e-Audio, 10:53:33
Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky & Jesse Villinsky
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Published by: Macmillan Audio
Read from: March 26-28, 2025
Stand-alone
Source: Macmillan Audio (I received a free e-ALC from the publisher. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Suicide, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of a parent, Drug Use, Toxic Friendship, Sexual Assault, Vomit, Child Abuse
For Readers Interested In: Sparkly Covers, Mystery, Thrillers, Multiple POV, YAEither 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.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Not only is this Julie Soto’s first YA, but it’s also her first thriller so I was on pins and needles trying to see how this was going to play out. And let me just say….. I thought it went great! More than what I was expecting and I can say I liked it a bit more than I thought I would.
Ok so first of all the characters in this were all terrible. But since this was a thriller it was expected. I knew that they were all going to be unreliable. And let me just say, yes they are. And there’s just enough of them to confuse you while trying to figure out who did what and when. And it’s even more confusing because they’re all guilty of something even if it’s not the main thing.
Ok so the plot itself was kinda cool. There’s these kids that are popular and rich and everyone loves them. So much so that there’s someone who is desperate to be one of them. So much so, in trying she loses her life. And the Thrashers are the ones on the hook for it. But Jodi has a choice…. And omg Idk if I was strong enough for the one she chose. I don’t think I could have done that. Especially after what just happened lol
The mystery was good, but I promise you, you won’t be able to figure out who did it. There’s lies and all the clues aren’t introduced until a secret is ready to be revealed. I hated that, but it definitely worked. I hate guessing who did it early, but at the same time, I would rather have these things given to me and still guess it wrong if that makes sense.
The actual winner here is the way this book takes a look at the complexities in being a teen nowadays. The bullying, the romances, the lies, the backstabbing, the body shaming, the obsession, and more. All of these things seem like trivial things to those who aren’t experiencing it and some may even think teens aren’t experiencing these anyway. But these things are real, and I thought it was refreshing to see this represented in a book. Reading about them causes awareness. And if it helps them look out for or recognize these things, then that’s a win in my book.
Although there were some things I wasn’t a fan of, I do want to say, Soto’s first YA and first thriller were a hit! At least for me. I hope there’s more out there later. At the very least something that explains the epilogue. I need moreeeeeeee
Overall, I give this
Ooh nice! I saw this one recently and I saw that she’s touring to my city soon for it. I marked it as a maybe kind of book but I am glad to hear it was enjoyable. My worry sometimes with new to me authors writing a YA thriller is that the thriller elements may not be all that present. It sounds like this one may not be a problem. Will definitely be keeping an eye on this one! Great review!