet” (then dropped the mic). What can’t she do, at this point?! Thank you @wednesdaybooks for this early review copy!

I ATE THIS BOOK UP! Could not stop when I started and I really do need everyone to pick this up because there’s a second book in there and I am FERAL for it.

This is everything great about Julie’s writing with an added layer of rich kids coming of age, mysteries, thriller elements, and the tiniest bit of paranormal. The tension was perfect and the way Julie wrote these characters was such a phenomenal feat. You hated them all, you felt bad for all of them, you never knew who to trust or what was true. Julie using a journal as a device to get us questioning everything was a stroke of genius - and gave us an unreliable narrator angle that I absolutely loved.

Thrillers were my first passion, so getting to dig into this from Julie’s voice was a treat. I don’t want to give too much away in this review, but the murder mystery angle (what happened to Emily?) really elevated the story for me. Jodi and the rest of The Thrashers (5 friends that are effectively the “cool clique”) reminded me of all the 2000s teen slasher films I watched, but with more depth. Their relationships were toxic, they were all coming of age amid strange times, and they were all (except for Jodi) fighting for their lives after being accused of bullying Emily.

To say this book had twists and turns would be an understatement. My jaw was on the floor so many times during this, and that ending!? THAT ENDING!!! I need more of Julian and Jodi, and I need to know how this story ENDS!

I really enjoyed The Thrashers, a YA thriller about a group of popular kids in high school who find themselves in the middle of the suspicious suicide of Emily, a young girl who tries to be included in their group. Great writing and a good story line make this a must read. Finished in in 24 hours!

This book hooked me and I raced through it waiting for the twist or big reveal. Unfortunately, it never really happened. The story was well written and I think a YA audience would enjoy it, I was just looking for more. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this advanced reader’s copy.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

1) I don't recommend reading this before bed at night, but hell I did it anyways.
2) What kind of crack did Julie put in this book???? I don't usually read thrillers but it's 3 AM and I finished it in a single sitting bc I was THAT hooked into the story. Absolutely so well done and kept me on my toes the entire time!!
3) This book solidifies that Julie can write anything and it'll be so good. Now I can't wait for Rose in Chains by her!
4) 5/5 stars no notes.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the eARC!

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for providing me with an early copy of Julie Soto's "The Thrashers." This book blew me away with the twists and turns in this mystery novel.

Wow. This book gave me all the feels from being spooked to love and then to sadness. I was holding back tears at one point.

Ok, first off, thank you Netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read this arc.

This is my first book of Julie Soto and let me tell you that the way this book was written was so damn good. Everything was so gripping that the book kept me wanting to read it in my sleep. I enjoyed this so much, I love all the characters and the plot had me on my toes. Ok, one very minor issue, the random text messages the Thrashers were receiving were a bit too predictable and I didn't like how only one person was only punished. But other than that, this book is easily 5 stars! Must read!