This book spoke to my soul. I loved the story, the main character, the heartfelt way that the emotions were expressed. We've all been through something as a teenager that just seems devastating at the time that looking back as an adult was not as bad as we thought. This book deals with a lot of heavy topics (racism, illness, homophobia) so it made me cry but it was a great read.

Avery Anderson wishes her family did not leave D.C. for southern Bardell, Georgia. However, her grandmother's health is deteriorating, so her mother is there to care for her and try to make amends for something they will not discuss with Avery. Soon, Avery makes friends with two other young women, her Black neighbour Simone and the white daughter of the town's most elite family, Jade. Tensions are rising between Avery's mom and her grandmother, but Avery is more interested in learning about her family history, especially about her never talked about grandfather. As she finds out more, she begins to realize that Bardell is full of secrets, and maybe some of them are better left buried.

This book takes a hard look at the racism still running rampant in the southern United States. While the racism of today is more subtle than that of the past, it is still insidious and continues to tear families apart. This book deals with family trauma and the long reach the past can have on the present. Avery's grandfather was murdered and nothing was ever done about it, so her Mama Letty became a shell of a woman. This lead to her drinking, affecting her ability to work and her relationship with her daughter. The two of them are bonded in their pain, trying to repair something almost irrevocably broken. But, Avery wants to help, to be the glue that mends.

Avery is also dealing with warring emotions. She has fallen for her neighbour and friend Simone, but being both Black and queer can be extra dangerous. Simone fears what her mother would do if she every found out her daughter was gay, but Avery begins to suspect something about her mother and Simone's. It's as if the past is being rectified by the lives of these young women, their being allowed to be themselves, to question the world, to shine a light on the atrocities of the past.

I especially loved the restaurant that was a safe haven for the Black and queer community of Bardell and neighbouring towns. It offered breathing room and freedom when Avery and Simone needed it the most. When they needed hope that could not be found in their families, in their community, in their country. It pushed them to seek a different reality to the one that would be forced on them.

This book was so hard to read at times, so emotional and raw. The writing is amazing, the story heartbreaking but also healing. This family is growing, is learning, is leaning on each other for love and support. Mama Letty may not have wanted her family to come back, but their returning to help her actually may have saved her in the end.

And yes, there are a couple of mysteries in this novel and the outcome of the one is shocking, while the outcome of the other is not as shocking as it should be. But, the way that these mysteries are woven into this story, about how this family grapples with these truths and their decisions on what to do and how to let go of the past and embrace a happier future is important.

I enjoyed this, though I didn't love it - but I think that was a me problem, not a book problem. I liked the characters and the plot, but I wasn't blown away, personally.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

This is one of the most important books that wad written in 2022. All of the characters are going through journeys that are so unique and impactful. I was completely immersed in the stories and it is so important for this generation of students to read books that share ideas about racial and gender identity. This will be a favorite of mine for a long time.

This book turned out waaaay better than I expected.

My favorite theme of this story is the truth of generational trauma. I liked how Hammonds created more profound talking points about the drama from the past and came to an equal stance on the matter.

The characters were easy to love, roll your eyes to, cry, and grow with. I love the expressions the main character, Avery, had with herself, even as she was still figuring out her worth. I was not expecting the turn of events that ended the book, and my jaw dropped with the revelations. You gotta read it!

I rated this book 4.5 stars. This story was sad but incredible. I loved watching the characters develop over time, and as heartbreaking as it was, I loved the story's outcome.

Intriguing, mysterious and complex with romance. I was impressed at the author's ability to weave all the aspects into the plot but it never felt forced. I love multigenerational stories and this one was done well. Avery was a great main character.

Short review: this book was incredible. Also, probably my favourite book cover of the year, it’s stunning.

This book covers a lot. Even in the blurb, when the publishers pitched it as a romance and murder mystery and family story, it seems like it’s trying to do so much at once. But somehow it works and it never feels overstuffed or confused in its direction. All these parts contribute to the whole.

There’s also some fun humour and some warm, lovely characters who make this town really feel like a home (along with some not so nice folks), each with their own background of trauma and life experiences.

This is really a story about grief. Avery’s grief over the short time she’ll get with the grandmother she barely knows, and the pervasive grief over the loss of multiple people in this town that their family members are still coming to terms with and trying to understand.

Avery doesn't want to leave DC and the normality she has created. especially for a place that has ghost on every turn. But what she doesn't know is uncovering these ghost will uncover who they truly are. We Deserve Monuments takes a magnifying glass to generational trauma and how keeping the past in the shadows will only harm future generations. Hammonds writes with delicacy and intention making the atmosphere tangible and relatable. While not every character is lovable or actions maybe positive the reader can understand the decisions that brought them to where they are.

NetGalley asks "Would you recommend this book to your students." As an educator, and an LGBTQIA+ ally - absolutely. As an educator in Florida, not so much. I think many of my students would love this book with its themes of love and acceptance and racism and healing. There are so many layers and I am thankful for the chance to have read it. Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan's Children's Publishing for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

We Deserve Monuments is a honest and moving story that follows Avery and her parents from DC to Barbell, Georgia. Avery knows little about her grandmother except that’s she’s terminally ill and that her last visit to Barbell was years ago. Avery being biracial and queer has to cautiously navigate her new surroundings which is filled with racism and homophobia. As she building new relationships in Barbell, she tries her hardest to mend broken family ties and get to know her grandmother, Mama Letty before it’s too late.

There were so many important themes in We Deserve Monuments such as sexuality, racism, friendship and love. But the theme of family really stuck with me as I read about Mama Letty, Zora and Avery.

A lot of families have that thing they don’t talk about. That secret, that trauma, that messy situation. It’s sit under the rug, noticeable but ignored. It’s too painful to talk about. For Avery’s family it’s racial trauma and grief that lingers in the damaged relationship between Mama Letty and Zora. Mama Letty hardened by her past wasn’t able to be present for Zora. Years later, Zora leaves this part of herself behind and rarely shares her family history with Avery.

Avery’s heart to heart with her mother was one of the most touching parts of the novel. Zora peeled back her layers and shared her true self with Avery in that moment. Zora lets Avery in on the difficult family secrets. The things that as you get older humanizes your older relatives in a way you haven’t seen them before. For our young protagonist and for us as readers, it’s a gentle reminder of what it means to be family - Being there for each other in hard times. Empathy and understanding. Forgiveness. Choosing love daily.

“We’re a family… and that means supporting one another. Loving one another, even when things aren’t working out exactly like we planned”.

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds follows three generation of women. After Avery,s grandmother, Mama Letty, becomes terminally ill her mother decides to move them to a small town from DC. Avery hasn’t visited since she was a small child and neither has her mother which has caused a rift between them. Avery tries her best to form a relationship with Mama Letty and is given advice by her neighbor Simone. Simone and Avery form a relationship of their own but in a small town where past secrets and present secrets linger can Avery learn about her past and enjoy the future she was looking forward to. This was a beautiful and heartbreaking (at times) debut. The women in this story were so nuanced and layered. Seeing what the decisions that led and forged each others lives was so interesting. I really enjoyed getting to know all of these characters and seeing them come into their own. The romance between Avery and Simone was so sweet and full of those feelings of first/young love. I enjoyed this novel and am interested in reading more by Jas Hammonds. I gave this 4⭐️.

Oh my gosh, where do I begin? This book was amazing. As someone who grew up in a small Georgia town and often thought about leaving it only to appreciate it as an adult I felt so seen. Really amazing discussion on queerness and Blackness and how those experiences play out differently.

We Deserve Monuments is a excellent and gripping YA novel about intergenerational trauma. Hammonds' characters and plot were complex and well developed. Avery, Jade, and Simon were relatable. I can't wait to see what Hammonds does next.

This book was an excellent debut and really read well. I enjoyed all the characters and the story really flowed.

This was an amazing book! Avery and her family are moving from D.C. to Bardell, a small southern town, to live with her terminally ill grandmother. Her plan is to focus on her grades to get into her dream college, but she ends up making friends and life gets messy. I liked that it included current politics, and the pandemic, it gave it more of a grounded in time feeling.

Moving to a new state, Avery Anderson is forced to confront her estranged grandmother, along with dealing with the normal everyday life of being a teenager. Everything becomes even more complicated when she uncovers some family secrets that chill her to the bone.

This book handles the drama of being a teenager, handling LGBTQAI+ characters, and dealing with being both black and gay while in the South. Hammonds depicts all that and more through the eyes of a teen. It made for a very eye opening read that kept me engaged and guessing to the very end.

this was a great read and I learnt a lot from this, it covered Race and culture very well and was an eye opening novel thoroughly enjoyed

The plot here is a compelling one. I liked seeing how the relationships between these girls as well as between the generations of the protagonist's family developed. Especially as the town's history is also revealed. Many of these complications will come as little surprise - it's set in a small town in the deep south after all. We're going to expect blatant racism. It is the approach to justice versus revenge that gives me some pause.

Avery Anderson and her family move from DC to Bardell, Georgia because her ornery grandmother, Mama Letty, is dying of cancer. However, tensions are high between Avery's mother and grandmother after years of avoidance and resentments. Avery's plan is to keep her head down and just get through her senior year. But plans change when she meets her grandmother's neighbor Simone and her best friend Jade. The three become inseparable as Avery learns more about the town: family secrets, racism, and murder.
Told from Avery's POV, this is a bittersweet novel about generational trauma, first loves, and making peace with the past. Jas Hammonds was able to truly capture Avery's voice, which is a difficult balance when writing YA if it is too casual or juvenile (to the point of being pandering). I enjoyed the characterization of each woman who are flawed and dealing with their own traumas (aside from Jade's stepmother, she was very clearly an amalgam Karen-type villain). Avery's ability to reach out to Mama Letty and grow close to her is endearing as she acted as a generational bridge. Unfortunately, the male characters felt tacked on in the margins (aside from grandpa Ray). Even the town as an observing character/narrator in some portions had more depth than many of the male characters.
I wanted to give this book five stars, but I had a couple gripes 1. the murder mystery answer being tacked on at the end with no repercussions 2. related to 1, that there was no true motive for the murder of Jade's mom as her husband was blatantly having an affair 3. Avery seemed to belittle the true trauma and abuse her mother faced at the hands of Mama Letty.
Overall, this book is a beautiful debut and Hammonds should be proud of themselves for creating empathetic, flawed yet resilient characters and I truly enjoyed this book.