THIS BOOK MADE ME SNOT NOSE CRY! The scene of three generations of women dancing on the beach and releasing the hurt they caused each other like my heart can’t take it. I just can’t express how much this book touched my heart. Avery and Simone’s being each other’s first loves was so sweet. There’s so much love and lost in this book. Us readers and the main character herself, Avery, are introduced to Mama Letty (her grandmother) as this mean, miserable old woman. But as we learn more about her and all the pain she experienced you realize there’s so much to her. All I could think about are all the black women who got their joy stolen from them at such a young age. The book’s title “We Deserve Monuments” was tied into the message of this story so beautifully. One of the best books I read this year like I just feel like my world just shifted!