I will read every single thing Julie Soto writes! This was such a fantastic YA thriller, I could not put it down. This entire book was a roller coaster of emotions and that writing was excellent in that I wasn't sure who to root for. The ending was a tad predictable but overall such a great read!

The main character was well-drawn, but the surrounding characters felt underdeveloped and one-note. I think I was expecting more page-turning mystery, and this was more of a slow-burn psychological book. There will definitely be some readers for this in my library.

This was giving Pretty Little Liars. There was group of best friends and someone who wanted to join dies, so the group was being looked at suspiciously.

Jodi was part of the “Thrasers” but she didn’t feel like she fit in, exactly. She was different than them, but she was still considered one of them.

I seriously could not put this down. And it’s been a while since I’ve stayed up to finish a book. The writing and storytelling kept my attention the entire time, and I had to find out what happened.

The supernatural elements, the twists, the high school drama and angst, and even the way the characters talked? Julie Soto nailed it.

The ending of this book? I. Am. Unwell. I need another book, because I need more answers.

What a ride and that ending ! Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I really tried with this one, but ultimately dnf’d around 20%. I had a really hard time vibing with the writing and I couldn’t get into the plot. It was choppy and there was no chemistry with any of the characters, and I realized I didn’t even know what was going on because I was bored and not retaining any information.

There was a lot to enjoy about The Thrashers. I loved the supernatural element, which made the book eerie and unsettling. It's a high energy page turner of the book, with action on every page and lots to keep you guessing.

The character group is, by design, a bit unlikeable, and I think sometimes that makes it challenging to stay invested in them. It's hard to get a read on whether they're terrible enough to be involved in the death of another student, or whether they've truly been framed. I liked that this kept me curious, but at times I found that I didn't care all that much if these scary events (of which there are many--page after page of near death experiences, to the point that it felt saturated) happened to them. Jodi in particular is a bit generic ( like the character herself, I too found myself wondering how she ended up in this group of popular, elite high schoolers, because she doesn't have much of a personality).

Soto's writing style is fun and easy to read, which makes The Thrashers an generally enjoyable book to pick up. I think if the characters had been more developed then I would have been more engaged through the ending.

This YA thriller kept me up all night to finish in a sitting. It's got a little 13 Reasons Why meets A Good Girl's Guide to Murder with a dash of Veronica Mars and dome paranormal activity.

A year after Emily suicides, a group of close-knit friends, the Thrashers, become increasingly under the microscope. Bullying, unhealthy friendship, and secrets are exposed.

Recommending for high school library acquisition.

This one will leave you guessing until the very end!

When a prom night catastrophe leaves a sophomore dead, it doesn't take long for rumors to surface about the reason why. Fingers soon point to New Helvetia's ultimate "it" group, known as the Thrashers. It was obvious that Emily wanted to be one of them and it was equally obvious that the Thrashers did what they always do, Thrashed her. But as evidence surfaces and charges are pressed, these five friends will be forced to examine what really happened last year and what their parts were in all of it. And it doesn't help that as the case progresses, weirder and weirder things begin to occur. Strange things. Deadly things. Soon enough, the truth will out. Let's just hope they're all still around to see the outcome.

This was an excellent YA thriller debut for Julie Soto. I swear, there were so many times where I thought HAHA I've figured it out! Every single time I was wrong. Julie masterfully directs and misdirects the reader and leaves them guessing. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, wishing I could read faster so that I could finally find out what happened!

She has created a wealth of diverse, morally grey characters that make it so easy to root for them and against them at the same time. You want them to succeed but you also don't mind when they fail because honestly they had it coming. And the ending? Absolutely blew me away. I never could have seen half of these confessions and revelations coming, even if I was looking for them!

I hope we see more in this vein from Ms. Soto. She's known for her romance but honestly I don't think it will be long until she's a big name in thrillers as well.

Forget Me Not is one of my all time favourite romances. And while its sequel had a synopsis that didn't really suit me, I've been itching to pick up Julie Soto again.

Even though this is a YA Thriller, it still honestly kinda rocked?

The characters were very realistic in my experience-- they didn't seem overly adult, but nor did they seem too childish. The mystery and information was perfectly paced to build a constant intrigue without feeling overly manipulated or landing flat. And in some really positive ways, it reminded me of some of my favourite Veronica Mars episodes.

I'd very easily recommend to YA Thriller fans, and would optimistically recommend even to people who don't usually love the genre. (But if you're very sure YA Thrillers aren't for you, I don't think this one will be suddenly unconventional enough to change your mind.)

This book was vapid, but mostly in an entertaining way. I liked the FMC Jody, as she seemed to be the only empathetic person in the whole book. The Thrashers, Jody's frenemy group, are your standard white, rich bullies with nothing better to do than get drunk, high, and meddle in the lives of other teens. Admittedly, I think I'm aged out of this genre. It's decently written, but I found myself frustrated with the teenagers doing nothing but partying and almost dying (think Scream & IKWYDLS). Once or twice would've been fine, but every other chapter became tiresome. The actual plot finally started picking up at 70% and the revelations came in rapid fire.The ending twist was creepy AF and does leave potential for a sequel. I think if the author had used more of the formula for plot and character progression of the last 30% of the book, this would've been a 5 ⭐. Lastly, I think these themes are prominent enough to warrant content warnings: alcoholic parent with on-page abuse (moderate) perpetrated by parent, detailed bullying, moderate descriptions of stalking, mentions & descriptions of suicide, and moderately detailed description of death of a parent by suicide.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I finished it, it even put me in a reading slump for a minute in the most positive way. As if no other book I could read got the first time would compare. Immediately, I felt myself attached to the characters and itching to know how the book would turn out that putting it down pained me. I hadn’t read a Julie Soto book prior to this, but now I’m going to read them all.

The book felt real, the high school setting didn’t feel like a view of school from a foggy glass that doesn’t quite understand what it was like to be a teenager in the modern day. Jodi was also the perfect narrator for this, very honest and also somewhat new within The Thrashers that gave it that “okay but what if…?” factor.

The ending of the book is perfect, and is exactly why this book has stuck with me as long as it has. It tells you just enough, but leaves everything you want to know open ended so you’re left wanting more.

Officially my favorite Julie Soto book. I’m so used to her writing more.. romantic books? This one was fast paced suspenseful thrilling drama. It starts with a punch, a heavy subject, and just keeps you uncomfortably invested. It reminded me of a modern day YA Jawbreaker plot. SO GOOD.

A must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the e-ARC of this title to read and review. I read "The Thrashers" about 10-20 pages at a time over the course of actual months, before speeding through the ending in an hour, which is definitely not how I usually read. I kept waiting to get pulled into the story for a long and immersive read, and it just never happened for me. I've read one of the author, Julie Soto's, adult contemporary romances before and really loved it, but this read just didn't suck me in the same way. That said, I've always loved a good YA that centers around cliques, ever since I was a teen. I think this book adds nicely to the genre, and ups the game by being a really creepy thriller to boot.

This was an unexpectedly heavy read, as yes, the plot unfolds after a classmate Emily's suicide, but then there's also so many scary accidents, hospital trips, injuries, talk of other deaths/suicides etc., throughout the story. Content warning for those sensitive to these topics.

Not spoilers, but some end-of-book wrap-up thoughts: First, I liked that I genuinely didn't know (all throughout the book) whether this group of kids (called The Thrashers due to their devotion to one kid named Thrasher) was just being framed because of their popularity, or if they had really done heinous things. You can kind of tell they're all low grade mean, but are they absolutely terrors? It made it hard to root for any specific character, since I couldn't tell their real morals, but this made the story compelling. We know that The Thrashers did not like their classmate Emily, but it's not quite obvious throughout if they were actively bullying her in a hateful way, simply staying away from her, or just excluding her from activities for good cause (as in, is Emily fully innocent and feeling the brunt of this friend group's meanness, or is she also lying and stalking?). In the same vein but adding to it, I liked that the story felt a bit ripped-from-the-headlines in a way, because there are real court cases about teen cliques bullying a peer (to death or other extreme circumstance) where we have to learn a lot about how much these kids are responsible for the actions: what they knew about the victim's mental health situation, which friends maybe just went along with the crowd without questioning but also without agency, and where blame may be misplaced.

Additionally, there's a supernatural/ghost element to the story that definitely ups the creep factor, but I'm not sure it works in the overall storytelling. I like it as a way to signal that the group may be haunted by their behaviors, but it's actually presented quite literally: communicating with the dead, seeing things etc. It feels... convenient? To gloss over some inconsistencies and plot points that don't really add up, so instead it's like hmmmm well the ghost did it! What did you expect from ghostly communications, accuracy?

The Thrashers

OH MY GOSH! What a wild ride. I could not put this one down. I'm not usually a thriller reader, but if Julie Soto writes it, I'm going to read it. And I'm so glad I did! I was so curious where it was going to go and how it would end. I loved it!

A tight group of five high school friends, "The Thrashers" are all under the microsope after a classmate commits suicide. What follows is an investigation to each of them as they try to navigate what really happened and who was Emily.

This does deal with suicide in multiple ways so please be aware of that going in. There are also discussions of assault and domestic abuse.

Thank you to Wednesday books for this ARC! My opinions are my own.

This was a solid YA book. It read a bit too YA for me at parts, but I enjoyed the story even though I couldn't find myself relating to much throughout.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Julie Soto, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for an e-arc!

The Thrashers are the elite friend group at their high school; the clique everyone wants to be a part of. Jodi Dillon honestly fears she doesn’t belong. The rest of the group—Julian, Lucy, Paige, and the infamous Zack Thrasher himself—are popular, spoiled, and rich beyond belief. However, Zack is Jodi’s childhood best friend and the guy she’s been pining over for years so she tries to fit in with them. When Emily Mills, a girl who desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, dies and her journal surfaces, the police begin investigating the popular friend group and secrets come to light.

My personal favorite aspects of this novel were the speculative elements. I also enjoyed the romance subplot and the tension involved. In general, this was a solid YA mystery/thriller and one I would highly recommend, and while I liked it, I don’t seem to be loving it the way others are. I think the unlikable friend group and mean clique vibes just reminded me why I don’t miss being a teenager in high school (haha) and ultimately felt a bit bleaker and sadder than the vibe I was looking for in the moment. However, I fully acknowledge that this is a “me” problem and would still encourage others to pick this up!

You know how sometimes it’s the little things that really hook you in? For me, it was definitely the title and the whole concept behind this YA thriller, "The Trahers." Imagine a clique of five high school students totally worshiping the golden boy, Zach Trasher. They even wear their devotion like a badge of honor, calling themselves "trashers." They casually toss aside people they deem uncool, and honestly, because of what they are perceived as, the typical, mean, rich people pack, they even feel a little “trash” themselves.

What really got me was how the title contrasts with the narrative tone. This isn’t just a juicy thriller about a mean clique; it’s written in such a smooth, subtle way. It kicks off with a bang, and we dive straight into the drama when Emily Mills commits suicide and the Trahers get arrested for allegedly pushing her to it. Things heat up even more when Zach is accused of sexual abuse. But the way the story unfolds isn’t what you’d expect. We’re in the head of our narrator, Jodi Dilloon, who can’t shake the feeling that she doesn’t truly fit in with this group, even though she’s known Zach forever. Her doubts and fears about belonging are very intriguing, especially when everyone else seems to just accept their world as normal. It creates this deliciously unreliable ambiguity as Jodi reflects on her friends. Can she really see them for who they are?

And then we have Emily, who seems a bit like a lost puppy. She’s not as cool, rich, or pretty as the rest, always trying to squeeze her way into the group. At first, Jodi paints her as this outsider with barely any interaction, but when the police find Emily’s diary, it blows everything wide open and adds layers to Jodi’s already shaky perspective.

There are so many threads that showcase the subtlety of the storytelling. For instance, Jodi lives with her dad, who’s a truck driver and seems like he really cares about her; he even picks up extra shifts for a fancy lawyer. But then, we get glimpses of his darker side, and it’s clear Jodi might be in denial about how abusive he really is. If she can overlook that, could her perceptions of Zach be equally skewed?

Oh, and let’s talk about Julian. This guy has a major adversarial relationship with Jodi, which leads to one of my favorite plot twists ever. Not much else occurs; in fact, there’s even a full-blown disaster scene at the outdoor cinema. Seriously, this is a well-crafted YA thriller that’s packed with intrigue, hints, and just the right amount of yes!, paranormal thrills. You’ll find unexpected twists around every corner, and the ending? It proves the author totally knew where this story was headed from the start. Buckle up, because "The Trahers" is a thrill ride!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

An excellent young adult mystery that was so well-written! I loved the character development, of all of the characters, including the unlikable ones! Intriguing story, and kept me guessing with a hint of supernatural elements, too!

TW: suicide; bullying

Thank you Wednesday Books, SMP, and Netgalley for the ARC.

I will say, I enjoyed the Thrashers. However, due to her other book, Rose in Chains, being harmful to the trans community and containing heavy antisemitic stereotypes, I will not be providing a review nor promoting her books in the future, at least not until she takes steps to heal the harm she has caused.

3.5 rounded down to 3 stars on Goodreads

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC!

Star #1: The plot was amazing! I thought it was super interesting and a very good YA debut. It was one of the better mystery/thriller novels I’ve read

Star #2: I literally couldn’t put the book down, I read it in only ONE DAY! That’s not unusual for me, but considering April was one of my busiest months, it was rare at the time.

Star #3: The horror and paranormal aspects made the book better. The epilogue was crazy and I wasn’t expecting any of this when picking up the book.

However, I didn’t like the ending as much as I hoped I would (with the exception of the epilogue). I also wasn’t attached to any of the characters. Feeling a connection to characters is one of the most important things in a book for me, and I just didn’t like any of them.