Julie Soto is the only author who can make me leave my romance comfort zone. I loved this book. Jodi is the main character of the story. She is extremely self-conscious and cares way too much what other people think. These traits would annoy me if she was a FMC in her 20s or 30s but I feel like as a teenager it was so relatable. That being said, I still wanted to shake her sometimes because the "it boy" Zack Thrasher is kind of the worst. The pacing of the book was great and I was at the edge of my seat until the end. I would rate this 4.5 stars just because I am petty and the ending for one of the characters made me a little mad!

This book was certainly interesting but I felt like at times it got confusing between the different cast of characters and keeping their stories straight.

Holy Cow! <Santa vaca!>
This book was a wild ride.

First off, Julie Soto—you are exceptional, brilliant, talented, and such a great author. I couldn’t believe how good this book was. I had so many mixed emotions because I had just come from reading her last book, Not Another Love Song—which is an adult romance—to this YA mystery thriller. I was like, We’ll see…

Okay, the story starts off pretty intense with Emily at the center of it all. She had my head spinning. Jodi is the one trying to solve this whole tangled-up mystery, and the Thrashers were being thrashed—lol.
The thriller side of the story had my heart pounding and made me kind of jumpy. I was so invested and even started getting excited about the tension between Jodi and Julian… but then I remembered it was YA.

The mystery had me sweating and biting my nails—it was just so good.
I loved it, and it got my 5-star rating, especially with that twist in the epilogue. I turned the page hoping for something—anything—and I was speechless. She got me, and I was a goner. It was such a great way to end a mystery thriller.

This gets my standing ovation. She did such an amazing job.

ARC provided by Netgalley. Courtesy of St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books.

An outstanding read from start to finish! With revenge, mystery, hauntings and Final Destination vibes, this story throws you into a friend group everyone wants to be part of, that is until someone ends up dead.
The twisted dynamics amongst the Thrashers, a teenage friend group, feels all too real. At times shifting from loyal to downright toxic. Jodi, the quiet outsider with a conscience, never stands out. But when a new girl Emily forces her way into the group, she soon winds up dead. Will Jodi do the right thing, or protect the group’s dangerous secrets?
I loved how Soto weaves in a chilling possibility that Emily’s ghost may still be out for vengeance. The characters are wonderfully written, each bringing their own energy and drama to the group. The tension, secrets, and dark undercurrents made this story impossible to put down.
⚠️ Trigger warning: suicide, toxic/abusive parenting.

*Thank you to Julie Soto, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

As a Sacramento native, I will read any and all Julie Soto books until the end of time. Us Sacramento ladies have to have each other’s backs! It definitely doesn’t hurt that Julie is continuously keeping me intrigued with all of her books, whether they be romance or this first trek into YA mystery/thriller!

First, let’s get this one out in the open, I absolutely loved how this took place in Sacramento and that Julie was able to pull from her experiences in Sacramento to actually craft the city as it is. There were so many places and streets mentioned that I knew exactly where she was talking about, in specific detail, that it felt like I was actually there! I freaking loved that so much and it’s a point I specifically love about all of Julie’s book’s that take place in Sacramento.

I loved that from the very beginning, by using Jodi as a “Thrasher” who was the one in the group who didn’t fit in, the author already had me suspecting everyone and trusting no one. At no point did I believe anyone, even at times I was questioning if Jodi would be an unreliable narrator. It was wonderfully mysterious but never daunting.

I enjoyed watching the unlikely friendship bloom (I’m not telling you who!). I was hoping from the beginning that this would pan out a little like this, and I’m incredibly happy with where it ended…for now.

Speaking of the ending, holy cow!! I wasn’t expecting THAT!! Not only is this a great ending on its own, but it could speak to future spin-offs or future books in the same world, which I would definitely read! I would kill for a couple chapters of what these characters are doing in 5 years.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Julie Soto for the copy of this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

4.25 stars

This book was amazing!!! I straight up devoured this is one day! It’s a YA Thriller set in high school and we get suspense, a mystery, drama, romance and even some paranormal hauntings!

I loved Pretty Little Liars and don’t make this claim often - but I definitely was getting PLL vibes reading this book and it made me that much more invested in the mystery.

Jodi has always been a bit of an outsider when it comes to The Thrashers, but she has a friend in the group so gets included…and then Emily dies…and that is when questions start being asked….will Jodi betray her friends or protect herself?

The mystery itself was so good! We get this great tension and sense of unease reading this book. The story is fast paced and there are sprinkles of humor and paranormal elements too. These characters are flawed and make questionable choices…but it’s high school after all!!

I really liked the use of Emily’s journal entries to help tell the story. The ending was so wild!! I am telling you nothing about it except WHAT????? I highly recommend going into this one blind!

✨What To Expect:
🔪YA Thriller
🖤High School Drama
🔍Mystery & Suspense
👻Paranormal Vibes
💖Romance
🌪️Twists & Turns
🩶Morally Gray Characters

JULIE SOTO YOU ARE AMAZING! The Thrashers kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through, reminding me of “13 Reasons Why” meets “Mean Girls.” I binged the whole book in a midnight reading mania, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

This YA psychological suspense and thriller follows The Thrashers — a group of high school friends who are rich, popular, and considered “elites” in their class. When a classmate commits suicide, The Thrashers are accused of bullying and harassment in the months leading up to her death. As their lives are investigated, they discover that secrets and lies do exist among friends…

I enjoyed the group dynamic between all of the Thrashers. Jodi being the 5th wheel in the group, and her insecurity about her place in the group and how she had nothing to “offer” the group was just so raw and unsettling that I couldn’t help but feel sad for her at times. I also like the way their group dynamics change and develop throughout the story, and as they discover more about each other.

The supernatural elements caught me off guard and I was just on edge as the characters were. The tension and fear were captured well, especially during the supernatural incidents in the first half of the book.

Maybe it’s because I’ve read a lot of Julie Soto’s AO3 works, but Julian was definitely Draco Malfoy-coded and I am HERE for it. His morally grey behavior and balance between cruelty/kindness was just done so well that you can’t help but feel sympathy for him in the end. Seeing Jodi and Julien’s relationship progress throughout the story felt so natural. And with the way the epilogue ended, I NEED to know what happens to him! (Please give us a book 2!)

Thank you so much to Julie Soto, Macmillan Books, and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

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!!