(4.5/5 stars) Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto, and the publisher for making The Thrashers available as a Read Now ARC! It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I am thrilled to have gotten the chance to read it early. This book is Julie Soto’s first YA and first thriller, but she did it so well. It felt like a combination of 13 Reasons Why, Pretty Little Liars, and Final Destination - in a good way. It was fast paced and addressed important topics such as bullying, suicide, and alcoholism. My favorite thing about Julie Soto’s writing is always the dialogue - it never seems cheesy or unnatural; I can always envision real people saying the words she writes. I also love the wit that she imparts on certain characters; in The Thrashers, it was Jodi and Julian. I loved the chemistry that they had even when they supposedly didn’t like each other.

5⭐

Thank you Julie Soto, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑨𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑺 by Julie Soto takes place a few months after Emily Mills commits suicide and "The Thrashers", a popular friends group of five are labelled as Emily's former bullies, but as evidence is unravelled and discovered for the court case, Jodi learns that both her friends and Emily’s journal are not as truthful as she was lead to believe . . .

Julie Soto delivered on the YA thriller about rich cliquey kids. The mystery was very well done and some parts genuinely scared me while reading. Some things I could predict but some things still kept me on my toes and hooked to read this book in one sitting.

The mix of supernatural and paranormal aspects with real life mysteries was super fun to read about and terrifying at times.

The mystery aspect of the book has me hooked in its entirety and I could not stop theorising and anticipating what would come next. Sometimes, I would second-guess myself and be completely mind-blown.

I loved all the characters in the book. They were very well planned and developed, all of them having a role to play -- even if it was small. The friend group might not have been what everyone would have expected but I think they were some kind of found family in their own ways.

The overall story was well planned and plotted. The mystery was compelling and the jaw-dropping twists left me for wanting more. The last few chapters were a rollercoaster of emotions and that goddamn Epilogue is still haunting me.

This young adult novel is perfect for fans of Lynn Painter and Katherine Center. Even though I’ve been out of high school for 25 years, this pulled me right into the drama. I loved (to hate) these characters and couldn’t put it down.

Wow! Loved this book!! I binge read it in a day!

This was my first read from Julie Soto and The Thrashers did not disappoint. I was hooked from the first chapter. Jodi, the main character, is so relatable and well developed it was easy to slip into her point of view. The other main cast of characters were well written and while there were definite stereotypes at play, Soto manged to give them real personalities, flaws, and reasons to understand why Jodi is friends with them.

Throughout the story, I was wavering between doubting the innocence and guilt of every character involved even those who were dead. The ending was done really well and I felt satisfied with how this chapter of The Thrashers was wrapped up. The twists at the end make me curious as to whether there is a sequel coming! Crossing my fingers!

I love a good mystery and this was definitely one of them! I’ve read a few of Soto’s contemporary romance books and have enjoyed them, so reading her first YA novel, and getting an arc for it, was a treat. Each revelation keeps you on your toes and wondering who, or what, actually was the nail on the coffin? I liked how none of the main characters were completely innocent and how much technicalities really do matter in an investigation. Although they weren’t entirely likable main characters, Soto does a fantastic job at making you feel for each of them and their circumstances, especially the home lives of a few of them. I was kind of surprised with the paranormal aspect of this story, but it did add a bit more suspense to it. Even with a lot of the events having some form of human explanation to it. And with that epilogue it makes me curious if we’ll have a follow up story to this one. I only took away a star due to its slow start, but once things got going it was hard to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/ Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review an electronic ARC of "The Thrashers" by Julie Soto, out May 6, 2025.

I will read anything Jule writes, and a YA thriller is no exception. I love thrillers and while YA isn't always my jam, I devoured this book. Many nights I had to be a smart adult and stop reading so I would not be tired the next day at work. I kept wanting to know what happened/what was going to happen. It was nicely paced and if I didn't have adult responsibilities, I would have finished the book so fast. If you like thrillers of Julie Soto YOU NEED TO READ THIS. AND THE ENDING. WHAT. I am so torn between wanting a sequel to get answers and wanting it to be just left as is to let readers think what they want.

Please put this on your TBR, request at your local library or preorder today so you can read this awesome book when it come out May 6, 2025!

I'm obsesssssed with this! I read it in one sitting, I could not put it down. Every page had be wondering, who was lying, who was telling the truth.

The Thrashers are a popular friend group at a high school in Sacramento. The leader of the group is Zack Thrasher. Jodi, our main character, has been best friends with Zack since 2nd grade and thus was welcomed into the Thrashers, though she has never quite felt like she fit in with Zack's wealthy friends; Julian, Paige and Lucy. Other members of the Thrashers have come and gone and a few months ago, a girl named Emily who badly wanted to be apart of the group killed herself.

Now, the group are in a legal situation when Emily's journal brings details of her death to light. All the strange things that happened to them after that had me wondering: are they facing karma, are they going crazy... or are they being haunted by Emily? Or is someone else doing her dirty work? Every page had me thinking a different thing.

Wow. I’m honestly so impressed with this. I know Julie Soto has a gift, but making a 30-something smut lover unable to put down this high school drama?? MAM. Okay so think a blend of Pretty little liars meets final destination meets Nancy Drew- but don’t think too hard. The twists just kept coming but in such small ways that you aren’t sure what to believe to the very end.

I am a huge fan of Julie Soto’s books, so when I saw she wrote a new book, I immediately wanted to read it. I quickly realized that this was very different from her other books. She is a good writer and the story is well-written, however, I prefer romance books. That being said, I finished this book in one day, as a I had to know what happened. I appreciated the twists and turns and it was an engaging read, especially if this is your genre.

This is the first book that I've read by Julie Soto and I LOVED it. It was so good and I read it very quickly. I really enjoyed the layers to this novel and the supernatural component with an otherwise realistic narrative. I will definitely be reading more from this author! Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

I could not put this down and read it in one sitting. It gave a little bit of Pretty Little Liars and 13 Reasons Why but was fresh and original. The pacing and the mystery were perfect. It handled the insecurities that come with high school and friendships so well. Pretty much everyone is a terrible person and I couldn't get enough of them.

There was a small element of the paranormal and the door was left open for a possible sequel.

This reminded me of 13 Reasons Why (Netflix series) meets Heathers (movie released in 1989) with a hint of paranormal. Although this is YA, there are mature themes.
It seems realistic for High School drama and cliques & incorporated all the new ways to reject and make fun of others with social media.

This book was incredible! Although the premise originally just sounded identical others in its genre, this book completely blew away my expectations. The plot was intriguing, and I really enjoyed the supernatural aspects. Julie Soto's writing truly never disappoints!!

(I would rate the 4.75/5 stars)

I love a YA mystery with high school drama. This one kept me invested from start to finish. I loved the social hierarchy and group dynamics in The Thrashers. So many secrets uncovered through out the book. Definitely worth the read.

I am the world’s biggest scaredy cat and was very nervous to read it. While I got goosebumps several times and had to pace around the house a little, I was never truly afraid and LOVED the story. The mystery was engaging and all the characters were multi-layered. It’s going to stick with me for a long time.

OMG I ATE THIS UP. If you were a teen who was obsessed with Pretty Little Liars or Riverdale, The Thrashers gives the same addictive feelings.

The story follows a group of five friends & high school seniors whose classmates have deemed "The
Thrashers" because once they're done with you you're thrashed out of their group. The story is told in the point of view of Jodi, who has the least in common with everyone in their group. It's through Jodi, that a classmate Emily latches on uninvited into their friend group- particularly to Jodi and Zack Thrasher the groups "leader". Emily thinks she's spending junior prom with the group, but ends up committing suicide that night. At the start of the following school year, all of the Thrashers except for Jodi are charged with harassing Emily to death, and that's when it starts to get weird.

As someone who only reads romance, I was intrigued by the book since I loved Julie's last adult book and I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. It truly gives the same feelings of the teenage drama shows. All of the wild things that start happening to them after the investigation into them start are things that truly feel like have a supernatural explanation (so there's no eye rolling at cheesiness like what happens in a lot of TV shows). I felt like the pacing of the book was great and I stayed up late to finish it all in one day. I also really enjoyed the arc we see Jodi's character go through over the story and how she struggles with doing the right thing, keeping herself out of trouble with the law, and whether or not she should try to offer that same protection from the law to her friends.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC of The Thrashers!

The Thrashers by Julie Soto is a compelling YA mystery. At beginning we know that Emily is dead but they why is revealed throughout the book. The Trashers are a group of cliquey teens that get criminal charges when a classmate, Emily, gets "thrashed" and dies by suicide. Emily leaves a journal with details of all the bullying the Thrashers committed against her. Our main character, Jodi, doesn't fit the profile of a privilege rich kid, but was still accepted in this elite group. As she tries to solve the mystery of why Emily died, she learns that her friends may not be who she thought they were.

The Thrashers in New Helvetia High are notorious for being the elite group, even if it’s a label gifted by the adoring crowd. But little did they know a series of events would bring them into the spot light and unraveling the bonds that seemed unbreakable, turning everyone admirer suspicious.

Jodi Dillion stayed in the shadows, being the girl on the outskirts of her rich popular besties. Yet not having the advantages of being wealthy, from a solid family gave Jodi more of a reason to seal off her voice. But being best friend with Zack Thrasher gave her a leg up socially, but the longing side glances of interest never seemed to be reciprocated from the name sake of their group.

Zack Thrasher is wanted by all, adored for his good looks and charm, he’s not only easy on the eyes but kind, almost too good to be true. Every girls dream, even Lucy and Paige may have had a bite, as the two other girls in the group with Zack, and his best friend (and less of a Jodi fan) Julian.

But as a new student tries to break ranks and enter in the Thrashers, it seems as though this elite clique is not as solid as it seemed.

I loved reading about Jodi’s growth, how she emerged less of a follower and found her own voice. The supernatural details came quick and I couldn’t stop reading for me!

Intrigue, suspicion, lies and confessions riddled this story! And of course, perhaps a blossoming romance? I kept myself awake for several evenings, ignoring the guilt of work in the morning to turn the page!

If you love a mystery sprinkled with supernatural and youth mistakes and guilt, you won’t regret picking up The Thrashers!

4.75 ⭐️’s. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. Was it a YA book? yes. Was it crazy addicting, fast paced, and had gossip girl vibes? Double yes. Such a quick fun read and different style of book I have read before. It had some mystery, high school rich kid drama, and character development of the main character Jodi. Glad I gave this book a chance because it was really good.

If you're looking for an addictive, head-spinning, and fast paced book, I cannot recommend this one enough.

A group of friends with life changing secrets, a gripping investigation, and a paranormal twist is exactly what made this book as great as it is. Experiencing the story unfold and learning how all of the secrets and other details tie together at the end created a fun and addictive experience that is exactly what you're craving when you pick up a book such as this one. Each character had their own distinct personalities and interesting situations which made it easy to stay engaged throughout the book. I highly recommend this title to those who are looking for a captivating YA thriller filled with unexpected twists and a jarring revelation (especially in the epilogue).