Loved Soto’s adult romances but this YA just wasn’t for me. Well written and great for its targeted audience.
While I do enjoy YA, this one was a miss for me.

I don’t read many thrillers, Y.A or Adult, so this was a nice change of pace and was a fun thrilling read. I enjoyed how it portrays how cruel children/young adults can be in school setting/groupthink

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin´s Press, Wednesday Books for this ARC.
Well…okay…What did I´ve just read?
I became a Julie Soto´s fan since her debut novel and although this is not a love story like her previous works, I knew this was going to be an emotional rollercoaster. This YA novel is intriguing and provocative. With very well written characters all flawed and struggling with their secrets, the athmosphere really immerses you in the intricate teenage world and its complex hierarchy.
It all started a few months after the suicide of Emily Mills, this event will set the tone of the story and and will threaten the integrity of a group of friends known as“The Thrashers”
Jodi Dillon belongs to that group of friends and when secrets start to come to light she will discover that nothing is what it seems.
This story gave me all the vibes of a late 90´s-early 2000´s teenage “toxic friendship” drama. I loved the paranormal elements and the plot twist!! I want to think that after the ending (THAT ENDING!) we can expect a second book…maybe.
Julie Soto really nail it!!

Julie Soto is officially magnificent at multiple genres.

The Thrashers is truly a masterful entrance to YA and thrillers. It was captivating - I couldn’t put it down. The twists and turns were unexpected and kept me on my toes the entire book. I’ll join the masses to say that a sequel is necessary.

The best part about this book is how it transcends genres. It may be considered YA, but it bridges the gap between YA and adult thrillers. I actually found it to be more suspenseful than most thrillers I’ve read, keeping me wanting more.

I can without a doubt say that this is going to be one of my favorite reads this year. Highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC copy. I can only blame myself for sitting on it for as long as I did.

🎧 Audiobook +📗 E-book: The Thrashers

✍🏾 Author: Julie Soto- an auto-buy author for me

📃Page Count: 352

📅Publication date: 5/6/25 | Read: 5/3/25

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 10:15

🌎 Setting: Sacramento, CA- New Helvetia High School

👆🏾POV: 3rd person single- Jodi

Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Tropes: friend group/friendships, the wealthy vs. everyone else, family drama, coming of age, in love w/ BFF, small town, virgin heroine

⚠️TW: suicide, bullying, underage drinking and drug use, statutory r*pe

🗣️Narrator: Eva Kaminsky and Jesses Vilinsky voice all the characters with standouts from Jodie, Julian, and Zack. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrators worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrators paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

Summary: Jodi feels like a social pariah, yet she hangs out with the most popular kids in school-The Thrashers. When an odd sophomore Emily attempted to join their friend group, she's ridiculed. When she dies, an investigation is launched because Emily kept a journal chronicling her attempt to belong as weird texts and flickering lights plague the Thrashers.

👩🏾 Heroine: Jodi Dillion-17, in love w/ Zack, friends since 2nd grade

🎭 Side Characters:

*Emily Mills-wanted to be a Thrasher, was scorned by them, and ended her life. Emily's mother-Maureen, father-Robert, and little sister-Hannah

*Hank Dillion-Jodi's father, her mother Josephine is deceased.

*Rosa Rodriguez-Jodi's maternal aunt

*Gregory Thrasher-Zack's father-a lawyer

*Detective Harding-investigating Emily's death

*The Thrashers: Zackary "Zack" Thrasher, Paige Montgomery, Julian Hollister, Lucy Reed, and Jodi

🤔 My Thoughts: This was a great rollercoaster ride of whodunit. Jodi led us on her journey being in the "in crowd," but feeling like she doesn't belong. She had a moral compass and made sure she kept Emily safe knowing she would do anything for Zack's attention-like everyone else. Even though Julian had issues, I rooted him. I hope there's a follow-up.


*Spice: 1/5 🌶️ kissing only, sex mentioned all off page
*Emotion: 4/5 🥲
*Rating: 4/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, and Julie Soto for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to @StMartinsPress & @WednesdayBooks for the advance copy!

This book will be out on May 6th.

First off, please make sure you check the trigger warnings for this.

Sigh. I am sorry Julie Soto and it pains me to say that this book didn't hit the way I wanted to. I have seen so many stellar reviews and I had such high hopes but it fell flat.

I am not even sure what didn't work for me. I think I was just waiting for more to happen. There were a lot of characters and I wished I had kept track of who was who. I kept getting people confused as I listened and had to rely on Google AI to help with the character names.

This book is essentially a ghost story. The ghost of Emily is surrounding these group of kids called The Thrashers. Emily wanted to be one so bad and over the course of the book we learn more about her and her desperation to join this clique. All the students who are in this group are unreliable and you don't know which one to point fingers at.

Jodi is our narrator and her background was interesting! I was fascinated by her character and how there were connections from her to things that were happening in things surrounding Emily (sorry I have to be vague for your own surprise). I felt bad for her! Her home life had not been a good and she has gone through things a young girl shouldn't have to have worried about.

I love that Julie is taking chances and doing things outside of romance (she has a romantasy coming out soon in addition to this YA thriller). Perhaps if I didn't have this preconceived notion going into it, it may have been different. Please review other reviews as I know they will be stellar!

I will say that I thought the end was pretty good. I know book friends in our buddy read are hoping with the way it end that we could potentially be getting a 2nd book. Will I read it? Probably!

Julie Soto neverrrrrrr misses.

I made the absolute dumbest decision of starting this book at 1 o'clock in the morning and I did not put it down until I finished it at 5:30 in the morning.

The Thrashers by Julie Soto was a fast paced, jaw dropping and sometimes a lil spooky story from the beginning to the end. In the best way, this book felt like a mix of Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars -- the ultimate teen dramas in my opinion.

I have not read a thriller or anything YA in a while, but I should have known I would be enthralled with this one. There's angst, there's chemistry, there's tension and complex character dynamics.

And that ending?! How could you do this to me?! I am sick (complimentary).

Thank you for the ARC! I'm obsessed.

The Thrashers is a YA thriller involving an elite group of high schoolers. After Emily Mills dies on Prom Night the whispers and rumors start and connect her death to their group of friends.
This book was very reminiscent of 13 reasons why and one of us is lying. I think fans of YA thrillers will enjoy this book, it has all the drama of high school and a few unexpected twists. I thought the ending was very good and unexpected.
.
Thank you netgalley and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read and review his book!

"The night I died was supposed to be my prom night."

It's the night of the junior/senior prom when Emily dies and eyes are immediately turned to the cliquey popular friend group - the Thrashers. As the blame for Emily's death is cast to them, tragedy seems to follow the group around and soon the police are also out to get them. Will they get themselves out of trouble or will somebody else get "thrashed"?

THE THRASHERS is my first read from Julie Soto and it should be no surprise that it's her first thriller as well!

This story was 👏binge👏worth👏y👏

When I say the tea is piping and that it's giving Pretty Little Liars and the messiest of high school drama and a toxic friend group (that you also feel on the outs of *oooh drama*) I SAY IT WITH MY CHEST.

The mystery was intriguing and had some fun paranormal elements, and there were several instances throughout the story that had me crying (in public, mind you) because Soto's character work was done so well.

There were some points that had me ~annoyed~ hence the 4 stars, but dang I hope there's a sequel!

Definitely recommend this one if you're new to the thriller genre and still want some of that romance sprinkled in 🤭

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the early copy for review - out May 6!

The Thrashers by Julie Soto is a dark and addictive YA thriller set in the glossy halls of New Helvetia High, where wealth, secrets, and social status rule. At the center is Jodi Dillon—an outsider by nature but an insider by association, thanks to her childhood friendship with Zack Thrasher, the brooding heart of the school’s most exclusive and untouchable clique.

Julie Soto captures the allure and toxicity of elite friend groups with razor-sharp precision. The Thrashers are as magnetic as they are menacing, and Soto masterfully explores what happens when loyalty, privilege, and guilt collide. Jodi’s internal struggle—caught between protecting herself and exposing the truth—is compelling and layered, especially as the mystery of Emily Mills’ death unfolds through eerie messages and the slow leak of a chilling journal.

The novel mixes high school drama with real psychological suspense, never shying away from the moral gray areas its characters inhabit. While some plot points veer into melodrama, and a few twists feel slightly predictable, the pacing and atmosphere keep the tension high and the pages turning.

With its Gossip Girl vibes meets One of Us Is Lying energy, The Thrashers is a smart, stylish thriller that blends privilege, paranoia, and a whisper of the supernatural into a gripping teen mystery.

This is a great YA debut for Julie Soto. A thrilling YA mystery with a lot of moments that made you feel uneasy. There is also a fun paranormal effect to the story too. Overall this story has a lot of heavy topics as well as dealing with the consequences of actions as a teenager. The book was written so well and kept me engaged the whole time.

I seriously LOVED THIS BOOK! it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I couldn’t put it down, and every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was completely wrong.

The story follows Jodi, who somehow ends up in this rich, popular friend group called the Thrashers, even though she doesn’t really fit in. But then a girl who wanted to be part of their group dies, and things start to spiral fast. The drama, the secrets, the creepy twists—it was all so good. If you're into dark, twisty high school stories with tons of suspense, this is definitely one to check out.

Thank you netgalley for my ebook arc!

Oh wow did I love this! I didn’t really think I was a YA fan anymore but Julie Soto has proven me wrong. If you love teen dramas with a bit of mystery, like Pretty Little Liars, Riverdale, etc, then you’ll probably love this too!

I picked it up and did not want to put it down, I finished in under 24 hours which is unheard of for me these days. Though it’s YA, the characters weren’t overly immature or anything, though they still felt age appropriate. I really loved the FMC, and most of her friends. There’s a bit of Logan and Veronica vibes between Jodi and her best friend’s other best friend and I loved their tension!

This book does have a solid ending, but I am begging for another book, pleasssseee. I just really thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this and definitely recommend it!

A gripping YA thriller centered on a popular group of five friends called the Thrashers, who find themselves under scrutiny after a classmate, Emily—desperate to join their circle—dies by suicide. Twisty, intense, and impossible to put down, this book kept me guessing until the very end. I’m still thinking about that shocking finale! With a touch of romance and plenty to discuss, it’s perfect for buddy reads. Julie Soto delivers again—I’ll read anything she writes.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press (Wednesday Books) for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Wow. That was one heck of a non-stop ride as I type this at 3am on a workday 🫣

Edit to add full review:
I am still so tired. I started this e-arc and wasn't able to put it down until I finished it at 3am. I was dragggggging at work today.

⚠️*Disclaimer that there may be slight to major spoilers below*⚠️


If needed, check trigger warnings before reading this book. There are some tough themes, including bulling and suicide.

On that note, this book is not my usual preferred genre. I'd call this a YA Suspenseful Thriller with paranormal aspects. It gave me 13 Reasons Why vibes.

Jodi, the main FMC was likeable for the most part, though towards the end, I felt she was a bit self-righteous and a little too "pick me". However, that fits pretty well with teen perception and peer/societal pressure. I feel like it was normal for how she was portrayed in those moments, but I'm not a fan of that type of character, so it annoyed me (again though, I don't normally read YA, or books about teens).

I'm not sure there's really one MMC, but I really didn't like Zach. I think his character's personality was spot on though! I figured Julien was doing his version of pulling a girl's pigtails because he likes her, so I wasn't shocked at the romantic development.

Paige and Lucy were decent characters, too.

Overall, I think Julie Soto did a phenomenal job with the characters, their personalities, and being fairly true to reality.

As for Emily, our sort of other FMC, Soto portrayed her character really well, especially considering it was done basically through flashbacks and hearsay. Definitely creepy. I predicted the Hannah involvement with the journal and phone stuff, but the twist of her full involvement was a surprise- and actually kind of gut-wrenching. Get that girl in some grade A therapy!

The paranormal aspects were definitely interesting, and mildly creepy.

THAT EPILOGUE THOUGH! 🤯 There was a hint to it earlier in the book, but when it's just laid out for the reader, plain as day....wow.

I'm not sure if there is going to be another book, there is some dialogue that allows for the possibility. I hope there is, because I would love to see how Soto follows up on some things- kind of loose ends that were purposely written (referring to the dialogue that kind of sets up the possibility for at least a sequel book).

Anyway, for this not being my usual type of book, I was hooked. It was fantastic, aggravating at times (it is supposed to be), definitely suspenseful, and a roller coaster of events.

I would recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for a e-arc version of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is my first Julie Soto book. I have had her other books on my TBR for a long time, but decided to move this one up my list since I will attend her book signing next week (WITH THE ALI HAZELWOOD)! I do have to credit Ali for my discovery of Julie Soto. She raves about her so often, I HAD to add her to my TBR because Ali Hazelwood basically said to. And I started it a bit begrudgingly because I don’t read YA thriller/suspense books. (Weirdly enough, it was ALL I loved to read in junior high - R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike books were my JAM!) I VERY quickly became enthralled with this book. It woke up and lovingly squeezed my teenage RL Stine and Christopher Pike loving little heart. I LOVED this book! I LOOOOVED this book! It was so good! The paranormal elements left me questioning whether the teens were simply interpreting ordinary events in unusual ways, or if it was truly Emily—the girl mentioned early on as having passed away—making her presence felt. This definitely enlivened a very spooky element throughout the book, and I loved how I kept trying to guess along the way.

Jodi perpetually feels like she is on the brink of being left behind and forgotten by her group of friends, forcing her to socialize when she would rather be at home so that she can be a part of the memories they create when hanging out together. She also seems to be hopelessly in love with Zack, the very handsome and personable boy who brought them all together. The death of the girl (Emily) who tried to infiltrate their group weighs heavily on the group, for very different and very selfish reasons, leaving a sense of guilt and unease in its wake, tarnishing the group’s illustrious reputation. In the wake of legal repercussions surrounding the alleged bullying of the dead girl, repercussions that threaten each group member, they begin to believe that supernatural forces are beginning to haunt them - and they believe those supernatural forces are Emily. Life-threatening accidents are beginning to occur, but do you know which part of these life-threatening accidents THRILLED me?! (Yes, THRILLED.) I think the same parts that excited most readers: Julian Hollister’s constant need to protect and drag Jodi Dillan, his supposed arch-nemesis, from danger. I very quickly became wholly endeared to him. I could not get enough of Jodi and Julian. I need a sequel because I need more Jodi and Julian.

Here is my proposal, Miss Soto: write a sequel YA novel with them in college and create a mysterious adventure to wrap up that open-ended epilogue you left us with. (Why did you do that by the way, if not to dangle a carrot* that is making us hope for another book?) *I say carrot, but I mean something that is actually lust-worthy, like Pedro Pascal or something. THEN, THEN write an adult second chance romance novel about Jodi and Julian because I need a book where only THEY are the focus, please. Dump them into a class reunion if you want to drag everyone else back, but I really couldn't care less if they don’t. I just need more Jodi and Julian.

All in all, this was a great book. I forced my eyeballs to stay open and my consciousness not to render me into sleep while I tried to trick myself into not thinking I was sleepy, reading this book at 2 AM. I do love books that give hints throughout, and if you know what to pay attention to, can help you try to piece together the mystery of what's happening before it's revealed. I was disappointed with Jodi at the end. Without spoilers, she decides the truth must prevail over her friendships, but there is a MAJOR conflict and hypocrisy where that is concerned because she is willing to expose one friend’s “truth” and not another’s. The flimsy excuse is that she was not deposed and was not directly asked the question she had the truth to, but the same scenario applied to the other friend she exposed: she initiated contact with the police force to share that information - she was not deposed and asked. That was not written as tidily as it could have been, unless we were meant to dislike Jodi for this hypocrisy and instead notice who she was willing to withhold the truth for and who she was not. I was not a happy with this at all. This book lost an entire star because of that (for me). BUT that ending right at the end of the book: the one right before the epilogue and the epilogue itself were REALLY GOOD. I would read a second book. I hope she makes it happen!

The Thrashers is a fast paced YA thriller that will keep you guessing right up to the prologue! This story follows a group of teens through high school and the death of one of their friends. The narration was well done, voice and pacing worked for the story and made listening enjoyable.

I have read a lot of Julia Soto‘s previous work and find her to be a really impactful, well-written writer. A lot of of her word choice and the way that she crafts a sentence is just beautiful and she really has a way with words. So when I found out that she was writing young adult in a different genre I was definitely interested to see how that carried over. I’m so happy to say that This is almost elevated young adult thriller in the way that you would never expect. It’s addictive. It’s page turning. It’s just a delight to read on every page. I recommend this to such a wide audience of readers that I hope everyone ends up reading this book.

4.5⭐️
Is there anything Julie Soto can’t write?! I LOVE her contemporary romance and I’m so excited for her Romantasy debut, and she executed this YA Thriller so well!!! She is such a masterful storyteller.

This book had me HOOKED. I couldn’t put it down! It was a well-plotted thriller with complex and flawed characters, mystery, suspense, lots of twists, plenty of emotion, (mildly creepy) supernatural elements, and even a bit of a delicious angsty romance (which was such a pleasant surprise). While it is YA, I think it is written in a way that even older readers would be able to enjoy it!

It is a story about obsession and the dark side of wanting to belong, complicated relationships, and being haunted (both literally and figuratively) by the consequences of your past decisions. It’s full of secrets, lies, manipulation, and a heaping dose of highschool drama and toxicity.

As someone who was often a “background friend” and often pushed out of trios when they became duos, etc. , I resonated with Jodi a bit on her insecurity of not being good enough to truly belong to the group and her fear that she would be discarded or replaced. I remember experiencing similar feelings of vulnerability and insecurity to what she experiences when I was in school and really felt for her as she began to question what she meant to the group, whether or not her friends were really the people she thought them to be, and if their friendship would really be as enduring as she hoped it would be or if she was destined to eventually get “Thrashed” too. I thought Jodi had good character growth throughout the book!

I loved getting snippets of Emily’s journal to supplement the secrets being revealed and how I, as the reader, was often questioning everything that was happening in the book as you never really knew what was true or false, who you could trust, or what their intentions were. I didn’t love that [redacted] was the only one who had to face serious consequences. Though, I guess this serves as important social commentary about how privileged people (especially rich white guys) tend to get out of facing harsher consequences for things like bullying, harrassment, 🍇, etc.


I lovedddd the romantic subplot. I am an absolute sucker for Julie Soto’s engaging writing style, but I especially love the way she writes romance so I was so delighted to have some unexpected romance in this one! The tension? The angst? The moments of vulnerability?! YES! And the added context at the end that puts a new perspective on all of it? Genius!

On that note, AAAHHHH, THAT EPILOGUE ??!!!! EXCUSE ME, MA’AM, but I’m going to need a sequel STAT! 👀

Thank you to Julie Soto, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jodi Dillon is part of an elite friend group called the Thrashers, that she doesn't exactly fit into. How3ver, Zach Thrasher has been her best friend since 2nd grade, so Jodi is in. However, Emily Mills also wanted in and refuses to be ignored. When Emily commits suicide, the Thrashers get blamed and the whispers and investigations begin. But when strange occurrences start happening and cannot be easily explained, it seems Emily isn't done with them yet.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this digital e-arc.*