Nicola), The Sun Is Also a Star (Yoon

"Because everything looks like chaos up close. Daniel thinks it's a matter of scale. If you pull back far enough and wait for long enough, then order emerges."

...

"Maybe their universe is just taking longer to form."

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola YoonNatasha believes in science and facts. Her life doesn't have room for fate or destiny. Which is why it's so hard to hope for a miracle on her last day in New York City. Natasha's family is going to be deported to Jamaica in twelve hours. Natasha doesn't believe in long shots but it's the only shot she has left to try and stay in the city that's been her home since she was a child. She doesn't have time to waste meeting a cute boy and maybe falling in love with him. Not when she is so busy trying to balance her practical nature with her hopes for some last-minute magic.

Daniel is used to being a good son. Not the best son because that's always been his older brother. But solidly second best. Except now his brother screwed up big time and Daniel's parents are pinning their hopes for having a Successful-Ivy-League-Graduate-Doctor in the family on Daniel. The problem is that Daniel wants to be a poet--something his Korean immigrant parents can't understand. At. All. Daniel believes in poetry and fate which is why he knows the moment he sees Natasha on the street in Times Square that their lives are about the change forever.

It feels like the universe or fate or something Big is conspiring to bring Natasha and Daniel into each others' lives. But over the course of a day filled with possibility, neither Natasha nor Daniel is sure if that will be enough to keep them together in The Sun is Also a Star (2016) by Nicola Yoon.

The Sun is Also a Star is Yoon's second novel. It was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and has received six starred reviews. All of that is impressive on its own but it's also important to remember that we often hold contemporary romances like this one up to a higher standard when considering them for awards based on literary merit which makes this book stand out even more as both an exemplar of contemporary romance at its best and also as a generally excellent book.

The Sun is Also a Star is set over the course of one day but the plot is more far-reaching with interconnecting narratives and characters related to each other by six (or even fewer) degrees of separation.

The majority of the novel alternates between Natasha and Daniel's first person narrations with their distinct voices and world views. Other chapters follow characters who are key to bringing Daniel and Natasha together including a depressed security guard, a subway conductor who has found god, and even Natasha and Daniel's parents--all chronicled as brief histories. This shifting story maintains a consistent and deliberate voice thanks to the omniscient narrator whose sections contrast well with Natasha's pragmatic nature and Daniel's classic dreamer outlook in their respective narrations.

This thoughtful story also nicely subverts some of the traditional gender roles found in contemporary romances. Natasha is an unapologetically smart girl who works hard and knows that life isn't fair. She is jaded and ambitious. Daniel, meanwhile, is a genuinely nice and optimistic boy who believes in the power of fate even while learning how to make his own choices and stand by them.

Everything in The Sun is Also a Star refers back–sometimes subtly and sometimes not–to the idea of love being a driving force in the universe. All of the tangential characters whose actions work to bring Natasha and Daniel together through happenstance or fate are working on some basis of love–the train conductor who has found god and loves life, the security guard who is lonely and mired in her own lack of love both from others and for herself, the attorney and his paralegal. It’s all love in one form or another. Even Natasha’s father and his actions are driven by his conflict between his love for his family and his love of performing.

Yoon does so many things in The Sun is Also a Star and she does them all well, while making it seem effortless with a combination of literary prose and a deceptively sleek plot. This book juggles multiple characters, narratives, and plot threads to create a coherent story about the many factors bringing Natasha and Daniel together as well as those which are conspiring to keep them apart. It evokes an authentic New York City setting not just a shiny tourist one but the dingy parts too. The Sun is Also a Star does all of that while offering an intellectually stimulating story that still manages to be upbeat and romantic. Highly recommended.

Possible Pairings: The Truth Commission by Susan Juby, The Romantics by Leah Konen, The Museum of Heartbreak by Meg Leder, The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord, I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, Summer in the Invisible City by Juliana Romano, Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood, Cloudwish by Fiona Wood, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

This story follows Natasha who is about to be deported due to her father getting caught and her family not being in the country legally. The story also follows Daniel who is a Korean boy whose family expects him to go to an Ivy League school and become a doctor. The two end up meeting under unexpected circumstances and spending the day together. Daniel’s entire goal is to get Natasha to fall in love with him. The story also deals with the idea of the universe bringing people together and allowing millions of possibilities for a future.

This story is told through the eyes of Natasha as well as Daniel. We also get views from other people that they interact with during the story. The author does an amazing job creating a very complete story. The stories we get from other individuals along the way really do help to complete the idea of the universe brings people together and how decisions made affect others.

I enjoyed Natasha as a character at first I wasn’t 100% sure since I was listening to the audio she came off as a little annoying, but once I started to get to know Natasha I couldn’t help but love her. Natasha is a very smart individual and is honestly just trying to help her family as well as helping her future. Natasha is worried about going back to Jamaica since she left there when she was so young. The author did a great job with exploring the issues with immigration in one day. Natasha has a lot on her plate when she meets Daniel and that plays a lot into the activities of the day.

Daniel comes off as a completely different person then Natasha. Daniel is on a path of finding himself versus trying to save himself or his family. Daniel isn’t sure what he wants with his life and then he sees Natasha and everything changes. Daniel does have some family drama, but it is different from Natasha’s and more has to deal with a bad relationship with his brother. Daniel is looking for direction in his life to make it fulfilling.

The author did a great job with keeping the story moving along since it takes place mostly in one day. We got a little bit of background information throughout the book and it felt like right when we needed to learn something it happened. The author did a great job exploring the topic of how the universe sets us on a path and how other people can affect that path. I loved how the stories all intersected and the ending was absolutely perfect!

I would suggest this as a weekend listen or read. The story is very powerful and it really kept me thinking so I needed more time to digest what exactly was going on. Plus, I needed to know what was going to happen in the end.

I really wanted to fall in love with this book. After the disappointing ending of Everything, Everything, I hoped that Nicola Yoon's second novel would be better, but it was really the opposite of her first book. I appreciated the ending, but leading up to it was difficult to push through.

Natasha and Daniel are complete opposites--a girl who believes only in science and a boy who aspires to be a poet--but they meet by chance one day and decide that they are meant to fall in love. This same day just happens to be the day that Natasha's family is getting deported and Daniel has an interview with Yale that could determine what path his future takes.

Hearing about a Young Adult novel with a main character on the verge of deportation was really what got me to read this. I was excited to read a story about a character going through something I had very little knowledge of but affects so many people in this country. What I hadn't realized was that the love story would be the most prominent part of the plot. After all, it is a Young Adult novel, and I'm not sure many people understand the option of a story about teenagers where romance isn't the main aspect. Or maybe this was Yoon's intention to get more people to read a story about this issue.

Honestly, this was the most Instalove™ story I've ever read. Aside from the epilogue, the novel takes place all in one single day. Daniel challenges Natasha's view of love being nothing more than chemical reactions and bets that he can make her fall in love with him by the end of the day. The problem with this is that even though they Googled questions from the 36 Questions That Lead To Love and learned quite a bit of the deep stuff about each other, you can't know a person in one day. You can't learn everything about them or really even enough to know if you love them. This is lust, and I refuse to believe otherwise.

I did appreciate the diversity in the main characters. Natasha's family is from Jamaica, and Daniel's parents moved to the US from Korea. Daniel struggles with his identity because his parents expect him to be fully Korean, but he was born in the States and America is still a big part of his identity. Natasha and her mother moved to NYC when she was eight and she remembers very little about her home country. The histories and mixed cultures of these families were so interesting to read about and something that we really need to see more of in YA books.

Another thing that bothered me was how the novel was routinely interrupted by a couple pages of random accounts of minor characters and infodumps on topics that were mentioned in the chapter prior to it. These were added to give the story a sense how coincidences happen and how everyone is connected somehow, and they served their purpose, I just wasn't interested. About a third of the way into the novel, I started skimming these and if it seemed unimportant, I skipped it. I can really only remember one of them being important to the plot. Maybe these additions would seem cool to others.

I really did like the ending and think it wrapped up in one of the best ways. (view spoiler)

Final Thought: I'm very torn about this book. There were parts I really enjoyed and parts I really did not, so I'll go right down the middle and give it 3 stars. If you enjoy YA romance, I recommend this for you. If you prefer YA with no Instalove™, look for something else.

I chose to read this because of a) that cover and b) so many enthusiastic reviews. Those reviews seemed to be persistent urging to read this wonderful book, just give it a try. I would recommend the same. The Sun Is Also A Star is so very clever, so very cool and so very worth reading.

I found the synopsis vague... purposely so because the less you know the better. The plot points aren't important - it's the magic of all the little moments coming together. Natasha has one day left in New York before she and her family are deported back to Jamaica. For Daniel, this day is the last day of his childhood, of following his own dreams before relinquishing them to follow the path set before him by his parents. When the two meet it seems more than happenstance, maybe even meant to be.

I absolutely adore the romance in this book. Insta-love move over because love at first sight (or maybe second sight) is clearly the winner here. Yes, this is a love story told over one day. Skeptical? Fair enough. I'm sure, like me, you've read stories where the characters fall head over heels so quickly that it seems more ridiculous than romantic. I had no such problems with The Sun Is Also A Star. Daniel is a dreamer, poet, romantic. He believes in meant-to-be and love. Natasha on the other hand is a scientist, lover of facts and just a little bit cynical. She thinks Daniel's crazy to believe in love, yet she can't deny how drawn to him she is.

As they spend the day together - and sometimes apart - they get to know each other, shape their futures, come to terms with their pasts and impact the lives of those around them.

The book is told in short, quickly alternating sections from Daniel and Natasha, along with a few sections from the universe, which offers insights from the other characters and other relevant phenomenon (gotta love a book that starts with an in-depth look at apple pie). The universe sections are what make this book unique and so clever. It has a great way of making you consider the situation from multiple perspectives, how tiny things can make the biggest difference, how everyone's stories, seemingly disconnected, interact. Especially the end. Loved, loved, loved the ending.

And I really enjoyed the writing style. This was an easy book to read, as easy book to sink into and an easy book to quickly pick back up (even in the supermarket). I will definitely be putting Nicola Yoon's first book, Everything Everything, on my to-read list (I just went and looked up the synopsis. How on earth did I miss that book??? Must read ASAP!).

Diverse characters, important themes and turning YA tropes on their head, The Sun Is Also A Star is just as important as it is beautiful.

The publishers provided an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon is a beautiful story about finding purpose in chaos. The story follows Daniel Bae, a first generation Korean American boy, a poet and dreamer being pushed to become a doctor by his immigrant parents, and Natasha Kingsley, an illegal immigrant from Jamaica who believes only in what is measureable and can be tested scientifically, as they meet and fall in love in the space of a few hours, after which Natasha will be deported back to Jamaica. A million tiny coincidences lead to their meeting and spending time together. They are drawn to each other in ways neither of them understand and learn that they bring out the best in each other. Natasha learns to follow her passions and Daniel gets the courage to challenge what his parents plan for him is and go for what he wants in life. When Natasha gets the news that a lawyer might be able to help her, she starts to get her hopes up that she’ll be able to stay and begins to allow herself to fall in love with Daniel. This book spends so much time with them getting to know each other and just wandering around New York City, dealing with racism on all sides from people seeing a black girl and a Korean boy together. When they finally find out that the lawyer failed in his mission to keep her family in the states, the reader’s heart breaks with them. All the chaos that leads to them meeting for it to end after just a few hours, is devastating. But in some ways the fleeting nature of their relationship is what intensified it. And that epilogue leads us to believe that potentially the order in the universe will bring them back together again.

Nicola Yoon has been an author that I have been hearing a lot of good things about. To be honest, her debut book Everything, Everything did not interest me but when I heard about The Sun Is Also a Star I knew that this was going to be the book that introduced me to Yoon’s writing. Boy – am I hooked and need so much more of her writing!

The first thing that struck me about this book was the characters. I loved the different voices that Natasha and Daniel represented. They represented two cultures of POC’s in American and I couldn’t stop reading. Natasha is a Jamaican immigrant who moved to the United States with her family when she was 8. She was old enough to understand and have to assimilate to the United States. But the US became her home and with her idea of her home being taken away Natasha becomes hard. She doesn’t believe in fate or dreams. She believes in science and what science tells you is that there is no such thing as fate. Daniel, a Korean American who was born in America to immigrant parents is caught between his own dreams and the dreams his parents have for him. He believes in fate, love, and dreams. When Natasha and Daniel meet they REALLY bring out each other’s everything; both their strong traits but also their flaws.

The other thing that set this book apart was the way that Yoon did not just include Daniel and Natasha’s points of view but also the view of fate in the guise of people around these characters as they are going through their day. Some of them made me cry. Some of them made me VERY VERY angry. But either way they invoked a response out of me that even when the parts of Daniel and Natasha’s story got a bit slow kept me wanting to read more!

The third thing that was most striking was the explanation that Yoon included in the ARC version of the story of her own brush with fate in meeting her husband, who is Korean. I don’t know if this was included in the final copy of the book but it added something 100% authentic to this story that made me love it even more. It made me think of the relationships in my life, both that have ended and some still going on, which if things had gone a bit differently would have been different.

I could not recommend this more to anyone, even if you aren’t really into contemporaries. From a teacher’s perspective I think that this should be taught in highs school and could lead to some pretty interesting and thoughtful conversations on fate, love, and how we perceive and touch people’s lives that we might not know.

This review originally appeared on herestohappyendings.com.

I read Everything, Everything last year when it first came out, and it was one of those books that I managed to finish up in one sitting. It was such a powerful and beautiful book that I simply had to devour it, and I really figured I would feel the same way for The Sun Is Also a Star. Therefore, to be completely honest, I started reading this book without even really remembering what it was about. Sure, I read the synopsis ages ago when it was announced, but I had long since forgotten what it was going to be about. Truth be told, I didn't really care, because I loved Nicola Yoon's writing style in her previous book.

The Sun is Also a Star is another amazing hit by this fantastic YA author, every bit as striking and enjoyable as her debut novel.

"People spend their whole lives looking for love. Poems and songs and entire novels are written about it. But how can you trust something that can end as suddenly as it begins?"

Natasha lives in New York City with her family, but at the end of the day, she and her family are being deported back to Jamaica, where they had originally came from. Her father had gotten into some trouble and confessed that they were actually undocumented immigrants, and were told that they were not able to stay. So while Natasha walks around New York City, her home that she knows and loves, she tries her hardest to talk to lawyers and immigration services to give it one last shot at being able to stay. Natasha only believes in concrete things - science and math, because they can be proven. Love? Not something Natasha has any interest in, especially right now.

Daniel was born in America to Korean parents, who believe that he and his brother should have the best of everything - including education. His parents, who own a hair care store, want their sons to go to good colleges (Harvard and Yale), get a degree in medicine, and make a life for themselves. However, Daniel is an artist at heart. He creates art with words, and is always carrying around a notebook that he writes poetry in. He has no interest in medical school or spending years of time dedicated to learning a subject that he doesn't want to study - he wants to write, because that is what he is passionate about.

When Natasha and Daniel run into each other, Daniel instantly falls in love with her, and the more time that the two of them spend together, the more he starts to develop even deeper feelings for him. Despite Natasha saying that she doesn't care for Daniel, it is clear that she will develop feelings for him over the course of the day that they are spending together.

"Besides the fact that I'm being deported today, I am really not a girl to fall in love with. For one thing, I don't like temporary, nonprovable things, and romantic love is both temporary and nonprovable."

Over the course of their day, as Natasha scrambles to get appointments with those she believes will be able to present her case and keep her in America, the two of them realize that they have a chemistry like no other.

Together, Natasha and Daniel try to overcome the odds of them being together for longer than one day - and face serious issues, such as racism, illegal immigration, and family issues - in their quest to keep the true love that they believe they have found in each other.

The Sun is Also a Star is a really beautiful book that deals with heavy issues that will give you the chance to step inside the lives of two teenagers for a single day. Both Daniel and Natasha have alternating points of view in the book, along with certain others peppered throughout (such as the lawyer Natasha is looking into, her father, Daniel's parents, the waitress at the restaurant that Daniel and Natasha go to, etc.). The writing in the book is beautiful and flows nicely, and the story is heartwarming and will make you appreciate all the things that you have in your life.

While I think I enjoyed Everything, Everything a little bit more than this book, I still loved this one, too. Since the book takes place over the course of one day, it does move a bit slower, but I really love books that are written in that fashion. It gives us time to really get to know the characters and appreciate them and all of their personalities and quirks, and this is the case with The Sun is Also a Star. The characters are so in depth and likable, and I couldn't help but hope for the best for Daniel and Natasha.

I can't say the ending of this book was my favorite, at least not at first, but the more have time to think about it, the more I enjoyed it. It fit well, and it really was the kind of ending that was bittersweet.

If you're a fan of contemporary YA romance, this is such a perfect book for you. I can't recommend Nicola Yoon's books nearly enough!

Note: I received a copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. It is topical. It is touching. It is humorous. It is heart rendering. It is honest and straight forward. It has a touch of the mystical. It is the story of two families caught between two cultures and two teens caught on the verge of adulthood. It is the story of family ties, hopes and expectations. It covers so much and does so in such a beautiful and engaging fashion. In the course of one day, a boy, Daniel and a girl, Natasha, meet by chance (or is it fate?) and fall in love. But, life has other plans. Natasha's family is undocumented, having left Jamaica in pursuit of the American dream. Unfortunately, due to a careless act on her father's part, they have been caught and are to be deported that night. Daniel is american, but, as the child of hard working immigrants from Korea, he is still subjected to the expectations his parents brought with them. Both young adults utter the same cry, "How was I born into this family and how can I get out of it?!" The world keeps throwing Natasha and Daniel together as they try and redeem their futures. Daniel's worldview of love and poetry battles to win over Natasha's more scientific and hardened life philosophy. The characters in The Sun is Also a Star are well written and multi-dimensional. Their story is one that will resonate with anyone who has a heart. I can only hope, with all of mine, that their story will somehow continue...

Favourite Quote:

“It’s not up to you to help other people fit you into a box”

Thoughts:

It only took a few chapters of The Sun Is Also A Star to enchant me and I fell head over heels for both of the main characters with all their beautiful quirks and imperfections. This is a truly incredible story about life and love and self discovery, I would recommend to everyone.

The cover is dazzling, and once you start to read the story you realize the design is representing the threads of people’s lives tangled and intertwined. Genius.

The two main characters are Natasha, who likes facts and objective thinking, and Daniel who is a romantic and a poet. Two very different people whose worlds collide in a series of unlikely ways. The story takes place over one incredible day, and both the dreamer and the realist are changed forever. The chapters are mostly from Daniel’s or Natasha’s point of view. However, there are smaller chapters from minor characters and also chapters that provide essential pieces of information. These extra people and pieces might not seem relevant but you come to realize they are all a part of the threads bound to our main characters lives. As you read on you discover that all the characters are entwined and their smallest actions affect one another. Think back to the cover art! I thought it was one of the neatest parts of this book.

We meet our two characters on a day that is most critical in both of their lives; love is the last thing either of them is expecting. Daniel is trying to decide what his future will look like, caught between the desire to please his parents or follow his own path. Natasha on the other hand knows exactly what she wants, but her family’s deportation is standing in the way of that. Twists of fate bring them together and Natasha, reluctant at first, agrees to spend time with Daniel. Together they explore the city and Daniel tries to convince her that sometimes love happens regardless of reason or logic. I really enjoyed that there was a little role reversal; usually the girl is the romantic and the boy is all business. The banter between these two was on point! They made me laugh but they also put their foot in it from time to time and that made the story all the more real and relatable. Reading about their journey through the city, the complexities of family and falling in love was so beautiful. Probably the best love story I have honestly ever read.

The Sun Is Also A Star will give you all the feels. All the warm, fuzzy, please pass me the tissue box feels and you will love every second of it. I enjoyed Everything Everything earlier this year and now, after reading her second book I consider Nicola Yoon to be an auto-buy author.

Nicola Yoon continues to impress with her sophomore novel The Sun Is Also a Star. Set in New York, Yoon’s story is about the how even the simplest of meetings can have a powerful effect. A chance encounter between Natasha and Daniel has the potential to blossom into something lasting, but their lives are pulling them in different directions and not every love story is smooth sailing. It bears mentioning that aside from the two main characters’ perspectives, Yoon incorporates little extras into her novel from minor character’s self-reflections to explorations of concepts and even a little history thrown in. I really liked that the story shows that even the most mundane interactions with strangers can have a domino effect.

Natasha is sure she has her life figured out, but one mistake turns her world upside down. Her family is on the verge of being deported back to Jamaica and while the practical side of her believes there is little hope, she can’t help but try anything to stop the inevitable. Though born in Jamaica, America has been Natasha’s home for almost ten years, most of her memories are of here, all the things she wants out of life take place here. Yoon tackles a lot of issues immigrant families deal with and for Natasha’s family, the main conflict has centered around her father. For many immigrants, the promise of the American Dream is enough to leave their country behind, but not every immigrant story is a successful one. Natasha struggles to find a common interest with her father who is chasing a dream that no longer seems plausible. Resentment and regret play a huge part in their relationship, much of how Natasha sees the world is shaped by how she sees her father’s need to succeed in a country where not everyone’s dreams come true.

Daniel’s personality immediately jumps off the pages. In the first two pages that feature his point of view, we learn that Daniel is snarky, his comedic timing is on point and he has legitimate issues with his older brother. As a first generation American, Daniel straddles that fence between being South Korean and American. There is a generational gap for many immigrant families and this is even more apparent in Daniel’s brother, Charlie, who according to Daniel tries his best to erase any trace of his South Korean heritage in an effort to fit in. Daniel’s parents have struggled with the transition from South Korea to America, while trying to teach their sons to honor their homeland, but also having to face the fact that their children also belong to America.

Insta-love is a trope that rarely works for me. I tend to consider love to be a process and not just an instant occurrence. The Sun Is Also a Star takes place over the course of one day and while this would normally have me feeling really skeptical, Yoon finds a way to sell this love story to me. I don’t think I’d even consider the story to be a case of insta-love because of the amount of time Yoon devotes to developing the relationship between the two leads. Where Natasha is cynical, Daniel is a dreamer, and their differences are what make their interactions so fun to read about. They approach the subject of love in different ways, where one sees coincidence, the other sees the hand of fate. The Sun Is Also a Star is many things at once: it is delightful and bittersweet, honest and optimistic, earth-shattering and realistic, but through it all, it is beautiful.

Natasha and her family are undocumented immigrants; they're being deported from the US in twelve hours, so she's headed to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services building hoping to find a way to stay in America. Daniel is on the precipice of the prestigious future his parents have lined up for him whether he likes it or not, and he's on his way to a college admission interview with a Yale alum. When Natasha and Daniel meet for the first time in New York City, their paths align and their futures - once certain - spiral into infinite possible outcomes.

It's difficult to choose which is the more likable lead in The Sun is Also a Star. Both Natasha and Daniel have distinct personalities, a shared innocence, and uniquely different families who challenge them in varied ways. Natasha is Jamaican and Daniel is Korean, which further complicates their unanticipated attraction toward one another, particularly for Daniel whose parents want him to marry a Korean woman. Natasha and Daniel may be me more philosophical and wise than your average teenager, but they manage to come across as believable old souls.

Natasha is highly pragmatic with a scientific mind. Daniel is a hopeless romantic and dreamer who loves writing poetry. Despite their diametric personalities, their chemistry leaps off the page.

Interspersed throughout the book are brief histories - backstories of secondary or tertiary characters - as well as chapters dedicated to scientific topics relevant to the story.

The Sun is Also a Star is a dazzling teen romance in which opposites attract and love is challenged to defy universal odds.

“What a difference a day makes.”

Natasha possesses a scientific and mathematical mind that believes in finding solutions. Her current problem that requires one: her family are undocumented immigrants from Jamaica and she’s being forced to return to the country of her birth that night. Daniel is a poet and believes wholeheartedly in fate. His Korean immigrant parents expect him to attend an Ivy League school, become a doctor, and marry a nice Korean girl. Neither Natasha nor Daniel like the looks of the futures that have been mapped out for them. When the two cross paths and end up spending what Natasha believes to be their last day together (which Daniel is unaware of), their chemistry is undeniable. Whether it’s because of Daniel’s belief in fate or Natasha’s belief in chance, their budding romance is certain. But with only a guarantee of a single day, is a happy ending even possible?

‘We’re kindling amid lightning strikes. A lit match and dry wood. Fire Danger signs and a forest waiting to be burned.’

This story belongs to more than just Natasha and Daniel, although they are the stars of the show. We’re given a behind the scenes look at all the puzzle pieces that had to fall in to place in order for everything to happen just as it did. Not just what happens to Natasha and Daniel, but how their presence impacted the others that they crossed paths with. We see how the guard, Irene, causes Natasha to miss an important appointment but inevitably ends up saving Irene. We see how a near miss with a drunk driver results in changed circumstances for another. We see how a broken down train sets Daniel on a path he otherwise wouldn’t have found himself on. Whether or not this is a vote towards the possibility of fate, that’s certainly up for the reader to decide.

“I didn’t know you this morning, and now I don’t remember not knowing you.”

Yoon has said that while this story isn’t autobiographical, it’s definitely inspired by her own personal love story which must be why this story seems to possess so much sentiment. While I’m not typically a fan of anything closely resembling insta-love, The Sun is Also a Star possesses a type of insta-love that I can get behind. These two characters somehow manage to build a meaningful relationship with one another that was not only believable but something to aspire to, albeit in approximately 12 hours. Suspending your disbelief may be a slight requirement but it’s well worth it for romantics and cynics alike.

“Maybe he was just saying that we should live in the moment. As if today is all we have.”

There were many things about this book that I loved. There were many elements that made it fun to read and made it feel unique. However, the overarching tone of the store was one I couldn't get over. So, I will start there.

Cons

The book and characters had a strong belief in fate. There was this view among characters that everything happens for a reason, but also that choices don't matter and everything is predetermined. To me, that is a depressing, hopeless kind of world to live in. A fate based world is not for me. This kept me from enjoying the sweet romance present to any full extent, because I kept getting depressed by the fate elements when they were brought up. It felt like the book was supposed to be happy and romantic, but it wasn't allowed to be that to its full potential.
The chapter titles that switched between characters names were always completely lowercase. I couldn't help but be a little bothered that the names were never capitalized. Did that bother anyone else?

Pros

I loved the culture and rich heritage behind the stories of both Natasha's and Daniel's families. I loved hearing about both their cultures (Korean and American; or Jamaican and American) and how they found balance between the two. I don't read about varied family types very often, and it was a nice change of pace.

I loved the quips and the snark from both Natasha and Daniel. They were both very different characters, but very fun and entertaining to read about. Both characters had great personality from the beginning.

I loved the switch between characters instead of typical chapters. It was fun to keep changing perspective. I also loved the “sneak peeks” into the thoughts of those around them. At first it seemed really strange, but it become more useful to the plot and less random. It became more of added insight into the story.

Rating

I'd give this book a 3 out of 5. It wasn't bad by any means, it just wasn't for me. The romance was sweet, the ending was great, but the strong presence of fate in the story was not my style. That doesn't mean this book couldn't be something amazing for someone else. Even though I wasn't a fan of this particular story, I would definitely read future books from this author.

The Sun is Also a Star follows Daniel Jae Ho Bae, a Korean-American senior preparing for college, and Natasha Kingsley, a Jamaican immigrant who's about to be deported. We see how these two meet, connect, and build a memorable connection on a high stakes day.

One thing I absolutely loved about The Sun is Also a Star is the tertiary character showcase moments. Seeing glimpses of the lives of people as they intersect with the Daniel and Natasha was very unique and created a world that existed outside of Daniel and Natasha's interactions. These moments also acted to compliment or contrast what was happening to Daniel and/or Natasha. So while the brief forays into side characters helped to establish a complex world outside of Daniel and Natasha, they were not removed from the story completely.

The plot is also extremely relevant and relatable. From Daniel dealing with parental expectations and disapproval, and Natasha feeling helpless in her current situation, desperate to find a way out The Sun is Also a Star showcases real teenagers confronting emotions on a highly charged day. The story shows how much of our life happens by chance. The Sun is Also a Star shows that life is random and includes some element of chance. All contingencies cannot be accounted for and somethings are outside of your control, but you can live in the moment. Daniel and Natasha have almost an entire day full of moments with each other, and those moments are important and impactful.

While there was an element of 'insta-love' in the story I felt like it was done well. Daniel and Natasha's feelings were intense and exaggerated because of the outstanding circumstance they were in. I felt like they were acting on what they have the potential to be if the future was in their favor.

Overall I really enjoyed The Sun is Also a Star and would highly recommend it to fans of young adult fiction and contemporary novels.

3.5/5 stars

I won this book from goodreads. Oh wow the arc cover is so pretty! I cannot wait to read this book.

The Sun is also a Star is a standalone YA contemporary romance. The narrators are 17 year old Natasha and 17 year old Daniel.

What I liked: I really liked how the characters are influenced by the author and her husband. She is Jamaican and her husband is Korean. And in this story Natasha was born in Jamaica and Daniel's family was Korean.

Because of the author's connection to these two cultures the characters felt very authentic. Both families are so unique. I really loved seeing how the families dealt with life in America.

The story takes place around New York City. I enjoyed all of the places that Daniel and Natasha visited.

The style was very unique. The format is a bit unusual. There are no actual chapter numbers, just the narrator's name. The chapters are very short. It made for a quick read.

Natasha believes in science. Daniel is a poet. But his parents want him to be a doctor. Natasha talks about a lot of scientific stuff. The author has an engineering background. So the scientific stuff also comes across as very authentic.

I really liked much of this story. The meeting was cute.

The book takes place in one day. This part was just okay for me. I did enjoy seeing how various things had to happen for other things to happen. But everything was just sort of rushed into 24 hours. I don't know that feelings can develop that quickly.

Towards the end of the book I wasn't really feeling the characters the way I was at the beginning. There were some interesting developments. But then a few things happened that made me lose interest.

My biggest issue with this book though was the end (the epilogue). I had to read it twice to understand it. At first it left me confused. But then I wanted more. I wanted to know what happened afterwards.

Overall for the most part this book was a cute YA contemporary romance. I loved learning about Korean culture in America. And I loved learning more about Jamaica and Jamaicans. But ultimately I'm not sure that having an entire story take place in 24 hours worked for me.

Observable fact: You should never take long shots. Better to study the odds and take the probable shot. However, if the long shot is your only shot, then you have to take it.

Natasha is 12 hours away from being deported. Her parents came to the United States from Jamaica when she was a child so her father could pursue his acting dream. She believes in Science and is not a romantic. She certainly does not believe in love at first sight. She isn't even looking for love. She is looking for the long shot. For a chance to remain in the United States so she can finish her education here.

Daniel wants to be a poet. His parents, however, want him to become a Doctor. His older brother recently disgraced their family by being suspended from College. Daniel's parents came to the United States from South Korea in order to live the American Dream.

When Daniel and Natasha meet, Daniel is instantly enamored by her. He does believe in love at first sight and wants to spend every moment with her even if it means not making his Yale interview. Natasha, although drawn to Daniel, believes in science and scientific reasons for things. She doesn't have time for love - she is being deported after all. Over the course of the day together they get to know each other and share things about themselves that they have never shared with another person. There are some coincidences here as in the immigration attorney which Natasha goes to for help is also the person who Daniel is supposed to meet with for his Yale interview.

I liked how the story was told form each of their perspectives. I wasn't so impressed with the shorter chapters in -between the POV chapters. The shorter chapters give us more information and background but I felt they were distracting and the information could have been given in the POV chapters themselves. I think the Author was trying to be unique but this just did not work for me.

I thought the ending was done well and most will enjoy the epilogue.

"Maybe part of falling in love with someone else is also falling in love with yourself."

This book is the type of love story I love reading. It reminded me a little of Eleanor and Park (if you haven’t read that, do yourself a favor and get on it), but that’s only because of the age of the characters and the awesome flow of their banter. (Oh, and this book will make you want to go listen to some Nirvana as you read it. It actually made me more of a Nirvana fan than I was already.)

Daniel is a Korean American kid who has an interview with Yale. His parents expect him to go there and be a doctor since his older brother just got suspended from Harvard. He goes into the city early because he needs a haircut for this interview and he decides to go where fate takes him with the extra time he has. This leads him to Natasha, an undocumented immigrant from Jamaica who is in the city to try to get someone at immigration to somehow allow her family to stay in the USA before their flight leaves that night. Natasha is very scientific about the way she goes about life. Daniel is a poet, a dreamer, and is questioning whether he really wants to be a doctor. These two meet and instantly I liked both of them better together than I did as separate characters. Their love story takes place in 1 day and it felt like they had known each other forever. Getting to know these two and going through this day with them was a joy. I loved the background of New York City. I loved that this dealt with some really relevant topics of our time.

My favorite part of the whole book was Irene. I won’t go into much detail because I don’t want to give anything away, but she is a minor character and proves that even small actions make a difference, even if you don’t think they do. I loved all the peripheral characters in this book and that we got to know their stories and future selves.

This author is now an automatic one-click for me as Everything Everything grabbed me and wouldn’t let go also.

I am not a lover of fairy tales, for I most assuredly do not believe in "happily ever afters," but I do believe that there is such a thing as "love as first sight," as pathetic, naive or sappy as that may even sound.

I truly appreciated the questions brought up in this book, and all the perspectives. I loved that she (the author) showed bits and pieces of the people with whom the main characters came into contact with, but mostly Natasha and Daniel's ability to honest and earnestly trash out their beliefs and view points so eloquently. I really really appreciate the perspective and viewpoints on race, and particularly interracial relationships, because even though I do share Daniel's perspective, I also have some radical thoughts on the issue.

In the end (I absolutely hate 'short-stories,' but this one worked), I had a feeling that they were gonna meet up later, but loved the very very end even more because, it ended so seemingly abruptly, making for an awesome end in my opinion.

Great read! Thank you!

The basic plot of this book is not unique: guy and girl meet by coincidence (or fate) and fall in love and have this crazy connection after only a few hours. However, Nicola Yoon makes it unique by using diverse characters with diverse cultural backgrounds and by infusing the writing with her fun and humorous but serious style. (It was somewhat reminiscent of Eleanor & Park.) It was definitely a page turner!

One of the things I liked the most about this read was the diversity with the two main characters coming from Korean and Jamaican cultures. It was refreshing, too, to see the world through the eyes of Natasha and her family who are not what you typically imagine when you think of illegal immigrants. I love a book that yanks me out of my own life experiences and forces me to examine those of others. What is the American dream today? What's it like for immigrants trying to pursue that in our current culture? Natasha and Daniel's families provided insight into these questions.

I liked how the chapters rotated between Natasha and Daniel and other side characters (and sometimes they provided background on the history of a subject). I like seeing how the pieces fit together, how an action touches another person's life, and the difference you can make in someone's life even if you don't see it. The idea that we're connected in our humanity regardless of race or age or economic status, that we all speak the same language when it comes to our need for love and acceptance, that people often lash out because they cannot accept themselves, and that redemption is possible are just some of the concepts Yoon's book conveys.

I also loved the two main characters, Daniel and Natasha. Natasha reminded me so much of myself, and over and over again I said, "Yep, me too." Natasha is a logical girl who loves to talk about intellectual topics like dark matter and time travel. She loves to be precise and to analyze, and Daniel is her opposite. He's a dreamer and a poet, and he's anything but practical. I loved watching these characters interact and learn new ways of thinking about the world from each other.

And the ending: I thought the ending was perfect in that although a lot of the story seems to have many forced coincidences that allow the desired things to happen, the ending isn't tied up neatly with a silky red bow. (I don't want to say much more about it without giving away the ending.)

But I will say that the ending left me believing that people have a purpose in our lives, kindness matters, and nothing in this world is left up to chance.

Okay. Wow. This book deserves all the positive reviews and accolades it has received. What fun! How current. Full of teen drama and well-deserved angst, told from several viewpoints and including details of several characters’ lives, it is the story of two teens who are the subjects of cosmic turns of fate. One of them is going through a major life event—the impending deportation of her family to Jamaica—and the other is questioning his parents’ expectations for his future. While I tend to dislike books where there are too many convenient coincidences, the idea of coincidence and predestination is a central character to this story. I loved it! I loved the fact that the story was about immigrants. I loved the characters. I was never bored and kept wanting to hear more. (Yes, I listened to the audiobook and the three narrators were wonderful—“A”s all around for them. The female narrator was the same woman who narrated Nicola Yoon’s other novel, Everything, Everything. I recognized her voice immediately even though her main character had a New York accent in this one.)

Yoon has, so far, titled both of her novels based on a single sentence within her novels. Another of my favorite YA authors, Jandy Nelson, does the same thing. I’m not sure I love that strategy but I don’t hate it. I think they’ve done a good job of it.

The crafting of the story was masterful. The storyline was engaging and gripping. Truly, a fantastic novel. I’m giving it 5 stars—the first novel to which I’ve given 5 stars in 15 months!

“The thing about falling is you don't have any control on your way down.”
― Nicola Yoon, The Sun Is Also a Star

I don't know if I am capable of expressing how much I absolutely loved this book. The protagonists, Natasha and Daniel, were so alive I felt I could touch them. The backdrop of New York, a gateway for so many people into the United States was perfect. The family dynamic was realistic and crucial. Every part of this book, from the first sentence to the last, was necessary and masterfully crafted.

Natasha and Daniel are both part of the immigrant experience that plays such a large role in the culture of the United States. Daniel's parents immigrated from South Korea in order to give their children the "American Dream". Daniel is a first generation Korean-American, trying to balance between being American and being Korean. Natasha too, is struggling to find the balance between her two cultures, but in her case she is an illegal immigrant from Jamaica. She and her family moved to the U.S. when she was around 8 years old, and it is the only country she really knows. And, her and Daniel meet on the day that she is going to be deported.

The mix between cultures that Yoon crafts is really large part of the story and gives each character such a strong background. Most Americans started as immigrants, either personally or within their family history. We all have other cultural aspects of us that mix together in this country, creating a completely original experience. This is what you see when you learn Natasha and Daniel's story.

They could not be farther apart in personality: Natasha, the logical scientist and Daniel, the daydream poet. But as they spend the day together, falling more and more in love, they learn to see some of the world through the other's eyes. Even the minor characters are well developed, with each person Natasha and Daniel encounter adding something to their story.

Besides the character development, the other very strong aspect to this book that I enjoyed immensely was the writing and structure of the book. As this story takes place within one day, structure of events is so important! Yoon did an amazing job of inserting pieces of both characters history, shedding more information without taking away from the current story. Additionally, the chapters were told from both Natasha and Daniel's perspectives, which gave interesting insight to events happening to both of them. Finally, important events/items/side characters also receive a chapter giving more depth to their importance to the story. Just masterfully crafted, the poetic language Yoon scribes is phenomenal. I mean, that quote above just explains love so well!

The Sun is Also a Star stole my heart, crushed it, then gave it a beautiful, but bittersweet, farewell. If you read one book this year, get a copy of this! One of my top books of all time!!!

I am one of the few people who did not read Nicola Yoon's début novel, Everything Everything. I'm ashamed to admit that because it got such rave reviews. It just wasn't on my sexy romance reading radar at the time of its release. I'm really regretting that after having read The Sun Is Also a Star.

The Sun Is Also a Star is a brilliantly written book. No matter what I write, it won't be enough to explain how important a book like it is in this day and age. The Sun Is Also a Star encompasses emotions so many people are feeling right now: anger, frustration, loss, fear, hope and love. Those emotions were worked into a plot that could easily be my story, your story, your friend or neighbor's story. I can't exactly say I could identify with it, but I could empathize with it -- which is exactly what is needed in this day and age.

I was equally impressed with the set up of Natasha and Daniel's relationship as I was with the message of this book. I loved the bouncing back and forth between their point of views, as well as the supporting character view points and facts included throughout the story. The little extras made their relationship feel even more special. I loved every minute of Natasha and Daniel's time together and their ending left me feeling such a satisfying hope.

The Sun Is a Star is a book teens (and adults) should be reading this year. It's a cute teenage love story that encompasses the issues of immigration, discrimination, race, family and truth.

First, can I say how thoroughly gorgeous this cover is? Just look at it! I've actually just finished reading The Sun Is Also A Star after accidentally clearing my day for it. I had only planned to take a five minute break and get back to what I was doing, but I simply could not put this book down.

The story is set in New York City. I know it's strange, given that I'm from Upstate New York, but I've never been to the City. I could, however, perfectly envision everything about it through the characters' experience with the locations. The presentation of the world was flawless, allowing me to immerse myself in it while the story continued flowing uninterrupted.

The characters were so beautifully portrayed that their hopes, dreams, and fears are your hopes, dreams, and fears. Given that the bulk of this story takes place in a single day, I feel like it's fitting that I read it in about half a day. I feel like as Natasha and Daniel got to know each other and themselves, I got to know them.

Obviously, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I kept setting it down because I didn't want to finish it. I didn't want it to be over. But time and time again, my desire to know what happens next and how does it end won. The ending is just as beautiful as the rest of the story deserves. This novel is absolutely stunning, but I can't expect anything less from Nicola Yoon.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

For this review and more, please visit my blog at vicariousbookworm.wordpress.com

This treasure of a book is pure magic.

It is listed as YA Grades 8 and up, and it certainly fits the bill for grown adults as well.

This book really made an impact on me, and I am still thinking about it, days after reading it.

It really portrays how much happens to us and around us and to others we interact with, in the span of one day.

How one brief interaction with a stranger can change their entire life.

The main characters are teenagers, Natasha and Daniel.

Natasha and her family are getting ready to be deported, and Daniel is struggling with what his parents want him to be and what he wants to do with his life.

Their lives touch for a brief random moment, and that brief random moment changes everything.

Nicola Yoon is an amazing and talented writer.

She writes in a way that truly draws you into the story.

I was torn between wanting to read faster and see what happens next, and slowing down to savor every moment.

I did not want this book to end.

And when it did end, I said, "WOW!"

The impact of this story.

It is only January of the new year, but I am positive that when I do my end of year review of my favorite books, this will still be on my top ten list.

I requested this book from Blogging For Books, and read and reviewed at my choosing.

I listed to this this on audio, and this novel was not what I expected. Natasha was angry, I could hear it in her voice, she was snippy and she sounded frustrated. Daniel, he was excited about Natasha, he saw her as fate, their encounter was written in the stars and he was going to take full advantage of it. As Natasha gives Daniel his opportunity to prove his position about love, Natasha knows that this is her last day in America. What does she have to lose? She knows that she will never fall in love with Daniel in one day and listening to her thoughts and conversations with Daniel, you can feel her emotions. It’s Daniels mannerism and his attention to details that has Natasha melting, she starts to shed some of the hardness that has shaped her. It’s a gradual melt and Daniel only has one day to melt the shell that has harden Natasha. I felt for Natasha as she tries to save her family, lots of loops to jump through only to find out that someone has tied off that knot off and she needed to try something different.

It was an emotional, tiring novel, one that took me on a rollercoaster ride for a while. Destiny….do I believe in it? Sure, I think that you first need to consider it and then you have to want the relationship to work out. Daniel saw everything leading up to meeting Natasha as destiny, so for destiny to work, you have to see it. I really don’t understand why this novel is getting all the hype that it is. I liked Daniel’s character a lot and his enthusiasm was invigorating. I liked the methods that Daniel used and I thought he was patient with Natasha. I’m glad that I read this novel, it gave me something to think about. 3.5 stars

I was a little hesitant to read Yoon's latest since I enjoyed, but had some issues with, her first novel Everything Everything. Yet I heard so much good stuff and, well, THAT COVER. This boy meets girl narrative was rather timely, given that the girl is an immigrant from Jamaica and about to be deported. The boy is the son of first generation Korean immigrants and Daniel's viewpoint added the perfect compliment to Natasha's. Told in their alternating perspectives (along with a perfect sprinkling from supporting characters) they felt a little sappy and precocious, like a John Green novel, and similarly adorable. It's very much in the vein of Just One Day, but with a much heavier and thoughtful undercurrent. I also enjoyed the science geekery and identified with Natasha on many levels. I have to wonder if writing something a little less fantastical (only SLIGHTLY less than Everything Everything) and closer to her real life (as a Jamaican married to a Korean) made this novel a great success for Yoon. Kudos either way!

There is something slightly magical about this book. Everything takes place is one day, and the potential of just one day, with no implication of before and after makes it more special than just a regular day. The day that this book describes is a big day for both Daniel and Natasha. Daniel has a college interview for Yale and Natasha is being deported later that night. They meet randomly on the street and decide to use their big days with each other, instead of with the rules. This book is intoxicating to read as the tangled lives of everyday people create an intricate web around Natasha and Daniel. This is the type of book that just made me happy to read and it makes it easier to see some of the joy in the real world too. When I finished the book I was sad to leave the lives of Natasha and Daniel, but it also heartwarming for the potential for their world to become our world, if only for one day.

The Sun Is Also a Star is an adorable and fun contemporary YA romance that takes place over one day. It’s a quick read, and I loved every second of it. Natasha’s family is about to be deported back to Jamaica, and she’s determined to stop it. Daniel’s Korean family owns a black hair care store. They’re an unlikely pair, but a chance encounter sparks a passionate relationship.

This book is written in alternating chapters in Natasha’s and Daniel’s voices. I connected with them both right away. I loved that this story reverses the typical gender roles. Natasha is the scientist who doesn’t believe in love. Daniel is the romantic dreamer who falls helplessly in love. Interspersed throughout the book are tiny snippets of backstory on other characters, i.e. the security guard at immigration office or the secretary at a law firm. I normally hate backstory, but I found even these short chapters to be endearing. It really rounded out the overall story.

I delayed reading this book because I was afraid I wouldn’t like it as much as Everything, Everything, and I’m actually glad I did. The immigration topic seemed a lot more relevant after the recent election than it would have seemed before. This book is light and fun, but also pertinent to the present political climate. I highly recommend it.

Blog: Opinionated Book Lover

Like so many others, I was really excited to read this new story, but after I saw a lot of mixed reviews about this book I was actually kind of afraid to pick it up myself. Luckily The Sun Is Also A Star has proved to be one of the exceptions and I actually more than enjoyed reading it. Apart from the excellent prose that is a real pleasure to read, what really stood out for me were the main characters. I could really appreciate the fact that they are not the typical stereotype ‘white-American’ teenagers and I thought they added a whole different level to the story. As an immigrant living in Argentina I could really relate to some of the problems and challenges they have to face by living in a country that is either not their own or other people think is not their own. Sure, their romantic story is a bit sappy and literally what insta-love is all about, but I forgave the characters for it. Also, just the ending alone deserved an extra 1/2 star to be added to the rating. If you haven’t tried The Sun Is Also A Star yet, I can definitely suggest you do. Not everybody seems to love it, but it is without doubt worth the try.

I bought this book for the wrong reason. I was having a bad day and found myself in a bookstore looking for something that might be the beginning of a better day. I ended up not having much time to read this book that day, but found all the time in the world to read it this weekend, and it was a surprisingly terrific read.

My only complaint is that the book ended too soon. I found myself constantly closing the book to see if I was at the halfway point, hoping against hope that I wasn't, that there was still so much more to read. I was compulsively checking to brace for the pain of this book being over.

Getting back to the book though, it really is terrific. There are no boring characters in this book, and Nicola found a way to make you want to know and understand each character a little more. I wish this book was the first of a trilogy.

**SPOILER ALERT**
If I was the editor of this book, this book would have ended on page 340, instead of page 348. Also, I don't think it was the best, although it's a somewhat good and acceptable end, to wrap up this story in 8 pages.

That being said, this was still the BEST NOVEL I've ready in 10 years, including Wonder, which was amazing.

There is a reason to write the prequel and sequel to this book. Nicola, please write a sequel to this book!!! Readers, please ask, beg, demand, request a sequel to this fabulous book!! I need to know what happens to Daniel and Natasha, and I need to be a part of it.

I was a bit disappointed with this book, maybe because I had extremely high expectations after reading Everything Everything. I expected to feel the sa me after reading this book.

This book follows two teen strangers on a journey through New York City, both having different ethnic backgrounds and they meet and hang out for a day in the city. The become entangled with each others lives in less than 24 hours.

Over all the book left me with that just ok feeling. I liked it, but it didn’t have that wow factor to it. Honestly had I read this book before the Everything Everything book I don’t know that I would have read Everything Everything book. Which I found totally wow’d buy couldn’t put it down, do not disturb me until I finish this book value for me. So overall I would give this book 3.5/5 stars.

The Sun is Also a Star is the story of two immigrant families, one Korean and one Jamaican. Legal Korean son meets illegal Jamaican daughter on her deportation day. Both struggle with their identity on a personal level and a cultural level. There are also major conflicts within each family.

Most of the account is told within the scope of one day, but telling this story necessitates side trips into family history to discover motivations. There are no chapter divisions. There are labelled breaks according to who is is narrating the story, Daniel or Natasha. Sometimes there are passages about minor characters or philosophy narrated in the third person. This layout is initially slightly troublesome without chapter divisions, but as you are immersed in the storyline you realize how well this format works for this story.

The plot is engaging, the characters well developed, and the various settings reflect the cultural clashes. Additionally there is an underlying and unifying theme exploring fate, coincidences, and multiple universes. If just one incident had occurred a little sooner or a little later, how would that have affected the rest of the day’s events? It’s enough of a foray into philosophy and religion to attract a teen/young adult reader questioning their place in the order of things.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Delacorte Press (Penguin Random House) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon is by far the greatest book ever. Her story weaves readers into its depth. Never letting them go. I felt the tension, rebellion, and the yearning. Two unlikely characters by chance meet. A meeting that shakes up their world and puts it upside down again. Love. True love. Chemistry. Instant attraction. Neither one was expecting it to happen. But there in the midst of everything they fell into a whole. One that has swallowed them both. However, as with real life, love is separated or broken. In this case, both are separated. One is being taken out of the country and the other staying. Their chance of love is impossible. But the hearts protest...

Nicola Yoon's debut novel is brilliant. Refreshing, exciting, and leaves readers wanting it to never end...it's a book that captures its audience. I was hooked. Every page lured me deeper into the character's lives. Society, family , and distance keeps playing the bad parts...but somehow the odds might just break. The Sun is Also a Star kept me wondering what will happen next. I never knew what was going to occur. This phenomenal read is similar to that of The Fault in Our Stars movie. I really can't wait to see this one on screen soon. Suspenseful with every page. The characters are amazing. Well-developed. The tale is well-told. Overall, I highly recommend it to all.

Overall thoughts

As a whole, The Sun is Also a Star is a decent and entertaining novel. Unfortunately, the plot and the story are quite straightforward and predictable, despite the author’s attempts to include twists all throughout. The characters in the novel are quite likable and have some degree of development in the novel. One of the strongest points of the novel, in my opinion, is the way in which the author has made themes related to immigration very accessible and relatable, even to those that aren’t or haven’t been in similar situations. There are different notions or ideas that are presented throughout the book, ranging from Jamaican history to quantum physics, which add a degree of uniqueness to the novel. While there are enjoyable aspects, the book as a whole isn’t very memorable or provocative; thus, rating wise, I would be inclined to give the novel 3 out of 5 stars. A more detailed account of my thoughts and comments can be found further down, though please be warned that there might be minor spoilers detailed throughout the review.

Plot, themes, and characters

As I mentioned above, the plot is quite straightforward and unoriginal. The plot pretty much follows the recipe of boy meets girl and they eventually fall in love. For one of the characters, this is very much a ‘falling in love at first sight’ sort of thing, while the other needs more convincing. The story, for the most part, takes place in a single day, which makes things easy to follow, though it would be an incredibly eventful or busy day for most people. There are certain jumps in time, both to the past and to the future, which indicate that the story goes beyond what the author describes.

The most important theme in the book is related to immigration and all of its issues. Both of the protagonists in the book are immigrants. On the one hand, we have Daniel, a second generation immigrant of South Korean descent. On the other hand, there’s Natasha or Tasha, who is a Jamaican immigrant who has been residing illegally in the country. Naturally, thanks to the different nationalities, we are exposed to certain differences in cultures, though they can be argued to be relying on stereotypes. For example, Daniel’s parents place a lot of emphasis on academic success. We are also exposed to how the different characters have managed to fit in with the overall context. In some cases, even when they describe not being fully accepted or not feeling truly integrated with the society, they also seem to point out or acknowledge that there are further differences between those that live in New York City and those that don’t, which indicates a degree of integration to their context. There is also an exploration on how different minority groups intermingle or interact with each other. For example, the book states that there are a lot of shops that focus on hair products for black people, which tend to be owned by Koreans (it is further explained why this happened, at least in the context of the book). Due to Tasha being an illegal immigrant, we are also exposed to the hardships that illegal residents in the United States face, such as the threat of deportation, the actions that they need to take in order to have access to public services, among others. As per contra, in the case of Daniel, since he was born in America, there is a distinction between the culture that someone that was born and raised in Korea has when compared to someone born and raised in America with Korean parents. With the current global situation and the different discussions taking place, I believe that this theme is quite important, and the author has addressed a variety of issues quite well and in a way that should make it accessible for all readers, regardless of the demographics or their background.

While it is not a theme per se, I would like to address the additional or external information that the author decides to include in the book. By this, I mean the seemingly random topics that the author covers in some of the chapters. These topics vary, depending on how they fit with the overall narrative. For instance, one chapter focuses on the use of the word ‘irie’ in Jamaica and some Jamaican history, among other issues. Another chapter, for example, introduces the concept of multiple universes, which is a theory discussed in quantum physics. The usage of these different topics from different fields adds further perspectives and complexity to the story as well as to the characters themselves.

Lastly, I would like to discuss the characters. In my opinion, the characters are one of the stronger aspects of the novel. The characters are given a lot of personality and depth, naturally, there is more information given about the protagonists than the rest of the characters. However, this doesn’t mean that the rest of the characters are just bland and filler, not at all. Even characters that may seem as unimportant and just being present once have an influence in the story, somewhat of a butterfly effect.

Narration and use of language

For the most part, the novel is written in a first person perspective though there are two narrators. These two narrators are the protagonists Daniel and Natasha. However, there are certain chapters that cover the perspective or events related to other characters, which are written in a third person perspective. As mentioned above, there are also chapters that focus on topics that are not necessarily directly connected to the story, though the author uses them to enhance the story. These changes are easy to follow, mostly due to the fact that the different chapters (even those pertaining to the main characters) have subtle changes that make them quite distinct, such as the symbol before the chapter or the way in which they start (for example, Daniel’s chapters seem to start with something similar to news headlines). Furthermore, these different chapters add some additional depth to the novel and help the character development. As a whole, the language is easy to understand, despite of some of the arguably more complex notions that the author explores (for example, the theory of multiple universes in the field of quantum physics). Furthermore, the language also makes the issues and themes that are portrayed in the novel easier to understand and relate to.

Recommendations

I would recommend this book to those that are looking for an easy-to-read romance book. I would also recommend it to those that are looking for a novel that is related to immigration. Furthermore, I also have book suggestions for those that have read this novel and are looking for something more to read. While reading this book, I kept remembering the novel White Teeth by Zadie Smith, which could be of interest to fans of the book (personally, I would say that The Sun is Also a Star is more enjoyable). For those that are looking for a romance, I would recommend How to Be a Normal Person by TJ Klune. My last recommendation is for those that are more interested in the immigration issues and perspective, which would be a novel called An Ishmael of Syria by Asaad Almohammad.

Thank you for reading my review!

Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*

One of the most powerful, emotional, funny and heartbreaking novel of 2016. I was eager to read this book, since I learnt about its publication date. I had also loved Nicola Yoon's debut novel, "Everything, Eveything", so this was an insta-read for me.

Natasha is from Jamaica and her family will be deported in twelve hours. Daniel is a Korean boy who has lived through his family's expectations, despite having his own dreams. And he has a jerk for a brother.
Now, when the universe totally conspires for those two to meet, a love will bloom, not knowing if it will be doomed in twelve hours.

THE best part of this book is the triple POV. Two are the ones who belong to Daniel and Natasha and one is the third which shows the backgroumd of the book's cast. And they are all connected with each other and the final choices of the protagonists. With New York as the background, music and many funny moments, this book made me smile, cry and turns my heart into tiny pieces.

To be honest I kept expecting something to happen, but I was very rewarded in the end! It's a book about migration and broken dreams, the need to prove yourself and family, even if it's a broken one.

The Sun is Also a Star is an amazing book, recommended not only for its diversity but also for the unforgettable moments between all the characters! ;)

This story was one of those intriguing tales from the beginning. But I saw where it got 5 stars from alot of people and I read Nicola Yoon's first book Everything Everything. Which was 5 stars for me and I loved it so so much. But this story fell flat. This is my opinion and nobody persuaded me on this. It is really easy to get into. But the characters didnt pull me in until the very end. I love reading all kinds of stories. This one was different to me. I really wanted to love it as much as everybody else. But I did not. It just didnt get my attention like every other book does. Overall it is a great story but it just fell flat for me. I really dont mind instalove which this story is definately instalovey to a TEE. I am a romance junkie. But that being said I still did not love it like I should.
I thought this was going to end completely different like other romance type stories. But it ended differently than expected. I LOVE how she ended it. The ending to this story was definately my favorite part of the whole story. Because it was different than other books. It was just one of those perfect and unexpected ending. Overall this story was just okish. But the ending I would give a 5 stars. Just not the rest of the book.

Illegal immigrant (Natasha) falls in love with young man (Daniel) the same day her family is being deported.

When Natasha was only 8, she and her family moved from Jamaica to the USA illegally. Now, with high school ending soon and hoping to attend college, her family is suddenly being deported.

Daniel, a young Korean-American, has always tried to please his Korean born parents, but that all changes when he meets Natasha in a chance encounter. They feel an instant connection and after spending time together, Natasha confesses that her family is being deported. Will Daniel's romantic, poetic personality be able to convince Natasha's scientific, realist mind that true love and destiny do exist? Find out in this sweet Young Adult novel about young love.

Along with immigration, this book also addresses racial prejudices and biases.

Natasha and Daniel randomly meet on a day of change for both of them. Instantly and powerfully attracted to each other, the pair spend the day making memories and learning all they can about their individual hopes and dreams. When it seems that their worst fears may be realized, how will Natasha and Daniel handle the pressure?

After loving Everything, Everything for its characterization and overall story, I expected to be blown away by The Sun Is Also a Star. Unfortunately, this was not the case and I was very disappointed as a result. The multiple perspective format made the story too disjointed and it took me fall too long to feel invested in the characters. I chose the audio version of this book, which may be the cause of some of my problems. The inflection and animation of the individual voices were not convincing enough, as the emotional subject matter never really came through. The section with the immigration lawyer and the way in which his personal life impacts Natasha feels false, as though the author had to orchestrate the events that occur later in the book and used this as a vehicle to move the plot forward. In a genre full of stand out books, The Sun Is Also a Star falls short in my opinion.

A Captivating and Conversational Story about Fate

Fate/ Noun : the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. Fate plays a big role in one of Nicola Yoon’s best-selling novel the “Sun is Also a Star” , a sequel to“Everything, Everything”. “The Sun is Also a Star” is a realistic fictional novel about two teens and the universal control of fate. The two protagonists, both 17, Natasha (Jamaican) and Daniel (Korean) each face doubt while dealing with personal dilemmas at the same time as they separately are trying to figure out a way around their troubles. While living in New York, they- meet at karaoke and fate takes the role in leading them to love; despite Natasha having only 12 hours before being deported to Jamaica. Natasha doesn't believe she is capable of love, but Daniel proves her wrong. Natasha’s father got a DUI resulting in there illegal status being exposed and getting found by the cops. Therefore, if Natasha was not late for her appointment at the security station of the United States and Immigration Services she wouldn't have ended up falling in love with Daniel. The motifs in this novel are Immigration, fate and plans.
Nicola Yoon herself connects to Natasha because she is Jamaican herself and her husband is Korean. The novel has multiple points of views written in first and third person.The third voice is fate, which can be heard as the voice of God. As the reader, reads about each talks about individual character, the reader gets foreshadowings and understandings of what is going to happen. This not only gives the reader another perspective but also background information on the different characters.
This book educates young teens about racism and immigration through a deceptive story of fate. It is quite easy to understand the flow of the story because of all the soliloquies,imagery, and details. This book made me cry, laugh, and smile. I would recommend this book for young teens and even adults. One quote from Natasha’s Dad to Natasha is “You can never see God’s plan.” I enjoyed this book compared to “Everything, Everything” because it has more visual details and much more realistic story. Overall, this is a really good book for those into romance and realistic fiction, weather you believe in fate or not. This book has been an enlightening experience and I hope that others have the opportunity to read it.

It’s really difficult to write a review about this book without spoiling anything. When beginning the book, I was disheartened by the narrators. They were monotone and really didn’t grip me. After a couple of chapters, I began to fall in love with a story about young love. First love. True love.

I waited almost three months to download this book from the OverDrive app. I loved Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book as well. I was not disappointed.

The story follows Natasha and Daniel. Brought together by chance and circumstance on a day in New York City. An important day for both of them. The day will determine both of their futures. The book made me laugh, cry, and believe in things such as fate. Once you pick it up, be ready to spend the day finding out what comes next in this well written story. Read all of my reviews here <a href="http://the-pink-moose.com/">the-pink-moose.com</a>

I bought this book on a whim at my local bookstore (EsoWon in Lemeirt Park, Los Angeles). The jacket summary was intriguing enough, so I figured I'd read it over the holidays. The entire story takes place over the course of a single day. Natasha, a young Black Jamaican woman who immigrated to the United States as a child, is preparing for deportation (if that's an event that one can even prepare for...). Daniel, a young Korean-American man, is getting ready for his Yale alumni interview. The two meet serendipitously and spend the day together. Along the way, Yoon interweaves snippets about their families, tidbits about some of the random people the couple meets around Manhattan, and fascinating and relevant facts that provide historical context for the story itself. The book started off somewhat slow, and I didn't expect to like it. The storyline quickly picked up and drew me in. Yoon's writing is both simple and complex; every so often I came across a sentence that was beautifully constructed. The book on the whole is quietly brilliant and expressly political. There are tons and tons of layers between the pages. I'd definitely recommend this; the final two chapters made me smile.

3.5 ★★★✩✩ stars out of 5.

I loved the idea, and the style of writing. I liked how the narrative not only bounced back and fourth between Daniel & Natasha - but also how it gave insights into different characters you meet along the way.

My main issue with this book is that I feel like Daniel and Natasha speak with almost the same voice. Sometimes I forgot which chapter voice I was in - where I thought I was reading Natasha's viewpoint but it was Daniel's - sometimes my only distinguisher were gendered pronouns.

In the middle of the book too, I almost gave up on it, because it turned a bit sappy -- but reminding myself that it was teen/young adult I powered through and it was worth it.

Other than that, I think Nicola made a lovely teen/young adult romance novel that not only tackles the idea of young love but one that is complicated by race, cultural expectations, national borders/immigration, etc.

Everything about this book was wonderful. The short quick chapters, the diverse characters, the use of multiple perspectives. This novel was heart-warming and unexpected. It gave me insight into the immigration process in America, random facts that coincided with the story and a delightful tale about fate.

I loved watching Daniel and Natasha’s love story unfold. It was fast, but believable and filled with genuine emotions. I don’t usually like stories where the characters fall in love with each other in a matter of moments, or hours. Instead I usually like to slowly watch characters descend into love over time, but this novel made me see that instant love can also be believable and work.

Yoon is an amazing writer and she gave the readers the right information at the right time unwrapping this story like a present. The information she provided and the scenes she left us with were placed at perfect intervals and made these characters’ stories even better.

I highly recommend this novel if you are a lover of contemporary romance, Stephanie Perkins, and Rainbow Rowell.

I'm a sucker for love stories and this is a great YA love story of a bi-racial couple who meet quite unexpectedly at a pivotal time in each of their lives. They are an unlikely pair in many ways, racially, culturally, in terms of their life-styles and mind sets. The novel is an interplay of all of these differences. The plot moves quickly as each short chapter is told from a different point of view of the many characters in the story. Most of the book takes place in one day with some deftly added chapters that lead us to two different endings. As a former high school English teacher and YA librarian, I would recommend this for early teenage readers.

"I've never really understood the phrase 'they have chemistry' before now. After all, everything is chemistry. Everything is combination and reaction."

This unique story takes place all in one day. Its a series of invents. Seemingly random events and how they effect those around them.

Natasha is a 17 year old immigrant from Jamaica. She has been living illegally in the United States for most of her life. But now they have been discovered and they must move back to Jamaica. Daniel is a 17 year old Korean/American that is struggling with following the path that his parents want for him (doctor) versus taking the path that he wants (poet). And this story is about the day their paths collide.

"Sometimes your world shakes so hard, it's difficult to imagine that everyone else isn't feeling it too."

I really enjoyed this expose on life, love, culture, hate and science. The characters were complex and realistic. I feel like I learned something from these characters. Their story was beautifully told. Heartbreaking at times.

By only reading its prolouge, I realized that I was going to end up loving this book!!!

This book literally celebrates diversity in every aspect. It revived my faith in humanity, despite everything that is ongoing in the world right now.

With everything that was going on, and is still ongoing , this diverse book restored bits of my shattered hope.

In its own way, the writing was very beautiful. No, not the kind where I stare at the beauty of the words, but the one where the metaphors,puns, and descriptions are seriously genious!

​The interludes in the story were simply, magnificent. They gave the story a pretty, unique touch. If you've listened to Paramore's Self-Intitled album, you will get the complete picture.

This book proves the theory that states that opposites attract. I mean, a person who believes in Fate vs one who doesn't. Seriously, read this book.

I fell in love with characters, story, and events. Nichola Yoon has just become one of my favorite authors, and I seriously can't wait to see what she writes next.

I give it 5/5 stars.

3.5 Stars in my Sky!

The Sun Is Also a Star provides a beautifully awkward and honest look at love, the universe and everything in between.

I liked the mixed POVs and really felt as though they gave a heightened insight into what motivates the characters. Natasha and Daniel start as strangers but quickly become invested in each others lives. I laughed, cried and felt all the emotion along with them.

Nicola Yoon is very good at creating positive representations and racial diversity in her books. I really appreciated the portrayal of Natasha's Jamaican culture. Daniel's Korean-American representation works well, from his demanding parents to his confusing brother - I found Daniel particular interesting.

I'm going to add an ugly cry warning to this one. Oh the romance and drama! I'm usually pretty anti-instalove but I really wanted to be won over here. Do I believe in instant love? Probably not but I did like them and how Nicola Yoon tells their story.

I received a review copy

Yoon's inelegantly written story should probably be classified as young adult (middle school) although the use of scatological language throughout would no doubt prevent that. The series of intersections and actions of the lives of several characters for a day and then later in ten years are highly improbable. The issue of deportation of undocumented immigrants is certainly a current topic, but it deserves a more serious and realistic portrayal than this "modern fairy tale" provides. Trite phrases like "What a difference a day makes" and "I'm not ready to say good-bye. I'll never be ready to say it.." etc. underscore what a shallow piece of literature this novel represents.

There's just such an addictive quality in Nicola Yoon's writing. It's so easy to get immersed in the story and that's what I love. I loved her debut novel Everything Everything and I loved this! I love seeing her writing evolve and I can't wait for her future novels. I know I'll love anything she writes.

What I really enjoyed is that most of the chapters were short once again as they were in Everything Everything. It made the pacing of the story go by faster but it didn't feel rushed.

Natasha

Natasha is a seventeen year old black girl who was born in Jamaica. Because her father gets a DUI, it leads to the discovery of her family being undocumented immigrants and they are being deported. But she's hoping for a miracle. To be able to stay with her friends, go to college, and live a normal life in the place she's grown up in.

I love how when her family had already thrown in the towel and were packing, she was doing her homework. She didn't accept it and she went looking for any way out so she could possibly stay.

Daniel

Daniel is a seventeen year old Korean American who is under pressure to be who his parents want him to be and not what he dreams of being. A poet. His older brother gets suspended from Harvard and despises him. And he's on his way to a school interview when he sees and meets Natasha.

I just found him to be the type that's easy to talk and get to know kind of guy. And really cute too!

I was surprised and found interesting that there were narratives from people surrounding the two main characters like they each had a role which led to them meeting. And there were also these chapters that went into details on what was on Natasha's and Daniel's minds. It didn't feel like a burst of info. dump. But at the same time I wanted the focus to have been more on the main characters and see their relationship progress.

From the very beginning, I sort of knew it would end the way it did and I was wishing it didn't. Then the epilogue happened and it sort of left open ended, which I usually despise. But in this case, I thought it just worked and had me thinking the endless directions their lives might take.

I wasn't too crazy about the romance but I could see the potential if this wasn't a standalone. I absolutely adored the relationship they had over the twelve hours they spent together. They had me smiling and grinning like a fool and laughing.

Nicola sure knows how to kill it with those romance scenes. The romance junkie in me just kept squealing and jumping for joy.

Overall, The Sun Is Also A Star is a must-read for everybody. If you enjoyed her debut novel, I guarantee you'll also love this one as well! Nicola Yoon's debut was one of my favorite books I read last year and this was no different! Just as magical and beautiful. And I wish she already had thousand books out there.

After devouring Nicola Yoon's debut Everything, Everything, I automatically thought that it would be the same case for this book. Though I did end up enjoying it in the end, I had a rough time at the beginning. I let the unrealisticness of the love story get in the way of the amazing diverse cast of characters, the tragic stories of outsiders that you don't normally think twice about and the undoubtedly adorable blossoming love between our main characters, Natasha and Daniel.
Yoon's writing was magical and delicious, same as her debut. She still stands as one of my favorite YA authors. I'm very happy that I continued with this story because the ending was both satisfying and devastatingly wonderful at the same time. The Sun Is Also a Star is one of the few novels that I've read where I immediately miss the cast the second I close the book.

Nicola, if you're willing and have some free time in the crazy busy life of yours, I would LOVE a novella following the epilogue. Please please please please please.

I loved this book so much! I liked its relevance to the historical moment, but not as much as I liked the way Nicola Yoon weaves the story through point of view shifts. I also love how she weaves in background knowledge for readers who might lack it. I think this is a great novel for reluctant high school readers because of the short chapters and gripping story. I am still wallowing in it, having just read it this morning. I love the main characters, but also the minor characters. No character is too small for Nicola Yoon to fill in with values, biases, and regrets. It’s a brilliant novel. Buy it! Read it! Share it!

I know I’m a bit late to the table with Nicola Yoon’s masterpiece. The Sun is Also a Star tells the story of Natasha, an undocumented Jamaican-American immigrant on the point of deportation and Daniel, a young Korean-American struggling with the conflict between his dreams and his family’s expectations. The novel takes place over 12 hours, during the day on which Natasha’s family is due to be deported. The characters are well grounded, beautifully described and their romance is believable. I was really rooting for those two, despite their different outlooks.

I loved how the lives of those with whom they come into contact are also briefly described, showing how everyone’s lives are interconnected and that no man is an island. I’m pretty confident that, come December 2017, The Sun is Also a Star will be featured on my top reads of 2017. That’s how much I loved it.

I gave The Sun is Also a Star five stars out of five.

For the month of May I choose to read two indie authors and two best sellers. The best sellers I choose were The Sun is Also a Star and Paper Princess. The indie books I choose were, I am Lioness by Dee Garcia and Black Lilith by Hazel Jacobs. These two indie authors are running an author event, Dark and Dirty, next summer in Atlantic City.
I was very impressed with Nicola Yoon’s book. Lately I have had a bad taste in my mouth for best sellers. I feel like often the publishing houses try to tell us what is good. In this case though they got it right. This book is fresh and new. I love that it takes place in such a sort about of time and I liked the chapters sometimes not being about the main character. I like the interlaced data.
This was a simple read, appropriate for YA. Yet I enjoyed all of it.

How much can one day truly change a person? Teenagers Natasha and Daniel must ask themselves this throughout the course of their one life-altering, seemingly fated day together. With Natasha facing deportation back to Jamaica, and Daniel facing college interviews and his destiny to be a doctor, both teenagers are left to question the reality of fate as they face a string of coincidences that inevitably bring them together. Throughout their twelve hours together, they explore their ability to write their own futures despite the expectations that family, society, and life have for them.
Despite the limited amount of direct familial interactions, family is blatantly a large part of each character’s development. Teenagers are only autonomous to an extent, and many of the choices they are unable to make for themselves are made by parental figures. Daniel sees this on a somewhat typical level, with his parents predetermining his future as a doctor. Daniel’s mom is a peaceful enforcer; while being an artist in some respects, just as her younger son is, she still upholds the belief that he must go to Yale and adhere to the highest standards to succeed as she and her husband intended upon moving to America. Daniel’s father plays the more prominent role, brash and rigid in his belief that his sons must pursue the best careers from the best universities. His disappointment is to be feared, and it is this fear that prevents Daniel from admitting his passion for poetry as a career choice.
Conversely, Natasha sees this on a far more drastic scale, with her father serving as the catalyst for their deportation back to Jamaica. Their relationship has turned bitter throughout the years, with both father and daughter fearing that the other party no longer cares about them. Each of his actions, therefore, seems to have a more drastic effect on their family. He always seems to be the force to set large decisions in motion, regardless of the nature of his actions. Natasha’s mother is still a force in her life, but in a passive sense. She has always had her own beliefs- in fact, she had been the one to insist they move to New York to be a unified family again. However, her decisions were always so consistent that it appeared less prominent to Natasha. Just as the sun is constant to earth, it would be without her presence that the gravity of her actions truly showed. Just as the news reports far more negative issues than positive, Natasha’s relationship with her father takes precedence in the novel.
I believe the pacing is one of the most appealing and jarring aspects of the book. Yoon consistently emphasizes that the progression of time throughout the novel is not what one would expect, and is truly only within the span of twelve hours. However, the process by which they fall in love feels far from rushed or forced. It is akin to the process of lovers coming together throughout a lifetime, and makes the relationship between Natasha and Daniel just as irresistible to the reader. The lulls in time, paired with the hours that bleed together into a rush of time well spent, leave the reader feeling just as winded as the couple at the end of the day.
One of the most compelling aspects of Yoon’s writing is the authenticity of her characters. As a woman that immigrated from Jamaica as a young girl, Yoon displays her own struggle to live within both cultures through Natasha. The same experience is drawn from her husband for male protagonist Daniel, a Korean American son to Korean immigrant parents. The social reality that most Korean parents expect their children to marry other Korean children, as well as the decision to predetermine their children’s career paths. However, this is also done with perspective from Daniel’s father, an explanation that both displays the genuine parental affection behind the act and prevents meaningless stereotyping. As Natasha identifies far more as an American citizen than Jamaican, her cultural insight is predominantly that on life as a black woman. She is still able to clearly exemplify struggle through her mother’s fight with her natural hair, as well as the way she responds easily to Daniel’s father and brother negatively viewing her for her race. The presence of poverty in both of their lives -in Natasha’s immediate life and the upbringing of Daniel’s parents- further introduces the concept of intersectionality that somewhat joins them. Though they come from very different parts of the world, as well as very different paths in their lives, they are joined in some aspects. This overall highlights the complexity of humanity, while proving that not all diverse books are diverse in the same way.
This was an excellent book. I certainly plan to read it again. Though I am not one for romance novels, I would be quick to consider this a very special exception.

Before I start my review, can we appreciate how beautiful the cover is? When ARCs were first being released, I was so dumbfounded by how beautiful this book was in pictures. It is even more beautiful in person. Seriously, this book deserves all the heart eyes emojis. Inside and out.

Nicola Yoon’s writing style is one of my favorites. Her books are told with basic/simplistic writing while still being ‘artsy’ and poetic. Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also A Star are both fairly easy reads. The chapters are short which makes it easy to fly through.The Sun is Also A Star could be a very fast read. I say ‘could be’ because I was slowly getting over a reading slump while reading it. The book does a nice job of grasping you from the start and doesn’t let you go until the final page. The majority of the story takes place over a 12 hour time period. However, none of the plot or character development felt rushed or out of place.

This story is told in multiple POVs. It is primarily told by the two protagonists: Natasha and Daniel. Once in a while, the story will trail off and tell exposition on an event, character, or an item. One of the main reasons why I LOVED The Sun is Also A Star is because it is #ownvoices. Nicola Yoon always includes diverse characters in her novels which is one of the reasons why I love her books so much. Daniel is Korean; Natasha is Jamaican. During the course of the book, you learn about each of their families and their cultures. Overall, The Sun is Also A Star deals with topics such as discrimination, racism, and deportation with grace while ripping your hear into a million pieces.

This book is absolutely incredible. Within the first 30 pages, it had already created such a deeply emotional impact on me that I began tearing up. I was invested into this novel so quickly, and I finished the book faster than any other novel's I have finished recently.
Nicola Yoon has such a wonderful way of describing all of the characters and their interactions, and it is phenomenal from start to finish. Yoon perfectly describes this one single day in New York, and finishes the novel with a perfect summation of how each character was ultimately impacted by the smallest of decisions. I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just to young adults. The impact that this book could have on a person is too incredible and too astonishing to limit to an age group. Instead, I feel as though everyone should be introduced to Yoon's amazing writing in this novel.

Cultures collide in Nicola Yoon’s 'The Sun is Also a Star,' a captivating multi-perspective narrative of one day in New York, showing us the lives and inner-turmoil of several inter-connected people and the events they set into motion. Natasha is rational, logical and skeptical; Daniel is the dreamer who refuses to ignore their connection. Joined by coincidence, bad parents and a shared love of music, the two spend an unforgettable afternoon together—but will real life derail these new soulmates?

This review appears in Romantic Intentions Quarterly -- Issue 1, April 2018.

I'm giving it a 5 but I really gave it a 4.75. The reason I took off .25 is because at times the romance can be a little cheesy/cringey.

Overall, another fantastic and unique story. I love that you get to know about the side characters and you get tid bits on other topics pertaining to the story. I love love love the diversity and the background of our two main characters. Everything ties up nicely, none of the side characters stories were left unknown. The ending was fantastic and was left open enough for you to create your own idea of their future which I loved. I loved that everything and every moment really did seem to lead to "fate".

I will be buying and reading EVERY book Nicola Yoon ever writes. Nicola blows my mind with her creativity and with her writing abilities. This book even had me tear up a few times. Nicola is definitely an author to watch, her first two books were phenomenal, I only imagine she's going to get better!

What a beautiful novel. What emotional rollercoaster!
Beautifully written.
The main subject of the novel is immigration and diversity.
This is such important topic.
When I thought I know how it is going to end, there were twists in the story. And at the end it is not what I expected. ( But I can't tell more, because I don't want to spoil it ).

Natasha moved to New York with her family at age of 8. They came from Jamaica in pursuit of American Dream. Unfortunately now the family is facing deportation.

Daniel is American- Korean boy, who wants to be a poet, but his parents have different plans. His parents came to the USA for a better life.

Can it be destination when Natasha and Daniel meets on her last day in New York?
Can it be Universe doing to put each other on their path?

This is such extraordinary story.
I highly recommend it!

Nicola Yoon’s second major novel contained a number of elements that could have been deal breakers for me. Multiple switching narratives, what appeared to be a straightforward romance, and the dreaded insta-love. However, this novel defied my judgy odds and worked (even the switching narrators!) enough to charm my cynical little heart.

I think the novel worked because it wasn’t perfect. The character’s weren’t perfect, they were deeply flawed in a number of different ways. The relationship wasn’t perfect even if the Universe deemed that it was meant to be. The story even managed to convince me that open-endings are a good thing!

The romance may be young, but the journey is anything from fluffy. It tugged on the heart-strings and felt all too real while simultaneously being a bit beyond belief.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved everything about this book. I was hesitant to read it because I knew that it took place all in one day. I felt like there couldn’t be any depth in a story that takes place in one day. This book proved me wrong. I absolutely loved Natasha. I clicked with her as soon as she slipped on her headphones and got lost in Hunger Strike by Temple of the Dog (another black girl who loves 90s grudge rock like me!!). It wasn’t as instant with Daniel though but by the end, I loved them both.

I love the way the author wrote this story. The tidbits of the lives of everyone around her and how their lives intertwined. I loved Natasha’s scientific mind and the way Daniel would cry if someone else cried in front of him (I’m guilty of that too). And the whole multiverse thing just touched me in my nerdy spot.

Of course, this book is full of wild coincidences. To me, it didn’t matter. The story was beautiful and awesome and I loved it.

This review is mostly on the audio book. I enjoyed the story itself but the actors hired to read this book were awful. The woman sounded like a middle aged woman and read the book as that, not a Jamaican teen living in NYC. The man read the book like he was called upon his teacher to read for class and was just reading it monotone. Are these not paid actors to make you want to read the book? Neither came across as "NYers" or teens. Who cast this book? They really took away from the book. This is one of the worst audio books I have listened to in a very long time. I almost several times gave up on this book because they were so bad. I kept going because this book is so buzzed about and I wanted to know for myself what all the hype was. Great YA book, terrible audio book.

This book was a really deep contemporary like everyone has hyped it to be however it was different from the others that i have read. It reminded me alot of 12 hours in paradise by Kathryn Berla with some aspects from the fault in our stars and Eleanor and Park. What i liked best about it was that the characters were funny and real but also that there wasnt a complete happy ending. In addition i loved all the other perspectives that were presented. Some i could have predicted but also had some twists in there too. This was a one day read which was great and i hope to read more from Nicola yoon soon. 4 out of 5

Book #105 Read in 2016
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I love Yoon's book Everything Everything and was excited for a chance to review her new one and it did not disappoint. Natasha is a teenage girl, a undocumented immigrant, a believer of science and not love. Daniel is a Korean American teenage boy with the soul of a poet, even though he is supposedly going to college to become a doctor. The two meet, connect and dare we say fall in love? Is it love? Fate? Destiny? The ending totally makes this book....read it! I received a copy of this book from the store Vine in exchange for a honest review. Loved it.

I finished this book with a pro-and-con list assembling itself in my head.

Pro:
--Two well-drawn, individual, relatable main characters;
--An unusual, variable narrative approach that pops into and out of the POV of secondary characters;
--A more or less believable love story;
--A suspense-inducing problem.

Con:
--Whatever the level of acceptable coincidence in fiction, Yoon probably exceeds it here -- though she does at least address it, as a possible manifestation of fate.
--This won't bother most readers in exactly the way it bothered me, but a lawyer in this book does something that drove me up a wall.

As for the ending: I haven't decided in which column it belongs. (Stylistically, it fits well with the rest of the book.)

If I had heard the premise of this book beforehand, I probably never would have picked it up, so I’m grateful that I went in without knowing a thing. I picked up The Sun Is Also a Star because Everything, Everything, Nicola Yoon’s first novel, greatly exceeded my expectations—and, of course, for the absolutely gorgeous cover. I didn’t even read the blurb on the back before diving in. This, I believe, is the optimal way to read this story, so if you already know you’re going to read this one, I’d recommend reading this review no further.

Tightly-paced and meticulously-planned, The Sun Is Also a Star takes place over the course of a single day. Natasha, already having the worst day of her life, meets Daniel, who feels like he’s on his last day of freedom and youth. Fate, Daniel thinks, keeps drawing them together. Natasha, clinging desperately to cynicism, instructs Daniel not to fall in love with her, even as she finds herself deeply drawn to the sweet, earnest boy. Continually pushed apart and pulled back together as they bounce from Manhattan offices to a Harlem beauty supply to a beggarly Brooklyn one-bedroom, the two teenagers work their way through questions from the famous New York Times essay on falling in love with a stranger. They debate time travel and poetry and, most of all, the merits of being a dreamer.

Like Everything, Everything, this book is written in extremely short chapters, ranging from a handful of pages to just a few lines. This structure does more than cater to tiny attention spans. It allows Yoon to pull off a series of little magic tricks that transform a thin story of insta-love into an engrossing collage of the most human side of New York City. Between chapters in Natasha’s and Daniel’s perspectives, Yoon cuts away to close-ups of secondary characters, offering brief glimpses of the rich, often tragic lives behind the adults the young lovers so easily dismiss. These asides, however, never feel like digressions. They feel as core to the story as our leading couple’s flirtations. This book is written with extraordinary compassion. The perspectives and histories of everyone from the couple’s parents to the street violinist they pass only briefly are treated with great respect and empathy.

Perhaps nowhere is the book’s tolerance for nuance demonstrated more strongly than in the book’s treatment of its loaded racial dynamics. Again like Everything, Everything, our leading couple is interracial. Unlike Yoon’s earlier work, however, this book brings the complicated racial implications of the relationship into the foreground. Drawing extensively on her own life and family, Yoon takes care in painting the tensions of a potential romance between the American-born son of first-generation Korean-Americans and an undocumented immigrant from Jamaica. Yoon digs into the pride, confusion, and frustration wrought by each’s layered racial identity, using sharp intelligence and deep empathy to reveal the long, rich stories that led to this moment for these two young people.

One short chapter, for example, is devoted to a brief history of natural black hair in racial politics and African-American identity. Natasha’s (and, to a lesser extent, Daniel’s) life has been shaped by this fraught intersection of beauty and power, and while she seems to have some awareness of the judgement that others may place on her natural hair, she is not cognizant of the broader context. “When Natasha decides to wear hers in an Afro, it’s not because she’s aware of all this history,” the chapter notes, concluding: “She does it simply because it looks beautiful.” To Natasha, her hair tells a story not of the history of black Americans, but of the history of herself and her mother. Yoon neither commends nor condemns this perspective; it is simply how these young people see the world.

And so it is with the whole story. Natasha and Daniel, lost in the intensity of their attraction and affection, see only a sliver of the world around them. Breaking past their limited perspectives, Yoon weaves together the exciting and tragic and diverse lives that interlock around them. Unlike her somewhat fanciful debut, Yoon’s second novel feels unflinchingly real, placing Natasha and Daniel in the midst of people living unhappy, mistake-riddled, but still beautiful lives.

I had to wait a few extra days to write this review, just in case my feeling of ooooh my that was beautiful would wear off with some time away from the book. Of course, my love for a novel always dims somewhat when I’m no longer reading it, but my esteem for Yoon’s Swiss-watch plot and gorgeous prose has not lessened. This one gets a full five-stars (hah) from me, not just for the inventive structure and sweet romance, but for the fierce, uncompromising compassion written into every word.

Nominated for GoodReads Best Young Adult Fiction of 2016, The Sun is Also a Star is a poignant, sweet take on young adult love while exploring much more complex adult issues. Natasha, an undocumented immigrant, finds herself facing deportation amid her father’s missteps. Unwilling to accept their fate, Natasha seeks out a solution at the local immigration office in New York where they live. Meanwhile, Daniel, an American-born son of Korean immigrants finds himself on his way to entrance interview with an alumni for Yale where his parents have determined he will study to become a doctor.

While Natasha and Daniel are facing very different futures, their paths cross by a series of events that Daniel questions as to whether or not fate and destiny exist. Are all of life’s moments carefully orchestrated to lead up to the next to impact outcomes and events? Nicola Yoon successfully weaves a novel that tackles important philosophical issues through witty banter, short chapters, and insightful side characters/musings. Natasha is delightful in her scientific outlook on life whereas Daniel is determined to make Natasha a believer in love.

Yoon provides an insightful look into immigrant life amid the backdrop of New York City. Natasha and Daniel’s journey takes place over one day that is richly layered with details and characters. Although this book is a relatively quick read, this young adult novel hints at more sophisticated issues. However, the saccharine ending places The Sun is Also a Star firmly in the Young Adult category.

A National Book Award-nominated novel, the story focuses on a day in the life of two New York City teenagers and alternates the point of view we get to see their feelings about each other, their families, friends, neighborhoods, their world. Daniel, the son of Korean shop owners, is having an interview for a slot at Yale University and Natasha, whose Jamaican parents are in the country illegally, is in the process of being deported.

The young adult in our family, age 15, liked that the main characters acted their age and could be snarky and funny as teenagers can be. I liked that Daniel was a good kid - one who any family would be lucky to have.

From the author of the YA best-selling “Everything, Everything”.

Koi no yokan - "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." Loved, Loved, Loved this book! This was a beautifully written book that reads more like poetry. I could not put it down. Daniel and Natasha will take you one a roller coaster romance in one day; 24 hours! If you have any belief in love and the stars you will love this book.

One of the best young adults book I’ve read, this deals with the chance meeting of a Korean-American kid and an illegal immigrant from Jamaica. Is it fate or chance that brought Daniel, a senior who is expected to bring his parents’ American dream to reality, that of going to Yale and becoming a doctor, and Natasha, a senior who wants to be a data scientist together? It’s a very emotional day as Daniel and Natasha, form an instant bond, or at least Daniel does. What happens to them as Natasha tries (and fails) to figure out a way to keep them from being deported and Daniel comes to reject his parents’ dreams and make his life his own is wonderful, thought-provoking reading.

This book really made me think, as the title of my review suggests. I definitely feel like this is something everyone, as an adult or young person, should read. It is a quick and short read but it has so much important lessons in it. First off, there is diversity in representation with both Jamaican and Asian main characters, which is fantastic. Additionally, it tackles the issue of immigration and deportation, which is all too common in society today. I really loved the switching POVs in this book that even take the POVs of people the main characters pass and it makes you think about the butterfly effect, and how your actions affect others.

Awhile ago, I tried listening to the audiobook version of this. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and this one just didn’t grab me for some reason. I didn’t make it past the first few chapters.

But then I read (read read, not audio-read) Everything, Everything, and started to suspect The Sun is Also a Star deserved a second chance. The unconventional structure of Everything, Everything did it.

These are books meant to be read.

So read read, not audio read? Wow! This blew me away. I mean...wow.

I’m starting to wonder if I should start a blog, directing people to which format a book is best in. The Sun Is Also a Star? Physical book. Trust me.

"Hearts don't break, they just stop working..." This is part of a poem that Daniel writes when his relationship with Natasha is on the fritz. I can see this book as a movie, definitely a love story, perhaps two anime characters walking through gritty New York City, contending with the forces of love, loss, and storefront properties. I love how Yoon gives permission for us to enter their minds - each one, Natasha and Daniel, own enough freedom to tell you how they think, show what they feel. The city plays a big part in this book - it is the backdrop for the two interviews that are to take place in this one day. They walk together - to the park, to each others' houses. They fall in love. Then we see them, many years later, and I cannot answer whether they are better or worse for this encounter.

Aside from some racial rifts that made me uncomfortable, i loved this one. I loved the bits about natural black hair, I almost cried because thousands of people have read this book and learned about what we black girls struggle with when it comes to accepting and embracing our natural hair. I think because i was listening to it via audiobook, it confused me with how many times the narrative changed without proper warning but overall, I still thought it was an important book about immigration that goes beyond the typical immigrant story. The Natasha and Daniel were really adorable together and I loved the person who narrated for Daniel!

A great YA novel all about one day and all that can happen in that day. Natasha and Daniel are in very different circumstance. Natasha is being deported back to Jamaica that evening and Daniel has an interview to help him to get into Yale and get his career on the right path. They meet by chance or are they meant to be?

There are many other characters whose stories are also touched on and it all comes together in the end. Some events more surprising than others, but I loved the gradual reveal. The author does a wonderful job of telling about Natasha and Daniel's day together, and I really felt like I was there with them. A book like this one is why I love YA!

As an Asian American, it was extremely refreshing to read a book with an Asian male! I could relate to him on so many levels. Nicola Yoon, who is black and married to an Asian man, portrayed Daniel and his family in what I found to be an authentic and wholistic way. They're not perfect at all, but they're real. Natasha is spunky, and I love how Yoon doesn't shy away from the reality many immigrants face during deportation.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I read it in one evening. I'm usually not a huge fan of dual perspectives, but I think this was necessary. I also found it interesting that she included some chapters featuring third person narration of other characters.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sometimes a book is like walking off a cliff. You are just strolling along and boom it's 2 hours later and there are tears and a lump in your throat as you come back to reality.
I expected to enjoy this book but it was so much more than I expected. Natasha and Daniel are just so well written. And all the side characters were such a good addition. Connections. It's what life is. Mostly you don't see your impact on the side characters in your life or the happenstance encounters but this book gives you a glimpse. And it's amazingly beautiful. This is a brutiful story. One that it's easy to find something relatable in. This is a contemporary worth reading.

It took a little bit to get used to the format of this book. It jumps around between the character perspectives so you don't really have chapters. You get used to it pretty quickly though. I found the characters easy to connect with and felt the author did a good job highlighting their cultural differences without seeming too presumptuous or shoving it down your throat that the two main characters are different. The differences in their personalities were more important to the story and played well with each other. I felt myself getting more and more concerned for the outcome the closer I got to the end and was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I would recommend this for a lighter, quick read for people who enjoy a good story and feel torn between the rational and irrational sides of science and love.

I loved this book so much. But there is a mention of sex and there is kissing so it's not for kids. I really love how Nicola Yoon takes polar opposites, love and science, and makes them the same thing. A poetic boy who's going to Yale against his will, a hardcore scientist girl who's being deported because of her father's mistake. The unlikely pair find each other and go through several challenges. The book is well written and has a great plot and great characters. I really loved this book and I bet you will too.

Daniel is a true romantic. He believes everything happens for a reason and love at true sight can happen. Natasha is a science-minded teenager. She knows (and often has) an explanation for everything. Families, pasts and futures all have a voice in this YA novel. I loved the changing points of view. Also, the nonfiction sections were wonderful tools and additions to the novel. This is a novel that stays with you, keeps you thinking and believing in destiny. The ending gave me goosebumps. I couldn’t put it down!

“It’s hard to come from someplace or someone you’re not proud of. ‘You’re not your dad,’ I say, but he doesn’t believe me. I understand his fear. Who are we if not a product of our parents and their histories?” (page 144).

I think you really need to sit back and think about the messages in this book to enjoy it. The story was only ok to me, but everything behind the story is what I loved.

Two messages really stuck out to me:
Love is Enough
What a difference a day makes

Both are very true and this is a great story capturing these two ideas/life messages.

I loved how everything intertwined and you really see how certain small acts in your daily life can change everything and everyone in just one day. Overall, a good read.

I just finished reading The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon. This was a remarkable story of love, chance, and how connected we are all in the Universe. The characters were engaging and believable. I love how the story weaves the family immigrant stories into the fabric of Natasha and Daniel's love story. Her first book Everything, Everything is also excellent. Teens will love this book!

A truly amazing read and I'm an avid reader whom has read over 100 books this year and by far this is my best read of the year. I found myself smiling and laughing during the whole book. It's a book that will lift your spirit and inspire you. Typically I run away from love stories, but this one is nice, none of the traditional cheesy-ness of typical books of this genre. I love- love -love it.

3.5 Stars. I enjoyed the book even though it was a bit too long. The story is a modern day fairy tale about two 17-year olds who meet, fall in love, and are pulled apart, all in the course of one day. Telling the story from various viewpoints added depth to the story and made for a more interesting read. The characters are engaging and the writing lyrical.

Like a good cup of coffee, this book should be consumed slowly — savoring all the good parts.

Told in dueling points of view, Natasha and her family are being deported to Jamaica in 24 hours. Daniel has always done what’s expected of him in his family. When the two meet on a crowded NYC street, Daniel believes it may be fate while highly logical Natasha isn’t convinced — but perhaps he can convince her.

This story simply needed to be told. While Yoon expertly crafts characters that contain complex emotions, make mistakes, and feel incredible authentic, she also nailed the cultures represented throughout this story. Roots play a major role within these characters identities, and it could not have been executed more flawlessly. Yoon simply has an incredible talent of creating both plot and characters that make you want to follow them to the very last page.

This is closer to 3.5 stars, but closer to four than three, so I'm rounding up rather than down.

Have you seen the movie Before Sunrise? It's about a couple who meet and fall in love after spending one amazing night walking through Vienna together. It's bittersweet and deeply romantic. That's kind of what I was hoping The Sun is Also a Star would be like, and in a lot of ways it it. The romance works. It took a little time for me to feel it, but I did, and by book's end I was wholly invested in Natasha and Daniel and wanting them to find a way to stay together. I'm one of those cynical readers who roll my eyes when I encounter inta-love in a book, but Yoon made it work.

There is a lot of beauty in The Sun is Also a Star. The writing is lovely and engaging, and the characters all have weight and substance--although that brings me to something I could have done without; the "history" chapters scattered throughout. Some were on a topic, like the etymology of a word, but most focused on a tertiary or even a quaternary character and their lives. Again, Yoon writes well, so these were all done well and connected in someway to the main characters, but for a book that already struggled with slow pacing, they weren't my favorite.

Of the two big YA titles coming out this season that focus on a teen girl trying to stop her family from being deported and unexpectedly falling in love at the same time (The Sun is Also a Star and Something In Between by Melissa de la Cruz), without question, The Sun is Also a Star is the better book in every respect. The writing, the characters, the treatment of the deportation topic, everything is done much, much better in this book.

Overall, I still really like Nicola Yoon's writing. I loved Everything Everything and expected to be just as entranced by The Sun is Also a Star, but it fell just a little short in comparison. The one day romance did win me over, and I had a lot of feels while reading, but the plot wasn't as dynamic, and the pacing dragging in places, mostly in the beginning. Going back to the Before Sunrise movie comparison, I can see The Sun is Also a Star translating almost better as a movie than a book. The dialogue sings and a killer score would only enhance the emotional weight already in the book, and the pacing would be tightened. Hopefully, this book with attract the same Hollywood attention that Everything Everything did. Either way, this is a solid, heartfelt read.

Swoonworthy and totally lived up to the hype. A sweet, romantic story that explores the uncertainties of being undocumented, of multiple ethnic backgrounds, and of society in general, interspersed with snippets from the POV of so many supporting characters and wonderfully developed, funny, and flawed main characters. Also sprinkled were chapters that were basically microhistories on various topic related to the scene in the preceding/forthcoming chapters- etymology, African American hair, the Museum of Natural History.. you get the idea. A one-sitting rollercoaster of emotions.

Another beautiful read by Nicola Yoon, with unforgettable characters and a story that will stay with you long after you've finished the last page. The Sun is Also a Star is the stunning second book by this author and is surely bound for the New York Times bestseller list! I loved the simplistic beauty of Yoon's writing, the interaction of her characters, and the perfect way she ended this story.

I loved the characters, even the minor ones, and especially liked the ending. Aspects of the story could have easily felt improbable, but the truth behind the characters kept that from happening. I liked how the focus stayed human rather than political- I think that choice made the book more effective. I didn't want the story to end, I hope there might eventually be a sequel. If you like character driven stories, read this one.

A beautiful love story that is so much more. Multifaceted and multicultural. I am always looking for beautiful diversity in books, and this did not disappoint.

Told from multiple view points, with the main characters being a young Jamaican girl about to be deported from The United States, and Daniel; a Korean American who doesn't really want to lead the life he parents what him to.

Such a beautiful tale of family, race, and expectations. Science, chance, or fate. 5 stars for me.

Good story though at the beginning, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get into it. I thought it was better after the first couple chapters. It went from being a bit sad to really great at the very end. I wish there would have been an epilogue. I would like to read the other story by this author. I borrowed this book from my online Library.

I think I love this even more than Everything, Everything, if that's possible. This is everything I expected from a Nicola Yoon Book: stunningly gorgeous writing, thoughtful, philosophical, swoony, romantic, impossible to put down, utterly real characters. Natasha and Daniel are both so vivid and perfectly drawn, and everything Yoon weaves in about immigration and family and race is so timely and important. It's days later and I'm still thinking about it this book.

A stunning novel from Nicola Yoon that will leave you breathless. Natasha and Daniel meet after a series of seemingly coincidental events link together to bring the two together on a street corner in New York City. Daniel at once is smitten with Natasha, and spends the day convincing her of their destiny. Natasha, however, holds a secret: at the end of the day, her family will be deported to Jamaica. As a sweet love between the two blooms, monologues from a cast of secondary characters illustrate the racism, heartbreak, and even hope that their love affair ignites in others.

Beautifully written, Yoon captures the innocence and the all-consuming feeling of falling in love for the first time. Her shifts in perspective to include various characters allow readers to feel a multitude of sentiments, all the while layering her characters and connecting them in a kaleidoscope of ways. Prepare to fall in love with this novel, and don't be embarrassed to let a sigh of "that was perfect" escape your lips as you close the final page. Witty characters in the style of John Green and a wistful romance a la Sarah Dessen combine to give this novel appeal to so many readers. Highly recommended!

I have not read Nicola Yoon's other book but I will be putting it on my tbr. This book was really good and I enjoyed it. Even though the story takes place in one day it didn't feel rushed. Natasha likes science and is very logical. Daniel uses science to convince Natasha to fall in love with him. Only thing is is that Natasha is going to be deported. i found this book to be very interesting and even though I don't like insta love this didn't feel that way.

Do we control our own destiny, or is there such thing as fate? Are some things meant to be?
The Sun is Also a Star explores these types of beliefs, and weaves the stories of Daniel and Natasha with everyone they meet on one particular day in NYC. In John Green-esque prose Yoon wraps up everything nicely, even if not always happily, including glimpses into some of the character's futures.

I burst into tears at the end of this, surprising myself because I do not cry easily. This was so well written, beautifully done, and so emotional. I love Natasha and Daniel and I rooted for them from the very beginning. I love the interjections of everyone else's story and how everything interconnected. Highly recommended.

Let me begin by saying that I bought this book to read over winter break. It arrived today and I read it in under 5 hours in one sitting. This book is one of the best pieces of writing I have ever read. I have never been able to so vividly picture characters in a story, but as I read it was all playing out in my head as if it were a movie I never wanted to end. The ability of the author to capture so many emotions, parallels between characters, and also make you connect with and root for the smallest of characters in the book is phenomenal. I have never experienced such deep connections to a story, and the ending will rock your world. This book is full of love, anger, trust, love, betrayal, fate, and more, and I could've never asked for a better story to bless my Saturday night. Please read this book!!

This book is special. The whole 384 pages all take place in a single day. This book makes you think about how even the smallest things can affect some big things. It really shows you how everything has to fall together, and without one thing, everything would fall apart. The book almost sets up a puzzle in your mind that you put together as you read into the book.

This was one of my favorite books, I couldn’t stop reading it! It kept you on edge, waiting for the next thing to happen. It all made sense. All these random people and moments were all tied up into the ending leaving no loose threads. The ending could make anyone smile.

I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up, there were some romantic elements to the story that I think would be best for more mature audiences. But I would recommend this to anyone, whether they like romance or not. I picked this book up not know it was romance and I still really enjoyed the book!!

I had no idea what to expect when I read this book. I loved Everything Everything and wanted to read anything else Ms. Yoon had written. Needless to say I love this book as well. It to me proves love at first sight, chances, coincidences and fate do exist and do at times work together!

Over the course of one day, circumstances continue to push Natasha and Daniel together, encouraging their quick fall into love, and despite the slight implausibility of the basic premise, this book is an adorable whirlwind of YA romance. I loved the practical-versus-poetic banter the couple exchanges throughout the day, and I appreciated the way Yoon doesn’t shy away from addressing challenges of immigration, race, and family.

Let me preface by saying this is not the typical genre that I read, romance and true love are just not something I look for in books. However, this book was really great! It was funny, sad, frustrating all at the perfect moments. I found the characters lovable and real. I tend to read a lot of heavy sad books and I think I needed to read a book like this, it was incredibly charming and a book I truly think anyone would like.

Well written, but the whirlwind romance in a day was just... too unbelievable for me. Especially making out in a Korean karaoke bar? And also how much they traveled around in one day. I did like the ending, and I liked the peeks into other people's lives that interact with the two main characters, and I liked the diverse main characters. But the focus of the book is the romance and it just didn't do it for me.

★¸¸.•*¨*•★Minor spoilers alert★•*¨*•.¸¸★
Writing style: Multiple POVs - this was more challenging to follow in the audiobbok format that I primarily read it!
•*¨*•
Cover and chapter design: it’s and colorful and bright which symbolizes the hope this novel left me feeling. The chapter headings have a cool symbolic design particular to each character’s POV, a very nice graphic touch!
•*¨*•
Dual format – Yes or No?: Kind of. I own an autographed copy of the paperback ARC. I read Nicola’s author note – loved it! – and tried to search for the quotes I heard and loved while listening to the audiobook format. Plus, I just like to pet the textured finish on the paperback. I love it so much!
•*¨*•
Lead Characters: Natasha and Daniel
•*¨*•
Supporting characters:
There are quite a lot of them since pretty much anyone Natasha and Daniel came into contact with during the course of their twelve hours of intersecting got a point of view. I was most annoyed with the lawyer, Jeremy Fitzgerald. Gah, I wanted to shake him really hard at his huge mistake! “Mistakes change lives, dude!” That’s what I would have yelled at him if he were real and standing in front of me to admonish.
•*¨*•
Story rating: ★★★★☆ - ★★★★½
Once I was able to keep the varying points of view straight, I really got into this day in a life love story. It was reflective, realistic and yet dynamic and romantic. I was worried I’d have to put Nicola on my do not read again list when I got through reading the very last chapter. But she saved me from having to do that with the jump into the future epilogue.

Random things I loved about this story:
Observable facts

History of – the characters, hair, eyes, etc.

Natasha and Daniel’s first lunch date (her liking his ponytail and butt, lol!) and his karokee reaction to her singing

Natasha and Daniel’s argument

Daniel’s fight with Charlie

His dad’s speech to him about not caring about what he wants; not telling his sons their history

Natasha’s maybe we aren’t meant to have so much time with people we love; maybe only love is best in the 1st act only

Natasha and Daniel’s rooftop conversation – God is the connection of the very best part of us (paraphrased); how being with Natasha makes Daniel his best self (paraphrased)

I meant to go back and find these moments in my paperback copy, but I haven’t had time to do so yet which was holding up the review. I hope to do so when I reread it in the future.

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Coming up next:
I would read another novel by Nicola Yoon in a heartbeat. She has really unique storytelling voice that I find intriguing and very engaging.

Do you believe in love at first sight? You will after reading this lovely book. I stated up for hours to finish it - it's written so beautifully. A true American Romeo and Juliet story between an undocumented Jamaican immigrant girl and a Korean-American boy. Their emotional story takes place over the course of one fateful day, and ends up impacting many others along the way. I look forward to reading other books by this author!

A beautiful story of love and how one day can change your entire life. Natasha is practical, Daniel is a poet. It makes no sense for them to fit together, but when they meet by chance neither of their lives will ever be the same, nor will the lives of those around them.

I love how Yoon's writing flows, how she includes snippets of lesser characters within the narrative, and how it all works together to make a gorgeous story. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

I love that in this book Nicola Yoon opened up the world of the secondary characters and as we learned about their lives their lives were woven in the plot. I loved Natasha's and Daniel's journey to fight what they want I found the love story touching. The characters were interesting and all developed. I found this story magical and refreshing.

Yoon uses a single Fall day as a backdrop to two complicated young people as they set about the business of falling in love. The story Yoon presents is, like it’s backdrop, crisp and almost painfully in focus, as she reminds us what our lives were like at 17.

Natasha, a self-proclaimed science geek, has until 10:00 P.M. to save her undocumented family from being deported. Fate brings her to Daniel, a lover of passion and poetry, on what she describes as the very worst day. They spend the day together, a science experiment of their own creation.
Yoon weaves an intricate story full of culture, religion, knowledge, power, selflessness, risk, and, of course, love. This book is for anyone whose own life is full of searching and yearning, a sweet reminder that fate can come alongside and knock us wonderfully off course when we least expect it.
The Sun Is Also a Star

This book was an awesome rollercoaster! Because each chapter is told from another characters perspective it felt like a conversation between them but the deepest conversation to be privy to. The conclusion leaves you wondering about where the characters go from here!

Natasha’s family is about to get deported to Jamaica – a place that is not her home – and is clinging to one last chance to stay in NYC. Daniel has always been the good son, and is starting to question why he never took a different path. The two meet and take us all on a day full of hope, fear, family, possibility, and fight. What will happen to these teenagers when the day is over?

You won’t be able to stop turning the pages until you find out. This is yet another of Yoon’s books that I hugged to my chest when it was over. Strong teen voices, universal family themes, love, incredible writing that made me see everything through the eyes of each thoroughly-drawn character. Color me charmed by Yoon's storytelling, and depend on me to buy whatever she writes next.

I enjoyed this but the reason why I gave three stars was because after a while I became annoyed with Natasha and Daniel's perfect love. I was a lot more interested in the minor characters' stories like Irene's, Fitzgerald's, or Samuel's. It was a good read though. Classic teenage love story.

I was finishing reading this book in my school library and just started to cry right there. First of all, I loved the format of this book and Nicola Yoon's style. I loved the way she used different character's perspectives. I love the coincidences and surprises, even near the end of the book when I didn't think there could be more surprises. This book is not typical, the characters are not typical, and the world it created is so real. I love how human everyone in this book is and I love how things don't always work as you would expect.

Amazing, 10/10 would recommend

Annie

I love stories where everyone is connected. Like the movie Crash. All of our lives are interwoven. We depend and rely on each other.

The smallest kindness can be immeasurable to someone in need of a boost.

I loved this book and didn't want it to end.

Yet another amazing book by Nicola Yoon!! I absolutely loved this story!!!
She did a stellar job illustrating that we are all connected in some way, shape or form. And that our actions have an effect on one another-whether it's direct or indirect. History plays a huge role in how cultures and personalities are formed. And Yoon did a fantastic job intertwining background history with what was going on in the story, so you could better understand where some of the characters were coming from.
Nicola Yoon has become one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to read what she writes next. <3 <3 <3 <3

Like many people, I was more aware of the book/movie Everything Everything. However, this book stands out as the individual love story between Daniel and Natasha + seemingly random events/people.

It showcases the talent of Nicola Yoon who is now one of my favorite authors.

Spins an excellent tale...of life and love. Loved it's NYC foundation. Real characters, situations,and real life especially relevant to the events of our sad time. Give hope and demonstrates the courage of Dreamers.

I just loved it. It was so much better than I expected based on some of the Goodreads reviews. I wish it was longer, but at the same time, think it was perfect the way it was. Great main characters, and even though I didn't like him, Charlie was something else.

I don't get the hype. Riddled with cliches, especially "laugh" and "smile," paper thin characters act 17, which they are. For a book that feels really long for what it is. Five stars for an interesting title and cover art, though.

I was interested in reading this book because I liked Nicola Yoon's other book Everything Everything and figured I'd give this one a try as well. I'm glad I did. I liked this book even more than Everything Everything. It was super deep and makes you want to cry and hope for the characters all at once. I don't want to reveal too much but I think it's really good read that draws you in. My only wish is that there was more to the epilogue. ?

This is a wonderful novel, just chock full of heart and insight. I love the fact that the author not only created an easy to love and root for pair in her main characters, but she let us see the inside real selves of even the most peripheral of the minor characters, and all this done with a keen understanding of humanity.

I read this book in two days. I could not put it down. Not only did the story have me hooked, but I really enjoyed Nicola Yoon's writing style, too.

I haven't ready "Everything, Everything," but after reading "The Sun Is Also a Star," I definitely plan to.

I was taken aback by every page in this story. Uniquely, the author combines science & poetry as the two main ingredients. Somehow these two elements become intertwined (through Natasha & Daniel). Symbolically, I can see how chemistry is formed here. Yoon fearlessly conveyed how love is what our universe lacks.

The author captures perfectly the magic and madness of falling in love. This story feels like a lifetime in a single day.
I also loved the way she illuminated the hidden dramas going on behind seemingly insignificant interactions with strangers we might meet on any given day.
Is there really an overarching purpose behind every detail of life? I’m still not convinced.
But isn’t it pretty to think so?

Not quite the ending I was hoping for ... but love the "multiple universe" logic. And I loved the open endedness that happened in the epilogue.

Very well written to get multiple scenarios and lives to intersect in the amount only one single day.

The Sun Is Also a Star is an incredibly good read. It tugged on your emotions, making you believe in love, science and even coincidences. Nicola Yoon made you empathize with each character, understanding and accepting challenges that everyone faces daily, while rooting for the two protagonist. I honestly couldn't put the book down because I needed to know how it ended, yet I didn't want the book to end because of how emotionally involved it made me feel. I cannot wait to read other books by Nicola Yoon!

This book. Wow. This was unlike anything I have ever read. Tasha and Daniel's stories grabbed me from the very first moments. The Sun Is Also a Star is a story that is so touching and heart breaking and so so beautiful! I want to reread it again already.

Btw.. Tears still flowing.

My experience reading this book was exceptional. I read this book because my little brother picked it out and bought to for me with my dad when I was away on a school trip. I also was interested because many of my friends suggested it to me as well. One of the main conflicts in this book involve deportation and being the children of immigrants. I highly suggest this book to anyone who enjoyed Romeo and Juliet: Natasha and Daniel tell a modern take on the tale of star crossed lovers torn apart because of something greater than themselves.

I was pleasantly surprised with the flow of this book. It has a cadence that keeps your interest. The story is so beautifully written! I love how we learn enough about each character to aid in the structure and how the author easily provided resolution. We aren't left hanging or wondering about any of the pertinent characters.

This book honestly tore up my heart. I've always believed in love, but this book made my belief even stronger and feel more intense. I became connected to the characters faster than I thought I would, and was invested in their lives and decisions. I highly recommend this book, whether you believe in true love or doubt it.

This book was breathtaking. Truly. There were so many wonderful components from the perspective changes to the outside veiws it was beautiful. Not only was the story complex and well done, there were elements of research and understanding that went beyond the surface. Truly wonderful. I only wish it hadn't ended!

AH Nicola Yoon is like everyone said and an AMAZING author! This story is so cute and fun, so delightful and imaginative, characters with their own voices, a story you can really commit too! I can't imagine my life without having read this book, you should definitely check it out!

Beautiful story, well written. I can't praise Nicole Yoon enough. This story made me smile the entire book.. and then it made me kind of... give a melancholy smile at some parts.. then smile big again. I was in another world while reading The Sun Is Also A Star. A hopeful, butterfly-in-the-stomach, optimistic sort of story. I loved it.

Loved this book, its so much more than a romance. Its the plight, sentiments and dreams of immigrants. The heartbreak of first love that ends because the timing is not right, not because anyone did anything wrong. (I feel,like most breakups stories there's always cheating, on glad this was something way less formulaic) This book rang true for me in so many ways. So glad I read it.

Beautifully written. The novel not only incorporated topics on race and family customs but also a love story. Once I picked this book up I couldn't put it down, the way the author made the whole novel flow was absolutely fantastic. Yoon made a love story seem not so predictable all the while incorporating important societal issues. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to cry a little, laugh a little, and also learn a little about how different races can come together.

Calling all book lovers, this book is the one you've been searching for. It has all the right words in all the right moments and an intensity that makes you want to read more to see whats next. I reccomend this book for everyone, Nichola Yoon is a true artist which is why I'm giving it five stars.

I just finished reading this book and it is hands-down one of the best books I have read in a long time. The way this book made me feel and think, is remarkable. In a world full of people who don't believe in love and in its worth; this books makes you understand that even though you can't see it, or don't believe in it, it doesn't mean it isn't there!

I really tried to love this book but I couldn't which explains why it took me so long to write a review. I would read the book and then get easily bored, pick It up and and the. The cycle repeats it's self. I found myself rolling my eyes plenty of time, it just was too much lazy writing.

This book is so special. The romance is completely winning, but beyond that, it makes you think about what it means to be a human and where you fit into our world. And it tackles modern issues like immigration and racism in such refreshing ways. I cried reading it and then cried while summarizing it to someone. It's that good.

I picked up this book after reading Everything, Everything. “The Sun Is Also A Star” shines amongst other young adult novels. The diversity in characters as well as the plot line was a nice change of pace. This is a book that you won’t be able to put down once you start reading.

I could not put this book down. The writing is beautiful, the characters are vivid and real, the love story is all tangled up with race and immigration and perceptions and identity. One of my favorite books in a long time.

All of the moving pieces fell into place beautifully. This story helps you see all of the other stories that exist around you and think for a moment how they may possibly intersect. I love a book that makes me examine the world and people around me.

Meet your next great read: THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR. By Nichola Yoon. If you're one of those readers in love with the idea of destiny, who believes we are all connected in strange and unforeseen ways, this is for you. Smart. Easy. Very compelling.

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?

This book is very well written however it is aimed at a younger reader who is in their teens to early 20’s. 3*

This book is the epitome of all things good. If you think love isn't real and it's just a facade, this book is for you. If you love love and a great love story, this book is for you. Please take the time and care to read this book. I can almost guarantee if you soak in the words, you'll love this novel.

Such creative and intriguing writing. This story represents the universal hope that we all hang onto: there is someone out there that is our match, made to love us and be loved by us. What a wonderful story! Great read!

Loved it! An imaginative, tender, and realistic portrait of young love in the modern age. Touches wonderfully on themes of science, grunge rock, and immigration. Can't wait to read Everything, Everything.

The Sun is Also a Star is a lovely read and an important one. It's like a 101 class on human empathy. It brings you into the minds of people you may not relate to in order to understand why they may do the things they do or think the way they do. It does an amazing job at bringing humanity to people that others don't even notice.

A book that keeps you flipping till the very end. It is absolutely realistic, no miraculous endings or clichés. I've learned so much from it, and no matter how many times I read it, I still cry. A MUST READ!

The book in itself is well written and alludes to very important themes such as immigration and family dynamics. I also like how Yoon developed her characters. However, it's supposed to be this epic love story that just wasn't believable to me.

This story moves along well. Not too predictable and not your typical teen romance. I didn't find myself getting annoyed with the characters as with other young adult books due to them being unbelievable.

I RECIEVED THIS BOOK FOR MY BIRTHDAY BACK IN NOVEMBER (OFC) AND LET ME JUST SAY I'VE READ IT 3 TIMES SO FAR!! IM COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK. As a teen this book makes me want to scream with excitement!!

Oh wow, Nicola Yoon has done it again. The Sun is Also a Star is amazingly written and life changing to say the least. The relevancy it has to today's world is impeccable. All I have to ask is, is there a book 2 in the works?

YA genre is a wide one and I️ really enjoy some but some are definitely only wonderful when you are a teen and this is one of them. It is well written and I️ like that the couple are different ethnicities but after all is said and done this is a cute teenage romance.

I couldn't finish this.. I know it's YA which isn't my typical genre but I had heard so many great things! Unfortunately I just could not connect to the characters at all. Daniel in particular was just obnoxious to me. I REALLY wanted to like it.

I have two problems with this book.

The smaller problem is the format, which alternates between the hero and heroine, as each tells the story of their love, as it develops, between two young people, their families, their neighborhoods, their ethnicities. This quick alteration is a bit annoying, and it prevents the novel from building.

The larger problem is that I found the relationship trite and insipid.

Not interesting. Cliché?

As these two face the layered cultural baggage each brings to the table, you start to feel like this is a modern, cosmopolitan after-school special. Not two real people, but two symbols and learning tools...

If you own the romance, the book works, if not.... and not for me.

The Sun is Also (One) Star. This book takes cliche literary tropes to their maximum definition. While the story may tug at the reader's heartstrings, that is the book's only merit. There is very little that is novel about this novel. The dialogue is flat and unrealistic. The character development is forced and unbelievable. The plot is contrived and convenient. There is a commodity one gains when they sympathize with minorities and political correctness, but diversity and inclusion are worth more than a poor piece of writing wrapped up in a fantastical, mediocre book.