The Sun is Also a Star has been on my TBR since lockdown. I started reading it once and only got a few pages in and wasn’t in the mood for it. Thus time when I picked it up , I found it really compelling. This goes to show you how much your mood can affect your reading.

What it’s about?

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?

What I think:

If you want one YA book to add to reading list in 2024 then I absolutely urge you to make it this one.

It’s wonderful.

It’s witty and clever and thought-provoking and so beautiful.

Natasha and Daniel meet by chance. It’s a big day for both of them. Daniel is preparing for an Ivy League college interview that he doesn’t want to do. Natasha is facing deportation to Jamaica and is making a last dotch effort to prevent it.

Natasha is a scientist. She believes in facts and data and evidence. Daniel is a poet who believes in fate and dreams and love at first sight.

They spend the day together getting to know each other and discussing everything bith big and small.

The chapters are written from alternate points of view as they reflect on their lives, relationships and each other.

A lot of the book focuses on the immigrant experience and identity. Both Natasha and Daniel are struggling with the weight of the expectations and dreams of their immigrant parents as well as their own American identity. They have complicated relationships with their families. For Daniel, this is an older brother who has always been perfect but is failing college and bringing embarrassment to the family. For Natasha, her family has struggled so her father can pursue his dream of acting, and she has overheard him describing his children as his biggest regret.

Interspersed with Natasha and Daniel’s narrative are the voices of their parents and other people they encounter on the way.

The importance of love in all shapes and forms is a central theme of the book. Love at first sight, love in marriage, friendship and self-love are explored. The impact of kindness and small moments on an individual are so important.

While the events all take place on one day, the book explores the impact that the past and present have on the future. Both Natasha and Daniel’s characters develop so much, as do their parents as they have some long overdue but life-changung conversations.

This is such a wonderful book. It’s absolutely five stars. It’s definitely one of my favourite reads of 2023.