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.

I highly enjoyed The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon. Just like Everything, Everything, the story is a page-turner which was so much more unique than I had imagined. I enjoyed how diverse the characters were and thought the storyline was beautiful and intriguing. The relationships between the characters did not appear to be forced and this made the story even more believable and enjoyable. I gave this book a 5 star and highly recommend it!

I loved it. Don't normally like books aimed and teenagers and wasn't sure at the start. But these two were adult beyond their years. Two teenagers who are the ones keeping their families together. The way it is written is hugely engaging, switching from the two main characters but keeping the context without being confusing. Will now read something else by this author,

A lot can happen in just one day. The Sun is Also a Star tells the story of Daniel and Natasha. Daniel is always trying to be dutiful to his parent who immigrated from South Korea before Daniel was born. Natasha has her entire life planned out but she is an undocumented immigrant who is being deported back to Jamaica in 12 hours.

I wasn’t too sure when I started this book if I was going to be a fan or not. I’m really not a fan of ‘insta-love’ and ‘boy-meets-girl-and-instantly-falls-in-love’ storylines. But this story is so much more than that.

The story is told from the first-person perspectives of  Daniel and Natasha. But from time to time the story deviates from Daniel and Natasha so as to focus briefly on other characters from the story. These characters only appear for a brief moment but their appearances drive a crucial plot point. But sometimes these deviations focus on a scientific concept that is mentioned in the story. A lot of people have not been a fan of this because at times it really can get confusing to keep switching perspectives. However, I am a big fan of stories that flip between different perspectives so as soon as I realised The Sun is Also a Star did this I was excited to read further. This writing style definitely works for this story.

This book covers a lot of issues throughout the storyline. The main issue being family immigration. Daniel and Natasha have their own issues coming from the main issue of immigration. Daniel’s parents immigrated from South Korea before Daniel was born. Daniel doesn’t quite know how much he is willing o sacrifice in order to fulfil his parent’s expectation on what is a ‘good life’ to lead whilst in America. Natasha is having to deal with being deported back to Jamaica after living in America since she was aged 8. All of this because of one mistake that her Father has made. I could tell that Nicola Yoon had taken her time to extensively research the topic of immigration. You can tell she had researched about immigration because of how authentic and respectful her portrayal of such an important and current topic in this day and age. These are not the only issues that this book covers. It also briefly covers the issues of suicide, depression, career choices and how what you do everyday affects others.

The characters in this book are beautiful and so well written, that even though this book takes place over  very small period of time you really do feel like you know that characters and their stories by the end of the book. I cannot forget to mention the diversity of characters that Nicola Yoon has used in this book. The two main characters are Jamaican and Korean and you don’t see this in many YA books.

The one downside I could give to this book is definitely about the ‘insta-love’ that the character Daniel and Natasha has. I know that for the story to work as it did it had to be like this. I just wish we got to see them fall in love over a long time period. As it seemed somewhat cliché and unrealistic for them to fall in love that quickly. But I can also see how it shows the reality of the situation they are both in and the fact that Natasha doesn’t have long left in America.

Overall, I was very impressed with this story. The ending really will take your breath away. It did mine. This is the second Nicola Yoon novel that I have really enjoyed and I will definitely be picking up her next novel whenever that comes out. I would recommend this book to any Young Adult, romance and contemporary fan out there. It is a really fun and touching read that covers a lot of current issues.

Thank to Nicola Yoon, Penguin Random House UK Children’s, Corgi Children’s and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from Penguin Random House UK in the form of a Kindle Book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. These are my own opinion and thoughts.

I haven't read a contemporary young adult book that has had me so hooked in a good while. This book was impossible to put down. If you are ever struggling to get out of a reading slump I highly recommend picking this up. The chapters are short and fast moving and had me at full attention.

'The Sun Is Also a Star' by Nicola Yoon follows a day in the life of Natasha and Daniel, two teenagers in New York. During this extraordinary day Daniel manages to convince Natasha to give him the chance to make her fall in love with him through science.

This book was beautifully written from first person perspective in respective character's chapter. Sometimes the chapters were written from the universe point of view or random people who's perspectives are vital to understand for the plot.

I can't emphasise enough how important I believe it is for young people to read this book. It's not just about boy meets girl, even though it is that simple on the surface. It's about a million possibilities and our choices in life, about art and science and love. Never before has the term 'opposites attract' been more accurate.

Natasha is an undocumented immigrant whose family is 12 hours away from being deported back to America. Natasha is desperate for a solution. Daniel is in a constant battle with his family and their high expectations of him. Both Natasha and Daniel both see the world in two completely different ways. Daniel is a hopeless romantic who believes in fate and love at first sight but Natasha is a cynic who believes in science, facts and data. So when the two meet in a crowded NY street, their lives change and possibilities open up.

Nicola Yoon does an excellent job in creating two well rounded, complex and realistic characters with perfect chemistry together, but both also had their own characters arcs which were also fantastically written. While I really enjoyed their romance and how they changed each other’s thinking about their outlook on life, I had a hard time believing they actually fell in love in less than one day – BUT – a good romance nonetheless. I did really love the end and how the two went their separate ways and lived their lives but found each other later in life.

My favourite aspect, however, was reading about the different cultures and both Daniel’s and Natasha’s immigrant experiences, and the examinations of racism in America. I found Daniel’s struggle with his identity and his struggle to fit into two different cultures really interesting.

While I ultimately found the romance to be the weakest aspect, The Sun is Also a Star features some excellent character development and it was both Natasha’s and Daniel’s individual experiences and storylines that kept me reading till the very end. The fact that these narratives were condensed into one day really shows Nicola Yoon’s writing talents.

RATING: ★★★★☆

The Sun is Also a Star is one of the best books I've read in a long time.
I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down.
Although it's a story about young adults, I think anyone of any age would enjoy this and could relate to certain aspects of each character's personality.
The novel is one about Fate. Destiny. The Stars. Love. Disappointment and Reality rolled into one story.
The characters could not be more different- yet upon exploration are so alike in so many ways.
Natasha & Daniel meet on the streets one morning. Both caught up in their own lives of drama and disappointment. Each one on their way to something more important than just themselves. As the day unfolds, the reader becomes a part of the story and you cannot help but root for the two of them.
I loved the ending and cannot wait to read more from Nicola Yoon.

Brilliant. Properly brilliant. I can't wait to reread this.

Back in July 2015, I started this blog. In the same month, I reviewed my very first ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy), which just so happened to be the New York Times Best Seller: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.

At the time, I didn’t really grasp what I was getting myself into. It didn’t really hit me until a few months later when Everything, Everything was all anyone in the bookish community could talk about: My first ever ARC was a bestseller, and I got to experience it early! I felt so excited whenever anyone brought it up, because I could talk about with more and more people as it got bigger and bigger.

Thus, when ARCs started being released of The Sun is Also a Star, it was only right – only just – that I request one.

However, life got in the way, and I didn’t actually read this book until post release, so – contrastingly – I was the one in the dark when this book was all anyone in the bookish community could, inevitably, talk about in the days, weeks, and months after its release.

Nevertheless, this book was amazing. I loved it even more than Everything, Everything!

This book follows a dual-POV of Natasha and Daniel, who are waking to fateful days for very different reasons: Natasha is being deported, whilst Daniel is about to attend a life-altering interview for entry to Yale University. Neither are in search of love, yet both – once they find it – never want to let it go.

From the very beginning, I knew I was going to love this book. Just being re-introduced to Nicola Yoon’s writing style was a pleasure. I loved the quick jumps in POV, from Natasha to Daniel, and then back again. However, Yoon also introduced a very interesting aspect to this novel: whenever a new character was mentioned, we recieved a brief soliloquay on their life. I loved this part, and everytime it happened I got so excited because I was so eager to learn more and more about this world that Nicola Yoon was building. In school, currently, we’re studying how stories intertwine, and how different perspectives percieve the same events in such contrasting ways. This book just solidified my love for this theme – to see so many stories intertwining so seamlessly but so realistically was endlessly entertainting and enlightening.

I did, however, go into this book a little warily. The synopsis screamed insta-love, and I wasn’t really down for that. Yet this book is written tastefully, all cheesiness pushed completely out of the picture. It is slow-burning and sweet and reminscent all at once.

Furthermore, one thing I’m coming to realise with Nicola Yoon is how dauntless she is when it comes to introducing diversity to her stories, and how unafraid she is when it comes to talking about it. Both of our protagonists are ethnic minorities in their hometown of New York City, Natasha hailing from Jamaica, and Daniel descending from Korean immigrants. As I type this, I am trying to think of another popular YA author that seamlessly intergrates such diversity into their novels, and I am stuggling to do so.

Honestly, Nicola Yoon is one of a kind.

From beginning to end, this book was action-packed, captivating, and inspiring, and I can’t fully express my love for it. I wouldn’t change a thing about this book, especially the ending: that was just so perfect.

Okay so first of all let me just say I'm really cynical about the concept of love at first sight and I never really bought into the whole Romeo and Juliet storyline.  So, you might imagine that this book would not be for me, but I really loved it.  I completely bought into how Natasha and Daniel were thrown together and how the relationship developed from there. 
I found Natasha's cynicism, love of science and logical reasoning incredibly endearing, but endearing makes her sound sweet and sappy when she is far from it.  She is a strong female character who I would love to see emulated in more YA. 
Daniel, the dreamer, is easy to like, but it was his complex relationship with his brother and parents that I found most engaging. 
Whilst the story revolves around Natasha and Daniel, several other characters are sporadically thrown into the mix and I absolutely loved that aspect of the book. 
I found this book difficult to put down and it was one of the most satisfying 'ends' of any book I've read in a really long time.  I would highly recommend you buy this book, read it and pass it on (plus the cover is beautiful!).

Wonderful lovely heart warming book. One that I will read again and again