e-ARC, 432 pagesRelease Date: May 5, 2020Published by: Quill Tree Books
Read from: April 29-May 3, 2020Stand-aloneSource: Edelweiss (I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW: Parental Death, Grief, Plane Crash, Stalking, Sexual AssaultFor fans of: Realistic Fiction, Novels in Verse, Multiple POVs, Diverse Reads, POC on the cover, POC MC, Own Voices, YAIn a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.
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.
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I knew Acevedo had a new book coming out, I knew I had to pre-order it. I didn’t even give it a second thought when I heard it was a novel in verse. It doesn’t matter whether she’s written a novel in verse or a novel in prose, I will BUY. IT.
“To be from this barrio is to be made of this earth and clay. /dirt-packed, water-backed, third world smacked”
Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office where all of a sudden her world has gone upside down. She found out her father has died in a plane crash when he was on his way to the Dominican Republic to see Camino Rios. Camino Rios is his other daughter that Yahaira had no idea about. But after the crash, it is all brought to the light.
“But I learned young, you do not speak/ of the dying as if they are already dead. […] You do not let your words stunt unknown possibilities.3%
The best thing about this was the writing style. How can anyone not love her writing style? I’m not a fan of verse, but I still will buy anything she writes. It took me awhile to get into it because I’ve been in a slump because of my coronavirus concentration. But I still was able to stay up and finish it at 3 am. Acevedo is a QUEEN.
“Papi was a hustler: a first cousin to sweat,/ a criado of hard work. A king who built an empire/ So I’d have a throne to inherit.”12%
I also loved the characters. I thought it was amazing to see them bond after everything they had been through. And the way their relationship changed over time felt really real. I have 3 sisters and that’s how we all really act. I have one godsister who my mom adopted, one cousin who is close enough to me to be my sister, and an actual sister. I gave you all that info to say, our relationship isn’t conventional either, but we still love each other like we are. It was great to see Yahaira and Camino find each other, find their differences, and then find all the ways they were alike.
“I was raised so damn Dominican. Spanish my first language, bachata a reminder of the power of my body,/plantano and salami for years before I ever tasted/ peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”23%
I also loved the setting. I so wish I could one day visit the Dominican Republic. I thought this would be my chance to “travel.” But I hadn’t put it together that this would be a novel in verse. We don’t get much world building in novels in verse, so it definitely left more to the imagination. I had some idea because I was born on an island. It’s definitely not the D.R., but it still felt like home every time the beach and the water was mentioned.
“Leave me alone. We will make it. We will be fine. I promise. Some way we survive.”27%
Last thing I could have done without was the synopsis. It tells EVERY. SINGLE. THING. that happens in this book. And because it’s a novel in verse it doesn’t give much detail. It always sticks to the must have information and that’s it. And because of this, there wasn’t anything different from the synopsis except one part. (Granted the one part was HUGE, but still.)
“Is this what sisterhood is? A negotiation of the things you make possible/ out of impossible requests?66%
I wanted to wait to write this review after I listened to the audio, but I wanted to make sure everyone knows this is another winner from Elizabeth Acevedo. Definitely worthy of making everyone’s auto-buy list. It wasn’t my favorite of hers, (that seems like it will always belong to With the Fire on High) but definitely one that I will still read twice.
Overall, I give this
