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jessicaludden's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
“I always thought falling in love would feel like an endless summer. Warm and whimsical, sugar-sweet sherbet and sparklers lighting up the sky. But was autumn now, and the world was still beautiful, and it all reminded me of her.”
I am a puddle of tears after reading this book. I loved it. I don’t know how the author did it but they managed to make me feel utterly hopeless and completely hopeful at the same time. This book holds a lot of power. It’s in the scenes where three generations of women are battling through their trauma and grief, whether with or against each other, that it really shows. Jas Hammonds did an amazing job of showing the complexities of trauma within a family and how that trauma can be passed on through generations. They also included the very raw and realistic histories of racism in the south. They put a face and a name to these horrors and were able to show how this history of hatred impacts actual people. Some of my favorite scenes were the conversations between Avery and Mama Letty where they were able to reminisce on Mama Lefty’s love with Ray, but also Avery was able to get bits and pieces of the awful events that resulted in Ray’s death. Jas Hammonds conveyed Avery’s desperation to know more and then her anger and helplessness when she realized there was nothing she could do. I loved Avery’s character. I love her determinedness to know more and do more for those she loved. I loved watching her grow into herself. Overall, I laughed, I cried, and I stared into space thinking. This book was beautiful.
I am a puddle of tears after reading this book. I loved it. I don’t know how the author did it but they managed to make me feel utterly hopeless and completely hopeful at the same time. This book holds a lot of power. It’s in the scenes where three generations of women are battling through their trauma and grief, whether with or against each other, that it really shows. Jas Hammonds did an amazing job of showing the complexities of trauma within a family and how that trauma can be passed on through generations. They also included the very raw and realistic histories of racism in the south. They put a face and a name to these horrors and were able to show how this history of hatred impacts actual people. Some of my favorite scenes were the conversations between Avery and Mama Letty where they were able to reminisce on Mama Lefty’s love with Ray, but also Avery was able to get bits and pieces of the awful events that resulted in Ray’s death. Jas Hammonds conveyed Avery’s desperation to know more and then her anger and helplessness when she realized there was nothing she could do. I loved Avery’s character. I love her determinedness to know more and do more for those she loved. I loved watching her grow into herself. Overall, I laughed, I cried, and I stared into space thinking. This book was beautiful.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Grief, Lesbophobia, Racism, Hate crime, Cancer, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Outing, Police brutality, and Death of parent
xangemthelibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Three words come to mind when I think of this story as a whole: Powerful. Authentic. Tender.
Jas Hammonds has created a truly wonderful story that does not shy away from grief, yet still manages to gently point out beauty amidst the pain.
Avery Anderson, a Black queer high schooler, has been suddenly and unwillingly uprooted from her home in Washington DC and moved to Bardell, Georgia to help her estranged, dying grandmother, Mama Letty. Though Mama Letty is frosty and guarded, and Avery's only plan is to get in, get out, and keep to herself, Avery quickly becomes curious about her last surviving grandparent and the life she lived. As Mama Letty slowly opens up, Avery uncovers more and more of Bardell's racist and homophobic history. Then there's Simone. Beautiful, vibrant Simone whom Avery falls hard for. And Jade, the daughter of the richest man in town, whom Avery befriends alongside Simone. Suddenly "get in, get out, and keep to yourself" is a lot more complicated.
Avery is such a well-written character and is greatly supported by Hammonds' ability to describe places and emotions vividly. Readers will feel everything Avery feels deeply: the pain, hurt, love, anger, and hope. While reading, and even now thinking back on the story, I feel like Avery is a real person, somewhere out there in this world. Just like Mama Letty and Dr. Zora Anderson, Avery's mom, feel real to me as well. And it's these characters who really breathe life into this story. Their reactions, especially Avery's, to uncovering the unhealed wounds of the past are so human, you can't help but hurt with them. And Hammonds has this wonderful way of weaving hope and healing into this story that holds so much hurt.
I am very excited for this book to come out. It's a wonderful debut by a wonderful author, and I'm sure it will touch many of the people who read it.
Jas Hammonds has created a truly wonderful story that does not shy away from grief, yet still manages to gently point out beauty amidst the pain.
Avery Anderson, a Black queer high schooler, has been suddenly and unwillingly uprooted from her home in Washington DC and moved to Bardell, Georgia to help her estranged, dying grandmother, Mama Letty. Though Mama Letty is frosty and guarded, and Avery's only plan is to get in, get out, and keep to herself, Avery quickly becomes curious about her last surviving grandparent and the life she lived. As Mama Letty slowly opens up, Avery uncovers more and more of Bardell's racist and homophobic history. Then there's Simone. Beautiful, vibrant Simone whom Avery falls hard for. And Jade, the daughter of the richest man in town, whom Avery befriends alongside Simone. Suddenly "get in, get out, and keep to yourself" is a lot more complicated.
Avery is such a well-written character and is greatly supported by Hammonds' ability to describe places and emotions vividly. Readers will feel everything Avery feels deeply: the pain, hurt, love, anger, and hope. While reading, and even now thinking back on the story, I feel like Avery is a real person, somewhere out there in this world. Just like Mama Letty and Dr. Zora Anderson, Avery's mom, feel real to me as well. And it's these characters who really breathe life into this story. Their reactions, especially Avery's, to uncovering the unhealed wounds of the past are so human, you can't help but hurt with them. And Hammonds has this wonderful way of weaving hope and healing into this story that holds so much hurt.
I am very excited for this book to come out. It's a wonderful debut by a wonderful author, and I'm sure it will touch many of the people who read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing and Racism
Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Death, Murder, and Child abuse
Minor: Infidelity
alylentz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.0
This is an ambitious but brilliantly executed coming-of-age debut that focuses on Avery as she tries to make a home for herself in a small Southern town and get to know her dying grandmother. Avery, her family and friends, and Mama Letty are all memorable and realistically drawn characters, and while this novel is emotional and complex, it was also very fun to read about Avery making friends and falling in love for the first time. Avery slowly learns the history of her own family as well as the dark history of the town, and following the mysteries definitely kept me turning the pages. I am so impressed that this is a debut and know I will be picking up the next thing Jas Hammonds has to offer us. I can't wait to recommend this to teen readers who are looking for complex queer characters, deep family relationships, and richly drawn settings.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Cancer, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Hate crime, Child abuse, and Gun violence
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
When her family learns that her grandmother is dying, Avery is uprooted from her life in D.C. and transplanted to her mom’s tiny hometown in Georgia. She leaves behind her college-obsessed friends (and ex) just before starting her senior year in a town where she knows no one, including her own grandmother. Years of lost time span between three generations of Black women, and Avery is determined to unearth the divisive secrets that color her family and finally get to know her impenetrable grandmother, all while getting to know herself. A debut novel about who and what is worth remembering with a special focus on Black queer love in the South, We Deserve Monuments is unforgettable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Classism, Cancer, Hate crime, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Terminal illness
Minor: Vomit, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Police brutality, and Sexual content
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