After finishing The Hunger Games, I decided to pick up a contemporary book so that I had a break from all of the fantasy. I got sent an e-arc of this via netgalley and having loved her previous novel, I thought I would dive straight in. I really loved this book. It was a really unique concept with two sisters who don't know about the others existence. I particularly loved the exploration of what family means. After their father dies and they uncover some secrets, both of the main girls struggle with dealing with who their father actually was and whether or not he was a bad person. It touches on the subject of morally grey characters which I really liked. I also think the topic really suited the format of verse well. I have not read The Poet X so I am not as familiar with her stories told in verse but now I definitely need to go back and read it. Another element I really enjoyed was the exploration of the Dominican Republic and the culture. I admittedly don't know much about the culture so I learned a lot. I loved how it was very unapologetic about the culture. I think everyone needs to look out for this book when it releases in May as it will be a very popular release. - 4 out of 5 stars.

A plan crash kills hundreds and affects even more. Two of them are teen girls with an ocean that separates them but a newly discovered blood link that now bonds them.

The POWER and BEAUTY of this cover is just something else and the story delivered much of the same vibe. I read this on the back of two emotionally traumatic reads and fully feel like I've shut down a little, following them. If this had not been so I'm sure the harrowing events depicted here and the focus on loss, grief, and assault would have impacted me all the more. I adored the feminist vibes, the strong female cast, and Acevedo's writing and know this is a story I will return to, in the future.

After their father dies two girls, one in New York and one in Dominican Republic, learn of each other.

I really enjoyed this book. For me, the book really hit its peak when the girls began to learn of each other and the consequences of these discoveries. I wish there was more of this or it came a littler earlier. However one of the parts I really appreciated from the first part of the story was the relationship of one of the sisters and her girlfriend. It was nice to see a supportive and healthy relationship represented while the protagonist deals with her grief.

Elizabeth Acevedo has gotten tons of acclaim for her first two books - her debut in free verse, The Poet X, won multiple awards, and With The Fire on High has gotten great reviews also. So I was excited to read Clap When You Land, as it sounded like such an interesting concept. Yahaira and Camino, two teenage girls, both lost their father in the disappearance of a plane which crash-landed as it flew from New York to the Dominican Republic. What neither girl knows, prior to this book, is that their father is the same person, a man with two families, two lives, whose death will place them on an inevitable collision course.
Two very different girls, one living in DR and one living as a child of immigrants in New York, both dealing with trauma and grief as they adjust to their new normal after the loss of their father. The jarring disconnect between Camino's life in DR, and the poverty around her, compared to Yahaira's relatively comfortable life in New York, perfectly highlights the juxtaposition inherent in economic migrants.
The novel is written in free verse, each page a new and fluid section. It can lead to some feelings of disjointedness as each point is kept relatively short. That said, though, the lyrical gorgeousness of Acevedo's writing shines through in every poem. There are wonderful thoughts and musings on family, identity, flawed parents, and embracing who you are. There is so much love pouring through every page from the writer towards New York, DR, and the Dominican-American community, and the writing style here is beautiful.
The two sisters sometimes have overlapping styles of writing, which I think is intentional, as it highlights the parallels between these two girls, although it can be a tad confusing if you forget whose chapters you're in. That's probably my fault for not paying enough attention though. The other thing I found slightly difficult in the book was the frequent sprinkling of Spanish words. I realise that this is because the book isn't written for me, although of course I enjoyed reading it, so I don't necessarily think this is a weakness of the book itself, but it did make it more difficult for me. I spent a fair amount of time googling Spanish translations.
Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this gorgeous verse novel, and will likely hunt out some of her earlier books as well, as Acevedo's writing is really very beautiful.

Yahaira is a chess player who made her dad proud winning tournament's and is a proud lesbian with her supportive girlfriend Dre always by her side.



When a man dies, to each of them he's their father, they come to terms with the huge change in their separate lives as everything alters.



Then they discover each other, the biggest shock of all through their father's papers and will and connect online as their father's body gets flown back to Dominican Republic for burial.



This was a great story from the start each girl has a strong character from feisty to bold and each their father's daughter who adored their time with him. I liked how they connected online and accept each other as well as helping too especially when a dangerous situation arose too for Camino. An original idea sparked from a real event the tragedy brings the girls together and it was handled very well. Another fabulous verse book from Elizabeth.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Carnegie winner Elizabeth Acevedo next novel has also been written in verse. Two girls, one Father, but the blurb announces they do not know of one another’s existence which is a shame as this would have been good to find out in the novel. However, it is still a shock to read the devastation experienced by both girls when they do discover their Father’s double life.
Camino lives in the Dominican Republic and sees her Father for just three months of the year when he spends the Summer on the island. He is her hero and has supported her financially throughout her life. She knows she is lucky to be educated and to be able to plan a university education when most girls her age on the island are married and/or pregnant. She would like to go to the US where her Father spends the rest of her time and attend college there, but for some reason her Father has not helped her in this ambition. But all of that is in danger without his support.
Yahaira lives in New York with her Mother, and although her Father is off on regular business trips, she too has felt grateful for her Father’s financial support, although taking much of this for granted. However, the previous Summer, having discovered a secret her Father had kept hidden she had not attempted to talk to her Father or do the activities she knew pleased him. Neither had she challenged him on what she knows, so doesn’t know or understand the full story.
The discovery of half sisters alters the possible future of both girls. It is how they react and change in response to this news and subsequent fall out that provokes thought.
Love, grief, forgiveness are themes throughout, and none of them straightforward. But this is what makes this novel another potential award winner.

I'm not particularly used to reading in verse and it did take me a while to get into this one, but there's no denying how eloquently Acevedo writes, whether in prose or in poetry. This is a well written novel about grief and forgiveness, painting an intimate portrait of two women trying to process brand new emotions.

A truly beautiful novel, which tells the story uniquely from two perspectives. It's delves intimately in to the power of love, loss and forgiveness. It looks at each emotion and how we all deal with them differently and how choices made by others can affect us.