The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Raymond Lee, Dominic Hoffman
Release Date: November 1, 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press / Listening Library
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 978-0553496680
Running Time: 8 hours and 4 minutes
Source: Received Audiobook From Publisher
Add it to Goodreads
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?
***
Where do I even begin? Yoon just keeps raising the stakes. I loved this. In fact, this review will basically be a list of all of the things that I loved. So I hope you love the word love because you’ll see it a lot here.
In this novel, we follow Natasha, a Jamaican born high school student living undocumented in America…who will be deported with her family within the next 24 hours. And Daniel, an American born Korean who is struggling with whether to be the perfect son for his parents or go after his dreams. Two New York immigrants living two very different lives.
When it comes to Natasha and Daniel…I love that Daniel has dreams, has such a passion for love and life, and Natasha does not embrace any of that. She’s a girl of science and he’s a boy with soul. Even moreso, I love that they don’t try to change each other but over time, they unknowingly allow themselves to learn from each other and grow with each other in themselves, in science, faith, in, love, and with fate.
I love that this story takes place over the course of one day. I love that we meet Natasha and Daniel separately before we see them come together. I absolutely love the very complex relationship dynamics among these two but not just these two, their families. Each family member was so distinct and full of life and real.
If you’ve read Yoon’s debut, Everything, Everything, then you know that her writing style, her storytelling is very unique. The same can be said here though in a completely different way. This time, we get multiple perspectives which gives us a look into the lives and futures, outcomes of not just Natasha and Daniel but the minor characters as well, in a way that I’ve never seen before. It’s glorious. This story was filled with such a rich history on not just Natasha and Daniel’s cultures and families and selves but its minor characters as well as its major and minor themes.
Yoon takes the time, I repeat, takes the time to dive into why certain cultural markers are significant. It’s not glossed over. There’s no bias. She just presents the facts. And it flows seamlessly into the story. Whether we’re discovering how Koreans took over the Black hair industry or learning about the science behind falling in love. Speaking of love, it’s so clear that every moment poured into this book was a labor of love and books like this make me so happy.
Not only was this such a beautiful book, it was such a powerful book that touched on so many important topics and not at all in an overwhelming way. In fact, I warmly welcomed everything that came my way. I also must mention that I loved Yoon’s attention to detail and her imagery, really making the city of New York come alive and show its beating heart.
Finally, I listened to the audiobook of this and wow, if there’s one audiobook from 2016 that you get this year, let it be this one. There are multiple narrators and they are all so fantastic. Especially if you’re planning a road trip or want a summer romance beach read, get this book and in audiobook form. I’m not saying to sit on this for six months. But if you find that you haven’t read or listened to this by that point, do not miss the opportunity to do so then. It’s perfect summer reading. But, really, it’s perfect year round because the story itself is timeless.
My only fault is quite silly because this book does not shy away from the fact that it is a book that’s got insta-love. It’s basically part of the premise of the story. And yet. If you can suspend your disbelief and just let yourself go on this ride, it will be so, so worth it. But if you’re going grumble about insta-love, boy, are you missing out. This is one of those exceptions because this is exceptional. This is definitely one of my favorite audiobooks ever and I’m sure it will be one of my favorite reads of the year. So if you’ve got this book in your possession, read it. And if you don’t, you want a copy of this book, trust.
Favorite Lines:
He’s very persuasive and she likes to be persuaded.
You did all of the things that you’re supposed to and you’re still not happy.
I wonder if she realizes how passionate she is about not being passionate.
Hearts don’t break. It’s just another thing that poets say.
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon is available now.