Review (buddy read)- Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Thank you, Dini, for all the amazing buddy reads we have already done in JANUARY alone!!! It’s been awesome and I can’t wait to keep going! ❤ <3<3 You can check out her review here.

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*** I wanted a change so my star ratings have turned into plants!!**

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Goodreads Blurb:

“In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

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.”

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My Review:

I went back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars. I think that I’m going to settle on 3.5 after some time thinking it over. I don’t typically read books in verse but this book was so hyped. It also sounded like an amazing story, which it was. One of the great things about books in verse is how quick of a read it is. You fly through the book but I think it might not be for me. It’s totally a personal preference but it had me disconnecting at times.

I had trouble connecting with the story and characters for about 2/3’s of this book. The last 1/3 was amazing though. I did find it predictable but that’s okay because the story was so impactful. There was so much heartbreak and emotion throughout that it was hard not to feel for these girls. They are both on opposite ends of the world in many ways. They each have a lot of struggles but in different ways. It is kind of like the grass is always greener on the other side.

“Fight until you can’t breathe, & if you have to forfeit, you forfeit smiling, make them think you let them win.”

Yahaira has found out a secret and dealing with it all on her own. She’s isolated herself and dealing with the fall-out after her world comes crashing down. She’s trying to navigate how to deal with her grief, her mother, and her father’s secrets.

Camino is trying to get to the States and go to college to become a doctor. She’s working her butt off but they can barely make ends meet. She’s excited for summer when her dada comes to spend time with her. She’s at the airport when she realizes that he’s not coming.

“But one thing I learned from the Saints, when the crossroads are open to you, you must decide a path. I will not stand still while the world makes my choices.”

I do wish we would have gotten more of their story together. They are both in so much pain and in unfamiliar territory. I wanted to keep reading and see how they come together to mourn their father. I wanted to see their relationship unfold.

The content was great but the verse was tough for me and I struggled to separate their voices at times. I did find myself going back and seeing who the plane was pointed at. haha. I think if we started their meeting much sooner in the book it would have made a huge difference for me. Acevedo is a beautiful writer and this book was all of that and emotional.

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