When Wednesday Books announced that they’d be giving out ARC copies of Julie Soto’s YA Thriller debut, The Thrashers, at YALLFest 2024, I basically threw out my schedule because that became my new number one book to grab at the event. The front-of-line crowd was all gunning for it, and there was much squealing and jumping around when we nabbed a copy.

I fell in love with Julie’s writing with Forget Me Not [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] and Not Another Love Song [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM], so to see her dabbling in a new genre made me so excited. (Bonus: It’s not the only new genre for her in 2025!)

The Thrashers [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] jumps right into the drama. The prologue is from Emily’s perspective the night she dies by suicide… which happens to be prom night. When we switch to Jodi’s perspective for the rest of the story, we learn that Emily was desperately trying to be part of Jodi’s clique, The Thrashers, and now people think The Thrashers were involved in Emily’s death. Reports of bullying are swirling around the group, with the police getting involved. Emily’s journal paints a different version of events than Jodi remembers, and puts everyone except her in a bad light. Jodi is trying to figure out what really happened to Emily, but learning her supposed best friends are keeping a lot of secrets.

This book is such a wild ride. While some twists and turns along Jodi’s investigation are expected, others had me re-reading pages to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Epilogue, I’m looking at you.

There’s so much tension throughout this book, and not just from the investigation into Emily’s death. The group is named for Zach Thrasher because three of the four other members of the clique are girls who are in love with him, but have a sort of unspoken agreement not to date him and break up the group. The other is a rich kid that is constantly hating on Jodi, which makes for fun banter and…. other moments… later in the book. Jodi is also dealing with family problems and other issues, so it gives the story extra drama, which feels more realistic for a teen perspective. Handling parents, friendships, and school drama is part of that overall experience for most teens.

I enjoyed The Thrashers and I’m holding out hope for a sequel. Julie does have another YA Thriller on the docket, but as of now, it’s not planned to be a sequel. Sadness.

72. JULIE SOTO: Diving into Romantasy & YA Thrillers with Rose in Chains & The Thrashers – LiteraryHype Podcast

Send us a textJulie Soto is back, and this time, we're talking all about her two new books, The Thrashers and Rose in Chains. Julie made her name in the romance book space, but now, she's tackling YA thrillers and Romantasy. We're talking all about these new challenges, plus Interview With A Vampire love and so much more.FOLLOW JULIEBUY THE BOOKS Bookshop:The ThrashersRose In ChainsForget Me NotNot Another Love SongAmazon:The ThrashersRose In ChainsForget Me NotNot Another Love SongLibroFM: The ThrashersRose In ChainsForget Me NotNot Another Love SongSupport the showSupport the podcast by shopping:EtsyMy Bookshop.org listsLibroFM audiobooksTry Audible Plus Gift Audible Membership Glocusent LED Neck Reading LightTry Shameless Snacks10% Off at Once Upon a Bookclub10% off Goli VitaminsTWO FREE AUDIOBOOKS with new LibroFM Membership: Kindle Unlimited FREE FOR THREE MONTHS!Prime Television FREE TRIALJoin the fun!WebsiteInstagramTiktok…

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