A review by delz
We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

dark emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

We Deserve Monuments is a really intense story. Avery is a pansexual, mixed race, senior in high school, but instead of finishing school at home in DC she’s being dragged to small town Bardell, Georgia. Her mom, Zora is going to take care of her dying mom, Momma Letty. They’ve not seen one another since Avery was 5 years old and the only thing Avery remembers from that visit was a screaming fight between the two women. Momma Letty’s neighbor was a close friend of Zora’s and she has a daughter, Simone. Simone and Avery are the same age. At first they’re tentative especially since Simone has Jade Oliver, her best friend. As Avery tries desperately to know her grandparents and discover what happened to her murdered grandpa Ray she realizes there are layers to the her family’s secrets that involve Bardell’s own dark secrets. The town’s ingrained racism and the unsolved murders of Jade Oliver’s mother and her own grandpa Ray. The story delves into all the messy relationship issues, good and bad. This is a beautifully written story, at times very relatable, always engaging. 
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