4.5

I flew through this book. And then I cried a lot at the end.

This was a phenomenal, heartbreaking, uplifting, spirit-warming, coming-of-age novel. It is a testament to the importance of unpacking your trauma and a reminder that setting boundaries is okay. But it also reminds the reader that forgiveness doesn't always have to be to heal the other person...but most importantly, yourself.

Avery was a wonderful narrator. The relationship she had with Mama Letty reminded me a lot of the relationship my (grumpy) grandpa and I had. The individual vignette moments about the history of the town and the people who lived there added a unique bit of storytelling. It was a great way to introduce these things without dumping the information and clogging up the main story. The situations in which Avery found herself were honest to the high school experience. I remember going through similar situations at that age.

While this book had its moments of heartbreak and tragedy, within that darkness were neon-bright flashes of love, kindness, friendship and healing.

I love books that amplify Black, queer voices, which Hammonds did beautifully. I imagine that a part of Avery's story is a part of Jas' story as well.

There was one revelation toward the end that I wasn't fond of, and would dock a half-star if I could. But the rest of the story--especially the scene at the Renascence--made me comfortable giving this book a solid five stars.

This is a truly amazing debut novel from the author and I am excited to see what they continue to bring to the writing community.

I loved this powerful story, the writing is immaculate and I highly enjoyed the plot! Jas Hammonds writes stellar characters.

Holy wow! This one is a must read! I loved Avery's story and the family drama was very believable. I'm so happy to see some LGBT rep that isn't over dramatized.

I've sat on this review for a week or so now, trying to wrap my mind around the words that can properly sum up the beauty and heartache that was We Deserve Monuments. I laughed and I sobbed my way through an entire box of tissues in equal measure. Jas Hammonds has created an atmospheric, poignant young adult debut novel that is sure to stick with readers long after they close the book.

We Deserve Monuments follows the story of senior Avery Anderson, hauled away from her life in DC to rural Bardell, Georgia, to help her parents take care of her estranged grandmother, the terminally ill Mama Letty. She arrives to find secrets long buried between her mother and grandmother, a town's history steeped in racism, and her own questions about the future surfacing. Her main comfort comes in the form of next-door neighbor Simone Cole, stunning and witchy and perfect, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the richest family in town (and daughter of a mother whose murder haunts Bardell still). As Avery grows closer to Mama Letty and her two friends, she starts to discover the hidden racist secrets of Bardell that will connect all of them in unimaginable ways.

This book is beautiful. From the romance between Avery and Simone, to the unfolding mystery that surrounds Bardell and the major players of the story, it is all so artfully written so as to hug at your heartstrings in the best way. The friendship that develops between Avery, Simone, and Jade is so genuine, while the growing bond between Avery, her mother, and her grandmother throughout the book feels earned with each subsequent chapter. The side character chapters, little glimpses into other lives mentioned throughout the story, are so artfully written to add extra detail. I left this story both sobbing and so completely satisfied after the epilogue; I cannot wait to see what Hammonds creates next.

4.5 stars rounded down, but really good.

This book really managed to weave a queer coming of age story, family drama, mourning and loss, white supremacy, and mysteries all into one. There were flashbacks from side characters which can be an annoying technique but worked really well here for me. The main character made a lot of questionable choices but believably so. The ways that families protect and hurt each other, and the ways that cultural oppression plays out interpersonally, was so much of what worked in this book, without feeling didactic. I think this book would work well as a summer reading option or in a high school library.

As I started reading this book, I thought maybe that the descriptions were overdone and I wondered if the author could keep up this style throughout the book. When I finished reading the book I wanted to stand up and shout "bravo" to the author. Not only did she keep it up, but she created a vision in my head with an unforgettable place and unforgettable characters. It's one of those books that manages to include a truckload of "issues" but in a very natural and believable way.
I'd easily recommend this book to a wide audience. It has so much to offer and every reader will come away with something be they of the YA or adult population.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's a winner!

3.5 stars rounded up.

Past trauma, both for individuals and a community, impacts the present in a small Georgia town in this powerful story with many threads and intersections.

Biracial Avery and her Black mother and white father move to Bardell County after finding out that her grandmother, Mama Letty, is dying. It’s Avery’s senior year at high school and she should be focusing on academics and college apps, but she finds herself distracted by her new friends, Black Simone and white Jade, and by her efforts to get to know her grandmother who she hasn’t seen for many years.

The three young women form an immediate and close bond, despite their different family and economic circumstances. Jade is from one of the town’s wealthiest families who live in a “plantation” house and own the town’s luxe hotel and spa, though Jade herself eschews their values. Simone’s mother, a single parent, works at this hotel. Avery’s mother left town when she went to college and is now an astrophysics professor married to a white jazz musician.

At first, mean and bitter Mama Letty refuses to open up to Avery, but persistence wins out and she gradually reveals her story, at least some of it. Avery is frustrated by her mother’s constant headbutting with Mama Letty, but there is a story there too which is gradually revealed. As Avery, and by default the reader, learns more of the history of her family and Bardell County, the horror of the past comes alive.

There is also a romance as out Avery finds herself attracted to Simone, but being gay in Bardell County is not as socially acceptable as it was in Washington DC. It’s only when they find The Renaissance, a haven for gay people, that Avery and Simone are able to express their real feelings.

Do things move a little too fast? Avery shrugs off her old life within a few days and forms a tight friendship with Jade and Simone within a week, but I guess teens do that. More effectively, Mama Letty’s softening after a decades-long schism with her daughter feels authentic because she has such a short time left. I was moved by the reconciliation of the family, catalyzed by Avery, as they take a final beach vacation.

With its timely themes and very attractive cover, I think this will be a big hit in my library.

Thanks to Roaring Brook and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Holy shit. This one brought out the waterworks for me. I was ~90% done with the book and started balling, in public, in a packed Starbucks. I enjoyed this book so much, I will definitely be looking out for Jas Hammonds’ next book. I cannot believe this is their first title.

Avery and her parents move from DC to Bardell, Georgia to help her terminally ill/estranged grandmother. Upon arrival, it’s clear there’s a big reason Zora Anderson ran away from Bardell, and an even bigger family secret. Avery’s plan: get in and get out without investing herself, she’s not staying permanently anyway, right? At least, that was the plan until she meets Simone and Jade, and quickly learns what it’s like to become more herself than she’s ever been capable in DC.

Racism
Set against a predominantly white town, “We Deserve Monuments” highlights the racism that still exists to this day. With the town’s history, the family’s not so recent past, and the current atmosphere, the racism is palpable.

Sexuality
This book deals a lot with the characters’ sexualities. Hammonds shows multiple points of views and different ways parents may respond to their child coming out as queer. It’s a big point, and it’s done very smoothly.

Family Dynamic
-Progression
There are many relationships in this novel. Essentially, “We Deserve Monuments” highlights how those dynamics change through the generations. We are not necessarily our parents’ children, or our grandparents’ grandchildren. What their predecessors believed to be the way of life is not what Avery and her friends believe and it’s clear to see how progressive they are. In the same breath, it’s shown that how one generation deals with problems is not how their progeny deals with problems. For example, where Zora Anderson is clinical, practical, and chooses to “focus forward” (essentially denying there even is a problem), her daughter Avery inquires about the root of the problem and works towards finding a solution.
Hammonds also shows the different parental units that are raising the current generation. Ranging from open and accepting, strict and authoritative, to hypocritical and passive aggressively racist.

-Secrets
Each family has its secrets. That is to say, each parent is hiding something from their children that can affect them significantly. The secrets seem to be the point of contention that Avery continuously tries to break. She takes on this responsibility that is far too much for a 17 year old to carry.
-Carrying what isn’t ours
Avery is the type of person that will take on whatever your problem is and make it hers. She feels it is her responsibility to fix whatever is causing any kind of strife in her family and friend’s lives. That is, until an unlikely figure calls her out on it.

Characters
As a main character, Avery is relatable, reliable, and realistic. She’s a senior in high school who’s been displaced from the life she knows into a town that’s rampant with bigotry and racism. We see the consequence of this in how Avery starts to find herself and her identity. She begins to question who she was in DC and holds that person against who she’s becoming in Bardell.

Writing Style
The book is told in first person from Avery’s point of view. There are snippets (for lack of a better term) that are interspersed between the chapters. These snippets read like a newspaper clipping, are omniscient, and provide insight to realities that Avery isn’t and couldn’t be privy to.

The pace is consistent, and medium. The plot is captivating, I wanted to continue reading to find out what happened next. I stopped watching SVU to read, if that tells you anything.

Hammonds has this way of writing that creates an atmosphere of possible persecution at any moment. It’s not stated explicitly, but the town’s old ways are constantly at the background, making it so I was always worried for Avery and her loved ones.

Overall, the tone of the book is serious, but there are some very funny interactions to diffuse the tension.
How I Read the Book
I read the book entirely as an e-book. My eyes are tired, ya’ll, but it was worth it.

GoodReads says this is 384 pages, the ebook I read says 255 pages.

The title caught my attention, the plot seemed mysterious and realistic, and I thought I saw one of my friends on the cover (see: representation matters). I came for the plot, I stayed for the story.

It feels weird to say I enjoyed this book, so I’ll say I appreciate the book and I am thankful I got the opportunity to read it. This book helped me feel something I’ve been trying to avoid for over a month now. It’s one that’ll stay with me for a while.

Fuck it - I liked the book! It talks about heavy shit, and it’s important others read it!

I want everyone to read this book!

Ratings
Overall: 5/5
Heaviness: 5/5

Trigger warnings (contains spoilers)
Racism (colorism), anti-LGBTQ attitudes, hospital/death of a loved one, strained family


Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and Roaring Book Press for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

When 17 year old Avery gets the news that Mama Letty, her grandmother is dying, her family uproot her from DC to Georgia to go take care of her until she's gone. She quickly realizes her mother and Mama Letty's relationship is very strained. As she spends more time in Georgia, she learns more about her family history and its connections to the town and the deep secrets held there.

I listened to this on audio, and I think that the narrator did an amazing job bringing all of these characters to life. I really enjoyed Avery and her voice in this story. I think she was a very three-dimensional and relatable character. I loved Mama Letty and her complicated relationship with the entire family. I think she was such a complex character, and I loved learning more about her and her past as I read on. I liked the discussions on the cycle of abuse and how its broken, generational trauma, homophobia and racism in this novel. I also really enjoyed the discussions on queerness, and how it looks different for everyone. I love the girl next door trope, and I thought the relationship between Simone and Avery was sweet. I liked how they had to navigate things together, and learn how to communicate with not only each other but those around them as well. The book is sometimes sad, sometimes funny, and sometimes sweet... definitely recommend.

This is a very entertaining book with an important message. I will absolutely recommend it to teens at my library.

It's about a modern teen who moves from DC to a small town in rural Georgia because of her grandmother's cancer diagnosis. Her mother and grandmother have been estranged for years and their relationship gets in the way of Avery getting to know her grandmother. As Avery attempts to understand and heal their relationship, she gets to know her grandmother and learns about the trauma and racism she has faced and how her grandmother's pain effected her mother while she was growing up. While she learns about the racism in her family's past she experiences more subtle racism, and homophobia, in the present.

This is a great story with many layers of narrative. It is the story of a family coping with the impending death of a matriarch, of the impact that trauma can have on generations, a story of what it can be like to be queer and black in the rural south of the US, and a look at racism in this country both past and present.

Jas Hammonds’ We Deserve Monuments may be the strongest debut novel I’ve ever read. It hits every mark a great YA coming of age story requires - complex characters, layered plot lines, family conflict grounded in love and secrets - all of which are grounded in a southern town tainted by racist roots. The author’s own experiences as a mixed race member of the LGBTQIAP+ community provide such heart wrenching and heartwarming vignettes within the novel; the authenticity provides a warm glow that is missing from the works of those who have not lived the story. This is going to be an important read for teens for a long time.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this outstanding debut novel.

Jas Hammonds' We Deserve Monuments was a heartfelt queer coming-of-age novel centered around family history.

It follows Avery a DC senior in high school set on attending Georgetown, who is forced to move to a small town in Alabama to spend time with her dying grandmother. Avery knows little about her grandmother and her family's history in the town, but no one in her family is willing to answer her questions.

This book is, at its core, a coming of age tale. It truly revolves around Avery's reckoning with who she is, where she came from, and what future she wants for herself. While this book may be marketed as a mystery, the 'mystery' is really just another facet of Avery's coming of age. It honestly takes a back seat to all of the other things that Avery is experiencing. So, be warned, if you go into this book looking for a mystery, it won't deliver in the way that you a thinking.

The character development in this book was amazing. I was so moved by the progression of Avery's relationship with Mama Letty, her ailing grandmother. I also enjoyed the WLW relationship. I did want more from Avery's parents as characters, particularly her dad.

The writing of this book was hit or miss--though, mostly hit. A lot of it was very beautiful, but some of it--particularly in emotional moments--felt very cliche, almost formulaic, like the author was following an equation for how to write an emotional scene.

At the end of the day, this book felt incredibly real. The characters' lives were messy and imperfect. They didn't wrap up in a neat little bow.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a queer coming of age tale or to people that are drawn in by family histories and buried stories from the past. I truly enjoyed this book, and it was a quick read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the advance Kindle copy of this 11.29.22 release. All opinions are my own.
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this coming of age story. With her estranged grandmother Mama Letty dying, high school senior Avery and her family move from DC to a small Georgia town to be with her. Avery has only met her grandmother once before, during a Christmas visit that ended in a fight between her mom and Mama Letty, and an early flight home. Now, starting over her senior year, Avery struggles to connect with her grumpy grandmother, while also finding fast friends - and maybe more - with two girls, one of which is from the family her grandmother says killed her grandfather. I loved the characters, cried a little, and was sad to see this one end. Hand to readers in grades 9+.

Avery is uprooted from her life in DC when her family moves to rural Georgia to take care of her dying grandmother. She soon makes friends with Simone and Jade, but her family seems a mess. Her mom and grandma never seem to get along. There is also more mystery around town - her grandfather years ago was murdered and justice was never served, and her friend Jade's mother was murdered 12ish years ago, also never solved. In addition to all that, she finds romance with Simone, who is not out to anyone. As Avery tries to juggle with all of this, she has to learn more about herself and her family to help everyone get peace.

I liked this book a lot. The description says part mystery, part romance, butttt I don't really think that's a good categorization, especially with mystery. There is a little romance, but it's not the central plot point. Also for the mystery, the description makes it sound like they are actively searching for clues, but that is not the case at all. It really is a back plot. I felt like the book wrapped up a little too quickly. I didn't even realize the epilogue was the epilogue at first because it doesn't say that or like 10 years later. It's also pretty short for all the info it tries to jam in. Overall, if you are looking for a good coming of age story with social justice themes, this is a good book to read!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First, thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

This was so gorgeously written and the story is so compelling. I've been in a major reading slump lately, and this one kept me engaged and wanting to read all night long. Avery, her mom, and Mama Letty are a trio of trauma and tragedy, all feeling the sadness and pain of varied life cirumstances. I loved how the stories intersected in unpredicatable, and honestly some predictable, ways. The side characters of Simone and Jade lent to the drama, but also the stability of Avery's life.

A side thing I really liked was this was the first YA book I've read to mention Covid and its affect on teenagers and their lives. It felt real and honest and like a good tribute to a group of kids who lost so much during these years.

Overall, I really loved this book and I'm so excited to get it for my school library.

We Deserve Monuments was beautiful. A must read for YA fans, especially if you like Queer/BIPOC teen romances, real talk about racism and history, small town secrets and mystery, and families working through generational trauma. It hit so many perfect notes, and the writing was so captivating. The author captured what felt like real, genuine teens living complicated lives. I couldn't put it down, and will be thinking about this one for a long time. I will be recommending to students, coworkers, friends, and anyone who works with teens.

Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy/e-arc!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this YA novel.

This was an excellent YA read if you are looking for a slow and character-driven story following a teenager navigating all the difficulties of family relationships. This book unpacks a lot of what many of us discover with the intricacies of family dynamics and various personalities. It's an excellent portrayal of how generations before us don't always get things right and need time to heal old wounds.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's almost hard to believe that this is a debut work. Jas Hammonds (they/she) speaks with a voice reminiscent of years of experience. I suspect they're going to be a shining star of contemporary YA literature.

We Deserve Monuments follows Avery, a high schooler on the brink of college. Her life is uprooted when her parents decide to move to her mother's small, southern hometown to spend time with her dying grandmother. Almost immediately, Avery's biracial and queer identities become points of contention with the small-minded people around her.

Hammonds handles heavy topics with tact and grace. We Deserve Monuments features outright racism, microaggressions, and generational trauma and how all of this bleeds into the collective conscious of young minds. That being said, it isn't heavy-handed. Every line just felt important.

My only complaint is the ending. It felt very abrupt based on the rest of the novel. I think something more drawn out would have suited me better as a reader.

I can't wait to read what else Jas Hammonds is going to write.

This is another book that had a cover that I was absolutely enamored with. Someone posted about pre-ordering on Twitter and I had to co-sign how great this book is. I tweeted “I read #WeDeserveMonuments and I promise you it’s worth your time. Connecting with a dying grandparent, learning your history, self-discovery, love in the form of friendship & romance and 2 Black girls finding it in both forms! Yea, go preorder!” I still stand by this statement and add that there maybe a twist or two that you don’t see coming in this book along with varying timelines, points of view outside of the MCs & family tea. And because this needs repeating, adolescent Black Love, which I love to see in all forms. So definitely pre-order!

There was so much to love in this book about a biracial, queer teen girl who spends her last year in high school in a small southern town because her grandmother is dying. The friendships, the romance, and most of the family secrets are all well done. The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is the slight mystery element to the book that ends up being revealed as the book wraps up. I felt that it was unnecessary to the overall book and changed the emotional tone of the ending.