elsaaqazi's review against another edition
5.0
i read this extremely slowly, it was so emotionally jarring. almost like it slaps you across the face in a good way everytime you read it. if it wasnt for my slump, im imagining this would have been an extremely easy read.
philautia's review
5.0
Clap When You Land is beautiful and powerful.
At this point, I have read two of Elizabeth Acevedo's books, and I'm ready to adopt her as one of my favourite authors. Her poetry is so moving and beautiful.
The narration of the audiobook was stunning as well. I almost cried at various points in the narrative.
I don't feel like writing a full review, which is why these thoughts are so messy, but I couldn't just say nothing after finishing this one.
At this point, I have read two of Elizabeth Acevedo's books, and I'm ready to adopt her as one of my favourite authors. Her poetry is so moving and beautiful.
The narration of the audiobook was stunning as well. I almost cried at various points in the narrative.
I don't feel like writing a full review, which is why these thoughts are so messy, but I couldn't just say nothing after finishing this one.
redmars's review against another edition
5.0
Book Stats
Stars: 5 Stars
Start Date : 6/3/2020
Ending Date: 6/8/2020
Genre: YA Contemporary Own Voice
Form: Digital Arc/Audiobook
Page Count: 432
Publishing Date: 2020
Point of View: 1st Person Alternate in Verse
Setting: Dominican Republic and New York City
Received an arc from publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
You can read it on my blog!
Spoilers
Clap When You Land is about two sisters Camino and Yahaira who for 16 years lived in two different worlds but was connected by their father. Camino lives in Dominican republic with her aunt meanwhile Yahiara lives in New York city with her mom and father. Here's the kicker. Camino and Yahaira doesn't know nothing about the other. In the summer months, their father takes the trip to DR to be with Camino and be with Yahaira for 9 months once he returns back from his trip. Tragedy strikes as their father the plane heading to DR crashes turns to the two sisters lives up side down in which both have to come to turns with their father secrets and learning about the other.
Camino Rios ( Cam)- A 16 years old girl who lives in the Dominican Republic along with her Aunt Tia who takes care of her. Her mom is dead because of a illness that went through the island. Her father visits her in the summer months in which he provide money for her in order for her to go to a private school. She loves to swim and knows how to play some chess thanks to her dad. She dreams of getting off the Islands to go to the states in order to study in Columbia to become a doctor. She helps her aunt take care of the community. Finds out that she was born two months before Yahiara was which makes her the oldest. Found out about Yahiara thanks to her aunt finally telling her after founding out her dad body will be coming back to DR to be buried.
Yahiara Rios ( Yaya)- A 16 year girl who lives in New York City along with her mom and father. Is a good student who always get good grades and stays out of trouble. Thanks to her father she played chess and was on the school chess team but quit a while ago. Has a girlfriend named Dre who she was best friends with for a long time before it become romantic. Her mom is a manger of an hair salon. Found out part of her dad's secret while she was in his office in which she didn't speak to him almost an whole year before the crash happens. She wonders if her mom knows what a liar he was..
The Tea aka Papa was a rolling stone and I wish his ass didn't die because he had some damn explaining to do.
Yahaira found a marriage certificate w stating that he was married to Camino's mom in her dad's office with a picture of Cam's mom with her.
Come to find out that he married Cam's mom few months after marrying Yaya's mom.
Cam's finds that out that she was born two months before Yaya was which makes Cam the oldest.( He had them pregnant around the same damn time! What!)
Cam find out about Yaya thanks to her aunt finally telling her after founding out her dad body will be coming back to DR to be buried.
Yaya finds out about Cam thanks to Cam sending her a friend request and message via facebook.
Yaya sees the pic of Cam and her father swimming together which her mom decided to tell her everything.
Cam's mom and Yaya's mom knew each other and was actually friends which she met their father through Cam's mom.
Cam's mom and their father grew up together in DR so they were childhood friends.
Yaya comes up with a plan to go to DR in order to see her father being buried and to met with a sister that she didn't even know about.
The tea was pipping hot in this book.
As I listened to this book, all I wanted to do was to somehow bring Yano (their father) back to life to whoop his ass because he owe them some explanations.
" He was an complex man" my ass. I wonder was he ever going to tell Cam and Yaya that the other had a sister?
Take that back. I think he wanted to since he wanted to bring Cam to states after her mom died but Yaya's mom didn't want her there. So that's why he started to go back and front with each girl getting only a piece of their dad and not the whole thing.
But I'm glad the end, the girls found each other and hopefully can healed with the other's help along with Yaya's mom.
Also I didn't even know that this was the actually based off a plane crash going from New York to DR that happen in 2001. I guess like Elizabeth said in her notes that it didn't get as much media coverage thanks to 9/11
Elizabeth can not do any wrong in my eyes even if this one was kind of rocky in the beginning. When I got the arc a couple months ago, I started reading it and wanted to be done by time it come out but I couldn't get into it for some reason. It was hard to follow the narrative each time it switch from Camino to Yahaira which is a main complaint I have seen in the reviews. So I waited until the audio book come out which made a high difference. Thanks to the fact that each girl was voices by someone else. Elizabeth voice Yahaira meanwhile Melania-Luia Marte voiced Camino. Both Elizabeth and Melaina give Camino and Yahaira distinctive voices that you can tell which girl is narrating. So I think if anyone struggled to read it should listen to the audio book.
Enjoyed this one alot.
nightshade_novels's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lilllymoscovitz's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kaatrriiina4's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
readbyleti's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
aprilconnolly's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5
I loved Elizabeth Acevedo's book The Poet X sooooo much that I wanted to read a few of her other works. I think her stories are so real and raw and that makes them vey well suited for high school reading.
This book wasn't AS impressive to me as The Poet X.
I wish we had gotten more time with the sisters together.
I recognize that the focus of the story is on grief and the way we deal with it, the way it changes us. Also on identity. Not just our own but those closest to us. The feeling of feeling like you don't really know someone. And that makes you question your own identity.
I liked all of these themes, but there wasn't as much character interaction as I would have liked.
I big reason for this is that the book is written in verse and is narrated from deep inside it's two protagonists hearts/minds. But I have always found that seeing how a character interacts with the world reveals more about them than how they think about that world in their own mind.
Will be reading more of Acevado's books in the future!
I loved Elizabeth Acevedo's book The Poet X sooooo much that I wanted to read a few of her other works. I think her stories are so real and raw and that makes them vey well suited for high school reading.
This book wasn't AS impressive to me as The Poet X.
I wish we had gotten more time with the sisters together.
I recognize that the focus of the story is on grief and the way we deal with it, the way it changes us. Also on identity. Not just our own but those closest to us. The feeling of feeling like you don't really know someone. And that makes you question your own identity.
I liked all of these themes, but there wasn't as much character interaction as I would have liked.
I big reason for this is that the book is written in verse and is narrated from deep inside it's two protagonists hearts/minds. But I have always found that seeing how a character interacts with the world reveals more about them than how they think about that world in their own mind.
Will be reading more of Acevado's books in the future!