A review by dlrosebyh
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, were inseparable at first. Noah is always drawing and falling for the fascinating lad next door, while daredevil Jude wears red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them. 
 
Years later, they are hardly communicating. Something has occurred to the twins that have changed them in distinct but equally painful ways...but then Jude meets an interesting, seductive boy and a mysterious new tutor. The early years belong to Noah, whereas the latter years go to Jude. But they each only know half of the narrative, and if they can only find their way back to each other, they'll have an opportunity to reshape their world. 
 
I wasn't a great lover of the writing style in this book, but the plot was fantastic anyway. I adore lyrical prose and a decent book with superb writing, but this one didn't do it for me. It felt like I was working too hard to write "perfect" poetic language, and I didn't enjoy it. The multiple POVs were also perplexing for me—the twins were too identical to one other, with the main difference being that one was gay and the other was not. 
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