Review: I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson

Title: I'll Give You the Sun
Author: Jandy Nelson (@JandyNelson)
Published: September 16th, 2014
Series: N/A
Genre: YA contemporary
POV: 1st person, dual
Print Length: 371 pages
Audio Length: 12 hours, 57 Minutes
Publisher: Dial Books
Format: Audiobook | Print
Source: Purchased
Rating: The Treasure Vault

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.

I remember falling head over heels in love with Jandy Nelson's debut novel, The Sky Is Everywhere when it first published five years ago. So, I had high hopes for her newest release, I'll Give You the Sun. But once all of the glowing reviews started pouring in, I became a little nervous, since too much hype can set the bar too high and ultimately ruin a good story. So, I continued to set this story aside, again and again. However, once I got the audio version, I decided to dive right in and hope this story had been worth the wait. 

And what a novel to dive into - I'll Give You the Sun is an emotionally explosive story that cannonballs straight into your heart. Alternating between a younger Noah (ages 13 and 14) and a 16-year-old Jude, the twins share secrets of their past and present with the reader, and slowly untangle the mystery surrounding their peculiar lives. Between Jude's superstitious nature (and tendency to see her dead grandmother) and Noah's peculiar and artistic view of the world, these characters manage to be both realistically human and utterly effervescent. Nelson outdid herself with this story, these characters, and her vivid writing style. A truly magnificent novel, I'll Give You the Sun is a book you do not want to miss. 

Highlights: Not only were Jude and Noah wonderfully developed, but the side characters were equally fleshed out too. Some were quirky, some were normal, but all seemed like real people with real attributes and flaws. Nelson ties the two narratives, past and present, together expertly. But it's her writing style that brings this story to life - the descriptions are full of life, practically bursting off the pages. I could highlight lines all day when it comes to this story. Both romances are wonderfully written, and the tension between characters is so electric and alive. The topics involved vary from issues with sexuality to dealing with the wrongs of the past. All in all, I have no complaints when it comes to this novel. Truly incredible, I could praise I'll Give You the Sun all day and never quite describe how outstanding this story is. 

Lowlights: I waited WAY too long to finally to check this out. Definitely a lowlight¹.

Audiobook: Julia Whelan and Jesse Berstein are, in a single word, phenomenal narrators. I cannot even choose which was better - they were both excellent, expertly bringing the story to life with every single word. They made me forget I listening to an audiobook and become completely swept away by Jude and Noah's story. They both pulled off the various characters with ease, and their voices were well-suited to such a colorful, flowing style of writing. 

Rating: The Treasure Vault: 5+ out of 5, Favorite. I'll Give You the Sun  is a marvelous story that has quickly become a favorite story worthy of treasuring. Vivid, evocative, mysterious, humorous, and heartbreaking, this novel will tug at your emotions and leave you with the desire to start rereading it all over again. I'd highly recommend this novel, and especially the audiobook version, since Jesse Berstein and Julia Whelan add a little extra spark to an already lively story.

1 *shakes head at self in disappointment* I should have read it sooner! Can't believe I waited so long.

Waiting on Wednesday (133): I'll Give You The Sun

WOW is hosted by Breaking the Spine

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

September 16th, 2014 from Dial BYR

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

Jude and her brother, Noah, are incredibly close twins. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude surfs 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 divisive ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as an unpredictable new mentor. 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, fully alive, from the critically acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

SO EXCITED for this book! I loved Nelson's The Sky is Everywhere (seriously, folks, that novel is incredible), and have been impatiently waiting for her next release. 

What are you waiting on? 

The Queen's Library (40): October & November Books!

FOR REVIEW
PAWN by Aimee Carter (Netgalley)
REVELATIONS by JA Souders (Unsolicited HC)

THE TAKING by Kimberly Derting (Edelweiss)

DEATH SWORN by Leah Cyrpress (Edelweiss)

CRASH INTO YOU by Katie McGarry (Netgalley)

ROOMIES Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando (Netgalley)

THE WINNER'S CURSE by Marie Rutkoski (Netgalley)

RACING SAVANNAH by Miranda Kenneally (Netgalley)

HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW by Natalie Whipple (Edelweiss)

LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD by Ava Dellaira (Requested ARC)

PURCHASED - KINDLE BOOKS
WAVECROSSED by Andrea Colt
TYGER, TYGER by Kersten Hamilton
IRON'S PROPHECY by Julie Kagawa
THE DUST OF 100 DOGS by AS King
THE BURNING SKY by Sherry Thomas
THE DARKEST MINDS by Alexandra Bracken
ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE by Kate Karyus Quinn
THINGS I CAN'T FORGET by Miranda Kenneally

PURCHASED - PRINTED COPIES
LEGEND by Marie Lu* (my review)
PRODIGY by Marie Lu*
CROSSED by Ally Condie*
ALLEGIANT by Veronica Roth*
THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancy
EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS by AS King
THE EVOLUTION OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin
THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson (My review)

* Purchased for an essay I am writing. Can you guess which genre of YA lit I'm writing on? It's going to be challenging (it is supposed to be a rhetorical analysis essay, which is very different from the analysis I usually write), but hopefully fun!

Huge thanks to the Little Brown BYR, Tor, HarperTeen, HarlequinTeen, Ksenia + St Martin's Press, Sabrina + Sourcebooks for the review copies!

YA Book Queen's 
Weekly Recommendation

This feature is inspired by Pop Culture Junkie's This Week In Books, The Story Siren's In My Mailbox, and Mailbox Monday. The Queen's Library is a way for me to feature books that I add to my bookshelves and a place to post my weekly recommendations. This is not a new meme, but merely an adjusted feature that is better suited to my blog and needs.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson Review

Book: The Sky is Everywhere

Author: Jandy Nelson

Age: YA

Release date: March 9, 2010 (out now!)

Pages: 288

Source: Publisher

Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and 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 center stage of her own life--and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

Review: The Sky is Everywhere is realistic, humorous, touching, and heartbreaking.

When Lennie's sister Bailey dies, Lennie hardly knows what to do with herself. She can't seem to get a grasp of who she is without her sister. It's bad enough that her own mother has been off traipsing across the world since Lennie was a baby, but now she's only got Gram and Uncle Big. But then Lennie meets new-boy Joe, and reacquaints herself with Toby (Bailey's boyfriend), and things get complicated. Each guy does something different for her internally, mentally and physically. The emotions of this story are so realistic, and so intense. Lennie doesn't know how to deal with herself, and these guys aren't making it any easier on her. Both are gorgeous, both seem to adore her, but it's really only one that makes sense in the end.

The Sky is Everywhere is truly one of those novels that make me say "Wow". With a cast of characters that are very authentic, likable, and interesting, this is one story that can't be missed. It's a story that's easy to lose yourself in, and it's so easy to get caught up in the emotions between the characters. The Sky Is Everywhere has humor, grief, love, loss...and Nelson makes it all work.

Highlights: The emotions were very intense, and obvious to the reader. It's one of those stories that takes you on a ride. Nelson's writing flows very nicely, making this one an enjoyable novel. I also really enjoyed Lennie's thoughts and poems written on random objects and spread across town. It added just a bit something more to the story, and I found myself looking forward to reading each of them.

Lowlights: At times, I felt like Lennie's best friend really pulled the realism down a bit. She seemed to over-the-top, ridiculous...I don't know. I liked the girl, but I didn't really believe in her. Lennie also was, at first, a bit difficult for me to figure out and I wasn't quite sure if she was my type of narrator (and by that, I mean likable, easy to relate to). Plus, I really just wanted Lennie to pick one of the guys, already!

Rating:    

Lea