This was such a fun read. I was glued to it. When I wasn't flipping pages in the ebook, I was listening to the audiobook.

A group of high schoolers known as "The Thrashers" finds themselves at the center of an investigation after another high schooler commits suicide. They are viewed as a popular group that keeps their associations limited and exclusive - - sometimes to the point that it seems cruel in how they keep others out.

As the story progresses, you get some of the story from the dead girl's journal. But she isn't a reliable witness and you can never be sure if her information is correct or just a little twisted. When mysterious things start happening around them, a few of the girls start wondering if Emily is sending them a message from beyond. It all really gets in their heads.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns that this book took.

Audiobook Review: The narration was exactly what the book needed. It was mesmerizing and kept me in the story. 5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

In this book we follow and get to know the Thrashers which is a group of teens who people love, love to hate, or wish to be. Think the plastics in Mean Girls. Throughout the book we get to see different sides of the different members. Who is straight forward, who is just putting up a front, how many secrets people may be hiding. Some parts might be triggering to some but I personally enjoyed getting to know this group and hope based off the ending we get a sequel of people in college. Thank you Netgallery, St. Martin’s Press, and Julie Soto for choosing me to be an arc reader for this book.

I absolutely loved & devoured this book, it had me hooked from the beginning! It touched on some tough topics really well - suicide, bullying, & alcoholism. I desperately wanted to get to the bottom of what happened. I still have a million questions after that last chapter!

The development of all of these young adults was done really well. I especially loved Julian - I felt like it was an accurate portrayal of a high school boy who “doesn’t care” about anything until he’s forced to, and then he showed he cared through his actions.

Loved the mystery/thriller aspect and hope to see more of this from Julie Soto in the future!

Thank you to Julie Soto, St. Martin’s Press & Wednesday Books for the ARC.

Jodi Dillion is a bad ass! This book sucked me in from the first chapter. The story follows a group of friends called the thrashers and a dead girl named Emily. Emily was thrashed and took her own life leading the friend group into a whirlwind of possession/seances and final destination like situations. This is a perfect thriller/horror novel. If you like supernatural elements and mystery with a touch of romance you will love this!

I'm not sure how I thought this book would read, but it wasn't like it did.

The author, Julie Soto, did an excellent job writing the characters. I felt like they were described and explained well.

The whole idea of feeling left out in high school is so universal, regardless of the age of the readers, I imagine we can all relate.

And the ending ... well done. I didn't see it coming.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Welcome to the Thrashers, New Helvetia High’s most coveted and feared, friend group. Jodi never quite fits in, but her childhood bond with Zack Thrasher keeps her close. When outsider Emily dies and her secret journal emerges, Jodi must decide whether to betray her friends or save herself, especially as ghostly messages suggest Emily’s story isn’t over.

This was incredible! Julie Soto is goals, and as an aspiring author who wants to dabble in every genre I’m so inspired by her. I kept thinking of 13 Reasons Why and Pretty Little Liars as I read. To be honest I’m rarely into YA thrillers but this one held my attention from the very first page. Its layers and emotional impact landed exactly where it mattered and it wrapped so much heart around the suspense.

I will say I was not expecting the paranormal aspect to come into play, I don't read books that feature those elements. I'm still glad I read it and I genuinely see this as a hit show. I hope Julie Soto keeps writing thrillers because this had me completely locked in.

Thank you for Wednesday Books & NetGalley for this early ARC.

I have read every single one of Julie Soto's books and I was so excited to have the chance to read her debut YA novel! For fans of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus this is your next read! Such a quick read with important discussions on bullying and the effects of popularity.

Julie's writing is so addictive and I couldn't put the book down! Her subplot of romance was perfect and she really made you feel for the characters! I can't wait to read another one of hers!! Thanks for the arc! :)

Thank you NetGalley, Wednesday and the author for the arc!

Ok. So this YA thriller immediately threw me into binge-mode … I couldn’t help it. I was quite addicted & not mad about it! With all the teen angst & drama, the hint of some otherworldly things happening, the mysteries & secrets & lies & reveals and an open ended epilogue that left me slack-jawed & sitting in my own pile of “what-the-what?” … I stayed up way past my bedtime gobbling this one up!! You could say it “thrashed” me in a good way! (IYKYK) Such a page turner!

Just when I thought I had officially aged out of YA, The Thrashers came barrelling in like a caffeinated teenager with something to prove — and prove it did. This book didn’t just reignite my love for the genre; it defibrillated it.

Julie Soto hands us a fast-paced, razor-sharp novel that’s dripping in teenage tension, quiet heartbreak, and just enough paranormal intrigue to keep you guessing — but not distracted. The core friend group (the Thrashers, obviously — because teens love ominous nicknames) is a masterclass in morally grey, deeply layered characterization. Are they suspects? Are they victims? Are they just kids playing grown-up in a world that doesn’t give second chances? Yes. All of it.

Soto tackles big-ticket issues like bullying, suicide, and the brutal social hierarchy of high school with a kind of grace that doesn’t sanitize the pain but doesn’t wallow in it either. It’s nuanced. It’s empathetic. And it hits hard. There’s no plot twist to punch you in the face at the end — and honestly, that’s the point. The strength of this story is how real it feels beneath the ghost of Emily Mills and the echoes of what her classmates did (or didn’t) do.

Jodi, our precariously placed protagonist, gives us the perfect lens: one foot in the clique, one foot out the door. Her struggle to belong — and her fear of becoming someone she doesn't recognize — is palpable. Her chemistry with Julian? A+ slow burn. Her friendship with Lucy and Paige? Tender enough to make even the snarkiest reader clutch their chest. And Julian? Oh, Julian. That boy is a Rubik’s cube of guilt, grief, and buried loyalty. The final chapter and epilogue? Wrecked me.

In short: this book slaps. It's emotional, it's sharp, it's exactly what YA should be when it's firing on all cylinders. Julie Soto, if you're listening — sequel, spin-off, crumbs, anything. I’ll take it.

Wow! I’ve read many thrillers but this one gave me literal chills.

I’m truly impressed with how Julie was able to inject me into this book. There was many times that I felt like I knew where the story was going but was shocked over and over again. And, The ending had me with my jaw on the floor.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Sometimes when there’s multiple characters it’s hard to keep up but that is not the case here. I love how the characters were built and relationships were established and just 🤌🏼. The whole plot had me hooked.

Thank you @Netgalley & @wednesdaybooks for the ARC! 💜

Two days.. two days flat is how long it took me to devour The Thrashers! I couldn’t put it down until I found out what actually happened to Emily.

The twists & turns had me on edge!! I got *nostalgic* Veronica Mars with a bit of 13 reasons why vibes while reading through the story. I loved the mystery (& ghosty vibes) , the suspense, the danger. Uncovering all these secrets, seeing the characters deal with hardship while changing friendship dynamics and learning how your perspective can be altered when you start to dive within and start to see things and people for what they are. I love how the book highlights all the self realizations and life changes you go through while experiencing teens years and high school.

The Thrashers was my first read from Julie Soto and I am hooked, I’ll be diving into her catalog and reading many more!

Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The way Julie wrote the main group of teens is so good. The angst, the self doubt, feeling like an outsider in a group. Wow, so good. I loved it. I was also not expecting the WTF twist at the end. I need more books like this immediately.

I have loved reading Julie Soto’s adult romances, so I had high hopes for her first foray into YA thrillers/mysteries. It absolutely did not disappoint. Julie Soto is officially an auto buy author after this book.

I loved the cast of characters. The core group - Jodi, Julian, Zack, Lucy, and Paige - are all perfectly morally grey, but I couldn’t help rooting for them. Specifically, Julian and Jodi.

The ending was (mostly) satisfying and the epilogue gave me chills. It was so creepy. I would love to see a sequel to this book focused on this group years down the road.

This is a book that I don’t think I’ll forget anytime soon.

This book!!!! Julie Soto can do it all! A thriller, YA book from was not something I expected but she perfected! I finished it so fast because I just couldn’t stop! So good!

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.