Reviews

Ik geef je de zon by Aimée Warmerdam, Jandy Nelson

chaoticadademic88's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

zayzay2's review against another edition

I just couldn't finish this book, sometime it's good to admit this book might be great for others but was just not for me. Loved the writing style and the siblings relationship, as well their connection. Maybe I'll re-read another time when mentally I'm ready for this book, wasn't bad at all maybe it's not for me or it wasn't the right time. we shall see. 

shema's review against another edition

1.0

To be honest, I just skimmed through this because I really did not care about this book. I thought the writing was pretentious, the characters were annoying and pathetic to me, and I kept trying to figure out-what is the plot?
Sorry, I really did not like this. Not for me.

katie__ho's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

casebounder's review against another edition

4.0

Today's the last day of summer - appropriate for this really great YA read! Jandy Nelson has made a unique reading experience here. Our twin narrators are so steeped in artful passions the prose sometimes makes you do a double-take. It's ultimately super touching and memorable.

Gay rating: Gay main characters with giddy-making romance. Whoop!

anushb's review against another edition

4.0

Noah and Jude are inseparable twins, even though they are as different from each other as they can get. At thirteen, Jude is the wild one, always at the beach, where she is hanging out with the same boys that tease and bully Noah. Although both twins are creative in their own ways, Noah is brilliant at drawing, which gets the attention of their brilliant mother. When their mother mentions that Noah and Jude should apply to an arts high school, Noah thinks that things will finally look up for him - that he can finally be with people who are like him. Jude, feeling overshadowed by her brother's brilliance, does not feel the excitement he does. Things do change for Noah and Jude after that fateful summer, but in ways neither of them could have imagined.

At sixteen, the twins' roles are reversed. Jude is a student of the arts high school, but Noah is going to the public high school. The once sociable Jude is a recluse, making pottery and sculptures that are mysteriously destroyed right as she's done, putting her in danger of flunking out. Noah is the popular, confident one, and not at all like the brother she grew up with. There is a distance between the twins that they cannot reach across. When Jude decides to save her school career by making the sculpture she was meant to make, it brings the twins closer to uncovering the secrets that changed their lives in so many ways.

I'll Give You the Sun is a complex, mature young adult that is brimming with emotion and insight. The nondescript cover (not unlike The Fault in Our Stars) does not really do this book justice, as it does not give one an inkling about the wonders inside. But once you pick it up - perhaps based on a glowing review, friend's recommendation, or the fact that it won the 2015 Printz - prepare to say goodbye to everything for as long as it takes to read this book.

There are many reasons why this book won the Printz and is a reader favorite. Skilled writing, relatable characters, romance, a mystery, and a satisfying ending combine to make this book stand out with its quality and accessibility. Because as many of us readers know - a great book is a lonely book if it is a torture to read. Noah and Jude's lives are pretty fascinating to read about, and the mystery of what happened in their lives turns it into a page-turner, especially in the last third of the book. Although there are times when the pacing of the book tends to be slower, it all becomes worth it towards the end, when all the clues come together to reveal the big ending.

rachel_xoxo_2006's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

kimcheel's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

mouseczko's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

kdl_gadzella's review against another edition

3.0

Okay so I had quite a few issues with this book which stopped my from enjoying the first half. That being said I did like the ending, but I felt like Jandy Nelson waited too long to give us some of the pieces to the puzzle that was this story.