Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

69 reviews

jillgoober's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.5

This is a fantastic black, queer, young adult story about intergenerational trauma. Our main character, Avery, is forced to temporarily move from her Washington, D.C. home to her mother's old home in Georgia because her grandmother has terminal cancer. She barely knows her grandma, Mama Lettie, because of the strained relationship between her and Avery's mother. During her time there, Avery gets to know her grandmother better as she gets to know herself better too.

I really enjoyed this from beginning to end except for one little tidbit that kept me from giving it five stars. I won't be specific because it's a big spoiler but the twist at the end just didn't do it for me. I felt like it was unnecessary and it personally didn't make sense why the character would do something like that.

Despite the strange plot twist, this is still an incredible novel overall. Please be cautious in reading this if the topics of terminal cancer and family death are difficult for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Death of parent, Cancer, Murder, Racism, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Terminal illness

e_flah's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

We Deserve Monuments is a lyrical, compelling YA contemporary that does a fantastic job balancing an interesting story with powerful themes. I really liked how the story interrogates intergenerational trauma, legacies, and complicated family relationships.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Cancer, Grief, and Homophobia

Minor: Murder

death of grandparent

scrubsandbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

 This book was both easy and difficult to get through — easy because the writing and plot was not hard to follow. There were tidbits of flashbacks scattered about the chapters but they didn’t take away from the main plot. And it was difficult because of the topics of grief, terminal illness, and racism. Jas Hammonds has created a story absolutely beautiful and heart-breaking, executed so perfectly in every aspect. This book isn’t just about Avery and Simone’s wonderful slow-burn romance, but also about dealing with generational trauma, grief from death of a family member, and struggling with living as a Black person in a bigoted South town. This was such an important book to read and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. 

 

Despite knowing fully how this book would end especially when terminal cancer comes into play, it was still shocking to the system and I cried so hard for all the characters. I cried when Mama Letty took her last breath, and when Avery cried in Mama Letty’s room desperate for even a last whiff of her cigarettes. I also cried with Simone’s struggles of coming out (I’m closeted with my family as well) and cried with Mama Letty recounting Ray’s memories and how he was taken and killed by a racist sheriff. I was all around a giant baby during this!

 

I am gutted after this one and it's going to stay with me for a really really long time. Good job, Jas Hammands and an equally good job to the narrator of the audiobook, Tamika Katon-Donegal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Death, Racism, Police brutality, and Hate crime

Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Homophobia

Minor: Pregnancy and Sexual assault

Content warning: police brutality and mentions of KKK, mentions of COVID/pandemic, death of a parent from murder, death of a sibling from murder, religious bigotry, parental abuse/negligence, cigarette use, underaged drinking. For more warnings, please check the user-submitted warnings on Storygraph Representation: Black, biracial, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual

katieritoch's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Murder, and Child abuse

crazybookishcool's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Cancer, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Addiction, Abandonment, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Grief

okayinmybook's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Thank you to Libro.FM for my complementary audio copy of this book!

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My reading year has started off with a 5 star read, We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds.

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Brief Synopsis: Main character Avery is forced to leave her comfortable life in Washington, DC to move to the home of her terminally grandmother in Georgia. Faced with family secrets, new friendships, and big realizations…will Avery discover the truth she’s seeking?

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My thoughts: This is a powerful, emotion driven YA novel. The author’s writing is beautiful and the novel is a perfect mix of character driven and plot driven. The story includes romance, a city’s racial tensions, family secrets, and an ongoing mystery. I loved the characters and was truly invested in them. A true 5 star read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, and Cancer

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad 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? Yes

5.0

I basically read this entire book in one sitting last night, so that should tell you a lot. Before reading this, I felt like it had gotten a lot of buzz in professional publications and on anticipated lists, etc. I'm always nervous with books that get a lot of hype, but trust me, this book is worth it.

Not only is the cover of this book gorgeous, but the writing inside matches. This is Jas Hammonds first novel, but I hope they keep writing becuase there's so much to like about this. Strong characters, beautiful writing, strong emotions. There is almost a story within a story in this book, adding a little mystery to Avery's story. 

At its core, this is a book about generational trauma related to racism, how racial violence can affect a family for years down the line. You are sure to fall in love with the characters, even the ever stubborn Mama Letty. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll gasp. You'll find it all in this book.

Since we're at the end of 2022, put this on your 2023 TBR. You won't be disappointed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Homophobia

Minor: Alcoholism, Police brutality, and Infidelity

hngisreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Police brutality, Hate crime, Murder, Racism, and Racial slurs

kays_reading_journal's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This book was insane. I read it in one day, and spent the last 60 pages bawling my eyes out. I’m not even a teenager anymore, but this threw me right back to when I was 15, terrified to come out to my parents, terrified of the future. This book was filled with love and hurt and pain and trauma and it was done perfectly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, and Homophobia

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Alcoholism, and Murder

lettuce_read's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Grief, Cancer, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Murder, Outing, Cursing, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Classism