THE THRASHERS

Julie Soto’s YA Debut, The Thrashers is a non-stop ride. I was hooked from page one and could not put it down.

Taking place in the aftermath of a teen’s alleged suicide, an “elite” group of friends, The Thrashers are implicated in her death. What follows is a twisty tale filled with the best (and worst!) parts of being a teenager — the gossip, the self-doubt, the secrets and, somewhere underneath it all… the truth.

Julie taps into all the angst and fear with ease. You’ll trust everyone and then no one and then you’ll stop trusting your own gut — but in the best way. It’s fun, it’s raw and it’s a one of a kind mystery that has a lot to say.

The Thrashers is out 5/6!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Literally read this in one sitting and it was good!!

I love a cliquey friend group with drama. But in this case it was drama surrounding a mysterious suicide of a fellow classmate who was obsessed with them... YES PLEASE.

It was very much giving Pretty Little Liars, and I'm wondering if that's why I enjoyed it so much.

Fun YA thriller if you're looking for a quick read.
It's got:
-High School "It" Group
-Supernatural Theme
-Teen Drama
-Unrequited Love
-Mystery
-Social Outcast

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. I look forward to picking it up on release day.

The Thrashers was omg...so goooood! It had me from page 1. I couldn't put the book done. I kept trying to guess what the outcome was going to be and it was better than I imagined. I enjoyed all the characters in the book. I loved Julie Soto's other books and this was no different. You are in for a ride in this book from start to end. Jodi, Julian, Lucy, Paige, and Zack the friendship...what are lies and what truths. I can't wait to read more from Julie Soto!

I know this is a YA book. But if Julie Soto writes it, I’m going to read it. This book had me questioning. Do you really know your friends? Did I really know my friends back in high school?
At the very beginning, we start this book with a death. The whole book we learn more and more overtime about events that happened that led up to the death. Now, something that I like that Julie did is that we learn about it through journal entries. But also at the same time we know we can’t trust what we’re reading. And that’s come to be one of my favorite things.
I thought the characters were great in the beginning. There was one specific one. I really thought I was going to dislike, but ended up being one of my favorites. And I liked how Julie developed each individual character.
I liked the paranormal type aspect of the book. The log at the end had me smiling because I thought it was a nice little touch. It just added something extra to the story.
All in all a great young adult debut.

This book, from literally the very first page, GRIPS you! I was sucked straight in and didn’t put my kindle down again until I had read it front to back. I feel like this book may miss the mark for some older adult readers despite being clearly marked as YA, but for older readers with teens at home or who work with teens I think it does accurately depict the overall high school coming of age angst and I think younger readers and YA enthusiasts are going to go wild for this book! Five star read for sure.

I received this book as a Read Now on NetGalley from the publisher (Thank you St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books!), and am so happy that I branched out from my usual type of read. This book was utterly captivating from start to finish.

The premise is: When one high school classmate unexpectedly takes their life on prom night, the rest are left dealing with the consequences. The ones to blame? The Thrashers…Allegedly… and now they’ll have to uncover the truth in order to prove their innocence.

I was completely spooked by this thrilling ride filled with secrets, lies, and a sprinkle of paranormal intrigue. Told from the perspective of the least popular member of The Thrashers, we’re left wondering who might have been the one to send their classmate over the edge. I loved the way I questioned Jodi’s ability to be a reliable narrator. She’s the only one not being labeled a bully, and there were moments when I wondered if she was telling the entire truth. With each bit of information she gathered, I was forming my own theories about what happened and questioning if these popular kids were truly being haunted. I’m happy to say my instincts were half correct. The other half? Let’s just say, it left me completely bamboozled.

Julie Soto knocked it out of the park with this YA novel debut. It was intriguing and oh so addicting as it dove into the complicated hierarchy of high school. I loved looking from the inside out. I felt like I was part of the popular crowd right alongside our main characters.

This book was filled with so many twists and turns. I devoured it in less than 24 hours. It was truly unputdownable. This book left me raging in the best way! The last few chapters gripped me so intensely. I couldn’t believe the way it all played out!

This is a book that’s going to sit with me for a long time. I could easily see it being developed into a TV series. I cannot wait for everyone to get their hands on this in May. The Thrashers is going to blow your mind.

4/5 stars!

Julie Soto has been been an auto-buy author since her debut novel so I had no doubts that I would enjoy this one! I think the best way I can describe the vibe of this book is kinda like the Heathers - the plot is completely different but the vibe is similar in a high school drama thriller way (with a little bit of supernatural in there)! I really enjoyed this one. I will say the only reason that I gave this book one star less (because Im pretty sure I gave the rest of her books 5 stars) the transition from one genre to the next can be hard (and Soto does it well) but I just like her adult contemps better than this one, that's it.

I fell in love with Julie Soto’s writing via her contemporary romances, but I love when my favorite authors venture into new genres. This book grabbed my attention and kept me reading late into the night… thankfully without the flickering lights (IYKYK). It captured what it feels like to be a teenager who’s just trying to figure out where they belong, but aren’t we all still trying to figure that out well into adulthood? Relatable. The Thrashers was a fun, creepy, angsty ride from start to finish, and I devoured it within 24 hours.

The epilogue though. 👀

*I received an eARC via Netgalley. Thank you!

Julie Soto is an instant read author for me, and this book was no exception. I think I inhaled this book within 12 hours of getting my hands on an ARC and I enjoyed every second.

In terms of vibes, it reminded me generally of Pretty Little Liars and One of Us is Lying (both of which I only saw the tv shows for so not sure if the book comparisons hold up). I’ve been reading Julie Soto since her HP fan fiction so the supernatural notes in this one were such a delight!

She really nailed the suspense throughout also. Even though it’s 3rd person, we’re following Jodi and get some of her inner monologue. Sometimes I found myself wondering if Jodi was naive, lying to herself, or if everything wasn’t as it seemed… just overall did a great job keeping that tension throughout.

Also…. The romance was swoon worthy for me. Absolutely unexpected highlight of this book, since I wasn’t expecting it in a mystery/thriller. I’m really hoping the ending means we’re getting a sequel, or at least that someone adapts this to TV so we can get 9 more seasons of how the characters grow apart and together again

My jaw is ON THE FLOOR. Ms Julie Soto does it again. I really mean this with my FULL CHEST. SHE. NEVER. MISSES.

I never read mystery / thriller. I mean NEVER. I typically don’t love the genre, but if Julie writes it, I’m reading it. And man oh man am I glad I did. This story had me glued to my kindle all day until I finished the whole thing.

How Julie wrote this story kept you just enough on the edge. Yes, I was able to guess some things, but there were definitely things I did NOT see coming. The twists and turns were written so beautifully in a way that kept you intrigued but not so exhausted from going back and forth. The story hooks you on an intellectual and emotional level, and even though high school is so far in my rear view, this book had me relating to these kids and was fully invested in getting to the bottom of it all.

I don’t want to get into the details in case I slip on any spoilers, but even if you’re not typically a mystery / thriller lover (or if you are!), pick this baby up. 10/10 recommend.

What a wild ride!

Short Synopsis:
When Emily Mills starts attending New Helvetia High, all she wants to do is be part of “The Thrashers” - the group of five popular kids named after Zack Thrasher - who basically started the group. But unfortunately for her, things don’t go her way and she commits suicide on prom night.

My Thoughts:
The DRAMA. I don’t read a lot of YA Thrillers, but can I just say I’m glad to be out of high school? 😆

This was such a bingeable read with all the drama that made you want to keep going to find out the truth. I almost always prefer thrillers on audio, and this was such a good one. It really elevates the suspense level.

If you’re a fan of A Girl’s Guide to Murder or Pretty Little Liars, you’ll gobble this one up.

What You’ll Find:
Mean girls
Pretty Little Liars vibes
Paranormal
YA Thriller
Bullying

This is not your regular Julie Soto book. This is YA to the core with mystery and spirits. It opened up like a murder mystery and as the book unfolds Jo wanted to find out the truth and protect her friends. Only to realized, the very people whom she wanted to protect may not reciprocate her feelings for their friendship as she thought.

By all accounts, Jodi should not have been one of the popular kids, but by default and her wanting to be ‘special’ to Zach so much that she held on. Little did she know, the entire group all felt the same, that they too are holding on, they too are all insecure about their standing in the group.

First off, love-love the pacing. Not too much lingering, details to help move things along. Though I would’ve love the details come together sooner and more instead of little morsels still dripping in at the end. Mystery typically not my genre, but this one hit just right.

The audiobook was interesting, it had one narrate as Emily, and the rest from Jodi’s pov. Both are well known and did an outstanding performance. I would’ve love more of a duet situation since there’s quite a bit of Emily in the book. But this turned out well.

Thank you to NetGalley & St Martin Press for the ARC

WOWOWOW. 5 stars, I need 10 more of these right now. What a way to enter the YA genre.

The story begins with Jodi in the summer going into her senior year, hanging out with her friend group nicknamed The Thrashers after Zack Thrasher. The golden boy, the one every girl is hopelessly in love with - including Jodi. Jodi has been best friends with Zack since she was younger, and there are definitely times where she feels like an outsider among her own friends. Though they're trying to enjoy their summer, something dark looms over their head: a girl who had inserted herself into their friend group, Emily, committed suicide the night of prom. While the Thrashers are taken aback by her suicide, they chalk it up to being just a tragedy...until weird things start to happen, like mysterious texts from unknown numbers. Then Thrashers are charged with harassment, except Jodi. As Jodi works to uncover why she was the only one spared the charges, she finds herself with more and more questions about the people she thought she knew best, all while danger lurks around every streetlight.

Me 🤝 being scared more by YA thrillers than adult thrillers (for some reason). I genuinely enjoyed this so much and couldn't stop reading it. I think there was a perfect blend of knowing what was going to happen and the story being twisted on us. The story pulled me in and held me the entire time because I NEEDED to know what happened. It plays into the spirit of being in high school - having friends, but sometimes feeling like an outcast, the high school rumor mill going a million miles a minute, secret crushes and hurt feelings. I loved that Julie Soto branched out into YA and I hope she writes more stories like this. Also THAT EPILOGUE!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the eARC via NetGalley!

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for this arc!

This is my first Julie Soto book and I don’t regret it. I don’t usually dip too much into the YA genre but sometimes for thrillers I don’t mind and Julie did not disappoint. This was super well done!!!!

Feeling like the odd one out in a friend group is typically a universal feeling. Adding a dead body to the mix doesn’t help.

Julie Soto knocks it out of the park with her YA debut about a group of high school seniors known as The Thrashers to their student body. When one of their classmates ends up dead on prom night, the group are thrown into the middle of a police investigation and everyone is hiding something.

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I genuinely couldn’t put this one down, so definitely sit down with a drink and some snacks for a one sitting read.

I loved so much about our main characters and their dynamics. I wasn’t a “cool kid” in high school so it’s always so intriguing to read about kids drinking, partying, and doing drugs like it’s a normal occurrence. But even though I couldn’t relate to their choice of entertainment, I could absolutely relate to feeling like I wasn’t good enough for my friends. Soto takes that concept and really channels what it means to be loyal to your friends versus yourself versus the truth.

I also loved the mildly supernatural spin on this as well I felt like it was done really well and didn’t necessarily go overboard.

I still have questions! The ending seems almost like there’s more to the story?! Julie!!!

Definitely pick this one up if you like YA thrillers!

4.75/5 stars!

4.5 ⭐️

Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars & Euphoria-- a high school girl, Emily, commits suicide and all eyes are on "The Trashers" as being the group of students responsible. Plenty of secrets will be revealed as The Trashers are investigated. In fact, the police aren't the only ones who seem to have eyes on The Trashers. There's a feeling that someone else may be watching them. Is it Emily haunting them or something/someown more sinister?

This is my first book by this author and it did not disappoint. Story is full of suspense and secrets. A major page turner with twists coming out in the e second half of the book. The ending rocked me! Like whoa! The supernatural elements gave the story some horror elements which is always a plus for me. I definitely recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jodi is Zack Thrasher's best friend, the person she always put above herself and the rest of their friend group. But after Emily Mills, the girl who wanted in on the group, ends up dead, the group must come to terms with what they do to outsiders.

This book was amazing! Here's what I loved:

Jodi: I really liked her characters. She's conflicted for so much of this book. Her thoughts on being left out really hit hard at times. I also liked the little romance-ish story that she had. I wanted her to make the right decisions and rooted for her.

The thriller of it: There were so many heart-pounding scenes that kept me wanting to read! It's not really a mystery per se, but there were some things that kept you guessing to what kind of secrets the characters were telling.


All in all, this is a really good YA thriller!
A top read for the year for sure.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

This was so good! Just what I was looking for in a "teenagers-solving-murder-mysteries" story. I've really enjoyed Julie Soto's adult novels, and this YA was great! I saw a review that said it was a mix of Thirteen Reasons Why x Pretty Little Liars vibes, which I think is spot on. I couldn't put it down until I finished it!

First, I want to give a huge thank you to NetGalley and Julie for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was absolutely incredible! I devoured it in one sitting as I simply couldn't put it down.

The story centers around a group of five friends, the "Thrashers," who are suspected of bullying a fellow student to death. It's a thrilling, suspenseful ride with a touch of the paranormal. The book is full of secrets - some kept, some revealed. I found myself constantly second-guessing what was true and who could be trusted.

Julie has done an amazing job at crafting both the setting and the characters in this book. I felt as if I were walking alongside Jodi and her friends and caught up in their world. I’m 28 but felt like I too should be worrying about college applications and the implications of trial. The sense of uncertainty was palpable, making it all the more exciting. The pacing was spot on, and there were no unnecessary filler pages. Every single page kept me hooked, and I couldn’t stop reading.

Overall, a fantastic read and can’t wait to recommend it to everyone!