The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

More info*

Publication date: 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 344
My rating: 3.5 stars
Ages: 16+

Daniel and Natasha meet by chance, or fate, or coincidence. Daniel is sure she's the one, but Natasha doesn't believe in love. Besides, she only has one day before her family is deported. In one day, Daniel tries convince her that love can be scientific while she tries stop her family's deportation.

I was halfway through this book when I thought "This kind of reminds me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." And in a way it did, but not because of the obvious reasons. Sun isn't full of facetious nonsense, nor does it take place in space. It was more that Yoon included a third-party narrator, apart from Daniel and Natasha, who will occasionally interrupt to explain certain things; eyes or time travel paradoxes, or a certain minor character's history. So really, it's nothing like Hitchhiker's.

I liked how Yoon showed that every person can affect each person that they come in contact with. The person in the street, the driver of the car that almost hit you, the train conductor--whoever it is, we're all connected. Maybe it is coincidence or dark matter or fate, but it happens and it's hard deny that.

It was interesting to see the lives of children of immigrants and immigrants themselves. It's something that I have no firsthand knowledge about and know very little in general, except the stereotypes given on TV and in movies. But Yoon knows firsthand, and I think that that gave the story more heart and more validity than anything else. Children that have to carry their parents' expectations of the "American Dream" on their shoulders, who are American, but at the same time, experience the culture of their parents. It was an interesting to view that, even as an outsider.

There was a bit of strong language and some sexual references.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.