YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon will be our 2nd GBR for April 2022.

Please read at your own pace, and hide any spoilers ☺ You are welcome to join at any time during the month ☺

Happy Reading Everybody!

Pre-Reading Questions -

Anybody got any thoughts on this one before we start?

Has anyone read anything similar to this before?

Anybody read anything else by this author previously?

10% It's hard to tell exactly where I am because it's the audio book and I'm listening while driving.
(view spoiler)[ I'm already loving the characters. Daniel and his family are so relatable. And I love that Natasha is so real about her family and her struggle and her absolute distaste for the things outside of her control. I find too many books have flat characters rounding out the main characters' families, but not so the case here. I can feel the tension in Daniel's home, in the immigration office with Natasha. (hide spoiler)]

40% audiobook guesstimate
(view spoiler)[ This scene where they go to Daniel's dad's store was so painful. Oh my gosh. Natasha is a much better person than I am. I would straight-up lose it. (Probably) And I loved Daniel taking her to the noraebang was awesome. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. (hide spoiler)]

Loved this one enjoy xo

EdenB15 wrote: "Loved this one enjoy xo"

Thanks! Enjoying it so far. The readers on the audiobook are amazing.

JBask wrote: "EdenB15 wrote: "Loved this one enjoy xo"

Thanks! Enjoying it so far. The readers on the audiobook are amazing."

I’m listening over audiobook too! I’m loving it!

20%
(view spoiler)[ Well I will say, the best way to start a relationship with me is probably saving me, but also saving my headphones. I understand her passion for headphones and the way she feels. I love the way they got thrown together on such an important day for both of them. It's a trope I always love. (hide spoiler)]

40%
(view spoiler)[ She's hooked. I'm so glad she's hooked. Cynical people always think they are realists, but she needs a taste of someone like Daniel even for just a day. If she didn't leave him when he smelled her hair, she's hooked. The scientist and the poet. It's a great story with rounded families. (hide spoiler)]

62%
(view spoiler)[ I hate how good this author is at painting families, the good and ugly parts. Natasha knowing how her father regrets her was probably the thing that sealed her dreams away from her. It's so sad. (hide spoiler)]

81%
(view spoiler)[ Oh that is so infuriating. If the lawyer wasn't going to help, don't give her hope. And don't take your secretary to bed unless you want to follow through. Man, that man is just destroying lives, even if part of his life turned out ok. (hide spoiler)]

Finished
(view spoiler)[ I loved it. I loved how it all came together in the end, and not just Natasha and Daniel, but all of the characters throughout the story. It was a beautiful book. (hide spoiler)]

JBask wrote: "40% audiobook guesstimate
[spoilers removed]"

It says a lot about how she felt about him at that moment that she didn't lose it.

Deidra wrote: "62%
[spoilers removed]"
Yes my heart's breaking for this, too. (view spoiler)[ What a burden to put on anyone--that you're why their dreams haven't worked out. Especially your own kid. (hide spoiler)]

70% audiobook guesstimate
(view spoiler)[ I love how we see the outcomes of the small interactions that Natasha & Daniel have with the people around them--how she convinces the security guard to try to give up smoking just because she's a good person. (hide spoiler)]

Deidra wrote: "81%
[spoilers removed]"

There were some angry words from me for sure while driving! What. the. heck. Also, own your mistakes. That bugs the crap outta me when people won't own their part in their own story.

Finished
(view spoiler)[ Got me thinking there that this wasn't the happy ever after I was looking for. But it was, eventually. And that's part of life--nothing ever seems to happen in the timing we have mapped out in our minds. That can be okay, too. (hide spoiler)]
Thanks for reading with me, Deidra!