The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

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!