Nicola Yoon’s books are definitely illustrious in the book community. I’ve heard so many things about her works that I knew sooner or later I’ll read something of hers as well. As it seems, the time has come.

The Sun Is Also A Star centers around a science-minded girl who is trying to keep her family from being deported, a romantic boy on his way to an interview, and everything in between. Natasha doesn’t believe in fate while Daniel is convinced their meeting is anything but chance. As they spend the day together, he tries to convince her that they belong together by the way of the universe. Natasha is determined not to prove him right, but as they spend the day together Daniel’s words start to make sense.

I’ve been eyeing this book for a long time, partly because of the hype and mostly because of the cover. I saw it at the city book fair’s foreign editions stall and it was in that moment that it was decided that I’ll definitely be reading it (because at least I can find a copy here, which is a rarity.) Then I saw it on NetGalley and well, here I am. (Granted, a few months late, but still here.) To be quite honest, it’s been a month and I still don’t know how I feel about this book exactly.

The writing style is nice and distinctive. It captures both Natasha’s science-oriented mind and Daniel’s poetry-inclined character perfectly without the two bleeding into each other. I also really enjoyed the added perspectives – they remind you that each person you pass has their own story to live and write about. There were also some nice science facts, which I greatly appreciated. Everything tied together very nicely.

The characters, by themselves, were well-written and I enjoyed getting to know them. Natasha’s struggle and her determination to do anything possible not to have her family deported stick out and I wish we’d gotten more of that side of the story. I enjoyed Daniel’s side as well, feeling his parents’ pressure and his internal dilemma with following through with their expectations or following his own dreams. The book looks light and fun, but it holds some real weight and its characters carry it all on their shoulders.

The reason I’m still not sure how I feel about this book is the romance part – which takes up a huge chunk. On the one hand, I found it cute and lightweight, it made me smile. But on the other hand, it was a little weird to me how all of these emotions surfaced in the span of a day. As a lover of the slowest of slow burns, this love didn’t capture me as it was intended to. I guess I’m kind of a blend of Natasha and Daniel in this case. The ending still made me tear up, so I’ve got to give bonus points.

Overall, The Sun Is Also A Star offers a little something for everyone. It’s a cute book about love, science, some quite important topics, and all the things in between. If we put the rushed romance (I’m aware it was supposed to be this way, but still) this book is quite a good read.

A mixed junction of fate, love, desires and teenage dreams!

Wow. I haven't read much lately and due to many factors I find myself leaning on young adult books to overcome this reading slump with lighter reads. Which is kind of odd and even a bit funny, since I almost stopped reading young adult books a long time because I can't find myself enjoying them as much as I did in the past. Nevertheless, I'm still keen of a good story and "The Sun is Also a Star" had all the right ingredients to get my attention. Starting by the author's nationality.
Ever since I started thinking and preparing the project of the World Book Tour (now in partnership with my friends Cata and Jojo ) I started to look out not only for books representing diverse public segments but also different authors, with different experiences and a wider spectrum of analysis. And this book had it all: a Jamaican author, Jamaican characters, Korean characters, and a bit of youthful, confrontation between a magical fate and logic and some scents of the historical paths that brought two different branches of immigration to the United States of America.
It's also a test to life in general, calling the readers to decide where is the line that divides a predisposed destiny and the cadence of small happenings which, in the end, transform who we are and what are our next steps.
Firstly I considered a bit annoying all the parallel stories to which I couldn't find a reason for them to appear constantly, since they interrupted the main plot quite often and line of the story I was designing on my mind. Therefore, I understood near the end their purpose and I could even understand the little magic created from them. It's amazing to conceal how small moments and differences can change someone's life! Nevertheless, they weren't my favourite part of the story for sure.
Natasha and Daniel couldn't be more different from each other. That's why it's so lovely to find them in love, surpassing the inconveniences of family's expectations, emotional baggage, a timeline they can't avoid and their personal insights about how life should be or shouldn't be lived.
It's a love story, but it's also a bit more than that, fruitfully resulting from the dimensions created by their family stories. In the middle of all the unbelievable situations and actions during that 24 hours, that elements added new memories and moments for both of them to cherish. This book also adds a dimension of real life, when discussing that being a teenage is not always so easy as it seams, since many of the major decisions responsible for defining our future are taken so early.
Because of that, I felt there was a realm of reality claiming to make the readers think about what they are expecting to build on their paths (or what they did in the past) and what it means at the present moment. It's also a lucky charm against blue days, because I doubt that someone isn't going to fall for Daniel, he has that spirituous and free mind we all would like to keep on us (even just a little) every time we see ourselves on the mirror, besides he is a dearest and it's impossible not to smile at his blind faith in the world.
Finally, I enjoyed the last chapter, it felt realistic and honest and as sincere as it could get. Until the author decided to add that small plot twist at the very last. Even if I still understand why she did it, I find it a bit pushed. I just hope her choice was done due the need to create a more enjoyable ending for her readers and not because she thought her readers couldn't handle a bit of factual happenings and life in general. Because every young person conscious about the world knows life isn't perfect and many times isn't fair either. But it always teach us something and leave marks to never be forgotten. If not by memory, at least by heart.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the story, the coming together of two characters that seemingly are from different backgrounds: Jamaican and Korean but in reality share the experience of being children of immigrants. I loved the chapters of contextualisation interspersed between Natasha and Daniel's points of view. It is tale that feels very relevant in times when people are being uprooted and deported left, right and centre.
This book is poetic, funny and thought provoking.

Fun, cute, and romantic, Nicola Yoon’s latest book definitely has the “awww” factor! Its a YA contemporary that will give you the feels and keep you entertained! Ok. So yes there was some istalove going on, and usually I really hate that, but with The Sun Is Also A Star it somehow seemed to work really well. It was unique and touched on some really important issues while still keeping that adorableness that keeps you smiling and turning those pages!

Full review on my blog...

The Sun Is Also A Star swept me away with its intricacy, and intimacy. Set over the course of a single day in New York City, where a Jamaican illegal resident and a second-generation South Korean poet meet, become friends, fall in love, and fight for a happy ever after.. It's both very sexy, romantic and also honest and practical, and features cultural issues like racial prejudice between on-white groups, and immigration politics. The main characters' - Natasha and Daniel - are also orbited by a cast of others, made up of the people they interact with over the course of the day, leaving the reader with the thought that every action had a ripple, and each ripple can become a wave. A glorious book.

This book took a while to get into. But then it was one I had to continue with and finish. Very original. Very satisfying.

DNF I know this story covers important issues, but I found it way to rambling to make any sense of it. I loved everything, everything and this just didn't live up to it.

Sweet romance with characters to really engage with & some entertaining sub-plots & diversions. Epilogue end a touch cheesy perhaps but it's a good read

This was a very cute, incredibly readable love story, and a massive improvement on Everything Everything. Diversity is clearly important to Yoon, but unlike a lot of recent "diverse books" at no point did this feel like a box ticking exercise. Yoon's characters are incredibly believable as well as being representative. The romance is so skilfully built and not rushed at all, I loved the pacing of this book and was hugely emotionally invested. The butterfly effect side notes were a really original feature and prevented the small scale main plot from becoming dull. Probably the best contemporary YA of 2016, this was a great and incredibly commercial read.

I didn't enjoy this as much as Everything, everything but if I had read it without that prejudice it would have been in my top five books read last year. Contemporary teenage fiction at its best!

This was an easy ready, a few hours, the chapters are short and interspersed throughout the chapters dedicated to Natasha and Daniel are chapters focused on minor and supporting characters and themes which the book seeks to tackle. The history of African American hair has a chapter, it is that fantastic.

I started reading this book with very high expectations of being completely in love with the writing and to connect with the lead character, Natasha who is Jamaican but no such luck. As I continued to read, I began to appreciate Natasha for who she was instead of trying to squeeze her into my preconceived notion of "Jamaicanness."

As a Jamaican living and working in Jamaica, I have very strong feelings and thoughts on US immigration, undocumented persons and deportation. This is all so very topical now, such a nuanced sensitive matter. I was very satisfied with how this story ended.

Reading this book is like skipping all your meals for the day, and then once you start reading...you gulp and gulp, intoxicated by the loveliness of the feeling.

Yoon nailed it.

I was really, effing scared and fascinated by the prospect of this book and she slayed it. In my humble opinion, it's way better than Everything, Everything.

Will my students like it as much or better? Probably not.

But as an adult, I appreciate the romanticism and longing and disappointment of this complicated love story on a much higher level. This made each twist and a turn so delicious. I simply cannot fathom that Natasha and Daniel are not real.

Daniel is one of the most amazing, male characters that I've ever read. He's lyrical and loyal and earnest and touching and tender and endearing and naive and brave.

Natasha is fantastically crafted and so stoic and complicated and forceful, too.

I loved al the unique points of view. I loved the humor and the softness. I.Loved.It.All.

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

I loved that it was from different points of view
I loved that the ending couldn't be predicted!

I think if I had read this as a young adult it would have melted my heart and been a favourite of mine.
It was touching with a slightly different storyline.
As I'm a woman in her 40's it wasn't really aimed at me though I quite enjoyed it.

In Yoon's second YA novel, two New York City teens – a Korean-American dreamer and a Jamaican science buff – get only one day in which to fall in love.
Daniel Bae's parents run a beauty supply store in Flushing. With his older brother Charlie in disgrace after being suspended from Harvard, Daniel's family's sky-high expectations are all pinned on him. He has an interview with a Yale alumnus scheduled for this afternoon, but he's not sure he really wants to go to an Ivy League school and become a doctor like his parents would like. He'd rather be writing poetry.

Natasha Kingsley is also a seventeen-year-old high school senior, but she and her family are undocumented immigrants and – unless she or her lawyer can pull off a miracle with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services – will be deported to Jamaica tonight. A dogged rationalist, Natasha loves physics and astronomy and denies idealistic notions about the world, but a tiny part of her has faith that they'll be allowed to stay.

Daniel and Natasha first meet each other at a record store. When Daniel saves Natasha from being run over on her way out of the shop and asks to take her out to coffee, a chance encounter turns into something more. Daniel is instantly smitten; Natasha thinks he's cute, yet she's not convinced that this relationship can go anywhere.

Like a contemporary Romeo and Juliet, the unlikely pair faces several challenges: Daniel's parents expect him to marry a Korean girl and his father isn't impressed when he turns up with a black girl with an Afro. The two characters also represent opposite outlooks on life, with Daniel a hopeless romantic who thinks they are meant to be and Natasha ever the scientist seeking evidence. "I am really not a girl to fall in love with," she thinks. "For one thing, I don't like temporary, nonprovable things, and romantic love is both temporary and nonprovable."

But Daniel is determined to make Natasha fall in love with him through science, so finds a set of personal questions and exercises (like staring deeply into each other's eyes for four minutes) that were proven in a laboratory study to foster intimacy between strangers. As they journey through the city, going out for Korean food and karaoke, meeting each other's parents and splitting off for their respective appointments, Daniel peppers Natasha with the study's intimacy-building questions about their families, memories, and hopes for the future. But Natasha still hasn't told Daniel about her imminent deportation.

This is a charming and unusual teen romance that readers of John Green and David Arnold will love. The short chapters switch between first-person accounts from the two protagonists, but there are also brief interludes in the third person about other characters: Daniel's brother, Charlie Bae; the fathers; and a security guard at USCIS. It's an intriguing strategy that ensures readers get a more objective perspective and understand all the unexpected ways our stories influence other people, and vice versa.

The novel is especially effective at examining Natasha and Daniel's relationships with their fathers and showing how mistakes and regrets from a parent's past – like Natasha's father's failed career as an actor – can influence how they raise their children. Yoon deftly sets the love story in a cosmic framework, using Natasha's fascination with physics to explore the theory of multiple universes. Is there one in which Daniel and Natasha get to be together? At the same time, the author keeps things down-to-earth with humor. For instance, the melodramatic headlines Daniel occasionally invents to sum up his circumstances – like "Local Teen Trapped in Parental Vortex of Expectation and Disappointment, Doesn't Expect to Be Rescued" – are very funny.

The one-day setting (see 'Beyond the Book') is a great plot setup that lends urgency to the love story. The book loses momentum a bit in the middle while the teens look for ways to kill time in the city, and I wasn't sure how I felt about the ending, which again makes reference to the multiverse theory. But overall it's a sweet and enjoyable novel teens are sure to race through.

Having read Everything, Everything I was really looking forward to this read and was a bit apprehensive at times. Unnecessarily so, Nicola Yoon once again delivered a fantastic book about a love story that is anything but simple.

This is the story of Daniel a Korean American boy and Natasha an African American girl living in New York, in 12 hours Natasha and her family are going yo be deported back to Jamaica as they are living in the US illegally, through a series of events and choices Daniel and Natasha meet and fall in love and here is my main problem with the story, we are meant to believe that these two met and fell in love in a few hours? sometimes it was very unbelievable. however I did feel that this book had a strong and powerful ending and it did make me shed a tear.

overall a quick read with important messages but the worst case of insta love I've seen in YA.