The Sun is Also a Star - Nicola Yoon

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Blurb (on back of book): Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

MY OPINION: ****

I think the big issue with this book was that it really wasn't for me. I completely understand why it was so loved and so hyped about but for me particularly, I just don't think it clicked.

However, I did love all of the little bits and pieces that made up this book and seeing how everything fit together and how one little incident can change everything really made the story completely beautiful and well thought-out.

This book. It's been on my to-read for a LONG time. I've had it sitting in a stack of books that I currently own but have not read yet for over one year. I did start it once at one point but never got around to finishing it.

It's told from two points of view over the span of one day. It was amazing to see how much can really happen in about 12 hours between two complete strangers.

Natasha Kingsley. She's an illegal immigrant from Jamaica and it's on that day that her family is set to be deported. She's trying to do everything she can to stop it from happening. I liked her character. Natasha was a cynical, pessimistic, realist who I could really relate to. She tended to look more on the real side of things, the science and logic behind events, rather than looking on the bright side and believing in things like fate and true love. She has this small view of the world and she tends to keep to her own perspective. This all changes when we meet Daniel.

Daniel Bae. He's from a Korean-American family, he's set to go to Yale (second-best school), become a doctor, and live his life. He, however, is an aspiring poet who is being forced to be something he's not because of his parents. He was definitely relatable and I found myself liking Daniel more than Natasha throughout the books. He believes in things like falling love in a day and he's intuitive and maybe a little introverted.

Daniel and Natasha meet and it's not insta-love. I loved this aspect of the story. It wasn't like true love at first sight. However, as we watch the day go by, we see how they start to come together and accept that they are "meant to be". I did think that sometimes the romance felt a little forced and unrealistic but maybe that's just my opinion.

The ending was sadly predictable and while I knew it was going to happen, I found it very unsatisfying. I mean, I read through all of the book only to get that? I mean, what happens after? I need a sequel or spin-off or novella to tell me what happens to the characters!

Both Daniel and Natasha deal with immense family issues. Daniel's parents are forcing him to be something he's not. His brother, Charlie, is an asshole. He's legitimately not a good person. He doesn't have respect for his culture, his parents, or who he is. He is rude to Natasha when he first meets her, he beats up his brother for the heck of it, and he's shamed the family by getting kicked out of Harvard (best school) for a couple of semesters. He's always been the golden boy and when he makes a mistake, Daniel is forced to step up and become the son he's forced to be. Natasha, on the other hand, is poor, lives in a one-bedroom apartment, and blames her dad for everything. Her dad really was at fault for their entire deportation dilemma. He did want to follow his dream but I think he was selfish and didn't care enough about his family.

Throughout this book, we get snippets of "histories" of love and hair and eyes and other random things that directly correlate with the book. They're short and sweet and I loved reading all of these little insights to what is going on. We also get histories of random characters that would ordinarily fade into the background but instead are brought out into the spotlight. We get to see how little actions can affect major problems and we see how everything is all indirectly related to one another.

The book is rather slow-paced but I mean, what can you expect from a 300-page book about one day? I liked how the chapters were mostly short and simple because I feel like I could read the book faster and with more efficiency than if they were long drawling chapters. I would recommend this book to readers looking for a clever insight into our universe, love, and the little things that make up relationships.

Main Character: Natasha, Daniel
Sidekick(s): EACH OTHER
Villain(s): One day, little things, misunderstanding, deportation, too little time, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.