Jas Hammond’s debut novel, WE DESERVE MONUMENTS won the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent, received B&N YA Book Award shortlist recognition, and garnered acclaim as a “Best Book of the Year” by BuzzFeed, People, Parents, Amazon, and more. THIRSTY, their      second YA novel, explores society’s normalization of alcoholism through protagonist, Blake, who’s trying to gain admittance into an elite sorority while coming to terms with her alcohol addiction.     It’s the summer before college and eighteen-year-old Blake Brenner and her girlfriend, Ella, have one goal: join the mysterious and exclusive Serena Society. The sorority promises status and lifelong connections to a network of powerful, trailblazing women of color. Ella’s acceptance is a sure thing—she’s the daughter of a Serena alum. Blake, however, has a lot more to prove. As a former loner from a working-class background, Blake lacks Ella’s pedigree and confidence. Luckily, she finds courage at the bottom of a liquor bottle. When she drinks, she’s bold, funny, and unstoppable—and the Serenas love it. But as pledging intensifies, so does Blake’s drinking, until it’s seeping into every corner of her life. Ella assures Blake that she’s fine; partying hard is what it takes to make the cut . . . But success has never felt so much like drowning. With her future hanging in the balance and her past dragging her down, Blake must decide how far she’s willing to go to achieve her glittering dreams of success—and how much of herself she’s willing to lose in the process. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.