The multigenerational Revel family share a home and a hard-earned business. Although, Max and Lourdes’ only daughter, Willie aspires to be a journalist, she must give up her dream to help Max run the construction business while raising her ten-year old daughter, Paloma. As the family begins to struggle with finances, the first female US president, a former professor of Willie's, pushes The Forgiveness Act. through Congress. This new law will offer reparation payments to American citizens who can prove that their ancestors were slaves. While this act sparks controversy and waves of protests and racism, Willie sees potential hope in bailing her family out of financial difficulty. Her ancestral search takes her to Natchez, Mississippi where she learns some ugly facts about her enslaved ancestors. Meanwhile, her daughter, Paloma struggles through her own experiences with racism at her all-white school and becomes an aspiring and talented playwright.
This book was a short and quick read but really packs in a lot. The push and pull around family issues was a major theme - the family is so close yet have to deal with big and small differences of opinion. Willie's ancestral search was a very interesting part of the book. I thought that the characters were well- developed and the author made their struggles very real. A very thought-provoking book!

This book had an interesting premise of the forgiveness act. The act would give families 175,00 if they could prove they were descendants of slavery. The book gives a good outline of race, ambition, family, and sacrifice. This book was a good idea, but fell a bit flat for me overall.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

The propelling event in "Acts of Forgiveness" is the Forgiveness Act; the first American federal reparations program to compensate descendants of slavery. Unsurprisingly, it is an emotionally charged issue, and a politically and logistically complex behemoth.

We follow four generations of the Revels, deservedly proud to be business owners and the first black family to live in their desirable neighborhood. But, times are tough and there are difficult decisions to be made. The money from the Forgiveness Act might be the answer, if they are willing to excavate their family history.

Overall, this debut novel has an interesting storyline and characters but it was a bit too on the nose and preachy. It gets a solid 3* from me. I look forward to her next offering.

I received a drc from the publisher via NetGalley.

A compelling and thought provoking novel about reparations. It was well-written as well as educational.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Acts of Forgiveness is billed as a novel about reparations for slavery, and although it covers that, it is also an exploration of family relationships, genealogy, and sense of belonging. There were quite a few characters that were difficult to track at times, though I appreciated how the story focused on the mother-daughter pair of Willie and Paloma. I found the relationship between Willie and her parents to be very compelling, and their reluctance to open up to one another was emotionally fraught. This was an important read with many layers that made me reflect on race, family and affluence.

This was an impressive debut, and I look forward to reading more from Maura Cheeks.

The United States has its first female president and she has passed the Forgiveness Act in order for descendants of slaves to claim up to $175,000. Willie Revel's life has not gone exactly as she'd like. She wanted to be a journalist but family obligations redirected her ambitions. She lives at home with her parents and her daughter, as the father is not in the picture. She works for the family business which she excels at, but it is not her dream job. In order to receive the $175,000 claim, each person has to prove up why they are descendants of slaves. Willie takes on gathering the information and along the way learns things about her family. Her mother is adopted so she has to explore her father's lineage. Willie's ancestry also hits home as her daughter is to do a project about the family's genealogy and Willie and her family do not know where they are from. Acts of Forgiveness explores the impact of the Black families finally receiving restitution for the wrongs forced upon them, but of course, it is difficult for many of the people to prove up their ancecstry. Acts of Forgiveness demonstrates how important a family's legacy can be when it is difficult to ascertain where to begin to discover one's legacy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read the ARC of Acts of Forgiveness.

"Acts of Forgiveness" by Maura Cheeks is a dramatic, deep story about a family, with its many generations, tackling the topic of forgiveness for slavery and examining the past. Upsetting yet uplifting, as the various characters with their unique perspectives approach this political movement. Tender and enlightening. Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

I picked this book up to read and got about thirty percent into it before I stopped. It just wouldn’t hold my interest. The idea of it was great, but it wasn’t an easy read. A few weeks later, I listened to it from the beginning and again, it held my interest for about fifty percent before I just didn’t want to finish. I did listen to the entire book, but I think there were too many subplots and characters for me. I didn’t like the way the timeline jumped around so much and didn’t enhance the story at all for me.

This book is built on the fascinating concept: A female president who is a descendent of Andrew Johnson works to pass The Forgiveness Act into law. This law provides all African Americans who can prove they are the descendants of slaves with financial reparations. While this national story plays out, domestic drama also unfolds.

Willie is a single mother who reluctantly gave up her journalism career to help at her father's construction company. Raised by Black parents who seemed to care more about wealth and status than true, emotional connection, she's surprised that they're not more excited about the possibility of reparations. Her daughter, Paloma, struggles with her identity, specifically her experience as a budding playwright at a mostly white school. As the stories of these ladies play out, we also learn more about Willie's parents and grandfather.

Although I enjoyed the themes of the book and certain parts of it, it didn't gel with me as a whole. While Willie seems to get the most scenes and we can great insight into her actions and emotions, the other characters didn't get enough time for me to truly connect with them. I really wanted to learn more about Paloma's struggles. Sep was teased as having this whole life of resistance that we never get full visibility into. And while the Act lurks in the background and we do get to learn about each character's feelings about it, some aren't developed enough to be truly insightful.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and its intriguing plot. I do wish, though, that some of the secondary characters had more narrative depth.

I was excited by the premise of this book, but it didn't wow me. It touched on so many important topics, but just grazed them. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, which probably didn't help me connect with the story. This was a miss for me. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

An interesting premise of what would happen if America passed a reparations bill for Black families who can show they are descendants of slaves. Told from the perspective of Willie, a former journalist who now helps her father run their family's struggling construction company, as she navigates the minefield of what is best for their family. When the bill is passed, Willie must find proof that her family's ancestors were enslaved and this leads her on a genealogical search that will reveal something none of them expected. Overall, this is an ambitious concept that does well in its social commentary of showing barriers that could occur if a reparations bill passed, but does tend to skim over how public sentiment would change to get there in the first place.

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.