D.C. native Avery is forced to spend her senior year in a small Georgian town when her mom returns home to care for her terminally ill and estranged grandma, Mama Letty. In order survive one year without her friends and the city that she loves, Avery plans is to focus forward, until she can go back to D.C. to attend Georgetown, her dream school. But a funny thing happens during her stay in Bardell, she makes friends, she bonds with Mama Letty, tastes the sweet fruit of forbidden love, and learns the importance of focusing on the present. Yet, in the deep South, the present is always closely tied to the past, and new friends have long legacies both to the town and to Avery's family. As Avery learns to focus on the now, will what happened in the past impact, where she end up in the future? Check out Jas Hammond's extraordinary We Deserve Monuments and experience this wonderful queer coming of age mystery for yourself.

We Deserve Monuments is simply fantastic. Jas Hammond's writes a book which gives the reader both excellent prose and a meticulous plot, combined with wonderful yet heart wrenching queer romance. If you enjoy coming of age mysteries which deeply explores, love, loss, and legacy then this book is definitely for you.

I won an e-version of this book from the publishers so thank you for that!

This book was an emotional rollercoaster. One minute I was crying because I was happy and the next I was crying because it was sad. There is so much depth and story in this book and I was so invested in the characters.

I wish there was a good way for me to sum up all my thoughts. I finished this in a little less than a day because it was just that good. I felt myself in Avery personally being a biracial girl and I felt for her when she was talking about her old friends. The “you can’t be offended cause you’re barely black” had me both crying and wanting to slap someone in the mouth. Simone and Jade seemed like such awesome and genuine friends I cried at the scene where they were at the hotel sleepover. I loved their friend group dynamic so much.

There is a lot in here about pain. Generational pain and trauma that trickles down and sets in and doesn’t let go. It grabs a hold and bares its claws into everyone around it. Mama Letty was forced to bear this pain and gave it to her daughter. The image of trauma and abuse runs deep and Avery is the witness to it all. Zora is obviously not completely healed from this and does not want to give it to her daughter. I felt so bad for her. She wanted so badly to love the mother who hurt and abused her while also help her in her dying days. She felt so hurt she didn’t want to go back home and didn’t want to subject her daughter to what was really going on and what she couldn’t talk about. I felt that so deeply. I felt the worse for Ray. And also for Amelia.

At the heart of it also are Avery and Simone. The feelings they have for each other. Their romance and their trip to the Renaissance was so sweet. I loved Mr. Arnie and Jerome. We need more father figures like them out there.

The twist at the end I saw coming but it still stung. Hearing about how Ray being murdered changed Letty completely broke my heart in half. Because it happened. It still happens. No more statues of white people. People like Ray are the ones who deserve monuments. This book was beautiful and heartbreaking but also uplifting and inspiring. Thank you again to Fierce Reads for giving me this copy early.

I never really got into this book but not because of the book itself. When I started reading, I kept falling asleep and when I woke up I could not recall where I had left off. However, when I would flip back pages I would remember. Somehow the events really did not stick in my mind. Overall, I thought that the book had a solid plot and plenty of intrigue to go along with it. I just never settled in deep enough to remember details and connect with the characters.

This one is definitely a Morris Award Contender! This journey of identity, family, and deep secrets will draw readers in and captivate them.

Loved the complexity of the story and the many layers of secrets in the book. It was a wonderful read.

A stunning story of moving to a small town and realizing that everything can change with a simple move. Our safety is contingent on our environment and can be taken away from us so easily. But also a stunning story of falling for the girl next door. And learning about generational trauma, and learning to heal together. Honestly this is a stand out novel and you shouldn't miss it.

Absolute stunner of a debut. Hammonds weaves the South, family, generational trauma, secrets and queer love into a compulsively readable story. I cannot wait to read the next book by this incredible author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!
I loved this! This is a great story about a biracial girl who needs to move to her mom's hometown in Georgia to take care of her dying grandmother--but there are family secrets that no one will talk about, generational trauma and a really cute girl next door . . . The main character's journey through all this profoundly changes her. I loved the exploration of family dynamics and pain and choosing to love anyway . . I was a little less excited about the "mystery" aspects of the story, but that is probably because I was so involved in the family and character situations that I didn't want to spend time on "who did it" lol. Very good debut YA novel; recommended!

What worked: Powerful, poignant coming-of-age story. Seventeen-year-old Avery moves from DC to a small town in Georgia to help her dying grandmother. There are many secrets that include intergenerational trauma. One of those secrets involves a tragedy with Avery's family and anger that continues to haunt the family.

I really loved this novel. Avery is biracial and when she is around her dying grandmother Letty she's slowly able to piece together what happened one fateful day in Georgia to the grandfather she never knew.

Avery hooks up with Jade, a girl whose family lives in a Southern Plantation and has their own secrets, and next-door neighbor Simone. The romance between Avery and Simone is a slow burn that has some similarities to their own mother's friendship years ago.

Readers follow Avery as she navigates such issues as homophobia, racism, and family trauma in a small Georgia town. Great pacing throughout with hope resonating at the end.

Amazing, gripping tale of trauma that is felt for generations. A total must-read.
Good Points
1. Amazing, poignant story of intergenerational trauma set in Georgia
2. Queer love story

I really enjoyed this book. It followed Avery, a queer girl from DC forced to move to her mother's tiny rural hometown of Bardell, Georgia to care for her dying grandmother. Probably my favorite part was Avery's unexpected self-actualization in Bardell; even in such a hostile (racist, homophobic) environment, she was able to find community, wholeness, and love, and actively cultivate those things in her world. I also especially liked reading about her friendship group in Bardell, her romantic relationship with Simone, and the history of queer existence and love in Bardell. I also enjoyed the process of uncovering the town's secrets throughout the book, but I felt that the final reveal wasn't given enough time to be developed; it had a lot of repercussions in Avery's life that I would have loved to see addressed. However, I did enjoy the author's take on resolving narrative threads in the "epilogue" section; I've never before seen a YA romance give more weight to the characters' life paths than their dating future.

Wow so this has to be one of my favorites of the year. It really tugged at my heart and the way the story was put together was super impressive too. I think I read this book in a day? Maybe two at maximum? But yeah it did not take me super long and it made me cry as I read it, and both of those things are super fun and worth practically everything.

The characters were of course superb. Avery with her sarcasm and wit and Simone with her dreams and fears and Jade who was just super nice and trying her best. And the family that we lived with was so superb as well. The way their secrets and traumas and lives were all connected was so fun and I loved it a lot (I also love how it was mentioned that a certain character went to therapy to heal from trauma, but it wasn’t mentioned in a bad way or in super graphic detail, it was just mentioned).

I also loved how complex all the relationships were. There were reasons behind everyone who didn’t like each other, and reasons behind everyone that did. It was just so so fun to read and figure out what was going on. And the way the plot helped us uncover what was going on and the complex relationships between all of the characters was superb. Avery is trying to find out why her mom and grandma don’t like each other and the way the book helps Avery (and us) learn about that is so fun and dare I say, quite realistic.

The book takes place after quarantine and so these teenagers have also lost around 2 years of school to COVID. It made me connect with them a lot better and bonding with them was important as the plot was so so focused on people. It was also really cool setting wise because Stacey Abrams was mentioned and other political events were too. It seemed like the author was trying to ground this book in the present and doing so really helped me connect with the characters as well.

The way the friendship struggles were portrayed was also realistic. I haven’t really had a lot of in person friendships but I would like to note that also seemed realistic to me, even if I’m not a hundred percent certain it was. It really touched me and was fun.

And now, for what you all have been waiting for, Annalee’s Thoughts On Plot.

I really really liked how this book was set up! The way the flashbacks were interspersed really evenly with what was happening in the present made me want to keep reading all the time to learn more and also provided crucial details to the narrative as they went. We learned about the Oliver Family through flashbacks, and what happened to Amelia Oliver, and we learned what was happening in the Anderson Family in the present. I thought it was really incredibly well-written and put together and I aspire to write that well one day.

Why are all the books getting published giving me writing envy now?

But anyway the plot was really quite character-centric as the characters tried to figure out what was going in their respective pasts, and as Avery tried to figure out why her family was the way it was. It was really nice and I liked the narrative.

I liked how the book showed that people can and do change for better and for worse. Life is a long time, and of course people are going to change during those (on average) 70+ years. I liked that in the book and it really touched me.

I also liked how queerness and the scariness of coming out was talked about in this book. Because sometimes it is scary or hard or sad or a combination of the three, depending on the circumstances. And I’m really glad that was mentioned in this book because not every coming out is a basket of rainbows (no one worry, mine was fine) and hopefully readers can connect to that as well.

All in all, Avery’s story was one that made me smile and cry and unable to put down We Deserve Monuments. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it!

Normally I can describe a book with just one word but there aren’t enough words for this one. I have read so many amazing books in my life but I have not had one that left me speechless. If you have ever read a book that you just couldn’t find the right words to describe it because there aren’t good enough words for it, that is this book.

From the very beginning to the very end, It was amazing. There was love, friendship, family, unsolved murders, and finding yourself.

I can not recommend this book enough.

The multi-generational complexities in this book offered lessons in race, homophobia and class in the rural south. Avery's mother, who makes a living as an astrophysics professor has made a new life for herself in DC. Her biracial and queer daughter Avery is still finding her way after a break up with her racist girlfriend. It's through her mother's southern roots that she becomes sure of herself but she also discovers her family's hidden secrets and tries to overcome her sickly but mean grandmother Mama Letty.

Y’all…yall. This book..this book is what our queer kids are living. This is the hurt, the fear, the bigotry, that follows our youth and causes them to suffer in silence.

This story follows Avery, a 17 year old biracial lesbian who has to move back home to a small town in Georgia to see about a dying grandmother. We watch Avery go through many trials (living in a small town myself I understand her pain oh too well), but we also watch how she navigates and come into her own.

This is a beautiful coming of age story that will make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, and some parts will down right piss you off… but in the end…. WE DESERVE MONUMENTS!

Thank you to Hear Our Voices Tour for an ARC review!!

This book took me for a loop. The trauma of Avery, our main character, her mother Zora, and Avery's grandmother, Mama Letty was something else! While reading I totally understood not only where Zora was coming from but also Mama Letty. I love how Jas showed amazing representations with sexuality , race and generational trauma if not fixed. Avery moving from a fast paced city like DC as a queer teenager to a slow paced state like GA was a culture shock within it's self, especially with being bi-raical on top of that. We get to see how Avery handles her senior year within the small town and also discovers some of the town's secrets as well. I can say you will need tissues, I've cried so much I lost count. Lol Over all an amazing debut novel and I can't wait to meet Jas Hammonds in person at Yall Fest next month!

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲?
* Yes, most definitely. Hammonds gives a voice to the queer, biracial, and Black kids; and, those with messy families. Her debut novel is a stellar read.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿:
* My favorite character is Simone. Simone is a sunflower—warm, fun, welcoming, and cheerful. Her personality is bright and refreshing in spite of the darkness that surrounds her. I find it amusing that she uses the stars (astrology) to guide her life choices in this world. Nonetheless, Simone carries her own secrets and dreams that scare her, too.
*
𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆:
* A major takeaway for me is how the mother Zora expects to return after 12 years to Georgia, with secrets and trauma, and a daughter that is clueless to her past, and not expect any turmoil. That’s Crash Course 101 in flames. Avery demands answers about a history her mother tried to erase—for good reason—but wrong nonetheless so she can help her family find peace. Of course, Avery can’t find herself, she doesn’t know who she even is.

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀/𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀:
* Belonging
* Deferred Dreams
* Unresolved Trauma

𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
* Yes, the title reminds us that the forgotten people—the brutalized, the marginalized, and the oppressed—deserve monuments, too. However, the white supremacist models show us a lop-sided view of heroes in Southern history.

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁/𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂?
* The storytelling is part swoony romance, part mystery sprinkled with two large helpings of family drama and Southern racism. The writing/plot is definitely filled with action and entertainment. Mama Letty is humorous at times, but very mean at first. She definitely grows on you. You will want to keep reading until dawn breaks.

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱?
* I didn’t like how so grossly relatable this book was to my own family—the messy, dysfunction and miscommunication of how past hurts affects generations. In addition, I am not a fan of slow-burn mystery elements, but everything else works seamlessly.

Moving to a hick southern town from DC for your senior year of high school to spend time with your crotchety dying grandmother when you're Black and queer--living the dream, right? Not so much. Still, Avery is interested in getting to know Mama Letty, despite the latter's resistance. She's kind of over her best friends in DC, including the one she used to date. She's lucky enough to find new besties: her scrumptious next door neighbor Simone, and Simone's perfect white homie Jade.

Secrets come out, fences get broken, tears are shed, and love gets mended. And sometimes justice isn't served and old wounds go unhealed.

"'Maybe they're not petty little things.'
"'It's been years since my mom left, Jade, years!'
"'Exactly. It's been years and whatever broke them is still bothering them. That means it must've been serious.'
"'Serious enough that Mama Letty is literally about to die and my mom still can't let it go?'
Jade shrugged. 'Trauma is a bitch who keeps on giving. It's hard to let go of something you haven't worked through. Some would argue it's impossible.'"

***

Perhaps you've observed, like I have, that Tarot is gaining on astrology in certain circles.

"She tented her fingers. 'I knew this would happen. My card tried to warn me.'
'Your card?'
'The Three of Swords,' she said, exasperated I wasn't keeping up. 'It represents heartbreak and hardship.'"

***

And here's some Zoomer realness:

"I learned active shooter drills the same time I learned my ABCs, every summer was the hottest on record. The pandemic paused a majority of my high school years, and I'd been convinced the only way to make it up was to go, go, go full steam ahead. And now this. It was Mama Letty's last days and there wasn't nearly enough time to make up everything I'd lost. Life was short. Everything was urgent and who had time to breathe in all that?"

5 million stars. This book was beautiful. I was sobbing. I had to stop reading and go get a tissue to blow my nose. Sobbing.

Well, I have another favorite read this year! This book was simply wonderful. Jas Hammonds knows how to write characters and relationships that are real and relatable, from friendship breakups to first loves, to the troubled mother and daughter relationship.

The story follows our protagonist Avery Anderson who must navigate the complexities of homophobia and racism while solving a small-town mystery. Although there were times within the story where I found complete joy and had a few laughs, there is loss, grief and familial trauma that hit a little too close to home.

I highly recommend this book! Please support this debut author!

Thank you to Hear Our Voices, Jas Hammonds, and the publisher for the ARC!

God, what a story. I absolutely freaking loved this, and am here for all the rep for queer, black, biracial characters! I'm a sucker for any coming of age story, and this was no exception- I cried, I laughed, I felt such a strong sense of community and love within these characters. This was so beautifully written that I felt every single thing that Avery was feeling and I was so into her romance with Simone. Even though I can't identify with every aspect of this book, I really connected to Avery as a character and think she's one of the best in YA. Don't miss this!