I wish this has been for me, but sadly it just didn't work for me. I'm not sure if maybe I've reached a point where YA doesn't work for me or if the book wasn't right. But the book just fell flat for me. I found myself wanting to skip which is never what you want when you're reading.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

THE THRASHERS by Julie Soto: A Haunting YA Masterpiece

Julie Soto's YA debut knocked the wind out of me. I devoured this twisted tale of elite high school cliques, deadly secrets, and supernatural vengeance in one breathless sitting.

The Thrashers follows Jodi Dillon, an outsider granted entry to New Helvetia High's most exclusive friend group through her childhood connection to Zack Thrasher. When Emily Mills—a girl desperate to join their ranks—dies, suspicious eyes turn to the Thrashers. As Emily's journal surfaces and eerie occurrences multiply, Jodi realizes the ghost of their past isn't finished with them.

What makes this story exceptional is how Soto transforms familiar YA elements into something profoundly unsettling. The psychological cat-and-mouse game kept me guessing until the final page, and that epilogue—I'm still processing it days later.

Key tropes that make this a must-read:

👑 Outsider trying to fit in
📓 Revealing journal/diary
👻 Supernatural/ghostly elements
🧩 Unreliable narrator
🔪 Psychological suspense
💀 Revenge from beyond
🌑 Dark past revealed
💣 Shocking epilogue

For fans of dark academia with supernatural elements and toxic friendships that cut like glass.

I have never read a book by Julie Soto and learning that this was her first book in this genre was surprising! I really enjoyed this, and it made this trope seem new and fresh. I loved the supernatural element in this as well and felt that there were some twists that I was definitely not expecting. The ending was fantastic and I wished I could have a spent just a little more in this world and in a certain character's head.

The Thrashers was a captivating YA thriller with a touch of paranormal elements. I can absolutely see this becoming a TV series or movie; just the perfect read for fans of 13 Reasons Why, Riverdale and Pretty Little Liars.

It’s in the heroine’s POV only with some journal entries from another character.

The premise was so intriguing. There was mystery, suspense, high school drama, and some slight paranormal elements. The story also dealt a lot with high school cliques, jealousy, bullying, toxicity and wanting to fit in.

While the pacing was quite slow, I was still captivated from start to finish. There were some entertaining, amusing, intense and crazy moments as well.

The friendship group (the Thrashers) and everyone’s role within it was so interesting. They all seemed to protect, lie, and pretend with each other. They weren’t the nicest of people either; they were just young and flawed. While they weren’t exactly villains, none of them were innocent either.

The idolization the group had, especially the heroine, with one of their friends was fascinating as well. There were definitely moments I wanted to shake the heroine and hoped she’d take off the rose color glasses she had of him. While at the end she does seem to view him differently, it still felt like she cared for him a lot. I hope if we get another book we see her grow out of it completely.

The heroine was pining and there was unrequited love. It was frustrating to read at times, as it was clear it was never going to happen. Her devotion to him just never faltered even towards the end.

There was a bit of side romance between the heroine and another character. I was actually rooting for him a lot and I hope their relationship continues and is explored in the next potential book.

There were certain characters I liked at first and ended up hating at the end and vice versa. It was a bit frustrating that a certain character suffered no consequences at the end, while another took the brunt of it all. There were also certain subplots that felt underdeveloped and brushed aside at the end.

The epilogue was so good though, as it left off on a very interesting cliffhanger. I really hope the author continues because I need answers! Overall, just an incredible read that will have you wanting more!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, Julie Soto has done it again. While the the book was mostly predictable that ending left my jaw on the floor. I just need more.

4.5 stars.

Jodi, Paige, Lucy, Julian, and Zack Thrasher, or “The Thrashers,” are the notoriously popular group of friends that rule New Helveita High. Everyone wants to be them and be their friend, and some even succeed…until they inevitably get “Thrashed,” aka get kicked out of the group once they no longer serve a purpose to The Thrashers. Emily Mills wanted nothing more than to be a Thrasher. After committing suicide on prom night, The Thrashers are the prime suspects for Emily’s death. The five friends claim that they did nothing wrong, but as more secrets are revealed and the truth slowly comes out, it seems that no one in this story is truly innocent.

Julie Soto, I need to kiss your brain. There is truly nothing that you can’t write. I’ve been a fan of Julie since her debut novel Forget Me Not, and have loved and eagerly anticipated everything that she’s written since. Julie’s YA debut is nothing short of masterful. I read this book in 48 hours and could not put it down. There where so many twists and turns and I never knew what was going to happen next. Even though this book is categorized as Young Adult, I believe that Julie Soto has excelled at writing a book that would be enjoyed equally by a teenage or adult audience.

Jodi Dillon, how I love you. I could not think of a better protagonist for this book than Jodi. Jodi has been best friends with Zack since they were kids, and has watched as he has collected and discarded friends as they’ve grown up. I think that a lot of us will be able to relate to Jodi in the sense that even though she views Zack as her best friend, she knows that she is not his best friend. She has so much love for him that she tends to turn a blind eye to a lot of the things that he does, and will follow along with The Thrashers because deep down, she worries that Zack will realize that he doesn’t really need her and she will get “Thrashed.” In the aftermath of Emily’s death, Jodi learns through police records of Emily’s journal that her friends may not be the people that she thought they were. This puts her in a very uncomfortable situation because it forces her to question everything she thought she knew not only about her friends, but about herself.

I absolutely loved the supernatural elements of this book! There are specific events that take place throughout the book that leave our cast of characters and the reader wondering if something supernatural is afoot. The use of the supernatural added an additional thrilling aspect to the mystery at hand, and it caused me to question everything going on even more and reevaluating everything I thought I knew.

There is also a sprinkling of romance in this book and omg I need more Jodi and Julian in my life!! The enemies to friends to lovers (???) journey that these two went on throughout the course of the book was fantastic. I was greedily eating up each and every crumb that Julie gave us of them and it simply wasn’t enough! I am on my hands and knees begging for more of Jodi and Julian…a novella maybe?? Just know that if we are given ANY new Thrashers content I will be consuming it.

I really was not expecting this book to make me cry, but the ending really did get me. I think that Julie was able to wrap everything up in a way that was really timely and speaks to the digital age that we are living in. Nothing is entirely black and white, and these characters and this story are a prime example of that. Every character in the book played an important role In how the story ultimately unfolds, and I will be thinking about both this book and its characters forever.

Thank you SO MUCH to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for this ARC!!

"Either you're in or you're out."

The Thrashers by Julie Soto is a YA thriller/mystery that is being compared to 13 Reasons Why, One of Us is Lying, and Pretty Little Liars.

The Thrashers are the "it" crowd at New Helvetia High. Five friends make up the popular group; Jodi, Lucy, Paige, Julian, and the leader Zack. Everyone in school would love a chance to be a part of this group, and some kids end up in the group only to get "Thrashed". Getting "Thrashed" is when someone is dumped from the group in a humiliating way or it can happen when someone has served their purpose for the core group of five and are no longer needed. Being a part of this rich and beautiful group will get you far at New Helvetia High. Until prom night, when a girl named Emily Mills commits suicide and the Thrashers are the main suspects. People are saying that they bullied Emily until she just couldn't take it anymore. But what is the real truth?

I can definitely see this book being big on BookTok and other socials that are geared towards a high school audience, but even as a 30-something year old I really enjoyed it! The writing wasn't really juvenile or immature which is always my fear with YA books. Soto does explore some heavy themes including violence, bullying and suicide, so just be aware. The paranormal element is interesting and well done and I felt like it added another layer to the story. Jodi as our protagonist is very relatable for teen me. She feels like she is on the outside of the group and has her own trauma to deal with which adds some emotional depth. The way the story ends is something I keep coming back to... Will there be more to come in the Thrashers world?

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto, and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for this ARC!! Publication date is May 6th 2025.

I love this book and I love Julian with my whole heart.

A fun, fast paced, and thrilling read. You never really know what’s happening next. Is a ghost haunting these friends that “thrashed” her or is something else going on.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of The Thrashers! I devoured this book in one breathless sitting—and now I’m convinced that nothing good ever happens in a group named after its most charismatic member.

Julie Soto’s The Thrashers is like if Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, and a true crime podcast had a baby—and that baby was raised on secrets, snark, and scandal. Our girl Jodi Dillon is the accidental outsider in the school’s most exclusive friend group—The Thrashers—led by golden boy Zack Thrasher, her childhood best friend with a perfectly tousled head full of red flags. The rest of the crew? Beautiful, bored, and potentially dangerous. So when wannabe Thrasher Emily Mills turns up dead, the group’s glossy image starts to crack—and Jodi has front-row seats to the fallout.

The pacing? Lightning. The twists? Deliciously unhinged. The vibes? Peak teen thriller: cryptic notes, unraveling friendships, and a ghost (maybe?) with a grudge. Soto knows exactly how to pull you in and dangle the truth just out of reach, and I loved the way Emily’s journal threaded tension through every chapter like a fuse about to blow.

If you like your YA thrillers served with secrets, style, and a side of “who do you really trust?”—The Thrashers is the drama-fueled rollercoaster you need in your life.

Julie Soto, you sneaky genius. I’m already side-eyeing my friend group.
P.S. DOES HE LOVE HER OR IS HE POSSESSED?!

The Thrashers, the inner circle of THE Zack Thrasher, include a bit of an odd duck: Jodi Dillon. She isn’t rich; she isn’t exactly popular; but she is Zack’s childhood best friend so she’s part of the clique.

Who’s someone else that wanted to be part of The Thrasers? Well, everyone, really, but especially Emily Mills. Or at least, she wanted to be until she turned up dead.

This is an absolute banger of a book in print or on audio. It’s one of those books that I did not want to put down.

It has a sense of mystery plus an eeriness/creepiness factor and explores social and parasocial relationships and hierarchies in high school.

Some highlights for me (without giving too much away) are the way details are unveiled, the sense of suspense, teetering on the edge of “Is something paranormal happening or are they just paranoid,” the way Julie Soto captures what it feels like to be a teen, the creepiness factor, and Julian full stop.

Please note that there are multiple content warnings for this one, including suicide, bullying, alcohol abuse, verbal abuse, and more.

I received an advance copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books. All review opinions are my own.

4 stars!

I knew I already liked Julie Soto from her previous romance books, so when I found out she was coming out with a mystery/thriller I was immediately excited. I thought this was a very interesting and intriguing YA thriller. I liked how none of the characters were really that likable. Unsurprisingly, I absolutely ate up the romance. Was I highlighting quotes on my Kindle and giggling as I was reading their interactions? Yes. Did I support all of the actions of the main couple? Absolutely not.

I think where this was not a perfect thriller for me was the ambiguity and open-endedness. Also obviously because they were teenagers, sometimes they just acted a bit dumb and I was questioning this actions.

I hope that Julie keeps writing within different genres as I will continue to eat up anything she writes!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Everyone wants to be a Thrasher but no one wants to get Thrashed.

The Thrashers is a modern Thirteen Reasons Why meets Pretty Little Liars YA thriller. When the high school popular group, the Trashers, are accused of being responsible for the suicide of the odd duck new student Emily Mills, it’s unclear whether Emily wanted to belong so badly she convinced herself she did and the Trashers pushed her over the edge or if Emily ingeniously plotted her own demise to get the attention she so sought but never achieved while alive.This was a page turner mystery with a dark edge to it I didn’t expect. I couldn’t put it down.

If you love YA thrillers/mystery, if you loved One of Us is Lying for the high school drama and murder mystery, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!! I couldn’t put it down and was sucked into the drama of the Thrashers. I literally binged this book in a day and a half, I think this is the fastest I've read a book in a long time. I was eating up the drama While also having my heart broken for Jodi and her tragic life.

The Thrashers follows a group of very popular kids, who are suddenly under the scope of public attention when a girl at their school dies. The Thrashers are known for picking on a person, bringing them into their friend group, and "thrashing" them, aka humiliating and ostracizing the person until they get the hint that they don't belong and aren't wanted in the friend group anymore. At least, that it how it appears from the outside looking in... Jodi has been a part of The Thrashers since the group formed at the beginning of high school, but she has always felt like she is the loner in the group and doesn't completely fit in. When one of the friends kills herself, the whole town suddenly knows who to blame.

This is the PERFECT YA thriller/mystery. It has a bit of a paranormal theme to it which makes the book super unique and adds a fun layer to things. I LOVED learning about the dynamics of the friends in the Thrashers. There are love triangles, characters getting up to all sorts of trouble, and lots of insecurity. This book really reminded me of One of Us is Lying, which is my FAVORITE YA thriller/mystery, mainly because of the high school setting/popular friend group, and the murder mystery they get thrown into. I loved trying to uncover the mystery of how their friend had died and truly had no clue who was responsible for her death. The ending was a CRAZY cliffhanger and left me GASPING. If you are in the market for a YA thriller/mystery, please pick this up!!

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free book!!

this book is giving 13 reasons why and i’m here for it! it was my jam back in my teen years. i really enjoyed reading this ya thriller (especially since it’s not my normal type of genre read). julie stays making me want to turn pages to find out what happens next. it’s SO REAL. everyone crushing on the hottest guy in high school, the bullies, the gossip. it warped me back to 10+ years ago (even though some memories were unwarranted).

i would recommend this to a friend who wanted a book that resembled 13 reasons. although i could live without the paranormal/seances vibe - i think the haunting message from emily would have come across better without it.

Julie Soto’s YA debut is a quick tempo paranormal thrill-ride that keeps you on your toes.

Jodi has always felt like an outsider to her friend group, The Thrashers. But when a want-to-be member of the group dies… things get even more complicated. Strange things start happening to the Thrashers that no one can explain.

My favorite aspect of the novel was the balance of supernatural events and teenage drama. Both of these played a huge role in pushing the plot forward and keeping the reader engaged. I would definitely be interested in reading more YA novels from Julie Soto!

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC for review consideration!

The Thrashers was an absolute banger from the very first line to the very last line. I picked up this book because Julie wrote it - I can’t remember the last time I read any YA that wasn’t a fantasy book. The Thrashers had everything: the characters, the plot, the build up, the tension, the mystery.
So this is me formally begging. Please can we have some more Thrashers. I know this could be a standalone and it would be complete, but the door is cracked for more so let’s kick it open. #teamjolian

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto, and Wednesday Books for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t use these words a lot, but this was worth the hype. I’ve seen so many 4 and 5-star reviews for it and for my first Julie Soto book and Julie Soto’s YA debut—and a YA thriller no less—this was so much fun to read. I've been looking for another thriller that's made me lose track of time and made me feel fully immersed in the plot and characters, and this was the one. Like, I'm talking "I went to bed at 2 AM even though I was fully aware that I had to wake up early to get ready and go to work the next morning" good. I'm calling it right now- BookTok, Bookstagram, etc. is going to hype this book up like crazy, and while I try not to follow bookish social media trends all the time (considering my poor track record with liking most of the books recommended online), I think this is one of the very few books that deserves all the praise.

The story takes place over a year at New Helvetia High, following a group of five friends--Jodi, Paige, Lucy, Julian, and their "ringleader," Zack,--AKA The Thrashers. They're the "it" group at school. Everyone wants to be in their friend group, and some people do, for a time...until they get "Thrashed," AKA kicked out in a humiliating way, or flat out dropped from the friend group once their purpose has been served. They're rich and pretty, but most importantly, they're best friends with Zack Thrasher, and being friends with Zack Thrasher can get you far in the social hierarchy at New Helvetia. When a girl named Emily Mills commits suicide the night of prom, the Thrashers are the prime suspects in the investigation; officials say that their bullying led to Emily's suicide, since Emily wanted to become a Thrasher herself but never made it into the inner circle. They claim they did nothing wrong and never bullied Emily, but how much truth is behind those claims?

I think Julie Soto did a great job creating a complex and morally gray cast of characters. I usually hesitate on reading anything that's even remotely related to the YA contemporary space because I feel like, as an (almost) twenty-five-year-old, I've grown out of the genre, and I haven't been a teenager for quite some time now. I always get worried that the writing will feel too juvenile and the characters too immature, even though the characters in The Thrashers are high school seniors (17/18). I had none of these concerns while reading. The book goes into a lot of heavy topics such as suicide, bullying, and mean high school cliques (all trigger/content warnings will be listed at the bottom of my review), and I think Julie Soto perfectly encaptured all of the feelings that I feel most, if not all, high schoolers have felt at least once or twice throughout their high school experience. The story is told from Jodi's perspective, and the way that Jodi is the "odd one out," considering she doesn't come from a ton of money like her friends do, tries not to drink or do drugs, and tries to be kind to everyone she can, provides a fresh and interesting perspective on the story since she always feels like she's the next person to get "Thrashed." I loved The Thrashers' friendship with each other; it was super wholesome and they felt like a true friend group, especially Jodi's friendship with Paige.

It's been a long, long time since a book has kept me engaged like this. It was giving me Pretty Little Liars vibes the entire way through. Like, the mysterious text messages from an anonymous person? The freak accidents? The way the mystery and entire story runs so much deeper than you think, and you never know who's telling the truth at any time? The way you could never trust anyone who was saying anything? I loved it all. I would've finished it in one sitting if I didn't have to go to bed. I also thought the paranormal aspect of the story was pretty cool to read about as well; it almost turned a thriller into a horror story a few times, if I'm being quite honest! With that being said, do I think the plot twist was mind-blowing? No, and I predicted the ending pretty early on. However, I still think this was enjoyable to read and the writing and plot sucked me into the story from the very first chapter.

The only two things I took half a star off for were the ending and the romance. I might be on Unpopular/Hot Take Island here, but I didn't feel the chemistry between Jodi and person-who-shall-not-be-named-for-the-sake-of-not-spoiling-anything. There was one really cute scene that made a thriller feel like a wholesome, cutesy YA rom-com for a few pages, but other than that, I didn't feel the chemistry between the two. As for the ending, it kind of felt...incomplete? I'm not sure how else to describe it, but I felt like there wasn't a whole ton of closure at the end of the story and I feel like more justice needed to be served, all things considered. Maybe this means there's an avenue open for Julie Soto in the future to write more from this New Helvetia High universe later on down the line? I'm sure this is supposed to be a standalone, but who knows? (I REALLY hope there's more down the line in this universe.)

There was also one specific element/part from the story that was brought up twice during the plot and provided what I thought was good, important information about Emily, but was never brought up again after those instances, or contributed to the entire plot. I honestly don't think that it contributed anything overall to the plot and how everything ultimately unraveled. If it were removed, I don't think it would've impacted the story greatly. I think it provided some good context and characterization of Emily before she passed, but that was about it.

If you're looking for a thriller to get you turning the pages, lose track of time, and become enthralled in the plot, this is the book for you! I'm so glad this was my first Julie Soto book, and I've already put her on my auto-buy list of authors after reading The Thrashers. I look forward to reading more from her in the near future--I preordered Rose in Chains a few months ago--and I'll be reading some of her romance novels at some point to pass the time between finishing this and waiting for my copy of Rose in Chains to come in the mail. Julie Soto, you just gained a new fan.

I enjoyed this book! This was my first Julie Soto book. I look forward to reading more Julie Soto books in the future.

Jodi’s been best friends with Zack Thrasher since they were seven even though they were opposites. He was rich, handsome, and friendly, while she was poor, average, and quiet. They hit it off but, once in middle school, he and Julian became fast friends. Julian spirited Zack away every chance he got and made sure to exclude Jodi from get togethers, especially when popular, pretty, and rich girls Paige and Lucy joined their group. Jodi always felt as if she was the extra wheel in their group.

Junior year ended horribly when Emily, a younger student who had been in love with Zach, started hanging out with them. Though she resisted their many hints to leave, she committed suicide two weeks before summer vacation. The police, her mother, and fellow students blamed them. They were now known as The Thrashers, a group of bullies. After almost being arrested for causing her to commit suicide they were cautioned to split up in public, leaving Jodi on the outside again.

Things got weird very soon as all of them started to get strange text messages, and Emily started to appear in their dreams and in person. It seemed as if she planned to get revenge on them from beyond the grave. Emily was going to make sure The Thrashers would never get to thrash anyone else again.

I was very interested in what was going to happen next, as the suspense kept building. However, I will have to go on record that I was NOT a fan of the ending. I can’t say anything else, as that’s for readers to read for themselves, but I was NOT a fan. Other than that, it was a very good read.

Recommended for ages 15 and older.

On the edge of my seat!

I went into this novel blind, not really knowing what it was about.

It hooked me easily enough.
The paranormal aspect surprised me, but they were well done.

I really enjoyed reading it!

Love Julie Soto