A review by dhatislandbookworm
We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

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. 
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