The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

[MerryLove]

There were many things about this book that I loved. There were many elements that made it fun to read and made it feel unique. However, the overarching tone of the store was one I couldn't get over. So, I will start there.

Cons

The book and characters had a strong belief in fate. There was this view among characters that everything happens for a reason, but also that choices don't matter and everything is predetermined. To me, that is a depressing, hopeless kind of world to live in. A fate based world is not for me. This kept me from enjoying the sweet romance present to any full extent, because I kept getting depressed by the fate elements when they were brought up. It felt like the book was supposed to be happy and romantic, but it wasn't allowed to be that to its full potential.

The chapter titles that switched between characters names were always completely lowercase. I couldn't help but be a little bothered that the names were never capitalized. Did that bother anyone else?

Pros

I loved the culture and rich heritage behind the stories of both Natasha's and Daniel's families. I loved hearing about both their cultures (Korean and American; or Jamaican and American) and how they found balance between the two. I don't read about varied family types very often, and it was a nice change of pace.

I loved the quips and the snark from both Natasha and Daniel. They were both very different characters, but very fun and entertaining to read about. Both characters had great personality from the beginning.

I loved the switch between characters instead of typical chapters. It was fun to keep changing perspective. I also loved the “sneak peeks” into the thoughts of those around them. At first it seemed really strange, but it become more useful to the plot and less random. It became more of added insight into the story.

Rating

I'd give this book a 3 out of 4. It wasn't bad by any means, it just wasn't for me. The romance was sweet, the ending was great, but the strong presence of fate in the story was not my style. That doesn't mean this book couldn't be something amazing for someone else. Even though I wasn't a fan of this particular story, I would definitely read future books from this author.

[peprica21]

Thank you for your honest feedback about "The Sun is Also A Star". I just recently saw this book pop up and wondered if I should grab to read. After reading your review, I may skip it since I also am not into books that have the predetermined notion as a plot setting.

[MerryLove]

I'm so glad my review was helpful! Thanks for posting!

[Zzaakkiiyyaa]

My favourite aspect of this book was the 'sneak-peeks' into otherwise "background" characters in the story. This gave the reader extra insight into the characters' lives that are usually overlooked. For me, this made the book very unique and interesting.

Although the fate elements were depressing. I tried hard to stop it from ruining the theme that was (I think ) supposed to be prevalent, i.e. romance. Being a hopeless romantic, I didn't find it too hard to overlook the saddening fate elements.

I too, loved the rich culture we received from the characters - as the two main characters were from drastically different backgrounds. Again, I think this added a uniqueness to this book.

[Bibliophile_gurl]

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR IS QUIET A PULCHITRUDINOUS TALE
So the lovers of a happy ending after a tragic turn are invited to read this book definitely. This books about a girl who doesn't believe in love and fate and a boy whose life is going on on faith and love. Both have parents who either dont want them or didnt want them. The story is told in a very interesting way. It has parts from the perspective of each character and not only a narrator reader relationship. Like backgrounds and peeks.The moments in this books are described so momentarily that you may find yourself daydreaming about them. The ending is quiet disappointing cause u may want to see their life furthermore but at the same time it is ravishing. I will give it 4 stars and tell u to definitely go once through it.

[Jessicalaurenw1]

Thank you for your review! I was considering this book but may save it for later since I don't really want to read something extremely predictable right now.

[HanElizabeth397]

I have just bought this book after reading 'Everything Everything' (which I really enjoyed) and I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts on here when I've read it

[Ezrait]

I loved how the author used time to add suspense and tension to the story

[Hyacinth Bella]

What I mostly loved about this book is the background of the romance of two people with different cultures, and how did they understand each other.

[Chinecherem A]

I enjoyed the book. It's a heartwarming story, however, I did not really like the ending. The premise and their divergent beliefs made for a nice love story.

Check out Nicola Yoon's other book, Instructions for Dancing.