Day One - The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

Hey everyone! It's the first of January and I've already finished my first novel. It was completely un-put-downable! So, that's already one check on my insurmountable list of books to read this year and I'm excited to move on to the next one. (I've chosen to read Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief next so expect an update on that in a few days)

The book I read today was a Teen Fiction by Nicola Yoon called The Sun Is Also A Star and by Jove was it good! If you haven't read the book, then here is the blurb:

The story of a girl, a boy, and the universe. 

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 date 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?

My Review:

 Tragic. Hearbreaking. Romantic. Inspiring. From the moment that I picked up this book, I knew that it was all of this and more. It made me smile. It made me weep but it also made me hope. It made me want to love with such a passion that Natasha and Daniel did. It plays on your heartstrings. It lulls you into a false sense of security and then pounces like a lioness on her prey. And yet, although I should've known what was happening, I was more than happy for Nicola Yoon to whisk me away to fairy land with this delightful tale. 

However, not only was this book a page turner but it also showed some really promising talent from it's brilliant author. The style is quirky and for the first thirty pages I found myself thinking how I would struggle to finish the book because of it. It's certainly funny how things change. In truth, the short, fast-paced chapters that were dispersed between Natasha's POV, Daniel's POV and others in between only managed to reel me in further and I found myself loving the little extras on irie and the train driver. 

Despite all of the skill involved in producing such a novel, it was the character's that truly reeled me in and their hopeless love. As a romantic myself, I have no trouble believing that such could happen and it did seem that the two were truly meant for each other. Daniel's endearing eagerness and Natasha's fire were the only catalysts need to spark something truly magical. I found myself being able to relate to both character's with a natural ease and that really was a pleasant surprise. 

I love this book simply because it's not just another teenage love story. It's filled with raw passion and deals with incredibly important issues that teenagers have to face everyday: racism, culture differences, abandonment and that crucial lack of the oh so happy family we see on TV. For me, this is a fine example of the perfect teen fiction novel.

Finally, I'd love to hear all your opinions. Have you read this book? If so, what do you think? Do you have any suggestions for other good books? Don't be a stranger!