Reviews with content warning for Violence - We Deserve Monuments

From the first few chapters into the book I was already enthralled. I felt a book like this is why I wanted to pick up reading again. I feel a lack of intersectional representation in media to consume that aligns with me and reading made me feel like I was definitely the target demographic. Being someone who’s half black, queer, a capricorn, into astrology and tarot cards who grew up in a suburban area to later move somewhere in the middle of nowhere; i felt like this book checked off so many things I related to that just left me smiling at so many different corners. I spent a lot of time taking care of my grandparents during my later years of adolescence and found it so many aspects of myself within Avery. I appreciated avery was very comfortable in her sexuality too and made her feel so much more grounded for me. Her deep yearning for companionship from not only her new friends but her family as well tugged at my heartstrings. I would say by far my favorite characters in order were: Mama Letty, Simone and then Avery. All of them had so many quirks and aspects of themselves that felt very real to me. I felt like I knew these individuals personally. I would recommend this book for anybody who wants tale of POC wlw soft romance, small town secrets, and how to tread through the murky waters of generational traumas.

Mama Letty . . . My jaw dropped at the end with her passing when we learned that she killed Jade’s mom!! Jesus CHRIST i was mot expecting that at all!! Holy shit. I feel bad for Jade, especially since Jade’s dad just moved on to his mistress.

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dernhelms_bag's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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readingwithtrey's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Avery Anderson’s life for the last few years has been completely upended by the pandemic. She’s not sure how it could get any more off track until one day Avery’s mother gets a mysterious letter that has them abruptly traveling back to the small town of Bardell, Georgia for the first time in a decade. What starts out as her family moving to care for an estranged grandmother dying of cancer, turns into Avery discovering past family secrets, building new relationships, and healing old wounds.

Jas Hammond’s debut novel, We Deserve Monuments, does not read as a debut at all. She holds nothing back in this coming of age story that examines historical wounds and the impact of them on the descendants today. I could not put this book down, and these characters and their stories will long stay with me. On top of that, there was a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming that left me thinking. I love endings to profound stories that make you think. *chef’s kiss*

This is one of those reads that can definitely make you uncomfortable as it addresses some really deep and unsettling things, but I think those are the best and most important reads. The reads that start can conversations, build understanding, and strengthen relationships are the most impactful. And in my opinion, that’s one of the most amazing things about books.

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Thanks to Fierce Reads for the free copy of this book.

- WE DESERVE MONUMENTS is a knockout of a book. This book covers everything from the annoyances of being a teenager to generational trauma, and it's delivered in a story that's both beautiful and page-turning.
- I loved watching the relationships between the women of Avery's family untangle and grow. Hammonds doesn't gloss over how painful it can be to uncover family history, but also that love can still be buried under all of it.
- On top of all this, there's also an exploration of what it means to be young, Black and queer in the South today. I'll truly be thinking of this book for a long time to come.

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