The Sun is Also a Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Published by:Penguin Random House UK
Pages: 348
Format:Paperback
My Rating ★★★1/2
The story of a girl, a boy, and the universe.
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?
My thoughts
The Sun is Also a Star, is a sweet YA love story, told from three different perspectives: the two lead characters, and then the universe, which shows you the outside perspective of characters you meet in passing glances but whose lives intricately overlap with the main characters.
This book is interesting in the way it deals with the topic of deportation and what it mean an American. Natasha was unforgivingly blunt and headstrong, and I was rooting for her throughout the entire book. Daniel was sweet and romantic, and a great supporting character for Natasha. I really liked the discussions about dark matter, the stars and alternate universes, but at times the dialogue just felt wrong for two teenagers. As intriguing as the conversations were, are we would two teens really sit and talk on the subway about the phenomenon of coincidence and what fate and true love really mean?
The third point of view, from the perspective of the universe, were mostly my favourite chapters within the whole book, especially as they dealt with themes beyond just the love story between the two main characters.
I welcomed how different, but well suited, the two characters were. They were diverse, in interesring and relatable ways, although I must admit that I didn’t really connect with Natasha and Daniel’s relationship in the first part of the book. It was not until I connected properly with their individual characters and backstories that I felt able to get behind their connection and see them as an unexpectedly good match. Overall, I felt their differences were what made not only themselves, but their relationship together, feel strong, fresh and enjoyable to read about as things progressed.
The short chapters worked really well and made the book easy to dive in and out of, as well as so much more fun to read.
The dialogue between Natasha and Daniel felt pretty unrealistic, with the two teenagers talking as if they were a great deal older and wiser than they really are, yet I still very much enjoyed the debate of science versus poetry, the challenging of racism, the discussion of choosing your own destiny, of family troubles inherited by sons and daughters of immigrant parents, and much more. By the end of the story, everything in this book ties together perfectly and I think the threads on the cover of the book really reflect that. There are so many elements, so many pieces fitting together to make this book a strong and memorable read.
I loved the setting and descriptions of New York City as the pair explore and walk around together, talking and getting to know one another more as they go. You can really feel the buzz of the city in every scene, whether two characters interact with one another whilst riding the subway, in the middle of a busy sidewalk, or on the rooftop of a busy skyscraper.
All in all, I felt this was a nice little book with a sweet story. It’s a great story to simply get lost in for a little while. I read this one on holiday recently, and found it the ideal book to pick up for a brief time each day. It is a light and straightforward plot. The short chapters worked really well and made the book easy to dive in and out of, as well as so much more fun to read.
The scenarios that take place in it are of course highly improbable, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a few hours, I’m sure you’ll find The Sun is Also a Starto be a very pleasant and appealing read.
Overall reaction:
Published by:Penguin Random House UK
Pages: 348
Format:Paperback
My Rating ★★★1/2
The story of a girl, a boy, and the universe.
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?
My thoughts
The Sun is Also a Star, is a sweet YA love story, told from three different perspectives: the two lead characters, and then the universe, which shows you the outside perspective of characters you meet in passing glances but whose lives intricately overlap with the main characters.
This book is interesting in the way it deals with the topic of deportation and what it mean an American. Natasha was unforgivingly blunt and headstrong, and I was rooting for her throughout the entire book. Daniel was sweet and romantic, and a great supporting character for Natasha. I really liked the discussions about dark matter, the stars and alternate universes, but at times the dialogue just felt wrong for two teenagers. As intriguing as the conversations were, are we would two teens really sit and talk on the subway about the phenomenon of coincidence and what fate and true love really mean?
The third point of view, from the perspective of the universe, were mostly my favourite chapters within the whole book, especially as they dealt with themes beyond just the love story between the two main characters.
I welcomed how different, but well suited, the two characters were. They were diverse, in interesring and relatable ways, although I must admit that I didn’t really connect with Natasha and Daniel’s relationship in the first part of the book. It was not until I connected properly with their individual characters and backstories that I felt able to get behind their connection and see them as an unexpectedly good match. Overall, I felt their differences were what made not only themselves, but their relationship together, feel strong, fresh and enjoyable to read about as things progressed.
The short chapters worked really well and made the book easy to dive in and out of, as well as so much more fun to read.
The dialogue between Natasha and Daniel felt pretty unrealistic, with the two teenagers talking as if they were a great deal older and wiser than they really are, yet I still very much enjoyed the debate of science versus poetry, the challenging of racism, the discussion of choosing your own destiny, of family troubles inherited by sons and daughters of immigrant parents, and much more. By the end of the story, everything in this book ties together perfectly and I think the threads on the cover of the book really reflect that. There are so many elements, so many pieces fitting together to make this book a strong and memorable read.
I loved the setting and descriptions of New York City as the pair explore and walk around together, talking and getting to know one another more as they go. You can really feel the buzz of the city in every scene, whether two characters interact with one another whilst riding the subway, in the middle of a busy sidewalk, or on the rooftop of a busy skyscraper.
All in all, I felt this was a nice little book with a sweet story. It’s a great story to simply get lost in for a little while. I read this one on holiday recently, and found it the ideal book to pick up for a brief time each day. It is a light and straightforward plot. The short chapters worked really well and made the book easy to dive in and out of, as well as so much more fun to read.
The scenarios that take place in it are of course highly improbable, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a few hours, I’m sure you’ll find The Sun is Also a Starto be a very pleasant and appealing read.
Overall reaction:
