A journal. A dead girl. And one friend group haunted by more than just their secrets. Some voices don’t stay buried.

📚 Reasons to Read The Thrashers
Elite high school drama – The Thrashers rule the school, but when someone dies, their perfect world starts unraveling fast.


A chilling mystery – Emily’s death raises questions, but her journal holds the answers—and no one’s ready for the truth.


supernatural vibes – As eerie things start happening, Jodi has to figure out if the past is haunting them… or someone’s playing a deadly game.


A relatable outsider POV – Jodi’s caught between loyalty and survival in a world that was never meant for her, making every twist hit harder.
This author is known for some pretty emotional romance books, so when I saw a YA Thriller that was dark academia, I had to pick it up. Many times you want to yell at Jodi to open her eyes and see what is happening right in front of her. She is definitely one of those characters you connect with because of the fact that she starts to doubt everything. This book did not go the way I thought it would, and I raced through it pretty fast. YA thrillers your thing? Try out this one.

Soto has become an auto buy author for me in the last year! I feel she can dable in any genre at this point! What a fun ride this one was! I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down! It was fast paced and the characters were complex and morally gray at times. Would recommend to anyone who enjoyed pretty little liars or 13 reasons why.

I went into The Thrashers pretty blind and I LOVED it. YA Thriller is not my usual go-to genre, but Soto's writing and the plot had me gripped. It's got an unputdownable quality and I flew through it. High school clique, toxic friendships, secrets and a dash of paranormal.

I loved reading about the dynamic between the 5 friends. Also, could not get enough of Julian!!! The Thrashers kept me guessing and had me staying up way too late to finish it. A well written, excellently paced read.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love Julie Soto’s books and her fan fiction, so I was really curious about The Thrashers. But I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure if it would be for me. I haven’t read a thriller in years and YA can be pretty hit or miss depending on the voice and pacing. But this? I was completely pulled in. I devoured this book and had absolutely no idea where it was going at any point and I loved that.

It’s definitely darker and spookier than I expected, and the vibes gave me major Pretty Little Liars energy in the best way. There’s a layered mystery at the heart of this story, but also so many thoughtful observations about high school social dynamics, identity, and what people will do to feel like they belong. There’s a lot to unpack beneath the surface.

The pacing was excellent, the atmosphere was eerie without being over the top, and the writing had the same smart, addictive quality I love from Julie’s other books. And that epilogue? I have so many questions. I’m going to need a follow-up, because what do you mean. What. Do. You. Mean.

In Thrashers, readers are plunged into the glittering but toxic world of New Helvetia High’s most elite friend group—a clique so captivating that everyone either wants to be them or be near them. But beneath the designer clothes and curated social media feeds lies a dark and unsettling truth. Told through the eyes of Jodi Dillon—the group’s outsider-insider—Thrashers slowly unravels a chilling mystery centered on the death of Emily Mills, a girl desperate to be accepted by the elite five: Zack, Julian, Paige, Lucy, and Jodi herself.
Part psychological thriller, part high school drama, Thrashers is a sharp, suspenseful exploration of privilege, cruelty, and complicity. With its eerie twists and a central mystery that grows darker with each chapter, the novel delivers a powerful commentary on what happens when status trumps empathy—and how far some will go to protect the lies they’ve built their lives around.

Fans of One of Us Is Lying or Pretty Little Liars will be hooked.


Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday books for a gifted copy of Thrashers! This review is my own opinion after reading The Thrashers.

Wow that ending!! Loved this just like every book and fanfic I have read from this author. The mystery was so well done, the twists were good and I did not even see them coming and the friendships and slight romantic plot were so engaging. I could not put this book down I read it in 2 days, it was like watching Elite during the first season it was that bingeable.

I received an eARC thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books, all opinions are my own.

How does it feel to be the poor Thrasher? The girl who doesn't fit with the rich beautiful highschool crew centered around Zack Thrasher? That's what Jodi deals with everyday - from the school and the group themself. Except, it's not so bad since she's been best friends with Zack since 2nd grade, in love with him just as long.

But then Emily came along, and tried to get into the group. That did NOT end well for Emily. And then the cops came sniffing and Emily has to wonder if her so-called friend group is really being honest with her, DID they have something to do with Emily's death?

Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

YA Thriller
Popular group
Mystery
Spirits/Paranormal

Thank you to NetGalley for eARC.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF (did not finish) for me. I was very intrigued by the premise and was excited for a mystery / thriller! I just cannot get into the story and I don’t particularly like the MCs (which I think might be part of the point, but I digress). The popular kid clique trope just really fell flat (I think I’m just done with that trope) and after reading a few other reviews, I don’t feel that my opinion on them will change with further reading. I don’t particularly want to read about the immature dealings of awful teenagers.

That being said, the writing is great and the concept is exciting! This particular book just isn’t for me.

Julie Soto, the woman that you are.

The Thrashers blew my expectations out of the water. I read: Julie Soto and YA thriller in the same sentence and signed up so fast that I think I pulled a muscle.

Jodi is our main character, part of the Thrashers, a group of rich, attractive, and maybe a little snobby teens. She’s ordinary, not in the same league as them, but she’s been Zack Thrasher’s best friend since second grade, so she’s basically grandfathered in.

But not everything is as simple as Jodi thinks. When someone who had spent time with them the year prior commits suicide, weird things start to happen and Jodie realizes everyone’s kind of been lying to her. Keeping her on the outs. And suddenly, Jodi has a mystery solve if she wants her friends - and herself - to live.

This was an easy 5 stars. The characters are interesting, flawed, messy, and downright irritating at times. You question everyone’s intentions, even Jodi’s at times. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions and it captures teens (and the paranormal) perfectly.

Also, that epilogue?! That alone deserves five stars.

Big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

This is Julie Soto’s first YA thriller book and I was surprised to have really enjoyed it. I found myself bingeing this book within a day because I couldn’t put it down. It had drama, mystery and twists that left me guessing until the very end. The book very much gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes — a very close group of friends, something terrible happens, everyone has secrets, and things begin to spiral. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, but for Soto’s first thriller, it definitely works.

My only critique is that the character development felt a bit lacking. I wanted more depth to them especially when it came to Jodi and the rest of The Thrashers. Their personalities and relationships felt very surface-level, and I wish Soto had explored more of Jodi’s relationship with her family, Paige, Lucy and Oliver.

With the way the book ended, I’m hoping there will be a sequel because I definitely will be reading it. And I need more of Jodi and Julian!!!

Overall, this was an addictive book and I would recommend it if you are looking for a fast-paced YA thriller or if you are just a fan of Julie Soto in general.

Thanks Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a gifted copy of Thrashers! This review is my own opinion after reading The Thrashers.

A lot of my book friends said this book was one of the best reads this year. And it definitely lived up to the hype.

I loved the entire story. I was invested about what happened to Emily from the very beginning. It felt like a mix of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Pretty Little Liars!

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA Thrillers. It’s 100 a thrill-ride the entire book!

Dark, twisty, and totally addictive. The Thrashers hooked me from the first chapter and never let go. Think A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder meets We Were Liars, with a haunting edge that lingers long after the last page. Jodi is the kind of messy, unforgettable protagonist you root for (even when you’re not sure you should). And that ending? I’m still spiraling.

The Thrashers
By: Julie Soto

Thank you to Wednesday Books and SMP Romance for free e-book #smppartner All opinions are my own.

I don’t read many thrillers but a YA thriller by Julie Soto is something that I absolutely could not pass up! As expected, the writing is fantastic. The Thrashers is filled with suspense, dark secrets and amazing storytelling. I kept swiping through page after page desperate to find out what was going to happen next.

The Thrashers are a popular group at New Helvetia High and Emily would give anything to be a member so when she is found dead and a journal detailing her last few months is discovered the group is thrust into the spotlight. Did the Thrashers cause Emily’s death? Did the other members want her to end her own life? Jodi is the only one in the group not under suspicion in part because she has never quite fit in herself but does that mean she’s prepared to turn her back on her friends in order to keep it that way?

Deep down this story is about the lengths people will go to in order to feel connected. It is a dark and twisted tale that seeks to answer questions such as: How do you know if someone is really your friend? And can you ever really know what people are thinking about you?

Teenage me would have absolutely loved this book! It is smart, edgy, and full of angst with a touch of the paranormal to keep you guessing. I read the whole thing in almost one sitting, it was that bingeable!

Read if you like:

YA Thrillers
Paranormal Happenings
Lots of drama
Teenage angst
Suspenseful stories

This book had me confused the whole time in the best way! I am still not sure who I trust or what I believe hahah
Had me hooked the whole time

Thanks for NetGalley and her team letting me receive this ARC. This is the first Julie Soto book I read. i would consider it YA and also set it high school vibes.This whole book was giving Pretty Little Liars vibes throughout the whole book. It was giving me the same vibes. This was a group of friends the said "The Thrashers" similar towards A and group of friends. Their friend Emma Killed herself by suicide by bullying so called Thrashed.
Basically wanted to fit in and be more popular with the in crowd. Overall it it mystery/thriller vibes it. I liked it.

This mystery hooked me from the beginning. It alternates from past and present and you hear from a couple different perspectives. You get a glimpse into the “popular” group. The kids are called the “thrashers”. At first, you don’t know for sure who they are or what that actually means but as the story progresses, you figure it out. Yet, you still don’t know what actually happened. This is a combination of mystery and I guess, horror or ghost story. Throughout the story you find out little pieces of information and you find out who is bad and who is not. The ending leaves you almost satisfied but also leaves you wondering if there will be a sequel.

5⭐️

"Zach was Jodi's best friend. But she was only one of Zack's many best friends."

I loved this! From the very first chapter Jodi felt extremely relatable to me. With her being the one of the group from a different socioeconomic background as well as being the one who was 'less attractive' than everyone else, it was easy to understand her hesitation and paranoia over if her friends liked her as much as she liked them. Her questioning if her shared relationship with Zack was enough to keep her in the friend group really drove the story, especially when she started comparing Emily's actions to her own. The way everyone's attitude changed once Jodi was subpoenaed to testify against them was really telling regarding who really cared about who.

All of the characters were chaotically unreliable and I loved the mess that brought to the story. Emily truly haunted the narrative in every way and as more was revealed about Emily's true intentions I was surprised. Her sister finally revealing the truth about what actually happened the day Emily died made my jaw drop and I ended up questioning everything I believed up to that point. The fine line between the paranormal and coincidence throughout this made everything that much more tense. The way that Zack morphed from a golden retriever himbo to a real problem was so eye-opening.

Look, I unironically love the bully turns out to like the girl/she thinks he hates her/ or whatever trope you would classify the relationship between Julian and Jodi as. Watching the way they were at each other's throats transition to gentle joking to Julian saving Jodi's life on multiple occasions to made me borderline giddy. I can understand the suspicion that he was using Jodi due to the timing, but I truly believe that Julian had had a change of heart regarding Jodi prior to Emily's death. While Zack slid into a villain role, Julian really stepped up as a good guy. Also, that epilogue? I need more!

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing this ARC to me!

I received a digital review copy of *The Thrashers* from NetGalley, and I am absolutely blown away, Julie Soto! I have read and loved her two romance novels, and I am very excited for *Rose in Chains* this summer. And now she writes this! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It reminded me a lot of *We Were Liars*.

The story follows a group of high school friends nicknamed "The Thrashers," a title sought after by those wanting to join. The concept is that someone will be "thrashed," or exiled from the group, if the friends decide they no longer want them. When the group is accused of bullying that led to the death of a former member, things start to get complicated.

The main character, Jodi, tries to uncover the mystery surrounding Emily Mills and her obsession with Zach Thrasher, as well as her complicated relationship with Jodi herself. This book was so good that I can only hope Julie Soto doesn't completely leave this genre when her romantasy series takes off in July!

The Thrashers are a group of five friends: Zack, Julian, Paige, Lucy, and Jodi. The first four are wealthy and popular, while Jodi feels a bit out of place. Zack Thrasher is the link that connects the group and also where they get their name, but we experience the story through Jodi's POV.

When the novel begins, Emily Mills has died by suicide on prom night of the Thrashers' junior year. Emily had desperately wanted to be a Thrasher and soon after her death, rumors start flying. The police find Emily's journal, which leads them to believe that the Thrashers were responsible for her death. One by one the Thrashers are indicted...except Jodi. To make matters worse, the Thrashers start receiving creepy messages from an unknown contact and are constantly getting into dangerous situations when the five of them are together.

I don't want to spoil the story, because it really is a wild ride, but The Thrashers had me hooked and kept me guessing! To be honest, I am STILL reeling after the ending. I am convinced that Julie Soto can write anything, and I am obsessed with her YA and mystery/thriller debut!

Jodi is such a relatable character. She is kind and creative and trying to figure out where she fits in. She is also balancing loyalty to her friends (and the boy she has loved forever) with doing the right thing. I really enjoyed how Julie resolved the story but left potential for more. I really hope we get a sequel (and a lot more Jolian, PLEASE)!

I love Julie Sotos adult novels so much, so I was excited to read this. The whole concept of The Thrashers just didn’t work for me. It felt like a forced conceit. I was drawn into the mystery but ultimately it wasn’t a satisfying story.