Surprisingly this was my first book by Julie Soto and it definitely won't be my last. I definitely can see what all the hype about her writing and stories is about. This book was so much fun. I was entertained and engaged right from the start. It had all the elements I love in a YA thriller: mystery, school setting, and Mean Girls vibes. The FMC was pretty awesome and the whole premise of the Thrashers had me hooked. I couldn't stand Zach and how all the girls wanted him. He was an annoying character. However, it gave something to the story and this is pretty much expected from a story in this type of setting. The narrator was just as good as the book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I will definitely be recommending this to my subscribers on my channel. I'd say this is meant for upper YA readers.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for sending this to me in return for my honest review.

Loved it! Throughout this book about The Thrashers, four high school friends, I knew there was something amiss. It’s revealed early on in the book. However, the why is not exactly clear.

As we get to know Zach, Jodi and the rest of the characters, details are uncovered one by one to reveal what really happened and why. I couldn’t stop listening, I was hooked right away and flew through the book.

Advanced listener copy provided by Macmillan Audio but all opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars

I was lucky enough to review a copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio and Netgalley. This is my first Julie Soto book and I enjoyed it. It was a quick listen and it kept me engaged through out for the most part. When paranormal things happen I tend to not enjoy it as much because it wasn’t sold as that, I like my paranormal and thrillers separate. It was a bit of a roller coaster but I didn’t find the ending to be as shocking as I wanted it to be, I had a few ideas early on that didn’t happen.
I did enjoy our main character and her story and the stories of the other Thrashers. But I didn’t like how they all worshipped Zach, he sucked hahaha. I really liked Julian. The girls were decent. I could tell from a mile away how Emily really was.
The audiobook was good, I enjoyed the narrator, I did have to have it on 2.0x because they did talk a bit slow for me at a 1.0x speed.
I would recommend this read for older YA readers.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
The Thrashers releases May 6, 2025

Zack, Lucy, Paige, Julian, and Jodi make up the friend group that is known as <I>The Thrashers</I>.
When a girl at their school commits suicide, they are the ones held responsible.

It’s typical to characterize the popular, clique friend group as the villains, while painting the outcast they “bullied” and “raped” as the victim, but I don’t think that dynamic was accurate for this story.
Emily clearly had severe behavioural and mental health issues that were unaddressed, and to blame her suicide entirely on those that didn’t accept her was unfair in my opinion.

The plot and underlying supernatural elements were painfully predictable, and despite this being Soto’s genre debut, I found that it didn’t add anything new to the table.
I would have loved if the journal entries made a more prominent appearance in the story, almost taking shape as its own character, as it would’ve added more dimension.

cw: suicide (drug overdose), alcoholic parent, physical abuse

What a fun read! I loved the twists and turns, always leaving me second guessing. This is how a YA thriller is done.
Loved the audio. Really added to the experience.

3.5 I received the audiobook through Netgalley, and I enjoyed the audio because it was dual-narrated, which is my 2nd favorite after a cast, lol. The Thrashers is about a group of teens who all just shouldn't be friends. Their social statuses aren't the same, which leaves room for a lot of lies and manipulation. One girl committed a self-unaliveing, and the Thrashers are now being. tormented by her ghost and investigated as playing a part in her death! Overall, the story was good, but you may come out of it not liking half the characters lol.

I received an advance audio copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley and the publishers.

Wow, just wow.

10/10. 5⭐️ without a doubt.

Absolutely amazing! I was intrigued and engulfed the whole time. I’m sad it’s over but phew. Highly suggest if you like a teen, drama filled murder/thriller

I really enjoyed this audiobook. Had it not been for the paranormal aspects, I would have found this book much more realistic (but that’s just my personal opinion!). This was a solid YA thriller, and even though there were a decent amount of high school aged characters, I did not get confused as to who was who. Each one had their own solid character foundation.

Interesting story, with a lot of twists and turns at the end. I liked all of the characters, especially the main character. The ending was great, fair but hopeful. Although one star off for the supernatural aspect of the book.

This was a freakin good audiobook and has proven without a doubt that I am a fan of YA.. Our main character, Jodi, is beginning her senior year when a pseudo-friend commits suicide and names her friend-group as the (13th) reason why. Julie Soto’s spin on a previously explored idea makes for an absolute page-turner. I could not stop listening to. With a nod to the paranormal interspersed throughout a deeply contemporary story, there’s something for everyone in Thrashers. Major trigger warnings for suicide, abuse, and near-death experiences (final destination lovers like myself will not be disappointed) described in harrowing detail. The range displayed to seamlessly cover sordid family issues to the stressful albeit less series social dynamics of navigating romance, friendship, and popularity in high school was executed flawlessly. Like all of the author’s books, the writing is excellent and the audiobook narrator is fantastic (I switched between reading and listening). It wasn’t a book I personally could read through the night, but only because I’m a scaredy-cat.
Thank you to St. Martin Press/Wednesday Books, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for the eARC and audiobook. I promise I do read many things I don’t like, but haven’t come across a bad Julie Soto book yet.

4/5⭐️

This was a page turning, gripping, exciting YA novel! Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, I received an ARC copy of this audiobook. The narrator was fantastic and I found myself not wanting to put it down. Following the story of Jodie, Emily and the Thrashers was exciting and I found myself constantly asking questions that were later answered!
The epilogue I had to listen to twice as I was a little confused about that piece.
Overall, I would recommend this read to teens or adults who enjoy YA books! ☺️

I'm obsessed!! I binged this in a day. It's one of my favorite things I've read this year hands-down. This is your standard "popular clique may have gone too far this time" story with a twist and I ate it up. The stakes kept raising and I was fully invested in untangling the mystery of what happened to Emily. I truly did not see the ending coming and I am dying for more books with these characters!! I fell hard for one of the side characters and I'm hoping we get more because I need to know more of their story. If you enjoy YA thrillers this is a must read.

The narrator was fantastic! The story itself is fantastic but the narration just added to the rising tension and made each character more compelling. Definitely pick up the audio if you can! I had a fantastic time with it.

Julie Soto crafts a fun mystery set in highschool. Jody has been part of the same group of friends since freshmen year. When a girl in their class does, and questions are raised about their possible involvement. As the pressure grows on the outside, Jody starts to question friendships, loyalties, and her importance to the friends around her, all while trying to understand the events that led to the death of Emily.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the audioArc and to Netgalley and the author as well.

I loved this audiobook!

I was hooked from the beginning and was left baffled by the end. Everything about this story was well done and carefully thought out! The evolution of the relationships and the portrayal of teenage friendships was spot on and made me emotional thinking about everything our FMC went through. The back-and-forth and intense emotions between the characters that Julie Soto wrote were so convincing and pulled me deeper and made me care more and more for the characters.
I got through a third of this book expecting Jodie's story to go in one direction and was proven wrong time and time again by Soto. I was right along for the ride, right along with the characters and was truly transported into the intense situations in "The Thrashers."

This was my first Julie Soto book, but it won't be my last. This, being her first YA novel, makes me want to dive into her other work even more!

Plot twists, drama, deceit, mystery, and paranormal twists- this book really had it all and checked all my boxes!
Thank you netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The Thrashers. A group of popular kids based around Zach’s last name. They pretend to like you. Draw You in and then “thrash” you. Emily Mills commits suicide and then it seems the cops are out to prove the Thrashers had something to do with it. Meanwhile two diaries are found, Emily’s phone, and her sister starts wearing her clothes. Jodi finds out more and more secrets as time goes on. Why did Emily
Kill Herself and are these kids responsible? I liked this book a lot. Good YA thriller with some focus on teenage issues.

| Thank you so much @macmillanaudio @wednsdaybooks @juliesoto for the free early listening access! |

❃ 𝑬𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕. ❃

📖(𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍):
𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨 • 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 (𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨) • 𝙥𝙤𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 • 𝙔𝘼 • 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 • 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 • 𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 🧅 • 𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 • 𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙢 • 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 • 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 • 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 • 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 • 𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 • 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 •

Two word review: Read dis!

💭:
Welp, I finally did it! I finally read a book by Julie Soto and I liked it - actually, I loved it!

I’m not a big romance reader, but I will dabble in the genre from time to time.

I’ve heard many rave reviews about the author’s books, so when I saw that she wrote a thriller, I immediately requested it.

Thank🩷you again @macmill you’re seriously the best!

📖:
The Thrashers starts off by giving us a breakdown of who’s who and the pecking order between a group of friends. They are considered the “elite” amongst their cohorts - everyone wants to be their friend. However, the Thrashers have no friends outside the group, and anyone who gets too close is likely to become “thrashed”.

We learn that the friendships within the Thrashers group are imbalanced and full of conflict, jealousy, and secrets.

Those “cracks” 🍑 come to the surface when a student is found de@d in her bathtub. The only thing that is known for sure is that she was trying to be friends with the thrashers. Suspicions are plentiful not only from the outside, but from within the Thrashers as well!

Was a Thrasher secretly to blame for this young woman’s untimely demise or were they being targeted unfairly based on their reputation?

You’ll have to read to find out! Highly recommended!

⭐ Rating: 4.5/5
🔥 Spice: 1/5 – Minor YA romance subplots, but nothing explicit.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the early audiobook access! I really enjoyed this twisty, suspenseful story. It was very eerie and intense with a mix of psychological tension and supernatural elements, this book pulled me in from the very first chapter.

What I Loved:
- I was immediately intrigued by Jodi’s character—caught between feeling like an outsider and being fiercely loyal to her childhood best friend, Zack, who brings her into a world of privilege.
- The mystery behind what led up to Emily’s death was very layered, and the journal she left behind sparked a spiral of secrets. This reminded me a lot off Pretty Little Liars—complete with creepy anonymous messages, freak accidents, and unsettling dreams.
- I loved the paranormal twist. The use of mediums, the hauntings they seem to be experiencing, and weird dreams made this story stand out from other YA mysteries and added a layer of suspense.
- The audiobook narration was phenomenal. The emotion, tension, and pacing were all enhanced by the narrator's performance
- The ending was both satisfying anda bit haunting. While some characters faced consequences, others didn’t, and I appreciated that the story leaned into moral ambiguity. Emily’s presence lingering in the final moments gave me chills.

Tropes/Micro-Tropes:
- Found Family
- Wealthy elite with dark secrets
-Supernatural

Content Warnings: This book includes references to suicide, alcohol use, bullying, physical injuries due to accidents, emotional abuse, and a brief mention of statutory rape.

Julie Soto's debut YA mystery does not disappoint. She weaves mystery, intrigue, and a little bit of horror in this YA thriller. She keeps you guessing to the very end!

We meet Jodi and her friends Lucy, Paige, Julian, and the infamous Zach Thrasher (it boy and everyone's famous crush). They are colloquially known at school as the Thrasher's. Jodi who doesn't feel like she fits in with her group, after all she doesn't come from money, and she doesn't fit the typical it girl model.

Jodi and her friends end their junior year in scandal, when tag along friend Emily Mills ends up dead on prom night. Now their senior year is plagued with lawsuits, criminal charges, and mysterious accidents. Are they to blame for Emily's death, is she haunting them from beyond? What follows is a whirlwind of events that leaves you saying one more chapter until you've reached the epilogue. The audio narrator created such empathy in her character development of Jodi and portrayed the story atmosphere, tension, and development in such a balanced mix that I want to look up more audiobooks done by her.

I loved watching the character development in this book. Following Jodi is a rewarding experience as we see how each of her friends changes through her eyes as they unravel the mystery of Emily's haunting, mysterious texts, freak accidents, and shocking truths. I enjoyed seeing Jodi come into her own and stand on her own two feet while also learning to ask for help and lean on others. I also really enjoyed Julian's character growth-- did not see that coming at the beginning of this! I enjoyed that underlying messages on bullying, how we interact with our friends, and the ripple effects of our actions. I also thought the exploration on being too nice here was poignant when it comes to learning about creating boundaries for those around you.

If you love books like Good Girls Guide to Murder or One of Us is Lying, I would highly recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher for providing an ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5* I really, really enjoyed this book. Julie Soto hasn’t written a book that I haven’t loved.
It was interesting to see her writing style applied to a young adult novel and a mystery at that. I think she pulled it off nearly flawlessly.
I found it a little difficult to follow so many different main characters, but that was just about my only complaint with the book.
I thought it had just about the perfect amount of suspense to it. She chose the perfect MC to follow out of the six, she was definitely the most interesting character and experienced a lot of growth.
It can be difficult to have all of these very different personalities in one book, but she pulled it off. The drama was just right for the YA audience she was targeting. Overall I really enjoyed this book.