Thank you to Netgally, the publisher and the author for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

WOW. Where do I start??? Jas Hammonds does it again, this book covers so many themes. This is a story of self discovery, queer identity, addiction and its complications. I wanted to hug Blake, when wanting to be seen so bad causes you to do anything to fit in and try to stay afloat. Much like We Deserve Monuments, its beautifully written. Can't wait to see more from this author.

thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for a review!

ahhh this was good! i was a little nervous before starting because the subject matter was a little out of my depth, and while i remember ENJOYING jas hammonds' previous novel i couldn't quite remember what exactly i liked about it. HOWEVER i really liked this one too so clearly theyre doing something right. annetta is the winner of my (coveted. trust me its coveted) favorite character of the book award because she is me fr. and i am now a part of the 'we hate ella' club.

as i've said, not too experienced on the subject matter but i'm taking others' words for it that it was depicted well! and considering hammonds has gone sober herself i expect they have done all the research they needed to. i also thought the racial aspects were handled well and i'm using this for the ATY week 14 prompt, a book with a black main character!

highly recommend checking this one out and hammonds's other book, we deserve monuments :) (and both have gorgeous covers which is just a bonus!)

I love Jas Hammonds writing so much. So very different from We Deserve Monuments, but if you are a fan of their writing and YA contemporary, you’ll love this too.

This book was really good and touched on a lot of heart-heavy topics. There were many jaw dropping “what the fuck” moments and the hazing from the society was insane to read about. I thought it touched on alcoholism in college kids REALLY well. As well as the peer pressure to “keep up” and be cool around people you’re trying to impress, and especially the internal monologue of “do I have a problem or don’t I have a problem” when it came to drinking.

I really liked the ending, and I thought the way Ella was portrayed was so well done. Like a very emotionally abusive S/O but in such a subtle way that by the end you’re like “holy fuck this bitch is terrible”

I wished we had a little more personal growth for Bree, especially when her drinking centered around her self hatred. When did those thoughts about herself start? Why did we never see them in everyday thoughts? I think some parts of the MC feel flat because of this, but overall I really liked Bree and I thought her ending was really great

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really liked this book. The character development and plot was amazing. The showcasing of the american black struggle was very good.

This book was absolutely phenomenal! I was obsessed with the characters and plot, I really wanted more from and about Annetta! I adored the relationships and character growth, and Jas Hammonds really did it AGAIN!

Blake is ready to enjoy the summer before she heads to college. She has been with her girlfriend for 4 years and they are going to the same college in the fall where they hope to get into an exclusive Black sorority. This book has great representation and an important underlying message about drinking but it also was trying to do a lot. Some of the situations were over-the-top and others were unnecessary. The ending was better than most of the book so I'm glad that I stuck with it.

♡𝐞𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰♡
4.5 🌟
𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 :
•self-hatred
•suicidal ideation
•racial microaggressions
•transphobic
•alcoholic
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 :
•queer romance
•ya fiction
•secret society
•dual timeline (past and present)
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From the start of this book, i knew it was going to be a little heavy (alcoholism). Just from the first chapter, I could tell Blake (Bee) had an alcohol problem | addiction personality! I liked how Blake character developed throughout this story was done very well. We normally get troubled characters, and they never get help, but this author did a great job! Nattie is a true friend. I mean, ride or die, down to help a friend no matter how that friend could push them away. I loved her character from the jump. Ella wasn't a good girlfriend or friend at all. She is a true definition of a self-centered individual. I never liked her character... just read it when It comes out. So you can judge this book yourself.
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♡𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 May. 14♡
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Thank you, Netgalley, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the (eArc). -eBook for my honest review.

I wanted to reach in the book and give Blake a hug so bad. She just wanted to feel seen and heard. And she felt that most when drinking.

To be honest, reading this was such a reality check. So many of us try to drink the anxieties away to survive in social settings, altering our true personalities.

Big Bad Bee …

Was really just a scared girl trying to figure out what she wanted in life.

I cringed at our interactions with Ella 😩 But loved how Annetta stayed by her side even when Blake was a crappy friend.

*4.5 Stars*

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this book. It was a lot. I really didn't like some of the characters. I really did feel for the main one though, despite all the bad choices she kept making and I really really loved her best friend. Overall, this was very layered and captivating and I didn't know what was going to come next.
(However, reading this while being hangover was a very weird experience...)
But it was really very good, the characters were so complex and it pulled me through the book. The whole book wasn't like everything I read before.
I really like Jas Hammonds' writing and I cannot wait for more books by them!!

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press for the copy of Thirsty by Jas Hammond. This is an important read for teens and adults too. If you’re a teen, you will love this empathetic story. If you have teens in your life, this is a great reminder of how trying to fit in and hide past hurts can lead to risky coping behaviors. This is a solid story with beautiful writing and well-drawn characters that come alive on the page. Blake is a sympathetic character and seeing her struggle with alcohol and trying to confront her demons broke my heart. Thirsty would be an amazing addition to high school classroom libraries or as part of a lesson plan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Book Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As my friend Brittany said, it was a privilege to read this book.

We Deserve Monuments was one of my favorite reads of 2023. Hammonds writes in a way that causes you to hold your breath—to peel back later after layer of her characters and their flaws, struggles, strengths + see them for what they are: PEOPLE. I love how complicated and vulnerable they write their characters. Being a human being is so complex and Hammonds writes in a way that makes you face these complexities head on as the reader. The author’s note at the end of the book RUINED ME.

Blake (I love that her name is Blake because so is my middle name hehehe) has just graduated high school, dating her girlfriend of 4 years, and is working on being accepted into the Serena Society of her new college. As the trials to slowly become members escalate, Blake comes face to face with her problem—alcoholism.

Annette was an incredible friend to Blake, even when they fought. You need people to tell you when you are on the path to self-destruction. You need people who will tell you they are worried about you and that you need to take actions and face the problem. Blake struggles with this realization/addiction throughout the entire book. My heart broke for Blake over and over again as she worked through so much in her life: upholding her new persona, her resentment towards her parents, her desperation to be “fine” in all aspects of life, and keep her relationship in the spotlight. When Annette tells her how means she is to herself when she is drunk, I could not help but be emotional.

The ending of this book was just so so so so good. I cannot express enough how much I loved this book.

Highly, HIGHLY recommend this one, friends. Read it on 5/14/24!

CW: alcoholism, addiction, transphobia, alcohol, racism, racial slurs, vomit, infidelity, gaslighting, sexual content

Jas Hammonds does it again. They are an incredible author. This book explored the nuances of underage drinking, fitting in, and alcoholism. I LOVED IT. Jas is easily an auto buy, top author of all time for me now! I cannot wait to see what they write next.

This is a well written heart felt book that I think my students need to read. There is something in it for everyone, while people might have different struggles, Blake's journey to accept herself, to deal with her drinking, her upwardly mobile aspiration to cover up her shame, her sometimes toxic girlfriend and lack of acceptance from her parents and how much that hurt, for who she is racially and the lack of guidance from her white mother and for her lesbianism. Other issues are explored as well, i a very relatable story

Jas Hammonds writes such fascinating, well-thought-out characters - I couldn't get enough of this book.

I was initially concerned just because this is the second book by this author and I really enjoyed their debut.
I loved this though and was super excited to read it. This story is incredibly dark and I do urge everyone to look at trigger warnings before starting this book.
But I can see this book being great for certain people who are dealing with addition, as this is a lot of what this book deals with.
This book is fast paced and I might actually have enjoyed it more than the debut? I don't want to say a lot about this book because I feel like it's something you need to get lost in.

Oh, my god, Hammonds has enthralled me completely.

I've read some books that have wrenched my heart, but this one ripped it from my chest and spat it back at me full force. And all I can do it fall on my knees and be eternally grateful.

This book is so beautiful. It's ruthless in its portrayal of addiction, alcoholism, sorority hazing, toxic relationships, broken family dynamics, etc., but there are still many moments that are so unbelievably soft and gooey that it balances it all out (Shoutout to Nettie for being one of the most amazing best friend characters I've ever seen in YA). It sinks its sharp teeth in you and gripes you til the end in the best way possible.

Hammonds' writing is my absolute favorite. I especially love how they implemented 'How-To' into the story. I actually practiced this very technique in classes at college, so seeing it used in a professionally published novel made my heart both soar and feel incredibly fond. Plus, they played with the spacing and italics to make the reader feel what Blake was feeling during her drinking binges - totally warped and off the rails. It takes a great amount of skill to pull that off successfully, and Hammonds has those skills.

Overall, Jas Hammonds is one of my favorite authors, and I will go on to consume everything they grace upon the world.

⭐️: 4.5

Jas Hammonds is a damn genius. I don’t know how I cared so deeply for this MC yet constantly wanted to shake her and yell at her. I have never read a book so frustrating, but that 👏🏻 was 👏🏻 the 👏🏻 point! There were so many audible sighs and groans that came out of me while reading. (I swear this is a highly positive review.)

I don’t do spoilers, so this isn’t one (more of a teaser) but Busch Gardens nearly did me in!!!!!!

Please nobody talk to me for awhile. I’m going to be drinking a cherry coke slurpee and processing my feels. 😤🤬🥴😵‍💫😭🥰🥺🫣🫠

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Right from the beginning, Blake captivated me. She has anxiety that she mutes by drinking with her incredibly rich girlfriend and all of the country club teens. Her girlfriend, Ella, and their best friend, Nettie, plan to go to the same college in the fall. They also plan on rushing the ultra-exclusive, super-secret, girls-would-kill-to-get-in sorority for women of color, the Serena Society. With Ella always toting around Blake in high society, Blake finds that people seem to like her more when she’s drunk. Blake also feels like her girlfriend loves her more when she’s drunk and not when she’s being a “nervous Nettie” coined by the girls.

Blake keeps going hard, literally. With micro aggressions within her family, her own anxieties intensify the further she gets along in the rushing process. Blake does sketchy things, but she doesn’t have a problem..does she? Her girlfriend loves “Big Bad Bee”.

This trio of girls really clicked with me. The raw vulnerability and reality of Blake’s life is too real to count. I was sucked in by the beautiful prose, unwavering dialogue, and a shy girl who is just trying to find her place in the world.

This is a dark and sparkling novel. Pick it up when it comes out. 5/5 stars. This book made me fall in love with YA novels again.