The Thrashers

Starred review from March 1, 2025
When police investigate a teenage girl's supposed suicide, New Helvetia High's most exclusive friend group comes under scrutiny. The Thrashers are high school royalty. Zack Thrasher (the group's namesake), Lucy Reed, Paige Montgomery, and Julian Hollister are wealthy and attractive. Jodi Dillon, who feels ordinary by comparison, has been friends with Zack since childhood. Not just anyone can become a Thrasher, but that was Emily Mills' goal. After Emily is found dead the evening of prom, rumors circulate around school that she was Thrashed--socially ostracized--for trying to join the clique. Everything starts to unravel after investigators find Emily's journal detailing how she was bullied by all of them--except Jodi, who rebuffed her. Jodi feels compelled to seek the truth surrounding Emily's death without implicating her friends, but the more she learns, the more she doubts their credibility. The story's careful, highly effective pacing contributes to the increasingly unsettling tension as strange and terrifying incidents occur. Readers who empathize with insecure Jodi are kept in suspense until the end, feeling relief whenever the others show genuine care for her while nervously anticipating the possibility that harm may befall her. Main characters largely present white. Lucy has brown skin, and Jodi is cued as white and Latine. A haunting page-turner that smartly explores the complexities of teenage relationships and feelings of self-worth.(Thriller. 14-18)

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Starred review from May 1, 2025

Gr 9 Up-Emily died by suicide on prom night, and her journal claims it's the Thrashers' fault. Jodi never wanted to be a Thrasher, an "elite" group of five friends at New Helvetia High, but that comes with the territory of being Zack's longtime friend. With a detective going after the Thrashers for Emily's death, Jodi must dig to uncover her friends' secrets. On her journey for truth, weird messages and peculiar accidents keep happening to the Thrashers, leading Jodi to believe Emily isn't quite ready to let go. Soto successfully dives into the YA scene with a mystery thriller that keeps readers second-guessing until the end. Jodi struggles with self-esteem, which leads her to be an unreliable narrator battling truth versus fiction. Emily's strong characterization heavily influences the Thrashers as her manipulative and obsessive tendencies haunt their sense of morality. The supernatural element of flickering lights and freak accidents adds a creepy layer to the tale. By confronting her friends, especially Zack, Jodi learns that words are important, and honesty can be brutal or kind. Guilt is a spectrum, and end revelations leave Jodi accepting that friendship sometimes becomes messy and destructive when communication breaks down, but it can also surprise one in unexpected ways. While physical character description is minimal, there is some diversity present. VERDICT With a new-era Pretty Little Liars vibe, this cautionary thriller is the perfect drama for Karen M. McManus and Rory Power fans.-Emily Walker

Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2025
Grades 9-12 The latest twisty thriller from Soto takes a page from Mean Girls in a gripping exploration of toxic female friendships and their consequences. Jodi Dillon is a reluctant member of an elite high-school clique called The Thrashers for their connection to golden-boy Zack Thrasher. She enjoys the feeling of fitting in but nonetheless questions if it's emotionally healthy to follow along. The group's confident facade crashed at the end of junior year when a classmate, Emily, died by suicide after being shunned by them. Now, in their senior year, an investigation into the truth behind Emily's death brings up accusations of bullying and harassment, and the deeper Jodi digs to find the truth, the more she questions her friends and herself, challenging her assumptions about loyalty and morality and enlightening herself to the inner struggles of everyone around her. Soto deftly offers a realistic and layered portrayal of friendships and a sharp critique of toxic cliques. Both thrilling and thought-provoking, this haunting novel examining the complexities of competition, jealousy, and insecurity is an engrossing look at teen social dramas.

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