Scan barcode
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
5.0
I can't even begin to explain how much I loved this book. Noah and Jude are amazing, I can see why the author is so attached to them and thought they were real because I feel the same way.
Just an absolutely beautiful, stunning and mesmerising book. I hated having to put it down to do things like eat, sleep and work...
Just an absolutely beautiful, stunning and mesmerising book. I hated having to put it down to do things like eat, sleep and work...
laurasauras's review
5.0
I cannot emphasise enough how deeply I felt these kids pain. They were dealing with issues that I have never had to go through, but felt perfect sympathy to, and I cried more than once. They were so close, practically the one soul, and they kept sabotaging each other the way you do with people you're that close to.
The contrast between the chapters was also extraordinary. On the one hand you have Noah, telling the story from when they are 13/14 and before a unspecified family event (no spoilers!), and on the other hand you have Jude, 16 and recovering from the event. From the both sides you get an idea of what each is going through, and strangely, the even almost switches their personalities so that although you are seeing it from a different twins eyes, the protagonist is always a bit of an outsider and disbelieving of their twins social success.
It's beautifully written, and the story is captivating. I read it in a single afternoon and almost flicked back to the start to begin again. 5 stars, and I'd probably even give up the flowers to spend more time with them.
The contrast between the chapters was also extraordinary. On the one hand you have Noah, telling the story from when they are 13/14 and before a unspecified family event (no spoilers!), and on the other hand you have Jude, 16 and recovering from the event. From the both sides you get an idea of what each is going through, and strangely, the even almost switches their personalities so that although you are seeing it from a different twins eyes, the protagonist is always a bit of an outsider and disbelieving of their twins social success.
It's beautifully written, and the story is captivating. I read it in a single afternoon and almost flicked back to the start to begin again. 5 stars, and I'd probably even give up the flowers to spend more time with them.
yellowmoon22's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nikkigribuste's review
5.0
A really cute book packed with metaphors, which I wasn't sure I would like and in the end LOVED. I loved the telling of their story through different perspectives and time frames, Noah being the past and Jude being present. I found this overall story of their growth and love just so heartwarming and touching and it made me wish I had a twin myself just so I can experience the same feelings as them.
Also loved the romance elements within the book too. Definitely recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of heavy metaphors and appreciates the creativity that goes into YA books like these. Absolutely amazing.
Also loved the romance elements within the book too. Definitely recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of heavy metaphors and appreciates the creativity that goes into YA books like these. Absolutely amazing.
lunarflare's review
4.0
4.5 the straight romance with the gross age gap threw me off completely and they definitely eclipsed the gay story which. i neither appreciate nor forgive. but alas this was one huge rainshower of light and an embrace of every fractured, desperate, mean, joyful, loving, tender thing that carves a space in our very human lives and inhabits it unapologetically. noah sweetwine<3!
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review
4.0
3.5
When readers say they love and hate a book at the same time, it could mean they hate that they enjoy it, or that they love it so much but hate it for causing them pain.
When I use this phrase, I mean it literally.
Half the time I found this book to be lovely, the other half I was extremely frustrated and annoyed with it. As usual, it comes down to the main characters. I loved one of them and hated the other.
When it comes to both siblings, Jandy Nelson writes in a way that makes you feel so close to them, whether you like them or not. Never has a book annoyed me so much yet still made my heart ache.
✖ Noah: the less enjoyable part of the story for me.
The majority of the first half is narrated by Noah. Super artistic, poetic and every hipster's dream Noah; the most pretentious 13-year-old boy I’ve ever encountered. I frankly hated being in his head. The writing is so goddamned flowery I could make a bouquet out of it.
I like long sentences packed with emotion every once in a while, preferably at the emotional peril of a story. Noah's perspective features this type of writing on every page, which makes it lose effect. Also it didn’t make any sense; what 13-year-old boy thinks like this? Jude barfs bright blue fluorescent barf all over the table, but I’m the only one who notices.
It feels like a poor excuse for describing body language and winning the readers over with ’’poetic’’ writing, just like in [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1402749479l/16143347._SY75_.jpg|21975829] (don’t remind me, it gives me a headache).
I watch the vein in his neck pulse. I watch him convert oxygen to carbon dioxide. I watch him existing and existing and existing.
I personally feel the story focused too much on Noah. Noah’s story was mainly about miscommunication and misunderstandings, however life-changing and sad they were, and it frustrated me. If he had talked to his dad and the boy he loved, he wouldn't have faced these problems. I found it difficult to understand his actions, especially towards Jude. If Noah hadn’t narrated this book, it would have been an easy 5-star read for me.
With that said, I appreciated the diversity (we need more LGBTQ characters in YA!) and that the author wrote about teenagers who aren't old high school caricatures like jocks and the popular crowd, but rather the artistic and confused kids who do not fit in.
★ Jude, who I’d like an entire book about.
Jude is such a sympathetic character, and my heart broke for her. She was much more relatable in my opinion. She rarely uses metaphors, she's an artist and a dreamer just like her brother but older when she tells the story and more mature. Although her narrative included some flowery writing, at least she was self-aware and actually sounded like a teenage girl.
I don't think other guys' lips are this red. And I know their faces aren't this colorful, this vivid, this lived-in, this superbly off-kilter, this brimming with dark, unpredictable music. NOT THAT I EFFING NOTICE.
Jude's love interest can be summarized with 4 B's; Broken Beautiful British Boy.
Huge emphasis on the British part, which is apparently a character trait/personality quirk. He's like Augustus Waters 2.0, and a lot more messed up. But of course I fell for him, just like Jude. Their scenes put a big smile on my face and I loved him with all his complexity. Stupid boy.
Jude's story hit me hard and I could feel all the despair and helplessness and words left unsaid.
They do make love stories for girls with black hearts after all. They go like this.
I’ll give you the sun is a dreamlike book, hopeful and sad at the same time. I was half annoyed, half emotional while reading it, if that makes sense. I love how the story came together in the end and despite its flaws, I felt content and happy and nostalgic when I closed the book.
This last quote shows what a talented writer Nelson can be. THIS is how you write something emotionally charged without decorating it with flowers and metaphors. I just wish the rest of the book wasn’t as exaggerated.
’’Or maybe a person is just made up of a lot of people. Maybe we’re accumulating these new selves all the time.’’ Hauling them in as we make choices, good and bad, as we screw up, step up, lose our minds, find our minds fall apart, fall in love, as we grieve, grow, retreat from the world, dive into the world, as we make things, as we break things.
When readers say they love and hate a book at the same time, it could mean they hate that they enjoy it, or that they love it so much but hate it for causing them pain.
When I use this phrase, I mean it literally.
Half the time I found this book to be lovely, the other half I was extremely frustrated and annoyed with it. As usual, it comes down to the main characters. I loved one of them and hated the other.
When it comes to both siblings, Jandy Nelson writes in a way that makes you feel so close to them, whether you like them or not. Never has a book annoyed me so much yet still made my heart ache.
✖ Noah: the less enjoyable part of the story for me.
The majority of the first half is narrated by Noah. Super artistic, poetic and every hipster's dream Noah; the most pretentious 13-year-old boy I’ve ever encountered. I frankly hated being in his head. The writing is so goddamned flowery I could make a bouquet out of it.
I like long sentences packed with emotion every once in a while, preferably at the emotional peril of a story. Noah's perspective features this type of writing on every page, which makes it lose effect. Also it didn’t make any sense; what 13-year-old boy thinks like this? Jude barfs bright blue fluorescent barf all over the table, but I’m the only one who notices.
It feels like a poor excuse for describing body language and winning the readers over with ’’poetic’’ writing, just like in [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1402749479l/16143347._SY75_.jpg|21975829] (don’t remind me, it gives me a headache).
I watch the vein in his neck pulse. I watch him convert oxygen to carbon dioxide. I watch him existing and existing and existing.
I personally feel the story focused too much on Noah. Noah’s story was mainly about miscommunication and misunderstandings, however life-changing and sad they were, and it frustrated me. If he had talked to his dad and the boy he loved, he wouldn't have faced these problems. I found it difficult to understand his actions, especially towards Jude. If Noah hadn’t narrated this book, it would have been an easy 5-star read for me.
With that said, I appreciated the diversity (we need more LGBTQ characters in YA!) and that the author wrote about teenagers who aren't old high school caricatures like jocks and the popular crowd, but rather the artistic and confused kids who do not fit in.
★ Jude, who I’d like an entire book about.
Jude is such a sympathetic character, and my heart broke for her. She was much more relatable in my opinion. She rarely uses metaphors, she's an artist and a dreamer just like her brother but older when she tells the story and more mature. Although her narrative included some flowery writing, at least she was self-aware and actually sounded like a teenage girl.
I don't think other guys' lips are this red. And I know their faces aren't this colorful, this vivid, this lived-in, this superbly off-kilter, this brimming with dark, unpredictable music. NOT THAT I EFFING NOTICE.
Jude's love interest can be summarized with 4 B's; Broken Beautiful British Boy.
Huge emphasis on the British part, which is apparently a character trait/personality quirk. He's like Augustus Waters 2.0, and a lot more messed up. But of course I fell for him, just like Jude. Their scenes put a big smile on my face and I loved him with all his complexity. Stupid boy.
Jude's story hit me hard and I could feel all the despair and helplessness and words left unsaid.
They do make love stories for girls with black hearts after all. They go like this.
I’ll give you the sun is a dreamlike book, hopeful and sad at the same time. I was half annoyed, half emotional while reading it, if that makes sense. I love how the story came together in the end and despite its flaws, I felt content and happy and nostalgic when I closed the book.
This last quote shows what a talented writer Nelson can be. THIS is how you write something emotionally charged without decorating it with flowers and metaphors. I just wish the rest of the book wasn’t as exaggerated.
’’Or maybe a person is just made up of a lot of people. Maybe we’re accumulating these new selves all the time.’’ Hauling them in as we make choices, good and bad, as we screw up, step up, lose our minds, find our minds fall apart, fall in love, as we grieve, grow, retreat from the world, dive into the world, as we make things, as we break things.
sophiesmith's review
5.0
This was such an easy read but by that I mean it was impossible to put down or stop thinking about.
The sibling relationship was so realistic which was very refreshing to finally see, also the parent-child relationships were so developed and intense, it was also very refreshing and satisfying to see how those relationships changed during the book and where/how they ended up.
The point of views were so interesting, having the chapters from Noah’s perspective being written in a different time zone to Jude’s was so cleverly done and unlike anything I’ve read before. This meant that all of the loose ends all tied in together at the end. It also meant that during the book, a lot of questions were building up because at the age of 13 the twins seemed very close but in Jude’s chapters at the age of 16 they seemed to have drifted and you just wanted to know why.
I really liked how all of the characters linked to both twins and how the side-characters formed the half of the plot where the twins were 16. To put it into simpler words, I liked how the ‘side’ characters linked to the plot and the twin’s lives and how these characters were important In the twin’s lives without even knowing it.
It was a very humble read and I’m glad I had read it after having it on my tbr for too many years, would recommend! :)
The sibling relationship was so realistic which was very refreshing to finally see, also the parent-child relationships were so developed and intense, it was also very refreshing and satisfying to see how those relationships changed during the book and where/how they ended up.
The point of views were so interesting, having the chapters from Noah’s perspective being written in a different time zone to Jude’s was so cleverly done and unlike anything I’ve read before. This meant that all of the loose ends all tied in together at the end. It also meant that during the book, a lot of questions were building up because at the age of 13 the twins seemed very close but in Jude’s chapters at the age of 16 they seemed to have drifted and you just wanted to know why.
I really liked how all of the characters linked to both twins and how the side-characters formed the half of the plot where the twins were 16. To put it into simpler words, I liked how the ‘side’ characters linked to the plot and the twin’s lives and how these characters were important In the twin’s lives without even knowing it.
It was a very humble read and I’m glad I had read it after having it on my tbr for too many years, would recommend! :)