I am really heartened to have recently read so many books tackling the generational trauma of racism and how its legacy impacts the present in really personal ways. This book follows Avery, a Black high schooler from Washington DC as she returns with her mom and white dad to her estranged and dying grandmother's house in a Georgia town that still bears the marks of racism in its schools, neighborhoods, and statues.
I loved this story about finding community and refusing to be forgotten. Avery's bravery in building a relationship with her grandma, fighting for and being there for Simone as she figures out her sexuality, and standing up to Jade's family was touching and inspiring.

Few are the books that make me bawl like a baby. Fewer still are the books that make me cry that I nonetheless like, much less love, and still want to read over, and over, and over again.

We Deserve Monuments ripped my heart out and tore it into teeny, tiny shreds, and then sewed it back together with its bittersweet ending. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I have colleagues who love YA, and I love them for it. I've only really appreciated a few, mostly for their ability to make me want to turn the page, but not for the content or artistry very often. I think what frustrates me about YA is that so often a central plot involves love interests, and this does too--but it isn't the main thrust of the story. Instead, we go south to Georgia from DC, and three generations of women become the most important storyline, why relationships crack and shatter, what lies beneath the shiny veneer of a small town. I won't say this is a novel that I'd want to buy a class set of to read with my students, but it's definitely one I will buy a handful of copies of to have on hand for independent reading--it's got a richness I think would add value to their reading lives.

A thoughtful and equally enjoyable journey that shares diverse experiences in a way that honors them. There was so much depth packed into this book, and I loved getting transported into the story to live through the characters.

4.5 stars

This was a slow-burn small-town mystery that wormed its way into my head and heart and didn't want to let go. Even though I had to take breaks for life, I couldn't wait to get back to the story. I loved Avery with all her strengths and flaws and I identified with having to move your senior year after you imagined graduating with your best friends and having an awesome senior year. Avery has grown up as the biracial daughter of an overachieving black woman and a very down-to-earth jazz musician white father in D.C. She has vague memories of her grandmother in small-town Georgia, but really knows nothing about her maternal grandparents or the home in which her mom grew up. With a terminal cancer diagnosis, her parents make the difficult decision to move down to help care for her grandmother, even if it means temporarily uprooting their lives and her mother having to face her past.

I absolutely don't want to give you any spoilers because I want you to enjoy this book as it unfolds. There are content warnings that include murders, homophobia, anti-Black hate crime/racism, terminal illness, grief, alcoholism, police brutality, and the long-term effects of trauma. And yet, despite the dark subjects, Hammonds intersperses them with love, romantic or otherwise, that keeps the book from getting bogged down by the darkness.

I loved Avery's huge heart, and her desire to help her grandmother and mother. I loved how she learned that not only could she not fix everything, but it wasn't her job to do so. I loved her moments with her grandmother and her desire to help her go on her own terms, and yes, I cried with her several times. I also loved that while her father was often there in the background, he was an integral part of her support system and a great complement to her mom's style of parenting. I loved the scene that took place in the ice cream shop.

This was such a strong debut novel and I look forward to reading more from this author. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a good read! I was instantly drawn to the characters. This was a a easy read for me with the main characters being relatable. I even found myself enjoying Mama Letty. I wished Mama Letty's outcome could have been better, but that's life. In the end, I rooted for Avery and Simone and fell in love with their love story.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jas at the Young Adult Librarian Symposium in Baltimore this month and they were an absolute delight! I watched them speak on a panel and they spoke of what this story truly meant to them and the changes it went through during their writing process and I think going into the story with that knowledge made the book mean even more to me. The way Jas wrote their characters with truth and flaws and realness was so refreshing. We got a queer black girl romance, family secrets, a bit of mystery and a comical cast of characters. I loved every second of it

Thank you #netgalley for an early read of #WeDeserveMonuments in exchange for my honest review. Full disclosure, I received a signed copy at the beginning of the month from Jas themselves and I switched between my physical copy and the e-galley!

Oh wow. This book was so much. It has absolutely destroyed me, my heart is so shattered, but it was so dang good. I want to read it again and experience it all again, because it's a pain that you want to feel. There was so much said in few words, there are certain sentences squeezed in at just the right parts, just a small bunch of words tucked into a corner, that change everything in this story. If you're not careful, you might miss them. There are parts I read over and over because I had to go back and read it again. Yes, there's romance, and mystery, but once all the pieces are out and assembled, and you see the whole picture, you just have to go back and read it again knowing everything that you know and seeing it from a different perspective. Avery's story, growing up biracial and queer, moving to a Southern small town and adjusting to the change of pace and lifestyle, is sure to resonate with a lot of teens. Her mother Zora is such a strong, smart, fierce woman, who fought her way to the life she wanted, and she's so admirable. And Mama Letty? I will forever love Mama Letty. That woman is the definition of cantankerous, and by God she's earned it, and every cranky word out of her mouth made me smile, and even though her story was heartbreaking, it needed to be heard. I feel like this book is going to stick with me for a long time, I don't think I have cried this hard over a book all year. All the stars. All the awards. All the love.

The word that comes to mind when I finished this book was: powerful ❤️‍🩹


What I loved:
1. The diversity! Many of our main characters are black and queer (Avery, Simone, numerous parents).
2. The characters. Wow. There were so many well written characters. I enjoyed the fast friendship of Avery, Jade and Simone. Mamma Letty was a standout—her tough exterior and stories were a highlight. Avery’s relationship with her parents were realistic and relatable.
4. The generational trauma in this book was heartbreaking and written perfectly for a young reader to understand, while it still be impactful for any age. There were many heavy themes in this book, but it was written so dedicatedly. You truly could feel all the character’s emotions when they would argue and understand each of their unique perspectives.
5. Notable scenes: when Avery and Simone go out for the night to the place their moms hung out, there was so much freedom and joy and confusion all wrapped up in one. The beach scene with the 3 generations of women talking and dancing brought me to tears. Beautiful..

Absolutely heart wrenching and beautifully written—easy 5 ⭐️ read. This is definitely a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time and will definitely be adding into my book list for the school year. Thank you for writing such an impactful story—I’m so grateful for authors like yourself who are writing complex and inclusive stories for our YAs. ❤️ I am amazed this is a debut and can’t wait to read more in the future!

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.