Author: Nicola Yoon
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
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?
Nicola Yoon once again has managed to bring us a beautiful, fast-paced, very cute contemporary romance for us to gobble up and think about. One think that I love about Yoon’s books over many other popular YA romance contemporary reads that get a lot of hype is how multi-level they are despite it’s simplicity of language and fast pace. Be honest with yourself, if you don’t enjoy this type of book then don’t make yourself read it simply because so many are talking about it. But if for some reason you are wanting to pick this up you will find an array of beautiful themes discussed.
Such as:
- The difficulties faced by immigrant families when coming to a new nation where they don’t know the language or culture. The struggle to assimilate and feel part of a new country while simultaneously keeping a connection to your past and your homeland.
- The desperate desire parents have for their children to make a successful life for themselves. The dichotomy faced by children of immigrants who have to struggle with the weight of everything their parents have done for them and whatever wishes they may have for their own future aside from what their parents want. And how those things may not always be the same.
- The importance of allowing yourself and your way of thinking to be challenged by others, the beautiful growth that can occur when you do.
- The way our small everyday interactions with people on the street can have a deep impact on ours or their lives.
- The importance of hope and love and family and friendship.
This book is beautiful in its simplicity and I could not put it down. Many of the things that occur in the plot may be seen as convenient and while I definitely see that, I think Yoon was trying to get at something larger than the story itself, and so I ran with it and just tried to learn and think about everything she had showed me through this beautiful love story. It will take you no time at all to read but it is so worth it, in my opinion.
If you’d like to hear some more of my thoughts on it, consider checking out my video!
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