DECEMBER 2016 - AudioFile
This trio of narrators turns the alternating voices in this story into a terrific audio. Bahni Turpin emphasizes the raw, seething emotions of Natasha, a Jamaican teen who is in the U.S. illegally. Natasha has only one day to avoid being deported. Into her day walks Korean-American Daniel, portrayed by Raymond Lee. Lee’s narration begins calmly but soon shows how Daniel is uncharacteristically stirred by his attraction to Natasha. Turpin and Lee convincingly portray a building relationship that begins with a rebuff but by day’s end turns to love, and finally to heartbreak. Periodically, Dominic Hoffman interjects short commentary from other characters. His wide range of accents and tones portrays aspects of many characters in the past, present, and even the future. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - Jen Doll
The Sun Is Also a Star is an enormous undertaking: an eclectic dictionary mashed up with Romeo and Juliet and the '90s rom-com One Fine Day. But Yoon grounds everything in Daniel and Natasha's instant, vital connection…and the conundrum that follows when they realize the universe has brought them together only to part them. It's a deep dive into love and chance and self-determination—and the many ways humans affect one another, often without even knowing it.
Publishers Weekly - Audio
★ 12/05/2016
Natasha is 17 and an undocumented immigrant from Jamaica who came to the U.S. as a young child. Her family is to be deported at midnight, but she makes a desperate, last-chance effort to talk to an immigration lawyer in Manhattan. Daniel is a Korean-American whose parents insist he go to Yale and become a doctor even though he loves writing poetry and wants the freedom to figure out his own life path. He is unenthusiastically heading to Manhattan for his Yale interview. When the two meet by chance, they end up having a day full of deep conversations. Turpin and Lee both give award-worthy performances. Both completely inhabit their roles in an absolutely natural and authentic way: we feel that Natasha and Daniel are talking to us directly in their own unique voices, sharing their personal stories, feelings, and frustrations in alternating chapters. Both readers are deft with accents, too, whether it’s the Korean accents of Daniel’s parents or the Jamaican dialect of Natasha’s. The voices of the characters will ring in listeners’ minds long after the book is completed. Ages 12–up. A Delacorte hardcover. (Nov.)
Publishers Weekly
★ 09/12/2016
Is it fate or chance that brings people together? This is the question posed in this impressively multilayered tale of a one-day romance featuring practical Natasha, whose family is facing deportation to Jamaica, and Daniel, a first-generation Korean American with a poet’s sensibility. The teens’ eventful day begins at a New York City record store, where they see someone shoplifting. It’s the first of many significant moments that occur as Natasha desperately seeks aid to stay in America and Daniel prepares for a college interview with a Yale alum. Drawn together, separated, and converging again, both teens recognize with startling clarity that they are falling in love. With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of every character she introduces, Yoon (Everything, Everything) weaves an intricate web of threads connecting strangers as she delves into the personal histories of her protagonists, as well as the emotions and conflicts of others who cross their paths. A moving and suspenseful portrayal of a fleeting relationship. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sara Shandler and Joelle Hobeika, Alloy Entertainment. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
The #1 New York Times Bestseller
A National Book Award Finalist
A Michael L. Printz Honor Book
A New York Times Notable Book
A BuzzFeed Best YA Book of the Year
A POPSUGAR Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Editor's Choice
A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
Recipient of the John Steptoe New Talent Award
A Walter Award Honor Book
★ "An exhilarating, hopeful novel exploring identity, family, the love of science and the science of love, dark matter and interconnectedness—is about seeing and being seen and the possibility of love... and it shines." —Shelf Awareness, starred review
★ “Moving and suspenseful.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ “Lyrical and sweeping, full of hope, heartbreak, fate. . . and the universal beating of the human heart." —Booklist, starred review
★ "Fresh and compelling." —The Horn Book, starred review
★ "With appeal to cynics and romantics alike, this profound exploration of life and love tempers harsh realities with the beauty of hope in a way that is both deeply moving and satisfying."—Kirkus, starred review
★ “A love story that is smart without being cynical, heartwarming without being cloying, and schmaltzy in all the best ways.”—The Bulletin, starred review
"This wistful love story will be adored by fans of Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park."—SLJ
Praise for Everything, Everything:
“[A] fresh, moving debut.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Gorgeous and lyrical.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Will give you butterflies.” —Seventeen
“A do-not-miss for fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell (aka everyone).” —Justine
“YA book lovers, your newest obsession is here.”—MTV.com
School Library Journal
08/01/2016
Gr 8 Up—It is Natasha's last day in New York City, where she has lived for 10 years. Her family, living as undocumented immigrants in a small Brooklyn apartment, are being deported to Jamaica after her father's arrest for drunk driving. Natasha is scouring the city for a chance to stay in the United States legally. She wants the normal teen existence of her peers. Meanwhile, poetic Daniel is on his way to an interview as part of his application process to Yale. He is under great pressure to get in because his parents (who emigrated from South Korea) are adamant that he become a doctor. Events slowly conspire to bring the two leads together. When Daniel and Natasha finally meet, he falls in love immediately and convinces her to join him for the day. They tell their stories in alternating chapters. Additional voices are integrated into the book as characters interact with them. Both relatable and profound, the bittersweet ending conveys a sense of hopefulness that will resonate with teens. VERDICT This wistful love story will be adored by fans of Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park and by those who enjoyed the unique narrative structure of A.S. King's Please Ignore Vera Dietz.—Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH
DECEMBER 2016 - AudioFile
This trio of narrators turns the alternating voices in this story into a terrific audio. Bahni Turpin emphasizes the raw, seething emotions of Natasha, a Jamaican teen who is in the U.S. illegally. Natasha has only one day to avoid being deported. Into her day walks Korean-American Daniel, portrayed by Raymond Lee. Lee’s narration begins calmly but soon shows how Daniel is uncharacteristically stirred by his attraction to Natasha. Turpin and Lee convincingly portray a building relationship that begins with a rebuff but by day’s end turns to love, and finally to heartbreak. Periodically, Dominic Hoffman interjects short commentary from other characters. His wide range of accents and tones portrays aspects of many characters in the past, present, and even the future. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2016-08-02
Natasha and Daniel meet, get existential, and fall in love during 12 intense hours in New York City.Natasha believes in science and facts, things she can quantify. Fact: undocumented immigrants in the U.S., her family is being deported to Jamaica in a matter of hours. Daniel’s a poet who believes in love, something that can’t be explained. Fact: his parents, Korean immigrants, expect him to attend an Ivy League school and become an M.D. When Natasha and Daniel meet, Natasha’s understandably distracted—and doesn’t want to be distracted by Daniel. Daniel feels what in Japanese is called koi no yokan, “the feeling when you meet someone that you’re going to fall in love with them.” The narrative alternates between the pair, their first-person accounts punctuated by musings that include compelling character histories. Daniel—sure they’re meant to be—is determined to get Natasha to fall in love with him (using a scientific list). Meanwhile, Natasha desperately attempts to forestall her family’s deportation and, despite herself, begins to fall for sweet, disarmingly earnest Daniel. This could be a sappy, saccharine story of love conquering all, but Yoon’s lush prose chronicles an authentic romance that’s also a meditation on family, immigration, and fate. With appeal to cynics and romantics alike, this profound exploration of life and love tempers harsh realities with the beauty of hope in a way that is both deeply moving and satisfying. (Fiction. 14 & up)
