Review: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

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?

Review: I had this book recommended to me so many times and it can go either way when that happens, either you believe the hype but then you're disappointed or all the hype turns out to be the truth. Thankfully the latter was the case with this book!

This books had me hooked in right from the start and I read it in one sitting! It is written in dual narrative with some bonus chapters from extra characters that pop up here and there scattered throughout the story. This gave the book great pace, and despite the fact that it takes place over just one day, this book is a compelling, fast paced read that has depth and structure and a terrific storyline.

You really feel invested in these characters right from the word go. I thought it was interesting having a character who was born in the US, but whose parents are Korean. I've not read about a character like that before! Natasha, was not born in the United States but in Jamaica, and again, I've not read about a Jamaican character before, so that was a really interesting aspect for me.

The characters we get to meet along the way in this book were also really interesting. I enjoyed the fact that we learned about a security guard who works at the Embassy, a lawyer, their parents and they really do all get their own little chameo chapters which was interesting! This book also has facts interwoven into the chapters, so for example there is a little factfile on eyes, on love, on the universe and other facts and I really liked that these were in there, they made a great addition to the book and gave the storyline that little bit of extra depth.

I loved the way this book began and ended. It really made me believe in fate but in a real life situation. This book is realistic and so I think that's why it resonated with me just so much. I loved the setting as well, wandering around New York city with these characters was so much fun!

Obviously this book tackles the issues of immigration, of race and ethnicity and of the expectations that our families, society and that we put on ourselves. And yet, at no point were these rammed down my throat as a reader. They were dealt with well, I feel they gave me a deeper understanding and I really loved this book-I'm sure you will too!

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