A review by elwirax
We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

emotional fast-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? No

3.0

“She was a sunflower. Beautiful. Standing tall, searching for warmth and expansion. The kind of flower whose field you could get lost in.”
 

I fear that as time has passed, I have started to outgrow YA and it's unfair of me to keep rating them so low especially when they discuss important societal issues and complex family dynamics like We Deserve Monuments did. Nevertheless, there was unfortunately very few things I actually liked about this book. 

I loved the family dynamics in this book and the discussions on generational trauma and emotional abuse, they were done in a very heartfelt way. I liked that Avery wanted to find out about her family history and wanted to strengthen the relationships in her family despite not always understanding the pain and suffering that her mum carried and that some things simply cannot be forgiven quickly. Her mum coming out as bisexual was also a very heartwarming scene especially as older people often had to suppress themselves (especially if they grew up in small, conservative towns). I thought the conversations on police brutality and racism were raw and devastating and really made me feel the hurt felt by each person who knew and loved Ray (even if it was through the memories of others). I think these discussions were the book's strengths. 

However, the mystery aspect of this book didn't really work out for me, it almost felt tacked on just for heightened drama and was mostly forgotten about until the end ( though I understand that it came from a place of great sorrow). I wasn't very convinced by Avery and Simone's relationship, it was too fast and not fully developed which is a shame because it brought up great conversations around being Black and queer. I also wanted Avery to be wee bit more sympathetic to Simone and her struggles surrounding coming out to a hyper-religious family. Lastly, I think that some of the characters' actions were far too immature for me to fully enjoy, although I do appreciate that the author presented teenagers authentically, messy and all.
 

Overall, a fantastic book about intergenerational trauma, racism and queerness and I would highly recommend it for those aspects. Everything else sadly didn't work out for me and I'm ashamed for rating this book so low. 
 
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