This book is perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus and The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Seniors at New Helvetia high school in the Sacramento area are plagued by the apparent suicide of their friend, Emily Mills. They feel haunted by what they are sure is Emily’s ghost, while also dealing with their own demons. This book has a great plot and excellent character development, with elements of high school bullying that really ring true and accurate.

One thing that really stood out to me was that although I could tell all of the characters had secrets, and therefore I did not trust them, I was still rooting for them. The characters were so dynamic and came to life for me, which I thought was incredibly well done.

There is mention of alcoholism and associated violence. I received this ARC from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley.

Julie Soto has this incredible talent to immediately hook me into a story and make me care deeply about what happens to everybody in it. I was unable to put this one down.

Read if you’re looking for…
📓 high school cliques and drama
📓 thriller and mystery
📓 something a bit eerie
📓 journal entries

A high school student dies. Are The Thrashers to blame?

This one kept me on my toes. I thought the audiobook was well done! I enjoyed that there were 2 narrators - one for Jodi, our main character, and one for Emily via her journal entries.

Content warnings include suicide, bullying, alcoholism, violence, and other normal thriller/mystery warnings.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Wednesday Books for my ALC and eARC!

Where do I even begin with this book?! I knew I would love it, but DAMN! Julie kept me hooked with each new chapter and I had no idea how it was going to end. I was guessing and theorizing the entire time but never once came close to what actually happened.

We follow a group of friends, The Thrashers, during their senior year after a girl, Emily, who was desperate to join their group, kills herself on prom night. During the police investigation, Emily’s diary is discovered to have evidence of mistreatment by members of the Thrashers. The friends are adamant that they are innocent, but how can they be sure when they each have secrets of their own?

You will spend this book desperately wanting more and Julie will come out of left field with some new crazy thing happening to the Thrashers. You’re constantly on your toes, thrown into new life or death situations, and wondering when you’ll learn a new secret. I could read this same story from each POV so that I can pick apart their decisions and know every single detail of the story.

Julie shared at Romance-Con at the Toledo Library last year that this was the story she’s been dying to share, and it shows. The storytelling was so compelling and interesting that I could not put it down. I mean, I feel that way about most of her writing, but this one was particularly exceptional! I can’t wait to devour more of her stories in the future.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Julie for trusting me to review this eARC! I’m ready and waiting for the next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)

The Thrashers is eerie, gripping, and beautifully written—Julie Soto’s storytelling completely immerses you from page one. The atmosphere is thick with tension and mystery, pulling you deeper into a world that’s as haunting as it is compelling.

Soto crafts a narrative that feels cinematic, with vivid descriptions, layered characters, and a slow-building sense of unease that keeps you on edge. There’s an emotional undercurrent that runs through the story, but it never overwhelms the suspenseful and slightly gothic tone that makes this book stand out.

It’s the kind of read that lingers with you long after the final page. Highly recommend to anyone who loves atmospheric fiction with a dark, introspective edge.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will love Julie Soto’s latest book The Thrashers. Five high schoolers unknowingly bully a classmate into suicide or did they know? This story delves into what it means to be a part of the “in” crowd, the sacrifices you have to make and who you have to become. This is not at all what I was expecting having read and loved Julie Soto’s previous works. While I liked it I didn’t love it as much as her others. The ending was left a bit undone (not sure if there will be a sequel?) as in it didn’t feel complete. Overall an interesting look at the secret lives of high schoolers but not my favorite from Soto.

Was so lucky to get this advanced copy of Julie Soto’s new book! This book was a perfect high school drama/ thriller/ with a bit of paranormal mystery thrown in. The Thrashers are the popular kids in high school and a group everyone wants to be apart of. When a teenage girl Emily commits suicide the school starts talking about how she has been thrashed from the group. These friends then start to navigate a school and police who think she bullied her into her early death. I really enjoyed reading this book and was shocked with several twists and turns that it went on as the book progresses… to say nothing of the epilogue at the end.

Wait this was SO good?!?! Not only can Soto write romance but she can write a banger of a YA thriller too👏

It’s got high school cliques, bullying, doing anything and everything for your crush, trying to fit in with the “cool” kids, and envying the rich! And low key was giving 13 Reasons Why meets Pretty Little Liars👀

Each character was complex and flawed and really had to come face to face with protecting themselves or standing up to their friends and doing the right thing😮‍💨

I was hooked from the very first line and binged the entire book today! It went in directions I wasn’t expecting🫢 and I genuinely had so much fun listening! Though it didn’t make me miss being a teenager🙃

If you love a YA thriller this should definitely be on your radar‼️

Jodi Dillon is just your average teen girl—average grades, average looks, average life. She’s also the outsider among a group of glittering elites who call themselves The Thrashers, a tight-knit clique of ultra-wealthy kids who dominate the social scene at their exclusive California high school. Led by the magnetic Zack Thrasher—whose last name gives the group its name—The Thrashers orbit fame, money, and danger. Jodi, who has known Zack since childhood, is the only one among them who isn’t rich or well-traveled or effortlessly glamorous. But she’s in—barely. And staying in means ignoring how many people Zack has discarded, ghosted, or humiliated when they no longer serve a purpose.

Then Emily Mills dies.

The school is shaken. But things truly unravel when Emily’s diary is discovered—and the secrets inside threaten to destroy everything. Emily claims she was raped by one of the Thrashers. She details the psychological torment they inflicted. And as a criminal investigation kicks off, Paige, Lucy, Julian, Zack, and even Jodi find themselves under scrutiny. Jodi, caught between loyalty and truth, is forced into the spotlight and asked to testify against the only friends she has.

As eerie messages begin to appear and inexplicable things start happening, it becomes terrifyingly clear: Emily may be gone, but she’s not finished.

Told in a dual timeline—before and after the prom night that changed everything—The Thrashers is a sharp, slow burn mystery that explores the adolescent power and belonging, and the terrifying question of who your friends really are.

And just when you think you’ve figured it all out… Julie Soto hits you with an ending that will twist your mind, and leave you desperate to talk to someone about what just happened.
#thethrashers #juliesoto #yathriller #paranormalmystery #darkacademia #alihazelwoodapproved #booktokbuzz

#stmartinspress #wednesdaybooks #thethrashers #juliesoto

Zach Trasher has a tight knit group of friends. Get too close, and you’ll be thrashed.

This YA thriller has all the vibes of Pretty Little Liars and 13 Reasons. When someone close to their group commits suicide on prom night, seemingly after being scorned by the social group, all eyes are on “The Thrashers” as more is uncovered about what it means to be in this group, or what happens if you try to work your way in.

All of the high school drama met with thriller twists and shocking revelations as more comes to light and the group tries not to fall apart while also keeping each other’s secrets.

I could not put this book down, and was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audiobook and read the e-ARC. Both were phenomenal and captivating.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC and ALC. All opinions are my own.

My first thriller and it did not disappoint! I read this book in 24 hours and was hooked from the first page. This was also my first Julie Soto book, and it definitely won’t be my last!

The Thrashers has just the right amount of thrill to give me goosebumps, but not enough to make me sleep with the lights on (my ideal balance!). The story follows a group of students, nicknamed "The Thrashers" by their classmates, who start experiencing a series of eerie, unexplained events after a fellow student, Emily, dies by suicide. These events could be written off as coincidences or maybe something far more sinister.

As I was reading, I kept trying to figure out who, if anyone, was behind it all. I never did guess it, and when the truth was finally revealed, I was blown away by both the surprise and the emotional gut punch. Learning about Emily’s past genuinely wrecked me. Her experiences with bullying hit close to home, and at times, it felt like I was walking in her shoes.

That said, I also connected with Jodie. Growing up, so many of us just want to fit in, sometimes saying or doing things without thinking about the lasting consequences. Jodie’s arc stood out to me because she eventually recognized the damage, and even though she knew doing the right thing would come with painful consequences for her and her friends, she still chose to face it head-on. That kind of growth and bravery really stuck with me. It made me ask myself: would I have done the same in her shoes? I’d like to say yes, but that’s the easy answer.

Overall, this book was a refreshing change of pace from my usual romantasy reads and exactly what I needed.

I recently had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Julie Soto's upcoming novel, *The Thrashers*, and I was utterly captivated, finishing it in a single sitting. This young adult thriller masterfully blends suspense, complex characters, and unexpected twists that kept me engaged from start to finish.

Set in New Helvetia High, the story revolves around the Thrashers, an elite friend group comprising Zack Thrasher, Lucy Reed, Paige Montgomery, Julian Hollister, and Jodi Dillon—the protagonist who often feels like an outsider despite her childhood bond with Zack. The plot thickens when Emily Mills, a girl desperate to join the Thrashers, is found dead under mysterious circumstances. As Emily's journal emerges and detectives intensify their investigation, Jodi faces harrowing choices that test her loyalty and morality. The narrative delves deep into themes of friendship, betrayal, and the dark undercurrents of high school social hierarchies.

Soto's writing is both evocative and gripping, encapsulating the vulnerability of adolescents entangled in adult-like dilemmas. The characters are richly developed, each flawed and morally complex, making them both relatable and unpredictable. The suspense builds steadily, with eerie messages and strange occurrences that blur the lines between reality and the supernatural, keeping readers on edge.

*The Thrashers* is slated for release on May 6, 2025. For those interested in obtaining a copy, signed and personalized editions are available for pre-order through select bookstores.
In conclusion, *The Thrashers* is a tour-de-force in the YA thriller genre. Its intricate plot, compelling characters, and haunting atmosphere make it a must-read. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking a suspenseful and thought-provoking novel.

5/5 I could not put this book down! This was my first Julie Soto book and it won’t be my last! This book had me wanting to know what was going to happen next.

I enjoyed this book far more than I anticipated!! I absolutely LOVE Julie Soto’s other books, so I was super excited when I found out she was coming out with a YA novel. I was hooked from the first page.

Julie Soto has managed to make me a complete fan of the thriller genre. I could not put this book down! I HAD to know what was going to happen next. It has the perfect amount of suspense and leaves you guessing the entire time.

This book was so good—I could not put it down! The Thrashers is a true YA thriller, and I haven’t read one of those in a long time. Yet, reading this reminded me exactly why I love them.

The paranormal mystery element had me hanging on by a thread, and I honestly couldn’t predict where the story was going. That might just be me since I’m terrible at guessing endings, but I digress—I still had an incredible time reading it.

You're either in or you're out, and no one wants to be 'thrashed'. The Thrashers was such a great book, and very relevant to today's time with bullying teenagers and a classmate's suicide at the center of the storyline. Add in some odd happenings to the main character group and you've got a suspenseful mystery with a bit of a twist I didn't expect. Highly recommend picking this one up when it is released!

Exactly what I'm looking for in a YA thriller! It's like a 13 reasons why but with even more twists and turns and a paranormal aspect. I was captivated by the mystery and complex characters, and some of the reveals near the end definitely surprised me! Would say that this is probably appropriate for older teens (or maybe I was just very sheltered growing up?) and still enjoyable for adults.

If what you're looking for is a YA mystery that touches the paranormal, filled with doubts and lies, with a ship where the angst is chef kiss and a heartbreaking, what-could-have-been-if-only type of ending… look no further because Julie Soto will have you on your knees, begging for more.

The drug this woman puts in her books comes directly from Ali Hazelwood’s stash but, never in a million years, I’d have thought of having this type of reaction for this genre of stories.
But OMG. There's so much to unpack here, and I have no one to talk about it because you just have to experience it for yourself, I don't wanna spoil you anything and I don't wanna you to have a preconceived idea of the people you're going to meet.

There’s one little detail about the ending that still bothers me, especially thinking how could it change one of the other characters’s ending but that's only because I'm a hopeful romantic, so don't mind me.
But, again, OMG — I kinda already saw where this was going and the big wow, but what a roller coaster!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thanks to @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for the #gifted copy of this book.

Summary: Emily Mills wanted nothing more at her new school than to be part of "The Thrashers," the popular group of 5 that revolves around Zack Thrasher. Unfortunately, she discovered it was much harder to be part of the group than anticipated. After being rejected, she commits suicide on prom night. And then things get interesting..

My Thoughts: Well well well... I binged this one in a day!! It was one of those books where you don't like any of the characters, but you cannot look away from them. There were secrets upon secrets upon secrets in this one and it was so fun to try and piece them together (and generally be very wrong). In addition to the police investigation, it felt like someone else was always lurking around and watching them. Could it be Emily hanging around after her death? Overall, this was such a fun ride that made me really glad high school was so very long ago.

What you will find:
📔Drama, Drama, Drama
📔YA Thriller
📔Paranormal Activity
📔One of Us is Lying Vibes