I've loved Elizabeth Acevedo's young adult novels and was very excited to read her first foray into adult fiction. Like her other works, the writing in Family Lore is breathtakingly gorgeous. I had to read several lines more than once to allow them to fully sink in. The only thing I didn't love was that some of the sex scenes were a little too descriptive for my personal taste.

Hearing a book narrated by the author is always a favorite, especially when it’s an author I’ve been a long time fan of. Hearing a story that felt different but yet so true to Acevedo’s other works was something I really enjoyed and it makes me excited to see more of her ventures into adult fiction in the future.

This was a hard one for me to rate and review. There were parts I loved, but overall it wasn't great for me.

The story is mainly about four sisters in a Dominican-American family and two of their daughters. One of the sisters, Flor, can see when people are going to die. When she decides to plan her own living wake but refuses to say why, the family can't help but wonder if she's seen something she isn't telling.

It covers is the three days before the wake but the story flashes back to their childhood and tells each woman's story.

I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5. There were definitely elements of culture and their story that I really enjoyed. I usually do not have this problem in an audiobook, but I had a really hard time differentiating who we were talking about and who the characters were. Maybe a different format would've been a better choice or maybe I was distracted this week? I also thought the sister that was very into her own sexuality was a little cringy honestly. Those mamas telling them to stay with their men no matter what was killing me! Although I realize this happens even now in my own family. This just wasn't really the book for me.

Thank you to @netgalley and @harperaudio for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio-ARC of Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo.
Family Lore is the story of four sisters and two nieces. The women relate what it is like to be female from the DR and living in the US. I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Acevedo and love her YA titles. I was excited to read her first adult novel. Unfortunately, I had trouble with this book. I found the sexual innuendos offensive and off putting. The narration was perfect for the book, and I loved the accents, language, and voices that added authenticity to the text. I just wish it was more literature and less sexual.

This novel is a magical saga centered on a family of Dominican American women. It took me a bit of time to understand and adapt to the format through which this story is told. I wasn't sure which women were which at first because there were similarities to each of their stories. Though I soon realized how different they were. Once you get into the beautiful rhythm of the story, you'll be hard-pressed to not know these women intimately. The main plot point is that Flor wants to throw herself a living wake. However, she is gifted with knowing when people will die. She is not sharing any information with her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila. Nor her daughter, Ona, or her niece, Yadi.
At first it's presented as the story of two generations of women coming together to celebrate the living wake of one of their own. But it follows a non linear timeline that isn't the easiest to keep track of as we read about these women in their rawest form. Overall it's an engaging tale that ends on just the right note.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Haper Audio for this audio e-arc.*

DNF after 10%.

I was the wrong target audience for this book and I did not finish it. Without Spanish fluency, I'd have been back and forth translating throughout (nearly impossible with an audiobook), and the narrator's flat, monotone reading could not hold my attention at all. I might go back to it one day when I have the energy to focus intensely and translate, but today is not that day.

My first thought when I started listening to this book was 'Oh, Encanto but for adults.' But it's so much more than that, and they make that real clear from the get go. You really end up liking all of the characters, they feel like people you would meet walking down the street.

I did not realize that there were three different narrators. Is that bad? I truly believed that the author narrated her book with different inflections of voice depending on the character, which helped a bit to distinguish between the family members. It may have been because I was listening at 1.5 speed, but personally, I could not really differentiate between the voices. Still, this did not AT ALL take away from the narration. The tones, voices, and language were all wonderful and authentic.

I will admit that it was a bit hard for me to know who was sharing their story next without the clues of the setting and the other characters given. The shift from past to late-present to actual-present was a bit disorienting at times, but you eventually found your place quickly enough. And honestly, I'm glad that this story doesn't have a strict linear timeline, I don't think it would have been as impactful if it had been. So I'll gladly take the few moments of confusion before realizing who the current MC is haha.

I honestly wish we had gone into the lives of some of the other sisters a bit more, and I loved the sections that acted as anthropologist interviews because I want to do that one day, and it really shows the importance of doing that for immigrant families.

I probably could not make a family tree of the relatives for the life of me, and I'm still very iffy on some of their ages, but it was a wonderful story, very well told and well written. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I do want to read the rest of Elizabeth Acevedo's books now.

This female focused story combines magic and family drama in a multi-POV style that at times was jarring. I requested this audiobook solely based on the author, having read and loved her previous YA books. I wanted to see what she would do with an adult novel, and I think ultimately the writing is what saved the book for me. The characters were confusing at the beginning, but that didn't impede my enjoyment of the book overall. It was a deep, flawed, realistic picture of family showing all the ways to love each other.

Elizabeth Acevedo is such an articulate and amazing writer. I was hooked as soon as I started listening to this as I knew I would be. I will definitely be recommending this book to my patrons at the library.

I loved Acevedo's previous work and had such hopes for this, but in a case of "it's not you, it's me", it didn't quite hit the same way for me.

I'm always excited when Elizabeth Acevedo releases a new book. I loved the narration and could relate to some of the characters, but the multiple POVs and time jumps made this one difficult to follow. Even at the end, I still trying to figure out which POV I was reading and how the characters were related to one another. While this read was just so so for me, I hope to see more adult fiction from Elizabeth Acevedo.

From the beginning we know that Flor, the second Marte sister, is planning her own living wake. The “why” is a mystery within itself.
Acevedo takes the reader on a journey of the heart. The three days before the wake the reader gets to know the past and present of the sisters. I felt as if I knew each of the five sisters intimately. I understood the love and conflict between mothers and daughters and sisters.
Each had their hopes and dreams and their reality. Each sister had gifts they did or did not bring to the family and the loves in their lives were a major part of each story. As a women it’s impossible not to reflect on the influence we have on each others lives.
I both read and listened to this one. Her words are beautiful on the page. The audio and cast of characters was amazing. I was thankful for the table of principle persons in the book!

An interesting generational saga from Acevedo. I loved the different story lines and how the family all came together. The more mature scenes definitely make this an adult read in my book, but a very good one!

There is absolutely no going wrong picking up any book by Elizabeth Acevedo. This prose adult novel of a Dominican family's generations, relationships, and secrets is delightfully narrated by Acevedo herself, which makes this prose sound like a song.

I have loved every one of Acevedo's YA books and was very much looking forward to this book. I loved the premise of Flor holding her own wake while she was still alive since she know exactly when everyone, including herself, will die. There is some in depth development around Flor and the other women in her family as they all deal with the upcoming wake and what it means. Unfortunately, there were way too many viewpoints for me to keep up with and the timeline jumped around a lot. I may have liked it better if I'd read a physical copy, but at times I couldn't keep straight who was talking and when when I had to start and stop the audio. I will recommend this book to patrons who like family dramas and to Acevedo fans. Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for the early listen to this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

DNF at 50%

Aghh. This one is really frustrating. I've been excited for this since it was announced, but it's just not hitting me quite right. All the narrators are fantastic, especially Acevedo herself (as she always is), and the writing is beautiful, but I'm halfway through and I feel like it's still just sort of meandering. There's a ton to keep track of, with multiple POV characters (I think there are five?) and timelines bouncing around mid-chapter, which I think is much more suited to a physical format. I'll probably try again when the book actually comes out next month, but unfortunately I think I have to call it quits for the audiobook here. There's absolutely a lot to love about this book, so hopefully I'll have a better experience next time around!

I listened to the Audibook version of Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo.

I am going to post this review without posting a star rating. I loved the story of this book, and I am going to re=read the book in physical form. I had a really hard time connecting with the audiobook version. I can’t pinpoint why. I thought the Narrator did a great job, but I found myself lost in the storyline.

I think the amount of characters and the connection is something I need to experience while actually reading. Elizabeth has a gorgeous writing style and I know this book will be no different. If I rated it today, it would be around 3 Stars… I’m going to update after I read the actual book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had very high expectations for this book because I greatly enjoyed Acevedo's YA works. However, this did not quite meet my expectations. It had an interesting premise - Flora, who has the ability to dream when people will die, decides to hold a living wake for herself. Her sisters and other members of her family have to come to terms with her death before she even dies.
The magical realism was interesting; each of Flora's sisters have a sort of magic to them, but I felt it was not developed enough in the other sisters as well as it was with Flora. Flora and Pastora's sisterly relationship was my favorite part of the book, and I wish this book had a stronger focus on the two of them and their story rather than spreading the story over so many other different characters.
I greatly enjoyed the last 30% of the book. I saw another reviewer say that it felt like the story just got started only towards the end, which I agree with. This book took too long to make me care for the characters and to find its footing. For me, there were too many POVs, and the constant switching of timelines got confusing and tiring, resulting in the 3-star rating.

Acevedo’s adult debut has been a long time brewing and certainly came in hot! I read this in both audio and print formats and while her voice is transfixing as a narrator, I was unable to get through a single chapter without the urge to underline her beautiful words!

Family Lore was reminiscent of the feelings evoked by novels like Como Agua Para Chocolate, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water, and The Inheritance Orquidea Divina for me—perfect for readers who enjoy the magic of (and in) families for generations.

I went into this book excited because I have read and enjoyed two of Acevedo's earlier works aimed at a young adult audience. While those were poetry, I was interested in how Acevedo's writing translated to prose and an older demographic. I really enjoyed this book as well. I felt as though I understood each of our characters and could relate to them in different capacities. It felt like this story was a web, with the narrative branching out and coming back to itself in different ways. While I did feel lost in the audiobook at moments, because I felt like I needed a family tree on hand, I did really like this novel.