The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

The reader joins this bittersweet story at its very emotionally charged ending. Natasha’s life and the life of her family in America is, by all accounts, over. Although she grew up there and although America is her only home, due to the status of unregistered immigrants, she will be deported back to Jamaica tonight.

Fate seems to be a very playful, cruel child at times.

The two young people, Natasha and Daniel, meet only briefly in a record store, and part soon without knowing that a little later, in the same building, they will have conversations that will change their lives forever.

Daniel is waiting for an interview that will decide the career of the doctor that his parents are looking forward to. Natasha is waiting for a conversation that will decide whether she will be able to stay in her home or the only world she knew will completely collapse by the end of the day.

The last thing they need at this point is to meet a person they will fall in love with on the street, in the middle of New York.

Naughty Destiny, who seems bored, will stop, look at these two people, snap their fingers and say: “Well, that’s exactly what could happen…”, and then cross their paths again (and again), and push Daniel to accept that challenge – to try and make skeptical Natasha fall in love with him in a single day. Natasha won’t tell him why this is impossible.

Every time they meet on the streets of New York, it becomes clear to Daniel and Natasha how comfortable they are when they are together, how much they have to say to each other, how well they understand each other, even though they are complete strangers. But Natasha is clear of what Daniel has no clue yet – none of what they are starting to feel for each other makes sense.

Natasha’s time is running out fast, and there is only one person who can possibly help her and keep her family in America. The chances of that are slim, but she has to try.

Is it possible for two amazing things to happen in the same day, two miracles? To stay in the country, she considers home and to meet the Right One, the Only One, who will completely nullify her cynical theories about love?

How is it possible one day to live completely fast-paced, and already in the next twenty-four hours to turn your world and your beliefs upside down and experience everything you never thought you would experience?

How will these two young people appease that mischievous, playful, cruel fate and convince her that they belong side by side?

This is the second book written by Nicola Yoon is, and films have already been made by both of the books. Nicola Yoon has clearly shown that she possesses a talent for writing modern, fresh and relevant stories for teenagers belonging to minorities who are not otherwise represented in the population of the protagonists of the youth novel. Precisely because of this – but also because of the really likable and original stories – Nicola Yoon quickly became popular among young readers.

Her first book, “Everything, Everything,” spent eight weeks on the New York Times bestseller list in 2015, and the New York Times named her the best debut published in America in 2015.

This book, “The Sun is also a Star”, was published in America in 2016 and won numerous literary awards and was on the lists of the best books published by various portals and reputable literary blogs – Entertainment Weekly, Amazon, New York Times, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, etc.

To me, this book is even a little dearer than the first – although the premise is totally wacky, the plot itself and its unfolding are much more realistic and convincing. I like how the Yoon’s protagonists are generally more down to earth and sober than those cute guys I can’t get rid of.

The problem of illegal immigrants has long been a problem in America, and it is becoming a burning problem in European countries. The world is not happy with the way immigrants are treated in America, especially since Donald Trump is in the presidency. That is why this book is important to young people in America, but also anywhere in the world because it asks questions about identity, home and sense of belonging, but also emphasizes one unpleasant fact – what little things, what microscopic decisions or omissions can decide people’s destinies and lives…

I’m sure you’ll enjoy Nicole Yoon’s books, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy the film based on this book as well; my eyes fall out every time I see an actor playing Daniel… * yes, I’m awful and aware of my age *

Well, now… Here’s some interesting news for the end.

Nicola Yoon is, just like Natasha, half-Jamaican and half-American. Her husband, David Yoon, is of Korean descent. Just like Daniel. And he wrote a book that was published in the fall last year.

Both Nicola and David seem to like to write about themselves… Sorry, about characters who are very similar to themselves in their background and skin color.

In the book “Frankly in Love”, David Yoon wrote – about what else? – then two young people who fall in love and shouldn’t. Frank’s parents have only one rule for him – if he intends to date girls, he must date Korean women.

Brit Means is a beautiful and smart, but she is a white woman.

Frank, however, has a friend who is in the same sauce as him – and she, if she thinks of dating guys, has to choose a nice Korean young man. In order to deceive their parents and thus, when they are not in front of their eyes, gain the freedom to date with whomever they want, Frank and Joy will agree to pretend to date. But soon their fraudulent activities will make them reconsider everything they thought they knew about love and about themselves.

It sounds like a super-interesting story for young people that would be a perfect read for the summer.