Having seen this book floating around on Instagram and other book blogs, my expectations for Clap When You Land were quite high. The premise was something I jumped at the chance to read: Camino and Yahaira live two separate lives in two separate countries, but share one incredibly important thing: their father. While awaiting a visit from her father in the Dominican Republic, Camino finds out the news of a plane crash after seeing the crowd of crying people surrounding a TV screen in the airport. At the same time in New York City, Yahaira receives the news from her high school principal. Though they have lost their father, the two girls have gained each other. But how will they react when they find out the other exists?

Acevedo’s ability to capture a range of different emotions of two girls going through the exact same thing is something I need to applaud her for. Oftentimes when I’ve read books told from more than one point of view, I’ve found myself relating more towards one person (which is obviously normal) or found it clear that the author preferred to write one perspective over the other. But not with this. This novel in verse was a unique way to express what Camino and Yahaira were going through, and there were multiple times where I was almost taken aback by how beautiful and lyrical Acevedo’s words were. Not only did we learn the ins and outs of the contrasting lives the girls live through the poetic writing, we start to understand more about their father. Although we never actually meet him, the memories Camino and Yahaira have paint a picture of clashing colours that show even the one you love and trust the most can be a completely different person the second they step outside the house.

However, having said that, there were times where I struggled with the style of writing. It was beautifully written, yes, but it was slightly distracting and because of this, I found it hard to truly connect with the story. The pace was also a little too slow for my liking. With a lot of build up and focus surrounding the girls finally meeting, the actual event fell flat. Once the girls were together, it was also hard to differentiate their voices; I had to reread a few pages or go back to make more sense of some of their thoughts. Their interactions filled so little of the book that it almost felt like we missed out on the most crucial part of their story. Although I probably won’t read again, my issues were due to my personal reading preferences, so would still definitely recommend. The story has been praised for bringing back to life American Airlines Flight 587 that many forgot about or never knew about until this book (myself included), so I can't fault that.