Big news this month, as we’ve decided to scrap the book club (which, really, was just a series of failed buddy reads), and replace it with something new. A Book of the Month feature!
This, honestly, is in part because of how uncertain everything is right now. We want to use this middling-size platform we have to highlight some upcoming (or backlist at times) books that have, perhaps, gone under the radar (or, simply, people don’t realise are gay).
So, here’s how it’ll go. Each month we’ll post here and on twitter with information about the book, and order links. And hopefully raise your awareness of another amazing book!
Related: Don’t forget all releases can be found in our monthly lists here.
Clap When You Land
Elizabeth Acevedo
Rep: Dominican American lesbian mc
Release date: 5th May 2020
In 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.
You might like this if…
…you like books told as poetry
…your favourite trope is best friends to lovers
…you want to read more books about QPOC
Order via Indiebound | Order via Hive
Follow Elizabeth Acevedo on Twitter
Hopefully, we’ve introduced you to a new book here. Let us know!
10 Comments
Faith @ Pages Left Unread
I have an ARC of this book but I didn’t realize it was gay until yesterday somehow??
readsrainbow
…..neither did we, but now we *do* know, clearly we have to shout about it even louder!
– charlotte
Grass Berry
OH MY GOD. I’m obsessed with Acevedo and this has been at the top of my TBR for months already?? And then you guys hit me with this bombshell? HOW DID I NOT REALIZE THIS WAS GAY UNTIL RIGHT NOW I’M A DISGRACE TO MYSELF. Also, I can’t thank you enough for bringing this to my attention.
Although to be fair, it’s kinda cool how this book is just so…subtly gay? Like it doesn’t define itself by its gayness, if you get what I mean? Not that there’s anything wrong with that either, but it’s pretty amazing to see this book marketed with the same degree of nonchalance and normalcy as a heterosexual book. Take that, heteronormativity! (Although it’s kinda hypocritical for me as someone who curates approximately 80% of my TBR solely based off of how gay a book is to say that. Whoops. You know what I mean.)
I love you guys for doing this, please continue on with it! I’m a little disappointed that a perfectly amazing (okay, based on what you guys claim maybe not but I personally find that very hard to believe) queer book club totally flew under my radar, but this is pretty darn amazing, too. Let me know if you ever plan on revamping it or something! And thank you SO MUCH for maintaining this beautiful blog. It’s like…chicken (okay, something else, vegetarian) soup for my sapphic soul or something. Love you guys!
<3
readsrainbow
making ppl aware of gay content is literally our main goal so it’s great to know we’re accomplishing that :>
oh, i know what u mean by the book not being defined by the sapphic relationship! on the one hand, ur totally right and it’s cool that it’s marketed for other important issues it tackles! on the other, tho, i would definitely rather have publishers being open abt rep in the books from the very start.
ur welcome to read the books u read for our book club now and chat with us in the comments under our reviews!! they’re all in the tag! and who knows, maybe we WILL bring it back in that form one day haha
anyway, thank YOU so much for such a lovely comment!! it’s great to know what we do matters :>>
– anna
Sam@WLABB
Acevedo writes incredible books, and this was absolute perfection!
readsrainbow
that’s great to hear!
– charlotte
Devour Books with Dana
I really can’t wait to read this one!!!!
readsrainbow
we can’t wait either!!!
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