The Sun is Also a Star (Book Review)

*Synopsis*

Daniel is a first-generation Korean-American. His parents are doing all they can in hopes of providing him and his brother Charlie with a better life. Daniel has an interview that could determine the course of his future. Getting into Yale is the first step to becoming a doctor, the profession his parents long for him to pursue.

Natasha is being deported today. Her father’s mistake has caused her undocumented family to be discovered. In the midst of packing, Natasha leaves to try to right her father’s wrong one last time. She is on a mission to preserve the life she lives.

Chance or fate or sheer determinism bring Daniel and Natasha together on this pivotal day.

*Review*

I read this as an audiobook. I loved the voices of Natasha and Daniel, this flowed really well as an audiobook. I used the Overdrive app to borrow this audiobook from my library. It was great for cleaning my room and twisting up my hair since my hands were full.

Life is complex and this book does a great job of displaying the complexity. The story is centered around Natasha and Daniel’s first and possibly only day together. Third person accounts of other individuals mentioned in the story are also given throughout the novel. The ripple affect of one person’s actions is ever present.

I’ve been wanting to read The Sun is Also a Star ever since I read the excerpt in Everything Everything. Nicola Yoon is a master author. I thought the story was incredibly well written. I didn’t agree with everything expressed by the characters but Yoon expresses the opinions of characters without making them offensive towards those who disagree. This book would be great for sparking debate. I would love to see this read in high school classrooms, especially in this social climate.

As a child of an immigrant I could relate to both Daniel and Natasha. The way their parents didn’t completely understand how different being a hyphen America made them. The struggle of interracial dating with parental disapproval is also something I can understand all too well.

*4.5/5 Stars*

I’m so excited to see the movie when it comes out next year. I absolutely love Yara Shahidi. She’s such a wonderful person on and off the screen. I’m so happy she got this major role.

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Get to Know Ya Book Tag

I saw this tag over on Thrice Read’s blog and decided to give it a try.

FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME?

This is a tough one. To Kill a Mockingbird was my favorite for years but I think I can give this title over to Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

FAVORITE BOOK FIVE YEARS AGO?

I wasn’t even in high school (secondary school for my international friends) five years ago. I was obsessed with Percy Jackson at the time but I had also read The Book Thief that year and I absolutely loved it.

FAVORITE DUOLOGY/TRILOGY/SERIES?

I’m not big on series but this has got to be one of my all time faves.

LAST BOOK YOU READ?

I read this last week for Booktubeathon.

LAST BOOK OF POETRY YOU READ?

Black Movie by Danez Smith was the last book of poetry I read.

WHAT BOOK MOST INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE?

There are so many to name. The Color Purple, All American Boys, and The Hate U Give have had a huge influence on me in recent years.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU UGLY CRY?

I am no stranger to tears. I cry during movies, while reading books, and even while watching TV shows. But, there are some books that make it too difficult to continue reading through the haze of tears. For me, these books were: The Color Purple, The Book Thief, and The Boy in the Black Suit.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU LAUGH?

Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist. I love Sundquist’s writing and the humor he finds in the most precarious situations.

CHARACTER YOU’D LIKE TO BE FOR A DAY?

I think I would want to be Mindy Kaling from Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? for a day if that counts. She’s hilarious and successful.

BOOK SO GOOD YOU DREAMT ABOUT IT?

I don’t think I’ve ever dreamt about a book. I’ve probably dreamt of reading, but not a specific book.

BOOK YOU DNFD?

If I start a book and I’m not really into it, there’s a good chance I won’t finish it. The Diviners by Libba Bray was a little too creepy for me so I never finished it.

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO READ?

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo is on the top of my TBR right now. I need to go out and buy a copy, the audio book will not do.

I tag all who are interested in doing this. It was a fun way to reminisce on how much reading has meant to me in the past and present.

Are you going to try out the Get to Know Ya Tag? Let me know down below and be sure to tag me so I can see it!

Booktubeathon Wrap-up

This year’s reading challenges were:

1/ Let a coin toss decide your first read.
2/ Read a book about something you want to do.
3/ Read and watch a book to movie adaptation.
4/ Read a book with green on the cover.
5/ Read a book while wearing the same hat the whole time.
6/ Read a book with a beautiful spine.
7/  Read seven books.

I started Booktubeathon with The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. This has been a high one on my TBR for a little while now and I’m really glad I got a chance to read this one. This helped me get through challenge 2 (traveling Europe) and 4.

Then I moved on to Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. I love poetry and I especially love Spoken Word. I wore my bonnet the whole time and since it covers my head I’m counting that as a hat so challenge 5 completed.

Next I read Eleanor and Park. Also an audiobook. This wasn’t for the challenges, I just really wanted to read it.

Then I re-read Black Movie by Danez Smith. It was just as beautiful as before.

After that I read Fat Kid Rules the World for challenge 1 and 6.

Five books and five challenges is pretty great for me. I think I only got through three last year. This was a fun week of fun reads and I’m happy to have participated. I’ll have my reviews out for these books in the coming weeks. Booktubeathon 2018 was a success!

Did you participate in Booktubeathon this year? If not, do you plan on trying it out next year?

Two for Tuesday – Autumn and Winter

Two for Tuesday is something I try to keep up with every week here on my blog. It can be used to review anything, from children’s books to makeup products. If you’d like to join in posting Two for Tuesdays, just comment on this post here.

Both of these stories were published today, so make sure to grab a copy for your little ones.

The Time Traveler’s Wife (Book Review)

Clare and Henry have a relationship defined by time. Clare was six years old when she first met Henry, while he didn’t know Clare existed until he was twenty-eight. Henry is a time traveler, but not by choice. He has no control over his travels, though they’re often places of meaning.

I used to watch the movie several years ago without ever knowing it was a book first. When I found this for a bargain at the thrift store, I decided it was worth a shot. This was definitely not my usual read. It’s on the longer side (536 pages) and it is adult fiction rather than YA but I enjoyed the film so much that I just had to check out the book.

This book made me laugh and by the end of it I was bawling. The tears couldn’t be stopped with this one. There were several points I had to put the book down just so I wouldn’t drown in my own tears. This is total chick-lit. I grew so close to the characters, especially Clare.

I will admit, I found some of the time travel with Clare’s childhood strange. Especially because of the huge age gap. He was in his 30’s talking to the child version of his wife. I mean, come on. But again, it’s chick-lit. It’s not meant to be taken super literal.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Time Traveler’s Wife. It was a beautiful love story that most literally surpasses time. 4/5 Stars.