REVIEW: I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

Pages: 429
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Walker Books
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: April 2nd 2015 (This Edition)
Buy The Book: Amazon UK

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 Thoughts:
I’ll Give You The Sun introduces us to twins Noah and Jude, who are torn apart by the death of their mother. The book tells us Jude’s story in present day, whilst she is sixteen, and follows Noah’s story a few years previously, whilst he is thirteen. This change in time is one of the reasons why this story was so compelling for me. As readers, we already know bits and pieces about the events that have taken place, and it makes us eager to learn how it all unfolds. 

This is a story that is all about the characters. They’re beautifully complex. Both Jude and Noah have flaws, they’ve both made decisions that weren’t very sensible, they’ve both contributed to the wedge that’s between them, and watching them try to fix everything is as touching as it is heart-breaking. Jandy has a way of making her characters so perfectly believable. 

There are many themes explored within this novel, grief and how it affects people in different ways being one of them. The changes in both of the characters are evident in the switching of time-periods, and it’s both sad and fascinating to see the difference in them. Jude and Noah at sixteen are almost the complete opposite of Jude and Noah at thirteen. The twins deal with their grief in separate ways and I loved seeing how that grief pulled them apart and brought them together again. 

The relationships in this book are wonderfully presented, not just the bond between Noah and Jude, but everyone else they connect with as well, such as Brian and Oscar. I absolutely adored the build-up to the romance between Noah and Brian, but the difficulties they faced tore at my heartstrings. 

Emotions and learning to deal with them are also huge part of this novel, and it’s written in a way that allows you to connect with the character’s situations, whether you can personally relate to them or not. I’m sure there are plenty of readers who will be able to find comfort in the words of this story.

I’ll Give You The Sun is utterly gorgeous. It’s that simple. Everything about it is beautifully crafted; the characters, the build-up of the plot, the jumping back and forth between present and past. Even the pages were visually stunning in this edition of the book. 

I flew through this in a matter of days and was completely sucked into the artistic and glorious world of these twins. Their unique personalities are ones I certainly won’t be forgetting anytime soon. Jandy is such a wonderful storyteller and I adore her writing style. Her books are pure art, a magical mix of prose and poetry. If you have yet to read her glorious novels, I highly suggest you give them a try! 

Royal Rating:

 

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EVENT RECAP: Be True To Yourself, with Jandy Nelson, Lisa Williamson, and Sara Barnard

Last night I was lucky enough to attend the Be True To Yourself event in Waterstones, Liverpool with Jandy Nelson, Lisa Williamson, and Sara Barnard. The minute I heard that this event would be coming to my nearest city, I had to book a ticket immediately. A talk with three fabulous authors whose books I adore? Yes, please! 

Like the eager beaver that I am, I arrived super early and nabbed myself a seat on the front row. (This is something you do regularly when you’re are as tiny as me and know that your chances of seeing anything from a few rows back are slim.) The talk got underway, chaired by the awesome Cathy Cassidy who asked various questions to the authors about their books and the YA genre. 

The talk touched upon plenty of interesting topics, including the issues teenagers face today as opposed to a decade ago, such as the constant pressures of social media changing how young people interact. There was also a discussion on a topic that I bring up a lot in my book reviews; female friendships in the YA genre. As Sara and Lisa both pointed out, friendships are so important at a young age, and can have a much bigger impact on your life than romantic relationships. Lisa made a great point by saying that whilst she still has friends from her teen years, she can barely remember the faces of her crushes, and that’s so very true! This is why we need more books written around the power of platonic love between friends. 

All three of the authors did a reading from their books. Jandy even had Lisa provide the voice of the ‘hot British guy’ when reading an extract from I’ll Give You The Sun! 

Afterwards, some of the guests had a chance to ask questions, and we got a clue from each author about the project they’re working on next. Once the talk was finished, we had the chance to go and get our books signed! 

I had such a lovely time at the event and it was super inspiring to hear the authors talk about the topics they touch upon in their books. These are three very important stories, and I can’t recommend them enough to anyone who hasn’t read them yet! Hopefully, authors like Jandy, Sara, and Lisa will pave the way for more stories about embracing your true self. Thank you to Sara, Jandy, and Lisa for being wonderful - it was great to meet you all! 

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REVIEW: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Walker Books
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Realistic
Release Date: February 5th 2015 (This Edition)
Buy The Book: Amazon - Waterstones

For fans of John Green, David Levithan and Rainbow Rowell: a beautiful, funny and heartfelt novel about love and forgiveness. Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to centre stage of her own life - and suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two boys. One boy takes Lennie out of her sorrow; the other comforts her in it. But the two can't collide without Lennie's world exploding...

My Thoughts:
This book is beautiful to read. Though filled with the utter pain and grief of losing a loved one, The Sky Is Everywhere manages to warm your heart and leave you filled with hope.

Lennie’s sister, Bailey, was her entire world. They were inseparable. After Bailey’s death, Lennie struggled to come to terms with having to carry on without her. That’s when her grief leads her to Toby, Bailey’s boyfriend. The loss of a girl who brought so much joy to their lives leaves them feeling empty, and that emptiness draws them together. Between the two of them, they keep Bailey’s memory alive.

But when Lennie returns to school for the first time since Bailey’s death, she meets Joe. He’s new to town and brimming with life. As Toby pulls her back towards her grief, Joe tries to lead her out of it. Lennie is left torn between keeping the pain of Bailey’s death fresh in her mind, or allowing herself to move on and be happy again. 

As a sister myself, Lennie’s pain really hit home for me. I can’t imagine what it is like to go through the shock and heartbreak of the sudden death of a sibling. What I really loved about this story was that although it focused on Lennie, it showed how a situation like that affects the entire family. Lennie’s grandma and her uncle are fantastic characters, and the book shows them separately dealing with their loss in utterly different ways. 

In her grief, Lennie turns to poetry. She writes on anything that she can get her hands on: spare scraps, sweet wrappers, coffee cups. The poems are included at the start of every chapter and they alone create a powerful story. Lennie writes her memories of herself and Bailey, leaving them around town as a way to immortalise her sister. 

The way the book dealt with Lennie and Toby’s relationship was wonderful. They don’t have feelings for each other, they don’t view each other romantically, but they are pulled together by their grief. It shows how relationships can be altered after a tragedy, and how feelings are often misplaced. The way the story resolved the sudden shift in dynamic between the two of them was touching to read.

I loved the building of the relationship between Joe and Lennie. It’s written beautifully. There are many moments in which Lennie feels guilty for being happy and having feelings for Joe when Bailey can’t do any of those things anymore. But as she the story progresses, she learns that she doesn’t have to feel that guilt. That isn’t what Bailey would want for her. 

This isn’t a book about death. This is a book about life and all it has to offer. Family, friendships, allowing your emotions out into the world, taking chances and being happy. This is a story that makes you want to grab life and savour every moment of it.

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