Jas Hammonds writes such impactful and important YA stories. I loved the way they depicted and talked about party culture, hazing, and alcohol abuse. Rather than being preachy, the story strikes a tone that allows the reader to understand how and why the main character, Blake, has become so dependent on alcohol. At times, it was hard to read about the bad decisions Blake was making, but that's part of why this novel was so good. The story felt real and Blake's alcohol use and subsequent impairments are some of the most accurate I've read. Beyond the alcohol use, this story also touches on toxic/abusive relationships, which are rarely discussed in YA and even more rarely when it's a sapphic relationship. I really appreciated that element and how it fit alongside the commentary on party culture and low self-esteem. Overall, this was a great book and a must-have for any school library or young adult collection.

Thirsty is about a girl named Blake who is in her last summer at home before she goes to college. She and her girlfriend, Ella, and their best friend, Anetta, are desperate to join the Serena Society -- a secret society for Black women's sisterhood and mentorship. However, the summer of hazing to join the society proves too much for Blake whose drinking problem spirals and her mental health declines. Thirsty is a nuanced portrayal of alcohol abuse, toxic relationships, mental health, gender identity, coming of age, racism, microaggressions, and more. I found these characters very compelling, relatable, and developed. I would recommend adding this to any secondary library or classroom. I also appreciated the trigger warnings and recommend reading with care. Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!

I loved Jas Hammonds’ debut and was so excited to see they had a new book coming out. I knew Thirsty was going to be a rough ride, but I also trusted Hammonds to tell the story. This was such an incredibly intense story filled with toxic relationships, complicated friendships, and nuanced family dynamics. Blake’s journey was a hard one, but I love that she is loved and supported, even if she’s not always able to see it. It hurt to see how much pain she was in and the path of self destruction she was walking on, but seeing her start making new choices and changing the path was so beautiful. I really loved this book, and cannot wait to see what else Jas will write.

“An electric, heart-wrenching novel about a teen whose desperation to fit in leads to a dizzying relationship with alcohol―and a poignant journey of self-discovery.”

This book reads like an open wound, raw, vulnerable, and at times hard to look at. I loved Blake, for obvious reasons, she's the main character, she's unlikeable at times, and she's just like me in my late teens and early twenties. I loved Annetta, I think we all need an Annetta in our life. And I also loved Ella because I know people like her too.

My favorite bits were the Serena challenges, very suspenseful, full of tension and at times fun (from the outside only). I also loved the flashbacks and the whole third act.

I think you’ll enjoy this if you like thriller-y type books, unlikeable female main characters, books that explore addiction, books about friendship, books about the ending of something.

Really great book that talks about tough topics such as alcoholism, peer pressure, toxic relationships, allowing acceptance of certian cliques to equate to your self worth as a person.
Made me think of the song:
Habits by Tove Lo

Another hit! Jas got a fan out of me if she keeps writing how she does. Omg I felt all the feels while reading We Deserve Monuments but this one right here hit me to the core! How she battled everything that was warnings before you read the book, she handled with grace and understanding. She got a fan out of me frfr!

I have never read a book with the topic of alcohol addiction written for a YA audience before. it's an important read, that i hope many teens will get to read in the future. there were also so many other important themes throughout the story. thank you for the arc.

There are not a lot of books that look at unsafe, peer pressured, and excessive drinking that comes often times comes with older teens’ lives, but Hammonds tackles it so well in this book while also looking at the pressure and exclusion that comes with prestigious organizations. I read this book so quickly; I had trouble putting it down!

Thirsty was a rough look into a young woman trying to fit in the world but doing so in the most unhealthy manner: drinking too much. While the novel is more than just her drinking, it is about her place within her family, friends, her soon-to-be sorority, and her girlfriend. While everything changes in the blink of an eye, it may actually be for the good. Jas Hammonds takes the emotions of young women and puts them fully on display and I am here for it!

Jas Hammonds is an excellent writer, but I didn't connect to this story as much as I did We Deserve Monuments.

I don’t think this book was necessarily for me, but I hope it will help me love people better. This story was very YA, coming of age. I appreciated the conversations around gender identity, addiction, and race. I kept waiting for the show to drop and I was relieved it didn’t. I now understand that the author intended to show another perspective that broadens the conversation around drinking. The story dragged a bit for me, but overall I think a lot of people may enjoy this.

Jas Hammonds does it again. Big thanks to the publisher for an e-ARC to review!

Loads of content warnings which the author details in a note at the start, including alcohol addiction, self-hatred, racial microaggressions, and transphobic rhetoric.

I was a little apprehensive when I saw that this release is about drinking as that’s not particularly relevant to me so I wasn’t sure how my reading experience would go but I shouldn’t have been worried. Hammonds continues to write impressive, intense stories about teens and their emotions that can reach you whether or not you have directly comparable experiences with the characters. I'm loving the continued bittersweet nature of their books and will continue to seek them out.

WOW. Jas Hammonds has done it yet again! I absolutely LOOVEDDD Hammonds debut YA novel WE DESERVE MONUMENTS. Needless to say Hammonds will be an auto-buy for me. If you enjoy young adult books please add this to your TBR.

As someone who struggled with alcoholism at a young age I totally felt for the main character. Hammonds has a way of creating such complex characters in their books. We're introduced to Blake in her downward spiral post high school graduation planning for college. Blake is unfortunately exposed to the "party lifestyle" of the rich and fabulous. Being from the poorer parts she wasn't "seen" by her classmates and was often bullied for being quiet and socially awkward, until she starts working at the country club. Blake begins drinking to masks all her insecurities and become this "bad girl Blake" that the rich kids love to be around. Definitely worth reading if you love coming of age stories.

I have said this repeatedly but most YA novels resonate with adults because of the tough subject matters. As a young adult we just wanted to be seen and understood. I'm so happy our current generation has access to these type of books.

Blake is starting college in the fall, and she has one goal: to join the exclusive Serena Society with her girlfriend, Ella. Ella is the daughter of a Serena alum, but Blake will have to fight to get considered. Soon, she finds something that makes her more confident and sociable, a shortcut to getting accepted by the most influential people…getting drunk. But even as she successfully passes through layers of pledging, Blake’s coping mechanism threatens to lose her everything.

Jas Hammonds is such an amazing author!!! Ever since I read her first debut We Deserve Monuments I’ve been looking forward to her next book. While Thirsty didn’t top the first book I really enjoyed this one too.

Blake being addicted to alcohol at such a young age stressed me out so bad. But I get it she was formerly a loner and now that she’s trying to be apart of the crowd she doesn’t feel she can be her true self. Peer pressure can get serious but I honestly felt Ella had a lot to do with it. When Blake was under the influence she basically became the life of the party. Ella encouraged the behavior and the new sorority ate up Blake’s energy every time.

Then as the pledging got more intense so does the drinking. Her life was practically turned upside down to the point she was drowning before Blake realized how bad her drinking had actually gotten. But when she did and finally cut Ella off I was so pleased because their relationship was really toxic. “I don’t like who I am when I’m around you.”

Overall, it’s definitely a book I’d recommend. The author touched on some heavy topics surrounding anxiety, the effects of alcoholism, identity, poor decisions, toxic relationships, sobriety, social acceptance, and family. This was probably a tough one for her to write but I think it was needed because it’s a situation many young people are dealing with. Not only that it’s becoming far too common and normalized when people should be discussing alcoholism amongst the youth more. Special thanks to the author & @macmillanusa #RoaringBookPress for my gifted e-ARC!!!

As always, I love love love everything that Jas writes. They have such a way of connecting the reader to the depths of their own emotional trenches but keeps them wanting to trudge through.

I am grateful I had a chance to read this book and will definitely tell others about it.

- It feels sort of cliche these days to call a YA novel “important,” but THIRSTY really is. It tackles not only drinking, but also race, class, and more.
- I loved the way Blake’s drinking was portrayed in this book. She was drinking socially, drinking to feel like she belonged, drinking to make friends. She didn’t have one huge rock bottom moment, but rather a slow building of moments that finally came into focus for her.
- It’s sometimes a hard read, when Blake and others are making repeated bad choices. But it’s also filled with love and understanding for Blake and her mindset.
- After adoring Hammonds’ WE DESERVE MONUMENTS and now THIRSTY, they’re an autobuy author for me now. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

I got an ARC of this book.

I adore this author. I devoured their last book. I was ready!

This book just never felt like it got started. It was very slow and character driven, which is very hit or miss with me right now. I have no doubts that my main issues with this book are my own and not the issue with the book itself.

The biggest conflict is the MC and alcohol. Is she an alcoholic? Is she self-medicating with alcohol? Why are these adult women giving minors alcohol (and even if they claim they are not, how are they justifying encouraging the behavior that is clearly drunk behavior)?

I didn't care about any of the characters. They were pretty well fleshed out and clearly had motivations and trauma. The way that the MC talks about her white mom just not getting race was real. There was a lot that made the characters real, but also so much about them that just made it so I wanted to shake them and go "STOP DRINKING". So much would have been solved with that.

So overall, not a bad book, but didn't really work with me right now. I might have to try it again when I have a better attention span!

A gut-punch of a YA book by @jashammonds
🍷
Meet Blake Brenner aka Big Bad Bee. She and her girlfriend of four years have one goal this summer: get a bid for the ultra-exclusive Serena Society. It’s a sorority that promises powerful networking opportunities, status and strong connections with women of color. Blake doesn’t fit in with the girls once she starts attending the parties and events because Blake doesn’t come from money like all her friends and girlfriend. However, she feels more at home at Ella’s extravagant house than she does in her own place with her parents. In order to fit in, Big Bad Bee becomes confident when she’s drinking, but every time she does she gets blackout drunk and takes all her insecurities out on herself to the point of self-hatred. Is this the right sorority for Blake, if it causes her to act like this?
🥃
I recently read Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow that releases soon and this novel reminded me so much of it because they both deal with teen alcoholism, a topic we don’t discuss often. I believe it will open so many eyes to this issue and the warning signs associated with alcoholism. I was hooked with this story from beginning to end, despite how hard it was to watch Blake continue to harm herself through alcohol abuse. This one is for upper high school and beyond.

CW: alcohol and drug use, cheating, addiction/alcoholism, toxic relationship, forced outing, transphobia, racism, microaggressions, bullying, classism, gaslighting, homophobia, suicidal ideation, blood, sexism, vomit

Jas Hammonds became an auto-buy author for me after We Deserve Monuments, and I'm so pleased to say they've only gotten better with Thirsty. This book felt so raw and personal. It was messy like any 18-year-old's story and thoughts would be, but also gripping and emotional.

Blake was such a complicated character, but I loved her and wish I could give her the biggest hug. It's weird to feel proud of a fictional character, but I really was proud of her by the end of the book.

Easy 5 stars, and I expect I'll be saying that with Jas Hammonds' next book too.