Born into a female centered family that believes in a centuries old curse that allows no man to successfully live with any woman in her family, Eniiyi finds the curse isn’t the worst thing in her life. Her family believes she is her dead aunt reincarnated. And so the family struggles are continued into another generation.

The personalities of all of the women involved are so unique and believable that it is fun to hear their opinions and conversations. Men all have an interesting almost non-role in the novel. Once all of the characters are established at the beginning of the book, the action picks up and the story moves more quickly. I enjoyed both learning more about the book’s locale (Nigeria) and the customs of the area.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

When Ebun gives birth to her daughter, Eniiyi, on the same day they bury her cousin Monife, there’s no denying the startling resemblance between the newborn and the dead woman. This sparks a belief—fostered and fanned by the entire family—that Eniiyi is Monife reincarnated, fated to follow in her footsteps, including her tragic end. But that’s not the only belief her family holds. Long ago, the women in their bloodline were cursed:
“No man will call your house home. And if they try, they will not have peace.” This book dives deep into generational trauma and explores the complexities of female relationships across a family. It reminded me of Practical Magic—but set in Nigeria and definitely at least for me, more emotionally heavier. I genuinely felt for all the characters and wanted them to succeed. The book is told through multiple timelines and perspectives, and for once, I didn’t care whose POV I was reading—each character was just that compelling. I'm so happy, I was able to read this ARC and have already recommended it to book clubs held at the library I work at!

Cursed Daughters is a story of generational trauma and superstition. The Falodun women are cursed to never find happiness with a man, and the youngest woman of the family, Eniyii, looks scarily like her deceased aunt. Is she her aunt reincarnated and will she also face the same tragic end? Throughout the story, Oyinkan Braithwaite, interweaves the concept of reincarnation and contemplates how much (or how little) control Eniyii actually has over her life. Setting-wise, I felt completely immersed in the culture and Braithwaite did a wonderful job making Lagos come alive on page.

Unfortunately, this book didn't quite land for me. I wish the story had delved more into the superstitions of reincarnation and how deeply it affected Eniyii's life. Instead it was heavily focused on women centering men in their lives. While I understand the book is about a curse involving men, there was way too much focus on the men in the Falodun women's lives. I expected the story to perhaps explore how these cursed woman found other paths to happiness or explored other fulfilling relationships like friendship. However, there is not a single female friendship present in this book. The female relatives don't even seem to particularly like each other or be interested in each other's lives outside of their relationship to men. They barely have any hobbies or passions and many conversations circle back to the topic of men. For me it was really disheartening to read a story where women seemed to only be able to achieve real happiness if they could find a happily ever after with a man.

It took a while to get into this book, with multiple perspectives and timelines I had a really hard time keeping the characters straight. But once I did, I really enjoyed the plot.

This story was so amazingly beautiful and tragic, and I absolutely loved it! The way the story constantly switched times and perspectives made it 1000 times better, and every major plot line flowed so easily. The last half of the book, I was just devouring it; I could not put it down! While I will not say I loved all of the characters, I was so invested in all of them, and that made the book just so unbelievable. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Thank you, NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the advanced readers copy!

Absolutely captivating. Braithwaite weaves folklore, family, and curses into a powerful multi-generational story that’s both haunting and heartfelt. The characters felt real, the shifting timelines kept me hooked, and the ending left me satisfied yet still thinking about it..

This book tells the story of three women affected by a supposed family curse that prevents them from finding lasting love. Ebun and Monife are cousins, and Eniyii is the perhaps reincarnated Monife, born on the day Monife is buried. I enjoyed the evocative Nigerian setting, the mystery of the curse and whether it is "real" or perhaps self-fulfilled or generational trauma.

I have been waiting for a new book from author, Oyinkan Braithwaite, so I was thrilled when I was approved for an advanced copy of Cursed Daughters. While Cursed Daughters is very different from My Sister, the Serial Killer, it did not disappoint. Braithwaite's humor and writing style delivered an emotional story following a family with a decades long curse and their attempts to overcome it. An emotional read with an overall hopeful ending. I laughed. I cried. I would 100% recommend!

I know I’m not alone here when I say that My Sister, the Serial Killer is one of my favorite books.. Oyonkan Braithwaite is a witty,, wise, master storyteller and I could not request this book fast enough.

It started strong, laying the foundation of the cursed Falodun women, lagged a bit expanding on that foundation, but I could see the story coming together. I just loved and felt so much for Monife and Ebun. We're with Eniiyi from the moment she is born and while we know the curse, we can’t help root for love anyway. I’ll say no more, but it is richly satisfying.

Curses, choices, or circumstances? Why not all three? Eniyii is born into a family where the women are supposedly cursed to have doomed relationships with men. And it does seem like that is the case, but digging deeper, things are more complicated than they seem.

This book is at its best with its headstrong women, snappy dialogue, and realistic intergenerational conflict. That's what kept me reading it when I needed to go to bed. The ending is a bit rushed, but the ride there was enjoyable.

I was excited to end Cursed Daughters as I really liked My Sister, the Serial Killer. This new book is very different and a wonderful, rich read. It is a good long book and takes its time to meander through the lives of the Falodun women who believe they are under a curse. Are they? We get to decide as the story hops back and forth through the generations of Falodun women as their stories and life’s weave together and apart. There are lots of time jumps but they make the story even better and lets the reader work out what is going on and why.
I am looking forward to recommending this one!

Braithwaite's sophmore novel is longer and more substantial than her first, My Sister the Serial Killer. This allows the reader to get to know more characters and have a deeper sense of the past, present, and hopeful future of three generations of women and a much longer lineage of a family curse. The writing is sharp and darkly humorous and compels the reader to keep going as the stories of the family weave together. This book has confirmed that I will read whatever Braithwaite writes.

I loved Oyinkan Braithwaite’s debut My Sister, the Serial Killer. I knew this would be a bit different in terms of tone, but the same reasons I loved her first book we just not present here. Cursed Daughters is certainly a more challenging plot and a bit more abstract than her previous work, but I found it to be a bit too abstract to make the point. Even as I sit here now, having completed the book, I am still not sure what the point was.

Reading this book felt like slipping into day-in-the-life Lagos, Braithwaite captures the atmosphere, feel and tension of every single room she writes. I'm halfway through and if I close my eyes, I can picture the place and family dynamic she writes. She tells the story of female family dynamics in an undeniable fashion, making you feel like you know these characters within minutes. There are surprises, twists, heartbreaks and heart-full moments that make this an engrossing, dynamic and suspenseful read!

I found the family dynamic captivating and the characters distinct and interesting. I was rooting for the characters despite knowing all the love stories would end tragically, and found the writing luminous and lush.

This was an engaging and well-written book that kept my interest throughout. The author delivered strong ideas and storytelling, with memorable moments that made it stand out. While there were a few areas that could have been expanded or polished further, overall it was an enjoyable and worthwhile read. I would recommend it to others looking for a thoughtful and rewarding experience.

A generational curse, rivalry between women, superstition mixed in with spirituality - this book has everything you want from Braithwaite and more! This is a fun read even though the subject matter is a bit gloomy. If you're into magical realism, the supernatural, and psychological thrillers then I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tried so hard to get into this one, it started off strong, but the alternating timelines and all the different characters made it hard to follow, I DNF at about 40% as I was bored

On the day Monife dies, Ebun's daughter Eniiyi is born. Eniiyi is the spitting image of her mother's cousin, leaving Ebun's mother and aunt believing that Eniiyi is, in fact, her reincarnation and is fated to fall under the same curse as generations of their women have: "No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace…”

The story weaves the past and present together, telling the story of Ebun and Monife's life as teenagers living with their single mothers, then Monife's falling in love and why she eventually walks into the sea. And we also have Eniiyi's story, fighting against the constant comparisons to Monife, trying to be her own person and be free from the fate everyone expects her to have. A story of family secrets and trauma, with vibrant and sympathetic characters.

Cursed Daughters is a very different book from Braithwaite's debut novel, but in a good way. I devoured [book:My Sister, the Serial Killer|38819868], but her writing style and maturity have skyrocketed to new levels since. Told in multiple perspectives, we follow the Falodun women:

• Monife, who committed suicide after falling too hard for her Golden Boy;
• Ebun, Monife's cousin who has kept the secret of Monife's suicide safely under lock and key; and
• Eniiyi, Ebun's daughter who just might have found her own Golden Boy to love...

All three women are affected by the Falodun curse, where bad things happen if they become too close to handsome men. It has been a while since I've read literary fiction, and this novel was a great reintroduction to the importance of a novel's characters. I absolutely loved the structure of the book—while told in 11 parts, it was not difficult to follow. Hopefully we don't have to wait another seven years for Braithwaite's next creation.