It pains me to write this review.

Family Lore was one of my most anticipated books of the year. Elizabeth Acevedo is one of my favorite authors. She has previously written YA books. This was her first attempt at an adult novel. It just didn’t work for me.

There is a large cast of characters that rotate perspectives throughout the story. I can either love that or feel overwhelmed by the jumping back and forth. In this case, I definitely felt overwhelmed. There wasn’t enough difference between the voices to allow me to distinguish them from one another. I found myself continually confused. The story is also not told in a linear way. That just added to my confusion.

Another plot point that wasn’t fully develop were the family’s “gifts”. I found this aspect intriguing but when it wasn’t explained or showcased well…I lost all interest.

That’s not to say this book was all bad. The writing itself was beautiful as always. Acevedo has a way with words that cannot be denied. I think if this book had been formatted or edited differently then it may have had a much stronger impact than what it did. I will still anticipate anything she writes. The one was just a miss for me.

I was really hoping that this would be a novel in verse, since I am very familiar with Acevedo's work and that was kind of the draw for me. Unfortunately that is not the case with this, so this one wasn't really for me. I think I am in a reading slump so I may come back to this later, but for now I had to put it down.

Acevedo did it again. I loved every page of this book. Its been a while since i picked up a book that made me feel this way,

This is the first adult book from National Book Award Winner Elizabeth Acevedo, whose YA novels we devour.

It’s about the women in a Domenican-American family, their special gifts, and the bonds they share with each other. It starts off with Flor, who has the ability to know the date of people’s death, informing everyone that she wants a living wake.

As her family grapples with what that means, Acevedo explores each woman’s special gift and how it has impacted their lives.

I was fascinated by the magical realism elements of the story, but it was the depth of the characters that drew me in. Rich in culture and exquisitely written, this family drama wove a story I never wanted to end.

It’s a simple straightforward narrative that has a cliche message. While the narrative isn’t quite interesting or intriguing, it’s a beautiful homage to the strengths and sorrows of Dominican women.

I am a big fan of Acevedo’s YA work, she has a warm and loving way of writing family structure even with times are trying. In Family Lore, Acevedo takes this strength and moves into the adult genre, and that is probably the best way to describe the move these books become adult.

This book is less of a novel and more character studies of a group of women. Following the women of a family from the DR to NYC, Acevedo changes the perspective by following a different character in the present day and then leaning back into the past. In many chapters, she chooses to start with one character, but show us a different character through the lens of the first. This is a book that you need to focus on to follow the character changes, there is a lot going on, and a lot just under the surface - not an easy beach read, but still something I enjoyed. I loved the older sisters and their magic powers, we need more self possessed 70+ year old women as the centers of stories.

The move to make the book for an adult audience seems to focus heavily on sex and her character’s sexualities, which is fine, but sometimes feels a little forced. The book is also semi-written as a sociology project, which at times works very well and others feels heavy or unrealistic. It was a nice idea but doesn’t quite work as a structure.

I've been a big fan of Elizabeth Acevedo's young adult books and I couldn't wait to read her first adult fiction novel and it didn't disappoint! It did take me some time to find my footing since there are several point's of views as well as time jumps, but I loved the way it all came together. If you're a fan of multigenerational family stories than this will be a good read!

I want to start by saying that I have read every book that Elizabeth Acevedo has written and enjoyed each one, so I was thrilled to get approved for Family Lore.

I wanted to love this book as much as her others but sadly, I didn't. There were so many characters and I didn't connect with any of them. There was never a need to pick the book up after I set it down and I didn't feel invested in what was happening throughout the story. I will happily continue to read anything and everything Acevedo writes, maybe this story just wasn't for me.

I'm rating this 1 star because I didn't even finish it. Thank you to Ecco for the chance to read this in exchange of an honest review.

Acevedo has a beautiful and unique voice. There's never anything quite like what she puts into her prose. You can tell that she comes from a background in poetry. Each of the sisters and the two daughter POVs were all interesting especially the speculative aspect where they all had their own sort of magic. Magic that is different than what you would see in traditionally white storytelling. Family Lore keeps you gripped with an original concept and great execution.

Family Lore is a story of women and family, showing the ways we tend to love and infuriate one another across generations. When Flor, who has a gift for predicting when someone will die, decides to throw herself a living wake, the entire family is thrown for a loop. Her sisters, daughter and niece each have their own struggles, including infidelity and infertility which seem to be coming to a head all at the same time.

Author Elizabeth Acevedo covers some taboo but important topics in this very real portrayal of family dysfunction. I appreciated her straightforward approach to topics like sex and infidelity, all told from a woman’s perspective. She tells the many stories of this Dominican-American family in a complex but compelling format featuring varying points of view and flashbacks in time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for the advance copy of this book.

I was very happy to discover that I really enjoyed this book! The cover and title stood out to me when I saw it and I had high hopes after reading the descriptions. I really enjoyed learning more about the aunts and the characters and I felt a connection to them. I will be recommending this to all my friends and family!

I received an eARC of this book for review from Ecco via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
• The Brief: Family Lore is a warm contemporary family saga with expressive prose in Acevedo’s poetic style. It tells the story of a Dominican American family narrated by two generations women coping with their entwined histories while facing future heart break.
• This story will work well for readers who enjoyed the author’s lyrical writing in previous books and is interested in seeing it put to use in a more mature story.

Family Lore is a story about the generational trauma told from the perspective six women, most of whom are blessed with magical skills. One of the elder sister’s is planning a wake for herself. Given her ability to predict death, her family struggles to prepare for the worst, resolve their past suffering, and discover their futures.
I loved Acevedo’s writing and sentence structure here, just as in previous novels. The characters were interesting and believable – although the POV voices were not as distinct as they could have been. The plot and world building was interesting to the point that for once I didn’t mind unexplained magical realism which can be very hit or miss for me. I wasn’t enamored of the way the sex and masturbation scenes were written, but that is a personal preference. This was a beautiful novel, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it.

Beautiful, immersive family saga, just when I thought I'd given up on the form. Each Aunt has a distinct personality, and although Acevedo in her intro says it is not metafiction, there is so much that rings true that I can't help but think it is.

I enjoyed the strong female characters throughout the story. They were given strong back stories, which gave the story a more realistic feel. The Spanish at times was hard to follow, but I did use the translation on my Kindle to help at times. All in all, I enjoyed the story and connected with the characters.

Elizabeth Acevedo’s adult debut, Family Lore, is the story of sisters and mothers and daughters in one Dominican American family, told in the past and present, in Dominican Republic and in New York City, in the transcriptions of interviews and varying third person perspectives of the six main characters. In the present day, Flor, who has always had the special gift of knowing when someone was going to die, has declared that she is having a living wake for herself in six weeks. Her three sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camilia, and daughter Ona and niece Yadi, are trying to figure out if that means she’s dying, all while dealing with problems of their own, including a cheating husband, infertility, and a reunion with a first love.

There is no question in my mind that Acevedo is an incredibly gifted writer. Her language is at once beautiful and snarky, thoughtful and crass. I love the voice she gives to her characters. I loved how the stories of this family were interwoven across decades, which showed how tangled our lives are with the ones we love. Reading this on my kindle, I did have a hard time keeping track of who was who and where we were in time. While there is a list of main characters included in the front of the novel, I craved a family tree, which very well might be included with the print edition, and the ability to easily flip back to it. By about halfway through the novel, I felt more centered in each character, but it was truly till the last quarter before I was really able to keep them completely straight.

This novel is definitely for those who love big family stories that have a focus on character development, and I urge readers to pick it up based on the gorgeous language alone. I will continue to read anything Acevedo writes and am excited she’s branched into adult fiction as well.

Acevedo's writing is stellar. I really found myself sinking into her sentences and descriptions. She has a wonderful way of making you feel like you know the characters, convincing you that they are real people -- both the women and the men. I do share some of the other reviewers' concerns that there are too many point-of-view characters to keep up with. I feel like the novel would have been stronger if the focus had been tighter, even if this resulted in a shorter narrative. However, overall I found FAMILY LORE to be a lovely reading experience.

I have recommended this book to many people who want to get into reading. The author portrays the complexity of family, life, and death so well. I have read Acevedo's YA and was nervously interested in her foray into writing for adults - and hurrah for all of us!

DNF at 50%. Loved the concept, unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this. Didn’t really connect with the characters and that’s usually a death sentence for books I’m reading if that’s the case.

Usually a big fan of an Acevedo book, however this read, though similar in its aspect of portraying perspectives of various characters, I found it hard to really get into and track the individuals life situations of importance to the plot of the book. The concept of the storyline really is engaging at times, and I find myself really envisioning the irony of the situation and musing at the similarities between an African American family death and all that goes along with a church funeral.

4.5/5, rounded to 5

thank you to netgalley and to ecco for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

elizabeth acevedo i LOVEEEE your beautiful creative mind

this was such a lovely exploration of family and the ties of family we have with each other and with the land and homes we inhabit, especially surrounding women of the diaspora. the entwining of magic in this family made was so powerful to me, latine women are full of magic it’s #real to me. it was a little hard to follow at times and a smidge slow, but I think overall the story came together really well and was a really dynamic exploration of family and the bonds between women in a family, especially in one that’s diasporic, and all of the intricacies that come with it.

would totally recommend this book !!!! <3