I absolutely loved this one! I’ve adored Julie’s contemporary romances and didn’t know what to expect with the genre change, but it’s flawlessly executed!

Twisty and secret-filled, The Thrashers kept me hooked until the very end. Jodi is a great main character and I enjoyed her POV!

I’ll be recommending this to everyone!

This book is one that keeps you guessing from start to finish. You start out with the supposed suicide of a teen. But then as you keep reading where they’re a group of friends who are also involved comes up. The teens have crazy things happening, and you don’t know where the story is going, but you are involved from start to finish. The ending of this book is one of the best in a thriller that I’ve read in a long time and I really hoped that there’s a second book.

Jodi has been best friends with Zach Thrasher since 2nd grade. Over the years their group has expanded to include Lucy, Paige, and Julian. And that’s it, everyone tries to get into their group, but eventually, they are shunned or “Thrashed”.

Jodi is starting to feel like she is on the outskirts of their group. The others are all rich and she is not. Julian clearly hates her. All the girls have a crush on Zach, but he seems to like Paige and Lucy more. What does she even contribute to the group?

Emily tried to join their group last year, but was “Thashed”. She couldn’t handle it and committed suicide. Now events in her journal have contributed to each of them being charged with “bullying her to death”, and then some.

Oh, and there’s also a chance that Emily is haunting them from beyond.
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Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is absolutely perfection.

The teenage drama. The pining for someone who is out of your reach. The annoying friend who inserts themselves even when they are not wanted.

Julie Soto said in an instagram reel that this is for anyone who has felt like they were possibly on the outside of their friend group, not sure if they fit in.
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If you liked One of Us is Lying or Thirteen Reasons Why, you will love this one.
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Really, can I give this 10⭐️?!
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Julie Soto has hinted at a sequel, but it depends on how well this book is received.

This is me begging Wednesday Books for the sequel. PLEASE 🙏

I absolutely tore through this book. As a Pretty Little Liars / Thirteen Reasons Why fan, this story hit every sweet spot. The characters were likable and easy to root for despite continually proving themselves to be morally grey. Every time I thought I knew where the story was heading something new would jump out from the page. It allows room for you to make your own judgement and decisions, but also has you constantly questioning if you are right about who to trust.

The ending has been haunting me for days. I’m convinced Julie Soto can truly write anything. Every character was fleshed out, comedic, relatable, and also flawed. Although the book is written in third person, the glimpses of inner monologue we get from our main character touch an innate fear that I think lives in us all. What if we’ve convinced ourselves we belong somewhere only to find we are still on the outside? It taps into that common insecurity and makes you question who is actually on your side.

I will read everything Julie Soto writes. Which definitely includes a follow up to this! More Julian please!! 🙏🏻

4.5⭐️
Soto is making her way into my auto-buy author list book by book.

I’ll say, a group of popular teenagers bullying someone enough to indicate that they’re the reason a suicide was committed is certainly no new plot but it takes a lot to take something done over and over and turn it into a best seller.
The compliment here is not many people can do what Julie did here, which is show her writing skills and imaginative story telling. Twists and turns, secrets, and characters with more depth to them than you would think.

The Thrashers kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, hard to predict what’s to come when i usually do. That alone makes it deserve all the hype.

I appreciate that it was also one pov to add more to the mystery. I’m hoping the end is leading into a future book in this world.

In Julie we trust.

So if you remember and like 13 reasons why? This is what I thought about upon starting the book! I love me some drama, especially in high school. I like to not know if people are good or bad. I like the confusion and the turn of events. And also, I like when people are made to be crazy!

Thank you NetGalley & Julie Soto team for letting have this read! ☺️

WOW. What a ride! I truly did not know who to trust and how this was going to end. I loved it!

I know and love Julie Soto from her contemporary romance books so I read this even though it’s not my usual genre. I’m so glad I did. It’s YA thriller and it will take you back to high school, to when fitting in was everything.

Emily desperately wanted to be part of a friend group nicknamed The Thrashers. After she takes her life, the police suspect that bullying by The Thrashers may have played a role. As the police and lawyers start to get involved, it’s unclear who is telling the truth. And is Emily haunting them or is it their guilt?

Some heavy topics are covered, including suicide, alcoholism, domestic violence, drugs, and bullying. I’d recommend this to high schoolers and older.

If you’re looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you question who you can trust, this is the book for you.

Thank you to Saint Martin’s Press, Julie Soto, and NetGalley for the eARC. The Thrashers is out now!

I wasn't sure what to expect going into The Thrashers, but it completely surprised me. The story had me hooked from the very beginning and I couldn’t stop reading. The mystery around Emily’s death and the group of popular teens she wanted to be part of was full of tension and drama. I loved how realistic the friendships felt—messy, complicated, and sometimes cruel. Jodi was such a great main character. She felt like an outsider, but she still cared about her friends and had strong morals. I also really liked the mix of thriller and ghostly elements—it gave the story an extra layer of suspense. Julien was definitely one of the most interesting characters too! The ending and especially the epilogue left me speechless. I really hope there’s a sequel!
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

DNF at 45%
While I was very interested in this book, the premise and what was happening, I simply couldn't continue due to the triggering content in the book and the absolute lack of trigger warnings in the book. After the first page I went back to make sure I didn't miss a trigger warnings page and there was nothing. I eventually went and looked them up on the authors website myself and noted the amount of triggers that I personally would not have chosen to read has I realised prior.
Trigger warnings are there for the safety of the reader and neglecting to include them is harmful.

3.5 stars. Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for this ARC. Wow, what a whirlwind. For being Julie Soto's debut thriller novel, this was impressively written. The Thrashers was a creepy, mysterious, and crazy story that spotlights a mean high school clique. The things that happened to the characters in this novel were devastating and hard to read at times.

Julie Soto did an amazing job with cultivating a thrilling story that had me on the edge of my seat, wanting to find out what happened to Emily and why she died. The dynamic between high schoolers was written really well, with the bullying taking place seeming so realistic.

I was definitely frustrated with the way the story ended, but all in all, I think it was a great way to end the story. A couple of things in the end were predictable, but I wish we had more answers to why certain things were happening. For example, one of Emily's old schoolmates mentions there was a reason she left her old school, but that was never addressed. I wonder if the ending was left slightly open-ended for a continuation of the story or if it is open to interpretation.

I was not expecting what was revealed in the epilogue. I was also rooting for Jodi and Julian and wished more had come out of that. The way things ended with that was just so tragic to me. Props to Julie Soto on this story, and I can't wait to see what she releases next!

Are you ready to get Thrashed?!?

Follow the Thrashers and get an inside glimpse of being in the popular crowd. This is basically the story of the aftermath of what happens after bullying. The Thrashers are dealing with the consequences of how it will affect their future and relationship with each other.

I loved this book because it brought me back to high school and how everyone had a clique they belonged to. You could find these characters at any high school from the popular kids that everyone wanted to be and hang out with to the least popular kids who were Thrashed. This book was a reminder of how words can be deadly and you never know how your words can affect someone. So be kind to everyone.

I had no expectations going into this and didn't even read the blurb. It was written by a favorite author so I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed and boy was I right. While this book ended with no cliffhanger, I wanted to know more. There's potential for a sequel if the author would give it to us. *fingers crossed

Also, while I normally prefer dual/duet style audiobooks, the narrator did a great job at differentiating the character voices so I could enjoy the audiobook.

The Thrashers is Julie Soto’s first YA thriller. It kept me guessing until the end and is thoroughly enjoyable. It has left a lasting impression!

The Thrashers is a group of students who attend New Helvetica High. You are either a Thrasher or you are not. This book handles a variety of issues tactfully like suicide, friend groups, alcohol abuse, and bullying. I look forward to more YA (or any) books that Julie writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Wednesday Press for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

OMIGOD??!!! WHAT DID JULIE SOTO PUT IN THIS BOOK??? i couldn’t put it down!!! absolutely addicting from beginning to end with lovable characters (still screaming over julian and jodi) i NEED a second book with them!!! julie soto i am on MY KNEES BEGGING PLEASE

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Would recommend for 16+!
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Feelings after turning the last page: OH WHAT!!! There better be a book 2!
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10-second synopsis: The Thrashers are the 5 best friends anybody could have…but for Jodi, who feels like she’s on the outside, this is fragile. Emily, a classmate who desperately wants in, dies, and the Thrashers are under heavy scrutiny. Let the mystery commence!
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Review: Well this was a fun little ride! I think we have all felt like Jodi at some point in our lives - you have a great group of friends, but you can’t help but wonder if you’re ever left out. I loved not knowing where the story was going at any point and was just along for the ride. I was definitely creeped out at times and read with the lights on 😂. All of our characters have flaws, which makes them so realistic! The writing was wonderful in Julie Soto fashion. So many twists and turns and that ending had me feral for another book!
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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read prior to release on 5/6!

I love a Julie Soto romance, so I knew I would enjoy this. Her writing is addictive. This was fast paced enough to keep me hooked, but still had some fun twists along the way the way. Is this a thing where we can have teams? Bc I am team Julian, screw Zack! I absolutely wish Zack had gotten what he deserved, especially more so than Julian! But the epilogue?! Oh boy I have so many questions now!
One thing that I struggle with is when authors rely really heavy on pop culture references (celebs, social media trends, etc.) to set a scene for a YA book. It draws me out of a story and ultimately feels so dated (even though it’s current, if that makes sense??) the beginning of the story felt really heavy with this. There were a few times I felt like a lot was happening and some of it maybe was unnecessary (for example, nothing came of the lawyers looking into Emily’s behavior at her old school). Also how we basically forgave Emily (not to victim blame but she was crazy).
Overall I enjoyed this, and I would recommend it!

This was a fun YA thriller that was fast paced and so fun to read! The plot kept me guessing and I loved all the twists and turns. That ending!!?? I did think there could have been less mention of drinking and drugs, but that's just me. It was fun to read a different genre than her usual romance books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

I’m a huge fan of Julie Soto so I picked this book up without even reading the back. So I was completely surprised that it was a YA thriller. That’s totally my fault! I definitely recommend people read the back of the book lol. But let me tell you I was Really happily surprised by this book. I feel like I was invested really quickly into the characters and the plot. Basically, I think Julie Soto can write anything at this point. I definitely recommend this book. I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this in one day because I could not put it down! I loved that all of the characters were all a bit morally gray, it made it so much more interesting. I thought it was paced really well, and I liked that it was told from Jodi’s point of view. It was a bit unrealistic at times, but I really enjoyed this one! I still haven’t wrapped my head around the ending yet.

Thank you so much for NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not think I would like this book, but I read it for the Julie Soto of it all, and of course I ended up LOVING it. I could not put it down. It haunted me in my sleep (the little sleep I got). I really wanted to know what happened to the Thrashers (Zack, Lucy, Paige, Jodi, and Julian), and how they were involved in the death of Emily.
What makes this book really incredible is not just the fact that the suspense is top-notch, but that the friendships are very realistic. It's easy to have a lot of empathy for these teens even as you see them be thoughtless and sometimes mean to others. I think this is a great book to read and discuss with teenagers. There's a fine line between teasing and bullying. It's so easy to be mean. Lots of life lessons here.
And also, I love Jodi, the main character. She has a very tough home life with an alcoholic and mostly absent father. She has been following Zack around since second grade. She's left out a lot. And even so, she has a lot of integrity when it counts. The character development is really top-notch.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I cannot wait for the next one in this series. There better be a next one.

Thank you NetGalley for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Thrashers by Julie Soto
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352 pages
Publishing tomorrow May 6th, 2025

Either you’re in or you’re out. Welcome to the Thrashers, the elite friend group at New Helvetia High. They’re everything everyone wants to be. Jodi Dillon was never meant to be one of them. Julian, Lucy, Paige, and the infamous Zack Thrasher are rich, sophisticated, and love attention. Jodi feels out of place, but Zack’s her childhood best friend, so she’s in. Then Emily Mills, who desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, dies-and the whispers about the Thrashers begin. As Emily’s journal surfaces, detectives close in, and Jodi faces an impossible choice: betray her friends or protect herself. But as eerie messages and strange occurrences escalate, it becomes clear—Emily isn’t done with them yet.

If you know me at all, you know I am a HUGE Julie Soto fan. So when she posted that she was branching out and publishing a YA thriller, I was SO HYPE. This book felt like Pretty Little Liars x 13 Reasons Why in a way with the spooky, mysterious drama. I easily devoured this book because it left me wanting more. It is addicting, fast paced, and overall an excellent YA Thriller.

Read if you like:
⭐️ YA Thrillers
⭐️ Suspense
⭐️Drama
⭐️Spooky Vibes

Thank you @wednesdaybooks @juliesotowrites @netgalley for the eARC. I had the pleasure to meet @juliesotowrites (again) at Loveyall Book Fest where she hid ARCs throughout the hotel!

#juliesoto #yathriller #wednesdaybooks