I'm obsessed!! I binged this in a day. It's one of my favorite things I've read this year hands-down. This is your standard "popular clique may have gone too far this time" story with a twist and I ate it up. The stakes kept raising and I was fully invested in untangling the mystery of what happened to Emily. I truly did not see the ending coming and I am dying for more books with these characters!! I fell hard for one of the side characters and I'm hoping we get more because I need to know more of their story. If you enjoy YA thrillers this is a must read.

The narrator was fantastic! The story itself is fantastic but the narration just added to the rising tension and made each character more compelling. Definitely pick up the audio if you can! I had a fantastic time with it.

Julie Soto crafts a fun mystery set in highschool. Jody has been part of the same group of friends since freshmen year. When a girl in their class does, and questions are raised about their possible involvement. As the pressure grows on the outside, Jody starts to question friendships, loyalties, and her importance to the friends around her, all while trying to understand the events that led to the death of Emily.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the audioArc and to Netgalley and the author as well.

I loved this audiobook!

I was hooked from the beginning and was left baffled by the end. Everything about this story was well done and carefully thought out! The evolution of the relationships and the portrayal of teenage friendships was spot on and made me emotional thinking about everything our FMC went through. The back-and-forth and intense emotions between the characters that Julie Soto wrote were so convincing and pulled me deeper and made me care more and more for the characters.
I got through a third of this book expecting Jodie's story to go in one direction and was proven wrong time and time again by Soto. I was right along for the ride, right along with the characters and was truly transported into the intense situations in "The Thrashers."

This was my first Julie Soto book, but it won't be my last. This, being her first YA novel, makes me want to dive into her other work even more!

Plot twists, drama, deceit, mystery, and paranormal twists- this book really had it all and checked all my boxes!
Thank you netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The Thrashers. A group of popular kids based around Zach’s last name. They pretend to like you. Draw You in and then “thrash” you. Emily Mills commits suicide and then it seems the cops are out to prove the Thrashers had something to do with it. Meanwhile two diaries are found, Emily’s phone, and her sister starts wearing her clothes. Jodi finds out more and more secrets as time goes on. Why did Emily
Kill Herself and are these kids responsible? I liked this book a lot. Good YA thriller with some focus on teenage issues.

| Thank you so much @macmillanaudio @wednsdaybooks @juliesoto for the free early listening access! |

❃ 𝑬𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕. ❃

📖(𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍):
𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨 • 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 (𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨) • 𝙥𝙤𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 • 𝙔𝘼 • 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 • 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 • 𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 🧅 • 𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 • 𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙢 • 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 • 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 • 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 • 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 • 𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 • 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 •

Two word review: Read dis!

💭:
Welp, I finally did it! I finally read a book by Julie Soto and I liked it - actually, I loved it!

I’m not a big romance reader, but I will dabble in the genre from time to time.

I’ve heard many rave reviews about the author’s books, so when I saw that she wrote a thriller, I immediately requested it.

Thank🩷you again @macmill you’re seriously the best!

📖:
The Thrashers starts off by giving us a breakdown of who’s who and the pecking order between a group of friends. They are considered the “elite” amongst their cohorts - everyone wants to be their friend. However, the Thrashers have no friends outside the group, and anyone who gets too close is likely to become “thrashed”.

We learn that the friendships within the Thrashers group are imbalanced and full of conflict, jealousy, and secrets.

Those “cracks” 🍑 come to the surface when a student is found de@d in her bathtub. The only thing that is known for sure is that she was trying to be friends with the thrashers. Suspicions are plentiful not only from the outside, but from within the Thrashers as well!

Was a Thrasher secretly to blame for this young woman’s untimely demise or were they being targeted unfairly based on their reputation?

You’ll have to read to find out! Highly recommended!

⭐ Rating: 4.5/5
🔥 Spice: 1/5 – Minor YA romance subplots, but nothing explicit.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the early audiobook access! I really enjoyed this twisty, suspenseful story. It was very eerie and intense with a mix of psychological tension and supernatural elements, this book pulled me in from the very first chapter.

What I Loved:
- I was immediately intrigued by Jodi’s character—caught between feeling like an outsider and being fiercely loyal to her childhood best friend, Zack, who brings her into a world of privilege.
- The mystery behind what led up to Emily’s death was very layered, and the journal she left behind sparked a spiral of secrets. This reminded me a lot off Pretty Little Liars—complete with creepy anonymous messages, freak accidents, and unsettling dreams.
- I loved the paranormal twist. The use of mediums, the hauntings they seem to be experiencing, and weird dreams made this story stand out from other YA mysteries and added a layer of suspense.
- The audiobook narration was phenomenal. The emotion, tension, and pacing were all enhanced by the narrator's performance
- The ending was both satisfying anda bit haunting. While some characters faced consequences, others didn’t, and I appreciated that the story leaned into moral ambiguity. Emily’s presence lingering in the final moments gave me chills.

Tropes/Micro-Tropes:
- Found Family
- Wealthy elite with dark secrets
-Supernatural

Content Warnings: This book includes references to suicide, alcohol use, bullying, physical injuries due to accidents, emotional abuse, and a brief mention of statutory rape.

Julie Soto's debut YA mystery does not disappoint. She weaves mystery, intrigue, and a little bit of horror in this YA thriller. She keeps you guessing to the very end!

We meet Jodi and her friends Lucy, Paige, Julian, and the infamous Zach Thrasher (it boy and everyone's famous crush). They are colloquially known at school as the Thrasher's. Jodi who doesn't feel like she fits in with her group, after all she doesn't come from money, and she doesn't fit the typical it girl model.

Jodi and her friends end their junior year in scandal, when tag along friend Emily Mills ends up dead on prom night. Now their senior year is plagued with lawsuits, criminal charges, and mysterious accidents. Are they to blame for Emily's death, is she haunting them from beyond? What follows is a whirlwind of events that leaves you saying one more chapter until you've reached the epilogue. The audio narrator created such empathy in her character development of Jodi and portrayed the story atmosphere, tension, and development in such a balanced mix that I want to look up more audiobooks done by her.

I loved watching the character development in this book. Following Jodi is a rewarding experience as we see how each of her friends changes through her eyes as they unravel the mystery of Emily's haunting, mysterious texts, freak accidents, and shocking truths. I enjoyed seeing Jodi come into her own and stand on her own two feet while also learning to ask for help and lean on others. I also really enjoyed Julian's character growth-- did not see that coming at the beginning of this! I enjoyed that underlying messages on bullying, how we interact with our friends, and the ripple effects of our actions. I also thought the exploration on being too nice here was poignant when it comes to learning about creating boundaries for those around you.

If you love books like Good Girls Guide to Murder or One of Us is Lying, I would highly recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher for providing an ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5* I really, really enjoyed this book. Julie Soto hasn’t written a book that I haven’t loved.
It was interesting to see her writing style applied to a young adult novel and a mystery at that. I think she pulled it off nearly flawlessly.
I found it a little difficult to follow so many different main characters, but that was just about my only complaint with the book.
I thought it had just about the perfect amount of suspense to it. She chose the perfect MC to follow out of the six, she was definitely the most interesting character and experienced a lot of growth.
It can be difficult to have all of these very different personalities in one book, but she pulled it off. The drama was just right for the YA audience she was targeting. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

i LOVED this!! I love anything Julie Soto writes and I am so happy I was able to listen to this early!! The audio was fantastic, I really enjoyed the story

3.5/5
The first half of this book I was so in love with and excited for it, but around the halfway point it did fall flat for me. It was built up so well and being near the Sacramento area I thought it was so cool it was based to an area local to me.
After the halfway point it started to lose me and drag on and on and then by the actual ending of the book I was kind of left with a "....that was it?" question.
This one is listed as a young adult book and I feel like it would be a great read for high schoolers but not sure it is one I would recommend.
The narrators for the audiobook were great!

🕵️‍♀️ Just finished The Thrashers by Julie Soto and WOW. Obsession, secrets, lies—and a twist I did not see coming 🔥. Think One of Us Is Lying meets Pretty Little Liars but darker 🖤. Bingeable, addictive, and that epilogue?? Don’t. Skip. It. ⚠️

Content warnings: suicide, bullying, drug use, alcoholic parent — take care of you first ❤️‍🩹

Full review on blog. https://brewsbooksandbffs.blog/

Eva Kaminsky did a phenomenal job with the narration. She captured the California teen sound without sounding like a caricature. However, Jesse Vilinsky is also listed as a narrator, and I never heard him once? Eva read the entire book in my version. Did I miss something?

This was an amazing thriller book. I loved the young adult high school friend group vibes and I loved the way the secrets slowly got revealed. All the characters were unique and morally gray. I loved the twists and the narration was great!

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the chance to read an advance copy of The Thrashers by Julie Soto! This book delivers a moody, atmospheric blend of romance and supernatural intrigue that kept me engaged from the start. The premise is unique and intriguing, and Soto’s writing brings emotional weight to the world she’s created. While there were moments where the pacing felt a bit uneven, and I didn’t connect as deeply with the characters as I’d hoped, the overall story was strong enough to keep me turning the pages. A solid read for fans of romantic fantasy with a darker twist.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for an ARC of Julie Soto's YA debut, ' The Thrashers". Emily kills herself the night of prom after being bullied by a popular group of students called, "The Thrashers". When they start being investigated for the harassment, weird things start happening. Is Emily haunting them? Does the defense have a case? I really REALLY wanted to get into this one, but it really fell flat for me.

UGH. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. I cant believe this is Soto’s first thriller. It’s catchy, well-written, and edgy. The narrator for the audiobook was great, and Soto dives into some heavier topics in a way that subverts the typical high school thriller. Still and auto-buy author for me, and I hope we get more from her like this.

Thank you @NetGalley and @Macmillan.Audio. I have been sitting on Julie Soto duology and now I have to read them ASAP. The Thrashers was so good. Jodi is part of The Thrashers, named after Zach Thrasher, and is in love with Zach. Emily wants to be long with the group, but can not get fully integrated. Than Emily dies and everyone in the Thrashers group is a suspect, except for Jodi. Jodi has to find out what happened to Emily and why was she not a suspect. Great YA thriller.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
For this to be a YA thriller, this book was written so well and literally had me on the edge of my seat. If I didn't have to work the next day, I would have devoured this book in one day. It was that good.

The Thrashers are the elite five-friend group at New Helvetia High. They're everything everyone wants to be. Then Emily Mills, who desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, dies—and the whispers about the Thrashers begin.

The audiobook was good. The narrator did a great job, telling the story and also bringing it to life. She brought so much emotion and suspense to the story. I didn't want to stop listening. I listened at 2x speed.

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
•YA Thrillers
•Paranormal Elements
•Lies & Deceits

Thank you, NetGalley, and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

ARC Audiobook Review: The Thrashers by Julie Soto

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

This book is rich with atmosphere and tension. Think secret societies, dark secrets, and danger that feels just a little too close for comfort. Julie Soto creates a layered, immersive world full of eerie moments and slow-building suspense that pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

The audiobook narration takes it to another level. The performances were spot-on—bringing out the intensity, the mystery, and all the creeping unease. The pacing felt tight, the tone matched the story perfectly, and I was completely absorbed from beginning to end.

It’s the kind of story that keeps you on edge in the best way, with twists you don’t see coming and a lingering sense of dread that builds until the final chapters. Absolutely worth a listen if you like your stories a little dark, a little strange, and totally gripping.

Omgoshhhh the Thrashers by Julie Soto was amazing!! The audio had me listening all night to finish. Finished in one day. This is how you do a thriller! I know it’s YA but my 32 year old self was enamored.