The Davenports: More Than This by Krystal Marquis was very well done. This historical fiction read was well written and perfectly plotted. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

I loved that this book was a light read for adults yet included complex themes for young adults. The Davenports transports the reader back into time and leans into historical elements. I’m hoping that a third novel is on the horizon!

The anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller featuring escapist romance and a wealthy Black family in 1910s Chicago

Like the blazing Chicago sun, the drama is heating up for the Davenports and their social set. Before the summer of 1910 drops its last petal, the lives—and loves—of these four young women will change in ways they never could have imagined:

Newly engaged Ruby Tremaine is eagerly planning her wedding to the love of her life when a nasty rumor threatens her reputation and her marriage. Olivia Davenport has committed to the social justice cause and secretly hopes she’ll be reunited with dashing lawyer Washington DeWight—until her parents decide she’s to marry someone else. Amy-Rose Shepherd is making her lifelong wish of owning a salon come true, but when an incident forces her to return to Freeport Manor, she’s back in the path of John Davenport, who still holds her heart. Helen Davenport is determined to get over her own heartbreak and bring the Davenport Carriage Company into the new century, even if it means teaming up with a thrill-seeking racecar driver who just loves to get under her skin.

Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, More Than This is the second book in critically adored Davenports series, following four empowered and passionate young Black women as they navigate a rapidly changing society and discover the courage to steer their own paths in life—and love.

My Take:
I viewed this sequel as season two of a juicy soap opera, with each chapter representing an episode. I enjoyed revisiting Reconstruction-era Chicago and reveled in the events and consequences of book (season) 1. I appreciated the nods to not only the Patterson family, but also the great Ida B. Wells and others, and very much look forward to additional seasons. I would recommend this book for multi-generational book clubs, those interested in Reconstruction era America, African American history, American history, Chicago history, the development of the NAACP, women's suffrage, and more.

The Davenports is an amazingly special series. We follow four Black female protagonists who are friends and live in Chicago in the 1910s. All four of the FMCs feel distinct from one another and their voices are really clear. I enjoyed reading from all four of their perspectives and the POV changes kept the story moving.

The plot progression from book 1 to book 2 was natural and I was very intrigued by what was going on with each character. I LOVED how each FMC had multiple love interests. Like yesssss figure out your options! But I also loved that the romance wasn't my focus because each character had an engaging plot on her own that I was very invested in.

This book tied up loose ends nicely, but I wouldn't be mad at a book 3!

For fans of Queen Bee by Amalie Howard, and the Bridgerton series-but make it YA!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a delightful sequel. Where the original story left off with cliffhangers this story answers all of the questions the reader would’ve had. A pleasant ending for these characters that you grow to care about.

2 ☆
Yea, I struggled with this book. It just a bunch of nothing happening! I enjoyed the first book because it's gave me the Bridgeton Vibes, but this book is dragging! I wasn't the targeted audiences.

Thank you Netgellay, and Penguin Group for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Dial Books and Netgalley for this ARC. I really enjoyed this book and read it in one day! I would definitely recommend this book!

I fell in love with the Helen, Amy-Rose, Ruby, and Olivia when I read the first novel last year. This was a great way to finish my adventure with them. While there were some small disappointments( the tale starts with Ruby's father failing at his election bid) it was overall a great time.

All the girl were able to build and grow through this story.

I loved watching Amy-Rose establish her salon and disprove all the nay-sayers she had encountered, while her love interest had to earn his way back to her heart. It was lovely revisiting her.

Returning to Helen's fight to be treated the same as her brother was great, I love watching her work, and it was nice as she discovered that getting older and debuting didn't have to change her life goals.

Olivia has come into her own as an activist, even being published! She was great, though I found that by the end I quite disliked Washington, her love interest. He turned so pretentious, I didn't like it.

And finally, Ruby, free of her father's mayoral bid and also the expectation to marry her old friend, plans her wedding while fending off cruel rumors that had been spread about her. She also dives into the world of fashion and it was so nice watching her go.

Overall I really enjoyed the return to these characters, and the culmination of their story. If you enjoyed the first book, you'll love the second.

Diving back into the Davenports was like coming home. Catching up with this bunch was such a ride. Picking up a little bit after the end of book 1 felt like I was catching up with my favorite people after sunday brunch. There was so much jammed packed into this book. During book 1 I really thought I had a favorite out of our 4 main characters (Helen) however in this installment I really fell in love with all of them. These women are doing their best to navigate their world while being black and a woman. It's hard for me to talk about the book without giving major spoiler's. I will say that I loved the way the different relationships were handled with the love interests. Everything felt authentic and not forced. I always tell my family I was born in the wrong generation and love being able to dive into a different decade in a way that feels real. I truly hope there are many more books to come for the davenports because I am not ready to say good bye.

This was such a great sequel! Do give it a read, you will not regret it, I promise. The ending was something else but I will not give any spoilers. I wonder is there will be a 3rd book to help us make sense of it all!

The beginning o this book was slow but based on the first book I knew I wanted to keep reading and see what happened to the characters. As the enggagemmennt gets un derway we see the young womenn spread their wings and assert themselves as they find their way in this new role. There were alot of POV's and at times it felt like they didn't get the attenntion they nneeded because the author was tryign to cover so much.

I was so excited to revisit this series. It's a wonderful way to showcase positive black history for any age, but particularly for young adults. While I still enjoyed that aspect of this sequel, I found that I had forgotten an awful lot from the first book, which made the first few chapters rough going. Once I got my bearings, the plot was much more engaging, but I found it a bit rushed. Other than that, it was an enjoyable sequel.

Before we get started, I’d like to give a big thank you to NetGalley and Krystal Marquis for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This series is SO good, you guys! Top to bottom, everything is top-notch. First of all, the cast of characters is so wonderful, diverse, and sympathetic! Marquis does a great job of writing extremely unique female characters, which is so refreshing to see. Each character is likeable, written realistically, and genuinely has a compelling storyline! Although I preferred Amy-Rose’s and Olivia’s storylines out of all of them, both in the first and second book, I never found myself bored when Ruby or Helen got the spotlight, which is something that I very rarely experience from a multi-POV book.
The cover is also GORGEOUS. The artwork, the use of the colors? It was enthralling!
I think this book (this series in general) achieved everything that the Bridgerton TV series said it was delivering, but ultimately fell flat on. It keeps social and political issues at the heart of the book as a constant undercurrent, but never skimps out on the heart, joy, and relationships between the characters. Overall, this was such a good book. I can’t wait to see what Marquis comes out with in the future!

I really couldn’t wait to dive into book two of The Davenports. While the pacing was a bit slow it was great to see more of where the characters are in the story. I’ll definitely recommend to my followers

As a reader: I enjoyed this sequel but not as much as the initial text, The Davenports. The story was a bit slow and the approach to Olivia's activism, while a beautiful arc, could've been a bit more high stakes. I was also excited to follow all of the storylines, but some of the additional characters fell flat or seemed pointless. Specifically Mr. Swift, Maude's daughter, and the businessman from NY. Mr. Stone was a breath of fresh air, and I look forward to more of his character in a sequel(which I would absolutely read!) Amy Rose's sister wanting to have a relationship seemed to be unrealistic, but if it's based on a real account, I would be interested in that. Overall, the scenery and worldbuilding is beautiful and right out of a Gilded Age fantasy. It's always a treat to read about characters and spaces where Black people flourished to have a rounded view of our existence, and paths.

First of all, I loved the first book, The Davenports, so this next book was a high-priority read for me this fall. I went in with very high expectations, and I think that soured me a bit on the book. It is still a great read-- all of my favorite characters return! The storyline begins a few short weeks after the events of the first book. These female main characters are strong, independent women, and I think younger readers need to see that so much! There are many different subplots in this book, so it may be a bit confusing for some readers. I think this did slow down the plot progression somewhat. Nonetheless, I did enjoy seeing how some of the stories finished for each of the main characters.

Not going to lie I didn't like this one as much as I did the first one in the series. It seems like this one fell into second book syndrome. Don't get me wrong it was still a great read. Just not as good as the first one.

I am grateful for this continuation of The Davenports series. We need more historical fictions that give insight into Black communities that don’t revolve around trauma and instead are fun, insightful looks at young women coming of age.

I think I went into this not realizing that I probably should have read through the other Davenport books for this to make more sense. I am used to historicals being standalones, so my review is definitely clouded by that. There were just a lot of characters to keep track of and I wasn't really invested in them since I was meeting them for the first time.

This was good, and I felt it was a beautiful continuation of the relationship that began in the last book, as well as what each character desired out of life. I wonder whether this is the end of the Davenports because it was wrapped up so well. Despite her social standing, Amy Rose is still pursuing her goals of owning a prosperous company and dating John Davenport. A rumor threatens Ruby's marriage as she plans her wedding and her dad loses the mayoral election. While she waits to be reunited with Washington, Olivia continues to be active in social justice. While attempting to be a woman working at her father's carriage business, Helen gets into a fight with a race car driver.
There are numerous points of view, and my main gripe is that I would have like each book to concentrate on one or two of the fmcs in order to give us more time to spend with the characters and allow for greater character development. There was a lot of misunderstanding and the pacing suffered as a result of it not occurring. It was entertaining to watch these black characters deal with concerns of racism, social justice, riches, romance, and status in this wealthy 1920s society. I would suggest this book to anyone who like a variety of historical fiction and romance, even though I preferred some points of view over others.