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thebookaddict's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Dit boek speelt zich af in 1910 en ik vond het heel leuk om te lezen hoe het er toen aan toe ging. Door de schrijfwijze krijg je daar een heel mooi beeld bij.
Het verhaal zelf was heel meeslepend en vooral heel beeldend. Je krijgt echt een kijkje in het leven van de gezinsleden. Wel merkte ik dat ik een beetje in de war raakte tussen de personages. Ik had vooral in het begin moeite met het uit elkaar houden van Jacob en John. Ik vond het heel leuk dat je verschillende perspectieven te lezen kreeg. Vooral de opbouw van de verschillende relaties vond ik leuk! Wel merkte ik dat de gebeurtenissen veel op elkaar leken en sommige dingen werden op het einde voorspelbaar.
Het verhaal heeft hele serieuze onderwerpen, zoals slavernij, racisme en vrouwenrechten. Deze serieuze zaken worden mooi en respectvol beschreven. Ze worden mooi verwoven in de romance. Op deze manier krijg je echt een mooi beeld van hoe dat voelt voor de andere partij en hoe dat vroeger ging! Al met al een mooie historische YA die je een inzicht geeft in het jaar 1910 en de dillemas van sommige mensen in die tijd
Het verhaal zelf was heel meeslepend en vooral heel beeldend. Je krijgt echt een kijkje in het leven van de gezinsleden. Wel merkte ik dat ik een beetje in de war raakte tussen de personages. Ik had vooral in het begin moeite met het uit elkaar houden van Jacob en John. Ik vond het heel leuk dat je verschillende perspectieven te lezen kreeg. Vooral de opbouw van de verschillende relaties vond ik leuk! Wel merkte ik dat de gebeurtenissen veel op elkaar leken en sommige dingen werden op het einde voorspelbaar.
Het verhaal heeft hele serieuze onderwerpen, zoals slavernij, racisme en vrouwenrechten. Deze serieuze zaken worden mooi en respectvol beschreven. Ze worden mooi verwoven in de romance. Op deze manier krijg je echt een mooi beeld van hoe dat voelt voor de andere partij en hoe dat vroeger ging! Al met al een mooie historische YA die je een inzicht geeft in het jaar 1910 en de dillemas van sommige mensen in die tijd
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
elizherlihy's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved this book! I’ve been in a Bridgerton drought after finishing all of those books and I was so happy to find this new story to fall into. Each character was so beautifully fleshed out and I felt fully immersed in their world. I did not expect it to end the way it did but I thought it only made it all the more believable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Physical abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault and War
medini_l's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Classism, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, and Slavery
foxreadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
In her author's note, Marquis notes that she wanted "The Davenports to hold up examples of representation" she did not have as a teen, and to "focus on young Black women discovering the courage to pursue their dreams- and loves-at a time when Jim Crow, fear, and distrust threatened both." In this, Marquis succeeds. The 4 female protagonists follow their hearts, even though internal and external conflicts. The novel introduces significant historical changes like Jim Crow laws, the end (and lasting repercussions) of slavery, and the civil rights movement.
Why 3 stars then? To be fair, this wasn't written for an adult white woman, so take the following with a grain of salt. I often have difficulty with novels written through multiple POVs, and 4 characters, who were all interesting in their own right, were too many. Coupled with the parallelism in their stories, it felt like the ups and downs were a little one note, especially as early on, these conflicts centred around men. As this appears to be a series, I would have loved a novel about each woman individually rather than jumping back and forth.
Would I put this in a high school library and encourage kids to read it? Yes. Would I recommend it to a friend... probably not.
Why 3 stars then? To be fair, this wasn't written for an adult white woman, so take the following with a grain of salt. I often have difficulty with novels written through multiple POVs, and 4 characters, who were all interesting in their own right, were too many. Coupled with the parallelism in their stories, it felt like the ups and downs were a little one note, especially as early on, these conflicts centred around men. As this appears to be a series, I would have loved a novel about each woman individually rather than jumping back and forth.
Would I put this in a high school library and encourage kids to read it? Yes. Would I recommend it to a friend... probably not.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Slavery, and Racism
gracescanlon's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I liked this, so much. I would’ve loved it, but the “ending” left me frustrated and dissatisfied. Still, it was so lovely to read historical fiction depicting young, rich Black protagonists, who are beautiful and passionate and supportive of one another. There should be more books like this - or if there are, more should be in my TBR!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Classism, and Slavery
Minor: Colonisation and Violence
filmnoirz's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
loved this so so so much. i love stories of Black resilience and success, especially when it goes beyond (albeit not as much as i would’ve liked) the capitalist view of what that is. the romance was so compelling and I loved almost all of the characters. there was no one I rooted for more than olivia and amy-rose (my girls!!!). I didn’t love the ending but I respect it, and like how the author left it kind of open ended.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, Police brutality, and Racism
cathannahs's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first half was super compelling, and then it fell off for me around halfway. There were sections when I felt like I had missed a chapter because things would be brought up like “a letter” that hadn’t been referenced before. The ending was abrupt. It kind of feels like a second draft, not a final one. This is this authors first book though, and this is supposed to be a trilogy, so I hope it improves from here!
Content Warnings
Minor: Slavery and Police brutality
purplepenning's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Discovering that this is the first in a duology instantly made me 82% more satisfied with the parts of the story we're given here. I definitely would've liked the last scene so much better if I had known — having all of the Davenport siblings together at one table is something I was hoping for throughout the entire book and when it finally happened I couldn't properly enjoy it because I kept thinking "wait, there's not nearly enough book left to resolve any of this!" So... keep in mind that this is only the first half of the story and you'll be much more likely to enjoy this fascinating historical about a wealthy Black family in Chicago in the early 1900s and the lives, moments, and movements that intersect with them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Classism, and Sexism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Alcohol, and Violence
Minor: Slavery
ohsonoelle's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Slavery
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Quite honestly, we need more historical fiction published that features Black characters that doesn't necessarily have to do directly with slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. Is that going to make it into a lot of those stories? Absolutely, especially when it's set in the United States. This book is focused on a well-off Black famiy in the early 20th century, and it centers the romance in the plot. In the YA realm, I honestly can't really think of many (if any) other books that focus on that.
If you like historical romance dramas, then this is absolutely going to be your jam. It is loosely based on an actual family in Chicago in the early 1900s, but it really focuses on the romance of the four girls. Even though there are four narrators, the characters mostly felt like they had distinct voices and for the most part, the different threads of the relationships were pretty easy to follow.
The writing itself is easy to get into, and it doesn't get too bogged down by historical facts or world building. The historical romance drama isn't always my jam, but if you like that kind of thing, I'd definitely recommend checking this one out!
If you like historical romance dramas, then this is absolutely going to be your jam. It is loosely based on an actual family in Chicago in the early 1900s, but it really focuses on the romance of the four girls. Even though there are four narrators, the characters mostly felt like they had distinct voices and for the most part, the different threads of the relationships were pretty easy to follow.
The writing itself is easy to get into, and it doesn't get too bogged down by historical facts or world building. The historical romance drama isn't always my jam, but if you like that kind of thing, I'd definitely recommend checking this one out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, and Slavery
Minor: Death, Violence, and Police brutality