ARC Review: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Title: The Sun is Also a Star Written by: Nicola Yoon Published: November, 3 2016 by (Random House) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: 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?

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher at BEA in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I really enjoyed Yoon's debut, Everything Everything, so I was really excited to read her second book. The Sun is Also a Star did not disappoint. This was definitely a cute contemporary with fun characters and an interesting and engaging plot.

This is one of those books that takes place over the course of a day. An important day in the lives of the characters, it's almost like a turning point for both of them and they share the day together in a way that was interesting and engaging. I sometimes feel like these kinds of storylines feel a little far-fetched that this much could happen in a day but I thought that this did a really good job at making things dramatic and impactful without going overboard. It was engaging and complex.

It's also one of those books where different lives interact and weave together to create a more full-bodied and complex story. I love those kinds of contemporaries. Stories that show how we can make an impact on a person without even realizing, stories how people who are seemingly unconnected can actually connect in a big way. And that aspect of the story too was told in an interesting way. The narrative was told through very short chapters that alternated perspectives between many people giving us a peak into the lives of the people who were interacting. It was very unique and I really appreciated that.

The main perspectives however were the main characters, Natasha and Daniel. I really liked both characters individually. Daniel who was trying to make his parents happy despite the fact that what they wanted was different from who he wanted was incredibly relatable, not to mention the idea of immigrant parents wanting more for their child. Natasha too was really easy to empathize with as she was trying to keep her family from being deported. They were both really likable characters and I wanted them to succeed.

I will say however, my romancephobic heart wasn't totally swayed by the romance. It wasn't terrible, I didn't hate it, but I did find myself rolling my eyes and a little annoyed at it sometimes. I find of agreed with Natasha's very scientific view of love vs lust and attraction and appreciate the inclusion of that in a book of this nature. It just felt too fast at times. But in the end I think they wore me down a little bit and I enjoyed the way the romance concluded.

In the end, this was a really good contemporary read. It dealt with some really interesting issues and had an engaging plot along with likable characters. It was the perfect read for this time of year with lighthearted fun and romance but still complex and engaging. I really enjoyed it.

I give The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. Fans of Everything Everything should check this out or anyone looking for a cute contemporary read. It reminded me a lot of some of my favorite contemporaries in the way it balanced fun and serious moments. Fans of Rainbow Rowell and Morgan Matson will enjoy this one too, I think.

Have you read The Sun is Also a Star? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Title: Everything Everything Written by: Nicola Yoon Published: September 1, 2015 by Delacorte (Random House) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.  But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.  Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

I decided to take part in the Debut Author Challenge this year because in 2014 I read so few debuts. The goal was to read 12 debuts. I knocked that out by early June so I decided to double that and read 24. But as the end of the year approached I realized I needed one more. So when my OTSP Secret Sister sent me a copy of this one a few weeks ago I decided to read it to complete that challenge.

I  had really good things about this book and after trying and liking a lot of contemporary this year, I decided to give this one a try. Everything, Everything was a cute and fast contemporary read with interesting characters and much more drama than I expected.

When the book started, I thought it might just be a simple romance. It seemed like the overdone "good girl meets bad boy who changes her worldview and she falls in love" or even worse "nerdy character meets quirky outgoing person who they instantly fall in love with." But this wasn't that kind of story. It had some of those elements but it felt realistic and not at all cliche. a lot of that had to do with the fact that in the end the plot of the book was much more than that. A lot of the plot of Everything, Everything was this idea of fear of missing out and identity. The main character feels stuck and lonely. She has only ever known one thing and when a new family moves in next door it makes sense as to why she would want something more, something different. It made for an interesting story. However it was almost a little too complex. There were some plot points that didn't quite resolve or they didn't particularly connect with the larger narrative of the book. But it was still an engaging and interesting read.

The characters were also more interesting than I expected. Madeline has spent practically her entire life in her home suffering from a disease that makes her allergic to everything. It's made her curious and questioning but she also really doesn't understand the world because she's never been out in it. It made her really sympathetic. She's also a big reader and that's kind of the way she relates to things, experiences from books she read. I could relate to those feelings and wanted her to get out there in the world but I also wanted her to be safe and happy inside. I loved watching her develop throughout the book. Olly was also a really unique character. Like I said before, I started out thinking he was going to be a bit of a cliche but he never came of that way. He was so kind and funny. Their relationship progressed fast but in never felt unrealistic or insta-lovey. There were also lots of interesting secondary characters that rounded out the cast and made for interesting and complex interactions for our main characters.

I think my favorite thing about this book was the format. I was very unique and engaging. It's written in a really interesting format. Everything is told from Madeline's perspective but it's not just her narrating her life and her experience. We get her explaining things but we also have email interchanges, drawings, and little graphs. I love that kind of format. It wasn't totally epistolary but somewhere in between that and a standard narrative. The chapters too were really short which made for really quick pacing and the kind of book where you would be telling yourself you could easily read one more chapter before realizing that you had read thirty pages. I finished only in a few days in between holiday travel and everything.

On the whole Everything, Everything was a fast and interesting read. It had a plot much more complicated than first perceived, characters that you can easily relate to, and a unique format.

I give everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon 8.5 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would despite a few things that I didn't totally love. I would recommend to YA contemporary readers or anyone looking for a book that deals with teen identity.

Have you read Everything, Everything? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!