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?
The Meta Details:
Source: Overdrive
Format: eBook
Length: 348 pages
Genre: Romance
Content Level: Young Adult
Pearl Clutching Content: Young adults making out hardcore with the shadow of deportation hanging over their heads
Trigger Warnings: Deportation, shitty families, infidelity
Featuring: A logical, cynical scientist and a romantic at heart
Scorecard:
Recommended for: Everyone
Rating: Must read
Ginny Lurcock’s Thoughts: Continuing my campaign of increased empathy via diverse media, today I’m reviewing The Sun Is Also A Star featuring a black illegal immigrant heroine and an Asian hero.
Let’s jump into it.
THIS BOOK NEARLY WRECKED ME.
I’m not even exaggerating right now. So many of my reads lately have made me squirm and bleed and just feel so hard I felt I might shake apart and this was one of the best of them. Told in short chapters, switching perspectives, and jumping timelines we learn about the events that lead Natasha and Daniel to one another. And yes, it seems far fetched in places and the coincidences are plentiful… but think about it. Really think about how much chance goes into finding that someone you fit with perfectly. In fact, if you’re in a relationship think right now about all the things that had to work out so you two would end up together.
It’s okay. I’ll wait.
So now that we’re all on the same page about chance playing an important role in love, give The Sun Is Also a Star a whirl. Watch these two mismatched teenagers fall in love over the course of a few hours. Bleed for them. Cry with them. Love them.
I will warn you, though, that the ending isn’t happy. The book ends and I almost threw it across the room I was so pissed. Hours I’d just spent reading this only for it to end in despair? HOW COULD YOU?! I wailed as I realized there was an epilogue. One so perfectly crafted and in the same tone as the rest of the book that it worked. It tied everything together and made the entire experience even better.
It left the door open for hope. And in the end, isn’t that really enough?
Ginny Lurcock 