Thirsty: A Novel by Jas Hammonds
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Web ID: 18496953Incredible & Important
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!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Read
Thirsty is about trying to fit in so much that you lose your own identity. Trying to follow an idealized version of yourself and drowning in it. Blake or "Big Bad Bee" only feels in control or powerful after she's had a drink (or six). When she tries to pledge into an elite sorority, her drinking gets worst by her feelings of inadequacy and her enabling girlfriend. I liked Blake. I found her relatable, and her situation just shows how easy it is to rely on alcohol as a coping mechanism. She doesn't feel accepted by her family by being gay or biracial. Ellie (Blake's girlfriend) and her family are really accepting but also brings into question how elitist they are and how much of their socializing requires drinking. Ultimately, I really liked this story, and I liked how it ended. Blake begins to realize her problems and find the beginning of recovery. I liked that Blake did have someone on her side from the beginning. Alcoholism is such a destructive disease, and I think many readers can related to this story.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Book!
This was a super important story - given how many teens have been severely injured or worse from hazing by sororities and fraternities. How much of one's self do you have to give away to become accepted by an exclusive club? And what about the hazing involved? Many teens entering college struggle with alcohol and Blake is no different, feeling more at ease in her body once submerged in a liquid haze. The need to fit in somewhere and belong is strongly at the forefront of many teen and young adults’ minds as they move from high school to college or the workforce. Some of which are willing to do anything to get into an exclusive group or meet a set of new friends. I loved reading from the point of view of Blake. As a teacher and simply fellow human being, I feel like it's important to educate myself on different perspectives to understand both my students and community more. As a person of color and gay, Blake taught me a lot. As for the narration I thought Alicia Jackson did a great job. Her voice fit our main character of Blake so well and she was easy to listen to, but not so melodic that she lulls you to sleep. Her narration felt very genuine. This book was poignant. A great book to recommend to older high school students as they exit the public school cocoon.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Captivating, revealing.
I'll be the first to admit as I started out reading Thirsty I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. With that said it didn't take me long to get hooked and I literally finished it on a Sunday afternoon after church. It is hard to not get caught up in Blake's life and feel like you are right there experiencing her ups and downs. Commadre is felt in her deep desire to belong, to fit in, to feel like she is a somebody. The story follows her desire to drink to the point of complete drunkenness and the realization that once the numb wears off she still has the same demons to face. Additionally the toxicity of a relationship that is lost somewhere between her emotions and the bottle. Finally that true friendship still comes through in the end. Hammonds opens closed doors in a revealing, captivating story of love, loss, betrayal, friendship and alcoholism.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved it!
Thanks Roaring Brook Press for the gifted book. Thirsty is a perfect example of why I don’t immediately dismiss books solely based on the age-range of the target audience. This YA fiction was an absolute gem! Hammonds is so talented at writing realistic, deeply compelling characters that are well-developed. Though the premise centers on alcoholism/addiction, the story explores a range of important topics such as identity, racism, and mental health. Despite being an emotionally heavy read, this book was hard to put down. There’s a lot packed into it, but it works. It works really well. While those with a connection to teen drinking would be a likely audience, I think anyone who has experience with social pressure may find this book of interest.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Phenomenal, stunning and triumphant
I loved We Deserve Monuments, so was excited to read Jas Hammond's sophomore novel, Thirsty. It did not disappoint and was just as powerful. Thirsty follows Blake Brenner in the summer between her senior year of high school and first year of college. She is aiming to join the elite Serena Society sorority for women of color, along with her girlfriend Ella and best friend Annetta. Blake, unlike the other two girls, comes from a working-class background, and her mother is not a Serena member, thus has more to prove. Blake has been abusing alcohol for years and her lack of control becomes impossible to conceal as the sorority parties rage on. Hammonds skillfully and sensitively handles tough topics such as teen alcohol abuse, toxic relationships, peer pressure, race, homophobia and social class. The complex nature of alcohol abuse is illustrated by Blake's initial failure to recognize that she is an alcoholic, since "everyone parties", alcohol is ubiquitous and her girlfriend and the sorority leader pressure her to drink. How many people have had a drink or two at a social event because they are nervous or self-conscious? I loved Annetta and her courage in being a true friend by forcing Blake to confront her own destructive behavior. Thirsty is a phenomenal, stunning, and triumphant coming of age story. Adults, as well as teens should read Thirsty.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great book
Such a great book! Thirsty covers some heavy topics including alcohol addiction, mental health, being queer and mixed race and trying to fit in, and toxic relationships. It can be tough to read but it's also a great read and makes you think back on your past self (if you're older than college-age). It's well-written and immersive, I couldn't put it down!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Exceptional!!
When an author is willing to be completely vulnerable and transparent, and to truly mine their real life for fodder, you get a result like Thirsty. This powerful and relevant novel hits hard--because we all know someone like Blake. Mild spoilers ahead! Blake, our narrator, is stumbling through her last summer before leaving for college. Like many young adults, she's grappling with all the different facets to her identity--her gender, her race, her sexuality, her economic status, her friendships, her romantic relationships--and trying to figure out who she is. The fear and stress of this, combined with a variety of environmental situations as she has grown up, has led Blake to form an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Her problematic drinking comes to a head as she tries to join her friends in pledging to a "secret society" for her college, and her desire to fit in with this specific group nearly overtakes her desire for all else. As an adult child of an alcoholic, so much of this book rang true for me. Not all alcoholics are abusive and angry or drink in private, and problematic drinking impacts far more people than we realize. Blake's inherent struggle for belonging is one that all teens can relate to, even if the layers of their own struggle are slightly different. I love that this book doesn't shy away from showing Blake dealing with the ramifications of her poor decision-making, and that the book doesn't end with her eventual decision to attempt sobriety. Rather, the author unpacks all that goes into healing from alcoholism and the book carries Blake past her first reckoning with her choices and into the many layers of processing that need to take place--with her family, her friends, her partner, acquaintances who witnessed her struggle. Many, many thanks to the author and Roaring Brook Press for the ARC of this novel--it's a powerful story and one that I will recommend to others without hesitation!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com