Review: The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon

 

Rating: 5 stars

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?

Natasha is about to be deported and is spending her last day fighting it. Daniel has an interview at Yale, but all he wants to do is write poetry and smell the roses.When a series of random events leads Daniel to see Natasha and follow her into a record store, he's in "like" at first sight. He's entranced by, not only her physically, but by her energy (she was dancing to music she was listening to through her headphones). Natasha and Daniel end up spending the rest of the day together and continue to fall for each, while we readers wonder if Natasha and her family will really be forced to move back to Jamaica. 

Liked:

• Natasha and Daniel were so different (not just racially) 
• While the book didn't center on race, there were some real issues that interracial couples have to deal with.
• The third person narrator that filled us in on the lives of additional, random seeming characters and events.
• The book had many realistic elements that might upset some of the less experienced readers who want everything to be perfect, but really drove the book forward.
• There were characters to hate. 
• The ambiguous ending

Didn't Like:

•  I listening to the audio book and I wasn't to fond on the voice to Natasha (personal preference)
• Natasha is very cynical, and that's fine, it's realistic. I think her cynical nature toward Daniel, and their day, lasted too long. I think it was just a little too much.  

In Conclusion:

While at first glance The Sun is Also the Star is another love at firs sight book that, while cute, may also make us roll our eyes. On a personal level, Nicola Yoon is one of my favorite types of #WeNeedDiverseBooks author. She writes books about POC that reflect the type of diverse person I am, more than some other authors of color. While my childhood (until I was about 7) was spend in an urban, rather dangerous area, the rest of my childhood into my teen years, were spent in Navy Housing, I guess is similar to a suburban environment. This book truly resonated with me. When are we turning this into a movie. Can I audition!!!!!

Other authors I've read, that are similar Nicola Yoon might be Lamar Giles, Brandy Colbert, and Una LaMarche. (There are a ton more, those three are just some of my favorites.)