Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for review.

Avery's family moves from DC to Bardell, GA to help take care of her grandmother dying of cancer. Mama Letty has a history of being abusive, but Avery seems to be the key to getting through to her softer side.

Avery meets Simone and Jade and they become fast friends. Soon, Simone and Avery are more than friends. How will that play out in this town full of descendants of the Klan?

Murder, friendships, family relationships all play a part in this story. The ending didn't wrap up as cleanly as I would have liked, but YA audiences will enjoy. Recommend for grades 10 and up

Excellent all around. If I could give more than five stars, I would. Already sharing this book with students.

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.

Contemporary YA fiction is not my preferred genre but I was blown away by this debut novel. It is so nuanced and layered while tugging at my heart stings. I couldn't help but give this one 5 stars. I use the ESCAPES method for rating my reads and my scores for this book are as follows:

Enjoyment: 10/10. I got so caught up in this story. I loved how it was told with brief snippets of the characters past weaved in throughout the narrative. This is not an easy book to read due to the discussion some hard and heavy topics but I loved how it was always done with compassion and grace.

Start: 8/10 The beginning was a little slow but it quickly picked up pace and then I was hooked.

Characters: 10/10 I absolutely loved the characters and their interactions with each other. I thought the way generational trauma was portrayed and dealt with was spot on. I loved being able to see the layers and depth of the characters. The way Hammonds is able to show familial love and the complexities that contains was thoroughly well done. By the end I understood the characters decisions and I loved that everything wasn't clean cut. I also loved how the different relationships were portrayed: Avery and Mama Letty vs Zora and Mama Letty. As a mother myself I deeply understand working through my own trauma while trying to protect my kids from experiencing the same things I did. I also enjoyed the friendships between Avery, Simone, and Jade; and their growth throughout the book.

Atmosphere: 9/10 As a fellow southern small town resident everything rang true. I moved from California to Mississippi 16 years ago and I can relate in so many ways to Avery's experiences and the culture shock as well as the falling in love with the small town atmosphere. Very well done

Plot: 9/10 This book flowed well and there weren't any gaping holes left open. I had guessed the twist at the ending but that didnt make it any less impactful.

Style:9/10 For a debut novel, I thought "We Deserve Monuments" is one of the best books I've read recently. Hammonds has a way with words and driving characters forward while still giving you a taste of the past. This book had so much grief and racism along with generational trauma but in between all of that were these glimpses of hope and love.

I look forward to reading more from Jas Hammonds.

Final rating: 5/5 stars.

A beautifully written book that will draw you in and keep you invested. I didn't want to put this one down!

The disappointment I feel is real because this book started so strong. The set-up for the mystery of the storyline and the setting were written well. However, the characters never felt completely flushed out and that made it difficult for me to sympathize with them when they made stupid decisions. Staying out until 5 am and then expecting your parents not to be upset?? Really?

I could overlook the mediocre characterization in a debut, but the "twist" was what really cinched this as a 2-star read. First of all, the twist didn't make any sense. Second of all, there wasn't evidence to lead up to hint at it to the reader. Third of all, the twist was awful and made one of my favorite characters reprehensible in my eyes.

Also, I was expecting the title to have more of a place in the novel. It was referenced a couple of times, but I wanted more from it.

Omg this book was so good! Being from the South it was highly relatable. I loved how the book depicted generational trauma and the healing that can come with breaking the cycle. It was a sad story, but was so good and so well written.

Thank you to the publisher for an arc via NetGalley for an honest review.

CWs: death of a parent, death (cancer), murder, racism

This was a well written and interesting read. I wasn’t a huge fan of either Avery or Simone’s characters, but I liked the writing style enough to read the whole book. I thought the author did a fantastic job of conveying emotions, especially when Avery was getting emotional about Mama Letty. Those parts made Avery very relatable, and I really connected with her character.
Avery was a very flawed character, and while this made her realistic it also made her a bit insufferable at times. I found her to be quite selfish, and it really bothered me when she kept pushing at her mom and Mama Letty about their issues. She also couldn’t understand that her mom had a lot of trauma from her childhood, and Avery wanted her to just “get over it” and thought it was easy to do so.
I thought that the story seemed to have a lot going on, but it also didn’t. It’s very much character driven, and it’s interesting. I thought the pacing was okay, but there was a lot of repetitive inner thoughts about the same issues.
Avery and Simone’s relationship was interesting, but I felt like they were never on the same page in the beginning of it. I liked the friendship between Avery, Simone and Jade in the beginning.

queer black girl unpacking intergenerational trauma with her family... it's like this book was made for me!!
the way each timeline and character's story intertwined and came together by the end was so satisfying. jas hammonds is an incredible storyteller. it's rare that i ever see myself represented so clearly in books, but this one had me gasping and relating on nearly every page. i loved it!!

Oh yeah 5 fuckin stars because I thought I was gonna go this whole year without crying over a book but this one got me 3 times. 3 fuckin times. Jas deserves all the monuments for the beautiful writing that is this book. I'm speechless rn but more coherent thoughts coming.

I still don't have coherent thoughts just came back to remind everyone to pick up this book because it's soo good!

These characters and this story y'all!
One thing is I'm mad at the ending that these people in this town still didn't learn nothing.

5 STARS! I am falling more and more in love with contemporary YA, and Hammonds really kills it with this piece. CW: racism, homophobia, cancer, homicide. A story of unpacking generational trauma with some queer rep and beautiful writing. Be ready to feel all the feels.

A beautifully written story of family and identity that will stay with readers. Hammonds expertly explores family secrets and uncomfortable truths with moving prose and a highly engaging story. Strongly recommended!

Honestly, this was a fabulous book! I was intrigued by the protagonist's story and how she learned more and more about her family's history. I also adored her relationship with Simone, and how it grew. There was a great sense of LGBTQ the community and their joy, even living in a very conservative area. 5 stars for sure. I can't wait for Jas Hammonds' next book!

This book tackles some complex issues and is thus important to read.

The book starts out quite slow, with Avery's arrival in Bardell and some elements of backstory and because the first scene is her arrival, it meant that I struggled to get started within the book. However, it quickly picks up as key characters are introduced, so the slight dip in pace at the beginning of the novel does not affect the story too much.

Avery was well fleshed out -- her frustration, confusion, anger and joy were all well developed. Her slow navigation of her breakup and her questioning over whether or not her feelings for someone new were requited or not were all visibly new processes for her and it was wonderful to see her grow.

The side characters were less fleshed out and thus came off as irritating sometimes; some of their decisions would seem unreasonable and at times they just seemed stubborn for no reason. However, Avery's family, friendship and relationship dynamics made all of it worth it.

Grief plays such a large part within this book that it felt as though it was a character itself. I think it was wonderfully written; I nearly cried several times. The writing is absolutely beautiful and I loved the structure where in there are interval chapters.

However, the places within this book struggles are in relation to the plot itself -- a lot of it is so intricately woven that it becomes confusing. Sometimes things are only hinted at but hinted at in such a way as to still be vague or hinted at in such an obvious manner that you start questioning yourself. There were also quite a lot of different subplots which meant that the story seemed to jump from one thing to another sometimes.

Overall, a great book with some minor issues that honestly do not detract from the enjoyment of the book to much. If you are someone who does not get irritated by people behaving irrationally easily, this will be a 5 star read for you.

There is so much I loved about this--truly one of the best YA books I've read in a long time! The authors weaved together so many different storylines seamlessly. Somehow this is a coming-of-age novel that is about queerness and first love and also tackles issues of intergenerational trauma and legacy and racist violence head-on. It's a gut-punch of a book in the best possible way. I cannot believe this is a debut and I am so excited to see what Jes Hammonds writes next.

My Thoughts:

This story is about dysfunction and secrets. The passive but supportive peace makers seem to be the two men, but Avery's dad is always gone playing music and her grandfather has been dead since Avery's mom was a little girl.

The women, Mama Letty, her mom and Avery all have their own demons to tackle in order to better understand each other. Added to that is the pressure of taking care of Mama Letty and getting to know her before she dies. She is hard to get close to, but I found the Mama Letty character as misunderstood and grieving. Unfortunately, Avery's mother pays the price for her mother's pain.

Although the three friends, Avery, Simone Cole and Jade Oliver represent a more contemporary friendship that bridges race and class, this little southern town is still ensconced in racism, classism and homophobia. It is not safe for any one as the family in power, the Olivers still have all the power. For Avery, who did not grow up in the south, this is a jarring way to live and she has difficulty filtering the truth. The question from the publisher is a great anticipation question prior to reading this book.

Next read could be Where the Crawdads Sing.

From the Publisher:
What’s more important: Knowing the truth or keeping the peace?

Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.

While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family―whose mother’s murder remains unsolved.

As the three girls grow closer―Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance―the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell―or if some things are better left buried.

Publication information:
Author: Jas Hammonds

Publisher: Roaring Books Press

Publication date: November 29, 2022

So many layers to this book. Mama Letty is hilarious and I can picture my own grandmother saying many of her lines. It made me consider the varying relationships family members have with our elders, many of which are survivors of trauma. So take that, alongside a cute queer love story and grief and joy woven together beautifully.

First, thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Now onto it! Two words: heartbreakingly beautiful. I loved the writing style and plot development as well as the way generational trauma is addressed. While, yes, this book has a couple flaws, the good far outweighs them, and even then, they aren't even remotely overwhelming. I think the flaws that are there make it more real, more raw. Jas Hammonds handles everything with such care, such reverence, and that really comes across when reading. This one is a re-read for me.

5/5

This is a moving YA novel about intergenerational trauma. Avery is distraught when she has to move, in her senior year, from D.C. to Georgia to help care for her dying grandma. Avery does not have a relationship with her prickly grandparent, and as the story progresses, the mystery of Mamma Letty's past becomes clear and the reader understands how racism in the past continues to impact Black people today. A sweet Sapphic romance adds to the story. Recommended for high school and up.

A very moving book.
This was a bit of a tough read for me to get through but the Romance and the mystery ended up being well worth it.
It is a light sapphic romance that has me crying at parts.
There are some trigger warnings: homophobia, murder, cancer