I did not finish this book as it was very different from Acevedo's other books. I'm not very into family dramas, but I had high hopes for this one based on how much I liked her others. While I didn't enjoy this, I very much appreciate the opportunity to read the ARC and I will still read Acevedo's future works.

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo is a tapestry of voices, lives, and emotions, woven together with the author’s signature poetic brilliance. Told through the perspectives of the Marte women, the novel explores the complexities of sisterhood, motherhood, and legacy, all set against the vibrant backdrops of Santo Domingo and New York City.

Flor’s unique gift of predicting the exact day someone will die sets the stage for her unconventional decision to hold a living wake—a moment that sparks revelations and reckonings across her family. But this is not just Flor’s story. It’s also about her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila, and the next generation: cousins Ona and Yadi.

Acevedo’s prose is, at times, breathtakingly lyrical and, at others, disarmingly raw. Passages like, “Flor was not a grasping child; in fact, she largely let things fall through her fingers: dishes, ribbons, aspirations to be anyone's favorite,” showcase her mastery of language. Her narration of the audiobook, infused with her background in slam poetry, adds a rhythmic intensity that amplifies the emotional depth of the story.

That said, Family Lore is messy—and gloriously so. Its unconventional structure, with Ona’s anthropological notes, poetry-like paragraphs, and frequent POV shifts, can feel disorienting at times. The dialogue’s blend of Spanish and English creates an authentic bilingual texture but also demands more of the reader. Yet, beneath this complexity lies a raw, beating heart: the Marte women’s stories of sacrifice, love, and resilience.

This is a book steeped in motherhood. Acevedo, who became a mother while writing, fills the pages with maternal love in all its forms—beautiful, suffocating, empowering, and heartbreaking. From Matilde’s quiet endurance of her husband’s infidelity to Yadi’s search for herself and Ona’s struggles with conception, each character’s journey feels urgent and deeply human.

Acevedo’s ability to breathe life into her characters is extraordinary. I found myself deeply invested in their futures: wishing for Mati to embrace her passion for dance, rooting for Yadi and Ant’s second chance at love, and hoping Ona finds fulfillment as a mother or beyond. These women linger in your mind, their struggles and triumphs as vivid as your own memories.

Family Lore isn’t perfect. It’s chaotic, uneven, and occasionally hard to follow—but it is also unforgettable. It’s a celebration of family in all its messiness and magic, of women navigating their histories and their futures with courage and determination. The Marte women and their stories will stay with me for a long time, and I suspect they’ll do the same for you.

Elizabeth Acevedo can do no wrong. I love her YA books, and I enjoyed getting to read her first adult novel. I look forward to reading more as she hits her stride in this medium.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Elizabeth Acevedo is a master storyteller, and FAMILY LORE might be her best book yet. I love her YA stories, but I'm loving her foray into adult fiction even more. This was incredibly written family saga -- a must-read for contemporary fiction fans!

Really enjoyed this one! I should have read it so much sooner! But I don’t regret it. This maybe a new obsession! I love the characters, plot, etc.

A solid adult debut! The family matriarch wants to plan her own funeral- and she wants to host it while she is still alive. I loved the richness of the descriptions of the DR and NY, and there's one love story in here I so wish had played out differently. It did take me a bit to keep all of the players straight, but just like any big family, they are more powerful when they are together. I liked it!

I have loved all of Elizabeth Acevedo’s YA books and was a little nervous about Family Lore being an adult fiction. However, I did enjoy Family Lore. In Family Lore we meet a family of Dominican-American sisters and their children in New York. Flor, can sense death and when her own mortality is sensed she wants to gather her whole family to be with her one last time. We follow the family leading up to Flor’s event, getting the know family powers and secrets.

It was a little difficult to keep up with so many characters but I especially loved reading Flor and her daughter interactions and navigating grief. Flor’s event was so impactful and a wish we had more time at the second half/ending. Overall, first adult book and I’ll truly read anything Acevedo writes.

I love everything Ms Acevedo writes. Beautiful cover and storyline. I bought a physical copy of this book to add to my personal library.

A rollercoaster of family drama that proves you aren't alone if your family is full of secrets! Among this group of sisters, there are all sorts of secrets that intertwine and eventually must come out. This was an interesting story!

I love Elizabeth’s books, sadly I could not get into this one. I did not like the writing style in this book. I ended up putting it down hoping to pick it back up winter 2024!

I requested this one based on the author and having read all of her YA books. I had rushed and bought a physical copy on release day. I am just now getting to this one and it was our bookclub pick last month. This was a weird one for me to read. If it weren't for book club I might not have finished. I loved the underlying story here and all the culture references. I could not wrap my head around one of the gifts being her "vagina" was the point to say that Hispanic/Latin vaginas are better? Not sure but I was confused with the whole purpose of all the references here. I did love how each sibling had their own story line and the layout of the book. Will I read more by this author of course

4.25/5 rounded down

The story stretches two generations of Dominican women, their family is blessed or cursed with gifts depending on who you asked. One of the aunts who can see death coming decides to host a living wake, sending the ripples through the present and past of the family of women.

I liked the story, but there were a few too many narratives and it was a bit hard to follow all of them.

This was just really not for me. There was overall too much going on and I couldn’t stay engaged with the story enough to really desire finishing it, I only did so out of obligation.

Finally got around to reading this one after having it sitting on my tbr shelf for over a year now and I am sad to say I didn't love this one!!):
I'm so bummed about it too cause I loved Elizabeth's other novels too but this one just had to much gross things in here for me but yeah more detial review to come later. Sadly a 3/5 stars

I admit, it took me a minute to get into this one. At first it wasn't capturing me the way that the books I've read by this author have in the past but in no time I was sucked into the story. I fell in love with each woman and their "power". Character is well developed and I actually didn't mind all the characters POVs in this book. It added to the overall experience. Definitely a great read. Highly recommend.

I did not finish this book. Which is a shame because I love Elizabeth's YA books, Clap Before You Land and The Poet X. She lost me though with weird vulgar about the woman's anatomy.

I had high expectations of this book. Elizabeth Acevedo has not missed for me yet. And although I think I also had a good time with this book, in the end, it was just average. Maybe the story was hindered, a bit, by the sheer numbers of main POV characters. Although I loved the themes of family joy and pain, I also wanted so much more.

I read this book awhile ago and I had a great time reading it. I think Acevedo has some of the prettiest, most attractive writing and I enjoyed everything that was put into the story. I had a little trouble keeping the characters straight but I think I should have written them down

3 stars.

I have wanted Elizabeth Acevedo to write an adult book for years, so when this was announced, I was ecstatic. As to be expected by an Acevedo book, the prose was very lush and gorgeous. I also continue to love her depictions of family, specifically between mother and daughter, as well as sisters. The relationships between each of the characters felt so layered and complicated. No two relationships felt the same. I also really like each other the women. It was very compelling to learn of their backgrounds and how they differed from each other. I also appreciate the discussions of female sensuality and how each woman had a different relationship with their sexuality.

I will say, I do wish that this was a bit longer or took place over a longer period of time. I feel like there were characters that we didn't get a lot of time with compared to others. The timeline as a whole got really confusing. There were moments were it was hard to tell when we were in the present or the past. I also would have liked if the women's abilities were showcased more, since some weren't really delved into. It would have been nice to get more of the characters' interpersonal relationships. It felt like we only really got to skim the surface, which was a shame because I think each of the women were so interesting in their own right. I think the most disappointing thing was after I finished this, I truly didn't think about it afterwards.

While this isn't my favorite of Elizabeth Acevedo's works, I do hope she continues to write adult books. I'm curious to see what others stories she tells in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ecco for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars!

This is my second book by Elizabeth Acevedo and I think unfortunately I'm finding she may not be the author for me. She draws me in with her premises and the sprinkle of magical realism, but I unfortunately can't connect to her writing or characters. I was excited for this multigenerational family saga story, but it was hard for me to keep track of everyone because it was a huge family. It was definitely a slow-paced book, which is okay, but in this instance I was just so bored. Unfortunately just not my book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!