This book follows the thrashers, a group of rich kids (minus one) who may have bullied a girl into unloving herself. This book is full of lies and deceit and our main character Jodi doesn’t know who to trust when it becomes clear her group of friends may have been keeping her at arms length all along. When the dead girls journal reappears and criminal charges are pressed Jodi works hard to figure out the truth. Was the dead girl really just a stalker? Or did her friends really do all the things Emily claimed they did in her journal.

An absolutely fun, enthralling read that the teens at my library will devour (they're thriller/mystery fanatics). Addictive writing, with a plot that was fun enough to grip me from beginning to end.

Julie Soto’s The Thrashers is a gripping blend of mystery and paranormal intrigue that explores the dark complexities of friendship and belonging. At the heart of the novel is Emily, a girl desperate to be accepted into the exclusive circle of “cool kids,” only to meet a tragic end by suicide. Her journal becomes the catalyst for an intense investigation into bullying, forcing her so-called friends to confront the truth about their relationships and actions.

Told from the perspective of Jodi—an outsider within the elite group—the story offers a compelling look at someone who feels more akin to Emily than the rest of the Thrashers. While the book starts off at a slow pace, it quickly gains momentum once the investigation begins, unraveling secrets and pushing the characters into high-stakes confrontations.

The twists in this novel are massive, each revelation more impactful than the last, keeping the reader questioning who—if anyone—was truly involved. Soto masterfully builds tension, making it nearly impossible to predict the outcome. And then comes the epilogue—jaw-dropping and unforgettable, leaving a lasting impression long after the final page.

A must-read for fans of mystery and supernatural elements, The Thrashers is a chilling, thought-provoking novel that explores guilt, loyalty, and the haunting consequences of exclusion. Thank you to NetGalley and Julie Soto’s team for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

I know I am the outlier here, but I couldn't get into this. It didn't feel like anything new. I just thought it was ok.

This book was so fun and had so many secrets!

Jodi never expected to run with the Thrashers, an exclusive friend group, but her childhood connection to Zack Thrasher keeps her with them. When a classmate desperate to join them ends up dead and her journal resurfaces, Jodi must decide how far she’s willing to go to stay safe.

The story goes deep into the brutal politics of high school and the emotional toll of trying to belong! It left me constantly second guessing what was real.

The story had a creepy edge that gave off serious Pretty Little Liars vibes!!

I loved how flawed and complex each character was. The plot twists hit hard and often!

Perfect for fans of dark secrets, complicated friendships, and teen drama.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the gifted copy!

HOLY CANOLI. This book was incredible. From even the very first few chapters, I was hooked, this was completely un-put-downable. The writing is incredibly immersive yet so easy to follow. It honestly transported me right back to high school in such a visceral, nostalgic way.

What impressed me most was how effortlessly the author blurred the lines between right and wrong, making me question my feelings about every single character. Just when I thought I had someone figured out, something would shift, and I'd be right back to doubting everything. I'm so impressed with that kind of layered character development.

Also OBSESSED with the bonus enemies-to-lovers subplot. Julian completely stole my heart, which is probably why the ending left me just a little heartbroken. I get it — this is a thriller, not a fairy tale — but part of me still craved a happier resolution for his character.

That said, I cannot give this anything less than five stars. I found myself totally consumed by the story, losing track of time more than once (the drive-in movie scene? I actually could not handle it.). Julie Soto’s talent for crafting an atmosphere that feels this real and this tense is seriously next-level.

This is one of those books I’ll be pushing into everyone’s hands. An absolute must-read.

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!! It was very pretty little liars meets 13 reasons why & I just ate it up. It felt so nostalgic in the best way possible.

This book also just had me hooked from start to finish. I just had to keep reading because I had to know what was going to happen next. The supernatural elements were so captivating & the things that kept happening to this friend group had my jaw on the floor.

I definitely recommend picking this one up, it was a fantastic debut YA thriller & I hope Julie writes more of them !!

5/5 ⭐️
Holy shit, this was amazing! It’s been quite a while since I’ve read a book that had me so excited to get back home to continue reading. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!

For me, I would say this is like the show version of 13 Reasons Why meets the Hailey Bieber drama. I know weird comparison. And one partially inspired by a couple TikTok’s I recently watched of people having story time sharing about the girls in their lives that had the same energy as Hailey Bieber with Selene Gomez. But what I’m trying to get at is that there is a character in this story that does the exact same thing.

I won’t bore you with a description since you can just scroll up and read it, but there was so much to this story than what you’ll find in the description. At its core it was about fitting in and finding your place. Something we all struggle with, even if you’re like Zack Thrasher and it doesn’t look like it. Something we all experience even as adults. But no where as intense as when we’re teenagers. Because of that, the drama was at a 10. And our narrator, Jodie really experienced it with her constant paranoia of being on the cusp of being excluded from the Thrashers. Serious whiplash there. One moment they seem to love her and go to great lengths for her. In another, she seems like an after thought. And this normal paranoia fit nicely into the external plot.

I also really love how my thoughts and opinions on all the characters flipped and flopped and flipped some more. It made them feel so much more realistic.

The thriller and slight paranormal parts were also excellent. Overall, this was such a good time. I never knew what would happen next. Simultaneously I was having plenty of, girl, feel that, moments. So many instances where I remember feeling or experiencing the exact same thing. This was such a good book. I really hope this author writes more like it. I would gobble them up whole.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

Julie Soto does it again. When I saw she was writing a YA Thriller, I had to admit I was skeptical. Neither are particular my genre, but what the heck, obviously I’d give it a try. And….. WOW.

Julian and Jodi were giving Soto’s signature enemies to love with that BANTER. The twists felt unpredictable, and I found myself on the edge of seat for the last third of the book.

Would I read another YA thriller? Probably not. Will I read a sequel? PLEASE.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a HUGE fan of Julie Soto's writing - so I was very excited to try her YA Thriller.
It did not disappoint. It's a quick read that you will not want to put down - The characters were well written, the plot kept me interested, and the overall story kept me guessing the entire time. If you are a fan of teen drama, twists, and psychological thrillers surrounding a group of rich dysfunctional students - you will absolutely love this.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of The Thrashers, releasing May 6, 2025.

Julie's debut in YA psychological thrillers! It’s engaging, fast-paced, and kept me hooked. The story follows Jodi, a Sacramento teen desperate to fit in with "The Thrashers," a wealthy friend group that includes her childhood best friend, Zack. When new girl Emily Mills inserts herself into the group and later dies by suicide, accusations of bullying emerge, unraveling their world.

Julie Soto’s writing is gripping, and while the book explores tough, relevant themes, the plot lacked the big twists I was hoping for. The haunting elements were intriguing and wrapped up well. Also, I was totally rooting for Julian & Jodi! That epilogue still had my jaw dropped.

Definitely search up TWs. A solid 3.5 stars, rounded up.

I stayed up till 3am reading this book because I could not put it down. I’m rating it 4.5 because there was some things that disappointed me but overall I loved it.

This one made my tummy hurt my anxiety was so bad 🤣 so so good though! Very twisty turny and had plenty of “no f-ing way” moments

Thrashers is the story of 5 popular close teenage friends whom everybody wants to be friends with. Emily who kept hanging on to their group committed suicide on prom night and the five are later accused of being the catalyst for her death. But everything was not as it seemed with Emily, and even after her death she continues to make her presence known. Delightfully creepy, with authentic teenage characters, this was a great read. I read it in one night, I couldn’t put it down.

Wow, this book was hard to put down and kept me up till late in the night.

The story starts off with the suicide on prom night of Emily Mills, and after some evidence showing up leading to the Thrashers as the suspects. The story follows with mystery, tension, betrayals, family dynamics, wonderful twists, a hint of paranormal activity and a bit of really well done slow burn.

I truly enjoyed this book and was left with wanting more time with these characters and story. In my opinion, the balance in seeing the bullying and teenagers’ emotional turmoil from multiple sides was done well. The little hints of romance were perfect. I loved the writing and will definitely read more books my Julie Soto.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review.

“Either you’re in or you’re out.”

Zach, Julian, Paige, Lucy, and Jodi make up the elite friend group “the thrashers” of New Helvetia High. Emily wanted to be a thrasher, but instead ended up dead and now things are quickly spiraling out of control.

I definitely enjoyed this one! I love reading about petty high school drama, and mix in murder and a rich, attention-loving friend group and I’m all in.

This book did take a turn I didn’t see coming, not necessarily a twist but just a different direction than what I was expecting. A little bit of supernatural elements were at play and I know that turns some people off, but I thought it added an interesting, unexpected touch.

The end really got me. I thought it put an entirely different meaning to things and I thought it was done well!

Overall a 5 out of 5 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was my first ever read by Julie Soto and I enjoyed it so much! The pacing, the gripping moments, the spine chilling moments were all well done! I’m really excited to read other books by this author and can’t wait for others to read this one too! I rated this one 4.5 but rounded it up to 5 for the sake of this site!

Ok I really loved this book but that epilogue was terrible! The story had elements of Pretty Little Liars and 13 Reasons Why to it which made it both fun and thought-provoking. I was so invested in this story, and honestly it made me so glad to not be a teenager anymore with all of the cliques that go with it. But it was so much fun to read about. It would have been a perfect book except for all of the “supernatural” elements thrown in. I didn’t mind some of the creepy “is this real or in our heads?” but it went too far in my opinion.

I cannot think of a single critique for this book. It was truly ever single thing I look for in a thriller. Or really in any book for that matter.

One big thing that really got me is that i was feeling something akin to nostalgia for Pretty Little Liars and 13 Reasons Why without feeling at all like the book was a copycat of either of them.

THE RANGE OF CHARACTERS. Did I kind of hate them all?? Yeah, a little bit. Did I decide immediately that one was going to be my favorite and nothing they could possibly do would ever be wrong in my eyes? Also yes.

So obsessed with the twists and turns and all of the flaws. Plus the timing of everything was immaculate. I can’t properly form my thoughts but the vibes for this were perfect. Julie Soto turns every single thing she does into pure gold.

THE THRASHERS is a thrilling mystery with all the emotional highs and lows of being a teenager. I was careening from one "who dunnit" theory to another, all while second guessing who's innocent and who's to blame. The action and danger of a possible revenge seeking ghost was balanced with deeply emotional revelations that sinks these characters into your heart. I'm mesmerized by Julie Soto's storytelling.

Okay, it being a mystery I will tip toe around the plot. What is important here is Jodi! A stellar main character. Popular but considers herself so only by association to her friend group. Jealously, anxiety, trauma all weight on her actions. There were times I was shouting at her as if I could affect her panic choices. It's those horrible choices that make her so relatable too, so I'm not mad.

A note before I go further, - the subject matter is chilling. Suicide, death, stalking, bullying, rape. There is some justice leveled against the offenders, but only "some." And for that, if you are sensitive to any of these topics please proceed with care.

Overall, highly recommend for a gripping mystery with the bonus vibes of 00's teen thrillers. You're going to want to reread it immediately to catch any clues you might have missed along the way.

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.