15 Dec 2016

Review: The Sun is Also a Star

Publication  Delacorte Press
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Add this on: Goodreads

Natasha believes in facts, not fate- she definitely doesn't believe that you can fall in love with someone in 12 hours- especially when those 12 hours are the last ones you have before your family is deported. Daniel meets her when he's on the way to a college interview that his parents want and he doesn't and immediately knows that they're going to be something

This was a bit off the beaten track for me, since contemporaries really aren't my thing. And, okay, at least 20% of the reason I picked it up was because I really like the cover and title.

This was a pretty interesting read! One of my favourite parts was getting to see how the lives of our two main characters touched effected the little stories about those around them, and the coincidences that ended up bringing different people together and pulling them apart.

(My other favourite part was Natasha mentioning how she had to prove to her teacher that favourite was spelled with a "U.")

In a way, this reminded me a lot of Dash and Lily's Book of Dares and maybe a bit of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. It's about two people who meet (through a series of random chances) and sort of... learn each other over the course of less than 24 hours, through a series of questions and misadventures. I also remember reading about the study they mentioned in passing a while ago. It's a little less fluffy than either of those books though, with the main characters both struggling with some tougher stuff, especially in Natasha's case. While the relationship did seem a little strange (possibly because of how fast it was), I felt that it kind of found it's footing more toward the end.

I've mentioned how my favourite parts of this book was how intertwined with Natasha and Daniel's lives were with other people's, and seeing the ripple effect that even the smallest actions had. These glimpses into everyone else's lives really gave the story a unique and almost whimsical feel. The word sonder, which means the realisation that the people surrounding you have lives as complex as your own, that comes mind. It was so fascinating to see some of those stories come full circle.

While this book is mostly a contemporary, the degree to which the universe seems to be invested in the meeting and relationships of the two main characters lends it a somewhat surreal and borderline magical quality. It wasn't something I disliked- it was definitely another thing that made this novel stand out, and almost pushed it outside of being a standard realistic fiction novel. It was so neat watching all the coincidences that let them find their way to each other.

Touching on the stories of other people was what made this book stand out for me. While the relationship between the two main characters felt... strange, probably because of how quickly it developed, I still enjoyed seeing them get to know each other. Though I'm not much of a contemporary reader, but I did quite enjoy this one!


17 comments

  1. I'm glad you enjoyed a contemporary. They tend to be my favorite. I've read Every Thing, Every Thing and liked it ok. I might have to try this one.

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    1. I haven't read Everything, Everything (though the cover of that one is pretty great too...) (I am the worst cover-judge ever). This one was was a really interesting foray out of my usual genres, and I'm really glad I picked it up. The style of storytelling gave it such a unique feel.

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  2. I am not a Contemporary reader unless they are hardcore issue related with basically no fluffy stuff, but tjiys one sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)

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    1. I tend to lean toward contemporaries without to many hardcore issues when I do read them. This one is interesting in that it does have some pretty fluffy moments and whatnot, but they somehow don't feel super-fluffy. It strikes a type of balance that I haven't seen that much before (possibly because I don't read THAT many contemporaries, and a lot of the ones I do read actually are intentionally pretty fluffy...)

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  3. I SO can not wait to read this book! I follow the author on Twitter and saw that this book is going to be made into a movie so I'm so excited for that! Isn't this her second book to get made into a movie? GIRL. I need this book in my life! <3

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    1. I think Everything, Everything (Nicola Yoon's debut) got a movie deal as well? The news about The Sun is Also a Star getting a movie dropped pretty much the same time as I published this review, actually (by total coincidence...)

      I'm really curious how they'll portray it in a visual form, and if they'll keep the interweave of stories that really made this book stand out for me.

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  4. I am glad that you liked this one. I read it over the summer and ended up surprising myself too, because I'm also not a big contemporary reader. Great review!
    Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian

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    1. Thanks! I'm really glad I gave it a chance despite it not being my usual fare, because it was such an interesting reading experience- I really admired the storytelling style!

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  5. Yay that you loved this one! I had a bit of trouble with how fast they "fell in love" too...I mean, it wasn't overall sappy which was great, ;D But there were so many coincidences? Especially at the end in the plane? I just don't know how that could ever happen. Like I find it hard coordinating meeting up with people when we arrange it, let alone -- BOOM -- everyone happens to be on this one plane?? 🙈🙊 I struggled with that, haha. BUT IT'S SUCH A PRETTY BOOK!! And I did love the writing!

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    1. I think all of the coincidences... surprisingly made it work better for me? The "fell in love" part would have been a lot more unbelievable if it didn't feel like the universe was kind of sentient and personally invested in making them find each other. (The universe ships it. Apparently.) While the falling-in-love-in-one-day premise didn't totally work for me, I think all of the deliberate coincidences made it easier for me to suspend disbelief?

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  6. The cover is super pretty! I own this and still need to get to it but contemporary is my genre of choice. Glad you enjoyed it - Great review!

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    1. Thanks! It really does have SUCH a lovely cover... Hopefully you like it, especially because it's your preferred genre!

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  7. Ohh some magical surrealism? I'M SO READY. It's great that I actually just acquired this read, so I can easily pick it up and read it! Love this review, and I don't read much contemporary either. I'm trying to change that :D

    Alex @ The Book's Buzz

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    1. For me it feels like it's right on the border between realistic fiction and magical realism... the universe seems just a little too sentient for it to feel like 100% realistic fiction. It made this one a really different read, and also I think that might make it a good fit for people for whom contemporary might not be a favourite genre. Hopefully you like it!

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  8. Oh very nice. I've been curious about this one but, like you, I am not into contemporaries very much either. I like how you described this one and I do think I'll have to make sure the library has this one. :)

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    1. I'm glad I was able to give you a little insight into this book! It isn't something I would ordinarily have picked up either (contemporary not being my thing), but the cover was enough to draw my attention. And then the story ended up being a really engaging one, so that was really nice too. I'd love to hear what you think of it, if you get the chance to read it!

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