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A review by melissaverasreads
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
5.0
Actual rating: 4.5✮
I'm going to start this review saying this book was awesome. It didn't start that way. Don't get me wrong, the book start good enough, it kept me reading, it was really interesting... but I wasn't in love with it. Yet. It was just good. But then, like 50% in... What can I say?
The characters are AMAZING. They're real, they have a lot of flaws (like all of us!), they are funny, and dreamy, and just... what every character should be. What every person should be. The character development was on point. I really like a quote from this book: "Sometimes a good person makes a bad decision".
The art in this book have a major role, and it's so good, it made me look up some of the sculptures and paintings! I'll Give You The Sun treats art like it's magic. It's definitely a very magical book, even if it's not a fantasy genre. I don't know how Jandy Nelson manage this, but I love it like you have no idea. I don't really have the words to explain this, nor do I want to... I feel like explaining the magic in this books takes it away.
I wouldn't define I'll Give You The Sun like a romantic book, exactly, because it's not the most important part... but yeah, the romance is there. And yeah, the romance it's BEAUTIFUL. And you have to believe me, because when a book manage to turn this:
into this:
it's because the romance. it's. good.
I don't usually comment about the covers on my reviews, because I just don't see the point, I liked it or I don't... it doesn't really matter. I always liked the cover of the Hardcover Edition... but after I finished reading, I look at the cover again with other perspective. The art. THE COLORS. It makes so much sense, I love it even more now.
Are you wondering if you should read this book? Yes, yes you should. In fact, go read it NOW, so you can read the spoilery things I've got to say :)
Now, for people who have read the book: SPOILERY THINGS.
When Oscar told Jude about his mother, and his problems... I think this is the moment when Jude TRULY fell in love with him, and that is the moment when I fell in love with him too.
But my favorite part of the whole book was when Brian kissed Noah. I wasn't expecting that and it was SO CUTE, SO AWESOME, SO AWW. I love it!
I find the bullies at first a bit cliché, but then when Zephyr doesn't tell anybody about what happened when he felt Noah's arousal, I think it put a little dept in the character.
BUT...
I really wanted a final Noah chapter, a small one, with the encounter between him and Brian at age 16. I was expecting that, that would have been perfect, the perfect ending, I don't know why Jandy Nelson didn't write that. Noah it's the main character as much as Jude. :/
When the father left the house, I knew right away that the mother had a lover. And that that lover was Guillermo. I really don't know how to feel about it. I HATE infidelity, but I understand she fell in love. That happens in real life, too. But then again... I hate infidelity. I hate it. This was just some of those things that are neither black or white, but gray. But to me it's a really dark shade of gray.
Something I really didn't like about the parents is the favoritism they show. I know they didn't intend to do that, and that relationships between family is complicated, but the favoritism is AWFUL, more when it comes from the parents. Many of the bad things the twins did was because of this, of the jealousy, and I'm sorry but I think this was the parents fault. Really, really awful.
I'm going to start this review saying this book was awesome. It didn't start that way. Don't get me wrong, the book start good enough, it kept me reading, it was really interesting... but I wasn't in love with it. Yet. It was just good. But then, like 50% in... What can I say?
The characters are AMAZING. They're real, they have a lot of flaws (like all of us!), they are funny, and dreamy, and just... what every character should be. What every person should be. The character development was on point. I really like a quote from this book: "Sometimes a good person makes a bad decision".
The art in this book have a major role, and it's so good, it made me look up some of the sculptures and paintings! I'll Give You The Sun treats art like it's magic. It's definitely a very magical book, even if it's not a fantasy genre. I don't know how Jandy Nelson manage this, but I love it like you have no idea. I don't really have the words to explain this, nor do I want to... I feel like explaining the magic in this books takes it away.
I wouldn't define I'll Give You The Sun like a romantic book, exactly, because it's not the most important part... but yeah, the romance is there. And yeah, the romance it's BEAUTIFUL. And you have to believe me, because when a book manage to turn this:
into this:
it's because the romance. it's. good.
I don't usually comment about the covers on my reviews, because I just don't see the point, I liked it or I don't... it doesn't really matter. I always liked the cover of the Hardcover Edition... but after I finished reading, I look at the cover again with other perspective. The art. THE COLORS. It makes so much sense, I love it even more now.
Are you wondering if you should read this book? Yes, yes you should. In fact, go read it NOW, so you can read the spoilery things I've got to say :)
Now, for people who have read the book: SPOILERY THINGS.
Spoiler
Parts that I liked the most: the scene when Jude is describing Oscar to her Grandma like "James Dean", and Oscar it's hearing everything. This was SO FUNNY.When Oscar told Jude about his mother, and his problems... I think this is the moment when Jude TRULY fell in love with him, and that is the moment when I fell in love with him too.
But my favorite part of the whole book was when Brian kissed Noah. I wasn't expecting that and it was SO CUTE, SO AWESOME, SO AWW. I love it!
I find the bullies at first a bit cliché, but then when Zephyr doesn't tell anybody about what happened when he felt Noah's arousal, I think it put a little dept in the character.
BUT...
I really wanted a final Noah chapter, a small one, with the encounter between him and Brian at age 16. I was expecting that, that would have been perfect, the perfect ending, I don't know why Jandy Nelson didn't write that. Noah it's the main character as much as Jude. :/
When the father left the house, I knew right away that the mother had a lover. And that that lover was Guillermo. I really don't know how to feel about it. I HATE infidelity, but I understand she fell in love. That happens in real life, too. But then again... I hate infidelity. I hate it. This was just some of those things that are neither black or white, but gray. But to me it's a really dark shade of gray.
Something I really didn't like about the parents is the favoritism they show. I know they didn't intend to do that, and that relationships between family is complicated, but the favoritism is AWFUL, more when it comes from the parents. Many of the bad things the twins did was because of this, of the jealousy, and I'm sorry but I think this was the parents fault. Really, really awful.