Familia by Lauren E. Rico

 

Title:  Familia

Author:  Lauren E. Rico

Narrated by:  Frankie Corzo, Robb Moreira, Victoria Villarreal

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 11 hours and 3 minutes

Source: Checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library through Libby and review copy through @Netgalley.  Physical copy from Kensington Books and Between the Chapters Book Club.  Thank-you!

Have you taken a DNA test to try to track your genealogy?  It’s on my list of things to do, but I haven’t done it yet.

Gabby DiMarco is a fact checker for a magazine.  For an article, she does a genealogy test.  The results point to her having a full blood sister and being Latina rather than Italian.  Gabby’s parents have passed away and she doesn’t have any family to ask.  When Isabell Ruiz reaches out to tell her she might be her missing sister, Gabby travels to Puerto Rico to discover whether the lab has made a mistake or whether she is not who she always thought she was.

My thoughts on this book:

·       This book is something my Grandma would have called a “good story.”  It was a great family drama that kept me fully engaged.

·       I read this book earlier this month for Hispanic Heritage Month.

·       There were many Great twists and turns in this story.  I really wanted to know who had kidnapped baby Marianna and why.  I love reading about cold cases.

·       I loved the setting in Puerto Rico.

·       Gabby has no family left and I so wanted her to be open to becoming part of her biological family.

·       The book had great characters.  Gabrielle and Isabella are both well-developed three-dimensional characters with both flaws and loveable attributes.  I especially loved Isabella’s husband Mateo – he was a gem!

·       I loved the mystery as well as the family drama as Isabelle and Gabby develop a relationship. 

·       This book would be a great movie or show.

·       The audiobook narrators were engaging.

·       The story was mostly told through the point of views of Gabby and Isabella, but there were other characters point of views who helped further the mystery.

Overall, Familia by Lauren E. Rico was an engaging mystery and family drama.