Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

17 reviews

powellki's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Gun violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Addiction, Sexism, Outing, Misogyny, Grief, Child abuse, Cursing, Violence, Religious bigotry, Racism, Medical content, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, and Police brutality

Minor: Sexual assault

shector1's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Cancer

Moderate: Racism, Murder, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Medical content, Cursing, Biphobia, and Outing

Minor: Blood, Car accident, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

shadesofdivine's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racism, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Homophobia, Biphobia, Classism, Death, and Death of parent

mezzythedragon's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Grief, Death, Alcohol, Cursing, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Terminal illness

CW // intergenerational trauma, abuse, racism, death, internalized queerphobia, alcohol and drug use This is some hard-hitting, heavy stuff. A clear example of “hurt people hurt people.” Even though both Zora and Mama Letty have gone through/are still going through their personal traumas, they too have done some terrible things to each other, and in Zora’s case, to Avery as well. I will say the ending

regarding Mama Letty and her box

threw me by surprise. 👀

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

readingwithtrey's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Racism, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Cursing, Lesbophobia, Violence, Police brutality, Car accident, and Emotional abuse

asparagusisreading's review

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

If you are looking for a slow-burn and character-driven story that follows a teenager navigating the complexities of family relationships after a difficult falling out, then this book is for you. This book follows Avery and her family who recently has moved in with Mama Letty, Avery's grandmother, after finding out her health has gotten worse due to a terminal illness. The book continues to follow Avery as she is building a relationship with her mother and grandmother, learning the history behind the town her mother grew up in, and what happened that causes such a rift in the family. This is all happening in a small town with watchful eyes and rumors that spread like wildfire when Avery is trying to find herself such as shaving her head, her sexuality, her future career, what school to attend. There is also a small mystery about involving deaths that happened years prior unraveling as the story goes on. There is hope, tears, laughter, fear, anger, love, and so many more emotions that portray the complexity and messiness of all kinds of relationships.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Cursing

Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, and Homophobia

Minor: Murder and Police brutality