The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

Series: N/A
# of Pages: 348
Publication: November 1st, 2016
Source: Library Copy
Genre: Contemporary
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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?

So this book was not the book I was expecting it to be. I heard a lot about it and quite a few individuals had an issue with the whole concept of insta-love. Usually, I would agree; however, for some reason it worked in this novel and I really enjoyed the fact that Natasha and Daniel fell in love over the course of a day. The aspect of this book that made it so different it terms of “insta-love” from other books that I read was Natasha’s level of skepticism. I have found that typically the female lead of these stories end up swooning over the guy that is characterized as the male lead. Natasha was the complete opposite. She was determined to prove that love is an exact science and because of that it goes as easily as it comes. Because of this, it was up to Daniel to get her to see the world through a set of different lenses. Honestly, I found their love story to be romantic. It’s not completely realistic, but I do believe that there are people who find and feel strong connections to individuals that they have just met.

Another aspect of the book that I really enjoyed was all the cultural references. Half of my family is from Jamaica, so I definitely related to Natasha and her family especially her father’s desire to come to the United States to live out the American dream. Like Natasha and Daniel, sometimes I find it hard to live out the “requirements” of the heritage and culture of my family while still attempting to conform to certain ideals and traditions of American families. It can be hard and frustrating so watching Daniel and Natasha work out their inner turmoil related to their American experiences was extremely interesting.

Outside of the amazing character development, Yoon’s writing was phenomenal. I was not a huge fan of Everything, Everything, but this book was AMAZING. Her writing flowed and it was beautiful and unique. Not only did she write a story that addressed culture and immigration, but it also created a new way to look at love and she did a crazy amazing job making everyone connected. The ending wasn’t perfect. It wasn't knit into a neat little package where everything worked out for Daniel and Natasha. I LOVED that. I’m not saying that I hate perfect endings; however, I appreciate realistic endings and this one was real all the way to the end. Time and distance are a real factor when it comes to love and I definitely could appreciate that.

I really appreciated everything about this book. It was carefully planned out and written and I can tell that is her second book. It’s so beautiful and definitely delves into the philosophy associated with love. If you haven’t read this book definitely give it a chance. It is fascinating, beautiful, and just completely and utterly amazing.