I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Acdevedo's young adult books so was very much excited to read Family Lore. I really enjoyed the different perspectives and learning about the characters as well as their traditions. The cover art is also very eye catching which is always a nice bonus for such a captivating plot.

Thank you @eccobooks and @netgalley for this advance reading copy.

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake—a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led—her sisters are surprised. Has Flor forseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila.

But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets. Matilde has tried for decades to cover the extent of her husband’s infidelity, but she must now confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora is typically the most reserved sister, but Flor’s wake motivates this driven woman to solve her sibling’s problems. Camila is the youngest sibling, and often the forgotten one, but she’s decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted.

And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own: Yadi is reuniting with her first love, who was imprisoned when they were both still kids; Ona is married for years and attempting to conceive. Ona must decide whether it’s worth it to keep trying—to have a child, and the anthropology research that’s begun to feel lackluster.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo’s inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces—one family’s journey through their history, helping them better navigate all that is to come.

Another winner from Elizabeth Acevedo. Great characters and rich relationships. .
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I was so excited about Acevedo's move away from YA. And the fact that this was a captivating and poignant exploration of generational trauma, family bonds, and the complexities of identity pulled me in. The novel wove together the voices of Dominican-American women from different stages of life. I was invested as they navigated personal struggles, secrets, and the legacies passed down through their family. With themes of love, loss, and healing, this book has a universality that makes it easy to recommend.

I was judging the L.A. Times fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’d been doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who had a debut in the wake of the pandemic. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got me to read on even though it was among 296 other books I was charged to read.

It is a wildly imaginative book, just when you think she can’t keep this up… well she does. Impressed by the mere scope of the book.

A mesmerizing family saga weaving together the lives of the Marte women across three generations, cultures, and countries. As they prepare for sister Flor's mysterious living wake, secrets unravel and destinies unfold. With magical realism and profound emotion, Acevedo crafts an unforgettable story of family bonds, destiny, and self-discovery. Perfect for readers who love multigenerational dramas.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's edition. Unfortunately, I will not be able to give it the time required to write a thorough review and will be unable to read it for this purpose.

I really enjoyed *Family Lore* by Elizabeth Acevedo and gave it 4 stars. The story focuses on the Dominican-American Lore family and explores themes of love, loss, and family. Acevedo's writing is beautiful, and I loved how each character had their own unique voice.

The story is told from different perspectives, which I thought worked really well. Each character felt real, and their struggles were easy to relate to. The book does a great job of exploring generational trauma and identity, which I could identify with..

The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is that the pacing was a little slow in parts. But the strong characters and emotional depth made up for it.

Overall, *Family Lore* is a great read, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys thoughtful, emotional stories.

I did not finish this book as it was very different from Acevedo's other books. I'm not very into family dramas, but I had high hopes for this one based on how much I liked her others. While I didn't enjoy this, I very much appreciate the opportunity to read the ARC and I will still read Acevedo's future works.

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo is a tapestry of voices, lives, and emotions, woven together with the author’s signature poetic brilliance. Told through the perspectives of the Marte women, the novel explores the complexities of sisterhood, motherhood, and legacy, all set against the vibrant backdrops of Santo Domingo and New York City.

Flor’s unique gift of predicting the exact day someone will die sets the stage for her unconventional decision to hold a living wake—a moment that sparks revelations and reckonings across her family. But this is not just Flor’s story. It’s also about her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila, and the next generation: cousins Ona and Yadi.

Acevedo’s prose is, at times, breathtakingly lyrical and, at others, disarmingly raw. Passages like, “Flor was not a grasping child; in fact, she largely let things fall through her fingers: dishes, ribbons, aspirations to be anyone's favorite,” showcase her mastery of language. Her narration of the audiobook, infused with her background in slam poetry, adds a rhythmic intensity that amplifies the emotional depth of the story.

That said, Family Lore is messy—and gloriously so. Its unconventional structure, with Ona’s anthropological notes, poetry-like paragraphs, and frequent POV shifts, can feel disorienting at times. The dialogue’s blend of Spanish and English creates an authentic bilingual texture but also demands more of the reader. Yet, beneath this complexity lies a raw, beating heart: the Marte women’s stories of sacrifice, love, and resilience.

This is a book steeped in motherhood. Acevedo, who became a mother while writing, fills the pages with maternal love in all its forms—beautiful, suffocating, empowering, and heartbreaking. From Matilde’s quiet endurance of her husband’s infidelity to Yadi’s search for herself and Ona’s struggles with conception, each character’s journey feels urgent and deeply human.

Acevedo’s ability to breathe life into her characters is extraordinary. I found myself deeply invested in their futures: wishing for Mati to embrace her passion for dance, rooting for Yadi and Ant’s second chance at love, and hoping Ona finds fulfillment as a mother or beyond. These women linger in your mind, their struggles and triumphs as vivid as your own memories.

Family Lore isn’t perfect. It’s chaotic, uneven, and occasionally hard to follow—but it is also unforgettable. It’s a celebration of family in all its messiness and magic, of women navigating their histories and their futures with courage and determination. The Marte women and their stories will stay with me for a long time, and I suspect they’ll do the same for you.

Elizabeth Acevedo can do no wrong. I love her YA books, and I enjoyed getting to read her first adult novel. I look forward to reading more as she hits her stride in this medium.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Elizabeth Acevedo is a master storyteller, and FAMILY LORE might be her best book yet. I love her YA stories, but I'm loving her foray into adult fiction even more. This was incredibly written family saga -- a must-read for contemporary fiction fans!

Really enjoyed this one! I should have read it so much sooner! But I don’t regret it. This maybe a new obsession! I love the characters, plot, etc.

A solid adult debut! The family matriarch wants to plan her own funeral- and she wants to host it while she is still alive. I loved the richness of the descriptions of the DR and NY, and there's one love story in here I so wish had played out differently. It did take me a bit to keep all of the players straight, but just like any big family, they are more powerful when they are together. I liked it!

I have loved all of Elizabeth Acevedo’s YA books and was a little nervous about Family Lore being an adult fiction. However, I did enjoy Family Lore. In Family Lore we meet a family of Dominican-American sisters and their children in New York. Flor, can sense death and when her own mortality is sensed she wants to gather her whole family to be with her one last time. We follow the family leading up to Flor’s event, getting the know family powers and secrets.

It was a little difficult to keep up with so many characters but I especially loved reading Flor and her daughter interactions and navigating grief. Flor’s event was so impactful and a wish we had more time at the second half/ending. Overall, first adult book and I’ll truly read anything Acevedo writes.

I love everything Ms Acevedo writes. Beautiful cover and storyline. I bought a physical copy of this book to add to my personal library.

A rollercoaster of family drama that proves you aren't alone if your family is full of secrets! Among this group of sisters, there are all sorts of secrets that intertwine and eventually must come out. This was an interesting story!

I love Elizabeth’s books, sadly I could not get into this one. I did not like the writing style in this book. I ended up putting it down hoping to pick it back up winter 2024!

I requested this one based on the author and having read all of her YA books. I had rushed and bought a physical copy on release day. I am just now getting to this one and it was our bookclub pick last month. This was a weird one for me to read. If it weren't for book club I might not have finished. I loved the underlying story here and all the culture references. I could not wrap my head around one of the gifts being her "vagina" was the point to say that Hispanic/Latin vaginas are better? Not sure but I was confused with the whole purpose of all the references here. I did love how each sibling had their own story line and the layout of the book. Will I read more by this author of course

4.25/5 rounded down

The story stretches two generations of Dominican women, their family is blessed or cursed with gifts depending on who you asked. One of the aunts who can see death coming decides to host a living wake, sending the ripples through the present and past of the family of women.

I liked the story, but there were a few too many narratives and it was a bit hard to follow all of them.