Worth the read?- The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon

One of my New Year’s goals this year is to read at least two books a month and write about my favorites. However, this month I wanted to jump back to a book I read last year (totally not because I have not finished my two books this month). I wanted to talk about one of my favorite books, written by a Black woman. Though it is important to honor Black authors every single day of the year for the amazing work they put into the world, I wanted to discuss a book that I did not have a chance to talk about last year: The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon.  

Nicola Yoon is a Jamaican-American author who grew up in Brooklyn. Yoon in a New York Times Bestselling Author with books such as The Sun is also a Star and Everything, Everything. Two of her books have been made into movies, and she is still writing today.  

I stumbled across The Sun is also a Star at the library while looking for a book for an English project. My librarian recommended it to me, and since I had heard of it before I decided to check it out and read it over break. As most students do, I forgot about my assignment of reading this book until two days before winter break was over, but that proved not to be an issue because this book was so good.  

The Sun is also a Star takes place in New York City, where Daniel and Natasha meet. Natasha is a young Jamaican girl who wants to be a scientist- and does not necessarily believe in fate. This is unlike Daniel, the child of Korean immigrants who is trying to find a balance between pleasing his parents and being himself, who believes everything happens for a reason. Which is why he is very addiment about getting to know Natasha. Natasha, however, is significantly less eager to know Daniel because she is leaving New York in less than 24 hours- permanently. Natasha is being deported. Through the next 24 hours, the two spend the entire day together, Natasha trying to stop her deportation that Daniel is unaware of, and Daniel trying to make Natasha fall in love with him in only 24 hours. In only one day, the two learn more about themselves and each other than they have ever known.    

At first glance, I assumed this was going to be another cheesy ‘they want to be together but can’t’ book. But I was wrong. Yoon describes the balance between fate and coincidence in a beautiful way that challenged what I believe to be true. She takes a character that could be considered a pessimist and shows her that fate and science have similarities. She also takes a heart-breaking story about the reality deportation that many teens bear the weight of and made it beautiful. Yoon raised awareness for the hardships of people who are being thrown out of a place that they built a life in, while hitting multiple audiences through love, the relationship between parent and child and how one action can affect an entire life.  

I could rave about this book for hours, but instead of being a bore, I recommend this book to all who love a good romantic comedy that deals with the reality of being an immigrant in the United States.