Krystal Marquis

I enjoyed the couples and this story from beginning to end. The cover is beautiful, especially with yellow being my favorite color.

The romance is fluffy and slow-paced though the initial relationships are fast. The three Davenport siblings, family friend Ruby, and the maid/another family friend Amy-Rose (is the author a Sonic fan?) all get their trials with love.

Very little gets resolved in this book to make way for the next in the series. But I ate up every bit of it! The cute banter, the childhood friends, the parental expectations, the backdrop of civil rights in the US, and the EXTRAVAGANT BALLROOMS!

Toni Morrison was so right. If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, you must write it (I feel like she was speaking this to creators). I'm so happy Marquis wrote this book for herself and other young readers because I had the joy of reading it. :) The author’s note was very informative and lovely.

I already want book two. I need more of the Davenports!… (more)

Recommended by Lauren B.

In early 1900s Chicago, four young Black women strive to achieve their dreams in the face of their family's expectations. Elder daughter Olivia has always done what's expected with her, and now she seems poised to marry someone her parents approve of - but she is intrigued by an activist lawyer from down South, who opens her eyes to the Jim Crow reality and makes her want to do more. Younger daughter Helen wants to help the family carriage business grow to include "horseless carriages" alongside her brother John, but her parents don't approve of her mechanical bent. Olivia's friend Ruby is hiding the fact that her father's bid for mayor is draining the family finances; meanwhile, she's trying to get John to propose to her, but his attention is elsewhere...on the family friend/maid Amy-Rose, who dreams of opening her own hair salon. What each character wants initially changes by the end of the story as they grow within and against the constraints of society.

An oddly high number of typos - I caught at least six.

Quotes

"Everyone has to leave home sometime." (Tommy to Amy-Rose, 26)

"Going to bed hungry each night as a child makes you hungry in other ways as an adult." (Mr. Davenport to Olivia, 126)

...realized that if she did everything right, she had a life of absolute boredom ahead of her. (Helen, 133)

"It's no easy task balancing what you want for yourself and what your family wants for you." (Lawrence to Helen, 139)

"I guess living up to expectations is the rule, no matter where you grow up." (Olivia to Lawrence, 173)

"Good news, there's always time to decide who you want to be." (Lawrence to Olivia, 174)

"Much of what affects our lives is out of our control. We should always strive to make the choices we can." (Mrs. Milford to Helen, 238)

"Enslavement is rooted in our history, Ruby. I wanted something we could build, as far away from that past as we could get without forgetting it." (Mrs. Tremaine to Ruby, 254)

So much of her future was predetermined, she had never allowed herself to think about the many ways it could be different. (Olivia, 303)… (more)

A YA novel featuring America's Black elite during The Gilded Age? I didn't want to miss this book. Especially given the absolutely gorgeous book cover. (The front cover of the hardback isn't yellow but gilded in shiny gold!)

Given what I read in several spoiler reviews (yes, I purposely look for those if I'm struggling with a book), I wouldn't call this a romance novel: one that follows the formula of genre romance. The book does focus on the four main young ladies' romantic lives, though. I knew that much going in and hoped I'd find it interesting...

But I didn't feel like the four POVs worked in the novel's favor. (Perhaps paring it down to two POVs with distinct plots would've been better?) It was taking too long for me to really connect with or want to root for any of the young ladies, and the guys they were longing or catching feelings for came off as polished jerks to me. Repeated descriptions of male muscles, smiles and good teeth, and close body heat along with repeated descriptions of racing female hearts and rising gooseflesh aren't what make romantic storylines interesting to me.

I have to find the people compelling. People I'd want to know. Both the ladies and the gents.

If this had been a shorter book, I might have held on, since: 1) historical fiction is my all-time favorite genre; 2) it's been high time for more books in the genre reflecting Black history, particularly history that isn't focused solely on slavery or Black trauma; and 3) I hoped to find more in the read about women's suffrage, Black social activism, Black business ownership and businesswomen, and more historical aspects.

Yet, because my reading time is limited these days and I've got so many books I want to try, I usually give a novel somewhere between 50-100 pages to grip my heart and/or mind, or else I move on.

Still, if you'd be interested in a full cast of Black, Gilded Age characters going through young love triangles/romantic drama where Happily Ever After endings aren't a must, you might want to check this one out.

This longtime historical fiction fan may even try Book Two in the series when it comes out. Maybe I'll enjoy reading about some of the characters if they've learned and matured a bit in the next book?… (more)