3.5 stars. Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for this ARC. Wow, what a whirlwind. For being Julie Soto's debut thriller novel, this was impressively written. The Thrashers was a creepy, mysterious, and crazy story that spotlights a mean high school clique. The things that happened to the characters in this novel were devastating and hard to read at times.

Julie Soto did an amazing job with cultivating a thrilling story that had me on the edge of my seat, wanting to find out what happened to Emily and why she died. The dynamic between high schoolers was written really well, with the bullying taking place seeming so realistic.

I was definitely frustrated with the way the story ended, but all in all, I think it was a great way to end the story. A couple of things in the end were predictable, but I wish we had more answers to why certain things were happening. For example, one of Emily's old schoolmates mentions there was a reason she left her old school, but that was never addressed. I wonder if the ending was left slightly open-ended for a continuation of the story or if it is open to interpretation.

I was not expecting what was revealed in the epilogue. I was also rooting for Jodi and Julian and wished more had come out of that. The way things ended with that was just so tragic to me. Props to Julie Soto on this story, and I can't wait to see what she releases next!

Are you ready to get Thrashed?!?

Follow the Thrashers and get an inside glimpse of being in the popular crowd. This is basically the story of the aftermath of what happens after bullying. The Thrashers are dealing with the consequences of how it will affect their future and relationship with each other.

I loved this book because it brought me back to high school and how everyone had a clique they belonged to. You could find these characters at any high school from the popular kids that everyone wanted to be and hang out with to the least popular kids who were Thrashed. This book was a reminder of how words can be deadly and you never know how your words can affect someone. So be kind to everyone.

I had no expectations going into this and didn't even read the blurb. It was written by a favorite author so I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed and boy was I right. While this book ended with no cliffhanger, I wanted to know more. There's potential for a sequel if the author would give it to us. *fingers crossed

Also, while I normally prefer dual/duet style audiobooks, the narrator did a great job at differentiating the character voices so I could enjoy the audiobook.

The Thrashers is Julie Soto’s first YA thriller. It kept me guessing until the end and is thoroughly enjoyable. It has left a lasting impression!

The Thrashers is a group of students who attend New Helvetica High. You are either a Thrasher or you are not. This book handles a variety of issues tactfully like suicide, friend groups, alcohol abuse, and bullying. I look forward to more YA (or any) books that Julie writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Wednesday Press for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

OMIGOD??!!! WHAT DID JULIE SOTO PUT IN THIS BOOK??? i couldn’t put it down!!! absolutely addicting from beginning to end with lovable characters (still screaming over julian and jodi) i NEED a second book with them!!! julie soto i am on MY KNEES BEGGING PLEASE

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Would recommend for 16+!
🌹
Feelings after turning the last page: OH WHAT!!! There better be a book 2!
🌹
10-second synopsis: The Thrashers are the 5 best friends anybody could have…but for Jodi, who feels like she’s on the outside, this is fragile. Emily, a classmate who desperately wants in, dies, and the Thrashers are under heavy scrutiny. Let the mystery commence!
🌹
Review: Well this was a fun little ride! I think we have all felt like Jodi at some point in our lives - you have a great group of friends, but you can’t help but wonder if you’re ever left out. I loved not knowing where the story was going at any point and was just along for the ride. I was definitely creeped out at times and read with the lights on 😂. All of our characters have flaws, which makes them so realistic! The writing was wonderful in Julie Soto fashion. So many twists and turns and that ending had me feral for another book!
🌹
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read prior to release on 5/6!

I love a Julie Soto romance, so I knew I would enjoy this. Her writing is addictive. This was fast paced enough to keep me hooked, but still had some fun twists along the way the way. Is this a thing where we can have teams? Bc I am team Julian, screw Zack! I absolutely wish Zack had gotten what he deserved, especially more so than Julian! But the epilogue?! Oh boy I have so many questions now!
One thing that I struggle with is when authors rely really heavy on pop culture references (celebs, social media trends, etc.) to set a scene for a YA book. It draws me out of a story and ultimately feels so dated (even though it’s current, if that makes sense??) the beginning of the story felt really heavy with this. There were a few times I felt like a lot was happening and some of it maybe was unnecessary (for example, nothing came of the lawyers looking into Emily’s behavior at her old school). Also how we basically forgave Emily (not to victim blame but she was crazy).
Overall I enjoyed this, and I would recommend it!

This was a fun YA thriller that was fast paced and so fun to read! The plot kept me guessing and I loved all the twists and turns. That ending!!?? I did think there could have been less mention of drinking and drugs, but that's just me. It was fun to read a different genre than her usual romance books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

I’m a huge fan of Julie Soto so I picked this book up without even reading the back. So I was completely surprised that it was a YA thriller. That’s totally my fault! I definitely recommend people read the back of the book lol. But let me tell you I was Really happily surprised by this book. I feel like I was invested really quickly into the characters and the plot. Basically, I think Julie Soto can write anything at this point. I definitely recommend this book. I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this in one day because I could not put it down! I loved that all of the characters were all a bit morally gray, it made it so much more interesting. I thought it was paced really well, and I liked that it was told from Jodi’s point of view. It was a bit unrealistic at times, but I really enjoyed this one! I still haven’t wrapped my head around the ending yet.

Thank you so much for NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not think I would like this book, but I read it for the Julie Soto of it all, and of course I ended up LOVING it. I could not put it down. It haunted me in my sleep (the little sleep I got). I really wanted to know what happened to the Thrashers (Zack, Lucy, Paige, Jodi, and Julian), and how they were involved in the death of Emily.
What makes this book really incredible is not just the fact that the suspense is top-notch, but that the friendships are very realistic. It's easy to have a lot of empathy for these teens even as you see them be thoughtless and sometimes mean to others. I think this is a great book to read and discuss with teenagers. There's a fine line between teasing and bullying. It's so easy to be mean. Lots of life lessons here.
And also, I love Jodi, the main character. She has a very tough home life with an alcoholic and mostly absent father. She has been following Zack around since second grade. She's left out a lot. And even so, she has a lot of integrity when it counts. The character development is really top-notch.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I cannot wait for the next one in this series. There better be a next one.

Thank you NetGalley for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Thrashers by Julie Soto
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
352 pages
Publishing tomorrow May 6th, 2025

Either you’re in or you’re out. Welcome to the Thrashers, the elite friend group at New Helvetia High. They’re everything everyone wants to be. Jodi Dillon was never meant to be one of them. Julian, Lucy, Paige, and the infamous Zack Thrasher are rich, sophisticated, and love attention. Jodi feels out of place, but Zack’s her childhood best friend, so she’s in. Then Emily Mills, who desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, dies-and the whispers about the Thrashers begin. As Emily’s journal surfaces, detectives close in, and Jodi faces an impossible choice: betray her friends or protect herself. But as eerie messages and strange occurrences escalate, it becomes clear—Emily isn’t done with them yet.

If you know me at all, you know I am a HUGE Julie Soto fan. So when she posted that she was branching out and publishing a YA thriller, I was SO HYPE. This book felt like Pretty Little Liars x 13 Reasons Why in a way with the spooky, mysterious drama. I easily devoured this book because it left me wanting more. It is addicting, fast paced, and overall an excellent YA Thriller.

Read if you like:
⭐️ YA Thrillers
⭐️ Suspense
⭐️Drama
⭐️Spooky Vibes

Thank you @wednesdaybooks @juliesotowrites @netgalley for the eARC. I had the pleasure to meet @juliesotowrites (again) at Loveyall Book Fest where she hid ARCs throughout the hotel!

#juliesoto #yathriller #wednesdaybooks

⭐⭐⭐💫

I’ve seen quite a few early reviews that said the twist was really surprising, which intrigued me, because I often can identify it due to how many horror movies I consumed at arguably too young an age. I called what the twist would be about half way through, and I didn't find it particularly surprising or new for the genre.

That said, I think this book tells an important story of what happens when children don’t have active adults in their lives. For the main character Jodi, it means she is keeping a secret from most of the people in her life about her father’s behavior and how that impacts her. For Emily, the classmate who died by suicide before the start of the book, it was how she needed more guidance in several aspects of her life. Had those adults been there, I think their stories would've been different, and the value they put on themselves, their time, and their needs would be more in their favor.

I like the combination of supernatural and real world aspects. This book isn’t entirely one thing, which I think makes it a fun read for most thriller fans. If you’re someone that enjoys stories rooted in ghosts, that storyline is there, and if you’re someone who likes more realistic situations and double crosses, that’s also there. Despite including all these elements, they work well in tandem, whereas in other books it may become too busy or cluttered. It reminds me a lot of the movie Unfriended, which also follows a friend group experiencing seemingly supernatural activity from a classmate who died by suicide and they may not have been the nicest to.

If you like thrillers and enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, it’s worth the read. There is so much about this book that reminded me of what I liked about reading Pretty Little Liars in a good way, and I enjoyed that.

Julie yet again proves that no matter the genre she can knock it out of the park! this YA thriller had me on the edge of my seat the entire book, with pretty little liars/ mean girl plastics/ paranormal vibes and plot twists I did not see coming. It was addicting and I refused to put it down until I was done.lol

When Jodi Dillon and her friends Julian, Lucy, Paige, and Zack Thrasher find themselves implicated in the suicide of Emily Mills, their worlds begin falling apart. Strange happenings begin, injuries abound, and signs from beyond the grave keep coming.

This was an excellent YA thriller! It delivers on its promise to keep you up at night, desperate to read just one more page! I'm not normally a fan of the paranormal, although I do believe our loved ones send us signs, but the paranormal bits in this book were believable and not overpowering. There were not a lot of petty problems, something that is often an issue in the YA genre, and for the most part, the teens were not making stupid mistakes. It was clear that the author understands teens and was not just writing based on stereotypes, as some YA authors seem to do. I look forward to reading more of this author's work! Read it!

Note: I received an ARC of this book, at no cost to myself, from NetGalley and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

how far would you go to protect your best friends? your reputation? the boy you have loved all your life?

We follow Jodi Dillon, the odd ball in the tight knit friend group known collectively as “The Thrashers” - named after their leader, and Jodi’s best friend since second grade, Zack Thrasher. We join this group the summer after their classmate, Emily Mills, dies on prom night. The group is thrown under investigation when Emily’s journal reveals the history of her time with The Thrashers and the series of bullying events that lead to her taking her own life. To make matters worse, Jodi is faced with the dilemma of a lifetime when her friends are placed under the microscope and an investigation that could ruin all their lives rages during their senior year. Jodi soon discovers the true colors of her friends as an eerie presence and series of unfortunate events plagues the group as the investigation unfolds.

Julie Soto NEVER misses. Change in genre? – no problem. Change is audience? – no problem. I truly bow down to her greatness.

What a face-paced ride this novel was. I tore through it, hungry for what was going to happen next. Soto created an incredibly diverse cast of characters that had you craving this story from each of their perspectives. I was addicted to the way this story unfolded and learning alongside Jodi. You were able understand the fragility of being in the “in crowd” and how one wrong move or mistake can put everything into jeopardy.
Can we talk about Julien? My favorite character by far. Nothing gets me more than a misunderstood rich boy with something to hide. More importantly the EPILOGUE?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! It made me want to start this book all over from the beginning.

Overall, a fantastic YA thriller with the right amount of twists and turns that has solidified Soto as an auto buy author for me.

Zack Thrasher, Jodi Dillon, Paige Montgomery, Julian Hollister, and Lucy Reed are the most powerful and popular students at Sacramento’s New Helvetia High. Collectively known as The Thrashers, (they never call themselves that) they’re practically high school royalty. Everyone wants to be them or be friends with them. Until Emily Mills commits suicide on prom night and everyone points to The Thrashers as the reason. Emily desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, often wiggling her way into hangouts, plans, and parties. Now, whispers and rumors circulate about bullying and other abusive behaviors, because The Thrashers, well, they have a reputation. People who get too close to the friends have often found themselves dropped, frozen out, and cast aside. When Emily’s diary is found, The Thrashers lives become even more complicated as the police take a vested interest in its contents. As The Thrashers navigate their senior year under the scrutinizing eyes of those around them, strange incidents and accidents begin to occur. Scary, unexplainable things. Are the police the only ones watching them? Or is someone, or something, out for revenge?

Julie Soto’s The Thrashers thrilled, chilled, and utterly thrashed me! I loved Soto’s Forget Me Not and Not Another Love Song, but The Thrashers proves she can write literally anything and write it well. From the first page, the eerie and unsettling vibe has your hair raising and your goosebumps bumping. You’re constantly on the edge of your seat, not knowing who or what to trust, your opinions and guesses changing every other page. Everyone is lying, including Emily and her diary, which adds an even more twisted, complex layer to the story. You expect to hate The Thrashers, these golden children, posh and pampered, but these characters have dimension. There are reasons to like, love, and hate each of them and it makes you second guess things you thought were true. Teenagers are some of the scariest creatures on Earth and it clearly shows in The Thrashers. Soto has crafted an intricate, convoluted maze and slowly, steadily leads you to the mysterious, chilling center. Then BAM! She smacks you in the face with the last few pages, leaving you shocked and questioning everything. It’s thrilling, painful, exhilarating…and you love every second of it. Demanding (and impatiently waiting for) the sequel!

Chills. I have chills. I could not put this one down!

I feel like these characters captured how I think a lot of people (or at least how I) felt in high school. Everyone, even the popular group, was insecure about something whether it was obvious to others or not.

I was constantly second guessing every character’s intentions and wondering if they did or didn’t do what they were accused of doing.

Oh and the epilogue…. 😳 I’m gonna need a sequel. Maybe a non YA romance, if you’re taking requests, Julie 😏

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

I'll be honest, I feel like I don't read as much YA these days (I've been on a romance kick for a few months), but when I saw that Julie Soto was publishing a YA books, I was really excited to give it a shot. I loved her first two books, and I was curious to see if I would love this book, since it is quite different. And I ended up really enjoying it.

I really enjoyed seeing the dynamic and high school hierarchy portrayed and explore the way it was in this book. Yes, a main focus is on the death of Emily, and Jodi trying to understand what truly happened, but it plays so much on the question of popularity, friendship, and belonging. And I felt really differently about the characters at the end of the book that I did at the beginning, because we get to see the layers that lead most of them to present themselves to the world the way they do. Julian is the best example of that, the jerk you learn to love (anyone else getting strong Logan Echolls vibes from him?)

The mystery in itself was kind of secondary to me, because it is quite the slow burn on that side, and I felt like some details were either rushed or not fully tied up. There is a little of a supernatural side, with the spirits/ghost, and that epilogue leaves me questioning if there is a sequel planned, because there is a little bit of a twist. Honestly, it was a fun read that I ended up devouring in one night (oopsie, got to bed at 2am, even though I had work the next morning....), and I'm really hoping Julie Soto will give us more from these characters and world.

The Thrashers by Julie Soto | ARC Review

Thank you @juliesotowrites and @netgalley for this ARC! You know when you are so scared to start a book because you know it will absolutely leave you speechless, so you leave it for as long as you can, but then you FINALLY give in and read it, and then you just sit there in shock and don’t know how to process what you read? Yep, that was me after finishing The Trashers. Julie, please pinky promise us that there is a follow up to this book, because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

4.5⭐️// no 🌶️

Jodi Dillon finds herself part of an exclusive group - The Trashers - at her high school, New Helvetia High. She knows she doesn’t belong, and she knows everyone else in the school knows that there must be a reason she is still friends with everyone in the group. Jodi, like everyone else, is there because of Zack Trasher, unofficial leader of the Trashers. Along comes Emily Mills, who desperately wants to be part of the group. However, when she unexpectedly dies, everyone blames and points fingers to The Trashers as the culprits in Emily’s death. An ongoing police investigation, strange messages, weird incidences - all suggest that Emily might still have something to say, even after her death. 🫣

This book kept me in suspense the entire time (despite reading it in like half a day)!! I was trying to predict what would happen next, and anticipate how it will all play out, but the pinch of supernatural, and the hefty dose of mystery kept me in the dark until the very last page. I loved the characters, the storyline, the seemingly unrelated events, that were just little bits of this big canvas laid out in the end. And I LOVED the (slightly) morally-questionable Julian🙂‍↕️I am keeping my fingers crossed that Julie releases more books in this genre, because I was hooked!!!

Favourite scene: The rose garden 🥀🫣 & paint wars 🎨🤭

This was my first @juliesotowrites book and it did not disappoint!!!

This book was a WILD ride! Think Mean Girls but DARK and mixed with Riverdale vibes but with paranormal elements. There was A LOT going on but I enjoyed it! It was fast paced, full of drama, and for Julie’s first Thriller!? I think she nailed it. Tons of unexpected twist, morally grey characters, and even though it is YA it didn’t feel too childish to me which I loved!!

The Thrashers by Julie Soto comes out TOMORROW 5/06/25!!!💜

Thank you so much to Julie, wednesday books, st martins press, and netgalley for the arc!