I don’t read many thrillers, but if Julie Soto writes it, you know I’m picking it up—and this one completely delivered. It’s a YA thriller that grabs you from the very first page and keeps you guessing the entire way through.

At its core, this story is a sharp and thoughtful look at friendship—especially the kind that forms in high school and the complicated, sometimes painful, cost that can come with it. Jodi has been best friends with Zack Thrasher since second grade, but she's always felt like she’s hovering on the edge of his inner circle, a tight-knit group known as The Thrashers.

Things take a chilling turn when Emily Mills—who is desperate to be part of that friend group—dies under mysterious circumstances. Her journal, filled with unsettling entries, hints at secrets and events that may have led to her death… and once it surfaces, strange things start to happen. Emily might be gone, but she’s definitely not finished.

The story weaves in subtle paranormal elements that give it an eerie edge, and I loved how the tension slowly built as more secrets came to light. You’re never quite sure who to trust, or what’s really going on—and that’s part of what makes it so gripping.

The audiobook narration is fantastic. Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky do such a great job embodying the characters and really bring out the emotional weight and tension of the story. They even weave in Emily’s voice periodically, which adds just the right amount of creepy atmosphere—it gave me chills in the best way.

Julie Soto does such an incredible job capturing the vulnerability of being a teen: the need to belong, the fear of being left out, and how the choices you make—even the ones that seem small—can leave lasting marks.

When Emily Mills dies on prom night, it's ruled a suicide. Her family believes she had been harassed by a popular teen crowd at school, the Thrashers, and they pursue legal action. Meanwhile, the Thrashers believe they are being wrongfully targeted. As if legal troubles aren't a big enough threat to their senior year and college plans, the group begins to receive strange texts from an unknown number that knows too much. Then, mysterious and dangerous accidents begin to follow the teens wherever they go. Are the Thrashers as threatening as they're made out to be, or were things more complicated than they seemed with the alleged victim?

This YA thriller dives deep into the complications of teenage friendship and social hierarchy and there are several heavy topics covered including rape, addiction, obsession, stalking, suicide, and loss of family. I felt Soto handled these topics with respect, and I did not find them overly triggering as presented (and I'm a sensitive soul). Soto does a wonderful job writing from the perspectives of teens with the ups and downs of friendship, love interests, and pressure to build toward a future outside of school.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced listening copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I downloaded it blindly, and being new to the author and I really enjoyed it! The audio narration was very well done. The narrator highlighted the emotions of each scene and transitioned between voices subtly but effectively. I would recommend this book in print or audio format!

The Thrashers is like a mash-up of One of Us Is Lying with a hint of 13 Reasons Why—equal parts gripping mystery and teenage angst. Julie Soto knows how to reel you in, and this one had me hooked from the first page.

The story follows Jodie, the outsider in a rich, “It kids” friend group known as the Thrashers. She's constantly battling her own insecurities, terrified of being left out, and harboring an obsession with the group’s golden boy, Zach. But when a school outcast, Emily, dies by suicide—and the Thrashers are the only suspects—Jodie starts digging. What follows is a suspenseful unraveling of lies, guilt, and the haunting reality of how cruel teenagers can be.

There's so much delicious drama here—scheming, backstabbing, and tension bubbling under every interaction. Soto doesn’t shy away from dark topics like suicide, rape, and bullying, weaving them into a story that feels disturbingly real. The mystery is layered, and the emotional weight hits hard, especially as Jodie starts to reckon with her own role in the tragedy.

That said, it was frustrating at times to watch Jodie more fixated on her social standing than the gravity of Emily’s death. Her growth feels a bit delayed, and by the end, I was still questioning the choice she makes in the final moments.

Audiobook:
Jesse Vilinsky and Eva Kaminsky elevate this story in a big way. Vilinsky perfectly captures Jodie’s vulnerability, insecurity, and inner conflict, making her voice feel authentic and emotionally raw. Kaminsky brings depth and variation to the secondary perspectives, especially in scenes heavy with tension or moral ambiguity. Their performances added so much texture and intensity—it felt like I was living inside Jodie’s mind and the halls of that high school. If you're an audiobook fan, this one is definitely worth the listen.

Still, this was a wild ride—a fast-paced, intense, and emotionally tangled thriller that kept me turning pages late into the night. If you're into messy friendships, morally gray characters, and suspenseful teen dramas, The Thrashers will absolutely pull you in.

I really enjoyed both the story and the narrator. The book was suspenseful and had lots a twists and turns! It was a great twist of suspense and mystery and thriller and paranormal with a touch of romance! A great older YA novel!

It took me a while to get into the story but eventually it got really interesting and I was curious how the story would resolve. The epilogue blew my mind!

This was a fun YA mysterious/paranormal read à la Heathers, Mean Girls, and Pretty Little Liars. If you enjoy those, you will LOVE this book.

The narrator for the audiobook is engaging and interesting to listen to. She did a great job! In fact, I recommend listening over reading.

The Thrashers is Julie Soto’s first venture into YA and it doesn’t disappoint. A thriller with some twists and turns that I didn’t see, it was a satisfying read that posed some interesting questions about friendship, bullying and even the supernatural. I enjoyed the character development, although I felt like some side characters could’ve been taken further. Soto’s normal writing style is clearly present, and her surprises hit the same as some of her other works. I didn’t love the emphasis on ghosts/afterlife presence personally, but it wasn’t a major barrier to the overall narrative. Great first thriller from a fav author! Note: I received an ARC from the publisher but this is an independent review.

The picture painted of this high school setting, this group of friends and the entire community was so well done I can picture it in almost any suburban small town. The hook of the story is pretty intense, and I caution the reader about the initial shock of a suicide. (This is not a spoiler, as it is in the description.) However, I could not put this book down. The group of five Thrashers- Zack, Jodi, Julian, Paige and Lucy are the popular kids that everyone envies. With that envy comes jealously. Unfortunately, Emilly gets caught up in her own emotional game with them that doesn't end well. Lots of secrets amongst the friends cause trust issues and often make the characters ruin perfectly good relationships. As the reader you are sort of screaming at them from afar- No! It's not true. :)
The other impressive layer of this story is the supernatural vibe. The flickering lights, the unexplained texts and the use of fortune tellers. I found this very creative and cool way to have the deceased have a voice. With criminal accusations and senior year on the horizon this story has some serious consequences.

Topics: friendship, high school, parental abuse, suicide, trust, secrets, bullying, hazing, mediums
Recommended: high school and above with the caution of the suicide trigger
book alike: One of Us is Lying by K. Mcmanus

#netgallery #Thrashers

Narrator was great, very intriguing plot, and shocked by the final reveal of everything. Ending wrapped up things nicely

I already reviewed this - but the audiobook was even more phenomenal. Boosted this book to 6 stars wow!

I am forever blown away with how Julie completely captivates her reader across all different genres. This book keeps you hooked on the edge of your seat and is so fast paced. I thought this book had the perfect combination of suspense and mystery and the twist definitely took me by surprise.
The high school dynamics felt so realistic to me - Julie captured that unique "high school friend group" relationships and the feeling of never really "fitting in."
Overall it was giving pretty little liars in the best way possible. Will recommend this story to anyone who will listen to me and I cannot wait to see what she give us next!

This book was SO good in my opinion.  As of late, most of the young adult mysteries that I have read have been disappointing me, and I just wanted something fun and exciting.  The Thrashers totally fit that bill.  I really enjoyed the premise of the book, with Jodi feeling on the outskirts of her friends and also dealing with the repercussions of Emily taking her own life.  

Jodi's particular perspective of someone being on the outskirts of a friend group is something that is really relatable to me.  I have been there, and so I am definitely predisposed to relate to that kind of character and empathise with them.  There were other aspects of Jodi's story that I didn't relate to as much, but on the whole she was an incredible empathetic character.  She was very well-developed, and I found her motivations and actions understandable.

The execution of the story was fantastic.  I thought that it would be mostly written in Jodi's perspective, but we also got some snippets from Emily.  The novel opens and closes in her perspective, which added a very unique flavour to the story.  We also got excerpts from the journal that was the basis of the case against Jodi's friends.  It really helped to bring Emily to life as a character.

I ended up listening to an audio ARC of the story, and I found myself wanting to do nothing but listen to it.  I wanted to know what was going to happen next, and what would happen to the characters.  They each had great depths to them.  What I didn't expect at all were the supernatural elements that were included.  I don't want to say too much here, but they were definitely a fun twist.

On the whole, I found this to be a super compelling, super interesting mystery.  I highly recommend it.

Ahhhh! Such a sucker for YA Thrillers &&& this was fantastic! Such a great genre debut! I found The Thrashers to twisty & super fun. While it did cover some heavy topics I think it was done well, I really enjoyed the twists, that final one really got me! & I was surprised how much I enjoyed the super natural aspect! The audio was also fantastic! The narrator did a wonder job & really enjoyed the way she did the “party” scenes!

Julie Soto delivers another sharp and emotionally charged story with The Thrashers. The characters are complex and flawed in all the right ways, and the tension—both romantic and situational—keeps you hooked. 4 out of 5 stars 🌟

I couldn’t put this one down! This YA thriller reminds me of 13 reasons why in the fact of Emily talking to them beyond the grave, but had so much mystery on what truly happened. I loved the eerie “could this be a ghost” vibes as chilling things kept happening, but it couldn’t be ruled out it was just coincidence either.
I would check the trigger warnings before reading, because it does have some heavy topics.
Not so patiently waiting for Soto’s next book - might have a new favorite psych thriller author to add to the list.

I am not the biggest YA fan or paranormal but this one did keep my interest! There were a few parts that dragged out a bit but I did like the suspense it kept. The characters were written well! The paranormal piece took me a minute to buy into but I did end up liking that it went that route.

Either you’re in or you’re out.

Emily Mills, a student at New Helvetia High, is found dead prom night and all eyes are on her recent friend group “The Thrashers”

Everyone wants to be them; they’re the popular rich kids. Known to use people only to discard them as trash later aka Thrashing, you must enter this group at your own risk.

You are emersed into their world and the web of lies, deceit, secrets, and drama that surround them. This YA thriller hooks you from the start and is filled with so many twists and turns. From police interrogations, secret conversations, and the dead girl’s journal, it was hard to put this one down. The supernatural vibes brought an extra flare that made things even more interesting. The ending… loved it!

I listened to the audiobook and it was awesome. Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky did an outstanding job bringing these characters and this story to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this title early!

I went into this one blind, unknowing of the fact that this is very YA. My 14 year old self is screaming because she would have loved this book. However, as a 31 year old mother, now, it just did not land for me. While I got some depth into a few of the characters, some others I forgot who they were and what their importance was. This was definitely a sweet YA, that would be enjoyable for the target audience. Just not for me. The audio version of this book was well done!

WOW! What. A. Ride. What I loved most about The Thrashers, other than the character development, is that it is a layered, complex read which addresses multiple issues that are timely and important. On the surface, it appears to be a book in the vein of Mean Girls, Cruel Intentions, and One of Us is Lying. But the longer you read, the more you realize it’s also a book about family, friendship, loyalty, integrity, empathy, self-discovery, and even the paranormal.

Jodi is a compelling FMC who goes on a journey of self-discovery that is triggered by events that, at first glance, appear out of her control. But the more you join her on her journey, the more you realize not everything is at it seems, especially our supporting cast of characters. The Thrashers will etch themselves into your heart and leave you wanting more of their journey.

Eva Kaminsky does an absolutely phenomenal job bringing Jodi and every other character to life. The emotion that she brings to the story is genuine and palpable, and keeps the reader engaged every step of the way.

I sincerely hope that Julie will revisit The Thrashers as I was left desperately wanting more.

Okay I just have to say that I wasn't a huge fan of Julie Soto's romances... I don't know what it was for me. I wasn't a fan. But the land of the thrillers is 100% where she belongs and thrives!! Narration was top notch and kept me super invested and coming back for more.

julie soto i am blown away by this YA debut! thank you to macmillan audio for the audio ARC.

The Thrashers is a YA thriller centered around a well known (aka infamous) group of teens, more so referred to as “The Thrashers,” a name given to them by their surrounding peers. The name comes from Zac Thrasher, one of the most popular boys in the Sacramento area.

The book starts off with the teens at a summer party, where Jodi, our main character, gets an ominous text from an unknown number, asking if she’d had a good summer. We soon find out that a teenage girl named Emily had previously committed suicide last year, and the investigation starts to turn towards The Thrashers, who are accused of bullying Emily to the point of suicide.

I’m not a huge thriller girl, but honestly I think this book changed that for me! I was hooked from the beginning, and it kept my attention the whole time. I felt like although some parts could be seen as predictable, it was written in a way that still shocked me and was entertaining. The paranormal elements intrigued me, and I hope to see more of that explored in the second book (if there is one please say there is one)

The narration is amazing - all characters have their own distinct voice that matches with their personality, and even though there were a good amount of characters in this book, I had no problem distinguishing who was speaking as I listened.

On my end, there are no notes other than PLEASE RELEASE BOOK 2 SOON OMG

if you’re a fan of gossip girl, pretty little liars, or elite, i would 100% recommend picking this book up!

⭐️ 5/5

THIS BOOK!! Oh my goodness! It had me in a chokehold and then doubled down with that epilogue! I sincerely hope it DOESN’T get a sequel because that ending was just utter perfection! I AM STILL SCREEEAMING! Dammit Julie Soto! 😍 Why is every book a total banger!?

I don’t know what else to say because I am flabbergasted and just plain in awe! What a story! 10/10!

And the narration! Perfect. I loved how the storytelling was interspersed with readings from Emily’s journal. With everything that was revealed as the mystery unfolded, I was at the edge of my seat, wanting to turn up the speed to get to the reveal faster! Just so so good! Highly recommend!

Thank you again to MacMillan Audio for the ALC and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This is our April Booked with Babes Book Club pick and I am so excited to chat about this one because OH MY GOD!