When high schooler Emily Mills commits suicide on prom night, a group of five friends called “the Thrashers” become front and center for their potential involvement in the case.

From the beginning, I really enjoyed this book. For a YA thriller, it felt very original and kept me turning the pages, despite the fact that all of the characters came off as pretty dislikable. Unfortunately, the ending let me down a little bit. Throughout the book, there was a really good use of suspense and mystery building up to what I thought would be some very satisfying plots twists, but the end felt a little rushed and abrupt. Overall, considering that this is Julie Soto's debut into this genre and the first book I've read by her, I was pretty impressed by her writing style, so I will definitely be trying her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

First, I want to thankNetGalley and St. Martin’s press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! It was so hard to put it down, and I definitely stayed up too late reading! It made me wish for the days when I was still in high school and could read a book in one sitting because I didn’t have any responsibilities!

This book draws you in quickly, and I think was very well done while dealing with sensitive topics such as suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, and the drama of high school and needing to fit in. Each of the Thrashers were all well-rounded and despite myself, I was liking (almost) all of them as the book went on.

My only complaint would be that I am left wanting more! That ending, the epilogue, I am shook and have so many questions! I’m hoping that this means Julie will bring us back to this world again! I’ll absolutely be reading this book again!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Thrashers by Julie Soto is a mixed first and third person-POV YA thriller set in California. Jodie is a member of the Thrashers, a group of five friends (herself, Lucy, Paige, Zack, and Julian) who are all connected by Zack Thrasher. When a sort-of friend, Emily, ends up dead on prom night, the group is rocked by the accusations that they had something to do with Emily’s death.

The major themes include in-group vs out-group, the way outsiders view us, and the impact of alcoholism and suicide. This is definitely on the heavier side, especially in relation to alcoholism and domestic abuse as we do have a scene detailing how Jodie’s father terrorizes her when he’s drunk only for him to not remember in the morning when he’s sober again. I found that scene to be intense without reaching a point where it felt excessive, but I do recommend anyone who is triggered by alcoholism or domestic abuse to proceed with caution when picking the book up.

Jodie and the rest of the Thrashers are essentially the cool kids of their school with everyone wanting to be part of the group and many of the girls wanting to sleep with Zack. What makes this even more complicated is that Paige, Lucy, and Jodie are known to have romantic feelings for Zach despite his lack of acknowledgement towards those feelings. Zack’s habit of picking up new people to hang out with the group only for those people to be removed from the group have led to the Thrashers having a reputation as users, a reputation that Jodie doesn’t appreciate and she believes is unfair. I think there’s a lot that Jodie probably doesn’t know or that the reader isn’t actually privy to and the answer is probably somewhere in the middle: I wouldn’t be surprised if some people were being used and others just crossed a boundary that concerned the other members. It’s a more morally gray Mean Girls with a lot more complicated feelings.

Jodie and Julian are very antagonistic to each other at first, mostly hanging out because they’re friends with Zack, Paige, and Lucy. After Emily dies, the two slowly drift closer and closer and there are romantic feelings there that could develop into something or maybe not. I’m very conflicted because, on the one hand, I do ship it and think that there is a spark there and an understanding that is healthier for Jodie than her crush on Zack. What’s more is that this budding attraction seems to have been exactly what Jodie needed for her to finally stop seeing Zack as perfect and see his flaws. On the other hand, Julian’s cruelty at times is concerning and if the two are going to have a future, he’s going to do an awful lot of unlearning.

Content warning for alcoholism, child abuse, car accidents, suicide, and underage drinking

I would recommend this to fans of YA thrillers with longer chapters and readers of YA looking for morally gray casts

4.25 stars…and truly what can’t Julie Soto write?! From moving romances to intense fan fiction and now into the world of the twisty YA thriller…

The Thrashers, an elite clique with complicated connections, a group everyone wants in on but it only ever really stays with the core five: Zack Thrasher (yes that is his ridiculous last name), a friendly yet gullible idiot whose privilege and charisma make him the center of the universe; Jodi, seemingly the odd one out and yet Zack’s oldest friend; Julian, the oftentimes rude enforcer of the group; Paige, the classic popular girl involved in everything; and Lucy, too cool to even be real. Everyone wants into this group, and they may be welcomed in for a short time before they’re Thrashed aka they’re voted off the island and their torches are snuffed. Their most recently Thrashed classmate died by suicide, and it looks like it’s all their fault, but is it really??

This was absolutely a wild ride and also a ride I should not have taken to end my night!! It was twisty, stressful, at times a little spooky, and so very compelling. The characters were well developed and I could feel myself rooting for and against each of them as the story went on. And oh my goodness the way the plot wraps up is just so wild and I was wildly (lol) impressed by this new genre foray for a favorite author!!

Thanks so much to Julie Soto, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

YA Thriller
Friend Group
Paranormal
*Check trigger warnings

Tragedy on prom night. Toxic friend group is being blamed, secrets come to light. Jo feels left out when she finds out the “Thrashers” have hung out without her and maybe keeping things from her.

After most of the Thrashers have near death experiences we finally get some answers because of Jo.
What a fun ride! There are some twists that I did not see coming and the EPILOGUE?!

Team Julian!

I'm obsessed!! I binged this in a day. It's one of my favorite things I've read this year hands-down. This is your standard "popular clique may have gone too far this time" story with a twist and I ate it up. The stakes kept raising and I was fully invested in untangling the mystery of what happened to Emily. I truly did not see the ending coming and I am dying for more books with these characters!! I fell hard for one of the side characters and I'm hoping we get more because I need to know more of their story. If you enjoy YA thrillers this is a must read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Why are YA thrillers so hard to put down? What exactly is laced in their pages?

Julie Soto( in her YA debut) takes readers to Sacramento, where a group of high school students are under suspicion for the role they may have played in the recent death of a schoolmate, Emily Mills. The story is told from the viewpoint of the "one who doesn't seem to belong," Jodi Dillon. The police tell Jodi that they have evidence from Emily's journals saying Jodi was a good friend. But Jodi is perplexed as to why Emily would feel Zack, Julian, Lucy, and Paige would want to hurt her. As the police investigation intensifies, strange texts and unexplained occurrences start to make Jodi and the rest of the group wonder if they're being haunted by Emily, or if someone is watching that might know all the group secrets?


This had me going in circles and changing my mind so many times as to what I thought had happened. I love it when a book can do that. The unexpected paranormal moments certainly kept the narrative going. Also, although it was a mystery surrounding the death of a teenage girl, is it okay to say this was a fun read?

I have a feeling YA readers are going to gobble this up!






Expected Publication 06/05/25
Goodreads Review 09/05/25

I absolutely loved this book! The book starts with the suicide of Emily Mills and how a group called The Thrashers are accused of bulling her. We follow Jodie Dillon, the odd one out of the group as she tries to figure out what actually happened.

I went into this book thinking its a YA thriller and was surprised to see a few paranormal aspects. Once you start reading the book, it's almost impossible to keep the book down until you finish it. So, a word of caution to those who are going to read it, don’t start it if you have other important things to do. The story stays in your mind all the time, when you are half way through the book, and even long after the story is over. The ending was shocking and I hope there is a sequel to this. I simply didn't get enough of Julian & Jodi portions.

This is my first Julie Soto book and with this book she has managed to make me auto buy her books.

Must read for those enjoy YA thrillers that will keep you invested and wont let you stop the flipping pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and St-Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for a review.

Dark, twisty, and absolutely soaked in suspense— The Thrashers is not your soft, feel-good romance. It’s sharp-edged, high-stakes, and emotionally feral in the best possible way.

Julie Soto serves up obsession, power plays, and chemistry so intense it feels dangerous. Every chapter pulls you deeper into the mess—more secrets, more tension, more what is even happening right now energy.

The story keeps you guessing, the emotions hit hard, and by the time it’s over… you’re gonna need a minute.

And whatever you do—DO NOT skip the epilogue.

3.75-4⭐️
As a lover of Julie Soto’s romance novels, I was so excited for this book and see her take on a new demographic and genre! For this being her first YA and thriller, I think she did a fantastic job!! Her storytelling reminded me of so many YA thrillers that I loved like AGGTM series.

The Thrashers is a tension filled, suspenseful YA thriller surrounding the suicide of Emily Mills. The beginning prologue of this books immediately sucks you into the story and sets up the plot for the book. As the mystery surrounding Emily Mills suicide we follow The Thrashers, a group of popular HS kids who run the school but are riddled with secrets of their own.

We follow Jodi Dillon, our main character, as she finds herself trapped between her relationship with the rest of the Thrashers (Zach, Julian, Lucy, and Paige) and finding the truth about Emily Mills. Jodi was my favorite character in this book because she wasn’t like the others. She doesn’t come from money or power and deals with some sensitive issues at home with her father. Despite this, she was so fiercely loyal to her friends and I was rooting for her so hard throughout the whole book.

The plot/pacing did drag a bit in the middle as more details surrounding the case came out but it was still a fun gripping read! The big twist ending/reveal was a bit underwhelming and I guessed It about after halfway through. However, the last chapter and epilogue were absolute shocking and had me wishing there was more to read in the book!! The ending truly gave me goosebumps! I have no idea if Julie Soto is planning on returning to this world but after that ending I truly hope that she does because I want more!!

P.S. I am team Julian all the way and there is no debate!!! I need more Jodi/Julian scenes and interactions immediately!!

Thank you to St.Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of The Thrashers!

The Thrashers is a young adult thriller with some paranormal elements. A group of high school popular kids “the Thrashers” are suspected of pushing a fellow student to commit suicide after her journal is discovered, exposing a mountain of secrets and lies. No one can be trusted as our main character Jodie sorts through the lies to discover what really happened.

Julie Soto is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with a Thriller from her. It is young adult and the main characters are high school students, but the writing felt a little more YA than what I was expecting. Even with some heavier topics like suicide, parent loss, and drug and alcohol use, the writing felt immature at times. The story started off pretty slow as we are introduced to the characters, but about 1/3 of the way through I was pretty invested. Jodie digging into the mystery of what happened and the trail of breadcrumbs she was finding had me hooked. However, the ending fell very flat for me. I was waiting for a huge, mind blowing reveal and I just didn’t get that. I think I definitely would have liked this a lot more if I was closer in age to the characters!

I loved this book! Shows the turmoil, lies, and trust/distrust of high school cliques! 5 stars and honestly really hope there is a sequel. Emily Mills nobody forgets you!

✨ARC Review✨

5⭐ for The Thrashers by Julie Soto

I'll admit I was skeptical going into this one because while I loved Julie Soto's debut, I didn't love her second book so I wasn't sure how I would feel about this one. Well, I ate this up. This kept me turning pages in a frenzy, wondering what was real and what was not, wanting to know what would happen next. And that epilogue?! Wow did that throw me for a loop!

This had some very Pretty Little Liars meets 13 Reasons Why vibes, and the intrigue surrounding Emily had me in a chokehold; I wanted to know what happened to her, and what the real story was. This was woven in a way that made Jodi an unreliable narrator at times, and I loved it! There were some supernatural vibes too that added to the overall creepy feeling, but not so bad that I couldn't sleep after reading it (I'm a total scaredy cat, so it was right on the edge for me tbh).

Read if you enjoy YA thrillers that will keep you flipping pages to find out how it all ends!

Thank you to Netgalley and St-Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

I loved this! A little long winded at times but I couldnt put it down.

I would liveeee if the author followed up with what happens with Jodie and Julian. I thought the characters were well written and realistic (having teens myself). May these type of friends never find my kids.

Thank you for the chance to read this early, when it releases, I must have the bookshelf trophy!

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley @wednesdaybooks and @macaudio for a copy of this ebook and audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts.

WOW. 10/10 no notes. This was un-putdownable! I am SO intrigued by this story. I loved reading this even though I couldn't read it at night because I'm a big scaredy cat. This is One of Us is Lying meets paranormal meets high school mystery. I loved Jodi and hearing the story from her perspective. I love how Soto unwraps the story bit by bit and makes different elements known to you at the right time. Apart from Jodi, my other favorite character was Julien.

Narration: The narrator did an EXCELLENT job portraying all of the suspense and emotions of the characters and I would absolutely listen again,

A sequel is not a want, it's a NEED.

This book was a VIBE!! I quite honestly could not put it down. Julie will forever be an auto buy author for me. Her writing just draws me in every single time and always leaves me wanting more. She could write post it notes and I would buy them.

This book reminded me so much of Pretty Little Liars. The secrets. The deception. The angst and banter. Sooooooo good. I was always suspicious of Ethan. When people are held on pedestals for so long they are bound to collect a few secrets. He was just too good. And the way everyone adored him…shady af. And the way Hannah was always there. Emily gave me such bad vibes. She was so obsessed with Jodi and I don’t understand why people didn’t question certain things more. But Jodi and Julian….ugh I loved them so much and need more.

This book was everything I needed and wanted it to be. The writing was fantastic. The story was engaging and flowed very well. I loved all of the characters and the growth we got to experience. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to read this early.

This was so unexpectedly fun! I really enjoyed it. My only critique is that it felt a bit too long, but otherwise had a blast.

I couldn’t put this book down! The suspense was gripping, and I loved the story and characters. The epilogue was a total shock, and now I’m hoping for more. Julie did an incredible job making every character feel real and complex, constantly keeping me on my toes about who to trust.

The prologue grabbed me right from the start, and I just couldn’t stop reading. The mystery had me hooked, and the mix of supernatural elements with real life drama made the story even more exciting. It was so much fun and kept me guessing the entire time!

4.25 stars!

Thank you for the ARC! I absolutely devoured this book. It consumed my every thought when I wasn’t reading and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time