Book Review #4

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Do you want my honest opinion? Yeah, I think you do. This is one of the best books I've ever read. And I have read a lot of books in the years. The book and the movie are both so refreshing and it tells such an emotional story about deportation and falling in love with someone that is not the same race as you.

Long story short, without giving too much away, Natasha and her family are in the process of getting deported back to Jamaica. I am not going to give the reason of why they are being deported, but it has something to do with her father. Regardless, Natasha meets Daniel after her meeting to try and stop the deportation. She gives Daniel one hour to make her fall in love with him because Natasha does not believe in love. Now, Daniel wants to be a poet, which is why he believe that he can make Natasha fall in love with him based on a questionnaire. Before reading this book, I didn't think you could make someone love you with a series of questions. It was interesting. So interesting that I wanted to try is, but I'm already in love with someone, so that defeats the whole purpose, right?

In the book and the movie, we also get to see the dynamic of the two families. A black family and a Korean family. The way Natasha interacted with Daniel's family was cringe to watch and read. I'm not going to lie. But, can you imagine going through that in real life? Your family not accepting who you love? Or worse, they try to change them. And that's what happens when Natasha meets Daniel's dad. He tries to change something about her. When Daniel meets Natasha's family, it went a little bit differently. Mostly, they didn't acknowledge Daniel because Natasha was suppose to be home hours ago to pack for Jamaica. So, her dad was upset that she came home late, and was with a boy on top of that. Seeing the meetings of the two families play out, I was shocked at how different the interactions were.

Natasha and Daniel go through a lot of ups and downs while they are trying to build a relationship. But, I feel that these are what some couples, who are not the same ethnicity, have to go through. And it breaks my heart. Love is love - no matter the color of your skin or where you are from. That's what I believe.

Will Daniel get Natasha to fall in love with him? Will Natasha get deported? Will they get a happily ever after? I could tell you the answers to these questions, but it's more fun to leave you in suspense.

The story is so beautiful and, I think both the movie and the book were incredibly written. With everything that is going on in the world right now, I feel like all you need is a good book to get lost in.

Please read this book and watch the movie if want to. The book itself is easy to read and you will definitely breeze through it.

I'll end this blog post with one word and you'll be so confused, yet curious. Maybe then you'll read the book.

Karaoke.

xo Deirdre