The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon follows an African American teenage girl, Natasha, on her last day in New York before being deported back to her birth-nation of Jamaica where she fatefully (or not so fatefully in Natasha's opinion since she questions the existence of fate) meets Daniel, a Korean-American teenage boy (who does believe in fate) on his way to an admission interview for "second-best school" Yale. The novel then follows Natasha and Daniel as they spend the day together after he says he could make her fall in love with him in a day.
You may or may not recognize the author's name: Nicola Yoon. But she is previously known for her novel Everything, Everything that was adapted into a film in 2017 starring Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson. And if you read that novel or saw that book, then you know Nicola Yoon knows how to deliver a thought-provoking young adult romance in quirky, unexpected ways that hopeless romantics obsess over and make for a good read! So there is no doubt, that The Sun Is Also a Star lives up to the hype that it first got when it was published in 2016 - and this movie will be no exception. There are so many elements of the original story and about the film that are getting readers excited and reigniting the hype and love for this story!
The film is scheduled to be released on May 17, 2019. So there is still time to read (or reread) the book before seeing the film! Make your friends read it too! If they don't seem convinced, make them watch the film's trailer and they'll change their minds!! Spread the love for this story!
There are no limits to the number of things to be excited about this story and the coming film! Here are just a few aspects that are hard not to love about it:
1. Relevancy.
It discusses important issues like immigration, deportation, the life of different ethnicities, racism, family burdens/struggles, the difficulty of choosing a career/life path, young love, comparing the clash of different outlooks on life/opinions. The list keeps on going!
2. Lovable, relatable characters.
It's hard not to fall in love with these characters after the first couple of chapters! There are aspects in both Natasha and Daniel that could click with a variety of readers. And I can't wait to see them come to live in the film.
3. Speaking of characters...the film's cast.
Yara Shahidi, known for Blackish, Grownish, or Imagine That (from when she was nine years old!), will be Natasha. And heart-throb Charles Melton, known for Riverdale, will be Daniel. And as much as these actors are fantastic on their own, just imagine this duo together for this story! Couldn't get better than this pairing!
4. Amazing chemistry & memorable scenes.
One word: ABBA. (If you know, you know.) I cannot wait to have some of my favorite scenes come to life! Also, what is better than a romance with quirky commentary and great back-and-forth wittiness from both of the characters!
5. Realness.
One thing I really love about Nicola Yoon's novels is the level of reality she blends in with all the "fiction." The stories are not overwhelmingly "romantic comedy"-esque or the "oh, that could never happen in real life" which is one of the reasons her stories connect so well. The discussions are real, the feelings are real, the reality in the world of these novels is real to us - we live it every day.
Anyone could easily keep adding to this list, but needless to say: Read the book. See the film. Support these kinds of stories. And learn something along the way, too.
