Review | I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Let me start by saying, I liked it. But I didn't love it like so many did. I think part of the reason why is because I did listen to it instead of reading a physical copy, and that sort of pulled some of the magical feels I think I would've gotten instead. For some reason, I don't want to make this review too long either, so let me get straight to it.

I'll Give You the Sun is a powerful story about a twin brother and sister. It is set in two different timelines, Noah telling the 13 year old version, and Jude narrating years later at the age of 16. Many things happen to both of them, both that could've been prevented and that couldn't have, which causes their strong friendship and bond to break. It was kind of weird to read both perspectives because I felt that the younger version was moving too slowly and I wanted to know how they got to their present situation.

I liked both Jude and Noah, but found them both a little peculiar and wasn't sure how to grasp their realities. Noah sees everything like art, while Jude talks to her dead grandmother. They both adore each other immensely so it was kind of heartbreaking to see their friendship falter for so long. I am not sure how I felt about the writing, other than I did feel that the story sort of dragged on. 12 hours (almost 13) was a long time when I felt it could've been told in about 7 or 8 hours instead. From others I've read that the Chapters were extremely long, which I didn't really notice since, again, I was listening to it.

Yes, I enjoyed it. No, it didn't make me feel the way most people felt. I would recommend it but I would say warn you that it may not live up to the hype. Or maybe for everyone else, it does.

Take a Listen: