Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

40 reviews

dhatislandbookworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.5

How does an author encapsulate a story that perfectly balances the journey of three generations of women unpacking years of trauma, a murder mystery, and a love story? I have no idea, but Jas Hammonds did that and then some. 

In Monuments, Avery and her family move to her mother’s hometown of Bardell, Georgia to take care of her dying grandmother, Mama Letty. While there, the women of the family must reckon with family secrets, race relations, homophobia, and more. 

 

Avery has so much depth as a 17-year-old MC and you can feel the weight that she carries on her shoulders as a queer, biracial girl in a small town trying navigate a new normal and mend her family at the same time. We also get an intimate look at the complex mother/daughter relationships between the women in the family and how deep old scars can affect the next generation. Monuments further does an excellent job of showcasing how the past bigotry in Bardell still affects the town in the present day. 

 

But don’t get it twisted: just because this book deals with heavy topics doesn’t mean that’s all there is to it. Despite the subject matter, Hammonds is able to weave in moments of friendship, healing, and unadulterated queer joy for Avery and her love interest, Simone, which made my heart swell. 

 

I didn‘t know what to expect jumping into this book, but safe to say I was not disappointed. This is a book that people will be talking about for years to come and should be required reading for everyone in school and beyond. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Death, Cursing, and Grief

Minor: Drug use, Murder, and Alcoholism

robinks's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

I really enjoyed the cast of characters, and the relationships/conversations between them felt real. As a queer person who is estranged from bio family, the way some of the family issues were worked through rubbed me the wrong way.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Outing, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Death, Racism, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Biphobia, Child abuse, Abandonment, Cancer, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Cursing, Vomit, Infidelity, and Violence

Minor: Bullying, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Pandemic/Epidemic

smilagros's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

If y’all haven’t picked this book up. Go do it. Like right now. It was so incredible. I listened to it on audio and the audio narrator was incredible. She get different voices to each character. This book had it all, discussions about mixed couples, LGBTQ+ topics, grief, anger, generational trauma. I feel that this book had so much but it did not feel overwhelming at the same time. I think everyone can resonate with atleast something in this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Racism, Grief, and Emotional abuse

evoorde's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Racism

Moderate: Murder and Emotional abuse

Minor: Homophobia

adrianas65's review against another edition

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

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Outing, Racism, Cancer, Classism, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Police brutality, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

goodthingsread's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

This one really hit me hard, especially the ending. I should have seen the twist coming; in hindsight, it's almost too obvious to call it a twist. But I was too wrapped up in the emotions of the stories to spend time on the mystery, such as it is. There are times when I read YA novels and the characters do things that I understand, but the thoughts and feelings motivating those actions are never fully or accurately described. I didn't feel that way with this novel. Hammonds has a beautiful way of writing. Just enough, never too much. I look forward to more from them. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Racism, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Outing

Minor: Body shaming and Police brutality

murve's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Outing, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Biphobia, Medical content, Police brutality, Racism, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, and Grief

ahoyitsjoy's review

emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.5

Loved the book for the most part, but felt like the ending was really abrupt considering the slow pacing of most of it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, Death of parent, Grief, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Death

Moderate: Outing, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse

otakatoe3's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Death, Outing, Cancer, Hate crime, Bullying, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Homophobia, Murder, Death of parent, Grief, and Racism

sad_sunflower's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Lesbophobia, Murder, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Death, Outing, Religious bigotry, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Racism, Hate crime, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Body shaming and Car accident