Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

I am an enormous fan of Elizabeth Acevedo's YA books. She has a magical way with words and can weave incredible stories. I was so excited for her first adult novel and while it was beautifully written and incredibly poignant at times, the story just did not captivate me like I hoped it would. The story centers on 4 sisters, all of whom have a different special gift. Through flashbacks and moments in the present, readers learn about the sisters, their mother, and some of their children. I had a bit of a hard time keeping the characters distinct and clear in my mind, which took away from the reading experience somewhat. I know many readers will love this story and the writing is beautiful!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Family Lore is a multigenerational tale of magic, tradition, and family bonds. It follows the sisters of the Marte family, who each have their own magical gift. Their relationships are all colored by history in their homeland of the Dominican Republic. They all live in the New York now and must adapt, helped by the younger generation of women. When Flor, the sister who is closest to the spirits, decides to have a living wake, the family is concerned that she knows something is coming. They all agree to help prepare, but old tensions surface and emotions run high.

This book is definitely centered more on characters than action. Most of it occurs over the period within a few days of Flor’s wake, so it is slow-paced and character driven. I liked that there were flashbacks to their childhoods, it provided a more vivid picture of the family history. I loved the magical realism elements, and the descriptions of the Marte women’s powers. The family relationships were poignant and I love that the whole story was centered on women characters of color.

I recommend this book for readers looking for a family saga, magical realism, and women POC characters!

Sadly, I have decided to dnf Family Lore. I’ve read and enjoyed all Elizabeth Acevedo’s YA novels and expected to enjoy her first adult novel as well. I should have looked at the genre of her newest book before deciding to read it. Acevedo’s YA books are all realistic fiction and I assumed her adult novel would be the same; however, it’s actually magical realism. Being latine myself, I feel like I should like that genre, but I’ve never really got on with it. I think in the right hands, other readers could really enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-arc copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Flor has abruptly decided to throw herself a “living wake” and what none of her family can deduce is whether her magical gift of seeing death has shown her own. This novel follows Flor and her four sisters and two nieces as they prepare for the wake while remembering their past. I liked this book for the beautiful writing but I had a hard time getting into it, mostly because magical realism doesn’t really interest me and I don’t know that it was necessarily needed in this book. I am interested in seeing what this author writes next as I did enjoy the writing style. I received a digital advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

When Flor announces she’s planning a living wake for herself, her family knows she’s keeping some kind of secret. After all, Flor has long had the power to know the exact date when someone will die. Is the wake a sign Flor’s time has come, or someone else’s? As Flor’s wake approaches and her sisters and nieces gather, it becomes clear she’s not the only one with something to hide.

Family Lore is a magical story of one Dominican American family at the crossroads of their past and future. It's got a big cast of nuanced characters, and I love how all their journeys tie into each other. I do feel like it spent a while winding up and ended closer to where it should have begun, but I will honestly read and enjoy anything Elizabeth Acevedo writes.

2.5/5 stars

I have loved some of this author's YA books. This is an adult book that explores the family dynamics of a Dominican-American family. It is a character driven story about sisters: Flor, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila. And two of their daughters: Ona and Yadi. It features some magical realism.

A few of the sisters have special "gifts". One of the sisters Flora can predict when someone will die. And she decides to have a live wake. The idea of this was okay. But I wanted more from the build-up and from the actual event

The book moves back and forth in time. And at times it was a bit confusing. I also didn't really enjoy the sexual content.

I did enjoy the Latin culture. And the language was beautiful. But I really struggled to get through this book. I wasn't invested in any of the characters. And I wish that a lot more had happened. Also the ending wasn't my favorite. I feel like this book would be for people who enjoy family stories centered on sisters. And who like character driven books.

Elizabeth Acevedo is one of my favorite authors of all time. I have read every book she has every written so when I heard she had an adult debut coming out, I about lost my mind. The concept of Family Lore is such an interesting one and I love books that I would describe as familial epics. I want to read a book that covers years of someone's life with sweeping and interconnected narratives. Since this book covers the slightly magical lives of the women of this family, it seemed like the perfect book for me.

Sadly, it didn't end up working out for me. The things that I thought I would love are actually what I think killed the book. The many different POVs for all the women in the family were hard to keep straight and of the many characters, only one of them was actually a standout character. It was hard to keep the events of the story straight in my head and the whole thing felt very muddled.

What I did love, however, was the writing style. I still think, even after not enjoying Family Lore as much as her previous works, that Elizabeth Acevedo is one of the voices of a generation. She has such a distinct and beautiful writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo is a stunning and heartfelt novel that will leave readers feeling deeply moved. This beautifully crafted story tells the tale of the Marte women, a family with deeply rooted secrets that come to light in the lead up to a living wake for one of their own.

Acevedo masterfully weaves together the stories of each family member, painting a vivid picture of their lives and their struggles. From Matilde's attempts to cover up her husband's infidelity, to Camila's desire to stand up for herself, each character is richly developed and utterly captivating. The portrayal of the next generation, with cousins Yadi and Ona facing obstacles of their own, adds another layer of depth to this compelling story.

What truly makes this novel shine, however, is Acevedo's writing. Her prose is gorgeous and electric, with incredibly powerful imagery that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. The way she effortlessly blends past and present, as well as different cultures and locations, is truly remarkable.

Overall, Family Lore is a must-read for anyone looking for a moving and beautifully written family drama. With unforgettable characters and a poignant story, this is a novel that readers will cherish for years to come. Elizabeth Acevedo has truly outdone herself with this stunning work, and I cannot recommend it enough.

I enjoyed this one from Acevedo. I thought the elements of Magical Realism really added to the overall book. I liked how the story of one family’s women and their trials and tribulations navigating through life was told. The dual settings of New York City and the Dominican Republic made it more interesting. I thought the audiobook was great as well. At times, the timelines were hard to follow and I wasn't always sure which character I was reading about, but eventually it was easier to understand.

I wanted to love Family Lore. This is a family story across multiple generations. I typically like multi-timeline stories, but this one had so many characters and I kept forgetting who was who and how they were all related. The key was helpful, but having to constantly return back to it was not ideal. Acevedo's writing is wonderful, but sadly, this story was just not for me at this time.

When I saw Elizabeth Acevedo had written an adult novel, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it as I have devoured her YA books in one sitting. Alas, her newest book just didn't have the draw as her YA books have for me. This is a multigenerational tale which I normally love, but I struggled following the plot lines and keeping the characters straight. I had to DNF about 20% in. I will pick it up again to give it another try when I'm in a different season of reading.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC.

Elizabeth Acevedo is an author whose works I’ll automatically buy, without needing a synopsis or summary. Whether it’s poetry or prose, she has a way of infusing vibrant beauty and overflowing emotion into her writing. This, her adult debut, is a multi-generational tale that infuses a bit of magic, a lot of culture, and plenty of family drama.

I will say that if you’re going into this book expecting it to be similar to her previous works, your experience won’t be what you anticipate. While many of the themes common to Acevedo’s works can be found here as well, this book is much more adult in nature, and it comes with many issues that you wouldn’t see in a YA novel.

The story is also told through a nonlinear format, through the eyes of the six Marte women. Each character has a strong enough voice that I rarely had to check back to the chapter heading to see whose head we were in at the moment. I absolutely love that the reader has each woman’s perspective through the novel, especially when it comes to how they viewed each other. While I wish we’d had a bit more closure on some of the characters, I understand that this was merely a snapshot of their layered and nuanced lives. I like knowing that each of the women had more than what was presented in this particular story, and that for most of them, this three-day-time period was the start of something new and life changing.

The pacing is slow, giving us time to really dive deep and get to know each character in relation to the others. I adore character-driven stories, where we get to know each one well enough to connect and understand their motivations. The women in this book are flawed in what feels like a realistic way, and apart from the “gifts” many of them possess, they seem like women we might know and love in our own lives.

Thank you so much to Elizabeth Acevedo, Ecco, and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

Elizabeth Acevedo is a wonder with words, and that stands true with her first release in adult literature. These characters have such heart, honesty, and a rawness to them that I really admire with how well it came across on the page.

This story, in my opinion, is one to take your time with because it made the book hold such a honest and meaningful impact as I kept reading. It was as if I was going through the events of the story alongside them as an observer, and it made things seem much more vivid.

✨ Review ✨ Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth Acevedo is a 5-star author for me -- I've loved every book I've read by her, and so I was delighted to see this book shifting out of the YA field. and it did NOT disappoint. She remains one of my favorite authors.

With that said, this is not an easy book to read. There are multiple POVs, interview excerpts, and shifts back into the past. There's a lot to keep track of here. This would be nearly impossible to read as an audiobook, and is one to read in a relatively short period of time.

The book focuses on four elderly sisters who've migrated from the Dominican Republic to NYC -- Flor, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila -- and their offspring, Flor's daughter Ona and Pastora's daughter Yadi. The women carry special gifts, and most, significantly, Flor can foresee deaths in her dreams.

Flor watches a documentary about living wakes and schedules one for herself, launching her family into a frenzy trying to determine if she foresaw her own death. The book is told through the framework of Ona, Flor's daughter, who's an anthropology professor and interviewing her family to learn of their past.

The book overlays language, familial connection, shared trauma, and so much more in a really beautiful family story. The structure is beautiful, and I loved the injection of the women's special powers as a touch of female power and magical realism. Again, it takes some commitment by the reader to work through this book, and I can see some becoming frustrated, but hang in there and enjoy the ride! The author's note also provided really lovely context for the book.

Thanks for rocking it, yet again, Elizabeth Acevedo!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: literary fiction, magical realism
Setting: NYC, Dominican Republic
Reminds me of: The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
Pub Date: August 1, 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ multigenerational family dramas (mama drama for reallll)
⭕️ dominicana representation
⭕️ magical realism
⭕️ really smart cultural commentary

Thanks to Ecco and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!

I was immediately sucked into the rhythm and story of this multi-generational family. One thing I particularly loved was the anthropological framing of everything. This book is such a treat, do not miss it.

I really enjoyed the writing and characters in this book but found myself struggling a bit to keep going with it -- it is very well written but dense, and there are a lot of time jumps.

As the second eldest sister in a family of five, Flor has always been able to predict other people's deaths. Much to the alarm of her family, she begins to plan a living wake for herself. The story follows the time leading up the wake, as well as the wake itself. We see the perspective of Flor's sisters, her niece and her daughter -- who is the one telling the story in part as an oral history. We also get a lot of background on each of the characters and what has happened in their lives.

I would recommend this book but it definitely takes focus -- and being able to read it for longer chunks of time helped get me immersed in the characters. I really enjoyed Yadi and Ona's stories, and found myself so angry and frustrated at parts. I loved the writing and grew to care about the characters and hope for the best for them, and I really liked the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-book copy!

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I love Acevedo's writing and I find myself relating to her characters. This book is her adult debut and it was satisfying to see her writing in a different genre. In "Family Lore", we are reading about a family as they experience love, sisterhood, religion and race. On their distinct journeys, characters are faced with tough decisions and by the end those choices lead to personal revelations. This book was a great read and I'm looking forward to more from Elizabeth Acevedo. At the time of this review, the book is out to purchase and I highly recommend if the mentioned themes resonate with you.

Elizabeth Acevedo's adult debut is a magical tale inspired and rooted in Dominican-American culture and identity. Her protagonist, Flor, was born with the gift of predicting when someone will die. While not as openly provided with similar gifts, her sisters Matilde, Pastora and Camila all have their strengths. When Flor decides to have a living funeral, her sisters, daughter and niece are confounded and concerned about what she might be hiding from them. Through all this, her sisters, daughter and niece are struggling with their personal lives and struggles. It's a moving tale of celebrating life, the small and big accomplishments and the people surrounding you.

Elizabeth Acevedo is an automatic purchase for me. I've loved all of her YA titles and I've been patiently waiting to get my hands on Family Lore.

I will say, I struggled a little bit at the beginning to remember who was who so I was constantly going back to the beginning to check (which can be a bit of a pain on an e-reader). However, I still loved each character and the family dynamics. I do feel like this is the perfect book if you want something slow and magical to dive into. Acevedo truly has a way with words and I will continue to read whatever she puts out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Loved the family dynamic in this engrossing saga by Elizabeth Acevedo. Absolutely wonderful read. 4.5 stars.