The Sun Is Also A Star
By Nicola Yoon
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Ages: 16+

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?

The Gist:

The title is really what drew me to this book. It is genius in my opinion. It’s one of those things that you just don’t think about, the sun being a star. And that theme certainly carried over to the book. It centers on one of those things we probably don’t think about in our everyday lives: immigration and the effect its policies can have on our families. That’s what I love about Nicola’s books: they are entertaining reads that make you think.

I loved the juxtaposition of Natasha and Daniel’s viewpoints on life. It was so sweet to hear their back and forth about science vs. fate, etc. Those two were so endearing and made me love the book so much.  And it amazes me how well Nicola captures the voice of teenagers. I really feel like I’m listening to teenagers talk. But thank goodness she doesn’t make them annoying teenagers haha. But I really do appreciate a young adult book where the characters act and talk like young adults.

What I Liked:

Natasha and Daniel’s interactions were golden. I loved how different they were and how confident they were in their beliefs and preferences. Yet we also saw them willing to bend and see it from each other’s perspective. And their differences never caused dislike, which is a lessen so many of us could learn.

I thought the plot was excellent as well. With the timelines of Natasha’s deportation and Daniel’s interview, there is this incredible sense of urgency, like they have to fall in love soon before the opportunity is gone!

It was great to get a sneak peek into each of their family lives.  Nicola managed to bring up some major issues without making it feel super heavy or soap-boxy.

And I actually really enjoyed the little sidebars into other people’s lives and how it reinforced the idea that everything connects to everything else in a way. That the smallest of occurrences and set into motion major events.  

What I Didn’t Like:

Disclaimer, this reason I’m knocking off points might be more personal preference than anything. I didn’t like that they told each other they were in love at the end of the day. I know that falling in love like that in one day is pretty much impossible, even if you are a dreamer like Daniel. That made me roll my eyes because I think it’s way beyond realistic. And I was starting to get annoyed with Daniel constantly saying Natasha was the one.

LunasLuckyRating: 4.5/5 Lunas