3.5 ⭐️

Overall, a nice continuation of the first Davenports book. I have mixed feelings about this book as I don’t believe much happened. There was an unraveling of relationships and then falling back on repairing said relationships. I can appreciate that we get deeply acquainted with the main players. I commend Marquis for continuing to weave four stories together without making it confusing. I also appreciate the recaps we get in the beginning to readjust since I didn’t reread the first book before starting this one. It took me a while to read this book because at no point was I truly sucked into the story. I will say that’s not necessarily a bad thing because I was able to digest everything day by day. Despite its flaws, I will continue to read and recommend this series!

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and Krystal Marquis for an ARC of this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this e-arc. The sequel to The Davenports picks up where the first book ended. Olivia, Amy Rose, Ruby, and Helen's stories focused less on romance and more on finding their passion and purpose in life. Amy Rose's chapters were my favorite and it was interesting following her journey as a black female entrepreneur. However, the pacing in this book was very slow in my opinion. I think this series would have a lot more potential if one book focused on each of the main characters.

This book is a beautifully written novel that continues to tell the story of the Davenports, a wealthy African-American family located in Chicago. It explores the complexity of relationships at the time and the unjustness towards women and Black people. I greatly enjoyed the different points of view that alternated between the female leads, particularly Ruby and Olivia’s because of their romantic plot lines that were impacted by the nature of the world around them. Overall, I strongly recommend this novel to anyone who likes historical fiction, romance, or other genres of the like. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy.

With the boom in Bridgerton, and how much I love it, it was no surprise that i would request this. I love period piece romance novels and this didn't disappoint. Hearing from the Davenport family ladies again was such a treat and seeing how their men were doing (or not doing). I know I will need to pick up a copy of this book in november when its released hell I may have my book club read it these were such fun stories of love to follow

The Davenports: More Than This is the second book of the Davenport series. I really enjoyed this book and I think readers of the previous will enjoy it as well.

Initial Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one! In my opinion this sequel is a strong improvement in book one. With the love triangles resolved it is much easier to keep track of who is who, especially after the slow start ends and we get into the meat of the story. I did feel unsatisfied with the level of detail at the end in terms of description of the happily ever afters for the characters outside of Ruby (who is the least interesting to me anyway). I wanted to know more about Olivia and Helen’s 5 years down the line lives.

Detailed Review:
More Than This, the sequel to The Davenports, picks up exactly where we left off. We’re in Chicago in the early 1900s, and the Davenports are still holding strong in society as the Bartons hope for a political rise to power.

Amy-Rose has struck out on her own to great success, but not without some loss along the way. Ruby is on the way to getting everything she wanted, but not the way she saw it coming. Helen is forced to look back before she can move forward (in perhaps the least exciting plot). Olivia finds her voice and sets down roots in Chicago on her own terms.

Overall I would call this an improvement on book 1, although imperfect. It drags in the beginning as you untangle the odd Lou interconnected love triangles of the first book. Once it picks up though, the characters’ stories are much more distinct and the challenges they face are timely and relevant both for the time they live in and the circumstances they’ve fallen into.

I appreciated the way each character’s arc ended, but my original review thought still stands - these girls could have had a book to themselves and made just as much sense. I don’t know that the patience it took to get past the initial lull will keep new readers hooked long enough to see the book through but if you read the first and like to see a series done, it’s worth returning to.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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.

I loved the first Davenport book. Despite this time period not personally being my favorite to read about, I really enjoy the characters and the author's writing.

This story was a little hard to keep up with due to the multiple POVs. I think that's something that works better for a TV script, not a novel. Despite this, it was rewarding to be able to see what happens to these characters after the first book. What I didnt enjoy was the multiple misunderstadning tropes- something that added unneeded tension to the relationships that had already been established in the first book.

I would still reccomend this to historical fiction fans.

I absolutely loved book one of this series and was thrilled to be approved for this ARC.

This book picks up about 3 weeks from where we left off in book one. Each point of view offers a different storyline. I have to admit at times it got a bit confusing with so many side characters for each POV. I think it would have been perfect for each girl to have her own standalone novel. Some POVs (Helen and Amy Rose) I found more interesting than the others. I couldn't wait to get back to their story lines.

There were scenes that felt a bit rushed and could have had bigger moments if each girl had her own book. Because we are following all of their stories at once, some moments felts glossed over or rushed while others could have been removed altogether.

Overwall, I really enjoyed my time with this story and will definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed book 1 as much as I did.

This ebook was made available for me to read and review by Krystal Marquis, Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group, and NetGalley.

I read and adored the first novel in this series. I've been eagerly awaiting this second novel.
This starts mere weeks after the action at the end of the first novel. So the engaged couple from book 1 is involved in engagement activities. Of course further complications arise. The other love interests are off on other quests. Adding to feeling of frustration is typical romance tropes of which the exact same trope impacts 2 of the remaining couples at the same time. This trope then lasts too long. The story seems to go in a different direction and then circle back around in truly frustrating ways. Instead of escalating tension, as a reader I was left with escalating frustration. The pacing of this novel feels slower than necessary.

I will definitely read another novel by this author but for me this was a bit of a stumble.

Thank you to Krystal Marquis, Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ebook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

I really wanted to get into this but I just could not. I love the concept but I could not connect with the writing.

This book was a good sequel but it didn’t live up to the first book. It is often said that the second book in a series is the worst one and this book may prove it, but that’s not saying much because the first one was amazing.

The Davenports more than this book was honestly a book that took me awhile to read and never really peaked my interest. To be honest the pacing was slow. The storyline gave oldtimey Cinderella and bridgerton vibes but it didn’t keep me wanting to read. I liked the initial premise and blurb and the fact that it was four people of color telling their stories but the multiple pov made it feel like their stories were rushed and never felt the chance to really feel connected to them . I also feel like I missed a lot not realizing that this was book two in a series and it seemed like you must read book one to fully comprehend this one. No hate to the book or the author it just wasn’t for me. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

Krystal Marquis has a way of instantly absorbing you into her books. I really like her writing style. I did enjoy The Davenports: More Than This but not as much as the first one. I wish we could have delved deeper into the characters. Instead it felt like more of the same from book 1 where every romance was broken and fixed after a lack of communication. It wrapped up nicely and I'd be surprised if there'd be a third novel so I will miss everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was super excited for this after the first book and it was so good. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. Usually book quality goes down after book one it wasn't like this with this book. 10/10 reccomend

I absolutely LOVED the first Davenports book, so as soon as I saw this was available I jumped at the chance to read it. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed in it overall. The writing was good, as it was in the first novel, but the characters actually bothered me. Without giving too much away, there are not one but several characters that simply choose not to read letters they had and make very large assumptions which lead to some significant miscommunications. If you aren’t into miscommunication tropes, steer clear of this one. In the first novel there was a lot of character development and build up (particularly with love interests) and it almost seemed like I was getting to know new characters (with new love interests) instead. In the sequel I also felt as if the character development wasn’t as well done. I think it may have been the multiple POV’s this time around, even though that didn’t seem to interfere with the first. It was hard to really get to know any of the POV’s in a deeper level. I did however like the new character additions and the push for these Black female characters to strive for their goals and show that they are More Than This. That message is an important one, and you can tell this author did her historical research of this time period. There aren’t many novels out there (particularly YA) that share this specific viewpoint in this time in history, so it is definitely worth reading.

This was a truly a good read and a good way to continue the ladies stories from the previous book. It was nice to see Black wealthy characters during the 1920s who are navigating romance, social justice and race issues. My only minor issue with the book is having four povs I feel at times it affected the pacing of the book. I think it would’ve been nice if each book focused on one of the ladies povs

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

This was a nice summer read. It is the second in what appears to be a series about four Black young women in 1920s Chicago finding both love and their purpose. This is a multi-pov book, which makes it difficult to dive too deeply into the storylines for each of our heroines, and the pacing felt a little rushed and difficult to follow. Olivia learning to balance her newfound passion for advocacy authentically was an interesting twist to the love triangle she was involved in. The book also touches deftly on the ways women had to navigate a world that was ruled by men. Amy Rose, Helen, and Ruby each showcased a unique entrepreneurial spirit.

If readers are looking for a grittier novel, this is not it. It's not a New Adult novel masquerading as YA.

I think historicals are an area that YA is really lacking, at least in the fun, not so downtrodden sense, so I loved that we were getting more from this series!

The pacing was spot on and the story continues nicely from the first. I wonder if it's a duology and if so, it's impressive. I find duologies hard to nail.

This was good and I thought it was a nice continuation with each character, what they wanted in life, and the romance they started with in the last book. It was wrapped up pretty nicely so I wonder if this is the end of the Davenports. Amy Rose is continuing with her dream of running a successful business and being with John Davenport despite her social status. Ruby is planning her wedding but her dad loses the mayoral election and a rumor threatens her marriage. Olivia is still involved in social justice but is waiting and hoping to be reunited with Washington. Helen gets into it with a race car driver while trying to be a woman working in her dad's carriage business.

There are a lot of povs and my biggest mini complaint is that I wanted each book to focus on either one or two of the fmc's just so that we could spend more time with the characters and there would be more development. That did not happen so the pacing was affected and there was a lot of miscommunication. I did enjoy seeing these black characters navigate wealth, romance, social justice, status, and race issues in this affluent world in the 1920's. I enjoyed some povs more than others but that's okay, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes diverse historical ya fiction and romance. Thanks to the publisher for this arc.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author Krystal Marquis, and the publisher Penguin Publishing Group for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for a honest review.

Marquis has crafted a rich story that builds upon the first book in the series. Set in Chicago during the 1910s, we follow along with four women as the grow and face challenges. I highly recommend this book to young readers and can’t wait to see what else is in store for the series.