I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Review by Lauren
Source: copy from library; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: 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 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 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.
Review: I’ll Give You the Sun is a beautifully written novel. I had to read the 2015 Printz Award winner for my YA Literature course and that ended up being this one. I was very excited as I had heard wonderful things and I knew I wanted to read this book. I’m so glad I had the perfect opportunity to do so as it was well worth it.
When I read the summary, I assumed the first half was Noah and the second half was Jude, since Noah tells the story at 13 and Jude tells it at 16. That’s not exactly the case though; there are sections back and forth between the twins, giving the reader a chance to really get to know both of them as well as figure out what happened to push them so far apart in just three years.
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At 13, Noah is quiet and wants to desperately attend a local art school. He loves to draw and is desperate to get better. He meets the new kid next door, Brian, and falls in love. As for Jude, she loves to surf and wear bright lipstick and short skirts. She’s not entirely sure who she is and she feels very far from her mother, just like Noah feels far from his father.
At 16, Jude is quiet and hides herself in baggy clothes. She’s on a ban from boys and she misses her brother. Noah cut his hair, stopped drawing, and hangs out with the ‘cool’ kids, not telling anyone he is gay.
Both Jude and Noah have secrets. There are things they need to tell each other to truly start to heal and there are aspects of their personalities they need to stop hiding so they can be truly happy.
I’ll Give You the Sun is a fantastic book and I would love to have my own copy for the shelves. These characters felt real and I so wanted the story to continue when I came to the end. I know I now need to read Nelson’s debut novel!
I keep meaning to read this one, although I've heard the ending is kind of lame.
I've heard a lot of really good things about this, glad to see that you have liked it every bit as much as all the other positive reviews out there. 😉
Great review!
It sounds like a really good book and I'm quite curious about the beautiful writing. I heard so many great things about it, we even have it in French. Or I think so.
I am so intimidated by this book, which I know is odd, but I loved Sky Is Everywhere beyond reason and I just don't want it ruined! I've actually owned a copy since the release date, but every time I try to pick it up, I end up putting it back on my shelf, scared I won't like it.
I'm so glad to hear you liked this book! I enjoyed it too – I didn't LOVE it like everyone else – but the writing is gorgeous and the emotions so vivid. It's great that the author chose to intersperse Jude and Noah's parts – it gives the story a suspenseful, satisfying feeling. I hope you love The Sky is Everywhere when you get the chance to read it!
Glad you enjoyed this one, I couldn't finish it, the writing just wasn't for me. Which was weird, because the writings similar to We Were Liars, which I loved.
I can't remember reading anything but positives comments about this one. Glad you enjoyed it, its definitely one I'll keep a look out for.
I loved this book too, and I agree it would be a great book to own (I also got it from the library). There are just so many beautiful quotes in the book!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I have heard good things about this one and the characters sound great.
I have heard some outstanding things about this author and this book. I can't believe I haven't read her yet. Thanks for the reminder.
I read this book earlier this year and LOVED it!! It was so good. Definitely worth the hype. 🙂
I tried to read this, but didn't finish it. I'd like to give it another try, though.
I loved this one too! It was so cleverly written and the age gaps between the perspectives actually made the final revelations that much more rewarding. Lovely review!
I didn't want to read this because it was jandy Nelson haha I didn't enjoy her other novels. But I really love the cover and it seemed like you had fun reading the book. I will dive in soon
http://www.lite-rate-ture.com
The two perspectives sound really interesting!
This one has been sitting on my TBR for months now, I really need to move it up the pile. I've even heard that it is very similar to Rainbow Rowell's books which is a huge comparison in my opinion. Still and all, lovely review Lauren, and thanks for the reminder 😉