Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ALC!
2⭐️
Fans of Thirteen Reasons Why may be drawn to this dark YA thriller, but for readers looking for a grounded, sensitive take on trauma and teen mental health, this may not be the right fit. The premise centers on a girl’s death by suicide, and while the writing is sharp and fast-paced, the reliance on suicide and sexual violence as plot devices felt heavy-handed and, at times, mishandled. At least suicide should be in the blurb, right? At least!!

The book weaves in paranormal elements that are never clearly resolved, which adds confusion rather than clarity. The main character’s development is limited, and many of the supporting characters come across as irredeemable, making it hard to connect or invest emotionally. The final act is overloaded with dramatic reveals, which reduces the impact of each one.

That said, Julie Soto’s writing style is engaging, and the audiobook narration is excellent—especially for single narration, making it an enjoyable listening experience. I’ll definitely be reading more of this authors work.

While this title might appeal to readers who enjoy YA thrillers packed with drama, tropes, and high emotional stakes, those hoping for a more nuanced or original take on difficult topics may want to approach with caution.

4.5 stars!

This book is thrilling, riveting, the tragedy you can’t look away from. Julie Soto somehow has transcended genres and has written romance, romantasy, and YA thriller. Bravo! 👏🏼

This book was twisty and twisted, gripping and fast paced. I could not get through the audiobook fast enough! Recommended listening speed is 1.5-1.75.

If you’ve ever liked Holly Jackson, Karen McManus, Maureen Jackson, Gossip Girl, Veronica Mars, or 13 reasons why, you’ll love this book!

The audio narrator helps the story to unfold in a captivating way. There is drama, lies, secrets, toxic friendships and high school drama. Oh the twisted games kids play to try and find where they belong. These character are complex and you’ll be surprised by who you find yourself rooting for. This would play out perfectly as a movie or show.

I can’t say too much because I want to avoid spoilers but that ending?! UGH!

Thanks to MacMillian and Wednesday books for the advance copies! You can pick this one up on May 6!!

Overall, this was a fun thriller to read. There were some pacing issues, but would definitely try another book by the author as this was my first.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Julie Soto for the alc of The Thrashers in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This had me on the edge of my seat for the entire time. I listened to it all in one go; I could not stop once I started. I loved how the paranormal was woven into this thriller so seamlessly. The characters were fleshed out and I felt for every single one of them in some way. Soto’s writing was gripping and thought-provoking and I cannot wait to see if she writes any more thrillers.

The narrators, Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky, did a fantastic job with the narration and keeping up the suspense.

The number of times the main characters get CPR, sheesh.

Dramatic for sure, a good accompaniment to sorting Lego, yes teens are probably going to enjoy this. But it kind of went back and forth between suspense and the ghost story and a crime story - and why are the names of these minors being regularly reported in the media? Why is Jody The Fat Poor One? Why does the only Black Queer character scream token representation? Emily was clearly neurodivergent and obsessive, but I'm not sure if the reader was supposed to treat her with compassion or derision.

The main thing that redeemed the plot at the end is the twist behind Julian's actions, which seemed to be completely incomprehensible for most of the story. That was messed up, yo.

As a whole, a worthwhile listen and I'll be happy to recommend to teens/fans of One of Us Is Lying looking for a summer thriller. But I can't say I loved it.

HOLY COW THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this YA thriller by Julie Soto! These are my honest thoughts!

WHAT EVEN WAS THIS STORY?? It was Mean Girls x Gossip Girl x One Tree Hill... set in California, so with The O.C. thrown in there for good measure (these are millennial references, so I'm sure the younger generation will have their own comparisons).

I was enthralled with these characters from the first page, and I kept turning every page waiting to figure out what was truth, what was lies, what was real, what was real but unexplainable, and what in the world happened to Emily Mills?

I hated and loved everyone, and I sometimes like when a book makes me feel that way, but I really liked some characters and I really hated others. Julie Soto did an amazing job of making these kids feel important. They are mostly rich, and they are nice to their friends. But if you're not a friend? You'll be *Thrashed*. And yet, I felt bad for them when their futures and college was on the line. Kids are meant to learn and make mistakes without the world crumbling to the ground, yet when they find out they are being pursued for the death of a classmate, it's hard to go through it with them.

Add in all these really strange incidents where really bad things keep happening to the cast of main characters? The weird texts? The seemingly once-in-a-lifetime occurrences, that KEEP HAPPENING?

I still have so many questions. And I think with the ending, that hints that there is more to come?? Hopefully? It doesn't end with a neatly tied bow, and I have to accept that I am okay with it right now.

Shoutout to Eva Kaminsky, Jesse Vilinsky - narrators who brought this story to life. This is a fast-paced story, and Eva was amazing making the plot jump off the page.

5 stars. Out May 6th.

FIVE STARS!!!! I loved that this was like mean girls and PLL and had a paranormal element to it! This was so fun and at no point did I know where it was going. I’ve never read a book like this and I can’t wait to have a trophy copy! Highly recommend the audio version!

THE THRASHERS review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🤫This book hasn’t even been released yet and it already seems to be getting a lot of buzz. 👀 This was my first Julie Soto book and I really enjoyed it! The beginning had me hooked and I highly recommend the audiobook!

🤫Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
The Thrashers are an elite friend group and everyone at their high school wants to be a part of it. Emily, who wanted more than anything to be a Thrasher, dies and all of the Thrashers are under investigation. How far would you go to fit in with the in crowd?

🤫This book gave slight Pretty Little Liars vibes and I had no idea how it would end. The epilogue had me shook. 🤯 I definitely need to check out Julie’s other works because I really enjoyed this one!

🤫Thanks to @macmillan.audio for my advanced copy!

The Thrashers incorporates teen drama in a sophisticated, mysterious, sometimes paranormal way. The popular clique of high school seniors, The Thrashers, is coming under scrutiny in the wake of a classmate’s suicide. Things are not as they seem, and strange, unexplainable things are happening to the members of the group. With their futures threatened, our protagonist Jodi begins examining each friendship more closely as she searches for the truth. Fans of Pretty Little Liars and 13 Reasons Why will find this book hard to put down.

Thank you, Julie Soto, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this audiobook! The sound quality was excellent. The narrators, Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky, did a great job bringing the characters to life.

Julie Soto’s Thrashers is the kind of book that reminds you why you fell in love with YA thrillers in the first place. It’s fast-paced, character-driven, and unafraid to dive headfirst into the messiness of secrets, ambition, and identity. And the cast? Absolute perfection.

Jodie is the definition of magnetic chaos—brilliant, reckless, and always five moves ahead (or so she thinks). Zach brings the brooding mystery, hiding heartbreak behind charm and sharp edges. Emily is the quiet storm of the group—observant, underestimated, and ultimately the most dangerous player in the game. Harrison is too clean-cut to be clean, with just enough charm to make you forget how calculated he really is. And Lucy? She might just be the smartest one of them all, threading truths through every lie like it’s second nature. Featuring suicide, bullying, dark secrets and not your normal high school drama.

Together, these five form a tension-filled, high-stakes ecosystem where every relationship is a potential weapon. Soto writes with whip-smart prose and a killer sense of timing, keeping readers on edge while exploring the fragile balance between power, fear, and survival.

Thrashers is bold, brilliant, and refuses to be predictable. It’s the YA thriller we didn’t know we needed—and one you won’t forget.

Posting review on May 5th on my bookstagram and on Amazon at May 6th at : https://www.instagram.com/seductivespellbindingsagass

Ｔｈｅ Ｔｈｒａｓｈｅｒｓ

@juliesotowrites really said “here ya go” when she decided to whip up a YA thriller for us. Boy is it a treat!

The Thrashers are the high school clique of all cliques. But when Emily dies after being kind of in the clique kind of not… the clique is at risk of disbanding.

The secrets. The lies. The coverups. This book is everything I’d hoped it would be!

Julie, don’t give up contemporary romance but I wouldn’t hate more of The Thrashers, k?

Special thanks to @macmillianusa for an advanced copy of the Audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who doesn’t read a lot of thrillers, I have to say that I had a great time with this book. YA thrillers may officially be my favorite type of thriller read in large part to Soto’s The Thrashers. I do want to point out some trigger warnings, though, before you start reading which include, but aren’t limited to, underage drinking, drug use, suicidal ideation, suicide, and abuse. This book was the perfect mix of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Pretty Little Liars. I enjoyed the mix of secrets and look backs to slowly unravel the story all with the mix of something not being quite right in present time. Additionally, I really appreciated the look into the friendship dynamic as well, and for me, that added a lot to the overall reading experience. I’m also a sucker for well written morally grey characters which this book was full of. I also loved how Soto had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next throughout the entire book. I also found in fascinating how she guided our reading and shifted our viewpoints of certain characters as more information was revealed. I had both the ebook and audiobook for this one. While both were enjoyable, I loved the audiobook. It gave me more of the TV/movie vibe feels that this book was perfect for. The narration was done by Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky. Both did well in their role, but with the bulk of the narration being done by Kaminsky, she was more of the stand out for me. Kaminsky captured Jodi’s character so well from her disbelief, to her anxiety, to her pain. It was easy to get swept away by Kaminsky’s narration and lose track of everything around you except the audiobook. I couldn’t stop listening to the narration until I finished. With how the book ended, I’m hoping there will be a sequel where we get to spend more time with these characters.

The Thrashers, the coolest group in school and if you are lucky enough to be seen and known by them, you might do whatever it takes to stay in that line of sight.

A group of friends reluctantly welcome a new student into their fold. But Emily isn’t really a good fit, she is nice enough but there is definitely something off about her. She invites herself to all their hang outs, pokes and prys to get personal and intimate information about their lives, and is just like trying too hard to be a Thrasher. The whole group wishes she would just go away. So when news reaches the school that Emily has died, suspicions arise around the Thrashers and the truth hidden inside Emily’s journal.

I devoured this book. I’m usually not a huge thriller person but this was the perfect mix of high school drama and coming of age desperation to make the story really entertaining. This being Soto’s first YA book is mystifying. She has the ability to write characters as if your best friend is telling you the story.
The narrator gave every character their own individual voice and personality, like putting on a mask. That is such an important detail in any audiobook with a larger cast so being able to do that well is a feat.

Pick this one up if you want some senior year nostalgia this summer. Complete with drive in movies, ritualistic seances, high school crushes, school plays, dramatic best friends and obviously, prom.

This was a fantastic audiobook! The narrators had me hooked from the very beginning, and they brought so much energy and emotion to the story. They literally highlighted the thrills with their performances, capturing the intensity, suspense, and heart of every moment. The pacing was perfect, and each voice felt distinct and engaging. If you're looking for a gripping listen that pulls you in and doesn’t let go, The Thrashers is a must. Highly recommend the audio version!

This was such a good YA debut! This is great for fans of Mean Girls and Pretty Little Liars. Expect an inside look at the popular kids’ group while they are undergoing an investigation for bullying a classmate/ possibly murder. This was high stakes and just a tiny bit spooky. Is there a ghost? Are the Thrashers being harassed by someone familiar with the deceased? Did one (or more) of them really bully a girl into committing suicide?

What to expect:
-lots of secrets
-main characters experiencing personal growth
-maybe some ghost encounters
-definitely discussion of bullying/Suicidal ideation/Suicide/cyber bullying

Thank you to Netgalley, Julie Soto & Macmillan Audio for providing me with the ALC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an ALC in of the audio from MacMillan Audio via NetGalley. Julie Soto does not disappoint! This was my first Thriller and will not be my last! The Thrashers is a YA thriller and is in Jodi Dillon’s POV. Jodi and her tight knit friend AKA The Thrashers are about to go into their senior year of highschool but not without a little drama. Emily Mills had transferred to their school and instantly gravitated towards Jodi and her friends. Unfortunately she dies and that’s where the trouble begins. This book truly captured the essence of what it’s like to be in high school and the center of attention especially when that attention is negative. I loved the Narrators Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky. They did an excellent job of voicing the characters.

Read this if you like:
•13 reasons why
•drama
•suspense

I flew through this one. When a girl dies on prom night, this elite friend group is in the spotlight for bullying. Jodie is the only one in the group not rich and entitled and she’s also the only one not suspected of bullying Emily leading to her suicide. Pretty little liar & 13 reasons why vibes! Thank you Macmillan for the audio!

I thought this was very fun! I did like how it wraps up and I feel like it’s definitely going to be a fun thriller for YA thriller readers. All that to say, the only thing I was not expecting and therefore maybe couldn’t suspend my disbelief on was the slight paranormal bent to this one. Like I will always find Julie Soto’s writing addicting, her characters to be interesting, and her plots to go fast.

<Spoilers>
However, I wanted there to be explanations for everything and there just weren’t by the end.

I am not the target audience for this book, but I found myself really enjoying it. The narration was well done, and I truly didn't know how things would play out. It was much less of a thriller than I expected, I don't know why, since it is more of a "whodunnit" type of story. The end wasn't shocking, but I did like the little twist at the end and the setup for future books.

I liked that there were two narrators, one for Jodie and one for Emily, in flashbacks.

There was something about the story that felt a little unfinished, but I think it was meant to be that way. It was well done and kept me wanting me.

If you were a fan of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, I would 100% recommend it.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an Advanced Listener Copy of this book!

Emily Mille killed herself on prom night and who is to blame? The Thrashers of course. So it’s no surprise that after her death weird things start happening to the group of friends. Emily also left behind an incriminating journal.

The Thrashers are an elite group of friends all circled around one guy named Zack Thrasher who is kind to everyone until he isn’t leading to them being “thrashed.”

Jodi Dillon (MC) isn’t as well off as the rest of the group but has been friends and in love with Zack the longest. When Emily moved to their school she started seeking Jodi out and asking really personal questions. She also kept inserting herself into the Thrasher friend group which doesn’t go well.

The main thing I didn’t love about this book was the way it was wrapped up pretty quickly, but I Will enjoyed the read.

The story really highlights how oblivious some people can be and/or how much some people care so little about other people. Some people are so entitled they forget or don’t care to acknowledge their actions.

So I may have or have not have requested this book on NetGalley because I thought it was going to be horror teen slasher. Even though I was wrong about that part, it was still a good read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this arc in exchange for a review.