Before Reading:

Okay. I am freaking out. Penguin Random House actually granted my request to read this much loved book. Can I get a holla? Well, to be honest, I am a bit skeptical about this book because I have not read anything by Nicola Yoon before. I don’t know if she and I will connect, but this story has touched so many lives and people raved about it. How good is this book? Honestly, I will probably go into this blindly. I stopped reading the blurb when I saw that it will have a guy’s perspective. Ah, some things never change. Alright, let’s get to it!

Title & Author: The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

Genre:  Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Year Published: 1st of November 2016

Series: None

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Source: eARC, provided by Netgalley

Buy it on: Amazon | TBD | National Bookstore | Fully Booked

Summary: 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?

After Reading:

Oh my dear sweet lord that was so beautiful! This book is everything that I wanted in life and more! I have never read a book that tackled my philosophy in life. In this case, it goes like this: everything we do is interconnected.

All our actions have effect on every person that we interact with. Some are small, some are big. But it creates an impact either way.

I have been living with that mantra since my second year of high school. And I know it’s true, but I never thought that it could be beautifully manifested through a book. And then came The Sun Is Also A Star, and suddenly my dreams came true.

The Sun Is Also A Star is a magnificently-written book. All of the feelings that can be felt while reading this book is too hard to be put into words. But I will try, even if it will probably be the equivalent of the incoherent noises composed of fangirl screams in real life.

In my case, a story about instalove can either be a hit or miss for me. A story with multiple perspectives often enchants me, and a story with mixed point of views is already a winner. The Sun Is Also A Star nailed all of those aspects and it hit the bullseye. Natasha and Daniel’s love story caught me just after they met. There was an immediate click. These two characters are meant to be together because all of the chain reactions that happened to them that day. They were meant to meet and fall in love that day, despite of all the prejudices breathing down their necks. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I do believe that this story is an example of one of the extraordinary cases where you just know that it’s young love, but also something more. Though a stretch from reality, the love that can be felt in this book is genuine.

Now if it has an overpowering instalove, what makes it so unique? Basically every other element in this book. The trouble with being deported, the prejudices of being pressured by an older generation, the aftermath of every single action has it’s equal opposite reaction. I am not about to go all science-y here, but that is just a fact. In those other perspectives, with something brief about how everyone has something to do with anything shows us a glimpse on how faith probably works. The inclusion of other people in the narrative makes the story more wholesome and compact, solidifying a solid standpoint on where the book wants to place itself. Now it is obvious on where The Sun Is Also A Star stands: on a pedestal, where a person can choose to read it and love it, or stand by and let them be overpowered by the tropes. Either way, it makes a reader feel something. And that will have an effect on another person. See how the ripple continues on the loop. 🙂

In summary, I loved this book. It is one of the best books that I have read in 2016, and it will definitely stand the test of time and I will probably put it on my best of the best shelf.

(Know more about my rating system here.)

Nicola Yoon grew up in Jamaica (the island) and Brooklyn (part of Long Island). She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and daughter, both of whom she loves beyond all reason. Everything, Everything is her first novel.

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I think it is safe to say that I have jumped aboard the Nicola Yoon hype train. Believe me, once I get my hands on her other book Everything,  Everything… It will be devoured like hot fudge on a cold winter night. I just like fluffy things, okay? And her book is just the best. Honestly made 2016 a wee bit better.

Have you read Nicola Yoon’s books yet? If so, let’s fangirl/fanboy together in the comments below (but don’t leave spoilers for Everything, Everything, okay?) If you have not read Nicola’s books yet, what will you probably pick up first? Does her book remind you of any other book? Let’s chat, please! 🙂