#the thrashers

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Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Art by @ceecee.arts

✩📓💡Review:

Soto’s YA debut proves that no matter what genre, she will always deliver!

“The Thrashers” follows an elite friend group at New Helvetia High known as The Thrashers after Emily Mills, who desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, dies. Their lives are turned upside down when her journal surfaces. As eerie messages and strange occurrences escalate, it becomes clear—Emily isn’t done with them yet.

This book gripped me from the very first page. Every time I sat down to read it, I tore through each chapter like a woman possessed, desperate to find out what would happen next. 

The novel is told from the perspective of Jodi Dillon. Jodi is the odd one out who feels like she must always prove her worth to the group to avoid being left behind, something I found entirely too relatable. Her character, much like the secondary characters, is complex and well drawn. Faced with betraying her friends of protecting herself, she gives readers a glimpse into the group’s dynamic. As the story progresses, Jodi uncovers their secrets and the role each person played in what happened to Emily. 

I thoroughly enjoyed trying to put the pieces together alongside Jodi, often falling susceptible to Soto’s misdirection tactics. I love how Soto incorporates Emily’s journal entries in conjunction with flashbacks to add intrigue. The paranormal elements kept me guessing to the very end as I tried to discern what was fact and what was fiction. 

The romance that is sprinkled throughout is absolutely phenomenal. While not the focus of the story, the stolen glances, verbal sparring matches, and tantalizing tension made my heart pound. A certain disgustingly attractive water-polo player won me over with that paint room scene!

The ending, while satisfying, adds a new twist that had me flipping back in disbelief. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel!

TL;DR: A surprisingly fast paced and gripping thriller. Source: NetGalley – thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: One girl’s death rocks the It crowd clique. Characters: No one here was good, but you truly end up enjoying all of them. Setting: Not the strongest but it wasn’t necessarily needed with the strength of everything else. Mystery/Thriller: I genuinely liked this setup and…

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb:

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.

A twisty thrill-ride of unforgettable drama and suspense that "encapsulates the vulnerability of adolescents playing adult games" (Ali Hazelwood) from USA Today bestselling author Julie Soto, The Thrashers will keep you up at night desperate to read just one more page.

Review:

Pretty Little Liars meets One of Us is Lying in this story about a group of popular friends who now are being faced with the consequences of the death of a girl in their high school... who is implicating that one or multiple people within the group are the cause of her death. Everybody wants to be part of the Thrashers, the elite friend group at New Helvetia High. The Thrashers are made up of Zach Thrasher (rich, gorgeous, and loves attention), Lucy (tough girl who slept with Zach once and never got over it), Paige (bubbly girl who is all over the place), Julian (extremely handsome jock who cheats not only on tests but on his girlfriends as well, does not like Jodi at all), and Jodi (Zach's childhood best friend who is the only "poor" one of the group and the after thought friend essentially, always the DD for the group and bends towards everyone else). Then there's Emily Mills, a girl in a younger grade who wanted to be a Thrasher desperately but dies.... and when her journal resurfaces... everyone in the group except for Jodi is named as being implicated in her death and now Jodi must decide whether to betray her friends or protect herself.... and things only get stranger as mysterious texts begin to appear and it seems like Emily is haunting them. Jodi will have to unearth the reality of her friends... and what it actually means to be a Thrasher. This book was an odd read for me, as someone who loves a YA mystery friend drama with a splash of romance read, like I was expecting something along the lines of One of Us is Lying and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder... but this one was weird. The romance kind of just appears 80% into the book and the epilogue ending was odd too, like what?? I didn't feel the romance at all and the fact that nearly everyone in this friend group was a bad person who didn't have any real redeemable characteristics... yeah, this one missed the mark for me.

Release Date: May 6, 2025

Publication: ash-and-books.tumblr.com