Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre and HotKey Books for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!

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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, Camino and Yahaira are both left to grapple with what this new sister means to them, and what it will now take to keep their dreams alive.

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Clap When You Land is loosely inspired by the real life event of the American Airlines flight 587. In 2001 flight AA 587 was travelling to the Dominican Republic and crashed in Queens, New York, killing two hundred and sixty people; over ninety per cent of the passengers were of Dominican descent and returning home.

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As always, a few content warnings: Sexual harassment, sexual assault, cheating.

I've been excited to read this since I read The Poet X earlier this year, which easily put Elizabeth Acevedo into my top 10 authors. I would read the back of cereal boxes if she wrote them!

I didn't know anything about this tragedy prior to picking up this book which shocked me. The fact that this is the second largest aviation accident in US history makes this story all the more important. Once it was discovered that terrorism wasn't involved, it was put to the sidelines, leaving an entire community of Dominicans both in the US and DR grieving alone. The author's note is just as important as the story itself.

Once again, Elizabeth Acevedo has created a story which punches you right in the gut. Her command of verse and her ability to make every word impactful and powerful is second to none, saying more in a single line than most authors do in a paragraph or chapter.

This book is a beautiful exploration of family, grief, and what happens when people you love aren't who they say they are. The complex range of emotions felt within the narrative are handled with grace and sensitivity. The first person perspective made me feel closer to the girls, so each emotion, their confusion and every bit of hurt that both Camino and Yahaira felt was stark and raw. I particularly enjoyed the way each parental figure was portrayed, and how their grief and emotions were seen through the girls' eyes. Acevedo has a way of connecting with young people and their view of the world.

Acevedo highlights difficult subjects like poverty, sexuality, race and class, exploring the two girls' upbringing and their stark differences, but also the similarities between the them. She writes about the girls with such care that they seem like real people, which was entirely her point. The tragedy that occurred affected regular people and she wanted to show that. Each character feels fleshed out and has a place in the story. The way the sisters are given little quirks and personality traits that they both share, despite being worlds apart, made me love them even more. The contrast between their two cultures was also fascinating to read, from the environments they were raised in, to the opportunities they have been given. Their joint struggle to form their own identities transcends background, and is a feeling that everybody can identify with.

Whilst this story starts with a man, it is entirely focused on the women and their experiences. This story is a powerfully feminist piece which delves into grief and the effects of great tragedy, but also how good can come out of horrific experiences. This is unlike anything I've ever read and no review that I post will do it justice. I gave this book 5 stars and a space on my favourites shelf!

Firstly I want to talk about how beautiful the cover for this book is! It’s just so powerful and beautiful I can’t wait to buy a copy to have it on my shelf! As if the cover wasn’t enough to make me want to buy it, I loved the book so much. This is the first Elizabeth Acevedo book I've read, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I've heard a bit about her previous books, and saw from the blurb that it's written in verse, so I was intrigued.
I love, love, love poetry, and so the concept of a book written in verse was so amazing to me. It was so beautifully written that I have so many highlighted quotes. Acevedo has a way of tells a story coherently whilst still making it beautifully spun. I sometimes find that when authors try to focus too much on the language, it can detract from the plot or make it more difficult to read, but I didn’t find that at all here.
As well as the writing, I also loved the plot. It follows two sisters, one in New York and one in Dominican Republic, coming to terms with their losing their father and realising they didn’t know their father as well as they thought they did. It was a very touching story, and I really connected to both characters. It was quite a simple story, as it follows a main plotline with few subplots and side characters, but it works well. The characters are all very well developed and so it was easy to relate to them, it felt almost like reading about friends.
I also liked that there wasn’t a romance plot in the book. There were some characters in relationship, one of the sisters, Yahaira, has a girlfriend, but the romance and love interest element is not a big part of the plot. It means that the focus is on family and friendship and not romance, which is refreshing. It’s also refreshing that they were a lesbian couple and yet it wasn’t the main plot point in the book, it was just accepted.
Although I loved this book, my only fault with it is that I would have preferred a bit more interaction between the sisters. I feel like the start, when they are discovering their grief individually is as long as or longer, than when they get in contact. I enjoyed all of the beginning and I do think it’s necessary, however I would have preferred the second half to be a little bit longer.
That small thing is why I only gave it 4 not 5 stars, but despite that I really loved the book, and can’t wait for more people to read it. I 100% recommend it, and can’t wait to read more of Elizabeth Acevedo’s books.

Disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Camino Rios can’t wait for summer, because it is when her father comes to visit her in the Dominican Republic. But when she gets to the airport to meet her father, she is met by crowds of crying people. In New York, Yahaira Rios is called out of class and into the principle’s office where her mother is waiting for her. Her fathers plane has crashed and he, unfortunately, has died. Clap When You Land is an emotional and moving story about two sisters learning of the existence of each other.

content warning: plane crash, death of a parent, grief, threat of rape, attempted sexual assault

rep: Dominican m/c’s, lesbian m/c, black LI

Clap When You Land is my first Elizabeth Acevedo novel, but I’ve heard phenomenal things about her as a writer — my co-blogger Lauren has read both The Poet X and With The Fire On High and has nothing but good things to say. I went into Clap When You Land kind of expecting to love it and oh boy, it did not disappoint. Clap When You Land is told in verse and I love verse, but don’t read it often.

Clap When You Land has an emotive narrative; it’s sharp and it’s poignant. It’s heartwarming and heart-breaking at the same time. It is about uncovering secrets, finding the truth, discovering family and community, and also it’s a story about discovering yourself in the darkest of times. It’s about loss but it’s also about gaining something too – hope, love, family. At its heart, it is a story of sisterhood.

I loved both Camino and Yahaira and I really loved their relationship. It’s a complicated one, for obvious reasons, but I enjoyed watching them discover each other, share their grief and their anger, and also come to realise that their father was not perfect, but he loved them both unconditionally.

They each both had their own struggles. Yahaira had never visited her parent’s country, and she struggled with what that meant for her identity:

‘If you asked me what I was,
& you meant in terms of culture,
I’d say Dominican.
No Hesitation,
no question about it.
You can find the island stamped all over me,
but what would the island find if I was there?
Can you claim a home that does not know you,
much less claim you as its own?’


There was also a f/f romance with Dre. It was only a small part, but lovely – supportive and cute and it was best friends to lovers!

Camino also had her own struggles in the Dominican Republic. With her father’s protection gone, the local pimp sets his eyes on Camino. He’s cruel and predatory. All Camino wants is to escape – to study pre-med in the United States.

Like I mentioned earlier, I loved the relationship between Camino and Yahaira, but I also loved the role that both Camino’s aunt and Yahaira mother played in both the girls lives. I loved the community spirit and I loved how it highlighted the endurance and strength of women.

Clap When You Land is a story of two girls seperated by countries but brought together by tragedy. A novel I would highly recommend if you enjoy verse novels and if you enjoy powerful and emotive stories.

CW: Sexual harassment and sexual assault

Elizabeth Acevedo is undoubtedly one of my favourite YA authors and this novel only served to cement that.

This is the story of two half sisters who don’t know that the other exists. One lives in New York with her mother and father and the other lives in the Dominican Republic with her aunt. Their father is killed in a plane crash on his way to the Dominican Republic and the sisters become aware of the other’s existence in the aftermath.

Both Camino and Yahira Rios are fully fledged characters who have been moulded by two very different upbringings and conditioned by the environments they’ve grown up in. They’re both strong and intelligent women. They feel like real people with real personalities, dreams, concerns and flaws. They both have really great character arcs in this story.

As always with Acevedo’s books, she pulls no punches and is not afraid of tackling difficult subjects. Here she looks at poverty in the Dominican Republic and at class and race and the role that plays. She looks at the impact of Yahira and Camino’s father having two families and the impact that this has on them both and on his wife, Yahira’s mother and how Camino and Yahira had very different experiences with their father.

Unsurprisingly, Acevedo does all this while writing beautifully. This novel is written in verse and Acevedo really shines here and her distinctive voice comes through. As YA writers goes, I think Acevedo May have my favourite style of writing. She is immensely talented.

I also loved the LGBT representation in this book. Yahira is gay and is dating her neighbour. It’s great to have a qpoc as a protagonist in this book. It’s the first time Acevedo has had a queer main character in one of her books and I think she does a great job with Yahira. Her relationship with Andrea is really wonderful and cute and was one of my favourite aspects of the book. In fact, Dre is in her own right an awesome character and probably my favourite character in the book a whole.

I think With the Fire on High is still my favourite Acevedo book but this is also a truly wonderful book and you should definitely pick it up!

'like grains of rice in boiling water, / the bodies outside our little teal house expand. They stand there in shorts & caps, / in thong sandals, the viejos held up by their bastones, / they scramble onto the balcón, / they wrap their fingers around the barred fence, they watch & wait & watch & wait an unrehearsed vigil.'

Camino Rios is waiting at the airport for her father's annual visit to the Dominican Republic when she gets the news of the plane crash. In NYC, Yahaira Rios is in the principal's office when she is told that her father has died in an aviation accident. As events following their Papi's death unfold to close the gulf caused by his lies, these girls find out what happens when a stranger becomes a sister.

You can tell Elizabeth Acevedo is a spoken word poet because her writing demands to be read aloud. It's now my tradition to listen to the audio while I read along to her novels; there's something about her voice that makes the language sing. I never highlight as much as I do when I read Elizabeth Acevedo's writing. There's always so much I want to savour, reread, letting her words tumble around in my mouth like a boiled sweet - Acevedo is entirely in her bag writing in verse and her prose has a powerfully poetic quality. Paperbacks are out of stock everywhere in the UK at the moment but when mine finally arrives, the first thing I'm going to do is reread it armed with my stabilo.

Though the story is told from two perspectives, this isn't a book where you're going to have favourites. Both Yahaira and Camino are treated with such care I feel like Acevedo is writing about her own sisters. She writes young women so so well - their bodies are tapestries of vulnerability, pride and consent - and the way food and feelings are intwerwined in her writing resonates and sends me right back to my grandmother's kitchen.

Xiomara will always have my literary heart, but CLAP WHEN YOU LAND might be her best magic yet.

This was a book that excited me because I love Acevedo’s work so I was keen to read her new book. The book is all written in verse and it just tells the story so beautifully. I thought the story was unique and I enjoyed seeing the contrast between the different cultures. I was engrossed in this story and managed to finish it in a couple of hours.
4/5 stars

full review:
https://isobelsbookishthoughts.wordpress.com/2020/05/05/book-review-clap-when-you-land-by-elizabeth-acevedo/

Thank you Netgalley and Hot Key Books for the ARC.

This book was heartbreaking, it was breathtaking, it was everything and even more.
It's no secret I love Elizabeth Acevedo and her books give and take away pieces of my heart every time I read them.
But this one really touched my heart more than anything I've ever read from her.
If I would give it a realistic rating it would be all the stars in the universe.


"Never, ever, let them see you sweat, negra. Fight until you can't breathe, & if you have to forfeit, you forfeit smiling, make them think you let them win."

Camino and Yahaira are both extremely compelling, imperfect but absolutely realistic voices. I adored how we see them going through different but similar stages of grief. How the different cultures and relationship made them who they are. It was so beautiful seeing them connecting and trying to know each other. I love how the author touched cultural differences, sexualities, prejudice and privilege. As usual it felt organic. It wasn't a show-off lesson, it wasn't written to woke people up, it's not her job to do so. But it felt so natural to have those discussions and that's how you do it.

I also appreciated how each parent wasn't perfect, because that's not real life. People are messy, people make mistakes. Even a father who looks like the hero for these two girls reveals himself to be a terrible husband for both of their mothers. And the pain and grief for his loss mixed with the anger and betrayal of what he did was so well crafted.


I will definitely reread this book as an audiobook because Elizabeth's narrating voice is incredible, and I'm sure I will adore this book even more.


trigger warning: death of a parent, grief, sexual assault.

Clap When You Land was truly excellent, the formatting meant that for me the verse did not come across completely clearly but once I listened to her perform a section (found in a tweet) the pace and balance of the words shines through. I highly recommend you do too if you are new to novels in verse - or just because it is a compelling performance.

This is my first novel in verse (although I have The Poet X on the TBR) but I recently read With The Fire on High and I can safely say I will read anything Elizabeth Acevedo puts into the world. She translates her experiences and knowledge of the world into her character's experiences of the world with a deft hand. And she makes them so damn fantastic that you will stay up way past your bedtime for just a little moment longer with them.

A truly stunning read from the author of Poet X.

A fast-moving, absorbing verse novel which delves into the very different lives of half-sisters Camino and Yahaira. One lives in New York, one lives in the Dominican Republic. Both are unaware they share a father, until he is killed in a plane crash while travelling between the two.

The blank verse format allows Acevedo to really pull out the emotions of this - the shock, the struggle for identity and the acceptance of a new family. There are some great stand out scenes, and we really feel for Camino as she struggles to be true to herself and her own desires.

Powerful, engaging and absorbing.

Clap When You Land is award-winning poet Elizabeth Acevedo’s second novel written in verse and is loosely inspired by the real-life event of American Airlines Flight 587. In 2001 Flight AA 587 was travelling to the Dominican Republic and crashed in Queens, New York, killing two hundred and sixty people; over ninety per cent of the passengers were of Dominican descent and returning home. This dual-narrative story follows the lives of half-sisters Camino and Yahaira Rios, neither of whom know of the other's existence until the sad demise of their father on board the doomed jetliner. Camino resides in the Dominican Republic with her aunt whilst Yahaira lives in New York City and spends a lot of time with her father. Camino only sees her father once a year when he travels to the Dominican Republic to share her birthday with her. As their father's secrets slowly but surely unravel post-death, a deeply emotional, moving and completely compulsive story comes together.

Ahh, don't you just love it when a book that is hyped to high heaven pre-publication manages to outdo itself and surpass everyone's expectations?! That is certainly the case here. I am always amazed by how Acevedo manages to craft a really simple tale but one that grabs your attention and heart from the start. Using a real-life tragedy and embellishing it with a fictional story and characters made this all the more captivating and compelling to me. Whichever way you look at it Elizabeth Acevedo is one hell of a writer whose lyrical prose flows effortlessly and sweeps you up into the story without any trouble whatsoever. The dual-narrative works beautifully to highlight the difference in cultures and in differentiating the lives of the two daughters. It explores the issues of loss, death, grief, sexual harassment, cultural differences, stalking, secrets and the coming together and importance of family and familial bonds.

A truly stunning read and one I implore you to pick up. If you are someone that enjoyed Poet X I guarantee you'll love this too. Many thanks to Hot Key Books for an ARC.

Elizabeth Acevedo has created another story to shine a light on an experience, and to paint a picture that celebrates a certain place/culture. This is the kind of book you’ll pick up and find yourself reading...then look up to realise time has passed, you have finished and the images in your head are as vivid as the moment you read them.
The story focuses on two characters, both girls. One lives in the Dominican Republic and the other in America. Neither knows about the other. But when their father - on his way to stay with his second family - is killed in a plane crash their lives become intertwined in ways they’re not prepared for.
The verse is quite sparse, yet it conveys precisely the mood and experiences of these two girls. The depiction of grief was sensitive, yet there was a positivity to this with regard to how the girls change that I wasn’t expecting.
This was a genuine pleasure to read, and thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read it prior to publication.

I devoured Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X last year, so I was delighted to be approved for her latest release on NetGalley. Clap When You Land is another verse novel with high emotion, so expect to whizz through this emotionally-charged family story.

Aspiring doctor Camino Rios lives with her aunt in the Dominican Republic and spends all year waiting for her father to arrive for the summer. However this year, the airport is full of tear-stained faces and Camino learns that her father’s plane has crashed. Chess champion Yahaira Rios is living with her mother in NYC, when she is called into the principal’s office and told that her father has died in a plane crash. Papi’s death unravels the secrets of his life, which has spanned across the Atlantic for years, and brings a multitude of new challenges and blessings into the lives of both of his girls.

Yahaira has a girlfriend called Dre and their relationship is so wonderfully pure. Of course, it’s not the focus of the book but I would have loved some more scenes with just the two of them. In fact, I’d quite like a whole companion novel! Again, Acevedo’s lyrical talents come out in full bloom and I couldn’t help but get the warm fuzzy feels when they were together. It’s exactly how I feel about my own relationship so perhaps that’s why I formed a special attachment to them as a couple.

Camino’s story has an extra heartbreaking dynamic, when she realises that without her father’s money, she may have to sacrifice her dream of attending medical school and becoming a doctor. As Papi was married to Yahaira’s mother first, his New York family are the ones who automatically get his inheritance, leaving Camino at the mercy of them. It’s through her determination that the sisters connect and form a friendship that becomes stronger and stronger.

The chess imagery makes several appearances in the narrative and I loved how Acevedo used it to reflect Papi’s double life. His daughters each inhabit two very different parts of his life and in turn, perhaps they represent two very different sides of him. Camino is the conventional homely Caribbean girl whereas Yahaira breaks all the ‘rules’ of a traditional Dominican daughter by being an intellectual queer American. Papi wanted to make it big in the States but not enough to leave his homeland behind and this conflict materialised in the stark differences between his daughters.


The last 10% of the book ties up some loose ends and reiterates the importance of the sisters finding each other. I finished it full of hope and faith in their sisterhood and friendship. After the hundreds of pages of grief and heartbreak, closure was what was needed and it’s what was delivered. I metaphorically clapped when I landed!

This is a quick, emotional, beautifully written YA family drama that explores the ideas of loss, sacrifice and the strength that can come from them. It’s also an excellent opportunity to sample a Caribbean culture which isn’t featured too often in popular fiction. I predict that this will be another hugely successful book for an author who is becoming a fast favourite.

Steeped in culture, with two strong voices of blooming women who have to deal with world changing grief and a secret that might just be the thing to help them heal. There’s a poetry to the way the narrative flows that makes you want to curl up and let the raw emotion in this book overtake you.

I loved this story, this is the second book i have read from Elizabeth Acevedo and it definitely won’t be the last. Following the story of two girls from totally different worlds coming to terms with loosing their father and the secret he kept. The writing really hits you in the feels.

Yahaira i would say is the better off of the the two, still having her life with her mother in New York and her girlfriend. She still has options available to her. Where as Camino Rios a girl who will get what she wants no matter what, has more of a hard time with her Father passing, her life as she knows it may take a turn for the worst. They’re characters you root for and want to see have the life of their dreams.

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

This book delves in to loss and the discovery of not only the character but discovery of how things you think you’ve known all along can be challenged, can be wrong and can make your life unravel. That queens are made everyday through, tragedy, love, loss, family, friends and a will to go after everything you want.

The only downside i had was sometimes i got confused with narrative, the voices were just a little to similar. Sometimes i found myself looking for markers to make sure i knew who i was reading from. This took me out the story a little. Never the less, this book is amazing and you should definitely give it a try if you like a book that makes you feel.

Yahaira Rios and Dre are everything and i would read a whole book about them and how their future unfolds.

One day we were best friends, & the next day we were best friends who stared at each others mouths when we shared lip-gloss. (awwww)

"[...] to walk this world you must be kind but also fierce."

Elizabeth Acevedo's 'Clap When You Land' is a powerful and complex story written in verse, about family, grief and sisterhood. It is a culturally rich and fluid read, with raw & complex protagonists, and an incredible cast of strong female characters, which I absolutely loved!
The book deals with a number of difficult topics, from loss of a family member to sexual assault, in a powerful & unflinching way. But at the same time, this is also a book that is full of hope, love & compassion. I feel as though this really is one of those YA books that transcends genres, and can be enjoyed by both YA and adult readers.
Despite being written in verse, I found it to be a smooth and beautiful reading experience, and I think this would be a great place to start for anyone that is unfamiliar with novels written in this format.

4 stars!

This is a contemporary fiction that features two narrators that of Camino Rios and Yahaira Rios who are estranged half sisters.

Camino Rios lives with her aunt in Dominican Republic while her father works in New York City and gives them money. He visits them once ever summer.

Yahaira Rios lives in New York City with both her mother and father.

However, tragedy strikes when their father's plane crashes but in their grief they discover each other.

I liked how the author had two first person narratives because it makes you understand what the characters are feeling, thinking, saying and what's happening around them. I liked how it's written in verse and has Spanish words or phrases so it's authentic. It would've been even better if these had a translation in the footnote so it didn't feel like I missed part of the reading or understanding of the storyline.

I received an ebook from Netgalley.

This book has been very much hyped and, in my opinion, it is worthy of every bit of hype that it has received. I finished this book in a single day as I was sucked into the vibrant world that Acevedo has created.

This book is heart-warming as we follow the dual perspectives of Yahaira and Camino Rios following the death of their father on the the flight that was meant to take him to the Dominican Republic. Neither sister knew the other existed but, the wake of his death, their father's secrets begin to unravel.

I initially found this book a little challenging as it contains a very liberal sprinkling of Spanish however I do not in the slightest fault Acevedo for this as it is unrealistic that their wouldn't be any Spanish in a book where almost every character is Latinx (not to mention that likely some of the flavour of the language and culture would be lost in translation). If you think that might be an issue for you, do not let it stop you reading this book... instead purchase the eBook version and get familiar with the translate feature on your Kindle!

I have no words to explain how much I loved this book. This was the first book I’ve read by Acevedo, and I hope it’ll be the first of many!

This is a book whose story or characters I can’t relate to in any way in terms of my own personal experience, but I still connected with it so much that I felt every emotion that the words were trying to convey. I genuinely think this is one of the strongest, most powerful verse novels I’ve read.

I have both The Poet X and With The Fire on High on my shelf, so they’re definitely going to be launching right to the top of my TBR pile!

I think this format, of free verse, doesn't entirely work for me. I can appreciate it as a form, and can appreciate that other readers will get a lot from it, but I don't unfortunately. It makes me feel very detached from the story and the characters, which was probably a blessing as the subject matter is very heavy in this book. I didn't know this was in verse when I requested it, and I didn't love Acevedo's novel With the Fire on High, so I think this author just isn't for me unfortunately.

Another book in verse (with many cultural references that I had to go and look up) in Elizabeth's beautiful, poignant and insightful, yet concise phrasing. Her words send you straight to the heart of the person with descriptions so vibrantly delicious and evocative you can almost taste the emotions.
While this was not an easy subject, it was intriguing.
A loss of a father, a discovery of an unknown sibling brought up in a different country and culture, secrets and confusion.
The differences were greater than the similarities. At the end of the day, life goes on, but results of the loss of support and security can seem insurmountable.

If you enjoyed Poet X, you'll love this.

Having previously read The Poet X, I was really excited to pick this up and even more excited that it was written in verse. The story follows the two perspectives of two sisters, who don't actually know that the other exists. I thought that this was a really clever format to take with a book and I loved the dual narratives.

The two interchanging narratives worked well, and it was really clear to see how each was feeling, and reflect this over to how we knew the other was feeling. This really did throw you in at the main plot points very early on and I'd say trigger warnings for death and grief.

The portrayal of grief and suffering was done extremely well and doing this through prose meant that it was dealt with very beautifully and with such elegance.