Reviews with content warning for Lesbophobia - 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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jillgoober's review

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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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cassellwrites's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0

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mezzythedragon's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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albon's review

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dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

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amandalorianxo's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

But at the end of it, the only thing I could say was, “ I love you.”Then the ice broke, the tears came, and I was drowning.” 4.5 stars

You can tell how much love and emotion it took for this debut to come together and I can’t thank Jas enough for creating this wonderful young adult novel. It centers around 17 year old Avery Anderson, a biracial teen from DC who moves to Bardell,Georgia after finding out that Mama Letty (Avery’s mother) has terminal breast cancer. The relationships we uncover in this book have a lot of deep rooted, repressed trauma and sometimes acknowledged verbal /emotional tendencies that lean towards abusive. Avery along with the audience unpacks a lot within the several months she is living in Bardell. This definitely leaves you thinking and wishing that more people of color did in fact have monuments dedicated to them because lord knows the Confederates of the past have no business being glorified. My only critique were the random flashbacks that weren’t necessarily needed or could have been implemented a different way.

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kays_reading_journal's review against another edition

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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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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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