I’m not usually a YA reader, but I’ve been following Julie’s publishing journey, and I remembered her talking about this idea many years ago. I really enjoyed the suspense and paranormal aspects of the book. I could feel all the teenage angst and the desperation to fit in. The Thrashers all seemed to be keeping secrets from each other and dealing with their own inner demons. It felt genuine and unique.

Overall, I could not put it down and kept turning the page to see what happened next. The end made me think about a few things and wish for another chapter or a sequel.

First, I would like to say WOW!!!! This book... oh this book... once it comes out, I will buy it as a trophy book because wow.

Right off the Prologue, this book sucks you in. The characters are so well thought of. You can feel what they feel, you can see them alive in your head.

This book kept me guessing throughout the entirety of it. The plot was well thought out and well paced. The teenage angst is alive and well in this book.

Some particular points of this book made me say "awweee finally" but now I hope there is a second of some sort because I nees two of the characters to BE TOGETHER!!!!

This book is emotional, powerful and really makes you think about some of your own experiences and how they had consequences. It reminds you that you are not alone and you should never take anyone for granted.

This was a masterpiece!! An absolute masterpiece!! I am so happy I was chosen to read the ARC, it definitely left an impression!!

Okay this book actually rocked🙈 I didn’t really know what to expect other than Pretty Little Liars meets Veronica Mars but this was such a fun read and I genuinely couldn’t put it down!! Was a bit more paranormal thriller-y than I was expecting but I do love a good thriller vibe! I also feel like a movie adaptation for this book would be right up my alley - it is teenage, creepy mystery, sprinkle of romance perfection

Any character named Julian I am immediately going to like I can’t help myself (this Julian did not disappoint)

And the epilogue💀 I don’t know if there is supposed to be a sequel for this book but I for real hope there is - feeling like we’ve got unfinished business

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the Advanced Digital Copy!!!

This book does an excellent job of ensuring you hate every character. The resolution felt pretty unsatisfying because there is lack of sympathy for the dead girl. She, just like the others, was a bad person. The “clique” at the center of this story lacks the development that makes this story more believable. The epilogue felt unnecessary and the sprinkling of fantasy in this didn’t quite work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I was younger I would eat up a book about a rich clique of teens and mystery. But now? I approach it with caution and want authors to add some flare to the staleness that has absorbed the genre. The Thrashers is a good read mixing mysticism with the reality of bullying.

The book is also deeply unsettling, the creep levels are off the charts, it’s sinister and eerie. And, I absolutely loved it. Julie Soto does a lot within the mystery genre in this book but and she does it well. This is a twisted rollercoaster that just keeps on winding and weaving. Plus the epilogue?! We need to revisit that in the future (fingers crossed). Giving this 4.5 Stars because there were certain elements that required a stronger payoff.

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This book gave pretty little liars and mean girls vibes.

The trashers are the elite friend group. Who doesn’t want to be apart of that group. Emily wanted to be an apart of the thrashers. When she dies, people start suspecting the trashes. There was so much drama! I love how quickly I was able to read this book. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!! There were so many twists it had me guessing until the end. I love a good YA thriller.

This is the first book I read by Julie and I really enjoyed her writing! I’m looking forward to reading more books by her.

Thank you NetGalley, Julie and St. Martins Press for the E-ARC!

Publication Date: May 6 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an early review copy.

Julie Soto's YA debut is relentlessly fast-paced and electric. Perfect for fans of "We Were Liars" and "Five Survive", this book follows The Thrashers, a group of friends, who have been given their nickname by their peers, for luring classmates into their circle and suddenly ignoring them. When Emily, their latest and begrudging addition, commits suicide, the group is the biggest suspect in the lead-up to her death. This book primarily follows, Jodi, the closest in the circle to Emily and her fear of one day being similarly Thrashed by the group. The story is incredibly engaging, and will be popular amongst YA readers.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

Where do I even start. The Thrashers was action packed all the way through. We were constantly getting new information that would bring up new questions. I think the author did a good job of sprinkling information in and making us try to piece together what happened. I enjoyed the journal entry snippets and what they added to the story.

I think my main complaint was that Jodi found something that would have made the story a lot quicker (or more involved) and did nothing with it. Which I understand the author wanted her to have flaws but for how much she loved her friends it seemed odd we were shared this knowledge and then it was just kind of forgotten about. It made the story seem unrealistic which is why I took away a star.

Overall I enjoyed this mystery and found it comparable to other school mystery books. I wish the ending wasn’t so rushed but thought it was still wrapped up well (I just wanted more and maybe a slightly different ending).

I was really excited to read this book as there was a lot of hype over it. I thought it was a good read definitely targeted towards a teenage audience so wasn't my favorite read but will definitely be recommending my daughter to read it


Thanks to NetGallery for this Arc and the publisher

WOW, Julie has done it again! It's different from her other works and proves that she can write anything and make it work

An enjoyable YA thriller that masterfully characterizes the ups and downs of the teenage mindset and how lonely it can be on top!

For fans of Pretty Little Liars and 13 Reasons Why, after the death of fellow student, Jodi Dillon and her fabulous, rich friends known as "The Thrashers" are the subject of an impending investigation, but when mysterious messages blow up their phones and freak accidents keep happening, they each realize how very deadly high school can be....

I really enjoyed this one! I'm obviously not the target audience so I had to give grace to the ridiculousness of teenagers.
However, I appreciated how the author was able to convey the teenage experience. They are each so self centered but also deeply insecure and it is creative how it all manifests. Although a bit of a slow burn, the mystery immediately pulled me in. Emily Mills is a fascinating victim and Jodi is a relatable MC, so it made for a great read. No one is perfect and no one is innocent and it is truly a roller coaster. And that ending specifically the epilogue? WELL WORTH THE READ.

Thank you to the publisher for my advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow…just, WOW.

As a reader, have you ever had a moment where you stop and think of the history and evolution of all the books and genres you’ve read throughout your life leading you to question and analyze how your literary tastes evolved? Looked back and tracked your evolution from a fanfiction and YA fiction reader to someone obsessed with high fantasy and its intricate world-building. To suddenly a young adult with a taste for dark, taboo romance that had you clutching your pearls only to end up knee-deep in a reverse harem that’s 97% smut at 3am? No, just me?

Ever had the good fortune of then having a book come along at the crisp age of 29 that hard-resets your mind and makes you feel the same way you did when you read your first haunting romance or great tragedy ?

This was Thrashers for me.

At page one, I was captivated not only with the writing style but also with the fact that you never really know what’s going on and you’re just along for the ride to figure out. Living the suspense and mercurial emotionality through the eyes of Jo was an incredible rollercoaster that leaves you second guessing yourself, the characters and the course of events that followed; fighting to decipher what was real or imagined, only to find yourself with a theory that immediately becomes muddled with the sprinkling of self doubt, mistrust and insecurity.. Thrashers is a unique book with a refreshing take on growing up, growing apart and accepting that not everything is as clear as we think and not everyone is as clean as they say they are. Jo and the rest of the Thrashers will have you questioning everyone and everything in pursuit of what’s real!

A shoutout to the ending that leaves us with more questions than answers and a desperate need for a sequel to figure it out !

Emily unalived herself on prom night and whispers and suspicions about The Thrashers, an exclusive friend group, bullying her to the breaking point begin to fly.

Julie Soto dipped her toes into the thriller genre and it’s great!! I really enjoyed the ride. Overall it’s a slow burn sort of thriller, with some jaw-dropping situations along the way, as well as straight-up chilling moments. I thought Soto wove a provocative and mysterious story with a realistic peek into the realities of highschool hierarchies, bullying, and friendships.

Read if you like YA thrillers, young adults behaving badly, supernatural elements, drama drama drama, he said/she said, Pretty Little Liars and Thirteen Reasons Why vibes, and suspense.

Thank you so much, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

The Thrashers hooked me from page 1! This was a wild ride and I loved every minute of it. A girl died on prom night, the popular kids in school--The Thrashers--may have played a role, and maybe the dead girl is haunting them? This book will be so good for teen readers because it is fast-paced, suspenseful. has interesting characters, has a lot of twists, and will spark a lot of great thoughts/questions about how we should treat others and where to draw the line between right and wrong when your best friends are involved. I will definitely be adding a copy to my classroom library! Also, after that epilogue....sequel?

An eerie, part paranormal, part whodunnit YA thriller that had me questioning everyone at some point and thoroughly creeped out! Exactly what I signed up for. 👏🏻

I blew through this, and I can’t stop thinking about Julian - hot, broody but cares, bad boy but make him Theo Nott type of guy (Dramione ladies, you get it!) - I need his vibes but in new adult, about 10 years older asap! lol!

The suspense was perfect, the plot was juicy, and Soto’s take on the mindset of a high school kid with trauma was raw and heartbreaking.

Very well done YA that I’d recommend to any thriller lover. 👏🏻

This was SO different from Julie’s other two books, which were both spicy romances (that I LOVED.). The Thrashers is a mystery/paranormal thriller involving a group of teenagers in their senior year of high school. I was skeptical, I and it took a bit to really hook me, but once it did, I was truly HOOKED. So many twists and turns and the ending gave me CHILLS. This is gonna be a TV miniseries for sure. Fun read!

Super grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

I started this around 8pm with the intention of reading a couple chapters to get the vibe and then go to bed, and maybe read all day the next day. Then I said a couple more chapters. Then I was on Chapter 10, and I thought I might stay up a while. Shortly after that, I knew I'd be staying up until I finished reading.

The Thrashers is a YA thriller centered around Jodie and her friends, The Thrashers. When a girl turns up dead on prom night, everything starts to come out as investigators center on The Thrashers. Never did I really know what was going on (in the best way). I had theories. I had guesses that may have been right, but largely I had no idea where it was going or what happened, and it was amazing.

I am long past high school and haven't been reading a ton of YA in the last few years, but I was able to relate to Jodie a little more than I care to admit.

I have said "I couldn't put it down" before about books, but this was on another level. I dreamt about it. I've thought about it most days since I finished it. I DM'd the author because I couldn't handle not saying something to someone and no one I know has read it yet.

It was such a thrill. A wild and emotional ride. I want more. No, I need more.

4.5 - I couldn’t put down this book.
After being found dead on the night of prom, Emily Mills, a student of New Helvetia High is all anyone can talk about. The Thrashers, a group of 5 students, are accused of being involved with the death. Jodi, our main character, finds herself navigating her complicated friend group, school gossip, and the murky waters of the ongoing case.
There’s a perfect mix of pacing, plot, and atmosphere threaded into these pages. You can feel Emily haunting you as she haunts them. AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE PLOT TWISTS. I beg for a second book to be written.

I had a really fun time reading this book. As a fan of Julie Soto from her romance book "Forget Me Not", I was really excited for the chance to read her YA debut! I loved the paranormal aspect that was weaved into the story without it becoming a completely paranormal thriller. Jodi was a very relatable main character, a high schooler who doesn't quite feel like she fits in and often feels on the outskirts of the friend group. I think a lot of people have felt this way at one time or another in a group of friends. "The Thrashers" was also an interesting group, with popular girls who were more nuanced than just pretty girl and cheerleaders. I do with that Lucy and Paige were a little more fleshed out in the story, but overall I really liked them. Zack Thrasher, who they all hinge around, is interesting as well. The guy who is a friend to all, but feels like no one really knows who he is. I liked the dynamic between him and Jodi, his childhood best friend, and how it changes throughout the story. I also liked Julian, who had some really interesting character development as well. Overall, a really fun high school murder mystery with some paranormal activity sprinkled in!

I love Julie's work and when I saw this one, despite it being a different genre from her other books, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! This is most definitely YA and that is fine, but the addition of the paranormal aspects of this one threw me off. This book will take you back to nasty high school days with toxic friend groups and drama so if that is your jam, you will likely love this book! I think this was well written and engaging but ultimately it was like and not love for me. Despite this one not being my favorite, I will continue to read Julie's other books but maybe skip the YA ones in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.