4.5 stars

SCREAMING at THAT ENDING!!!

This book hooked me from the beginning. It wouldn’t be a Julie Soto without some sort of swoony romance and even though that was only a TINY part of this it was worth it. Only knocking off half a star because I felt like the pacing at the end was a little too fast, or missing something.

This book was so hard to put down ! It was so entertaining with lots of twists and turns. Even though the book is YA, I still really enjoyed it as an adult. This book gives Pretty Little Liars vibes with the mystery surrounding this friend clique. The ending had me shook and gasping. I highly recommend giving this one a read soon.

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Thrashers by Julie Soto

This is a thrashing thriller that takes place at New Helvetia High. A group of friends with an unbreakable bond, senior year, what could go wrong? Think Heathers meets Mean Girls but with a twist.

Everyone wants to either be them or be with them and some take it the extra mile to infiltrate the friend group, but at what cost?

In every friend group you might have that one outlier who is just there. They’re part of the group, but always the last to be included, especially if there’s an uneven headcount. And when those friends are rich, popular and can afford the best tutors, what do you add to the group? That’s the million dollar question Jodi Dillon asks herself. But with friends like Zack, Julian, Paige, and Lucy what more could you want?

Well, let’s ask Emily Mills: what or who do you want? The new girl who has quickly labeled herself out as “the one who can’t take a hint” has that question answered when she suddenly dies and when a journal is found there’s an open investigation on the Thrashers and everyone begins to turn on them. “It’s called being “Thrashed”. “It was just a matter of time.” “That poor girl, she didn’t deserve friends like them.” ”. It doesn’t help that the school's residential bad boy Zack Thrasher, also Jodi’s lifelong crush, is the one who seems to be pulling all the strings.

But the thing is, Emily isn’t quite gone. Have you seen her?

Can you trust the ones you call “best friend”?

~

Julie Soto knows how to write a captivating story no matter what genre. In this YA debut, you can’t help but have uncontrollable goosebumps while kicking your feet. I haven’t had a reading slump ripped out of me so fast in the past five years and it was quite scary at how quickly I’ve recovered. Like I’ve mentioned, if you loved Mean Girls and want the twist and thrills of Heathers then this one's for you. Also please note, as someone who has had family members struggle with alcohol abuse and witnessing it firsthand, it was very refreshing seeing said family members in this story take accountability and have consequences.


I will be back for more of her stories and I wish that this was a duology because (respectfully) I NEED ANSWERS!!! Thank you Julie for an agonizingly wonderful time and thank you St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read something so special.

Why was this so eerie for a spring time release 😂?! Like by the ending I had literal chills running down my arms PHEW. I’m so curious now, was this a standalone thriller that I was expecting it to be… or will there be an even more creepy sequel, that ending left my jaw on the floor. I’m still not over it lol.

I went into this book thinking it was going to be mostly a typical young adult thriller. School setting, secrets, someone dying and the mystery surrounding it. A rich versus poor situation, one friend always being the poorer one from the rest and the rest taking advantage of that. I even suspected who could have possibly been guilty from the very start. However, in some ways yes this is exactly what I signed up for but in other ways it was COMPLETELY different and a story I won’t soon forget.

I really don’t want to say too much more about this book for fear of ruining the fun for everyone else lol. If you’re a fan of YA thrillers full of secrets, betrayals and cliques with fun names, pick this one up!!

If it wasn’t obvious, there was an overall darker theme so I would probably look into some trigger warnings before starting this book.

Wow! This was my first Julie Soto book and boy it didn’t disappoint! This YA thriller has everything I love in a thriller- interesting characters, a plot full of twists and turns, and an ending that had my jaw on the floor. The story follows an elite group of friends, nicknamed “The Thrashers” by their high school classmates. When Emily, a classmate of the crew, has killer herself, the friends are accused of bullying her, thus causing her death. The Thrashers follows these five friends and what happens once Emily’s journal surfaces. Don’t sleep on this great book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book!

"The Thrashers" is a YA thriller clearly influenced by Heathers, Veronica Mars, Pretty Little Liars, and more. The "Thrashers" clique has the run of the school, until Emily Mills kills herself on prom night and they're all heavily implicated in her death. The story that follows is a mystery full of twists and turns and a splash of the paranormal as Jodi Dillon, longtime Thrashers member, realizes she doesn't know who she can really trust.

Having only read Julie Soto's two trad pubbed romances, I had no idea she had this in her, and had no idea this genre switch would be SO GOOD. The tension is tense, the paranormal elements are spooky, the paranoia runs deeper the further we get into the story. I'm not usually a big thriller fan, but this is a can't-put-down-edge-of-your-seat kinda book - that also tugs on millennial nostalgia for some of the aforementioned properties.

Thank you so much to St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Julie Soto, the author that you are! The writing, the plot, the twists, and the characters were all done so well. The secrets, the drama, the dynamics, and the mystery were so enjoyable. I found The Thrashers overall to be extremely compelling. I could not put it down once I picked it up. I had 1000% ideas on what was happening and was wrong every time! I highly recommend picking this one up!

For a first novel in this genre from this author, it was really good! I loved the characters, especially the different personalities of each one... I also loved the plot! Wow

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.