**Review: The Thrashers by Julie Soto**
**3.5 stars**

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Julie Soto for the ARC of *The Thrashers.* While I did enjoy aspects of this book, I don’t think I was the target audience. This is very much a YA murder mystery with a classic friend-group dynamic, which I likely would have loved about 20 years ago.

That said, I did appreciate the supernatural elements woven into the story, which added an intriguing layer to the mystery. While I probably wouldn’t reread this book, I still admire Julie Soto’s writing and will absolutely continue reading her work. Her romances are top-tier, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

I’m not always a huge thriller fan but I am a sucker for a YA thriller/mystery so as soon as I saw Julie was writing one I knew I needed to read this! This book was so good, solidified that I will read anything that she puts out.

I was hooked from the beginning (literally binged it in a day). I really enjoyed the pacing of this and the inclusion of supernatural elements. It had so many twists I didn’t see coming and I really grew to love Jodi as a character.

I loved how it ended and it had me wanting more! I would love to see novellas in other characters' POVs, especially Zack, Paige or Julien! I would also love to see more of Zack and Jodi’s friendship before they became the Thrashers!

If you’re a fan of Veronica Mars or One of Us is Lying, you’ll definitely love this book!

I could not put this book down. I ignored my family, took longer lunch breaks at work so I could read, I devoured this book! And then the epilogue hit. What??? Julie Soto is a master, and I need a sequel! 5 stars

Boy, oh boy, does Julie know how to write a book. I have absolutely DEVOURED every book Julie has written (to my knowledge), and I've been obsessed with every single one. I "one more chapter"ed myself until 1 am reading this book (as a mom of 3 that very rarely happens). I've learned that YA thrillers are my absolute favorite way to read a thriller. I have so many questions, and @willreadfortreats got yelling text messages from me freaking out about this book. There's gonna be another one, right?? Because that ending ANSWERED NONE OF MY QUESTIONS. I loved this book. I've been reading so many great books this year, and I'm OBSESSED with Julie. I'll love her until I die. Forever an autobuy author! I can't wait to read Rose in Chains in July!! Huge shoutout to @netgalley for BLESSING me with this ARC!

I will read anything Julie Soto writes, and The Thrashers is no exception! While this YA thriller is a departure from her usual adult romance, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The story is packed with twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t put it down. The ending has been living in my head rent-free—seriously, is there going to be a sequel?! Julie Soto has proven once again that she can master any genre she tackles. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for allowing me to have an arc copy of this amazing book. Wow. This was so good. I could not put it down. The mystery, the thrill, the ethical dilemmas this brought up, the barely there but soooo good romance, everything. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It made me want to root for everyone and no one at the same time. I need there to be another book so I can get more of these characters! Very well done.

This book had me captivated from start to finish. If I had to describe the story, I would say it’s like a mix between Pretty Little Liars, One of Us is Lying, and Burn for Burn, but it always felt original and fresh instead of being derivative or like a copy of any other book. The writing was excellent and the way the story unfolded was riveting to read, a psychological thriller with so many twists and turns I was left guessing the whole time and I genuinely didn’t know how it was going to end but I was so curious and desperate to find out. The characters were all well written too, with the kind of emotions, problems, and regrets that felt true to life and raw in a way that left me feeling everything along with them. The pains and doubts in their friendships and the slow build of a relationship between two of the characters was so well done I was devouring the pages to find out what would happen next.

Even the inclusion of supernatural elements in the story felt real in a way that never undermined the feeling that this story could be happening right down the street from me, and in fact the way story was clever in how these supernatural parts appeared I was unsure the whole time whether there was actually a haunting happening or if it was just the characters making it all up in their heads up. That is until I got to the twist in the final chapter which I never saw coming but left me shook. Overall this was everything I could've wanted from a psychological thriller and I would say this is easily one of the best YA books I’ve read in a long time.

JULIE SOTO????? I'm going to need another book right now. I'll even take a novella, PLEASE. That ending had my jaw on the floor, I so desperately need more of Julian and Jodi. My heart is genuinely shattered, this was insane. Everything about this book was just perfect to me: the FMC, the found family, the writing style, the mystery, the supernatural elements, the setting, THE CRUMBS OF ROMANCE.... don't even get me started.

"And she wondered what it was they were doing, and if it was wise to let him crack her chest open a second time, just to see if he fit inside.” Julie Soto really just changed the brain chemistry of my brain in a single sentence.

This book hooks you in from the first page and doesn't let you put it down until you are down with and feeling like an empty shell of a person. This is a YA mystery/thriller done right, it had some twists that I didn't see coming and kept me on my toes. I loved the whole cast of characters and the relationship dynamics between one another. One one hand, it was entertaining drama about the rich kids in school, but it also explored other complex feelings about friendships and how when you're a teenager you can drift apart from your friends and it feels like your world is ending. I truly felt that pain deep in my chest. And so in regard, this book does feel more character driven than plot driven, but fear not the plot is there and boy does it get juicy.

Y'all need to go pick this book up as soon as it releases, trust me you're not going to want to miss this gem. Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, what a ride! This was excellent! This book is the perfect mystery for fans of Karen McManus and Kara Thomas. The twist at the end was an added bonus.

2.5 stars
I was excited to read this book but it didn’t pan out as well as I’d hoped. It was a weird experience as none of the characters were appealing and the twist wasn’t compelling. I’ll still look forward to the next book by Julie Soto though!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Publishing Group for providing me with this e-ARC!

This was a fast paced, thrilling, extremely fun adventure. Julie Soto writes like her life depends on it and this was no exception. Every single character had flaws, and BOY were they prominent, which were so fun to discover and read about. I had so many theories and none were correct, and it just goes to show how brilliantly thought out and structured Soto's writing really is. I will be sleeping with the lights on for the foreseeable future, I fear, especially after that epilogue. It's not even out yet and I want a second book immediately — so it's safe to say this book is an incredible addition to Julie's catalog. I want to read it again but I think I might be too freaked out. No notes!

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Ok total mindfuck!! Like just oh my god! Jodi has been friends with Zack since the 2nd grade and with him comes the rest of the Thrashers. The beautiful, rich, and popular Paige, Julian, and Lucy. Jodi feels like she sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the four of them. She most definitely not rich and does not see herself as beautiful especially as she’s not as thin as Lucy and Paige. And forget about popular, next to the other four she’s invisible. A fact that Julian never lets her forget. Last year Emily Mills inserted herself into their group, but none of them like her, she a little creepy and obsessive. Then a few months ago on the night of Prom Emily ended her life. Now it’s July the Thrashers are getting ready to enter their final year of high school but the police have some questions about Emily Mills. Why would they know anything about that? But as accusations of bullying begin Jodi’s about to learn she may not know everything about her so called friends. Is there more to what happened to Emily? And just who can Jodi trust? To make things more complicated strange things keep happening and there is every indication that sometimes the dead don’t want to move on. Jodi is determined to find out the truth but at what cost? Julie Soto packs so much into this book and it all blends so perfectly! You’ve got a thrilling mystery and secrets and lies and an mc who constantly feels like she’s not good enough plus the rich/poor dynamic with the beautiful/popular and invisible dynamic add a mix of supernatural and top it off you’ve got an enemies to something moreish romance! The anxiety that I felt throughout the book constantly waiting for other shoes to drop! A stunning thrill ride that will have you hooked from the start and will have you on pins and needles the whole damn time! Do yourself a favor and read The Thrashers!!

Thank you for the early copy of The Thrashers. I could definitely tell this was a YA Thriller but it wasn't a bad thriller but just seemed a little too high schoolishy feeling for me. I did enjoy the whole story and learning more about Emily and all went down the night she died. The characters were okay, I didn't feel really a connection with any of them, they were just there. I am curious though with how it ended if there will be a second book or thats just how the author wanted it to end? Guess we will find out!

I don't even know where to begin with this one - once I started, I had such a hard time putting it down! "The Thrashers" explores the aftermath of a student who recently took her own life and blames the "Thrashers", a group of pretty, popular, rich friends, for bullying her to death.

For starters, the storyline was immersive from the first chapter. Soto has an excellent writing style, making for a suspenseful storyline and quick pacing. As far as character development, I absolutely loved Jodi - she was so relatable in the ways that we doubt ourselves as teens and question who we are and who our true friends are. I'm still not sure if the Thrashers were really her "friends", but that's a difficult lesson we all have to learn on our own. I don't want to give toooo much away, but her chemistry with one of the other characters is to die for!! I'm not usually a fan of paranormal thrillers, but Soto used it in a way that elevated the suspense without feeling too over the top or cheesy.

Thanks so much for the ARC!

This was an absolutely wild ride. As someone who really enjoyed shows like pretty little liars and it's spinoff ravenswood. This gave off a very similar vibe. A group of teenagers are accused of possible harassment and bullying. The girl they are accused of harassing killed herself. There are several layers that we find out throughout which I found were interesting but overall I found parts of it felt disjointed. I also felt the paranormal elements felt unnecessary and that there was enough going on with out it.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I am a huge fan of Julie Soto and was so grateful to be chosen to read this early on. This book was a little juvenile, a little spooky. Jodi’s obsession with Zack took me out of it multiple times throughout the story because it felt like she was missing the bigger picture. Maybe that was the point? To show how flawed each of the Thrashers were? Otherwise, I had a good time. I will say the paranormal aspect was what did it for me! The ending was a 10/10. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal stories in high school settings.

Ok, Julie Soto! Take my money! What a page turner! I devoured this book, I need more. Please give us more! Friends, just to read it. It was incredible.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There is so much I want to say but I also don't want to give anything away. I will say that there were some moments that surprised me - not an easy thing to do, especially in a YA book. My initial theory was WAY off.

What really made this a five star read for me though was the writing. It's not a literary masterpiece but the way Julie wrote this... you can feel the uncertainty, the strangeness, the feeling of "do they really like me," all while wondering if our main character is a reliable narrator.

YA thriller and wow im so here for it! I loved everything about this one from start to finish. The pacing throughout the book kept you wanting more and more!!

This was my first ever YA thriller and I can’t say enough how fantastic it was. West Side Story references & the way I accidentally started watching Veronica Mars in the middle of reading. Correctly administered CPR?? The absolute cherry on top. I want a follow up book to know how everyone is doing in 10 years. I want everything Julie has to offer.