Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Clap When You Land

by Elizabeth Acevedo

The stunning New York Times bestselling novel from the 2019 Carnegie Medal winning and Waterstones Book Prize shortlisted author of THE POET X

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people...

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal's office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance - and Papi's secrets - the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they've lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

In a dual narrative novel in verse that brims with both grief and love, award-winning and bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

5 of 5 stars

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When a plane traveling from New York to the Dominican Republic falls from the ski, Yahaira and Camino's lives are forever changed. With the crash come some very big reveals. Family secrets are unearthed, and both young women must deal with the truth about their father.

I will never be able to do this book justice in a review, no matter how many times I write, and rewrite it. This is a story you need to experience yourself. I believe, this multifaceted tale will impact different readers in different ways, but I have no doubt, it will leave its mark.

Acevedo created two wonderful and robust main characters, and as always, she injected so much of her culture into their DNA. I loved how very different these two young women were, and yet, how they were bound to each other. Learning about them, their lives, their families and friends painted this full-color picture for me, and helped me understand the many different pieces, which made up the whole, while not obscuring their differences. Their daily lives, as well as their upbringing, were night and day. It was in these moments, where the author touched upon issues such as economic disparity, toxic masculinity, and grief.

I enjoyed getting to be with Yahira and Camino separately, but I really loved, when their worlds collided. Seeing something beautiful rise from the ashes was extremely satisfying for me. And, wow! The ending of this book had my emotions all sorts of everywhere. I was practically weeping, but I promise, my tears were the good kind.

This was a touching and moving story of secrets, lies, grief, forgiveness, and family, which was exquisitely told, and imprinted itself on my heart.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 29 March, 2020: Finished reading
  • 29 March, 2020: Reviewed