THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR

Link to purchase from Amazon



Title: The Sun is Also A Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delecorte Press, 384 pages
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Genre: Teens, Literature and Fiction, Contemporary


Immigration... it's the topic of debate, as of late. When I purchased this book, I didn't realize that the story was about an illegal immigrant facing deportation. Had I known, I likely wouldn't have picked it up. To be fair, it's right there in the description on the inside cover-I really could have known. But I'm pretty sure this book was suggested by either a friend or possibly by Amazon; it got great reviews, so I gave it a go.

That being said, I didn't give this book 3 stars simply because it deals with an issue that I really do NOT care to discuss. Illegal immigration is a major problem in America right now, and it is one of the issues that threatens to tear us apart at the seams, partially because people on both sides of the debate feel so incredibly passionate about it.

No, I gave this book 3 stars because it's silly.

THINGS THAT I LIKED:

• The story puts a face to the idea of illegal immigration. It reminds us that not all illegals are here to abuse the system and take advantage of the resources provided by those of us who live and work here legally; some immigrants were just children who were victims of unfortunate circumstances. 
• It's a cutsie kind of a story that is a quick and easy read.

THINGS THAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

• This whole story revolves around two 17 year old kids falling desperately in love over the course of just a few hours... it's a highly unlikely situation, and it just feels silly at times.

There are more to add to both the things I did and did not like sections, but I think it'll be easier to just include them in my overall summary. 

Yes, I found this book pretty frustrating. I don't believe in love at first sight. Although I am sure it is POSSIBLE, it is not something that I can wrap my mind around, so any time that I read these sorts of stories in which two humans just FALL in love in MERE SECONDS, I just find it unbelievable and sort of laughable. That's my personal experience, but it's likely the main reason I didn't love this book. I think that it is perfectly possible to fall into lust with someone, and later, if one would be so lucky, to see that lust turn into love, but that's not how this story pans out.

There is a point in the book in which a character talks about "koi no yokan", which is apparently a Japanese phrase that describes a love at "second" sight, as opposed to first sight. It is the concept that you may meet someone and know that you will eventually fall in love with them, even if you fail to do so from the immediate beginning... THIS, was one of my favorite moments in the book, and I truly wish it could've been more the focus. Love at second sight seems far more plausible, though that comes from someone who has yet to fall in love at all. You should be taking everything that I say about love with a grain of salt, by the way.

(I realize that I am rambling and that it has yet to make sense or tie into the book-this one was difficult for me.)

Natasha is a 17 year old Jamaican immigrant who faces deportation by the end of the day. She is skipping her last day of school in America to try and find a way to stay.

Daniel is the 17 year old son of Korean immigrants who is supposed to be going to a Yale entrance interview so that he can pursue his parents' dreams of him becoming a doctor and living the ever so elusive "American Dream". 

The two meet by chance, and spend the rest of the day falling irresistibly in love with each other. By the end of the book we feel as though they have spent their entire 17 years together, but in reality it has been only a few hours.

I DO LIKE that the author spends time giving us the back stories for almost every character involved. It's always a lot more fun to see why characters behave the way that they do. Yoon also does a good job of showing us just how coincidental everything is, which is fun, interesting, and entertaining. Although this book felt mostly like a waste of time, I have now ordered another of hers Everything, Everything, simply because I found her style so thorough. I think that Yoon is an extremely talented writer, I'm just hoping that Everything, Everything is a more plausible story. Even if it isn't, I feel like there is a part of me that will enjoy it.

I don't think I will be recommending this book. I will read Everything, Everything, and I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that it is good, because I desperately want to love this author. Yoon is a great storyteller, but I need her to tell a great story. My fingers are crossed, but in the meantime, I'd hate for you to waste your time on this book. 

3/5 stars. I kept hoping for something to make this story more believable. She got 3 stars only because she has great writing style and ability. But if I wanted to read something so fantastical, I would've just picked up Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings... what I needed here was an unbelievable love story that is also completely possible. I was disappointed.