Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book was giving Thirteen Reasons Why x Euphoria. I was captivated by the storyline and I loved the spooky atmosphere. I felt like it had great pacing and the scenes were so vivid. I will say I didn’t love the jumping through time and the reveals at the end felt a bit rushed. It was a bit odd that the parents were so permissive but I liked how Jodi grew throughout the book and took charge of her own life. If you’re in the mood for a fast paced thriller, this is the book for you!

I felt like this was taken out of the 13 Reasons Why playbook. I’m familiar with this author’s previous work and loved them both so I knew she was debuting a whole new genre. For me personally, I thought this was fine. The pacing was quick which made it very easy to read. There were some cringey parts where I had to roll my eyes because I thought those scenes were so unnecessary. Specifically when they were at the Rose Garden so IYKYK. I probably won’t read this genre by the author, but I will definitely be sticking to her romance books.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I enjoyed reading The Trashers by Julie Soto. There were themes of loneliness/fitting in that I found a very interesting aspect to this story. The plot moved quickly and provided a lot of mystery as to what actually happened. I'd recommend this to any YA mystery fan.

Thrashers is a supernatural YA thriller focused on the beyond-the-grave revenge of a girl who took her life after being allegedly bullied by a high school clique of popular, beautiful, self-conscious teenagers on prom night. While I found the thriller aspect intriguing, I'm a romantasy girlie, and any hint of enemies to lovers is going to have me sat. There pacing is well done, and the surprising depth and complexity of characters is unusual not only for YA, but also any novel featuring this age demographic. We are far from the spoiled rich kid stereotypes instead featuring abusive families, struggles with learning, and coping with addiction issues. There is normalized underage sexual activity mentioned as well as drinking and drug use on the page. Additionally, one character is arrested for statutory rape. The one part of the novel I could have really done without is the frame narrative; I just didn't like the content within it personally.

Recommended for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why as long as you have an open mind to ghost stories 👻

Thanks to NetGalley and SMP Wednesday Books for this ARC

3.75 stars! ⭐️ Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books & NetGalley for the ARC 💌

Okay WHAT just happened—
I was eating this up, pages flying like I was on a mission… and then BAM, the ending smacked me in the face. Like, excuse me, Julie?? That epilogue?? Straight-up WTF-core. I sat there blinking at the last page like, “Nah, that’s not it... right?”

But let’s rewind real quick…

I actually liked this. A lot more than I thought I would. I’m a big romance girlie, so when I saw reviews hyping up the thriller AND some lowkey romance, I ran. And it was giving what it needed to give—for most of it. The vibes? Elite high school drama + secret diaries + shady rich kids + dead girl haunting them from the grave?? Yes pls!!!

The writing was super fast-paced—I didn’t even notice how far in I got, which is saying a lot because I’m usually checking page count every five minutes like it’s a sport. Jodi was such a well-written lead too. Not the usual pretty, rich, confident YA main character. She’s insecure, messy, relatable, and trying so hard to hang onto a toxic group she doesn’t even like.

And then there’s Julian. JULIAN MF HOLLISTER.
The minute he walked in all dark and broody, teasing Jodi, I KNEW. He had that annoying bad-boy-who-sees-through-everyone energy and I was here for it. Their chemistry??? Paint scene??? I squealed. Like full-on grinning at my phone. I need 300 pages of them just being chaotic and in love.

The mystery part though? Slightly predictable. Like yeah, I saw the twist coming halfway in. But somehow that didn’t ruin it for me because the tension still stayed high, and the paranormal elements?? Did NOT expect that. It added this creepy vibe I wasn’t prepared for but actually kinda loved.

Now let’s talk ending.
Or… not talk about it because I have no clue what that epilogue was. It gave open-ending-meets-plot-hole-galore-meets-possible-sequel-bait??? I NEED a sequel. There are questions. Many. And I need more Julian and Jodi moments.

Final thoughts? I had a good time. Not flawless, but addictive AF, and it kinda pulled me out of my reading slump too. Julie Soto, ma’am, I need answers. And a romance spin-off. Immediately.

Tropes:
🎭 Rich clique drama
🕯️ Girl stuck between truth and loyalty
🎭 Morally grey love interest (Julian ily)
🕯️ Paranormal twist you didn’t see coming
🎭 Paint-flirting enemies-ish-to-maybe-lovers thing
🕯️ Dead girl haunting from the grave
🎭 Unreliable social circle
🕯️ Open ending / Sequel bait

CW:
- Suicide
- Bullying
- Stalking
- Alcoholism
- Toxic relationships

Okay that’s all, go read it if you want drama, chaos, and a dead girl making everyone suffer from the grave. The vibes are immaculate.

This book starts off with a compelling hook—a death on prom night, a mysterious journal, and a tight-knit group of privileged teens with secrets to hide. The story has a strong setup and good pacing (I never felt bored while reading). The characters and themes around bullying and social dynamics were compelling, and I appreciated the moral complexity the story explored. That said, I was expecting more suspense or a big twist, especially from something marketed as a “YA thriller”. It felt more like a drama with light mystery elements, which left me a bit underwhelmed. Not a bad read, just not quite what I thought it would be.

Did I immediately rewatch Veronica Mars, Disturbing Behaviour, and I Know What You Did Last Summer after reading this? No, but I will (I spent my time making these edits - priorities, ya know?). Julie Soto is releasing a YA thriller in the same year she is releasing an EPIC romantasy and said “bet” (then dropped the mic). What can’t she do, at this point?! Thank you @wednesdaybooks for this early review copy!

I ATE THIS BOOK UP! Could not stop when I started and I really do need everyone to pick this up because there’s a second book in there and I am FERAL for it.

This is everything great about Julie’s writing with an added layer of rich kids coming of age, mysteries, thriller elements, and the tiniest bit of paranormal. The tension was perfect and the way Julie wrote these characters was such a phenomenal feat. You hated them all, you felt bad for all of them, you never knew who to trust or what was true. Julie using a journal as a device to get us questioning everything was a stroke of genius - and gave us an unreliable narrator angle that I absolutely loved.

Thrillers were my first passion, so getting to dig into this from Julie’s voice was a treat. I don’t want to give too much away in this review, but the murder mystery angle (what happened to Emily?) really elevated the story for me. Jodi and the rest of The Thrashers (5 friends that are effectively the “cool clique”) reminded me of all the 2000s teen slasher films I watched, but with more depth. Their relationships were toxic, they were all coming of age amid strange times, and they were all (except for Jodi) fighting for their lives after being accused of bullying Emily.

To say this book had twists and turns would be an understatement. My jaw was on the floor so many times during this, and that ending!? THAT ENDING!!! I need more of Julian and Jodi, and I need to know how this story ENDS!

I really enjoyed The Thrashers, a YA thriller about a group of popular kids in high school who find themselves in the middle of the suspicious suicide of Emily, a young girl who tries to be included in their group. Great writing and a good story line make this a must read. Finished in in 24 hours!

This book hooked me and I raced through it waiting for the twist or big reveal. Unfortunately, it never really happened. The story was well written and I think a YA audience would enjoy it, I was just looking for more. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this advanced reader’s copy.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

1) I don't recommend reading this before bed at night, but hell I did it anyways.
2) What kind of crack did Julie put in this book???? I don't usually read thrillers but it's 3 AM and I finished it in a single sitting bc I was THAT hooked into the story. Absolutely so well done and kept me on my toes the entire time!!
3) This book solidifies that Julie can write anything and it'll be so good. Now I can't wait for Rose in Chains by her!
4) 5/5 stars no notes.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the eARC!

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for providing me with an early copy of Julie Soto's "The Thrashers." This book blew me away with the twists and turns in this mystery novel.

Wow. This book gave me all the feels from being spooked to love and then to sadness. I was holding back tears at one point.

Ok, first off, thank you Netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read this arc.

This is my first book of Julie Soto and let me tell you that the way this book was written was so damn good. Everything was so gripping that the book kept me wanting to read it in my sleep. I enjoyed this so much, I love all the characters and the plot had me on my toes. Ok, one very minor issue, the random text messages the Thrashers were receiving were a bit too predictable and I didn't like how only one person was only punished. But other than that, this book is easily 5 stars! Must read!

I am an avid Julie Soto fan, with Not Another Love Song being one of my top reads last year, so I was very excited to get the opportunity to ARC review The Thrashers!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and will be recommending it to my followers who loved Pretty Little Liars or Veronica Mars.

The plot, pacing and twists and turns were perfect. While all of the characters are (intentionally) flawed I absolutely loved the character development annd storyline for Julian. I found myself enjoying his scenes the most, closely followed by all of the clairvoyant / paranormal scenes.

While I enjoyed the journey, when I finished the book I felt like I had a lot of BIG unanswered questions., mainly revolving around needing extra clarification if if a plot point was “paranormal” or “real”. Finally, I was surprised by just how many heavy themes were included in this book, and would recommend checking the content warnings. Since this book is classified as YA, I found myself wishing that some of these topics were handled with more care - especially the big reveal between Jodi and her mom.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC of this book!

5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I could NOT put this down!!!! What an addictive fun ride that kept me on the edge of my seat!

A YA thriller about a popular group of high school seniors, dubbed The Thrashers, that become the talk of the town after a girl who desperately wanted to join their clique commits suicide.

I was constantly going back and forth with theories and predictions! A small romance plot line absolutely stole my heart. Julie Soto has an incredible wide range of talent (I have also enjoyed her contemporary adult romances) and I can not wait to see what she puts out in the future!

Very similar vibes to 13 Reasons Why!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley!

The Thrashers had me engaged right from the start. Julie Soto is the queen of hooking readers immediately and then throwing them directly into the middle of the story. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop because I just had to know what would happen next. I'm a big fan of Julie Soto's romance books and I'm glad I decided to pick this one up, too. She's really outdone herself! I would even recommend this book to readers who don't usually read thrillers because it will pull them in and start their journey into a new genre.

Oooh this was my kind of YA thriller - a fantastic intro to the genre for Julie Soto! 🤩

In high school, your friend groups can make or break your experience. Whether you’re in or out, popular or not - it all matters so much more at that young, impressionable age. And even when you’re a member of the “it" group... what happens when you’re excluded and find yourself on the outside looking in?

Emily Mills was desperate to be a part of The Thrashers, but her awkward, clingy (and let’s face it, weird) behavior was tolerated but not liked. In fact, they loathed her. And getting stood up on prom night led her to commit suicide, which is where this book begins.

In the pages that follow, we read journal entries that show us Emily’s perspective on past events while the members of The Thrashers are presently charged for their bullying and other actions that led Emily to take her own life.

It’s a book that hooked me from start to finish. Soto’s characters are nuanced, live in a moral grey area and are hiding so many secrets. There’s a touch of romance, a smidge of the supernatural and a whole lot of suspense packed in this fast-paced page-turner.

I think it also has some really good messages for teens. How you treat people matters both when it's to their faces and behind their backs because you never know who’s watching or recording. And even if you don’t like someone, you can still show them kindness. You might be the only one in their lives to do so, you never know.

Highly recommend this one, and I can’t wait to read more of Soto’s backlist. Will be sitting on the edge of my seat for her next thriller as well! 4.5 stars!

I loved this book! The Thrashers is a super twisty, addictive YA thriller with just the right amount of creepy. The story follows Jodi, an outsider in this elite friend group, as she digs into the mysterious death of one of their own. There’s drama, secrets, and a touch of the supernatural that totally worked.

If you're into fast-paced, moody thrillers with complicated friendships and dark vibes, this one’s for you.

As someone who doesn’t read a lot of thrillers, I have to say that I had a great time with this book. YA thrillers may officially be my favorite type of thriller read in large part to Soto’s The Thrashers. I do want to point out some trigger warnings, though, before you start reading which include, but aren’t limited to, underage drinking, drug use, suicidal ideation, suicide, and abuse. This book was the perfect mix of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Pretty Little Liars. I enjoyed the mix of secrets and look backs to slowly unravel the story all with the mix of something not being quite right in present time. Additionally, I really appreciated the look into the friendship dynamic as well, and for me, that added a lot to the overall reading experience. I’m also a sucker for well written morally grey characters which this book was full of. I also loved how Soto had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next throughout the entire book. I also found in fascinating how she guided our reading and shifted our viewpoints of certain characters as more information was revealed. I had both the ebook and audiobook for this one. While both were enjoyable, I loved the audiobook. It gave me more of the TV/movie vibe feels that this book was perfect for. The narration was done by Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky. Both did well in their role, but with the bulk of the narration being done by Kaminsky, she was more of the stand out for me. Kaminsky captured Jodi’s character so well from her disbelief, to her anxiety, to her pain. It was easy to get swept away by Kaminsky’s narration and lose track of everything around you except the audiobook. I couldn’t stop listening to the narration until I finished. With how the book ended, I’m hoping there will be a sequel where we get to spend more time with these characters.

I really enjoyed this book. I figured out some of the twists pretty early on but it held my interest enough that I wanted to keep reading to see how we got there. I thought the ending was massively disappointing. And I think the epilogue would be better off not there at all. There were too many characters so everything ended up a bit rushed at the end trying to tie everything up