Tag Archives: Georgia

Review: We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

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We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

We Deserve Monuments
Jas Hammonds
Roaring Brook Press
Published November 29, 2022

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About We Deserve Monuments

Family secrets, a swoon-worthy romance, and a slow-burn mystery collide in WE DESERVE MONUMENTS, a YA debut from Jas Hammonds that explores how racial violence can ripple down through generations.

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.

My Review

I love intergenerational family stories, and at its core, that’s what this story truly is. In reconnecting with the grandmother she barely knows, Avery learns of her family’s painful history. That history impacts others in the small town of Bardell as well, including her two new best friends, Simone and Jade. The threads connecting each girl to her family’s past weave together to form a tapestry that’s both beautiful and terrible.

The story unflinchingly faces the complicated grief of thwarted justice. Jade’s mother’s murderer was never held to account. Neither were the men who murdered Avery’s grandfather. That grief binds the girls together and drives a wedge between them at the same time.

WE DESERVE MONUMENTS is also a love story. It celebrates the connection between grandmothers and granddaughters, even when they only have a short time together. Avery’s relationship with her grandmother anchors her in her history in a way that no other relationship in her family does. The book also celebrates romantic love—perhaps even second-chance love—as Simone and Avery fall for one another and learn to embrace the hope that the previous generation could not.

I wouldn’t call this book an easy read, but I loved the way it explored family history and relationships and the hopefulness that it leaves with its readers.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Avery is biracial (Black mom and white dad) and a lesbian. Her friend Simone is also Black and queer.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between girls.

Spiritual Content
Simone gives Avery a tarot reading. She pulls tarot cards to help her set expectations for the day. She also believes in astrological signs. Simone’s mom attends church often, and when she feels Simone has done something wrong, she makes her attend church several times per week and prays over her repeatedly.

Violent Content
References to a woman’s murder and the racist history of the South and the town of Bardell.

Drug Content
Avery and her friends smoke pot together. They get drunk one night.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

Yes No Maybe So
Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
Balzer + Bray
Published February 4, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Yes No Maybe So

YES
Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate—as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at all to almost anyone), Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.

NO
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing—with some awkward dude she hardly knows—is beyond her.

MAYBE SO
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer—and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural romance of the century is another thing entirely.

My Review

I’ve had this book on my shelf for a long time. I think I ordered it during the early days of the pandemic. When I noticed the audiobook version was available at the library, I decided it was time to read it! I’ve liked books by both Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed before, so I figured it would be a solid pick.

And it is. It’s a sweet story about childhood best friends who lost touch and reconnect during their volunteer work with a local political campaign. I liked the development of the friendship and romance between Jamie and Maya. I liked Jamie’s friend group, too, and his relationship with his little sister, Sophie.

I’d say the focus of the story was pretty evenly split between Maya and Jamie’s relationship and the political campaign. We get to follow some of the ins and outs of how a local campaign operates and see Maya and Jamie canvas houses. I thought that was a cool idea. It seems like that could easily inspire readers to get involved in their own local politics by sort of demystifying the process a bit.

On the whole, this was a sweet story about love and getting involved in your community. I enjoyed reading it, and I think readers who liked THE VOTING BOOTH by Brandy Colbert should definitely check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Jamie is Jewish. Maya is Muslim.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently in the book.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Someone leaves a suggestive comment on a picture of Maya and Jamie that appear online.

Spiritual Content
Maya celebrates Ramadan and Eid with her family. Her mom talks to her about keeping her relationships halal– no kissing or physical intimacy before marriage. Jamie celebrates Shabbat with his family. His sister celebrates her bat mitzvah.

Violent Content
An antisemitic meme has been appearing in Jamie’s town. He and Maya witness a woman confronting someone who was placing meme stickers on a car. A politician sponsors a bill that would discriminate against women who wear hijab.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Kate in Waiting
Becky Albertalli
Balzer + Bray
Published April 20, 2021

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About Kate in Waiting

Contrary to popular belief, best friends Kate Garfield and Anderson Walker are not codependent. Carpooling to and from theater rehearsals? Environmentally sound and efficient. Consulting each other on every single life decision? Basic good judgment. Pining for the same guys from afar? Shared crushes are more fun anyway.

But when Kate and Andy’s latest long-distance crush shows up at their school, everything goes off script. Matt Olsson is talented and sweet, and Kate likes him. She really likes him. The only problem? So does Anderson.

Turns out, communal crushes aren’t so fun when real feelings are involved. This one might even bring the curtains down on Kate and Anderson’s friendship.

My Review

I devoured this book all the way to the last page. I loved all the theater stuff– the auditions, the rehearsals, the swooning over musical playlists. Kate’s friend group was great, too. I kind of wish Brandie and Raina had been in the story more, but that’s really simply a testament to how much I liked them.

The story made me think about friendship and kind of my own evolution of values in friendship. There was absolutely a time when I thought that friendship required total and complete honesty and that anything less was not a real friendship. And there’s definitely some truth there– lying or keeping secrets can be really toxic. Sometimes it’s necessary to end a friendship when there isn’t honesty. But that’s not the same as allowing people the space to have their own secrets. There’s a balance there that I feel like it’s taken me a long time to make peace with. So it was interesting to read a story that explored that idea.

Only one thing in KATE IN WAITING bugged me, and I’m not sure how fair it is to feel bugged, but I’ll put it out there. So Kate was bullied in a pretty traumatic way by some of the kids at school. They posted some really hurtful things online that still haunt her. She carries a pretty big (understandable) grudge against not only those kids but that sort of splashes over onto anyone in their periphery. She and her friends label the group as “f-boys” or “f-girls”, short for a swear word.

Again, I feel like her hurt feelings are completely valid. I thought because of the way the story unfolded, that she might face the way that label could be hurtful. It’s like the story went almost that far and then just… didn’t. And maybe that makes it more realistic, because it leaves Kate with this flaw which we know has hurt some people. Maybe it’s more realistic because we don’t learn all of life’s lessons at the same time.

I guess I just struggled with it because Kate and her friends seemed almost proud of creating that label and using it to continually remind themselves that those kids are less than. I think I just wanted her to discover that it had been mean and want to be better than that.

Apart from that, though, I really enjoyed Kate’s voice and the rambling, quirky, funny way she related things that happened. I loved the way she and Anderson would gush together over things and the friendship rituals they celebrated together– from meeting places and text etiquette to songs they had to drop everything and sing. Watching the group navigate the shared crush and how to welcome a new person into their fold felt so real and so much like my own memories of high school.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Kate is Jewish. Her best friend is gay and Black. Another close friend is transgender.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
So much. There are a ton of f-bombs, most related to a nickname that Kate and her friends use to label a group of kids at school.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Kate and some other characters are Jewish. Some references to attending Hebrew school and eating Shabbat dinner.

Violent Content
Kate experienced some bullying when classmates recorded a video of her singing online without her permission and posted it with cruel comments.

Drug Content
Kate and her friends attend a couple of parties where teens are drinking alcohol. Kate doesn’t drink, but some of her friends do.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of KATE IN WAITING in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

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Louisiana’s Way Home
Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press
Published on October 2, 2018

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Louisiana’s Way Home

From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo comes a story of discovering who you are — and deciding who you want to be.

When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn’t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home. But as Louisiana’s life becomes entwined with the lives of the people of a small Georgia town — including a surly motel owner, a walrus-like minister, and a mysterious boy with a crow on his shoulder — she starts to worry that she is destined only for good-byes. (Which could be due to the curse on Louisiana’s and Granny’s heads. But that is a story for another time.)

Called “one of DiCamillo’s most singular and arresting creations” by The New York Times Book Review, the heartbreakingly irresistible Louisiana Elefante was introduced to readers in Raymie Nightingale — and now, with humor and tenderness, Kate DiCamillo returns to tell her story.

My Review

Confession: I haven’t read Raymie Nightingale, but when I got the chance to review Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo, I couldn’t pass it up. My family listened to Flora & Ulysses on our summer vacation a few years ago, and we all enjoyed it so much. I’ve also read Because of Winn Dixie and absolutely adore it, too. Kate DiCamillo is one of those authors where you just want to buy everything with her name on it because you know it’s going to be good.

And Louisiana’s Way Home is no exception. It’s packed with the same rich, unforgettable characters and incredible heart as the other stories I’ve read by her. I love Louisiana’s voice. You absolutely get the feeling a particular girl is telling every line. I love the way her relationships with each other character impact the story. The walrus-like minister is one of my favorites. In one scene, he cries, and it’s not at all the focus of the scene, but it so revealed the kind of person he is without making a big show. I loved it and wholeheartedly recommend Louisiana’s Way Home. And now I definitely have to read Raymie Nightingale!

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white or not physically described.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Louisiana’s granny tells her there is a curse on her family ever since her great-grandfather (a magician) sawed her great-grandmother in half and refused to put her back together again.
Louisiana seeks advice from a pastor whose office door sign says he offers healing words because she reasons that healing words are like a spell, and therefore, maybe he can lift the curse she believes is on her family. The pastor tells her that no, he can’t perform magic, but that telling her story to someone who listens to her can be a healing thing.
She sings at a church funeral.

Violent Content
This isn’t really violent, but Louisiana makes friends with a boy who steals items from a vending machine.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.