Review: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

My rating: 

(4.25 stars)

Hey, everyone! I’m glad to say that I really liked Nicola Yoon’s sophomore novel, The Sun is Also a Star! It’s about Natasha and Daniel, two virtual strangers who meet at a time they really needed it and change both their lives after that moment. Sounds simple, but it was amazing! I fell in love with this book from page one! When I heard about The Sun is Also a Star, I couldn’t wait to read it. For months, anticipation has been building for me, and this book isn’t even a part of a series. It just has to do with how much I liked the writing style of Everything, Everything!

As I said, I really thought that this was great for a sophomore novel. When an author writes a great debut novel, I feel like there is a certain pressure to write a novel just as great, and Nicola Yoon has successfully done this. I’m usually not a fan of books that have a short time covered within the book, but I went with it in this book -it was focused on the events of one day- because the writing was just amazing! By focusing on that day, it became important to our minds, as well as to the characters within the story, Daniel and Natasha especially. My only problem with it is that the epilogue did the opposite, trying to speed things up rather than slow them down. It was kind of jarring. Maybe if a single moment was focused on, rather than rushing through their whole lives so that we would know everything that happened to them… But that’s just my opinion! 😉

Can I just say, I love how our two lovebirds complimented each other! I know the opposites attract theory has been put into practice countless times, but it works, so why not? There’s just something about two people coming together, in spite (or because) of their differences. It’s just so much more interesting than seeing a Jane-and-Bingley-like couple, two people who are more or less the same. Overall, I fell in love with this pairing! If you’ve read some of my other reviews, you might know that I’m not crazy about romance, but that usually when there’s a whole other plot going on that’s being sidetracked because of a developing romance that doesn’t capture my interest. But this couple? O.T.P. 😀

That’s all I have to say about The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon! If you liked Everything, Everything, then you should really, really read this book! If you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to leave them in the Comments Section below. Thanks for reading!

–  Sumaya

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For The Second Half Of The Year

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Hey, everyone! How have you been? It seems like a long time since I’ve last posted…. and now it’s Tuesday again, which means Top Ten Tuesday! 😀 This Top Ten is about the second half of 2016 and the books we’re excited for. Let me tell you, I don’t think I’m as excited for any releases in the second half of the year. Sure, I have some books that I know I’m going to buy, but to be honest, compared to the first half of the year, my anticipated reads for the second half isn’t much… So my Top Ten won’t really be a Top Ten, but a Top Seven. 😉 Well, here are the books:

1. Harry Potter and Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

Cannot wait for this! Already had it preordered a while ago! 😉

2. P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

The premise seems really sweet! 🙂

 

3. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Need to read the fourth book still, but other than that… 😀

4. Something in Between by Melissa De La Cruz

I want this! 🙂

5. My Unscripted Life by Lauren Morrill

Love any books focusing on the entertainment industry!

6. Midnight Hour by C.C. Hunter

The last book of the series! 😦

7. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicole Yoon

After Everything, Everything…. I’d love to read more by Nicola Yoon!

That’s my list! Are any of these books on your TTT? What other books are on your TTT this week? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below. Just leave your TTT in the Comments Section, so that I can check them out! Thanks for reading, everyone!

-Sumaya

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books To Read If You Like This Super Popular Book/Author

Hello, everybody! Today’s Tuesday, which means it’s time to name my Top Ten! This week, it’s about those books you’d recommend  if you’d like reading this author or that. To be honest, at first, I thought it would be really hard to come up with a list for this Top Ten, but then it became really easy as I got the ball rolling!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, if you liked City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

I felt that Calaena was like Jace when I read this the first time around…

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, if you liked Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (sigh)

Other than it being hot and steamy, it also includes issues about family, image, acceptance and other topics.

The Lightning Thief, if you liked Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

This was how my friend recommended it to me when I first read it, and I’d have to agree, except The Lightening Thief is a bit shorter…

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, if you liked The Faults in Our Stars by John Green

When the blurb on Goodreads describes it like that, you can’t always trust it. But in this case, it was kind of right. 🙂

Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway, if you liked anything by Sarah Dessen

This description (of it being for fans of Sarah Dessen) was pretty accurate, according to me!

Dark Visions by L.J. Smith, if you liked The Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong

Teens locked up in a secluded area with magical/psychic powers? Oh yeah!

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi, if you liked Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Not only is it concerned with reality versus imagination, it also has themes about family and social interaction. Both main characters are loners as well. 😉

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabuluous Life Rachel Renée Russell if you liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

This is more or less like Diary of a Wimpy, only with the main character being a girl…

The Real Prom Queens of Westerfield High by Laurie Boyle Crompton, if you liked Something Real by Heather Demetrios

They both contain the ugly truth about reality tv shows.

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter, if you liked Abandon by Meg Cabot

If you want to read retellings about myth, specifically the Persephone and Hades myth.

These are my Top Ten this week! Any of these similar to your Top Ten? If you have any thoughts about this list or want to leave your TTT link in the comments section, feel free to share them. Take care and keep reading!

-Sumaya

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 

Good afternoon! So this post is for Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I recently received a copy from NetGalley so I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish it in time, since the archive date was today. But luckily, the book was so enjoyable and such a short read that I finished it in no time!

I started getting interested in this book after a lot of bloggers posted their own reviews about it. I thought to myself,”must read this!” At first, I reserved it and was prepared to wait for it to come from the library after its release date (which is today), but noticed that it was in NetGalley and requested it right away! And I got it immediately! YAY!

Even though I was reading another book at the time, I just chose to start this one and have not regretted it at all! It’s a really sweet read, with characters you find yourself loving just moments after reading about them (like Madeline or Carla). The plot was interesting, focusing on a girl who has SCID and what becomes of her life when a boy moves next door (cue romance). At first, it seems doomed but something happens. Even though she is limited in some ways, there are other things that make her like others, like her love of books (which I loved ❤ ). She starts out as ignorant of herself and turns out to be enlightened at the end, which is the case for most YA Contemporary. What funny about this is that she even parodies the genre by talking about it in the novel and arguing that her existence isn’t anything like it. But all throughout the novel, you’d see little clues, like when discussing the issue of growing up and relationships with parents.

Then there were the illustrations in the book; they were just wonderful and funny! These were drawn by the author’s husband, and I think they compliment the book well and add more to the story. And I think it’s really sweet that they worked together on this!

What I didn’t necessarily like about this book was that it was a bit cliche. It started all because of a boy. Even though the protagonist goes out of her way to point out that it’s not only because of Olly, but also need to explore the world, it still seemed a bit boy centric. Also, I guessed the big secret before it was revealed, around halfway through the novel. Afterwards, the book was pretty predictable. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like it; it just wouldn’t be in my Top Ten recommendation list.

Well, those are my thoughts on Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I’d love to hear what you think about, if you’ve read it or not. Take care and keep reading!

-Sumaya