A review by jkreads
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

emotional reflective medium-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

4.5

I have had this book on my TBR forever (honestly I put it on my TBR the second I saw this STUNNING cover) so it felt like a perfect first pick for The Diverse Baseline Challenge. This was my pick for January prompt 2: a book by a Latine author.

This book was unlike any other I’ve ever read. Clap When You Land is a dual narrative novel in verse that follows two sisters, Yahaira and Camino, who discover each other through the death of their father in a plane crash.

The novel follows the sisters through their journey of grieving the loss of their father’s life, as well as the loss of the man they thought they knew. It was a raw and visceral journey through each of the girls’ experiences both in life and in grief. Camino and Yahaira were well-developed, interesting characters and the ensemble characters were intriguing as well.

I listened to this on audiobook and I would HIGHLY recommend consuming this book in this format - it really helps the poetic writing style shine. This was my first Elizabeth Acevedo book and it certainly will not be my last.