[BWF] The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon - 4 stars

[Jen K]

Cute meet cute/ love story of two teens in NYC on momentous days in their lives. For Natasha, after mostly growing up in the only home she really remembers, it is her last day in the US unless she can somehow get the authorities to undo the order to leave. Her father outed their status of illegally overstaying their visa and are due to be deported that night. For Daniel, he has an interview for Yale which will seal his fate to becoming the doctor that his parents, who emigrated from Korea, demand and not the pursue his passion for poetry. The transition even starts with the demand to cut his ponytail before the interview. However when Daniel sees Natasha, he is sure that they were fated to meet and fall in love. He has a survey to make it work and convinces her to spend the day with him to prove him wrong.

The story is teen cheesy and angsty but also adorable. I appreciate the reality of the heavier concerns that they both take on as teens with parents who moved to the US looking for a better life. There are fun asides throughout about the side characters they meet or history or science of topics they discuss. I really enjoyed the format.

BWF: Tenacious Trailblazers- Sad x 45