Acts of Forgiveness was such a great novel! The writing style made it a really easy and quick read for me. I love the stories about the different generations and how they all react to the acts of forgiveness the government pushed in this book.
I didn’t know much about what the book was about going into it, I’m a pretty open-minded reader. I liked that it was a story that shed some light on the hardships that the Black American population experiences because hopefully learning about that (even if it was a mainly fictional story) can help make me a better ally. It was a cool part of the story that there was the first female president!
Willie is a relatable main character who struggles with pressures of helping support her family while also trying to figure out her own dream. I loved this book and gave it 5 stars!
You can find my review on Goodreads (Sara Dorn) and on Instagram (handle: thatbookgal94 ). Make sure to give me a follow!

In author Maura Cheeks debut novel, Acts of Forgiveness, the subject of reparations is tackled. Wilhelmina “Willie” Revel, the daughter of Max and Lourdes and during present day, she researches her families genealogy after the Forgiveness Act is passed which will allow black families to claim up to $175,000 if they can prove they are descendants of slaves.

During Willie’s childhood years, her father’s construction company does well and the family moves to a predominantly white neighborhood in suburban Philadelphia. While there, Willie attends private school and she is the only black student where she is faced with racism. While in college, Willie is hoping to become a journalist and even starts her career but is then called home to help run her father’s construction business when the Forgiveness Act is introduced.

I truly enjoyed this book and thought it was a fantastic, brilliant idea centered around reparations and the impact it could have for families, society and the difficulties that could come with the passing of a bill like the Forgiveness Act. Furthermore, the theme of family dynamics is one many could relate to. The beginning was a bit slow for me but I did find myself really entranced the more I read and was totally invested.

Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Books/Random House for the advance copy of this book.

Given the synopsis, I was overly thrilled about this book. But the story I read, didn’t live up to my expectations.

There were so many issues that were brought to our attention, yet they weren’t really addressed and those that were touched on were simply glossed over. I just could not connect with the characters and what they seemed to be going through.

To simply put it, there was no real depth to this novel making every struggle seem superficial.

A wonderful, eye-opening book - the sort of book that gives me a reason to read.

In a recent time, a female President has been elected. Her chief focus is on reparations for the descendants of enslaved people. This is a look at racism, history, genealogy, and family through the eyes of a family caught up in the hope of receiving reparations - horrifyingly, reparations that were difficult to justify legally because the enslaved were not considered human in the Constitution. It is thoughtful and enlightening. It’s a must read.

I am grateful to have received this copy through NetGalley.

There was a quote that I loved that may or may not appear in the final copy. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to forget it:

Sometimes you have to go where you’re not wanted to change people’s minds.

It’s rare for a book to take me longer than 2-3 days to read and most generally only 1-2 days but at 2 weeks I had only made it through 61% of the book and finally decided to call it quits.
The premise was intriguing and had great potential. I could see how this would make for an amazing book club discussion but the execution just wasn’t there.

I really loved the idea of the premise of the book - a world where The Forgiveness Act would provide reparations and the secrets and lives uncovered because of the proof needed for the documentation to receive the funds from the US. The story started out really strong for me and then dragged through the middle. However the ending helped me to appreciate the story more. I wanted more of the lives in the current family and a little less about genealogy but overall this was an interesting concept and could invoke interesting conversations but it was a little slow for my reading taste. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Can forgiveness be political, and can it be lasting?
And how do you correct something that to certain people was never wrong to begin with?

This is a contemporary fiction novel dealing with the Forgiveness Act for descendants of black slaves. This bill would allow black families to claim up to $175,000. The Revel family in Philadelphia are wondering if they qualify for such an inheritance. Willie Revel volunteers to be the one in her family to delve into their history. Her parents and grandfather are very reluctant. So it’s up to Willie to do the research and verify their ancestry. Willie is hoping this money will help her family financially as their construction company is not doing well.
The premise of this novel is very unique. I kept trying to pinpoint the time in history this was occurring, but after reading the author’s note at the end, I discovered that she wanted it to be ambiguous. The president of the United States is a female, and some recent events in real life were similar events in the story.
I liked how the author used interviews to provide more insight and information regarding the Forgiveness Act.
The characters were very believable. Willie’s parents are very stoic and traditional. I felt sorry for Willie that she had to give up her dream of becoming a journalist, and was expected to work at the company’s business, while her brother Seb, could go about his life.
This debut novel tackles a lot of issues, but Cheeks does a good job at keeping your interest throughout.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Jordan Hill Forney at Random House Publishing for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published February 13, 2024.

*Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I had high hopes for "Acts of Forgiveness," but unfortunately, this novel fell short for me. I love historical fiction, and I love having politics and social justice woven into fiction, as well, but this book droned on in so many spots. As important and interesting as the subject matter is, it's missing a continuous level of engagement, more thorough character development, and then some. This novel feels like a great first draft — something that really has so much potential — but needed to be workshopped more and reworked before publishing.

"Acts of Forgiveness" by Maura Cheeks is a stirring debut dealing with the complexities of ambition, inheritance, and the weight of history. Set against the backdrop of the first US federal reparations program, the novel grapples with how much lineage one is willing to unearth in pursuit of redemption.

Meet Willie Revel: a single mother who sacrificed her journalism career to save her father's struggling construction company in Philadelphia. When the Forgiveness Act is proposed, offering Black families up to $175 thousand if they can prove their descent from slaves, Willie sees it as a chance for redemption but her family isn't as eager to dig up the past. Will Willie embarks on the journey to verify her family's ancestry?

Cheeks pairs powerful insight with moving prose and asks us to consider two things: one, how history shapes our identity, and two, what it truly means to leave behind a legacy. Cheeks had me reflecting on my own family histories, digging out my ancestry boxes. As a bi-racial woman, I was left to my own wonderings and the enduring impact of our choices.

Cheeks has crafted a remarkable debut who will linger in your heart long after the final page. Whether you're drawn to contemporary fiction, literary exploration, or stories that resonate with the human experience, this novel is a must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books of Random House Publishing Group for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Definitely a very different subject than anything I have read before. A look into what a black family has to prove/do in order to qualify for $175,000 in reparations from the Federal government. Something I have never thought about. Amazing to learn about all the ways it affects people and their identity and family history.

I thought parts of this book were interesting and others not so much. This book just wasn’t what I was expecting or needed to read at this time
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

This is a story of a black family living in a white neighborhood. As you can imagine thay faced many challenges. The story revolves around the Forgiveness Act, which will give $175,000 to black families who can prove they were descended from slaves. An interesting concept but I wonder how it could be proven. And I wondered about the pain it would cause to those families digging into their pasts. A must-read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. At the core of this story is the upcoming possibility of a forgiveness act for reparations trying to be passed by a female president and how this affects the Revel family, a middle class black family with a struggling construction business that the father has built. Willie, his daughter, has left her dream behind to help with the business and she believes that the money from the Forgiveness Act, $175,000 for each person that can prove their ancestry came from a slave, will save the business. The first part of the book is getting to know the three generations Revel family, their life and how the characters feel about the possibility of the Forgiveness Act especially as it requires them to dig through the painful past. The other half is once the Act is passed, Willie's journey to find the proof that will qualify them and how complicated that can be, dealing with the perspectives of the family members and literally finding solid documentation as many times records were not kept on slaves or black populations after Reconstruction. I was hoping for more depth about reparations and how this impacted the characters. The treatment was quite subtle about generational wealth and limited historical opportunities hampering the success of blacks as related to the Revels. Even though there were some disappointments, this was an interesting read regarding a world for black reparations exists.

Thank you to the author Maura Cheeks, publishers Ballentine Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of ACTS OF FORGIVENESS. All views are mine.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. This book visits some really important themes that I wish fiction explored more, like EPA disasters that injure socially vulnerable populations. This book is in part about school children contracting lead poisoning from their public schools.

2. This 12-year-old character is unrealistically logical, but she's still believably youthful. She offers to kidnap her friend–who is to pack herself into a suitcase–and bring her home to live, as a possible solution to homesickness. Because 12 year olds. She also dreams of running an engineering firm in NYC almost purely so she can have a fancy home and live close to great shopping and dining. Still pretty childlike, as a motivation for life plans. But she's logical enough to recognize she isn't taken seriously as a female student– and that she must change both her goal and her methods to achieve it. And so, we have a reasonably believable 12 year old investigative journalist. It's fascinating character work.

3. I love what Cheeks does with the Forgiveness Act subplot. In her like-real-world fictional universe, the US government has paid reparations to black Americans for the losses they have experienced as a result of slavery and racism. The author presents and explores many possible ramifications of such an event, from the wonderful to the expected to the ironic to the wildly unpredictable.

4. This is also a story about fathers and daughters, or men and women, more generally: Women can’t work in construction used to be his unspoken but strongly held belief , and now that he had changed his mind, she was supposed to forget he had ever made her feel that way. He waved his hand and watched her leave. Loc.1264

5. The interviews that break up the form is an excellent stylistic choice.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. The plot drags a little in the middle, where the narrative explains the finer points of the Forgiveness Act.

Rating: 📜📜📜📜.5 / 5 legal acts
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Feb 12 '24
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
📚 contemporary fiction
👩🏾‍🦱 race and racism
💵 reparations
⛓️ slavery

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC.

This book is going to be on the top of everyones list for 2024 reads. A family drama that really makes you think... how can you make such a deep rooted wrong right? Can you?

Important things you need to know about Acts of Forgiveness:

Pace: Medium

POV: 3rd person (Willie and Paloma).

Trigger Warnings: Acts of Forgiveness contains racism, medical content, classism, alcoholism, infidelity, rape, slavery, abandonment, and violence. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book.

Language: There is moderate swearing in Acts of Forgiveness. There is also language used that might offend some people.

Setting: Acts of Forgiveness is set in Philadelphia and New York City. A few chapters are set in Mississippi when Willie researches her family’s past.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Struggling to keep her family’s business afloat and to keep her father from doing business with a morally corrupt company, Willie Revel is looking for a miracle. And she might have found it with the Forgiveness Act. This bill will allow African American families, who can prove they are descended from enslaved people, to claim up to $175,000 per household. Willie could use that money to keep the business from going under. Using the skills she honed in journalism college, Willie starts researching her history.

Meanwhile, her daughter, Paloma, struggles to stay under the radar at her elite private school. As one of the only African American children there, she is singled out by students and teachers alike. Can Willie trace her heritage back to slavery? Can Paloma keep herself under the radar? Will the backlash from the Forgiveness Act die down?

My review:

Acts of Forgiveness was one of the most challenging books I have read this year. I wasn’t surprised by what I read; I had expected the content from the blurb. But it still packed a punch. I found myself tearing up in parts and, in other parts, being unbelievably angry over what Willie found out and what she had to endure growing up. The casual racism shown throughout the book sickened me, but it was true. People still act like this (especially in the South, where I live).

Acts of Forgiveness’s main storyline centers around Willie, Paloma, and the Forgiveness Act. Willie wasn’t likable, but I stress she was shaped that way. The shaping began when her parents moved into an all-white neighborhood. So, I didn’t let her grouchiness get to me or affect my enjoyment of the book. On the other hand, Paloma was the sweetest thing. Reading what happened with the Forgiveness Act and its backlash from a child’s POV was interesting.

The main storyline itself was well-written. It was jumpy (going from past to present), but considering how unstable everything was, it fit in with the book. The backlash to the Forgiveness Act was what I expected, unfortunately. It was something I could see happening in real-time (not that the bill would be passed with the current people serving in both the Senate and the House).

Willie’s backstory and her search into her family’s background were a considerable part of the main storyline. The author detailed Willie’s life from when her family moved into that neighborhood to today. Willie did spend most of the book pining for what she once had. But, her research into her history and what she learned about her roots made her rethink how she lived her life. The Willie at the end of the book is different from Willie at the beginning of the book. It showed how much she grew throughout the book.

Several secondary storylines were exciting, and they did bolster the main storyline. I was happy to see Paloma finally getting the praise she deserved and needed (that play was terrific). I was also pleased that Willie came to terms with several things in her life.

Secondary characters also added to the storyline and strengthened it. All of Willie’s family (her mother, brother, and father), her best friend, her mentor, and even Paloma’s father added depth.

I loved the end of Acts of Forgiveness. I won’t get too much into it, but it was what Willie and Paloma deserved. I was happy that Paloma grew up to do what she loved. I also liked that Willie finally got some peace with everything.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and Maura Cheeks for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Acts of Forgiveness. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

This was a new to me author and I will definitely be looking for more of her works. I felt like I was there with the characters and that I learned some things from them. I think this is a must read for everybody. It really will make you stop and think.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The premise of this book had a lot of promise. I was interested in this book because it would be interesting to see the impact if the U.S. gave reparations to Black people who were descendants of the enslaved. However, the entire first half of the book felt like an unnecessary prequel to the actual story. It wasn't until about 57% of the book that the plot actually began discussing the act passing and the hope and violence that ensued afterward. The epilogue included more of the aftermath after the money was received. While the story was well written, I would have enjoyed it more if the first half was shorter and the story focused more on the country leading up to the act passing then the MC's search for her lineage and the lives after they received the money.

Very thought provoking and compelling! I really enjoyed the book. I loved The multigenerational family and storytelling.

President Elizabeth Johnson, a descendant of Andrew, passes the Forgiveness Act. If any Black American can prove that they are the descendant of a slave will receive $175,000. Sounds easy.

The main character is Willie (Wilhelmina) Revel, a single mother who lives with her parents, Max and Lourdes. Her dad has a successful construction company where Willie works reluctantly as her true passion is journalism. The business wasn't going well and the forgiveness money could really help them. I didn't feel the characters were developed at all and I wasn't rooting for them to succeed. Willie's search for her ancestors was kind of anti-climactic as I was expecting some real aha! moments that never came. The idea of a Forgiveness Act is a great concept and generates a lot of questions about how this will be executed. The writing was fine and the idea was great but I just never felt anything, no sense of intrigue, no sense of joy or real love in this multi-generational home.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for providing me with a digital copy.