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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Julian Hollister…maybe one of the best fictional characters
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Thrashers follows a group of five high school seniors over the course of a year as they navigate not only their senior year, but also an investigation into the death of one of their classmates, the blame being put on them and their behaviour towards not only their classmate, but for their behaviour in general. Known as ‘The Thrashers’, this ‘it’ group has a lot of power at school and is known to ‘thrash’ people with whom they no longer wish to be associated. I enjoyed this book as it was so much deeper than I anticipated at first, and although the plot was fairly predictable for the most part, the ending totally caught me by surprise.
I think the author did a great job creating characters not only with whom I empathized, but ones that were also morally grey and quite complex. So many YA novels depend on tropy type behaviour and often use miscommunication to propel a plot forward, but the author made her characters go through some pretty complex emotional trauma, exploring a lot of topics throughout the book. While it’s been years since I’ve been in high school, I have taught it for years, so I thought the author captured a lot of the complexity of navigating high school life with characters that were definitely not perfect, had to reflect not only on their previous behaviours but also on their relationships and how they treated people, and were dealing with current crises due to some of their choices in the past. Each of the characters had their own distinct voices, and while most of the book was told from Jodi’s POV, the author did not forget about the other characters and worked hard to make them unique and well-developed as well.
The plot itself was quite engaging and the way the mystery was wrapped up within the daily life of the main characters was interesting. With mysterious text messages from a person unknown, to a secret diary, to incidents happening, the MCs had to lean on each other to try to figure out what was happening, but they also had to keep their distance for reasons which will become clear as you read. They were in a difficult position trying to navigate the investigation into Emily’s death as well as navigate daily high school life as a senior and the author did not hold anything back when it came to exploring themes. Suicide, date rape, trauma, depression, alcoholism, physical assault, car accidents, drug use, abuse, culpability, loss of a loved one, bullying (including cyberbullying), and consequences were all explored throughout the pages of this book, to a depth that was quite satisfying. It was not glossed over or avoided, but the author made the characters face the truth of their actions and deal with the consequences, something that made me quite happy.
I wish the author had spent more time exploring Jodi’s behaviour with regards to Zach as that is an area I feel needed more development and was worth discussing. It sounds vague, but I don’t want to give any spoilers from the story. When you read it, you will understand.
Verdict
The Thrashers was a fascinating look at a group of five teenagers who made poor decisions and had to face the consequences of those decisions. It definitely went a lot deeper than I had anticipated and explored a lot of themes. The ending caught me by surprise, something that surprised me considering a lot of the book was somewhat predictable, and I am really hoping there will be a sequel. Otherwise, I definitely recommend this book if you like well-developed characters and an interesting plot.
I think the author did a great job creating characters not only with whom I empathized, but ones that were also morally grey and quite complex. So many YA novels depend on tropy type behaviour and often use miscommunication to propel a plot forward, but the author made her characters go through some pretty complex emotional trauma, exploring a lot of topics throughout the book. While it’s been years since I’ve been in high school, I have taught it for years, so I thought the author captured a lot of the complexity of navigating high school life with characters that were definitely not perfect, had to reflect not only on their previous behaviours but also on their relationships and how they treated people, and were dealing with current crises due to some of their choices in the past. Each of the characters had their own distinct voices, and while most of the book was told from Jodi’s POV, the author did not forget about the other characters and worked hard to make them unique and well-developed as well.
The plot itself was quite engaging and the way the mystery was wrapped up within the daily life of the main characters was interesting. With mysterious text messages from a person unknown, to a secret diary, to incidents happening, the MCs had to lean on each other to try to figure out what was happening, but they also had to keep their distance for reasons which will become clear as you read. They were in a difficult position trying to navigate the investigation into Emily’s death as well as navigate daily high school life as a senior and the author did not hold anything back when it came to exploring themes. Suicide, date rape, trauma, depression, alcoholism, physical assault, car accidents, drug use, abuse, culpability, loss of a loved one, bullying (including cyberbullying), and consequences were all explored throughout the pages of this book, to a depth that was quite satisfying. It was not glossed over or avoided, but the author made the characters face the truth of their actions and deal with the consequences, something that made me quite happy.
I wish the author had spent more time exploring Jodi’s behaviour with regards to Zach as that is an area I feel needed more development and was worth discussing. It sounds vague, but I don’t want to give any spoilers from the story. When you read it, you will understand.
Verdict
The Thrashers was a fascinating look at a group of five teenagers who made poor decisions and had to face the consequences of those decisions. It definitely went a lot deeper than I had anticipated and explored a lot of themes. The ending caught me by surprise, something that surprised me considering a lot of the book was somewhat predictable, and I am really hoping there will be a sequel. Otherwise, I definitely recommend this book if you like well-developed characters and an interesting plot.
I’m officially a Julie Soto STAN. I read her first two romances, both 5 stars with incredible characters and memorable romantic situations that perfectly straddled the line of descriptive without being too spicy, or over the top.
This style was definitely a diversion from her typical genre but she “thrashed it”. Gave me some vibes of 13 reasons why but with more suspense, while also containing some elements from her romance genre that made this feel like it was still Sotos writing and not a total turnaround. The only other author I’ve enjoyed such variance from is Ashley Winstead!
Also: the EPILOGUE! Mind blown!
This style was definitely a diversion from her typical genre but she “thrashed it”. Gave me some vibes of 13 reasons why but with more suspense, while also containing some elements from her romance genre that made this feel like it was still Sotos writing and not a total turnaround. The only other author I’ve enjoyed such variance from is Ashley Winstead!
Also: the EPILOGUE! Mind blown!
Thank you to the publisher for the ALC and ARC of this book!
If you like thirteen reasons why, you’ll like this book. I hated thirteen reasons why, so I hated this book. It was also (maybe?) paranormal? I wish that was resolved (either confirmed or denied, I currently just feel gaslit by the paranormal elements, which were SUBSTANTIAL).
In general, I’m not a huge fan of using suicide as a plot device, but that’s personal preference. Using statutory rape I’m also not a fan of, I feel like that’s common as a preference? Using both in a YA book, I don’t agree with. In the blurb for this book, it says Emily dies - it should say, Emily commits suicide, because Emily committing suicide and why is the entire plot of this book.
I thought, for the first half of this book, it was giving victim-blaming, and making the victim into a weirdo only slightly undid the damage done originally.
The second half of the book made me realise that none of the characters, not the protagonist, the love interest, or the victim herself were likeable or even redeemable. There were moments in this book where Jodie would have an experience, like Nikita looking after her at the house party, and I thought she would learn something from it, but she went back to making the same repetitive bad decisions no matter what new experiences she had and new friends she made and revelations she had about her current friends.
I wanted to DNF this book for most of it, but I will credit the author with the fact that I finished, and I finished because Julie Soto can WRITE. This reads very YA, but it’s well written YA. Despite not agreeing with the premise of the book I did in fact read it in one sitting because I physically couldn’t go to sleep without knowing what happened. I feel like we could’ve done without SO many reveals at the end? Having as many as we did made each feel less impactful and really was the nail in the coffin for every single character as a genuinely bad person, either a bully, manipulative, a liar, or the elite combination of all three.
My listening experience was great, though! The narrator did a fantastic job, I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook. So this is a complicated book to rate.
Concept: 4/10. Emily could’ve run away because of bullying and died accidentally in a road accident and it would’ve had the same impact and consequences as using suicide, especially given what we know about how she died at the end. Also. Is this book magical or not? Would’ve liked it either way, just would’ve preferred if it had direction.
Ending: 2/10. If the character who faces the most serious consequences was a different thrasher, I would’ve been more satisfied.
Reading experience: 7/10. As good as it can get when you’re triggered by the content of the book.
Audiobook: 8/10 (highest i go for single narration!)
Writing: 6/10 (YA thriller standards - you’re up against holly jackson. This was nowhere near as good as its comp title, a good girls guide to murder). It was gripping, it had twists and turns, it did what it said on the tin.
Would recommend to people who liked thirteen reasons why and like a YA thriller that reads like a younger YA thriller and people who eat up tropes packed in like sardines.
So… 2 stars? I don’t know
If you like thirteen reasons why, you’ll like this book. I hated thirteen reasons why, so I hated this book. It was also (maybe?) paranormal? I wish that was resolved (either confirmed or denied, I currently just feel gaslit by the paranormal elements, which were SUBSTANTIAL).
In general, I’m not a huge fan of using suicide as a plot device, but that’s personal preference. Using statutory rape I’m also not a fan of, I feel like that’s common as a preference? Using both in a YA book, I don’t agree with. In the blurb for this book, it says Emily dies - it should say, Emily commits suicide, because Emily committing suicide and why is the entire plot of this book.
I thought, for the first half of this book, it was giving victim-blaming, and making the victim into a weirdo only slightly undid the damage done originally.
The second half of the book made me realise that none of the characters, not the protagonist, the love interest, or the victim herself were likeable or even redeemable. There were moments in this book where Jodie would have an experience, like Nikita looking after her at the house party, and I thought she would learn something from it, but she went back to making the same repetitive bad decisions no matter what new experiences she had and new friends she made and revelations she had about her current friends.
I wanted to DNF this book for most of it, but I will credit the author with the fact that I finished, and I finished because Julie Soto can WRITE. This reads very YA, but it’s well written YA. Despite not agreeing with the premise of the book I did in fact read it in one sitting because I physically couldn’t go to sleep without knowing what happened. I feel like we could’ve done without SO many reveals at the end? Having as many as we did made each feel less impactful and really was the nail in the coffin for every single character as a genuinely bad person, either a bully, manipulative, a liar, or the elite combination of all three.
My listening experience was great, though! The narrator did a fantastic job, I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook. So this is a complicated book to rate.
Concept: 4/10. Emily could’ve run away because of bullying and died accidentally in a road accident and it would’ve had the same impact and consequences as using suicide, especially given what we know about how she died at the end. Also. Is this book magical or not? Would’ve liked it either way, just would’ve preferred if it had direction.
Ending: 2/10. If the character who faces the most serious consequences was a different thrasher, I would’ve been more satisfied.
Reading experience: 7/10. As good as it can get when you’re triggered by the content of the book.
Audiobook: 8/10 (highest i go for single narration!)
Writing: 6/10 (YA thriller standards - you’re up against holly jackson. This was nowhere near as good as its comp title, a good girls guide to murder). It was gripping, it had twists and turns, it did what it said on the tin.
Would recommend to people who liked thirteen reasons why and like a YA thriller that reads like a younger YA thriller and people who eat up tropes packed in like sardines.
So… 2 stars? I don’t know
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Omg that epilogue gave me chills. I actually feel sick to my stomach….
Julie Soto please write more YA thrillers because you NAILED THIS!! The ensemble of characters, the balance between suspense and paranormal, the imperfect justice system, and keeping the reader on the edge of the seat until the very last page made this a big success in my book
Julie Soto please write more YA thrillers because you NAILED THIS!! The ensemble of characters, the balance between suspense and paranormal, the imperfect justice system, and keeping the reader on the edge of the seat until the very last page made this a big success in my book
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thrillers in general are not my usual genre. That being said, Julie Soto can do no wrong. The characters here are interesting and complex and individually dynamic enough that I never got confused who was who. I think we can all connect with the fear of being the odd-man-out in a friend group. The twist and turns were NOT predictable, and that end!! 😳