ARC Review: The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
YA Rom
The Davenports
Book Info
Released Date: January 31st
Publication: Penguin Teen
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
“captured my attention from the beginning”
You should already know that I find historical romance books a bit hard for me to read through, so I was a bit surprised that I fell in love with The Davenports. I tend to find historical romance books a bit boring to read through, but The Davenports captured my attention from the beginning. It’s surprising yet delightful.
The Davenports is a young adult historical romance book that dives into the lives of four young black females, who are trying their best to find themselves in society. It’s interconnected, but divided into four different points of view.
Let’s start off with Olivia, who is the eldest daughter of the Davenport family. The Davenports family is heavily involved in society, especially as a black family in the 1910s.Olivia knows she has a lot of expectations to live up to since her family is pretty well known in society. She comes to a crossroads when she starts to think about what she wants rather than what her mother wants. It’s a bit difficult for her since she always did what her mother wanted, but lately, she wants more. She wants true love, not a match. She needs to be careful what she wishes for.
While Olivia is debating about her expectations, her younger sister, Helen, already knows she is not going to live up to any of her parents' expectations. She knows what she wants to do. It’s only a matter of her will, in defiance of her parents, and starting on her own. It’s a bit scarier to think about since she only wants to be part of the family business and become a mechanic. And it doesn’t help that she becomes closer to her sister's chosen match as well. She is leading a difficult life at the moment.
With the Davenport sisters debating their choices, Ruby (a family friend) is forced to settle her dreams of finding her true love and securing a marriage to Davenport's son. It may have been great at first since Ruby always had a crush on him, but as more time has passed, the more she has become uninterested in him. She becomes closer to someone else that her family won’t approve of, but they never cared what she wanted. It’s going to be trickier for her to navigate what she wants and what her parents want.
While they all have choices, Amy-Rose's are a bit limited. And it does not help that she finds herself attracted to Davenport's son, John. She knows better than to form ideas or feelings for John. But the heart can’t help itself. And it’s going to be a hard lesson for her since she is in the lower class.
Each of these females has something to choose from. And it’s going to be interesting how they will navigate what they want and what they are expecting from them. It’s always a hard choice for them. And I just can’t wait for more to come.
