The Thrashers is a fun read, especially for a YA debut! I really enjoyed my first Julie Soto novel.

The Thrashers follows a cult-like group of teenagers, dubbed “The Thrashers” after their somewhat ring leader, Zach Thrasher. The Thrashers are exclusive and a spot with them is highly coveted. You’re either in or out. If you’re lucky enough to get in, there’s always a chance you can get “thrashed”, or bullied out of the group. Unfortunately, most are not let in to the circle. That is the case with Emily Mills. Emily desperately tries to get in with the crew, particularly through our FMC, Jodi. On prom night, Emily commits suicide and leaves behind evidence pointing to The Thrashers as suspects, at least, all of them but Jodi.

Emily and Jodi had a fairly one sided friendship. Jodi was kind to Emily which is more than can be said of the other Thrashers so Emily clings to her and becomes a bit obsessive. Jodi may have been kind to her face but she talked just as badly about her behind her back as the others. An investigation unfolds and The Thrashers become fractured as new knowledge is gleamed. Jodi realizes she’s been on the outside of the group and wonders if even she will be “thrashed” soon. In addition to all of this, strange things begin happening and the group finds themselves constantly in danger. Emily is not done with them yet.

The Thrashers touches on high school hierarchy, popularity, cliques, bullying, and the complicated home life of teenagers.

YA is a genre I don’t often read. I was drawn to this book by the cover and title. While the characters are obviously young and the book is marketed as YA, it really (and thankfully) didn’t feel like a YA novel. Without aging myself, I haven’t been inside of a high school in many years but Julie Soto made me feel like I was right back in that environment. The characters were perfectly flawed and complex. I wasn’t sure of anyone’s motives or if I should care for them or not. It was well paced and an easy but enjoyable read!

With the suspense, mystery, supernatural elements, and drama encapsulated in the plot, I believe this book would be good for many demographics outside of just YA. I will recommend this book to teenagers and adults alike.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Julie Soto for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was a fun YA thriller with horror aspects! it was hard to put down and i enjoyed the characters and general story. the end was a bit confusing to me but i really enjoyed the ride. Thank you so much Netgalley for the E-Arc

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press (Wednesday Books) and NetGalley for early access to Julie Soto’s “The Thrashers”! HOLY COW! This book is WILD. How Julie Soto can write a romance that has me sweating on the couch (while reading a certain scene with a cello - IYKYK) to sweating on my couch while reading a completely different type of book (while in an absolute panic about what is going to happen to these teenagers) I DO NOT KNOW! I usually don’t get so crazy passionate in my reviews, but this book has me feeling excited, shocked, scared, and mostly just in awe. The storytelling is so compelling, with themes that are dark and most importantly very real! It will have you on the edge of your seat the whole time wondering “What freaking happened and WHY?!” I dare you not to love Jodi Dillion, a main character who strives for the truth no matter what cost, and believe me, the stakes are high. It is books like this that make me want a time turner, so I can read it for the first time all over again! I can not wait for the world to get access so I can scream about it with my friends. 5 Blinking Stars!

I don't often reach for a thriller, but I'll read anything Julie Soto puts out so here we are. Though I did enjoy the thriller/supernatural aspects of the book, I think what really sold it for me was the focus on the interpersonal relationships of the characters and the very true-to-life teenage anxieties that fueled their decisions. While some of the twists felt a bit predictable the ending had me screaming!! Also, the romance subplot went crazy.

I am now convinced that anything Julie Soto writes I will read and LOVE. I wasn’t sure what to expect when going into this YA mystery, but wow, was I blown away!

This book was intriguing, provocative, eerie, and bingeable. Once I started, I couldn’t stop reading. It has been a while since I have read a book and been legitimately sad it ended. When I got to the epilogue I was so disappointed the story was over. I could seriously NOT put this one down!

The Thrashers are the elite friend group at their high school. They are everything everyone wants to be. Jodi was never meant to be one of them, but the ringleader is her childhood friend Zach, so automatically, she was in. When Emily Mills, a desperate girl to be a Thrasher dies, the whispers about their friend group begin. Eerie messages and unexplained eerie occurrences escalate, and it becomes clear Emily wasn’t done with them yet. Jodie faces an extremely difficult choice: betray her friends or protect herself…

The drama, the mystery, and the paranormal occurrences drew me in and did not let me go. Teenage drama, morally gray characters, and unexpected twists that will leave you gasping and running to the next chapter.

An easy 5 stars for me and I cannot wait for Julie’s next book.

Thank you Wednesday books and Julie Soto for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the arc! This is the author of not another love song and forget me not which I loved both of those and so I wanted to read the authors new YA thriller. I don’t read too many thrillers but I love a YA thriller I feel like they are always creepier than adult thrillers and this one was no different.

In the Thrashers we have a young girl, Emily, who has committed suicide and her friends are being questioned of why she would have done this. There is also supernatural elements in here of Emily coming back to haunt her “friends” which I really loved.

I was hooked reading this I mean I could not stop reading. I felt like I needed to know what was going to happen next and I was decently scared reading this. Even though this was a thriller I thought there was a lot more thought provoking elements in here of being in high school and what it means to be friends with certain people. Honestly made me glad to be out of high school. I’m giving this four stars and if you want a YA thriller to read I would pick this up on May 6th.

A student committed suicide and the blame fell on “The Thrashers”, which are consists of 5 friends. Are they innocent or are they guilty?

I loved this A LOT more than I thought I would. This reminds me a lot of Thirteen Reasons Why but also different. This kept my mind thinking with all the twists and turns. This kept me so engaged and had my mind reeling. Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for this ARC! 🫶🏻

I’m low-key obsessed with Soto’s writing, and *The Trashers* has a chokehold on me like no other book in recent memory. This is the first time in ages that I stayed up until 3 a.m. because I could NOT put it down. The story just pulls you in, and next thing you know, hours have passed, and you’re still glued to the page.

The characters are messy in the best way, and the plot? It’s gripping. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, and just when I thought I had it figured out, *boom*—Julie hit me with an ending that had me screaming, "Ma’am!? What just happened?"

Julie Sotos really knows how to keep me hooked from start to finish. Can’t wait to read what she writes next!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

This started off strong! And then lost steam a bit for me. This is YA campus-y thriller involving a clique of elite teens and oh my god they were all incredibly insufferable and terribly vapid people and I really did not like their group name. Bullying is a big theme here which I appreciated as a girl trying to get into this clique ends up dead and you wonder if they played a part. While I was invested early on trying to piece together what happened and waiting to see these teens get their come uppance, I felt that ultimately things dragged and were unsatisfying by the end. There also seemed to be some unanswered questions and it just felt a little too shallow. There wasn't necessarily anything bad about this, but I would recommend other YA thrillers first

𝑩𝑶𝑶𝑲 𝑰𝑵 𝑬𝑴𝑶𝑱𝑰𝑺:
📚📝☠️👻😱🚘💥🌊🍻🤫⛓️

👍🏻𝑳𝑰𝑲𝑬𝑫 / 💗𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑫: 💗

𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫 𝑰𝑭 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑳𝑰𝑲𝑬:
♡ mystery/thriller
♡ paranormal vibes
♡ high school setting
♡ twists & turns galore

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑺:
First off, Julie Soto can do no wrong in my eyes and this book only solidifies that!!!! I went into this book blind don’t regret it at all.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I didn’t know if I was dealing with an unreliable narrator or not, and then add all of the drama that being a teenager entails, my mind was going 100mph the whole book lol

I thought the premise of there being a group of friends named the Thrashers after one boy was so interesting and it put a spin on how popularity is in high school. Everyone was SO desperate to be a part of their crowd and were “thrashed” when it ultimately didn’t work out.

We had so many life or death situations surrounded by litigation and questions about who was innocent and who wasn’t. Listen - I don’t want to say too much and spoil anything, but THAT ENDING HAD ME GASPING. Wdym Julian??? JULIAN?!?!? EMILY?!?!

Please jump straight into my inbox when you read this so we can gush over it together 🙏🏻

I really liked this book! It was so entertaining that I found myself staying up late to read as many chapters as I could. I don’t typically read a lot of thrillers or mysteries because they can sometimes drag on too long for my liking, but this book held my attention. The characters navigate manipulation, insecurities, family drama, and the tough reality of facing the ugly parts of themselves. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the ending, but I enjoyed reading this overall.

Thank you NetGally for the ARC!

This book was an incredible mystery with so many twists and turns. The suspense kept building, making it impossible to predict what would happen next. Just when it seemed like everything was falling into place, a new clue would change everything.

The characters were so well written, and every detail felt important. The atmosphere was tense in the best way, making it feel like I was solving the mystery alongside them. And the ending—completely unexpected but so satisfying.

A gripping, well-paced story that keeps you guessing until the very last page.

HOO BOY. Julie Soto does it again. I’ve loved and devoured every one of her books and this one was SO ENTERTAINING. Read it in two sittings because I truly could not stop flipping pages! We LOVE A GREAT YA THRILLER, BABY!

This book surprised me in so many ways. The Thrashers friend group was complex and interesting and continually kept me guessing. At first, I wasn’t feeling the romance subplot but because Julie Soto is amazing, by the halfway point I was LOCKED IN. I really enjoyed Jodi as a narrator. I particularly liked seeing her coming to terms with her father’s alcoholism and abuse, standing up to Zack and creating boundaries (HONESTLY ZACK THRASHER CAN ROT I HATE THAT MAN), dealing with the prosecution at the end, and discovering her passion for theatre set design.

There were so many twists and turns, and even things I suspected came with a bit of a twist! I wasn’t always 100% on board with the paranormal activity of it all, and the epilogue was just shy of cruel (SEQUEL NOW PLEASE IMMEDIATELY), but overall I just had a very good time with this. Soto is 3/3!

If Julie Soto writes it, I'm going to read it. This is a different genre from her other books and her first young adult thriller novel, and it delivers.

It's definitely written in a way that is enjoyable for an older audience. There are some supernatural aspects and light romance sprinkled into this ya thriller.

Julie Soto has a great way of making you sympathetic to some of the morally gray characters, and also turn against other characters you might have liked in the beginning. I appreciate how complex some of the characters are. While it's mostly filled with drama, it does get a bit repetitive without progressing the story for longer than necessary. Even though I could see the twist at the end it was still fun. However, I didn't see the twist in the epilogue coming, and honestly I'm not sure how I feel about it.

An entertaining & angsty teen drama with notes of “13 reasons why” mixed with “Carrie” & “Pretty little liars”. It’s compulsively readable & has just enough suspense to keep you flipping the pages like a mystery thriller. Not too much depth despite a rather strong premise but that didn’t bother me much. I didn’t expect the bits of paranormal at first & didn’t fully know where the story was headed until 50% through. However, I just let the campy story unravel and enjoyed it for what it was.

Thank you Netgally for the ARC of Thrashers.
I absolutely love Julie Soto’s previous books. Forget Me Not is one of my most favorite, so i was excited to see what her writing would look like in thriller YA form.
She did not disappoint. I was hooked for the very beginning. Thrillers and YA arent my usual genre i read but this one was good! I was never really sure where the story was going to take me and couldn't decide if the narrator was reliable or not. It was so fun!
I find YA can sometimes be hard for me to connect with, but i had no issues with this book. Loved reading it.

The Thrashers was my third Julie Soto book. I have previously love her romance books, her thriller is another one of my favorites. Morally gray characters are my favorite, especially for dramatic YA characters. The Thrashers was an action packed page turner that I would recommend for both YA and thriller readers.

“The Thrashers” by Julie Soto is an YA mystery thriller. I was very happy to receive an ARC from St. Martin's Press and an ALC from Macmillan Audio (via Netgalley). Opinions from this review are completely my own.

I liked a lot Julie’s romance books and I am glad that she writes other genres well too.
The story starts with the tragic suicide of a 17 year old girl, Emily Mills, on prom night.

I was not expecting this but it was a good way of getting my attention. The protagonist of the story is Jodi Dilon. She is part of a group of popular students called The Thrashers. Unlike the other 4 members (Zack Thrasher, Julian Hollister, Lucy Reed and Paige Montgomery), she is not rich or privileged. That is why she has insecurities and is afraid that she will one day be cast out of the group (or “thrashed”).
Emily wanted to be part of the group and ended up being a bit obsessed with Jodi. The police suspect the Thrashers bullied her, after finding her diary.

The audiobook is narrated by Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky. They both did a good job with the characters and listening helped me immerse in the story.

I liked that the protagonist is an unreliable narrator and that there was a paranormal side to the story. We see the other characters only from Jodi’s perspective and that is part of the mystery.
The ending was surprising and left an opening for a sequel (I would read that).

Overall I enjoyed the book, only the start was a bit slow.

I need everyone to go read this as soon as you possibly can, because I desperately need to discuss. All the twists and turns have me absolutely spiraling. However, until it’s May 6th pub day finally arrives, I will zip my lips and redirect my energy into giving Julie Soto the praise she deserves.

The Thrashers had me hooked right from the beginning, because it instantly gave me that classic 2010s CW show feeling that I have been missing for a good decade. We’re talking Pretty Little Liars. We’re talking Veronica Mars. Gossip Girl. Vampire Diaries. 13 Reasons Why*. It’s an addictive balance of drama, mystery, suspense, and a bit of romantic tension. I couldn’t put it down, and now I can’t stop thinking about it.

Julie Soto is just an all around fantastic author. I love her published stuff, her unpublished stuff, her fanfic, her romance books, and now her YA thrillers. I will read literally anything she writes. The Thrashers is an excellent example of the depth of her writing. I was blown away by the complexity of every character. Without getting into spoiler territory, I will just say that if you are a fan of the morally gray, you will be so satisfied. Speaking of complexity… the plot. I love the mystery/ thriller genre, but I have gotten used to just accepting that a lot of the time, I am going to predict what’s going on before I’m supposed to. Not with this book. Every time I thought I had figured something out, the story ricocheted in a totally different direction. The last few chapters had my jaw on the floor - and the epilogue?! I’m questioning everything. Are we getting a sequel? It could easily go either way - but if anyone’s asking, I’m team sequel!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Julie Soto for allowing me to read this arc!

*I hesitated to include the comparison to 13 Reasons Why, because I had a very difficult time both watching and recovering from watching that show. If I had seen it mentioned alongside this book, I might have been put off from reading it. However, they address several common topics and themes (including suicide, bullying, and domestic abuse) and I think it’s important for the reader to know that going in. For me, The Thrashers was much lighter and easier to digest. However, everyone is different, so definitely check the trigger warnings before reading.

I know this is going to be hit or miss for adults since it is YA but I loved it! I fear that there will Be fans of Julie Soto that read this because of their love of her work when they typically don’t enjoy YA fiction and this end up not liking it.
Putting those folks aside.. this was a very well written and constructed YA paranormal thriller.

What I enjoy about YA besides the escapism and not feeling my age is that the young characters can make mistakes and interesting decisions and we don’t think twice because they are kids whose brains aren’t fully formed.

This book was fast paced and entertaining where I was able to get lost in the story where next thing I know it’s 1am and I still hadn’t gone to sleep. I actually can’t even put a finger on what I liked so much about it.

From the thriller standpoint it was clear how things were going to unravel with no big surprises but to me, it didn’t matter. The characters were incredibly flawed and selfish but you could see some common anxieties that plague teenagers sitting beneath the surface enabling young readers to be able to connect to them.

I was thankful to receive both an eARC as well as the audioALC which enabled me to do an immersive read which made the experience even better. One thing for I’ll point out is because the eARC is an uncorrected proof whereas the audio is a final version there can be some minor differences. Many times you don’t notice as they are typos but in this case there was a single word removed from the final version. That word (a name) stood out to me in a positive way (not the name being positive but the action taken) as I applaud the author and/or the editing team for having the foresight to make the change due to the current climate surrounding the name. While this won’t make sense to most, I still wanted to make note of it.

The narrator, Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky did a great job with the narration. It was recorded a touch slow but not too bad and it was easily fixed by changing the playback rate. Full disclosure, most of the time I couldn’t tell when the voice actors were trading off! It was a seamless collaboration yams all the voices were handled well.

I am thankful to have gotten the ARC and ALC for free from Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

This title comes out May 6, 2025 and I can’t wait to get my own physical copy.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again