The Thrashers: A Novel
SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES
A GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD NOMINEE * One of School Library Journal's Best YA Books of the Year
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER!
AN INDIE NEXT PICK
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.
"A tour-de-force YA debut from Julie Soto." - Alexa Donne
"For fans of Karen McManus and Kara Thomas, The Thrashers had me holding my breath, sweaty-palming my e-reader, and dying to flip each page to see what would happen next." - Susan Lee
"Expertly plotted and full of flawed, morally gray characters you still can't help rooting for, The Thrashers is one of the best books I've read this year." - Evelyn Skye
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Community Reviews
As a fan of Soto’s previous work, I was thrilled to be approved for this ARC—even with its YA rating. The premise immediately caught my attention, and as promised, this book's subject matter was vastly different from her past novels while still delivering an incredible reading experience. Honestly? This might be my new favorite from her.
That said, I strongly advise readers to check the trigger warnings. This story tackles heavy themes, including suicide, domestic abuse, stalking, substance abuse, and bullying. The content is undeniably dark, pushing the boundaries of what I’d expect from YA fiction.
The Thrashers filled the void Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo left in my heart—another five-star read for me. I was completely hooked. While I’m not usually drawn to high school-aged protagonists, the thriller plot, paranormal elements, and psychological twists made this impossible to put down. If you love the class tensions of Veronica Mars, want a less problematic version of some plot points from Thirteen Reasons Why, and grew up on too many early 2000s horror movies, The Thrashers is for you.
By the end, I could not stand just about any character—but in the best way possible, think Tell Me Lies. Soto crafts privileged, morally gray characters so well that I loved to hate them. I don't want to spoil the ending but it made me so frustrated by how true to reality it is. And THAT epilogue? I’ll be thinking about it until the day I die.
This book was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review.
This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed her writing style. This one started out with a suicide, talk of prom, a lot of different characters, and a highschool party. I honestly did not think I would be so invested in this book but I devoured it. The whole time I was rooting for a enemies to lovers even though this is not a romance (that is clearly a me problem). The suspense had me on the edge of my seat. I trusted no one and they were all so sus. I'm still low key mad that some people didn't get in trouble when they were guilty of some stuff. One punishment was rightfully deserved but like I still wanted a couple out of it and what the heck is that epilogue?
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