Summary: Twins Jude and Noah have been practically the same person since birth, but their actions after a tragic event drive them apart. Will things ever be the same again? With alternating perspectives, a young Noah in the past and Jude in the present, the twins’ story is revealed. Jandy Nelson has crafted a beautiful novel about making your way back to the people who love you most.

Okay, okay, let me just begin with some general thoughts about ‘contemporary young adult (YA) fiction’. I feel like sometimes the idea of ‘contemporary’ is completely forgotten. The novel is great, it’s well-written, but you can’t help but think, I don’t think I would ever do/say that or That whole situation is kind of impossible. And yes I understand it’s supposed to be fiction, but I should still be able to relate to what the characters are feeling. I prefaced my review of I’ll Give You the Sun because I’m always kind of wary of contemporary YA fiction with rave reviews. However, the rave reviews are justly placed on the cover because ohmygoodness this book is fantastic. And I mean all of it: the writing, the character development, the relationships, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. 

The characters are flawed, real people. They go through tough situations and react to them in a way that’s actually believable. This novel is definitely excellent because of it’s characters. Obviously, characters and their development are an important part of any novel, but sometimes if the plot’s interesting and there’s a couple of funny one-liners you’ll stick around to the end. But I think a true testament to an author’s craft of character is how interested you would be reading about them doing things outside the plot (hence: fan fiction). And I would literally read about any of the characters in I’ll Give You the Sun going to the grocery store or watching paint dry.

And I would literally read about any of the characters in I’ll Give You the Sun going to the grocery store or watching paint dry.

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite character, they are all so interesting and layered. I’m just going to quickly talk about Jude. But before I talk about Jude I’m going to talk about the “Strong Female Lead”. Oh, the Strong Female Lead. You see this phrase everywhere nowadays as movies and books try to show that they are not sexist and their female characters are developed. Here’s the thing though, and this is something I struggle with, I don’t think you should use the idea of a “Strong Female Lead” to market your product. It’s not just an idea for women to be “strong” because we are strong and that display of strength should not just extend to the lead character, it should be every women portrayed. Newsflash: Women are people too. Also, being “strong” doesn’t necessarily have to mean being tough. Characters can be vulnerable and a little selfish and a contradiction because people are. I think the best thing about Jude (and the other characters as well) is that they are real. So for me, Jude is a good example of a “Strong Female Lead” because she’s described and acts like a person.

It’s not just an idea for women to be “strong” because we are strong and that display of strength should not just extend to the lead character, it should be every women portrayed. Newsflash: Women are people too

Alright, I’m going to wrap this up, I know this wasn’t a very traditional book review, but I just wanted to show how I’ll Give You the Sun completely shattered my hesitations about reading it. I guess it goes to prove the adage true, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover , er, genre. In conclusion: read I’ll Give You the Sun because it will give you all the feels!