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readingwithtrey's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.5
WOW!! I saw this book being raved about all over bookstagram when it was first released last year, and I immediately added it to my TBR shelf. I put off reading it for the longest time, but when I had the chance to sign up for a tour stop with Hear Our Voices, I had to take it. I'm so glad I finally read it, and I could kick myself for waiting so long. It was amazing!
The Davenports is inspired by the real life story of C.R. Patterson and his family and follows the wealthy and prestigious Davenport family in 1910 Chicago. The story is told from 4 point of views: Olivia, Helen, Amy-Rose, and Ruby. Each of the women are coming of age with their own struggles, desires, and goals while navigating familial and societal expectations. When we're first introduced to Olivia, we see that she is preparing to be married out of duty to her family. When she meets Washington DeWight, a civil rights leader, she begins to think that maybe her own desires for her life are different than what is expected of her. Helen, Olivia's sister, has never had much interest in marriage. Instead, she'd rather spend her time working on carriages and automobiles in her brother's shop. Amy-Rose works as a maid for the Davenport family but dreams of opening her own hair shop to showcase her natural hair products. And then we have Ruby whose father is running for mayor and has turned her life upside down.
I enjoyed every story line, but I have to say my favorites were Olivia and Amy-Rose. I loved how once Olivia was made away of the civil rights movement, she felt led to do more to help. And Amy-Rose's story was incredibly inspiring. I was rooting for her the entire time. I won't say who it involved to not spoil anything, but the budding romance between Amy-Rose and her love interest was also so sweet.
I will say, I had no idea this ended on a major cliffhanger. I will definitely be counting down the days until November when the next book is released. This time I won't wait a year to read it!
The Davenports is inspired by the real life story of C.R. Patterson and his family and follows the wealthy and prestigious Davenport family in 1910 Chicago. The story is told from 4 point of views: Olivia, Helen, Amy-Rose, and Ruby. Each of the women are coming of age with their own struggles, desires, and goals while navigating familial and societal expectations. When we're first introduced to Olivia, we see that she is preparing to be married out of duty to her family. When she meets Washington DeWight, a civil rights leader, she begins to think that maybe her own desires for her life are different than what is expected of her. Helen, Olivia's sister, has never had much interest in marriage. Instead, she'd rather spend her time working on carriages and automobiles in her brother's shop. Amy-Rose works as a maid for the Davenport family but dreams of opening her own hair shop to showcase her natural hair products. And then we have Ruby whose father is running for mayor and has turned her life upside down.
I enjoyed every story line, but I have to say my favorites were Olivia and Amy-Rose. I loved how once Olivia was made away of the civil rights movement, she felt led to do more to help. And Amy-Rose's story was incredibly inspiring. I was rooting for her the entire time. I won't say who it involved to not spoil anything, but the budding romance between Amy-Rose and her love interest was also so sweet.
I will say, I had no idea this ended on a major cliffhanger. I will definitely be counting down the days until November when the next book is released. This time I won't wait a year to read it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Racism, Classism, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Minor: Police brutality
brebooks_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
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? No
4.5
Such a cool way to tap into lost black history.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Police brutality
juvball3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
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
Slow to start and took a while to get into but once I did it was a breeze
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Slavery
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Police brutality and Violence
amberinpieces's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Police brutality, Racism, Blood, Classism, Slavery, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Violence
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
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
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
grubrednuf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Davenports is a good book. It's good historical fiction. However, I strongly stand on the side of it must include a Happily Ever After to be considered a Romance so those comparisons to an American Bridgerton are sorely lacking. Aside from the slight misrepresentation, it truly is well written and I hope we can revisit the Davenports again. Olivia, Amy Rose, Helen, and Ruby are all strong women with distinct arcs, brava.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Violence, Police brutality, and Fire/Fire injury