Julie Soto, queen of all genres, does not miss. Everything about this was exciting - the characters, the mystery, the supernatural aspects, the romance. The Thrashers are the popular kids in high school that everyone loves to hate, and they become entangled in an investigation into the death of one of their classmates. I loved how it wasn’t super clear throughout the story whether the spooky occurrences were actually supernatural or not, but I’ll leave that for you to find out.

My favorite part was definitely the romance even if it was barely there. I need another book with more of it or I might riot. This is definitely the kind of book that you won’t want to put down until you know how it ends, and the epilogue will leave you in shock all over again.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Julie Soto can do no wrong. If she writes it, I will read it.

The Veronica Mars obsession? Absolutely here for it. I have nothing bad to say about The Thrashers and I can't wait until pub date to talk about it with everyone!!!

OMG??? I DONT EVEN READ THRILLERS BUT WHAT I DO READ IS ANYTHING JULIE SOTO WRITES, SO OF COURSE I HAD TO READ THIS!! This story captured me from the first page, it had tension, likable and unlikable characters, and it kept me on the edge of my seat through every single page, it even had a little romance (Oliver ily). THAT EPILOGUE? ILL BE HAUNTED BY IT FOREVER HONESTLY. Thank you thank you thank you Wednesday books for sending this my way, its now one of my favorite books of the year! Ill write a longer review closer to release day!

**5/5 Stars**
The Thrashers had me hooked! This YA mystery with a splash of paranormal delivered everything I didn’t know I needed. The storyline? So good. The mystery surrounding Emily’s death? Deliciously twisty. I side-eyed everyone—but WOW, I did NOT see that ending coming!

This book had me laughing, tearing up, and flipping pages like a maniac. It’s fast-paced, easy to devour, and honestly, just a great time. If you’re in the mood for a gripping mystery that keeps you guessing, *The Thrashers* should definitely be on your TBR!

*The Thrashers* by Julie Soto is a gripping, suspense-filled YA novel that will have readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The story centers around Jodi Dillon, who, despite feeling out of place, finds herself tangled in the web of New Helvetia High’s elite friend group, the Thrashers. They're everything Jodi isn’t: rich, popular, and seemingly untouchable. But her lifelong connection with Zack Thrasher, the group's charismatic leader, keeps her in their orbit.

When a tragic death occurs—the mysterious passing of Emily Mills, an outsider who longed to be part of the Thrashers—the group's carefully constructed façade begins to crack. As Emily’s journal resurfaces and the investigation heats up, Jodi finds herself torn between loyalty to her friends and protecting her own secrets. But the line between ally and enemy blurs as eerie events unfold, and it becomes clear that Emily’s death may not have been the end of the story.

Soto’s debut is expertly crafted, weaving together a web of suspense, drama, and moral ambiguity. The characters are complex, flawed, and utterly compelling, with motivations that keep readers guessing. The palpable tension between Jodi and the Thrashers, especially Zack, adds a layer of intrigue to the already intense narrative. The mystery behind Emily’s death and the subsequent supernatural events keeps you turning pages, desperate to uncover the truth.

Fans of *Karen McManus* and *Kara Thomas* will find themselves hooked on this twisted tale of betrayal, secrets, and the dark side of high school hierarchy. The book’s pacing is relentless, and just when you think you’ve figured out the truth, Soto throws in a twist that will leave you gasping. With its mix of emotional depth and thrilling suspense, *The Thrashers* is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery wrapped in teenage drama.

The Thrashers gripped me from the start, twisting and turning in all the right ways. The unraveling mystery kept me questioning everyone. I loved how the tension ramped up with every page and how Jodi’s internal struggle mirrored the choices we all face when loyalty is tested. The writing is sharp, the suspense is palpable, and it never lets up. What stood out most to me was how the story captures the vulnerabilities of these high school characters, showing the pressure of playing adult games and the sometimes devastating fallout. It’s a total page-turner, one that you’ll want to finish in one sitting. I couldn’t put this down.

This was overall a good time for me. I am no longer the intended audience for this book but I love Julie Soto so much. I felt like I kept getting the characters confused and I didn’t really understand the epilogue.

4.75 stars - rounded up!!!

A thriller YA from one of my fave authors? I kneeeeew I’d love this, I just didn’t know how much!

Following the suicide of a classmate, Jodi and her friends are closely watched as they are assumed to be the reason for her untimely death. While trying to find out the truth, weird things start happening to the different members of The Trashers, the worst things happening when they were all together.

The Thrashers was thrilling, suspenseful and kept me to the edge of my seat. I genuinely felt like I couldn’t tell where the book was going and where it did go was so great. Even though this book is told from a single POV (Jodi’s), I really felt like each other the characters were really fleshed out. Sometimes I feel like in an ensemble cast, there is always 1 or 2 characters I forget about or they merge together, but everyone in this definitely deserved attention. Each character was frustrating and clearly holding secrets, and once they were revealed, the story really rounds out. I also loved the paranormal element that was included. It was just spooky enough that you’d want to look over your shoulder, but not too much that it takes away from the overall mystery you’re unraveling. Also, the romance, I’m here for it. That’s all.

This book does have a pretty solid ending, but I really hope it gets picked up as a series because it really has potential to grow!


Truly such a fun read and I’m so happy I had the opportunity to devour this.


Thank you so much to Netgalley, Julie Soto and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One thing about me is that I love a Julie Soto book. That woman writes banger after banger after banger, and I devour each word greedily!

The Thrashers is no exception - it's fast-paced and addicting. I was instantly intrigued by the Thrashers, the mystery surrounding Emily's death, and the ghostly elements in the plot. I had some general suspicions but did not anticipate twists and turns. The epilogue is haunting me; I cannot wait for other readers to get to the ending, so I have someone to discuss it with!

The characters were well-rounded. Julie captured the common high-school theme of being liked and included well. Just like Emily, all I wanted to do was to protect Jodi.

Easy five-stars. I will definitely recommend this book on my social media!

5 stars. Julie Soto is becoming something of an auto-buy author for me. I loved her adult contemporary romances (that she published with Forever), so I was intrigued to see what she would do with YA murder mystery. If you've followed my reviews for any amount of time, you'll know that I am a complete sucker for YA murder mystery, and I'm so excited to say that The Thrashers is up there with my all time favorites. This is such an incredible addition to the genre. Soto does such a good job writing teens, and she really captures the angst and insecurity of a high school friendships.

I'm reluctant to say too much, because I really enjoyed going into this one blind. But basically, Jodi is one of 5 members of high school royalty known as The Thrashers. Everything for The Thrashers comes crashing down when a fellow student commits suicide after trying, but failing, to penetrate the group. Accusations of bullying abound against all of The Thrashers... except Jodi. This causes Jodi to dig deeper into exactly what happened, and the more Jodi discovers, the more she starts to question whether those accusations actually have any merit. Kudos to Soto, because the relationships (friendship, romantic, and familial) and characters she crafted were so damn complex and realistic! I honestly ended the book still unsure of how I felt about the majority of the characters, which feels so honest. Because most people aren't 100% good or 100% bad, I really appreciate when authors create characters that are fallible. Honestly, I couldn't put this book down. I zoomed through it, would have read it in one sitting (if I didn't have to break for work and sleep, etc).

All in all, I loved this. A big thank you to Soto, Wednesday books, and netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Thrashers follow Jodi after the suicide of her sometimes friend Emily and it shows her just how much she doesn’t know the people she surrounds herself with, and how things definitely aren’t always as they seem. What were Emily’s relationships like with the Thrashers and what role do they play in her death?

Completely obsessed with every book written by Julie Soto and I loved every minute. The Thrashers kept me completely engaged the whole time. The pacing was good and there are a lot of small mysteries along the way to keep you guessing and wondering where it will go next. There were some supernatural elements that kind of took me out of the story a bit but they were used to help the story progress and keep it interesting. Overall, I really enjoyed myself and would definitely read more books about Jodi and her friends. This was a very bingeable story that kept me up way later than I’d planned because I just couldn’t stop until I finished.

This is one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and I’m so thankful to Wednesday books and Netgalley to be able to read an early copy.

I love Julie Soto! I was super excited to read this book. I love her fanfic and her romances. I was looking forward to seeing her do something a bit different. YA thrillers are my favorites. And I love a good boarding school setting! This one did not disappoint. It was really good!

This book was phenomenal! It's Veronica Mars meets Final destination and it is everything. I was addicted right from the start. It pulls you in and you need to know what's happening. There is death, mystery, and supernatural things. It's so good. I would call this a thriller so not my usually go to but wow. I really can't say anything else without spoilers so 🤐

Julie Soto's first YA thriller had me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. This was the perfect read for a flight, pulling me in to the plot and character dynamics immediately. The way that Julie introduces the larger question of the book that the characters will work to unravel was the perfect "mic drop" moment that had me itching to read the book as fast as possible so I could know the answers immediately!

I was hesitant to read this as a lover of Julie's adult titles, both fantasy and contemporary romance, but Julie still added small threads of her angst and tension filled romance that she is so great at writing. I hate report that I did actually guess the main plot twist, but there were smaller twists that still have me reeling even days after finishing the book because they surprised me so much. I am excited to see what else Julie does in this new age group and genre!

Omg yesssss! I ate this book up! Loved the characters and the storyline so much! Will definitely be reading her backlog of books now!!

Dear Ms Soto… I freaking love you!! Not in a creepy way”Emily” way but I will buy any damn thing you write!!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books books for the advanced copy of this book.

I was hooked with this one. A YA Thriller that had a creepy vibe.

The ending… omg!!!

I love Julie Soto’s writing. I read her fanfic and all her traditionally published books. This book is no different and such a fun experience

I think this was a really great YA thriller. At no point in time did I know what was going to happen! I feel like as the reader I was really manipulated into rooting for certain characters. The ending was really great and I am so curious of this will be a series.
Julie continues to amaze me with her stories!

Links to come.

Holy shit. Holy. Shit. I devoured this book. Or it devoured me. I don’t really know. All I can tell you is I read 90% of it in a single sitting. There were so many times I thought I had figured something out, and I hadn’t. So many times I found myself rooting for certain characters, only to find myself rooting against them later. I loved the dynamics between the characters and I loved the character growth we see in Jodi. And the character growth we don’t see in other characters. This made me laugh, it made me anxious, it grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go until the end (or was it? Do I see hints of a sequel in the future?). I have been in a reading slump for SO long, and this reminded me what it’s like to be in the clutches of a story until it decides it’s done with you. Run, run and preorder this now. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Thrashers on May 6, 2025.

I finished this book in one sitting. It was impossible to put down, and the murder mystery had me hooked the entire time. I appreciated Jodi's character growth throughout the book and how we see her relationship with the fellow "Thrashers" shift as she learned more about them. I did not see the romance coming, and while I initially had mixed feelings about it, I did end up liking the direction it went in.

I think Julie Soto just excels at creating believable, relatable characters who we see in ourselves and those around us. While I didn't grow up with a preppy group of rich friends, I sympathized with Jodi's various internal struggles, and even some of her friends'. I think that's why, after all this build up about who The Thrashers really are and what they stand for, the ending ultimately felt... anticlimactic.

There was so much fantastic build-up to the mystery of the murder and whether any of The Thrashers were complicit or guilty in it. I'd describe the book overall as Gossip Girl meets Scooby-Doo, because some of the scenarios felt like they had a supernatural presence that would later be explained with the "guy behind the mask" pulling strings the whole time. Except... there was no guy behind the mask. We get a lukewarm explanation for some of the events leading up to the ending, but not all of them. And the murder trial ended... in a lackluster manner. I'm not saying I wanted it to be sensationalized, but I expected a bit more stakes and consequences at the end than what we got.

This definitely would have rated higher if I felt the story resolved a bit better, but as it stands, it's still a fantastic Julie Soto story with characters who leap off the page and a plot to keep you hooked.