The Mayor of Maxwell Street is a beautiful debut novel by Avery Cunningham. It is highly well written, emotional captivating, and historically immerses the reader in the prohibition era 1920s, where racism runs rampant in Chicago. The prologue set a few years before the actual story, immediately grabbed my attention. A rich Black girl writing anonymous articles about everyday Black people, and a biracial boy who passes as white, with a connection to the Chicago underworld.

The Mayor of Maxwell Street by Avery Cunningham is marketed as an "epic love story" "a tale of intrigue, racial tension, and class warfare, set against the glamorous and gritty backdrop of early 20th century Chicago." (From the synopsis). Cunningham's writing skillfully captures the essence of Prohibition-era Chicago in the Roaring Twenties, with sharp wit and an entertaining narrative. Fast paced and enjoyable read to see the roaring 20s from another perspective. Another reviewer called it a Prohibition era Gatsby-esque story and I loved that description. Highly impressed with the author and can't wait to see what she comes out with next.

From the book description: “an epic love story, a riveting historical drama, and a brilliant exploration of Black society and perseverance when the ‘20s first began to roar.”

I love historical fiction, so this sounded promising as I haven’t read any about this topic. However, I almost DNF this book more than once. I found the book slow-paced, and confusing to follow. There are a lot of characters that I couldn’t remember Nelly (the main character) meeting, and some things that didn’t get resolved. Like the note Nelly gave to a gangster – whatever happened to that?

I finished the book because I wanted to figure out the love story. But honestly, there wasn’t one. Two pretty messed up relationships, but not an epic love story.

My thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for this ARC.

💫BOOK REVIEW💫

📖THE MAYOR OF MAXWELL STREET
✍️AVERY CUNNIGHAM
🗓️ 1/30/2024


✨MY THOUGHTS✨

This is a page turner! I was so invested in finding out who the mayor of Maxwell Street was! It was filled with colorful characters. Some shifty, some snooty. Even royalty. Nelly and Jay’s relationship had me on the edge of my seat because I didn’t know if I wanted them to get together or not lol. But their chemistry was undeniable. I love historical fiction and this is an era I want to see more stories of us in. The book comes alive with the scenery, music and even textures of the 1920s. One minute we’re rubbing elbows with the Black bourgeois at a debutante ball and the next we’re in a speakeasy amongst Chicago’s most wanted. The ending was kind of abrupt and left me a little confused at first but it seems like an opening for a sequel🤞🏾. I definitely recommend this read and I am looking forward to reading more of @averywritesbigbooks work.

Thank you @netgalley and @hyperionavebooks for a chance to read and review.

#bookreview #netgalley #netgalleyreviews #themayorofmaxwellstreet #historicalfiction #bookstagram #bookifeisthebestlife

I read author interviews that explained this book as somewhat of a modern retelling of Gatsby, which I’d say is quite accurate. It explores similar themes through the lens of Black Americans — commenting on race and class and their intersections, and the consequences of brutal ambition.

The way the characters cast aside their morality to seek vengeance and to keep striving to achieve something greater (the green light!) is fascinating — and infuriating — to follow. For most of the book, Nelly’s choices frustrated me because she’s so obviously enthralled by the thrill of Jay and I wished she’d had a more compelling reason to be so reckless. It felt like an angsty “I want to be different and I want freedom!” But the way their storylines differ at the end sends the message home and, to me, made the frustration justifiable — I understood what it was all for at the end.

Avery Cunningham’s use of similes and metaphors was masterful, especially so for a debut. The plot intrigued me, and she really sold it with her careful research. Definitely will be an author to follow.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

Nelly Sawyer is the daughter of the “wealthiest Negro in America.” After the unexpected death of her only brother, Nelly becomes the premier debutante overnight. But Nelly has aspirations beyond society influence and marriage; for the past year, she has worked undercover as an investigative journalist, sharing the achievements and tribulations of everyday Black people living in the shadow of Jim Crow. Her latest assignment thrusts her into the den of a dangerous vice lord: the so-called Mayor of Maxwell Street. Born in rural Alabama to a murdered biracial couple, Jay Shorey knows firsthand what it means to be denied a chance at the American dream. He washed up on Chicago’s storied shores and forged his own way to the top of the city’s underworld, running Chicago's swankiest speakeasy, where the rich and famous rub elbows with gangsters and politicians alike. When Nelly’s and Jay’s paths cross, she recruits him to help expose the Mayor and bring about lasting change in a corrupt city. Trapped between the monolith of Jim Crow, the inflexible world of the Black upper class, and the violence of Prohibition-era Chicago, Jay and Nelly work together and stoke the flames of a love worth fighting for.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC! This was a very enjoyable book that had a little bit of everything—feminism, mystery, characters fingering back against racism and societal norms, 1920s Prohibition speakeasies, daring heroics, and great friendships. I was really interested in figuring out who the infamous Mayor was. However, sometimes the narrative felt a bit jumpy and sometimes it felt as thought there were unexplained gaps in events that took place between chapters. The prologue of the book was very gripping, but then the following chapters took a while to loop in the content from the prologue and I thus became slightly disinterested. I really liked Nelly’s tenacity, and overall the characters were multilayered and well developed. I think I would’ve liked this better if the plot was less jumpy and more succinct.

3.5 stars generously

I think that this was longer than necessary, but a really fun story to read. I loved learning about the various cast of characters and their involvement in various enterprises (both good and nefarious). The romance was really toxic IMO which was upsetting. I wanted better for our FMC. Overall I am glad I read it though, as the historical aspects were so informative and engaging.

I loved The Mayor of Maxwell Street! The Gatsby-esque inspiration runs so strongly throughout the novel and the updated setting and story brings a fab fresh take on the modern classic. The slow burn romance / love triangle was also nicely done. I gasped a lot, especially at the cotillion chapter and aftermath and loved how fearless and inspirational Nelly was as a main character.

It's a debut novel, and I think the author shows a lot of promise. This book was just trying to do too much, and would have benefited from focusing on just a few elements. Instead we get a book about race, a piece of historical fiction, a story about a family, a love story, a mystery, a gangster novel. There's a lot going on and nothing gets done completely.

The twist was infuriating and came way too close to the end without sufficient time given to explaining it. Does it even hold water? I think a staple of the mystery twist is the "villain" revealing the steps of their deception, and explaining away any contradictions that seem to be presented. No such attempt was made here, and I closed the book asking myself what the f had happened at the end. If you're going to spend pages describing dresses, give at least that much time to explaining your resolution.

Again, I do think that the author has a lot of talent and I will definitely give their next book a chance.

This was a lovely historical fiction novel taking place in the 1920's surrounding a strong, inspiring black woman. As she navigates racism in Chicago, she becomes a likeable character that is fun to focus on. This novel was a little daunting and long, but I found the ending to be perfect. Overall, I enjoyed this and look forward to other books from this author. Romance, mystery, historical aspects, and dealing with racism!

For at least the first half of this book, I was very intrigued. The setting and the characters were definitely unique and interesting, and the premise of mystery also kept me engaged. However, as the pages went on the novel got a bit long and winding and ended up in a place that was somewhat expected at one time but then more so unexpected by that point in the novel. That being said, based on the first half of this novel alone, I would describe it as least a "good" book, albeit not the great one it might have been. Further, I wasn't really interested in this book for the promise of an "epic love story", but I would agree with other reviewers that I would never describe this novel in that way either. All told, I would recommend this book for its unique setting and characters, with the caveat that it can also feel a bit long.

This book is a contradiction for me. I think it suffers from a common debut issue- there's so many things the author wanted to include that it turned into a bit of a mess. Although I liked Nelly a lot, I thought the love story between her and Jay was slightly toxic and was rooting for Tomas from the beginning. If this had been either a love story OR a journalistic mystery, I would have enjoyed it more, but we really don't even start on the investigative piece until 150 pages in or so, and the pace takes several sideways turns, alternating fast and slow. A narrower focus may have helped, or editing down some of the long scenes that were really just interactions with secondary characters or descriptions of the setting could have done wonders to march the plot along.

However, I did love the setting, and the writing itself is fantastic. Cunningham obviously has a lot of talent, and I'm interested to see what she comes up with next.

Amazon and Barnes and Noble reviews live on release date.

A terrific, highly entertaining first novel about Chicago and its Black community during the Depression. Surprisingly engrossing, well written, and contains lessons snd themes that are still relevant today. Having grown up in Chicago in 70s and 80s (north-sider here) this novel contained multitudes of info I had not really known. Very recommended!
I received an ARC copy digitally in exchsnge for an honest review, thanks to NetGalley.

3.75 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I will say if I knew it was 500 pages I probably wouldn’t have requested it as I tend to find books that long a little daunting. That said, I did overall enjoy this book, it kept me engaged, not so much that I couldn’t put it down but I did look forward to reading it everyday. The author did an excellent job with the setting and atmosphere of the story and I really loved the main character Nelly. However, for the story being so long I would have loved to get to know some of the other characters a little better. There are also some parts of the story that I am confused about. Overall I would recommend the book to someone who interested in the 1920s.

Part of my issue with this book was that it dragged on in many different parts, there were too many characters and sometimes too much going on. I feel like to a certain degree, I am still trying to connect some of the dots. I truly enjoyed the historical aspect of this book - especially how it centered on a Black woman in a position of power during the 20s. A story about the dangerous underground world of Prohibition Chicago (and America) in 1921 and how a Black debutante works with a low-level speakeasy manager to find the leader of an underground crime group. The main characters were well developed and I enjoyed learning more about them and their interactions. I liked the story line and the dangers and descriptions of what was happening during that time. I wish that the book moved a little faster and there were less side stories which caused confusion at times.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I received a temporary digital copy of The Mayor of Maxwell Street by Avery Cunningham from NetGalley, Hyperion Avenue and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Nelly Sawyer is the daughter of one of the wealthiest Black men in the country and wants freedom from the expectations that her parents have put on her, especially after the death of her brother. She is a reporter and in order to prove herself and get a published article with her own name, not her alias, she must find out who the Mayor of Maxwell Street is, no simple task as no one has ever seen him. It is also incredibly dangerous, men are willing to kill over just saying his title alone. With help from a new friend, Jay, Nelly must navigate through Chicago's society, Jim Crow, and the Prohibition to find the mysterious Mayor of Maxwell Street.

The Mayor of Maxwell Street is 3.5 rounded up for me. Unlike a lot of the other reviews, I didn't find the book to be too long and really enjoyed being in Nelly's world. Cunningham did an incredibly job of describing Chicago and its elite Black society. The first difficulty I had with The Mayor of Maxwell Street was Nelly's initial motivations; it rang false. She was willing to die to find this man in order to write an article with her name? She had no fear in deadly situations, such as while being tied to a chair and physically beaten? Later revelations give her search a much stronger motivation; however, that doesn't come until 3/4 of the way through the book. In addition, some things were so vague, I had to infer what happened, and I never enjoy when an author does that.

This was an ARC so I do understand there will sometimes be a few errors and formatting issues; however, this book had a lot and that always does distract me from the story. A lot of reviewers complained about the long dialog in Spanish and French. Thankfully, I was reading on my Kindle so I was able to translate the conversations; nevertheless, I can see how that would be extremely frustrating if I was reading in print or didn't know how to translate the passages.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The books protagonist is Penelope “Nelly” Sawyer, daughter of the “richest Negro in America”. Nelly has come to Chicago in the 1920s because her brother Elder passed in a car accident and she is now the heir to her family’s fortune. While her family wants to present her to society so she can get married, Nelly has a secret life of a journalist. And her new big assignment now that she is in Chicago is finding out who the real Mayor of Maxwell Street is.

Nelly has to balance her double life - a rich society girl being courted by royalty and a as a journalist working with mysterious Jay Shorey who seems to be in with high society and also the underbelly of Chicago.

I did enjoy the writing however the first half of the book felt slow. Once it got to around 60% I flew through to the end. I loved the contrast of how fancy high society was; with the descriptions of the wealth and parties and a how Nelly would be treated as a black woman. Even though she was incredibly rich she also got mistaken as the help on more than one occasion. Nelly was a bad ass character and not afraid to go to crime infested places to work a lead. This has been described as an epic love story but the romance wasn’t that prominent in the book nor was it rooting for the couple.

📝
Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for a free digital copy on exchange for an honest review. This book will be published 30 JANUARY 2024.

A story of intrigue, danger and glamour in prohibition era Chicago . Penelope (Nelly) Sawyer is an heiress who after her beloved brother's death, has been brought north by her resilient and determined wealthy parents to find a husband and to be accepted into black high society. But 20 year old Nelly wants to expose the injustice she sees with the entrenched white American privilege and racism and is willing to take terrible risks and to expose herself to danger in order to write about corruption and a crime syndicate for a Chicago newspaper. A chance encounter with charismatic blue-eyed Jay makes her question whether she should ignore marriage to please her parents and her growing relationship with a powerful and rich man in favour of pursuing her dream of becoming a journalist. This atmospheric page-turner of a book kept me gripped until the end. A brilliant debut novel by Avery Cunningham

I enjoyed this book so much! The characters are memorable and well-developed. Nelly's story opens at her brother's funeral, where she encounters the Black Chicago elite, notably the intriguing Jay Shorey, marking the beginning of a captivating narrative. Unbeknownst to her parents, she has been contributing articles to a Chicago newspaper under a pseudonym, with her late brother's assistance. The racial undertones throughout the novel are a powerful element, almost like an additional character that shapes the world. It lays bare the challenges faced by the characters, even within the privileged 1%, in confronting the prevailing racial dynamics of the time. #NETGALLEY #THEMAYOROFMAXWELLSTREET

This book was sent as a pre publication galley to me from NetGalley.

This is a romance/mystery set in 1920s Chicago from the perspective of a young woman, Nelly Sawyer, from a very well off Kentucky horse breeding family that is now breaking into the top society of black Chicago society, and at the same time touching upon other ethnic groups, those of mixed heritage and the racist white society [both rich and poor].

Let's be clear, this book is written with a sensitive touch on the language of the day, but doesn't hold back on the racism and homophobia. The author chose to use the language of her protagonists, and as such Negro and Colored are terms used by black folk to describe themselves with pride, as indeed they did at that time. It's a fine line and walked well.

There is more than a touch of Jane Austen in this, the heroine drawn to Jay Southey aka "Jimmy Blue Eyes", mixed race mover and shaker who can 'pass' in white society; and also Tomás, the wealthy French-Mexican heir to a title and yet also the son of an indigenous Mexican Indian. It's a touch breathless, but never goes too far, who wasn't so at 20 odd?

Alongside this is the mystery of just who the Mayor of Maxwell Street is. Not wishing to make any spoilers, this plot line allows the author to develop the location that has most character: Maxwell Street, a blending pot of ethnicities, trade, crime, nightlife and poverty. Whilst it can feel a little naive of Nelly to get caught up in this, in some ways that is the point - she wants to be more than a daughter at a debutante ball or a little wife at art galleries [when the white folk allow them in].

Well written. The book has some anachronisms in this draft that detract from it.
This is a first novel and well worth a read if you are maybe a little younger than my advanced years, or just want to look at the Jazz Age from a different perspective.

Nelly is the only daughter of wealthy parents who have just cracked their way into Chicago’s upper crust. Recently arrived in Chicago after her older brother’s untimely death, Nelly’s parents want to make this her coming out season so that she can find an equally wealthy husband. They have no idea that Nelly wants to stay in Chicago for a completely different reason. Nelly is secretly an undercover investigative journalist writing under a pseudonym for an all-black newspaper in Chicago and her current assignment is to unmask the Mayor of Maxwell Street.
Nelly’s unlikely partner in her investigation is a speak-easy manager named Jay.

I was drawn to this title because of its Roaring 20s setting. There is plenty of glitz and glamor that one expects from that era as well as bootlegging and prohibition-era crime syndicates. The author did a wonderful job dropping clues and giving you just enough information that anyone that Nelly comes across could have been the Mayor of Maxwell Street.There was plenty of suspense and tension leading up to the big reveal at the end. I did feel a little let down by the ending as it felt like it wrapped up a little too neatly.