Think Mean Girls meets Pretty Little Liars! For this being Julie Soto’s debut into the thriller genre she absolutely nailed it!

The reveal around the messages being sent and the strange occurrences happening was a bit predictable but this was still full of twists and turns - that ending 😳 The pacing was so good - so much was packed into these 352 pages and I couldn’t put it down!

I highly recommend to those looking for a quick, fast paced YA Thriller!

“They drew attention to themselves no matter what. The Thrashers.” 📓

I’ve seen nothing but glowing reviews for Julie Soto’s newest YA novel, THE THRASHERS...and I couldn’t help but cringe the whole time I was reading. It follows a high school clique - The Thrashers - in the aftermath a classmate’s apparent suicide on prom night. However, when evidence surfaces that the group had severely harassed and bullied that classmate, mistrust, blame and a bit of paranormal activity ensues.

This book just made me feel gross; every character was reprehensible and I feel like so many of their actions get written off as they are immature, developing teenagers - but they are truly all terrible people (even the victim is incredibly manipulative). There is a paranormal aspect to the plot - which, to me, felt random, out of place and not fully developed (although that epilogue was so well executed!). While the book does a good job at capturing the messiness that is high school social circles - the self-consciousness, the strong desire to be accepted and admired, the burgeoning romantic feelings - I truly felt like no character learned their lesson or grew from this ordeal, so...to me...it truly read like a bit of a trauma dump for others enjoyment.

I did enjoy the narration - it was quick, just like the action in this novel - and allowed me to easy follow along. Overall, while it was a quick read...it was anything but easy - be sure to review the trigger warnings carefully, as it is incredibly dark. And, unfortunately, I don’t think many of the potentially triggering topics are treated with much care.

CW // bullying; suicide; alcohol and drug use; car accident; assault; death of loved one; drowning

I saw a lot of buzz about this title so I requested it on NetGalley, not sure if it could live up to the hype. I'm thrilled to say it exceeded my expectations, which is hard to do, especially when a title has been so hyped. The Thrashers is about a group of friends who revolve around Zachary Thrasher and Zach is very friendly and outgoing but doesn't understand how he affects people--or maybe doesn't care--and his friends are left to explain that Zach has moved on to the next person who adores him. Students soon start calling it "being thrashed" and then the latest "thrashing victim" ends up dying by suicide and suddenly there's a spotlight on all of them.

There were SO MANY things I love about this story, but one that will always stand out to me is how nuanced every character is. No character is one-dimensional. No one is innocent. Everyone has a secret, something they shouldn't have done -- even the bystanders, the ones who meant well, the victims, etc. This made it a truly compelling read for me. We watched every single character grapple with their choices--past, present, and future--who they were and who they wanted to be. The characters were flawed but in a realistic way. You watched each of them shift and change and be culpable. There was also romance that I think would appeal to any romance reader--and then there was, what was for me was a surprise, paranormal elements that really intensified the story.

My singular critique of the book is that it doesn't have content warnings at the beginning and I think it should. The very first page includes suicide. There's a strong inclusion of alcoholism and parental neglect and abuse, and domestic violence. There's bullying and harassment. There are mentions of sexual assault, though it is not described. While I think each of these topics is absolutely done well and with care, I do think readers should know what they're getting into.

Otherwise, this is one of the best books I've read in a long time and will be at the top of my list for recommendations when my high schoolers return in the fall. I finished this in three sittings and if life hadn't gotten in the way I happily would've read it in one. Five stars and beyond. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5⭐️

This was a really fun, quick read. Definitely a YA thriller, so while it didn't hit as hard as I would have liked it to, I think that's just par for the course for the younger audience. I really enjoyed that there was a slight paranormal aspect, and I actually wished that was leaned into more.

While it was a really fun read, it was definitely predictable and felt like a discarded Pretty Little Liars plot. The writing was great, but I just personally would have liked it to have gone in a different direction, or to have felt a bit more original.

The audiobook in and of itself was enjoyable to listen to. I liked the narrators, and felt like they did a great job acting out the scenes. There were a couple different POVs and I was able to tell them apart well - which is sometimes an issue with multi-POV audiobooks. The pacing was good and the inflection was great.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun, binge worthy YA novel that kept me wanting to listen any chance I got. I quite enjoyed the main characters and the story was really entertaining! I will recommend this book to friends!

This book I could not put down loved it from beginning to end. I would highly recommend!! This isn't like something ie read before.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This kept me intrigued, and I thought the paranormal twist was kind of fun in this one! I enjoyed reading it.

The Thrashers by Julie Soto
3.5/5
Quick Summary:
A coming-of-age thriller following a group of teens as secrets and tensions bubble up in their small-town community, leading to unexpected consequences.
What I Liked:
Good pacing overall; it kept moving without any dull stretches.
Authentic-feeling teen interactions and friendships.
Had a couple twists that genuinely caught me off guard.

What Didn't Work for Me:

Characters felt a little flat at times, making it tough to fully connect.
Some parts felt rushed, especially towards the end.

Final Thoughts:
The Thrashers was a decent, quick thriller. Didn't blow me away, but it was a solid enough read. I'd recommend it if you're looking for something engaging but not too heavy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

soo good! did a puzzle and listened to it all in a day. and the epilogue!!! ahhh
i’ve been in a really bad reading slump but this book really helped me a lot with it. Fast paced and left me wanting more!!

This book is AMAZING! I will be telling everyone about this book and recommending it as the NEW big YA Thriller. The writing style reminds me of Karen McManus, with a storyline as thrilling as "A Good Girls Guide to Murder" and "We Were Liars". This is my new HIGHLY recommended title!

I tried to get into this one and just couldn’t. I enjoy YA and thrillers, but this one just never got going for me. Sadly I DNF’

I was automatically intrigued by this book just by the blurb. It’s been referred to fans of Pretty Little Liars and 13 Reasons Why so sign me up!

Once I started listening to the audio, I was hooked immediately! It has everything I love in a YA thriller… drama, prom night, and toxic friendships! It also has supernatural element mixed in.

This is my first from Julie Soto, but now I definitely want to check out more of her work. I really enjoyed her writing style. It was very easy to listen to while listening to the audio.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for the early copy!

The Thrashers are seriously the ultimate high school squad rich glamorous and full of secrets Jodi trying to find her place in this crazy group had me rooting for her from the start The whole mystery around Emily’s death had me hooked like I just couldn’t stop turning pages The drama the suspense and those spooky vibes Yes please The characters are messy real and so addictive I basically lived for every juicy twist If you love highstakes friendships with a dark side this one is a total must read Five stars and all the heart eyes 💖📚✨

This was perhaps not what I hoped it would be, but credit to Soto for writing a well-structured YA mystery that doesn’t stoop to cheap bait and switch tactics, which are a common problem in YA mysteries.

This winds up being a far more serious read than many YA mysteries and that makes it kind of a downer to read. I’m also not certain that I agree with the conclusions the book came to about who is truly responsible for what happened.

That said, the structure here is both complex and high quality, and though it does turn out pretty much how you would guess, it keeps you captivated on the way there.

This has remarkably good character development for YA (especially a YA mystery), and I loved the way the characters individual issues and personality traits wove together to create this story.

This was such a good, well-constructed thriller! The cast of characters was so interesting, and Jodi was such a compelling character. I loved the slight paranormal/ghost angle, too!

The Thrashers is a suspenseful YA thriller about Jodi, an outsider caught up with a toxic elite group after a peer’s mysterious death. Julie Soto blends high school drama, bullying, class tension, and subtle supernatural elements to create an eerie, fast-paced story.

While the paranormal aspect adds intrigue, it feels a bit underdeveloped, and the ending is somewhat rushed. Overall, it’s a gripping read for fans of dark academia and psychological thrillers.

Take a deep dive into the social dynamics of the high school social elite group “The Thrashers” in this YA thriller. Jodi, Zack, Julian, Paige, and Lucy navigate their senior year after losing a classmate. The drama, suspense, heartbreak, and paranormal activity that accompanies them will keep you on the edge of your seat and questioning what the real truth is.

The narration for this audiobook was great. I thought the personalities really came through well. The storyline was really interesting and I loved the overall haunting vibes. While I did guess one piece of the puzzle in the first 25% of the book, I still had a great time with it and all of the lingering twists unfolding. High school kids are truly the worst and even the best ones are awful. This book made me so happy that high school is so far in the past. Thank you so much for my ALC!

JULIE SOTO, how did you make me read that entire book? Can’t be the characters, I didn’t like half of them. Can’t be the plot, it was like been there done that. SO WHAT IS IT? I was glued to the page. Her writing is just magnetizing somehow, while I wasn’t a fan of the characters I still could feel the emotion behind their actions.

Basically if she writes it, Ill read it, It’ll be a good time, because her writing just HITS.

I was hooked from the beginning…I enjoyed the main characters. The ending was unique and definitely unexpected. I would recommend this book to my YA reader friends!