This book is so good, I’m not even sure I have the words to describe it. Like, it was giving me an ulcer AND I never wanted it to end. There’s a feeling of I Know What You Did Last Summer but for the digital age - but also not at all because there’s a supernatural flair. Or is there? Do yourself a favor and read this book completely spoiler-free. It’ll blow your mind. (And may I have a sequel, please?). Thanks to Wednesday Books for the ARC.

i finished this in basically one sitting & i cannot stop thinking about it!!!

addicting, intriguing, jaw-dropping, incredible!

it's been almost two weeks & i'm still struggling to find the words to describe how absolutely INCREDIBLE this book is !! i was on the edge of my seat the entire time. i could NOT stop reading. i was hooked. the thrashers had me in a chokehold!!!!

this one calls for bullet points! here's why i loved:
-extremely unique
-the mystery is genuinely so shocking and strings you along perfectly
-bingeable to the point that you won't do anything else but read this book
-the tension between jodi & a certain someone had me biting at the bars of my enclosure 🔥🔥🔥
-so many moments that had me stressedddd because i did not know what would happen next
-the ending!!! (i will riot if we don't get a sequel 😭)

conclusion: julie soto can do no wrong & puts crack in her books (i love her! i love her books!)

thank you Wednesday Books & Netgalley for the eARC! this is my honest review.

Put this on your TBR if you love:
- YA thrillers
- twists
- high school friendships
- supernatural elements

I thought this one started out kind of slow, but finished strong. I wasn't expecting the supernatural stuff, so that threw me off a bit. I loved the main character, Jodi. She was so relatable.

I definitely need some time to process because this book was INSANE (in the best way possible). Huge props to Julie for an amazing YA debut. This YA mystery/thriller is sure to keep you at the edge of your seat and the CHILLS I got at some scenes oh my goodness. It felt like I was in a movie as I was reading this. The dynamics, friendships and stakes of the book are so well crafted. And that EPILOGUE?? I really hope she decides to explore more of this world and universe in the future. Anyways, I will be thinking about this book for a very LONG time and I can’t wait for its official release and getting my final copy!!

Thank you for Wednesday Books for providing an ARC for me to read! 🖤

Excuse me, but is there any genre that Julie Soto can’t write because OH MY GOSH! This was the perfect example of this genre. I WAS HOOKED! Totally and completely from the very beginning. I will read anything she writes, no matter the subject or genre.

Get ready for a wild ride. In these pages there is mystery, social intrigue, an investigation, a total mind blowing twist, and SO much more. I LOVED how we piece together the timeline and details right alongside our main character. It was fantastically done. Honestly, I really haven't stopped thinking about this one since I finished it.

If you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, then I think you would enjoy this because I totally got those vibes. A popular friend group. The mysterious suicide of an outsider, wanting to be included. Police investigation. The complex feelings of being a teenager. Julie Soto nailed it.

This is the first Julie Soto book I’ve read but I need more!! I absolutely loved the character development in this book and Soto’s writing style. I fell in love with this book and it gave me mean girl vibes in the best way possible!

Thank you Julie and St. Martins press...

This book was a wild ride. I could not put it down. Julie never disappoints. A group of young people must learn life lessons the hard way when playing adult games.

A thrill ride of plot twists

This was phenomenal. I was immediately intrigued, could not stop reading, and have thought about this book every day since I've finished. The dynamics created between each person in the book was so well done, the layered and toxic friendships were fascinating, and the desperation to figure out what was going on was palpable. There was never a dull moment in the book, I was always surprised as to what was going to happen next and I am haunted by that ending. I need every single person to read this so we can talk about it.

Thank you to the publisher and for the eARC - all opinions are my own!

2.75/5 stars
0/5 spice

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC of The Thrashers by Julie Soto in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying I was SO excited and grateful when I got this eARC. Julie Soto has cemented herself as a favorite author and I love when authors genre-jump and try new things. I also enjoy a good YA Mystery/Thriller. So I was pumped. And I am so glad it seems as though others are loving this. Unfortunately, I did not love this book. I want to make it known that I absolutely respect that this book is YA and therefore I am not the intended audience. But YA also doesn’t mean that adults can’t enjoy the book. Especially with book like this, that are very much so upper YA. And my problems didn’t lie with the writing style or the youth of the characters (17-18 year olds). It, sadly, was with the story itself.

The Thrashers, as far as I know, doesn’t have any comp titles listed anywhere. I definitely think they need to say that it’s Pretty Little Liars-esque with a hint of a Paranormal atmosphere. And if anything, that would have made me want to read this book more.

I think I was frustrated that the summary and genre categorizations don’t include any mention of this book having paranormal themes. And I love paranormal themes, but when you think you’re reading a contemporary and there are a bunch of paranormal things happening that simply don’t make sense, and you can’t figure out how they’ll spin them as human-caused, it just frustrates you. <spoiler>And then to finish the book and realize that it was truly paranormal was simply annoying.</spoiler> I think maybe I just missed the “point” of riding the line between “is it truly paranormal or is someone messing with them?” and it was probably very intentional, but I was so incredibly annoyed with it.

This is also very much so a character study on teenagers. Privileged teens, teens struggling with their home life, teens that are exclusive and bully others, etc. And they definitely were not likeable. I did not like a single character we encounter in this book. I felt for a lot of them and their situations, sure. But they were certainly not likeable.

I guess I was hoping more for a Mystery vibe than a Thriller vibe and that’s on me for having incorrect expectations. But I found almost everyone insufferable, didn’t enjoy the various plotlines, and was annoyed with the whole “is this paranormal?” question throughout.

The reason I still gave it 2.75 out of 5 stars is because it was overall well-written, and still very engaging. It was a very easy, quick read. I was thoroughly sucked in, despite being frustrated. I still love Julie Soto and will of course devour her other new genre-jump to Romantasy with Rose in Chains, but I may be wary of any other YA novels she may write in the future.

wow, i don’t know what expectations i had for this book, but i was very pleased by the end of it! i had such a good time with this, it was unputdownable by the 20% mark and all the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. julie captured the essence of what a YA thriller should be and nailed it in one book. so glad it didn’t end on a cliffhanger, though i could see this getting extended and more books set in this universe.

Julie Soto continues to NEVER MISS for me!!! I love seeing her not only blow up as an author, but also branching out into other genres/demographics too. This was a solid YA debut from her in my opinion, filled with tension, [plennnnttty of] drama, intrigue, and a well-developed ensemble cast of morally-grey characters for us to all love, hate, and ultimately root for. I mean it when I say I flew right through this book and, while I obviously prefer her New Adult/General Fiction works more (I "blame" my age? haha), this was definitely still a fun ride! Highly recommend checking this one out when it releases in May of 2025!

This was a very addicting read, lots of questions that are slowly answered over the course of the story. This is a YA thriller, but there's a touch of paranormal/ghosts involved. I feel like the ending was very unresolved, and I don't get the sense of justice I was expecting. I'm happy with where things ended for Jodi, though I don't think she got enough blame for her part in it all.

I finished this a few days ago and I haven't stopped thinking about it, I'M OBSESSED!!
OH my god we need more!!! That ending was insane and I will RIOT if we don't get a sequel!! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I absolutely devoured The Thrashers, this is Julie's best book yet and I've read and loved everything by her so far!
This book was giving so many different things and yet I can't say that it was like one thing or another fully but if you love movies and TV shows like Pretty little liars, Gossip Girl, Final Destination and Heathers then you should check this out.

JS perfectly captured the essence of being a teenager and the different social classes.
There was so much drama, angst and secrets I couldn't read fast enough.

I loved Jodi so much, I wasn't expecting I'll relate to her as much as I did, but she was beautifully layered and surprised me a lot. Each of the MCs had a distinct voice and the mysteries surrounding them made me wanna unravel the plot until everything is revealed.
And I just want to say that I suspected Julian!!! and who he was into!!! 30 pages in. That whole mean and nasty attitude was contradictory to some of his actions and definitely raised questions very early on if you know where to look. But that ending I totally wasn't expecting!!! I'm still reeling!! I was hoping and expecting a nice, happy fluffy epilogue with Jolian and instead we got that?!??????!!!! I'M STILL SCREAMING!!! I need to know they are gonna be okay, I beg, we need more!!

I really don't want to give away too much since this is an excellent thriller that will have you guessing till the very end so just read the book and thank me later.

Eternal gratitude to Wednesday Books, St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc

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.