This isn't a genre I read too often, but when one of my favorite adult romance writers dips her tow in YA Thriller, I jumped at the chance to read it ahead of publication. I've loved each of Julie Soto's published books (and have been a fan of her fanfic writing even longer), so I was pleased to see that the the knife-edged-wit and brilliant banter translated genre.

This story centers around a group of 5 popular high school students ("The Thrashers" who are named for Zack Thrasher their seemingly kind and gregarious jock leader), and begins several months after the suicide of another student, Emily, who was just outside their orbit. Was Emily really bullied to the point of suicide, or is there more at play under the surface? Who is sending vague but menacing text messages to several of the Thrashers all summer?

What I enjoyed about each of the teens is given a fully realized character instead of relying on thin caricature of "the mean one," "the pretty one," "the smart one," etc., we understand their home lives and anxieties and motivations for the most part which makes it all the more frustrating as you start to realize how nearly every character, including the the posthumous Emily is an unreliable narrator. The pacing is slow burn, but action and tension definitely build throughout the text. Elements of romance sneak up on you when you least expect it, and you're on the edge of your seat right through the ending.

While this has a YA distinction, I would recommend this for older teens and adults due to the darker themes of suicide, mental health, drug and alcohol use, alleged sexual assault etc.

Thank you to Wednesday Books|St. Martins Press, NetGalley and Julie Soto for the opportunity to provide this review. The Thrashers comes out May 6th 2025.

Fans of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and Riverdale: this is your newest binge-worthy must read with a paranormal twist. I was feeling so many feelings throughout this book. Pity, upset, disgust, anger, sadness, confusion, fury… I wasn’t even sure I liked it in so many moments because had me so messed up. Had to treat a headache from clenching my jaw so bad. It’s that wild!

Julie Soto, hats off to you (bows reverently to the queen) I’ve been a fanfic follower of this writer for years, and this one did not disappoint! She tackled so many relevant social issues like cliques and complicated friendships and bullying and crushes and complex communication. Each characterization and family dynamic remained relevant to the plot development. Chef’s kiss

*DO NOT skip the epilogue*

As usual Julie does not fail me, ever! The Thrashers had me on the edge of my seat. I was pretty much hooked from the get go.

I think Julie did great with blending a culmination of genres mystery, suspense, paranormal, and sprinkled some romance in as well.

A YA book, but one I just couldn’t get enough of. Loved it!

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the e arc. Be on the lookout for the awesome book PUB Date 05/05/25

I loved this book! I’m not always a horror fan, but this compelling story, more suspenseful and creepy than actually scary, had me hooked from the first line and I just had to know what was going to happen. I devoured it. Soto did a masterful job revealing information slowly, building suspense and raising the stakes, making sure you never quite knew what was real and who you could trust. The character development, psychological depiction of how hard it is to be a teenager, to want to be liked, to have life throw experiences at you that you’re not ready for— these teens are nuanced, fully realized, flawed but loveable characters. Overall, it’s giving coming of age 80s teen movie meets paranormal thriller meets true crime meets 13 reasons why.
I will be recommending this to my students and adding it to our classroom libraries—and hoping for a sequel!!

The five of them are the cool kids on campus - The Thrashers - and everyone wants to be friends with them or hang out with them; however, that all changes when one classmates suicide is linked to possible bullying connected to their group. Focusing mostly on Jodi's POV, The Thrashers explores the toxic culture of high school cliques, bullying, and throws in a bit of a supernatural twist as the group fears that Emily's spirit may be coming back to haunt them for their choices.

Although this book felt slow moving at first and a bit choppy, props to Soto for thinking outside the "expected" is it a book about mean kid clicks, imbalance of power, a mystery to unsolve, or a parnomoral plot? So many moving pieces all fitting together like one of the puzzles Jodi and Grandma put together?

This was a one day read for me, it had me hooked!!!

Jodi is the protagonist of this book and she is part of the group ‘ Thrashers’, which are the popular kids at her school. When one of their so called ‘friends’ ends up dead, there is a finger pointed at the Thrashers. When secrets and alliances come to light, who is Jodi to trust and what really happened to their friend?

Review:
I was not expecting this to be so enthralling! All the secrets and revelations had me desperate to know the ending. I will say, there was some creepy, paranormal happenings, which if you love that, this is for you! ( although personally for me, not the best for reading at midnight 😅)
This book perfectly depicts the struggles of teenagers. Trying to fit in with the popular kids is hard, but maintaining their friendship and staying on their good side is even harder. Also shines on the real life adult consequences of actions.
There were so many unexpected twists throughout the book, my guesses were changing constantly, and the ending, WOW, it gave me chills!! Prepare yourself for a wild unexpected cliffhanger!

Thank you to NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and Julie Soto for the eARC

Ahh Julie Soto does it again!! It is heavy, emotional, moving, thrilling, stressful and suspenseful! The reveals are *chef’s kiss* and the manipulation is chilling. The way I cried and the way I got chills were phenomenal, it made up for the silly names (New Helvetia and Yaris, and Burns-like-the-Simpons).

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy. I have been successfully and wholeheartedly Thrashed.

As Julie Soto's first entry in YA, The Thrashers (set to release on May 6, 2025) is truly a think piece on the complexities and inner working of high school friendships set to the scene of a thriller.

The Thrashers is a group of five teenagers—in their senior year of high school—who have been friends for years. The group is named after Zack Thrasher who is seen as the leader and ultimately the catalyst for most events that take place. To most, he is cocky, arrogant, and—like most eighteen year old boys—he doesn't fully understand how his actions affect others. Julian Hollister is Zack's right hand man and is known for being the mean one. He's all rich kid attitude and no remorse. Lucy Reed and Paige Montgomery are both gorgeous and practically exude popular girl energy at all times.

And then there is Jodi Dillon—the protagonist and the seemingly odd one out. She doesn't exactly fit with the rest of the group. It plays in to her insecurities and how she begins to question her friends when Emily Mills, a girl who The Thrashers only deemed an acquaintance, kills herself on the night of prom. Her journal is entered in as evidence and slowly begins to convict each member of The Thrashers with a crime—except for Jodi.

The story is fast paced and left me on the edge of my seat at all times. As more unravels about Emily, another disaster strikes the group and leaves them haunted—in more ways than one.

I really liked the light supernatural elements that add a fresh layer to an otherwise common thriller. Flickering lights, a seance in a rose garden, visiting a medium. These are all things that elevate the story in a way that made it far more compelling for me.

What really captivated me about The Thrashers was Jodi's relationship with each of the members. Julian has hated her for years, always casting her out, but as they investigate Emily's death, his feelings for Jodi change—almost as if his emotions are intertwined with the case. Zack has been Jodi's best friend since they were kids but his charge in connection with Emily begins to split them apart. Zack has been hiding things from her and when she starts to figure it all out, it becomes evident that she didn't truly know Zack at all. Jodi isn't as pretty as Paige or Lucy and the whole school knows it. Both girls are so focused on themselves that they fail to see how Jodi is thrown into their misdeeds.

There are moments in the story where I began to think a different member of The Thrashers was the problem or the reason behind Emily's death but by the end, I realized the story is more about the dangers of cliques and teenage selfishness than it is about placing the blame on one particular person.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It differs from what I normally read but was a thought-provoking and refreshing take on YA thrillers.

The Thrashers by @juliesotowrites

Either you’re in or you’re out.

The Thrashers was a type of book I don’t normally reach for, but had to check out because Julie Soto duh. It was so good! It kept me up late at night because I absolutely needed to know what was going to happen next. It’s a paranormal thriller featuring a group of high school kids who have their world rocked after a weird, obsessive girl they’d been hanging with but also bullying ends her life. I really enjoyed and recommend this one!

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress @wednesdaybooks for the arc!
Pub date: 5/6/25

I flew through this book due to the suspenseful writing style! Perfect voice and tone for a thriller--every event kept me guessing and kept the suspense building. I was a little put off at first by the epilogue but it kept me thinking afterward. 4 enthusiastic stars and I will be on the lookout for the next title from Julie Soto!

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC, any piece of Julie Sotos writing is absolute gold!

If you are fans of the following, you will absolute devour this book as well:
- One of Us is Lying
- A Good Girls Guide to Murder
- We Were Liars

Firstly, hands off to Julie Soto for breaking out of the romance drama with this YA mystery/thriller. I was thoroughly on the edge of my seat and fully engrossed in all the friend group drama.

The main character was very relatable and likable, and reading from her POV as she uncovers new pieces of information was fun to follow. The Thrasher dynamics were so interesting as I found myself loving/hating/loving again each of these characters.

(In the end I hate Zack and love Julian even though I shouldn’t siggggghhhh)

Holy cow this book was good! It had you hooked from the very first page, I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend

This captivating story initially made me hesitant to read it. As a fan of Julie Soto’s adult books, I worried that her YA writing style might not be my type. However, after a few pages, I was thoroughly intrigued and couldn’t put the book down. I went to sleep thinking about the unfolding events and forming my own conclusions about the case. And let me tell you, with that epilogue, I was just screaming. 😱

From now on, I believe that every book written by Julie Soto will automatically earn a 5-star rating from me. I genuinely loved her unique writing style.

Thank you, Netgalley, St Martin’s Books, and Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I couldn't put this book down! I needed to discover all the hidden secrets from the Thrashers group. With these 4 highschoolers you're a Thraser or you're thrashed. Emily Mills wanted to be the 5th Thrasher except no one liked her and she couldn't get the hint. Why were the Thrashers coming back from prom while Emily was being wheeled out of her home in a body bag? Was it suicide or were the Thrashers involved? Are they all hiding a secret or are they just hiding it from Jodi whose not rich like the rest and is essentially the outcast of the group.

This reminded me of pretty little liars meets 13 reason why. I devoured this book. Julie Soto definitely hit this one out of the park.

This book drew me in immediately. It’s a really interesting read about friendships and bullying and the consequences of our actions. This read is totally unique and its own story, but I think fans of Pretty Little Liars would love this book! I definitely recommend The Thrashers and am excited to read other books by Julie Soto. I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5

Miss Julie nailing all the genres! I’m not a thriller girlie but I tend to enjoy YA thrillers as they’re more my speed. I almost had a heart attack when one of my most horrific intrusive thoughts happened, so that was an immediate “put the book down until morning” moment lol. There’s a supernatural element and a small romance subplot that added some fun to an otherwise stressful (but enjoyable) experience 😆

This one kept me on my toes throughout and I think fans of Pretty Little Liars, Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Karen McManus will really enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the advanced copy!

This was so fun!! I had never read a Julie Soto book before as I’m not a big romance person, but I was very familiar with her as an author and super intrigued when I saw she wrote a YA mystery/thriller. This reminded me a lot of Pretty Little Liars and One of Us is Lying, which are two of my all time favorite YA series. It also had a bit of Final Destination to it which was unexpected but very enjoyable. Overall, I really enjoyed the plot and had a hard time putting it down. And the ending??? I’m reallyyyy hoping this becomes a series!

This book had its hooks in me. It was so good and you felt for every character. The twists that happen and the truth that comes out surprised me. When I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. I really like the writing style of the author and the way it was laid out. I also really love the main character and her struggles were so real.

Whatever Julie Soto laced within the words of this book needs to be studied.

I am obsessed and need for there to be a second book. This is her YA mystery thriller debut and she did NOT disappoint. I could not put this down upon cracking it open, and when I did put it down, I was zoning out thinking about it and trying to figure out the puzzles within it.

Our girl’s got rannnngggeee that’s for sure. I’m now convinced Julie Soto could write about bowel movements and I’d find it captivating.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for blessing me with the e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.