i’m in love. julie knocked it out the park. this is my newest personality trait. her writing style is just to easy to read. it’s always so incredibly hard to put down her books. i’m obsessed. i will read anything she writes.

Absolutely addictive. I NEED THE SEQUEL. EVERYONE PREORDER THE THRASHERS and give me peace with the publisher supporting a sequel. Highly recommend if you like the Heathers, Breakfast Club, Clueless etc, it’s very 90s high school thriller mixed with high school coming of age YA, I think the characters had more depth than what was in the movies I mentioned and there’s a paranormal spin to it! I was surprised that they were actually friends. Yes, they were the popular kids and they were mean to others. But they genuinely did care about one another and actively spent time together even when it was detrimental for them to.

Consider me the #1 Julian Hollister apologist. I know he's a bad guy and Jodi is definitely the best of that group but he's the best version of himself with her! Honestly, I think they all are. Zack wasn't their glue, Jodi was.

I absolutely love Julie Soto. Her romance books are absolutely fantastic (I still think about Not Another Love Song since i’ve read it). Due to my love for her other stories, I have to say I was so excited to read her new thriller, The Thrashers, and it did not disappoint. Usually thrillers are hit or miss for me. I rarely find myself loving them, however this one surpassed all expectations.

The thrashers is a popular group of high schoolers who are not known for being welcoming to others. Even within their own group tension is thick. I honestly really enjoyed their dynamic. It was interesting to see how everyone interacted with each other as a group and how they interacted with outsiders like Emily. This story had it all. I was not planning on finishing this in one sitting however I absolutely could not put this down. The paranormal aspects were honestly very suspenseful and added so much to the story. I say that as someone who doesn’t normally enjoy paranormal books. Of course the hopeless romantic in my absolutely loved the small pieces of developing romance that I saw in this. I was giddy as heck during some of these chapters despite the intense situations these friends found themselves in.

So yeah, this book made me laugh, it made me sad, it made me giddy, it gave me anxiety, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions. That to me is telling to how good this story is. Overall, I absolutely adore this book and based on the ending, it opens up the door for more stories, and I just absolutely cannot wait to read those. I think this solidifies Julie Soto as one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to read what else she puts out.

Blurb:
The Thrashers are New Helvetia High’s elite—and everyone wants a place in their orbit. And Jodi Dillon? She’s in. Kind of. Jodi’s not like Julian, Lucy, Paige, or Zack Thrasher, her longtime best friend and the school’s golden boy. They’re rich, sophisticated, and live for the spotlight. Jodi doesn’t fit, but thanks to Zack, she’s part of the circle.

When Emily Mills, once desperate to be one of them, turns up dead. The whispers begin and the Thrashers’ perfect image starts to splinter. Emily’s journal has resurfaced, and with it, a slow unraveling. The detectives close in and Jodi faces an impossible decision: betray her friends or protect herself. But as eerie, intimate messages and strange occurrences escalate, one thing becomes clear, Emily may be gone but she is not finished.
~~~~~
Julie Soto could write in any genre, and I’d read it without hesitation… so I did—in under 24 hours.

I loved Forget Me Not and Not Another Love Song, but Julie’s debut YA psychological thriller completely blew me away. The mystery around Emily’s death kept me constantly second-guessing, and the unexpected paranormal elements added an extra layer of shock.

The pacing is measured in the best way, with tension slowly building and snippets from Emily’s journal woven throughout. Those glimpses into her thoughts and motivations were both chilling and deeply effective. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, a plot twist would land hard. More than once, I caught myself thinking, “Um… what just happened?”. I could not put this book down.

The epilogue was absolutely chilling and jaw-dropping. Don’t let the YA label fool you because the story lingers long after the final page. I’m still thinking about it a week later.

I wouldn’t be mad about a sequel (especially after that final twist). There are still threads left to explore based on some lingering questions, eerie undercurrents, and an intriguing romantic subplot. A full-cast, dramatized audiobook would be perfect for this story with the journal entries, the tension, and twists.

Julie handles intense and sensitive topics with care, but I recommend checking content warnings before reading if needed.
⚠️ CWs include teen suicide, domestic violence, bullying, obsession/stalking, body shaming, and teen discussion of sex/statutory rape.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 8%

Interesting premise, and the writing was fine, but I think I'm burned out on the elite, popular kids being investigated because someone died. Accidentally read a spoiler-y review and decided I didn't need to finish this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Loved it - already a huge fan of Julie sotos books so I was psyched to read this.

I loved the mystery surrounding the “Thrashers” and the toxic outcomes of placing people on pedestals, especially around this group of friends that everyone seems to be obsessed with.

First, THANK YOU to Julie Soto & Macmillan Publishers via Net Galley for an e-arc of this book. The opportunity is much appreciated! 💗

This book took me a bit to get into.
At first, I felt really lost trying to understand all of the characters, their roles, etc. It’s probably just a ‘me’ thing, but naming the clairvoyant ‘Nan’ threw me every single time and made me think ‘nana’ for grandma. 👵🏼 It’s probably just a me thing, lol

ALSO, I did NOT like Zach from the very beginning. He felt fake to me and gave off very spoiled rich boy vibes. My vibes were confirmed a few different times through out, but especially when he basically offered to pay Jodi off when she went to talk to him after his confession to sleeping with Emily. Like what? Girl wasn’t saying ‘I wasted 3k on a lawyer’ for you to offer your riches. Get over yourself! 🤦🏼‍♀️

I will say though, Julian made my heart happy pretty early on. He felt more real, but just a bit disconnected with himself as far as how to express his feelings. Painting with Jodi??? Saving her from her dad? Wow ❤️ More Jodian please!!!

I’ll say it : HANNAH BEING BASICALLY LET OFF THE HOOK IS NOT OK. Zach gets off over a ‘technicality,’ but Hannah knew everything and fabricated shit and Jodi is written to keep her secret? Ugh… talk about real life though. Life isn’t fair amiright?
I don’t necessarily think Hannah should’ve like been in *MAJOR* trouble, but girl put in WORK and it’s all never going to come to light… I’m an only child though so the sibling bond thing is lost on me. Someone with siblings, explain your thoughts after you read this book!!! 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒

Jodi’s dad? Unacceptable behaviors, but I do slightly get the vibe that he does love her, he’s just lost after the death of his wife… Not an excuse to throw shit though; not even a little. Like please go to therapy or something… 😭

Jodi’s mom? I NEED to know why she brought Jodi in the tub with her. I wish we got the truth somehow from mom’s POV. 😩

That epilogue???
I have many questions…


I won’t spoil everything because I’m aware that some of y’all read these even with ‘spoilers’ marked (*cough* me) so I’m still going to leave a couple elements of surprise…

Y’all are in for a high school roller coaster.
Haunting. Thriller. Mystery. Some romance?
Ily.👻

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
0/🌶️

Julie Soto never misses. I read this in less than 24 hours. It was absolutely INSANE. So good top to bottom.

There’s been a death ruled as a suicide on prom night but someone is to blame. So many things are discussed - body shaming, suicide, stalking, obsessions.

I wish it was a little longer - I want more!

Oh my goodness, this book was amazing! I cannot stop thinking about it. I will admit, it is not the most common genre that I read, however, I love Julie Soto and knew that I would love this book, and I was not wrong! I not only enjoyed this book immensely, but it actually made me want to read more books like it because I realized that I do really like books in this genre. This book keep me entertained and engaged the entire time. I wanted to keep reading to figure out what was happening and did not want to put it down! I got so invested in these characters, especially Julian and Jodi! Julian really surprised me, and I think taking a character who I didn't like at the beginning, and making me get so invested in him and his character growth and well-being, really shows how great of an author Julie is! I also love the plot! There were so many things that I wanted to know more about and needed to find out, which kept me reading quickly until I got to the end. I didn't see a lot of the plot twists coming, and I loved the unpredictability of it. I loved this book so much, and I greedily just want more and am really hoping there is some sort of continuation of the story in the future!

This was such a good bingeable read. It gave Pretty Little Liars meets I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, and I was into it from the start. I love when thrillers include journal entries, and the drama within the friend group was wild. The paranormal twist was unexpected but done really well. If you’re into fast-paced YA thrillers with secrets, this is one to check out… it definitely got me out of my reading slump!

This book was so fun and easy to binge. I think YA thrillers are my favorite kind of thrillers and perhaps the only kind of thriller I should read. I just love the teenage drama, the easy yet twisty stories, the characters, the mystery. I liked that no character seemed all good or all bad, and I really liked the supernatural element. I have been thinking about the epilogue since I finished!

From the start of this book I was drawn in to the story and I could not put this book down! The ending is not what I was expecting in the best way but after that I also feel like it left me with more questions which is why I didn’t rate it 5 stars. This YA Thriller was a gripping story about complicated friendships, secrets, characters you love but also hate and it was written so well! This is a story that’s going to always stay in the back of my mind it was that good.

4.5 stars!

I am FULLY in my Julie Soto era. If she writes it, I am reading it. I am apparent also in my thriller era? Who am I?!

I was enthralled from the START of this book. There were some twists I predicted, but a couple took me by surprise.

Apparently, if I guy is named Julian, I automatically like him too!

The intrigue! The suspense!! Ahhhh!

But just read it, okay?! It’s coming out in MAYYYY!

Thank you for the eARC Wednesday books!!!

Thrashers by Julie Soto is a fast-paced, binge-able YA thriller that explores the drama within a high school clique. This book has a dark edge and was such a quick read because you just want to know what the outcome will be. I liked it a lot and would recommend.
Trigger warnings: bullying and suicide.

Expected Pub day May 6, 2025

Thank you Wednesday books , Julie Soto and Net Galley for the arc.

This was my first Julie Soto book and it gripped me from the start. If Pretty Little Liars and One Of Us Is Lying got made into one book this would be it. The thing that intrigued me most is that each character was heavily flawed, which made you question if anyone was capable of telling the truth or were they all just manipulating to get what they want.

The addition of a paranormal element was the perfect creepy addition to the storyline and at times gave me chills.

This was a well crafted, fast paced YA thriller. And, with the way this book ended, I would love a book 2.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the arc.

“Thrashers” by Julie Soto

4⭐️/5⭐️

I devoured this book in less than 48 hours; couldn’t put it down. The story was so gripping, and it didn’t take long for me to become invested in Jodi and her friends’ predicament.

“Thrashers” takes place a couple months after the suicide of Emily Mills, a sophmore who desperately wanted to be a part of the elite group of friends known by students to be ‘The Thrashers’. Jodi, Jullian, Zack, Lucy, and Paige don’t refer to themselves as a silly nickname, and generally try to keep to themselves. Of the five, Jodi is the outlier. She’s not wealthy, she’s not an all-star student with straight A’s, she’s self-described as ‘average’ in appearance, she doesn’t participate in sports; she often wonders why she’s included in this friend group. After Emily’s death, the group finds themselves under investigation for her death, with information revealed in her journal pinning the blame squarely on The Thrashers. But things aren’t adding up, and Jodi finds herself singled out for the first time when she’s asked to testify against her friends.

This is a YA thriller with a mix of paranormal elements. For the first 95% of the story I was hooked and wasn’t sure who was going to be revealed to be the main culprit. However, once everything was revealed things fell flat. The higher rating is due to that first 95%, although I’m tempted to drop the rating to 3.5 stars.

I thought the ending was completely lackluster and boring. It was the most logical conclusion, and with all the elements running through the story, I thought it could have gone in so many different directions that would have been more shocking. When I reached the end I thought, “is this…is this it? Really?”.

Some parts of the story made no sense. You’re telling me Zack’s high power attorney father would be ok with him hanging out with a 16 year old girl, while Zack is being charged with statutory rape? And yet he tells the friend group to stop hanging out with each other so often? That makes no sense.

And why have Julian beat up Oliver while he’s under investigation, and NOT mention it again? Especially since Oliver said he’s pressing charges?

There were a lot of different aspects to the story that never got explored properly, and I’m sure that was a bit of a smokescreen to hide what was really happening with Emily. But I think that just contributed to the unsatisfying ending.

Also, if you’re going to bring up a paranormal subplot, at least commit to it! It just fizzled out by the epilogue.

☆5/5

I was truly blessed with the opportunity to read The Thrashers early and omg. I can’t even begin to describe my thoughts!! I just want to scream!? I can’t stop thinking about this gem. This book was SO GOOD. I’ve been a Julie Soto fan for a while now, but I didn’t know what to expect from this YA thriller. And let me tell you, I was sucked in from the start. All of my favorite things are in The Thrashers: characters who you love but also hate, suspense, a little enemies to lovers vibe! It was also lowkey scary sometimes, which I kind of loved?!
There was even a seance!! So many crazy things and wild twists, I truly loved this book. There is so much I want to say, but can’t! All I will say is that Julie Soto never misses and if you are a thriller lover, then this is the book for you. The Thrashers comes out 5/06 and it’s a must read!!

This book was pretty wild. There were a lot of twists and turns, which definitely made it hard to figure out who was lying and who was telling the truth. I think the mystery was solid and I’m a big fan of the characters. The paranormal elements were pretty good, and I liked the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the copy of this ARC. This will be out in May of 2025!

YES YES YES. This books is a ride! From the beginning I loved Julian, way more than I should admit. The most unlikeable character is for sure the detective, if she was deleted fully from the story it would still be good! If you liked good girls guide to murder you’ll like this. Good YA thriller with a paranormal twist!

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an arc

I think if you liked a good girls guide to murder, you will enjoy this. Attention, the plot lines are completely different but the ya mistery thriller vibe is there, and the case entrances really reminded me of that
With that being said, I unfortunately think I might have outgrown this genre and therefore I didn’t become as obsessed with this as I one day would have been
But if you want something that grips you, is fast paced and has some unexpected twists and turns, this will be the book for you