Title: Clap When You Land
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Pages: 432
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Release Date: 5th May 2020
Blurb from Goodeads:
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.
Papi's death
uncovers all the painful truths he kept hidden, and the love he
divided across an ocean. And now, Yahaira and Camino are both left to
grapple with what this new sister means to them, and what it will now
take to keep their dreams alive.
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.
Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US
My Review:
*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley*
Camino Rios only gets to see her father every summer when he comes to the Dominican Republic.
Yahaira Rios lives in New York City and hasn't talked to her father properly since she discovered that he was hiding another marriage.
When their father dies in a plane crash, both girls learn that their father had lived two lives and had two daughters.
Can they work through their grief and accept each other?
Elizabeth Acevedo's previous books have been a mixed bag for me - I really enjoyed Poet X but I wasn't a big fan of With The Fire On High. However, I liked the sound of Clap When You Land and decided to give it a go.
Camino and Yahaira were both likeable and relatable protagonists. They had grown up differently and had different experiences. It was interesting to read how they reacted to the news that they had a sister and to read as they interacted.
The dual settings of the Dominican Republic and New York were interesting and very different to each other.
The plot was good overall but it did feel like it took a little while to get going and nothing that happened surprised me. My interest did wane at one point and I don't feel that I connected to either Camino or Yahaira very much. I definitely didn't feel emotional about what was happening despite the sad (and what should have been moving) themes and moments.
The writing style was easy to follow and I liked the way the author wrote in verse, but my one gripe is that I felt there could have been a bit more description at times.
I am a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read.
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