The Thrashers is one of the thriller books that is not trying too hard, and each page intrigued me in a way that I could not put the book down. The flow was seamless and love the paranormal aspect of it. I like that it is eerie, exciting, and fast paced! Highly recommend this book.

wow. this was an insane ride. i truly didn’t see 95% of this happening at all. i do believe zack should have gotten time for what he did. and that paige should have admitted to what she did to her. julian being the only one to get time was a little irritating. i also kinda wanna see more between julian and jodi? like that was kind of intriguing. zack was my favorite character at the beginning but with what he did and how he treated jodi towards the end… yikes. pretty disgusting, honestly.

The thrashers has an intriguing premise, complex characters, and suspenseful atmosphere. Soto masterfully weaves a tale of mystery and betrayal, keeping readers engaged with unexpected twists and turns. I loved the exploration of themes like power, privilege, and the pressures of adolescence, and it made me think about the nature of friendship.

I absolutely devoured this book. Before I read this, I only knew of Julie Soto as a romance writer - Not Another Love Song is a favorite of mine - and I'm not the biggest YA fan, so I wasn't sure if I would like this. But I'm so glad I picked it up!

Jodi is a high school junior and part of a "clique" called The Thrashers, led by golden boy Zack Thrasher. She's never quite felt like she fits in with the group, but she's been in love with Zack for as long as she can remember and wants to be around him as much as she can. Things are complicated because at the end of last year, a girl named Emily died. Emily desperately wanted to be a part of the Thrashers, and there are rumors and whispers about the Thrashers' possible involvement in her death. And things get very, very weird.

This had twists and turns galore and I loved it! It perfectly captured the insecurity and weirdness of high school, where everything feels like a personal slight and you're floundering to figure yourself out. Soto cleverly builds up the sense of unease and confusion amongst Jodi and her friends when the investigation around Emily's death heats up, and I viscerally felt how weird everything felt for Jodi. Some parts of this book were cliche in terms of high school hierarchies, but that's what the book was made for, and I ate it up.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars
The Thrashers is a juicy high school story with a paranormal spin that kept me up late flipping the pages as fast as I could. I loved the morally grey characters the author created in this story. The twists and turns kept me guessing throughout and that epilogue made me gasp. I would definitely call this upper YA due to some of the dark content (suicide, drug use, alcoholism, physical abuse, statutory rape). Julie really managed to capture the essence of the late teen years in a realistic way: the almost cult-like friendships that can form, the insecurities fought so hard to keep hidden, the way gossip travels like wildfire, and how high the stakes can be for poor decisions. While some of the plot twists are a bit of a leap (how many near death experiences can someone have in a year?) it did not impact my overall enjoyment of the story. If you loved Gossip Girl but wish it was spooky, I think you'll love this book. I sincerely hope Julie Soto continues to write in this genre because she hit this one of out the park.

Secrets and lies and more lies and secrets. An excellent thriller from Julie Soto. I still feel like I don’t know everything about the story and I love that.
The characters are complex in a realistic high school kind of way.

Team Jolian all the way.

This book had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. I got Pretty Little Liars vibes with the mixed up friend group and the mystery behind Emily’s death. The story kept you engaged and guessing, thinking that you might have it figured out and then it completely changed! I kept my theories throughout the book and then something would happen to blow it out of the water….LITERALLY at one point. I loved the paranormal aspect to it as well, it definitely made me skeptical of those parts. The ending made me want more! There was one part of the ending with Emily’s sister that I caught that I was hoping would be clarified by the end of the book or in the epilogue but it never was. I’m not sure if that was me reading into her statement too much, if the author meant to keep it open for interpretation or was leaving it as a loophole into possibly another book…but regardless, it left me questioning. I hope that there is a sequel so we can find out more because the epilogue made me want to close out that book and go straight into more!

This book was exactly what I was looking for in a thriller. It gave me Pretty Little Liars and 13 Reasons Why vibes. I didn’t want to put it down. All the secrets that unfolded throughout the story caught me by surprise. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was my first Julie Soto and definitely won’t be my last. What a banger of a YA thriller! If you loved Pretty Little Liars, 13 Reasons Why, or just appreciate suspenseful & truly brutal stories about high schoolers behaving badly, this will be a winner for you.

From the prologue, I could not put this down! It’s a wild story about a cliquey group called “The Thrashers” and how they use and manipulate other students at their school—something that’s referred to as being “Thrashed.” The group is made up of five kids who exclusively hang out with each other and occasionally bring in someone new… if that person has something they want. But things go too far when one of their latest victims ends their life and leaves behind an incriminating journal detailing their experience with the group. That’s only the beginning—nothing is as it seems, and I was glued to the pages.

Each character had such a distinct voice and personality, and I loved the dynamic between The Thrashers. This story did not go the way I expected it to, and there’s a touch of the paranormal that you’ll either love or hate. I personally enjoyed it, even if it pulled me out of the story a little bit.

Overall, this was toxic, messy, and had all the components of a binge-worthy YA thriller that I eat up every single time. Cannot wait for Soto’s next thriller! I still haven’t read her romance books yet, but I’ll be picking them up very soon after this awesome experience.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

I loved this way more than I expected! I’m already a big fan of Julie Soto, but was a little apprehensive to read a YA mystery/thriller from her. However, it grabbed me immediately, and didn’t let me go until the very end. She really knows how to keep things enticing - I was intrigued about the potential for paranormal (was it or wasn’t it? Hmm) and the secrets between the five friends. Each friend had unique personalities that I was interested in getting to know more - and it seems like Julie left the ending open for more too (fingers crossed this book does well so a sequel gets picked up!). She has a way of developing her characters in such a genuine way.

Julie has a great way of writing something so authentic - I was really able to connect with our fmc Jodi in ways that really brought me back to being 17/18 and feeling left out or as if you are always an afterthought with your friends. How easy it can be to engage in peer pressure even when your instinct is telling you not to join in. How you might not be the only one among your friends feeling a certain way.

This is a YA novel, but definitely doesn’t read that way at all!

I honestly loved everything about this. I thought it was well written, with smart characters, and an engaging story. Can’t wait for more!

how fun was this??
I've read only Julie's romance novels, and this was such a thrilling change of pace.
Entirely a let's read a couple chapters before bed, but oops, it's actually now 3am.

THE EPILOGUE? hope she kissed the brick she threw at my face. I'm really just not a fan of open-ended finishes. I shall redact that statement if Julie chooses to write a second book.

Julie Soto does it again!!!

Absolutely riveting. I could not put this book down. The layers to this story continued to unfold as the characters became richer and more complex.

Be aware you need to be in good health to read this as your heart will race it will take your breath away.

4.5 stars rounded up! I don’t typically read YA, and I’ve never read a book by this author (tho I’ve heard good things!) but I ATE THIS UP!! I was a little obsessed with learning more about The Thrashers, and what exactly happened to Emily. I didn’t feel like this read YA (although I guess I don’t really know if it did since I don’t read this genre), other than it was about a group of high school kids. Fantastic book, suspenseful, interesting, awesome. Highly recommend!

Pretty Little Liars meets One of Us is Lying in this story about a group of popular friends who now are being faced with the consequences of the death of a girl in their high school... who is implicating that one or multiple people within the group are the cause of her death. Everybody wants to be part of the Thrashers, the elite friend group at New Helvetia High. The Thrashers are made up of Zach Thrasher (rich, gorgeous, and loves attention), Lucy (tough girl who slept with Zach once and never got over it), Paige (bubbly girl who is all over the place), Julian (extremely handsome jock who cheats not only on tests but on his girlfriends as well, does not like Jodi at all), and Jodi (Zach's childhood best friend who is the only "poor" one of the group and the after thought friend essentially, always the DD for the group and bends towards everyone else). Then there's Emily Mills, a girl in a younger grade who wanted to be a Thrasher desperately but dies.... and when her journal resurfaces... everyone in the group except for Jodi is named as being implicated in her death and now Jodi must decide whether to betray her friends or protect herself.... and things only get stranger as mysterious texts begin to appear and it seems like Emily is haunting them. Jodi will have to unearth the reality of her friends... and what it actually means to be a Thrasher. This book was an odd read for me, as someone who loves a YA mystery friend drama with a splash of romance read, like I was expecting something along the lines of One of Us is Lying and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder... but this one was weird. The romance kind of just appears 80% into the book and the epilogue ending was odd too, like what?? I didn't feel the romance at all and the fact that nearly everyone in this friend group was a bad person who didn't have any real redeemable characteristics... yeah, this one missed the mark for me.

Release Date: May 6, 2025

Publication: ash-and-books.tumblr.com

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 4.7⭐️
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARCs!

I’ve loved both of Julie Soto’s romances, so I was really excited to read a YA mystery book by her. With this book, she has proven that she knows how to write a book you can’t put down, regardless of the genre.

From the prologue of this book, I was absolutely hooked! The whole book JS had me questioning everything: is there a paranormal factor, what’s true and what’s lie, who’s in on it, are the Thrashers’ reputation exaggerated or real?..

As the mystery of Emily’s death is unraveled, many secrets are revealed, causing lots of drama and fracturing within the group. The mystery behind the death was kinda obvious but it was the mystery surrounding the Thrashers, the dynamics within the group and the characters that made it a really addictive read. The book did a great job of showing the struggles of trying to fit in, while always feeling on the outside.

All the characters of the Thrashers feel like three dimensional, well fleshed out characters. You come to really care about all of them, especially as you get to know the person behind the mask of how they represent themselves.

Aside from all the friendship drama and the mystery of Emily’s death, there’s also a romance. And oh my, what a romance. I was rooting for them from the get go, it's a slow burn, but also, the tension, chemistry, banter is all there! And how he cares for her, without her even fully being aware of it… The scene they had on stage with paint…. 😳 It’s what I dreamt my romances would be like back in high school 😀

Highly recommended YA mystery book, especially for fans of OOUIL, PLL and AGGTM

🎧I also really enjoyed the narration, allowed me to be fully sucked into the story and all its characters.

⚠️There are also a bunch of CWs in this book such as alcoholism, suicide, bullying…

I do not usually like thrillers. They don’t usually hold my attention and I usually reach the end and feel disappointed in the way things tied up. I absolutely loved this book. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I even considered calling out of work to finish the book it was that good. The cast of characters were lovely and it was easy to get sucked into their dynamic. There were twists and turns the whole way and while I had inklings, I couldn’t tie the whole story together really on my own. The epilogue really hit me with the need for more more more. I felt like I couldn’t get enough, but it also felt like the perfect ending. I need all my friends to read this book so I can gush about it.

The Thrashers confirmed once again that if Julie Soto writes it, I WILL be reading it and LOVING IT! This YA thriller was a 10/10, 5 star, made me immediately want to reread book. As a fan of shows like Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries, it gave me the same vibes. Just when I thought there were no more surprises... BOOM - THE EPILOGUE! So so good!

I'm so beyond blown away. The Thrashers by the one and only @juliesotowrites was addicting and terrifying. The twists, turns and full body chills were 10/10. It reminded me of the movies Disturbing Behavior, The Faculty and The Craft. As an 80's baby who grew up in the prime of movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream, this book was everything I needed and more. I’m still obsessing over this book and I finished it a week ago.

Binged in one singular day.

I adored this YA suspense thriller! The book itself was phenomenal, but the audio was spectacular. I was driving home with the lights on bc I’m a big baby. 🤣

If I had to pitch this book in one sentence, I would say it’s like Gossip Girl was written as a thriller with paranormal and Final Destination-like interference. 👀👀

My sweet baby Julien 🫶🏻 I knew I was going to love him from his first utterance of bs to Jodi.

I knew part of what was happening, but the ending truly caught me off guard.

And wth Julie… that EPILOGUE?!? I need book 2 STAT. (Also, for those that don’t read prologues and epilogues, please, give me one good reason. You miss out on SO much).

Literally finished this book in less than two days!
I have been in such a big slump and this books audio book took me right out of it. It was so easy to listen to and the pacing was great. I felt so many different emotions for all the characters in the whole story had such an interesting arc. As someone who is a fan of Julie Soto romance books I was very interested and excited to see what her writing would look like in a different genre and it totally didn’t disappoint!