Julie Soto’s Thrashers is like a modern version of Christopher Pike or R.L. Stine of my high school years, but with more narrative. It’s really hard to describe this mystery/thriller without giving too much away. But it is hard to put down, I finished in two days because I couldn’t put it down and had no idea where it was going to go next.

man… yeah.

the rage on the technicality at the end is so real my GODDDDDDD

i knew from the beginning who was behind all the creepiness, but i still really enjoyed getting through the story!!!

i’m simply not much of a paranormality fan, which played a small part in the story, and explains my rating :)

The Thrashers by Julie Soto is a deliciously dark, twisty YA thriller that perfectly captures the intoxicating pull of elite high school cliques and the terrifying cost of belonging. Fans of One of Us Is Lying and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will devour this one.

Jodi Dillon is the ultimate outsider on the inside—thrust into the glamorous, toxic orbit of the Thrashers thanks to her childhood friendship with the infamous Zack Thrasher. The tension between wanting to fit in and knowing she doesn’t truly belong is palpable and so well written. As the story unravels, the secrets, betrayals, and rising paranoia had me second-guessing every character’s motives.

Julie Soto masterfully weaves in eerie, almost ghostly moments that blur the lines between guilt, grief, and something more sinister. Emily’s death haunts every page, and the escalating mystery, punctuated by found journal entries and ominous messages, keeps the pace racing.

What makes this story shine is its ability to capture the emotional vulnerability of adolescence—how far you’ll go to protect your friends, how easily lines get crossed when status is at stake, and how dangerously fast secrets can unravel.

The ending is satisfyingly sharp with twists I didn’t fully see coming. Some of the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, but the core of the story—loyalty, survival, and the dark side of popularity—hits hard.

The Thrashers is a binge-worthy, high-drama thriller that hooks you from the first page and refuses to let go.

This book was pretty intriguing all the way through and had me curious what was going to happen next. This is my first book of Julie Soto (I know she has popular romance books) but if this is her first YA thriller then I can’t wait for her future ones! I enjoyed the premise of this book with teenagers called the Thrashers being accused of bullying this one girl into doing what she did but uncovering hidden intentions and experiencing stranger haunting and occurrences. I liked the legal aspect of things and having interviews with detectives and lawyers. I really liked our main character Jodi and learning about her life and inner thoughts. I felt for her with her dad and within the friend group. The struggles and conflicts she had about not feeling welcome, had nothing to bring to the group, questions about missing out, being pushed aside were very real. All that along with the death of this girl who latched on to her and seemed to want to take Jodi’s place at the start but then ended up becoming obsessed (it seemed) with Jodi and wanting all the other fiends to pay.

I liked the real friendship and connection that built between Julian and Jodi, which was very surprising because I did not like him at the start. Things took a turn once incidents started happening and he started to look after Jodi and treat her like an actual friend, especially when everyone else wasn’t.

The thing that really held my back in the end is that I felt like most of them didn’t get what they deserved. All these things are revealed in the end and yet nothing happened and everyone basically gets away with it except one person. And that person was someone who was actually honest and wanted to do the right thing in the end, while everyone else was sneaky and lied, and it worked for them.

I will say…THE END. I need my questions answered. I love Julian so finding this “thing” out had me so sad and curious and wanting help. These teenagers made a lot of poor choices and definitely could’ve done better, but given the situation and dealing with a person who is manipulative and seeing how she latched on to them, honestly it seemed in the realm of possibilities that they would do what we found out. There is a line between bullying and being protective/upfront with someone who doesn’t care about/get boundaries.

I received a digital copy from NetGalley & the author of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Julie Soto for this novel!

3.5⭐

Julie Soto's writing is absolutely addictive, and The Thrashers proves she can master any genre she sets her mind to. This YA thriller debut had me completely hooked from the first page—it's one of those dangerous "just one more chapter" books that suddenly has you wondering where the time went.

The story follows Jodi Dillon, who finds herself part of the elite friend group at New Helvetia High despite feeling like she doesn't quite belong. When Emily Mills, a girl desperate to join their circle, dies under mysterious circumstances, the Thrashers find themselves at the center of a deadly game where Emily might not be as gone as they thought.

Julie nails the atmosphere of high school social dynamics while weaving in genuinely creepy thriller elements. The tension builds steadily as Emily's journal surfaces and the group faces mounting pressure from both detectives and supernatural occurrences. While this might not be the most groundbreaking thriller plot ever written, it's undeniably entertaining and kept me engaged throughout.

I'll admit the ending got a bit overwhelming with multiple plot threads converging at once, leaving me with more questions than answers. But honestly? That just made me want a sequel even more. Speaking of which—I am absolutely desperate for more Jodi and Julian content. Team Julian all the way! Their dynamic was one of the highlights of the book, and I need to see where their story goes next.

The Thrashers is a fantastic debut that showcases Julie's versatility as a writer. If you're looking for a fun, addictive read that blends high school drama with supernatural thriller elements, this one delivers. I hope Julie Soto writes more in this genre because she's clearly got a talent for it.

Every high school has them - the popular clique, the boy every girl hopes will notice her, the girls who will be prom queen and class president. At New Helvetia they're the Thrashers, and Jodi Dillon is in, due to her lifelong friendship with Zack Thrasher. But after new girl Emily tries to join, and ends up dead, rumors start circulating, and Jodi wonders how well she really knows her friends.

3.5 stars. What if Heathers and Mean Girls weren't comedies? It is an interesting take on the genre, because no one's hands are clean here. The popular kids aren't exactly bullies, they just don't want to be friends with everyone. The girl being picked on is actually a somewhat crazy stalker. Julian is the boy who hides his feelings for a girl by being mean, and then jumps to Jodi's defense when she's in trouble. Oliver is a misunderstood goth who feels cast aside, but he's also a drug dealer who's targeting vulnerable kids. Everything is grey.

This felt a little more complex than a YA novel usually gets. What knocked it down for me is that I feel like Soto couldn't decide if this was going to be a straight-up thriller or have a supernatural angle. The haunting felt tacked on mainly as a plot device in the last third of the book and to give it a spooky epilogue.

I went in to this as a Julie Soto fan so had high expectations. I started and wasn't sure how I felt at first (Honestly I almost DNF'd because I didn't think it was for me). But I'm glad I kept going! I flew through this, and the writing I love Julie Soto for was definitely present. I loved the twists and turns. I predicted a lot of what happened which is probably why I didn't rate this higher, but the ending was a surprise!

I think YA thrillers aren't for me any more but I'm quite sure my daughter will adore this one. I definitely recommend to anyone who likes YA thrillers!

Veronica Mars meets PLL with a dash of Vampire Diaries thrown in (or some other supernatural/witchy/ghosty vibes.) This YA thriller from Julie Soto was so gripping that I cancelled all of my Friday night plans and stayed up until 3 in the morning to devour it. Then immediately placed preorders for copies to ship to friends out of state because they needed to read it so we could talk about it.

The way that Julie uses the passing of the school year to subtly show us the growth and changing of characters throughout the book is so. good.

I can't do justice to The Thrashers. It's been a month and I still will just randomly think about the art room. Or the rose garden. Or the bleachers. Or the pool. Or just....all of it. Read it. Highly recommend.

Listen, YA is usually not my jam, but I put my trust in Julie Soto and I was not disappointed. I basically read this in one sitting (which is really rare for me these days), because I just could not put it down. I was so hooked by the plot and intrigue, I had to keep reading to find out what was going on. If you like YA thrillers, you should absolutely check this out. And that ending...... haven't stopped thinking about it. If Julie decides to write a sequel/follow up, I would not be mad about it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto and St Martin’s Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t exactly what I expected, but it is my first read from this author. There was a good amount of twists and turns peppered throughout. Even though this is a thriller/mystery novel, I did find it giving me some feels. I think everyone has felt on the edge of their friend group and it’s not a happy feeling. The paranormal aspect was unexpected and so fun.

This was a solid thriller, but I wasn't as connected with the story or characters as I wanted to be. I didn't love the YA drama and felt it overtook the thrilling aspects of the story, but it was still enjoyable overall.

Read if you like:
🔹YA Thrillers
🔹Paranormal elements
🔹Morally grey, untrustworthy characters
🔹Dramatic high school friendships
⚠️TW: suicide, bullying & alcoholism

OMG! Julie Soto is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I absolutely love when authors kill it in multiple genres and she is definitely one of them!!

The Thrashers are probably my new obsession. I loved this book so much. This book has everything I wanted in a YA thriller- a popular clique I couldn’t help but love, the creepy new girl who wants to be in SO BADLY, paranormal elements that make you question everything, family drama, suspense, and a crazy ending that left me wanting more (please Julie!!!) She did such an amazing job of mixing suspense with all the teenage drama! But can we please at least get a novella about Jodie & Julian???

This book gave me major “13 Reasons Why” vibes but also a little bit of “Carrie” (which I absolutely loved), while keeping it unique. Highly, highly recommend if you’re looking for an amazing YA thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

🎧The narration for this was absolutely brilliant. The narrators did such an amazing job bringing the characters, story and suspense to life.

I don't read a lot of YA or paranormal books, but this one worked for me! It gave me some Final Destination vibes too because there were a couple freak accidents.
It took me awhile to get into this one just because of life, not the book, but once I was hooked I could not put it down! I loved Jodi's character, the clique drama, the investigation and journal entries, all of it. The epilogue was 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This kept me on my toes. I'm not sure I completely expected any of it to happen the way it did.

That ending though. 🤯

High school can be traumatic and sometimes deadly. After the death of Emily, who tried to infiltrate a friend group by gas-lighting and manipulating its members, an investigation into her death begins. As more evidence is found, one friend may have to turn on the others for the truth to come out. Great depiction of teenagers and how they relate to one another and their parents.

This book made me very glad that my high school years were tame! This was a fun read. It was my first book by Julie Soto but i will definitely be checking out more of her work.

Julie Soto can do no wrong. I absolutely loved her YA debut, a fun mystery, thriller that kept you entertained and on the edge of your seat! An elite friend group, a journal, and a death. The set up was perfection!

The Thrashers. AKA the popular group everyone wants to be in and the group no one lets get close . Everyone wants to be Zack Thrashers friend, even after it cost someone their life… or so the rumors say.
The group includes Julian, Lucy, and Paige. But the one closest to him is Jodi. Jodi doesn’t “fit” the group. She always feels out of place but she was Zack’s childhood bestie so she gets to stick around. Then enter Emily Mills. Emily wants to be a Thrasher desperately, she would do anything. But then Emily passes away from what is ruled a suicide but then the rumor mill starts up. Some kids say it’s just tragic, but some are blaming the Thrashers… but who is telling the truth? And will the truth come out? When Jodi starts receiving strange messages she’s not sure who’s sending them, who to trust, but they’re telling her things she doesn’t want to believe are true. Will she take the words of a stranger and betray her friends? Or does she ignore them?
This book kept me on my toes, I was obsessed! I loved the suspense of it all an those last few pages. WOW!!

Julie just can do no wrong. YA just hits different. Pacing was perfect.fun thriller mystery read. Back to my roots as a reader with this one.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

The YA thrillers lately are on fire 🔥

This was my first Julie Soto book and I know she’s known and loved for her romances but The Thrashers was a good time.

Elite friend group, The Thrashers, are entering their senior year of high school during an ongoing investigation into their classmates’ death. The Thrashers are rich teens that love being the center of attention which has always left Jodi Dillon feeling a little in the outskirts but the Zack Thrasher has been her best friend since they were young and she’d do anything to keep their friendship.

As Emily’s journal is discovered in the investigation and the circumstances around her death begin to unfold The Thrashers start getting some unwanted attention and their loyalty to one another is put to the test.

This was a fast paced non stop thriller that kept me hooked with all of the teenage drama that unfolded. I had such mixed emotions with most of the characters but I couldn’t look away and was dying to know what was around each corner. There was some paranormal elements to the story that I wasn’t expecting and don’t typically enjoy but it tied into the story really well. That epilogue though… I need more to this story immediately!

There are some dark themes on page in this one so check your warnings.

Thank you so much to St Martin’s Press and Wednesday books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.