The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

The Sun Is Also a Star

by Nicola Yoon

The #1 New York Times bestseller and National Book Award Finalist from the bestselling author of Everything, Everything will have you falling in love with Natasha and Daniel as they fall in love with each other.

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true? 

***

"Beautifully crafted."--People Magazine

"A book that is very much about the many factors that affect falling in love, as much as it is about the very act itself . . . fans of Yoon’s first novel, Everything Everything, will find much to love—if not, more—in what is easily an even stronger follow up." —Entertainment Weekly

"Transcends the limits of YA as a human story about falling in love and seeking out our futures." —POPSUGAR.com





Reviewed by whisperingchapters on

4 of 5 stars

Share
This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.


Natasha's family only has less than a day to finish packing because they will be deported to Jamaica after her father got charged with DUI and he blurted the truth: his family were illegal immigrants. Tasha wants to find a way to stay in the US so she goes to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in hopes of finding a way to stay. She only believes in facts and science, but she's willing to believe in anything that will help her stay. I could feel Tasha's sorrow through Yoon's writing. She obviously didn't want to move and it was very painful for her to even think of packing.

To be clear: I don’t believe in fate. But I’m desperate.

Daniel comes from a family of Asians who migrated to the US to have a better life. He's an aspiring poet, but his father wants him to go to an Ivy League school so Daniel can have a great future. Daniel has an interview with Yale and on this day, he encounters a girl with a gorgeous afro and pink headphones who's lost in her music. He's completely drawn to her so he follows her.

There’s a Japanese phrase that I like: koi no yokan. It doesn’t mean love at first sight. It’s closer to love at second sight. It’s the feeling when you meet someone that you’re going to fall in love with them. Maybe you don’t love them right away, but it’s inevitable that you will.

When I started reading this novel, I realized it had aspects of an insta-love happening. Surprisingly, this didn't bother me at all! If you know me, you know that I can't stand insta-love, but Yoon captivated me with the cute and swoony romance! I think the reason I was loving it was because the story's main focus wasn't the romance, even though it did have a strong presence throughout. Despite this being a very cute story, it has its dark undertones, touching subjects such as racism, family, expectations, immigration, loyalty, loneliness, suicide, just to mention a few.

But here is a true thing: Almost everything in the night sky gives off light. Even if we can't see it, the light is still there.

One of my reasons for loving this novel so much is that it has various point of views. Don't stop reading here, keep going on and you'll understand why. When I skimmed the book the first time and saw different POV's I was taken aback and thought I wouldn't love it since I'd probably get lost with the narratives. NOT AT ALL! You see, Daniel and Natasha's POV's are the main ones in the story. As they have encounters with different people, those people make a minor appearance. These POV's are highly important to the story even if at the beginning you don't think so. As I kept reading, I realized Yoon seamlessly intertwined so many stories that played a major role in Tasha's and Daniel's lives.

Overall, The Sun Is Also A Star is a wonderfully written diverse novel that's very thought-provoking with all its crucial subjects and an adorable and fluffy romance to keep things light.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.


Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 19 October, 2016: Finished reading
  • 19 October, 2016: Reviewed