From Jas Hammonds, award-winning author ofWe Deserve Monuments, comes an unflinching novel about addiction that Courtney Summers,New York Timesbestselling author ofSadieandI’m the Girl,called “sensitively wrought and gorgeously written.”

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’sfine; 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.

Jas Hammondswas raised in many cities and between the pages of many books. They have received support for their writing from Baldwin for the Arts, the Highlights Foundation and more. They are also a grateful recipient of the MacDowell James Baldwin Fellowship. Their debut novel,We Deserve Monuments,won the 2023 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent, among many other accolades.

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publish Date: May 14, 2024
• Pages: 336
• Dimensions: 5.38 X 8.25 X 1.0 inches | 1.0 pounds
• Language: English
• Type: Hardcover
• EAN/UPC: 9781250816597
• BISAC Categories: LGBT, Social Themes – Drugs, Alcohol, Substance Abuse, Social Themes – Emotions & Feelings