Flor can predict the exact date when someone will die. When Flor invites her large Dominican American family to a living wake, no one knows if Flor has seen her own death or someone else’s. While the wake looms large, family members begin to reflect on their lives, choices, and secrets. Each story pulses with life in Acevedo’s striking foray into adult fiction.

Family Lore is Acevedo's first novel for adults after a series of YA novels in verse. I loved all of those YA novels, all so different in their stories. The verse was a signature for Acevedo in the likes of Jason Reynolds and Kwame Alexander. All of her books were popular with my former students. Elizabeth has become an auto buy author for me, I will read whatever she puts out.

Family Lore was not the book I hoped for when I requested on #NetGalley. The excitement for the newest installment was dashed fairly quickly in the opening chapters. Gone is Elizabeth's signature verse and verve of storytelling. Instead replaced with prose that to me did not carry the weight of her YA novels. Sadly for me I did not really connect with these characters the way I was invested in all of her YA characters. My rating for this book 3 stars.

Elizabeth Acevedo’s prose is poetic, and in her adult debut, Family Lore, her storytelling jumps in time and character to paint a picture of a family of two generations of Dominican-American women who come together for Flor’s living wake. This wake is a cause for reflection as Flor has the power to see death before it happens. Each of the women possesses a gift which are talked about in a matter of fact way, each helping them navigate the world. The nonlinear storytelling worked for me, creating this larger picture of desires, regrets, and familial love. Acevedo’s choice to use Ona’s research as a frame worked really well in some sections of the book while feeling inconsistent in others. I loved how each woman’s story read like oral history, family lore passed down to all those girls and women to come.. This novel takes big swings and many of them pay off. Family Lore is a novel sure to please readers comfortable with nonlinear storytelling, multiple perspectives, and lyrical writing. Thank you Ecco and NetGalley for the eARC of this novel, available August 1.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. I have loved 3/4 of Elizabeth Acevedo's YA novels. Family Lore was a good story and one that I enjoyed -- I liked getting to know the sisters and the people in their lives, I liked the magical realism in the book, and I still liked Elizabeth Acevedo's writing in this book. However, for me, it didn't quite have the same emotional pull in terms of the writing and the characters as some of the books I had previously read of hers. This was still a very good book, just more of a 4 star read than a 5 star read for me as with some of her other books.

Some of the structure didn't entirely work for me. I wanted more from some characters (Yadi, Ona) and less from others. I wish we'd gotten more of Ona's work, beyond the brief transcripts. But I loved these sisters and cousins. I wanted to know what happened to them. I was rooting for each of them. I'll be recommending this to anyone who loves generational sagas.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

I did not love this novel, although I can see that Acevedo is an excellent writer. I was drawn to the Dominican-American family story, but ultimately found the pacing and narrative changes did not pull me in as much as I had hoped. This will be a great read for those that enjoy more sweeping sagas.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC copy of this novel.

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo is her first novel for adults, the story of one Dominican-American family told through the voices of its women as they await a gathering that will forever change their lives. 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. follows Pippa who lives in her dream home with her husband, Gabe, and their two kids. However, The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t. When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral...Did the victim jump? Was she pushed? And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate...lie? As the perfect facade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel.

I have read all of Elizabeth Acevedo's books and enjoyed every single one. This book was no exception. I fell in love with all the women featured in this book. Acevedo has a way of making her characters feel so real. I can't wait to read anything Acevedo writes in the future.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Acevedo has done it again with a beautiful and thoughtful work of art. This truly lived up to every expectation I had after reading all of her other books. Her prose is as beautiful as her verse. I enjoyed every word of this book.

Content warnings: child abandonment, parental abuse, infidelity, miscarriages, sexual assault, physical violence

If you enjoy sweeping family histories comprised of intricate generational experiences layered on top of one another, you'll love FAMILY LORE. Acevedo will easily hook new readers as she moved into writing Adult Fiction.

For me personally, this is lacking the magic of Acevedo's YA books and I found myself getting lost in trying to follow the threads of the plot with so many characters jumping in and out of the narrative (along with the time line jumping back and forth). It's all well executed, the miss is on me as a reader for this one.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Ecco in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Acevedo never disappoints. This is multiple point of view done right. Every character's narration advances the story and the narrative is better and more endearing than I expected.

Acclaimed Young Adult author Elizabeth Acevedo’s first novel for adults is about a multigenerational family of Dominican women as they navigate the complexities of sisterhood, marriage, motherhood, migration and magic. Yes- magic. You see- magic runs in the family. As the novel opens- Flor, who can foresee death- sees her own, and decides to have a living wake. What follows is 3 days of preparation for the event and through that- we hear the stories of the lives of her sisters, daughter and niece. Written in a beautiful prose, this novel will appeal to readers interested in the Latinx Diaspora, magical realism and women's stories.

For fans of Angie Cruz, Nicholasa Mohr, Isabel Allende, and especially Julia Alvarez.

I have traditionally loved Acevedo’s work, but this one just didn’t speak to me the way her YA works have. I always love her narration, and that was no different here. I found the structure of this story hard to follow. The timeline jumped around so much that I couldn’t always follow who’s story was happening when, etc. I enjoyed the characters and the idea behind the story, but there was just too much jumping around for me.

I love everything by Acevedo and I think this had really good bones. I love family dramas. I loved the connection between the sisters. It was a little hard to follow at times though. It wasn't one that was just unputdownable. But I feel like that could definitely be the timing.

A fragmented multi-POV, multi-generational, women-centric saga of the Dominican-American Marte family in the inimitable style of Elizabeth Acevedo, which doesn't transition between YA novels in verse to adult literary fiction completely smoothly, but enough to ensure a compelling story that makes you a) want more, and b) want to keep an eye on future offerings in this genre.

Flor Martes has always had an affinity with the spirit world, always known when and how someone would pass. When she decides to throw herself a living wake, everyone wonders whether this is it for their sister, their mother, their aunt. Her daughter, Ona is an anthropologist. She has the sole first-person POV in the story as she records interviews with all her family members - the wake is the final trigger for her finally turning her attention to research and record her own lineage, heritage, and family history; from the rural backwaters of the Dominican Republic, to the capital Santo Domingo, to modern-day New York City.

I feel like this wouldn't have been as engaging if I wasn't used to Acevedo's narrative voice and style already - many of the stories jump back and forth in time even within the same POV and it can often be a little jarring, But I was still invested in these very distinct, real, and three-dimensional characters.

I love everything this book has to offer like strong female characters, family traditions, and multiple stories. As always, Elizabeth Acevedo's writing is really strong. The time jumps did confuse me and that took me out of the story. However, there is still so much to love about this book.

I've been a fan of Elizabeth Acevedo's YA books for years. Clap When You Land is a particular favorite. I was excited to see what she would with her first adult novel and she definitely does not disappoint.

The Marte women are a formidable bunch. Sisters Matilde, Flor, Pastora, and Camila have seen each other through many seemingly insurmountable obstacles in their homeland of the Dominican Republic and their home now in New York. The sisters each have special gifts that are not able to be be explained away by logic. Flor, since she was a child, has dreams that predict with accuracy when someone will die. When she decides to recruit her family and all of her friends far and wide to attend a "living wake" that she intends to hold for herself as a celebration of her life, her sisters fear that Flor is telegraphing the end of her life. Flor's daughter, anthropology professor Ona begins trying to capture Flor's recollections of her life and her stories before it is too late.

As the different generations come together to explore the past and prepare for the unknowable future, Flor's wake invites everyone to examine their own life choices. Multiple character voices and dual time periods weave throughout the novel as we look back at the sisters' core memories in the Dominican Republic and in the present that includes Ona and Pastora's daughter Yadi.

I was entranced by this novel. It was an epic family saga that was reminiscent of the writings of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. She captivated me with these characters' struggles and the themes of love, lust, forgiveness, and redemption echoed throughout the pages.

Be warned that at the beginning it would be best to thoroughly examine the "family tree' of characters to keep everyone identified-I didn't and needed to refer back continually. But that's a small sacrifice to make to be invited into Acevedo's world.

I am dazzled by this novel and excited for people to experience it.

I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Acevedo's YA books, so I was definitely intrigued that she would write an adult fiction book. While some of the stories/chapters were beautifully written in her voice, I found myself being confused with the multiple characters. I thought the stories needed to be linked together a bit better.

I could definitely consider myself reading this book in the future, but for right now, it does not interest me.

This multi-generational family saga has all the hallmarks of a book that I would love; strong female characters, connected families, multiple stories, traditions, etc. I just didn't feel very engaged. There wasn't a character that interested me enough to feel invested in their story. I had high hopes for this book but it just wasn't for me. The writing is strong with solid descriptions but it wasn't enough to carry the day.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for this advanced readers copy.

A dark, heartfelt exploration of family, sisterhood, womanhood and generational trauma in the midst of a death seer of a Dominican-American family deciding to plan her own living wake. Acevedo's prose is as alluring as ever, pulling the reader into this family's magical, extensive lore and stripping each member to her rawest form. While it took me a bit of time to get into the tale (due to the sheer amount of characters, history and POV switches) I soon found myself entrenched in this family's story. The dynamics between each character, from sister to sister to mother to daughter, was oh-so-realistic, making the ending and its reckonings all the more heartbreaking. I do wish there was even MORE to this family's lore - more to their magic/gifts, more to their reflections on their ancestral lineage, more to their reckoning of their mental health struggles, more to Ona's POV as a whole as she strives to tell her family's story via interviews and footnotes scrawled beneath her cousins', mother's and aunt's narrations. In the end, I felt there was a gaping hole in this family's story and I hungered to get to the bottom of it. With that said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this latest novel of Acevedo's - it only served to remind me how masterful of a writer she truly is!

Thanks to eccobooks and NetGalley for an advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Acevedo’s newest novel, ‘Family Lore’, follows the Marte sisters: Flor, Pastora, Matilde, and Camila, along with Pastora’s daughter, Yadi, and Flor’s daughter, Ona. Originally from the Dominican Republic, the sisters all found their way to New York City, but they did not arrive burden-free. Each of the Marte women has an element of magic, though specific and minor. Flor knows when someone is going to die, and the book takes place in the week leading up to her living wake (as she refuses to confirm to her family whether she has actually had a vision of her own impending death). The novel flashes between past and present, with each of the six women as the focus of their own chapters.

The premise of this novel pulled me in, and I was excited to see how the author utilized magical realism. Due to the structure of the book, with multiple viewpoints and interstitials, it was hard to find the voice of each character until I was well into the story. However, once I got to that point I found the women to be well thought out and full of complexities. The inclusion of Yadi and Ona’s viewpoints allowed for an exploration of generational trauma, which was deftly handled. The author also weaves in plenty of phrases and dialogue in Spanish, which felt authentic to the story but definitely lost me at points.

Overall, a compelling story of strong and passionate women across generations. Content warnings for graphic sexual descriptions and discussion of sexual violence.

Rating: 4/5 stars