Being in my 30's I'm not a big YA reader but I adore Julie Soto so I took full advantage of this being a 'read now' book. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would! Julie is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me!!

This was a thought provoking YA book that covers the depth of friendship in groups. It was so different from what I expected from other Soto books but I was hooked on the drama. It was just right and the pacing was perfect. Thank you!

Wow! I was blown away by this book. Instantly hooked and finished it almost in one sitting. Absolutely loved all the characters and drama. A 5 star read for me!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Thrashers by Julie Soto
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: YA Thriller
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: May 6, 2025

High-School Clique
Supernatural Thriller
Obsessive Friendship

This young adult thriller centers on a high school clique accused of driving a fellow student to suicide. The group fights to prove their innocence and dark secrets come to light.

Though The Thrashers is a YA thriller, I think it is a great thriller for readers of all ages! The multiple twists, the nuanced portrayal of flawed characters, and the excellent pacing made this thriller unputdownable. The realistic depiction of media bias and its damaging consequences for those wrongly accused added significant depth.

Thank you so much Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

⚠️: overdose, suicide, alcohol abuse, child abuse

I couldn't put this book down it was so good! A group of friends who the school calls The Thrashers are the IT group. When a classmate who desperately wants to join the group commits suicide they get blamed. And strange things start happening. Is what their classmates are saying true? Is someone to blame and if so who?

Keeps you guessing....

Outside of my normal genre tastes, this read like a suspenseful YA Netflix show. Pretty Little Liars mixed with 13 Reasons Why. I binged it in 12 hours. A true page turner thriller with a side of spooky paranormal.

I need more!

If you're into twisty, turny shows like 13 Reasons Why or Pretty Little Liars, you're gonna eat this book up. It's got that same addictive quality.

Basically, we dive right into a town reeling from the suicide of Emily, a 17 year old who dies on prom night. Right from the get go, you're like, "What happened?" Then, we meet the Thrashers – think super rich, popular kids, the kind everyone's obsessed with. And let me tell you, they're definitely hiding something.

This book grabbed me from page one. It's a real rollercoaster, with all these unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. As a YA book, it totally nails that mix of drama, suspense, and teenage angst that the target audience will love.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book. I voluntarily read and gave an honest review.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Thrashers by Julie Soto is about an elite friend group in high school that consists of Jodi, Paige, Lucy, and Julian, who all revolve around their fifth friend, Zach as they get caught up in the death of their classmate Emily.

I binged this entire book and was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I couldn’t decide throughout the book who I could trust, or if I could trust any of the characters at all!! I thought the pacing was so well done for a young adult thriller, and it really kept and maintained my attention.

I don’t really know if I liked any of the characters?? But that was kind of interesting because then my loyalties as the reader kept flip flopping. I also liked that the book was in one POV, because we got a little bit of an unreliable narrator and I think it unfolded better getting the pieces of the story along the way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

The Thrashers is a gripping, drama-filled YA thriller that dives into the toxic glamor of elite high school cliques with a dark, twisty edge. Julie Soto crafts a compelling story with Jodi Dillon at the center—a relatable outsider who gets swept into the whirlwind of the Thrashers, a group as alluring as they are dangerous.

The story kicks into high gear when Emily Mills, an outsider desperate for acceptance, dies under mysterious circumstances, and suddenly Jodi is caught between loyalty, self-preservation, and a haunting truth that refuses to stay buried. The journal clues, creepy messages, and escalating suspense kept me hooked, and the emotional layers added surprising depth.

Soto does a fantastic job showcasing the vulnerability of teens navigating high-stakes social politics while grappling with real danger. The writing is punchy, the characters are morally gray (in the best way), and the pacing makes it hard to put down.

Why not five stars? A few twists were predictable, and at times the drama leaned slightly over the top—but it never took away from the thrill. this is a solid, binge-worthy read that delivers chills and heart in equal measure.

Highly recommended for anyone craving suspense, secrets, and high school intrigue.

The fact that I sat down and devoured this in one sitting says nearly everything. The writing is accessible and pulls you forward through the plot. Even though it's written in third person you feel close to the main character as though you're seeing things through her eyes. The mystery portion was very well executed with interesting twists and turns. And I enjoyed watching the way the layers were peeled back on all of the characters showing us who they really were.

[ The way they handled Emily's mental health through the eyes of the Thrashers was sensitive and balanced. It would have been easy to swing into making her some evil mastermind, or removing the harm that she'd done, but the author found a balance that worked beautifully within the book. And the tiny epilogue really was the cherry on top of the supernatural aspects.

What a ride!? Julie Soto does a great YA book. A close nit group of 4 friends known as the "Trashers" have a reputation of "thrashing" anyone who they befriend and unfriend. All of theirs lives change when they befriend Emily Mills and she kills herself on prom night. I truly enjoyed this story and it's twists and turns.

Stayed up past midnight for this book, so addicting!!!!

Emily Mills, 17, commits suicide. But it’s not long until everyone’s pointing fingers at the Thrashers for murdering her.

The Trashers is a highschool group of friends - Zack Thrasher, Paige, Lucy, Julian and Jodi. They’re the popular rich ones, apart from Jodi but she fits in. No one stays a friend of the Trashers for long before they get ‘Thrased’

Full of twists and turns an addicting narrative. Jodi tries to uncover what really happened to Emily, why all of the Thrashers about from Jodi have been arrested and accused.

I LOVED this book! I’ll probably have to do a re-read soon. Absolute page turning mystery.

Thank you to Wednesday Books & Macmillan Audio for the review copies! I devoured this one, even though I am not usually a thriller or YA reader. It gave me Veronica Mars vibes, and was just so juicy!

I’m a Julie Soto stan at this point, I’ll follow her to whatever genre she wants to write next. Check your TWs with this one, it opens with a teenager, Emily Mills, dying by suicide. A popular clique nicknamed “The Thrashers” are blamed for her death because of how they treated her. We see the rest of the book through Jodi’s POV - the one Thrasher who isn’t under investigation. But when the group becomes plagued by accidents and near-death experiences they wonder, is Emily really gone?

Veronica Mars was one of my favorite shows, and I loved that there was a focus on the friendships and romantic drama as much as the mystery elements, which is also what I loved about The Thrashers. And one of the characters gave me Logan Echolls vibes - probably where my love for misunderstood “bad boys” came from.

If you follow me because you love gossip and thinking about complicated human behavior, you’ll love this. It’s fast paced and full of twists. The paranormal aspects were just creepy enough that I had to pause the book when it got too late at night.

🎧Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky bring this audiobook to life. Listening to the audiobook made me feel truly immersed in the story.

While the story feels complete, there’s more to explore, and it looks like the book was sold in a two book deal, so I expect the sequel to be just as bingeable!

The Thrashers by Julie Soto is a good YA thriller that has a solid plot that kept me hooked. Soto’s writing really brought the action and characters to life. The twists were clever and surprised me. I also thought the portrayal of toxic friendships felt spot on for the YA genre. The added drama and tension made the story even more compelling.
The friendship dynamics were messy, but that’s what made them feel so real, especially in the context of a thriller. The Epilogue was exceptional and it provided a satisfying conclusion for the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Julie Soto for the gifted ARC.

First, let me just say that I fully believe Julie can write in any genre and I would eat it up! This is Julie’s YA thriller debut (with a romance subplot) and I sure hope we get more in this world!

Julie hooked me from the prologue with her addictive writing and never let go. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this one and it absolutely delivered everything I hoped for and more! The Thrashers perfectly explored the intricacies of high school friendships and cliques. It’s full of twists and not everything is as it seems. I had major trust issues with every character while reading this book and to be honest, I still do. Their intentions and motives are never 100% clear and it had me guessing the WHOLE time. And that epilogue gave me actual goosebumps! This would be the perfect choice for fans of Pretty Little Liars! (Wednesday books, if you’re reading this please let Julie give another book or 3 in this world 😍)

3.5 stars, rounded up because this completely sucked me in from the very first line, "The night I died was supposed to be my prom night." (Hooked yet?)

I must have said, "just one more chapter" a dozen times, and before I knew it, it was 3 am. 🤣 If this was Julie Soto's first thriller, I can't wait to read the next one!

I have to mention that this book is firmly in the YA camp, so set your expectations accordingly. The characters are predominantly spoiled and rather morally grey high schoolers who have never had to take responsibility for their actions, and they act and make decisions as such. The story was a bit of a slow-burn, and the twists were rather predictable, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the ride, especially the unexpected romance sub-plot that developed - I. Ate. It. Up.

I don't often say this, but I honestly think this book could be even better as a Netflix series, and I found myself fan-casting the series as I was reading (Joy Sunday from Wednesday would make the perfect Lucy!). It's like Pretty Little Liars, Thirteen Reasons Why, One of Us is Lying, Riverdale, and Euphoria all wrapped into one...and I would absolutely devour this on the screen!

If you enjoy other YA thrillers by Karen McManus and Holly Jackson, you'll probably love The Thrashers!

Please just let me read absolutely everything by this author! If you’ve ever read any of my reviews, you know I love to go in blind. I had no idea this was a mystery/thriller! I’ve read the authors other books, and I was so excited!
The writing flowed so well! I was completely engrossed to know what was happening. This gave me What happened last summer meets Veronica Mars vibes. AND I WAS HERE FOR ALL OF IT!
Can’t wait for everyone to read this one.! I’ll definitely be rereading it again when the audiobook comes out.

Julie Soto once again does not disappoint! This book is definitely a departure from her romance novels-but still so well written. If you’re a fan of Holly Jackson-this one is for you. There were enough twists and turns as we find out what led to Emily’s death (no worries, not a spoiler it’s how the book starts) but from Jodi’s (her only “friend”) perspective. Jodi was not perfect-but I found myself empathizing with her throughout the story. Great character development & enough of a mystery to keep me engaged.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for the free review copy of The Thrashers through NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own.

This book was a wild ride where I was never quite sure what would happen next. I think the more I read, the more invested I became in the story. There were many intense moments that kept me on the edge of my seat as well as a strong sense of mystery about what really happened to Emily leading up to her death. I was able to predict some aspects of it, but was never quite sure until everything was revealed. The paranormal elements added an extra layer that seemed to make the story even more interesting. Most (if not all) of the characters were flawed in some way, and I found myself often wondering who could even be trusted. I thought some of the parents in the book were especially appalling. I found Jodi, the main character, to be relatable in a lot of ways, as she often feels like a bit of an outsider in the popular friend group, The Thrashers. I was happy to see some of the characters grow and evolve over the course of the story. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to exploring more of Julie Soto’s work.

wow!! this book was wildly entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat at every flip of the page. i wasn’t expecting this much depth from a YA thriller - but it was definitely there! with that being said, this is definitely more of a new adult or adult book and should most definitely have content warnings as some of the topics could be harmful to young readers.

i really enjoyed this story and these characters. while they could be unlikeable at times, i feel like they were very realistic teenagers and their attitudes and behavior reflected that. i could definitely relate to a lot of jodi’s concerns and feelings about being “thrashed” from her friend group when i was around that age and think a lot of other readers will resonate with it as well. i also think the fascination many characters had with zack is also something many will find their younger selves relating too. i feel like every school had one cool, popular kid who everyone was dying to be friends with or get a smidge of attention from to feel special. jodi finding herself outside of her relationship with this friend group & zack especially is such an important message to send especially to new adults who are really in that stage of finding themselves and moving onto new phases of their lives after graduation or other big life events.

julie soto’s writing is so seamless and made this reading experience so enjoyable for me. i never wanted to put this book down and felt like i was only reading for 20 minutes, yet 2 hours had passed!

the ending of this definitely had my jaw on the floor and im hoping this means there will be sequel to this because im dying for more thrillers from julie soto now!