The sequel was not quite as good as the first. There felt like there were a few filler chapters but it ended in a happily ever after so that was nice to have everything tied up so nearly.

I must admit I was a little disappointed in this sequel. I had high hopes after reading the first one last year but the pace did not work for me. The story picks up where the first one left off but from there it takes most of the book to get anywhere new. Additional characters are added that do help the plot but it also results in love triangles and miscommunications being prominent tropes which are not favorites for everyone, especially when they are happening to multiple characters. Overall, it was fun to return to these characters and I enjoy the world they inhabit and if there does ends up being a third in the series I will likely read it.

I received an arc through NetGalley and these are my honest opinions.

I'll start by saying this time around I did felt long. This book felt long as fuck. It wasn't bad, I enjoyed it and I thought the story way great. Just long.

The drama was there like last time and the tension of how the story was gonna play out was great.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I began this book with great anticipation. It was pleasing to see the characters development from the first book. I found this book to be slow in certain spots and struggled to continue.
In spite of the latter, I am glad that In did. I was able to see that all of the characters experienced their winning moments.

#HistoricalFiction #Netgalley #ARC #love #Romance #YoungAdult

Loved this one.. Picked up right where part one left off and gave closure for each sister. Not sure if this is the end of the series but I am satisfied with the ending.

I think this one was better than book 1. We got the answers to our questions and sooooo much more. I loved how each lady walked in their own purpose in this one and didn’t let anyway steer them astray. We even got a tad bit of drama but that was def nipped in the bud. The ladies weren’t having it at all. I’m happy with how this ended and the path each lady ended up taking. If you loved the first book you definitely won’t be disappointed with this one.

This was a perfect continuation of the first book. The author did a great job at wrapping up each of the women’s stories and their relationship. Amy is still with John and living her dream opening her own business, Ruby is planning her wedding but her dad lost the mayoral election and a rumor is threatening her engagement. Helen gets into with it a race car driver and Olivia is still involved with social justice while waiting on the return of Washington. My only qualm was the four povs which sometimes made it hard to concrete on characters as well as them getting true character development. It was nice seeing black characters in the 1920s represent wealth and success. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this ARC

I really enjoyed the first Davenports book so I was very excited for this continuation of their story. What I love most about this series is the friendships and feelings of sisterhood between Olivia, Ruby, Anna-Rose and Helen and that was on full display in book two. I love how much they support and show up for each other. The romance is there too, but it very much takes a backseat to the women and their ambitions which is never a problem in my eyes. There were still plenty of great romantic moments and declarations though! My one complaint (and it was the same complaint I had in book one) was the pacing. It was incredibly slow and repetitive in places and while I was very interested to see how the characters would end up, I just wanted things to move along. However, I still enjoyed this book and these characters so much and I’m really hoping for a book three announcement soon!
CW: racism

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely follow up to The Davenports, I loved getting to revisit the cast of characters from the first book and meet some new ones. Amy-Rose was possibly my favorite story line though I do love the precocious Helen as well. I’m selfishly hoping for a third in the series.

This book was a great continuation of the first book. It was a lot slower, which is why it was not as highly rated for me. I had to push my way through reading this one.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year after how much I enjoyed The Davenports. The first book did a really good job of melding historical fiction and romance into a single story. It was even more impressive because I generally am not a fan of historical fiction at all.

And that was the problem with this book. I ended up DNFing at about 50% because it would have been unfair of me to finish and rate this book based on the fact that this book was much more heavily historical fiction. The writing and character developments were so much better in this book that it just didn't seem right to finish and rate it 2 stars just because I find historical fiction on the boring side.

So even though I didn't finish it, I would recommend this one to YA historical fiction fans. I think a lot of people will really enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an e-ARC to review.

I adore this sequel! It was a nice continuation to the previous story. It does feel a bit slower than I would typically like but the writing is good and the characters are enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC for review.

A great continuation story from book 1. I loved the deeper character development for each of the girls; Amy-Rose, Ruby, Helen, and Olivia. One of the best things about this romance book is that it maintained a level of "clean romance" that allows me to recommend it to teenage girls looking for a romance book! I could have read an entire book on each of the ladies!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group, and the author, Krystal Marquis for an eARC!

4/5 ⭐️This was a good sequel…can’t wait for the next book with more drama huney! More Than This is just a continuation of showing growth amongst the children of these black elites finding their own paths instead of following what society or their parents say! Except Amy-Rose! Her story is different than the others although she is connected with the black elites! It’s like Helen, Ruby, Amy-Rose, Olivia and John are growing up before our eyes! I just thoroughly enjoyed their stories!

I expected more than this for this book.

In the first book we meet four young women trying to find themselves (and two of them try to find husbands). In the second book Ruby finds a passion outside of her engagement and her parents expectations and the Davenport horseless carriage is finally gaining traction, but other than that I didn't see any other character development. Each story and romance started largely the same way as the previous book ended.

We also have three separate relationships stifled by not reading or replying to letters. It began to feel like a cheap miscommunication plot point that could have been made much more interesting. Additionally, this book was very repetitive on how kisses and men in general were discussed (but to be fair there are quite a few love interests).

While I did still like this book, it fell flat. Each character is a different example of Black excellence and the impact young women can make, but nothing was developed fully. I think it would have been better if the book was longer or if it focuses on one or two of the women instead of all four (I vote for Helen and Olivia).

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

PS there were MANY spelling and grammatical errors.

Tiktok and Instagram posts to come (will update with links)

2.5 ⭐️

My favourite part of this instalment in the series has got to be Amy-Roses friendship with Mrs Davis and how much it changed her situation. I also enjoyed the storyline of Olivia writing for the paper and helping with the marches, etc.

I can't help but feel there are plans for another book as certain pairings don't feel fully set in place yet. I am glad Olivia chose the man she did and that at least one couple got married.

I did find myself getting confused at time jumps mid chapter. There was one instance where someone had just asked a question at dinner, and then they were in a carriage at the start of the next paragraph. Certain conversations and moments felt unfinished because of these jumps.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

DNF

had hard time tracking all the characters and their stories. Too many for me to follow and made me lose my attention and interest since I couldn’t track the details to the right character.

I loved the first one and this was such a great sequel! I loved seeing the romances they started in book one carry over to two. I adore the multiple POVs as it makes it so much easier to read and fast moving. I love the characters and I feel like this book wrapped everything up pretty well. I hope there will be a book 3 and we will get to see more of the Davenport’s!

Genre: YA Historical Romance

This is the sequel to The Davenports. Think Bridgerton, but set in Chicago in the 1900s and it follows the lives of four different black girls. Instead of the wealthy having horse drawn carriages, they have cars.
It has all the etiquette, courting, galas, dresses, & drama you like in Bridgerton.
This one continues the YA romances from the first book. Each girl has a different interest from politics, to automotives, to becoming a business owner. It is a light, easy read.
I listened to it on audio and thought the narration was really good.
I think it is going to be a duology because it wraps up nicely.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the gifted copy! 💜

DNF @37%

I really loved the first book in this series- it was a fun blend of Bridgerton and Gossip Girl, and I was excited to see what came next. Unfortunately book 2 has really been dragging and I'm struggling to get through it so I think I'm better off stopping here. If you enjoy slower paced historical dramas, you may still quite enjoy this. I just found the pacing to be much slower than the first book without quite enough depth in the character and relationship development. I like the concept and the way it's exploring Black life in Chicago in the early 1900's, including among the wealthy elite. But I was hoping for something either snappy and juicy, or something with more character development. Your mileage may vary! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.