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.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review early! I've read all of Julie Soto's prior offerings and enjoy the banter and tension she creates - every word feels meaningful. While I wasn't encouraged by the younger characters at the start, it was a satisfying read - truly enjoyed the work put in and the narratives created.

this book !!!! Julie never fails to absolutely smash every single thing she writes and now we're adding YA thriller to the mix?! she can't miss.

The Thrashers is like 13 Reasons Why meets Riverdale in the best way. It's got that nostalgia that we're always searching for in a book, giving you the best high school friend group vibes. There's a fun little romance weaving through these pages as well as (in typical Julie fashion) deep themes, feminine rage, and shock and awe.

Highly highly recommend this one to anyone and everyone!!!

This was so good. I was uncomfortable with the things the kids were doing but it makes for a super interesting story. I was not expecting the ending. I was so sad for the girl's mother. This is a hard read for us older mothers.

First of all, I would like to echo the sentiment of other reviewers that this book needs to come with content warnings upon publication! For being a book marketed as “YA,” this book covers very heavy topics, such as suicide and child abuse. Is these are topics that would be triggering to you, I would proceed with caution.

That being said, I loved this book. I’m not usually a thriller girlie and I’m not usually a YA girlie, but I think mixing the two together is just what I need to enjoy both genres. The mystery, though tragic, felt low stakes enough that my heart wasn’t hammering, and because the book wasn’t a romance, I didn’t have to read about the decisions kids make in the name of “love.” This book follows a group of five high school seniors, called The Thrashers, and the fallout after Emily Mills, who desperately wanted to be a part of their clique, commits suicide on prom night. Investigators believe The Thrashers are responsible, at least in part, for her death and use her journal as evidence to prove it.

The story is mainly told through Jodi’s point of view, with the occasional excerpt from Emily’s journal providing a different perspective. Jodi is childhood best friends with Zack Thrasher and doesn’t really feel like she has fits in with the rest of the clique she’s a part of because they’re all wealthy and she isn’t. I loved this being told through Jodi’s POV because even though she didn’t really like Emily, she was the only Thrasher to show her kindness. All the characters were a bit unhinged, especially Emily, so having a character that showed compassion and seemed to be more understanding because of her own circumstances, was a great way to tell this story. The relationship Jodi shared with each of her friends (or should I say “friends”) was very interesting and the way she felt like she was on the outside, even when she was actually on the inside, was very relatable. Zack’s relationship with everyone, especially Emily, reminded me of why he was the kind of person I avoided in high school. Julie Soto did a wonderful job of making Emily Mills just unlikable enough that you feel sorry for her but also understand why the others weren’t always kind to her, which is a tough line to balance. I’m not sure if I was supposed to, but I loved Julian, even before I got more of his backstory. I couldn’t really relate to him, but he was still someone I really liked. Overall, this book was very gripping. I thought about when I wasn’t reading it and I couldn’t wait to get back to it when I was doing something else. I constantly wanted to know what was going to happen next and I really loved Jodi as a character. Her point of view was just reliable enough, but because she’s a high school senior, of course there were times I didn’t always know how much I could believe her, because if there was ever a time my emotions and thoughts couldn’t be trusted, it’s when I was in high school. Overall, this book was such a great experience for me. I think I’ve finally unlocked a sub-thriller genre that I can get down with and I feel unstoppable!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I read Soto's contemporary romance books and loved them, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read The Thrashers early.

It may be difficult to write a review without giving anything spoiler-y away. Jodi is part of a friend group others call Thrashers, named after Zack, the athlete / popular high school senior. Her other friends Paige and Lucy and Zack's friend Julian round out the group. After junior prom, this hanger on girl Emily takes her life, and then the group is accused of bullying her to death.

What actually happened and intent vs. passive disinterest is part of the mystery, but most of the book reads more like a thriller with bad things happening to various members of the group, with some paranormal theories. Jodi feels on the fringes with the group after being forced to find new friends and interests, so she starts painting backdrops for the theatre club. Jodi has a drunk dad who is mean when he drinks, and her mom died by drowning so her aunt and grandma help her. Everyone else in her group is richer than her.

Let's talk about Emily. The way she's described is through Jodi's eyes, but she seemed like an obsessive person. There are definitely red flags that I saw, that were noticed and then critical to the end of the story. You would have to take the more supernatural or paranormal aspects of the book with a grain of salt. The Thrashers will definitely make you ponder high school and be glad you don't have to relive it. I wish the pace was a little faster for the first part of the book.

Trigger warnings for parent's alcohol abuse, suicide, teenage drinking and drug use, statutory rape.
3.75 stars. rounded up to 4 stars, available May 6, 2025.

I heard there were Veronica Mars vibes, and I was locked in from the first chapter.
I wanted a little more from the ending but overall loved this, I was hooked.
I'll read anything from Julie Soto!
4 stars.
arc provided from Netgalley

This book was so good! Pulled me out of a reading slump and I read it in like three days. I loved the constant suspicion surrounding Emily. I also loved the paranormal aspects of it and the way it was a constant question of whether they really were paranormal events! I can’t wait to read it again when it comes out! I hope it gets a second one because the ending definitely allows there to be one!

I was not ready for how obsessed I’d be with this story. Think messy high school drama meets eerie mystery with a dash of ghostly weirdness, and somehow it all works. Jodi was an intriguing main character. She was smart, emotional, stuck between being loyal and just trying to survive the chaos around her. The Thrashers friend group was an absolute train wreck in the best way. Everyone was a little shady, definitely hiding something, and I could not put the book down. I wasn’t expecting the paranormal twist but it was such a fun layer. This felt very Pretty Little Liars but possibly darker and definitely more grounded. The epilogue left me desperate for more. Julie Soto, you can’t just drop that and leave us hanging! If you’re even a little into YA thrillers, or just love a story where everyone is lying and it’s deliciously complicated, this one’s a must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Who loves Julie Soto?
I do, I do!!!
This was just as amazing as I had hoped for and I encourage everyone to get wrapped up in the drama that is The Trashers!
Drama, mystery, drama, found family, drama, romancey bits, drama, and did I mention it's got drama?
There is so much going on in this book, and yet, Julie manages to keep it all in a nice easy to devour flow.
Much love to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio for my ARCs!

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊 𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕."

Special thanks to @stmartinspress @wednesdaybooks @juliesotowrites & @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

➡️ swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⚠️Check trigger warnings
Unaliving, bullying, mentions of s.a., abuse, drug and alcohol use⚠️

Utterly Captivating. This plunges you deep into the high school populars world, first hand. Although the comradery between these 5 friends is astounding considering what they're up against. Thete is a hint of paranormal activity, "From beyond the grave".

I was gripped to every single page. I couldn't get thorough it fast enough. Stayed up WAY too late because I just had to see what happened to Jodi & The Thrashers

Also Kiera, girlfriend, who the F eats someone else's sandwich bread crusts. ew!

The ending of this book put me in tears. I personally know what it's like to feel this way and have to be strong - and it's tough.

Utterly jaw dropping. Best YA thriller I've read all year!

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:
May 6, 2025

ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️
Did you have a solid group of friends in high school? Are you still friends now?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillersandsuspense #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerjunkie #thrillergirlie #bookbuzz #upcomingthriller #stmartinspress #wednesdaybooks #juliesoto #thethrashers #yathriller
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My love for Julie Soto grows with each book I read by her!
After absolutely loving Forget Me Not and Not Another Love Song, I knew I needed to read the Thrashers. I was excited to read something different by her but was admittedly slightly nervous because YA can be hit or miss for me. I shouldn’t have been though because Julie’s writing is phenomenal and I was hooked from page 1.

This was a wild ride of toxic friendships, twists and turns, a slightly paranormal twist, and I loved every second of it. Every character was perfectly flawed and I felt it portrayed being a teen in high school perfectly without ever being cringe, which is a true feat. And that epilogue?! Hellooooo?!
If your only reservation about reading this book is that it’s YA, give it a shot! You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you Wednesday Books & NetGalley for the eARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. - Freya, arc & monthly book box pick reviewer

I AM STILL SCREAMING ON THE INSIDE OVER HERE. THE THRASHERS FINISHED ME, I DIDN'T FINISH THEM. LIKE WTH???????

Also, WTH?!?! Is there a book two? I'm SCREAMING!!

*trying hard not to scream*

If you thought that this is a simple another "elite group of friends at a high school", I've read one of those before and don't need to read this one, YOU ARE WRONG!! The Thrashers took my breath and sanity away!! Compelling, realistic characters, lots of "should I trust them or not?" and "did they or did they not?", and a tiny hint of the supernatural (talking mediums and spirits) towards the ending.

We follow Jodi's pov, and I must say that she surprised me a lot! She is an excellent student and desperately wants to belong and be loved. Yes, she is a member of the popular elite group of friends called The Thrashers, but she still feels like she is on the outside even though she is in it. I loved how she struggled with that feeling and the logic behind it. She had a moment when she was like "what am I supposed to say? that I feel bad that my friends' lives don't revolve around me?" I found her so relatable, so authentic, because there's always divisions even within a group of friends, and Jodi feels like she's the fifth member in a quartet. She has emotional baggage that only gets heavier, but despite her loyalty to her friends and her somewhat feelings for Zack, she still decides to do the right thing, and I loved her for it. She isn't perfect, she isn't an innocent saint, she makes mistakes, but she learns from them all and becomes even more mature.

The other members of the Thrashers are Zack Thrasher, Paige, Lucy, and Julian. The author did a great job at bringing each character to life without confusing us. Each character was distinct, and I wouldn't confuse a line from Paige as Lucy's, for example. Zack is the person everyone loves and is love with. He has charisma, is nice, and always smiling. But he is really the too good to be true kind of person. I'm not spoiling anything, but I especially loved the scene where Jodi realized his true colours and depth. Lucy is the intimidating one with quick comebacks, and Paige is sort of the baby darling of the group. Julian is the jerk of the group who is seemingly rude. To be honest, I trusted him more than the other three because at least, he didn't pretend at all and said what he meant (with some blunt rough honesty but honesty all the same).

I loved the mystery elements, too! I loved how the author didn't make it into a "who killed her?" issue but rather "who drove her to suicide? who hurt her when she was alive?". It was clever and it also added a touch of authenticity because bullying, mental health, and suicides are real issues. I also liked how the author explored the outside world's perception of such an elite group of friends but also how the group's members perceive themselves. They didn't want to be called The Thrashers, and yet they were...

And that touch of the supernatural? Adding the mediums and spirits? IT WAS BRILLIANT. Not saying anything more, but I'll just say that it wasn't tacky, it was BRILLIANT.

The last two pages will leave you screaming and pulling your hair, so consider this your warning. It's not a cliffhanger really, more like a bridge between this and the sequel, a very scream-inducing bridge!

I am a Julie Soto babe (yes, I've read and loved everything she's written!!), I have been Sotoed, I have been Thrashed, I have been ruined. I have lost my marbles over this book, and I need book two like I need air!

THIS WAS A WILD RIDE!!! Where is the sequel? I literally inhaled this in one sitting and was reeling throughout. Julie Soto has cemented her place as an auto-buy author for me. I truly cannot believe this is her first foray into YA thrillers, because it was so masterfully done. The friend group felt nostalgic of my own in high school, so I was on the edge of my seat as every bad thing kept happening to them. I loved the execution of the romance, because it didn't override the plot or distract from the heavier themes. It was subtle, and their shared moments had me smiling knowingly and hoping neither of them died in the end (since this was obviously such a stressful possibility). Speaking of endings, THAT ENDING WAS INSANE. My poor baby Julian being in jail and his haunting ??? Again, need a sequel or five. I have no real constructive thoughts other than that the grand reveal was a little anticlimactic after all of that intense supernatural buildup, but everything else truly slapped. The character depth, the immersion, the tension, all fantastic. I typically shy away from thrillers for their predictability, and while this had its little moments, I loved it and ATE IT UP. It's also important to note how wonderfully the author tackled the toxicity of high school dynamics, and how they can impact people's mental health. The question of 'am I the bully?' and 'was this our fault?' truly got me, so I appreciated the emotional depth and underlying themes here. Thank you Julie Soto for giving me a new book boyfriend to cry over and truly rocking me to my core over all the sick twists and turns.

What can’t Julie Soto do?

I really enjoyed this thriller! It had me feeling all the things, and I was riveted by the story. I thought this was a great coming of age novel, especially with some of the darker and harsher topics covered in the story.

I would have liked a slightly better ending (at least something a little more concrete for my ship… I also got frustrated that not everyone got the punishment they deserved (which I guess mirrors real life)).

Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!