The narrative unfolds around a prosperous black family in early 1900s Chicago, following the entwined lives of the Davenport sisters, Helen and Olivia, their dear friends Ruby, and Amy-Rose. These young women are at a crossroads, determining their own futures. Each one steers through a personal tale, often entangled in romantic affairs. The book also explores the individual challenges they encounter and subtly introduces issues that pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement, the Great Migration, and Women's Suffrage. It is a commendable read for those who appreciate period pieces, coming-of-age stories, historical romance, forbidden love, and narratives from multiple points of view. The seamless integration of various perspectives is particularly well-executed, merging together without any apparent conflict.

📚️Book Review 📚️
💛The Davenports by Krystal Marquis💛
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a delight! A historical YA fiction following an affluent black family in the early 1900s. REFRESHING.

The book follows four different women, all coming of age in their own unique way. Despite following this many characters, I did not get overwhelmed and was equally invested in each story. They all weaved together in a coherent way, and I found myself equally looking forward to each character POV!

I loved this book as an adult, and am confident YA readers of all ages will as well, especially for those who love historical fiction.

PS I can't wait for Book 2!!!!

"The Davenports" is a well written and quick read, with many relatable characters. Author Krystal Marquis keeps the readers attention and transports one back into another time period..

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC

This was a strong ya novel. The historical setting was fabulous and the characters were fascinating and intriguing. I think the representation was great and it was fun to see diversity in a historical setting. There isn't nearly enough of it. I was interested in all their storylines and never grew bored. The sibling relationships were fantastic and the romances sweet. I'm excited to continue reading about this family

In this book we follow two of the Davenport daughters (Helen and Olivia), Ruby (close friend of Olivia) and Amy-Rose (the childhood friend and now maid of the Davenports). Each of them have their own stories that are connected in different ways most of which is surrounding their romantic lives.
We also get to see some of the struggles each of them are experiencing such as familial expectations and their experiences connected to their class, wealth, and being Black in the 20th century Chicago. Overall this was a good book! If you enjoy historical romance books that reads like Bridgeton with a full Black cast, then this one is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

Despite this book being for Young Adults, and me being 26, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had originally read this book last year but wanted to read it again in anticipation of the Davenports sequel. Looking forward to diving into the sequel!!


Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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I loved this book, as this was my second time reading it. The story centers around an affluent black family in the early 1900’s Chicago, whose daughters are navigating love, societal & family expectations, race relations and their personal dreams. The main characters include Olivia and Helen Davenport, Ruby Tremaine and Amy-Rose. They young women are at a place where they’re deciding what future they want for themselves. They encounter both familial resistance and societal pressures along the way. The book hints at issues that make way for the Civil Rights Movement, the Great Migration and Women’s Suffrage. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy period pieces, coming of age stories, historical romance, forbidden romance, multiple POV’s to maneuver a few. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the opportunity to review.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading the second book! I would definitely recommend this book to all my family and friends.

This book was previously released so I am not going to go into too much detail on my review but I am so glad that I got the chance to read this and experience this world. I really think my favorite part of this book was the setting. So opulent and decadent. The characters were written wonderful. I felt like I could really get to know them and that they were real. I felt interested in their story and wanted more when this was over.

Where do I begin this book was awesome. The characters and storyline was amazing. I thought this was a great way to start a good series and I can't wait for the next one. The storytelling kept my attention, and I was fully invested in this book.

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis is a historical fiction novel set in 1910s Chicago, following the wealthy African-American Davenport family. It centers on the Davenport sisters, Olivia and Helen, and their friends as they navigate love, societal expectations, and personal ambitions during a time of rigid social norms and emerging civil rights movements.
The novel offers a fresh take on African-American affluence in a period rarely depicted in YA fiction. With relatable characters and a blend of romance, drama, and history, it's a good read.

The Davenports is a wonderful historical romance with a African American twist. It was very enjoyable.

This book was amazing! First of all the cover of this book is so pretty! The story was very well written and I loved the main characters in this story!

I found out very hard to put this book down. The characters were brought to life in such a way that I absolutely fell in love with them. In this work of historical fiction, all the characters were distinct. There experiences were such that anyone in spite their race could identify with their experiences.

Ultimately this was not the book I thought it was going to be. I went into this expecting a more grounded historical romance from an oft-overlooked perspective. I have heard the comparison time and again that this was like a Black Bridgerton in the US South. But that is neither fair for this book, as it focuses on such a different time with different social issues, or even for Bridgerton as people are comparing it to the much more successful TV show.
The Davenports stands its ground fairly well. I think it just struggled with tone and what kind of novel it wanted to be.
Personally I felt this could have been better in a lot of areas. Particularly the historical aspect. Honestly so much out of context could be assumed to be the modern era. I also had trouble with all the romances having basically the same issues toward the end. There really wasn't much in terms of dynamics.
Overall I feel like this was a good book, but I think it would work better for television. I would love another more adult realistic book from this author that covers the same family and themes.

Interesting premise but it lacked in engaging storytelling in my opinion. I love historical fictions so I wish it was a more prominent aspect of this story instead of centering purely the romance. This book will be great for many but unfortunately it missed me mark for me.

I listened to this on audio and the narrator is fantastic!

I really enjoyed this work. The novel follows the stories of four separate girls and I actually enjoyed all points of view equally, which I find to be rare.

The world Marquis built up feels rich and lively with lovable and very real feeling characters that I definitely cannot wait to read more of in book two.

Was finally able to read this just when I was in the mood for something historical and it didn't disappoint.

I would give this to a teen who enjoyed series like gossip girl or the luxe (our library still rotates these titles). As well as those who enjoy historical settings but don't like war books. Id mention bridgerton of course, but my younger teens still haven't read/watched it.

The story itself is full of intrigue, wit and lots of heart!

Sooooo ready for book 2. Bring it on! This was a great YA read and there so many good characters and a good plot! The writing was incredible and I really didn't want this story to end! Bravo!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book POST-release. This was my first time reading The Davenports and I really enjoyed it! The characters were interesting, I loved the regency era in an update YA tone, and overall just had FUN reading it! I'll certainly be picking up book two now! It was a great summer/spring read in my opinion.