"The Sun is Also a Star" book review

I was really looking forward to Nicola Yoon’s The Sun is Also a Star, especially after being pleasantly surprised with her debut novel, Everything Everything.  Back in May, I went to Bookcon in Chicago and heard Yoon talk about The Sun is Also a Star in a book panel, and her description—a romance in New York City set in one day, featuring Serious Topics © like fate and deportation—had me anticipating the book with baited breath. 

That said, I don’t think I disliked Nicola Yoon’s book because it was too hyped up for me; rather, the execution of the plot was enough to turn me off.  First thing’s first:  it’s important for books to cover Serious Topics © such as deportation, fate, and unrealistic expectations from parents to children, especially when the books are marketed to young adults.  I just don’t think this novel was the best vessel to convey these Serious Topics ©.

For starters, the one day plot hinders the weight of this romance between Natasha, a 17-year-old who is being deported with her parents back to Jamaica at the end of the day, and Daniel, a Korean-American who is being forced to apply to Yale because his parents want him to be a doctor.  When Daniel is telling Natasha that the two are destined to be together after knowing each other for less than two hours, I was less than convinced.  This instalove between the two protagonists only increases as the novel progresses:  Daniel delays his Yale interview to spend more time with Natasha; Daniel decides it’s the right thing to do to allow Natasha to meet his father when Daniel must drop off something at the family store; after an intense meeting with a deportation attorney, the first person Natasha wants to talk to is Daniel, a person she just met that day—not her mother or best friend. 

If the only problem I had with The Sun is Also a Star was the instalove, I would be more forgiving of the novel; however, Yoon has two other big problems.  Back at Bookcon, Yoon mentioned that while writing the novel, she had to fudge reality when it came to travel via train in New York City so that the book could flow the way she wanted it to.  Having read the book, I’d call “fudging reality” a bit of an understatement:  Natasha and Daniel get separated twice throughout the day, and find each other quick without much fanfare.  There is another infuriating coincidence that happens late in the novel, which was a big problem for me.  Rather than mention it, I will say that it features Natasha’s deportation attorney, who speaks nothing like an actual attorney ever would.  It was at this point where I wanted to throw the book across my room—but alas, it was a library book.

Going by its Goodreads score, The Sun is Also a Star has plenty of fans—and they are welcome to enjoy the book.  For me, while I’m excited that Nicola Yoon would express these Serious Topics ©, I don’t think the execution was done well.

Rating: C-