Review of I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson 

Book Title: I’ll Give You The Sun

Author: Jandy Nelson

Publisher: Dial Books

Number of pages: 371

Genre: young adult, contemporary, LGBT, romance

Release Date: September 16th 2014

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

“We were all heading for each other on a collision course, no matter what. Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story.”

At first, Jude and her twin brother Noah, are inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them. Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah’s to tell; the later years are Jude’s. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they’ll have a chance to remake their world. This radiant, award-winning novel from the acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

Printz Award Winner Stonewall Honor Book.

Favorite Quotes: 

Goodreads Synopsis:

A brilliant, luminous story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell 

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah’s story to tell. The later years are Jude’s. What the twins don’t realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.
This radiant novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

My Review:

5/5 stars

First before diving into my review, I want to thank Megan Duke  for recommending this to me last year (I believe) and suggesting to read it this week. I can’t thank you enough.

Originally, I wasn’t sure about this book. It started from Noah’s POV at 13 and I honestly had NO IDEA what he was talking about. I thought that he just rambled on and on about things.  However, it took some convincing and I thought, okay okay, I’ll keep reading. As soon as I hit Jude’s POV chapter at 16, I was DEFINITELY hooked.

I really love when authors decide to present a story in a different way. Doing so allows readers to get another story within a story. I feel that this reflects real life because your life doesn’t just involve you, it involves everyone around you.
Once I got over the fact that Noah was only 13 for his POV, I let my “dislike” of him subside. I enjoyed how each POV was truly unique to the character. Since Noah was such an artist, he always saw things a bit differently and vividly. I usually dislike books where it’s more like poetry and I’m like “get on with it already!” But not this time. He had such a vivid imagination for everything going on around him that it made you appreciate what he felt.  I liked how Jude’s POV showed her closeness with the woman in her family. I like the fact that you also get an idea of how other people in NoahAndJude’s life have been changed over the years through the twins lives.

I think Jandy Nelson took this story to a new level by writing it in the way she did. I don’t think there would have been as much of an impact had it just been written from one twins POV. I would also say that Nelson has a realistic perspective on what a 13 year old boy and 16 year old girl may be going through at that time in their life.

I believe this is a beautiful, vivid and amazing story about betrayal, love, family and possible second chances.  If you love and enjoy contemporary books, I would HIGHLY recommend this book.

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