The Sun is Also a Star (Review)

Usually, when I hear as much hype about a book as this one has, I want to pick up as soon as possible.

But I put off reading The Sun is Also a Star because I always thought that straight-up romance was not my forte.

Either I’ve been wrong about myself or The Sun can change a person’s mind.

“I don’t believe in love.”

“It’s not a religion,” he says. “It exists whether you believe in it or not.” 

Today Daniel is going to an interview with a Yale Alumni, to prepare for a future as a doctor to please his Korean-immigrant parents and their traditional ideals. Even though he wants to be a poet.

Today is (most-likely) Natasha’s last day in America before her family is deported back to Jamaica because of one mistake. Even though Jamaica is not her home, and it was not her mistake, and she wants to stay.

Today is the day they will meet and fall in love.

“There’s a Japanese phrase that I like: koi no yokan. It doesn’t mean love at first sight. It’s closer to love at second sight. It’s the feeling when you meet someone that you’re going to fall in love with them. Maybe you don’t love them right away, but it’s inevitable that you will.” 

The Sun is Also a Star uses all the overused tropes: Insta-love, opposites attract, passion vs. logic… All the things I hate.

But with a unique, fast-paced format and beautiful writing, this book will make you suspend your disbelief and hold your scoffs.

The Sun is not just about love, although that’s obviously its central topic. It’s about how one decision can change your life and about how people’s lives intertwine without us knowing.

My favorite part of the book was how, for me, it embodied one of my favorite words: 

Sonder

1. n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.

Yoon achieves this by not only switching between Natasha and Daniel’s perspective, but also the perspective of their parents, the bystander security guard, a passerby, and more. Occasionally, it even explores the history of hair, the science of multiverses, or the anatomy of eyes.

“We are capable of big lives. A big history. Why settle?”

I loved how The Sun takes the opportunity to touch on issues of race and racism, interracial relationships, poverty, and immigration, filling out the narrative so it was more substantial than just the fluffy romance I thought it would be.

And that ending! I won’t say anything further because I’ll spoil it, but also because I’m still not completely sure how I feel about it. I can appreciate the way it was done and what it did for the characters and the story. While reading, I was unsure what ending I wanted, but felt like either way it would be expected. But things were resolved in a believable and unforced way and I was still surprised.

I rated The Sun is Also a Star 5 out of 5 stars. It was very cute but also had plenty of significant moments. It was addicting to read;  once I picked it up I didn’t want to put it down, and read it in almost one sitting. I’d recommend this book to people who like romance but skeptics as well.