From having a job that forced her to work rigorous hours to becoming an acclaimed author whose books topped the New York Times bestsellers list, Nicola Yoon has created a path for herself, one she threads boldly. Nicola has stated in many interviews that she has always been a sucker for love and will continue writing young adult stories that show the unique issues people of color face in the United States.
After graduating from Cornell University, Nicola Yoon became a programmer for investment management firms. She stated she hated her job. After ‘Everything, Everything’s’ success, Nicola was shocked to learn her book would become a film of the same name. A year later, she published ‘The Sun Is Also A Star,’ and Warner Brothers bought its film rights; this astounded Nicola as she stated she could not just get over the fact that her books became films.
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Everything, Everything arrived on the big screen on May 19, 2017, and is a film adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s 2015 debut novel and New York Times bestseller ‘Everything, Everything.’ It was produced by Leslie Morgenstein and Elysa Dutton for Warner Brothers Pictures and directed by Stella Meghie. The film had a cast of Amanda Stenberg as Maddy Whittier, Nick Robinson as Olly Bright, Anika Noni Rose as Dr. Pauline, and Ana de la Reguera as Carla.
Everything, Everything tells the story of 18-year-old Madeline Whittier, a young half-Japanese half-African-American girl with an illness called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, SCID. Because of her condition, Maddy’s mother, Dr. Pauline, treats her at home and forbids she goes outside. For many years, she remains locked at home with only two people ever talking to her: Pauline and Carla, her nurse. However, things change when a new family moves in next door.
While Maddy and her mother watch TV, someone knocks on the door. Pauline attends the knock and sees two teenagers who introduce themselves as the new neighbors. When the boy asks Pauline about her daughter, she lies.
Maddy continues living in isolation until she sees the boy across. He writes his email address on his window, and she messages him. He introduces himself as Olly, and they begin chatting. After some time, Maddy develops feelings for Olly. She begs Carla to help her sneak Olly in, and the nurse agrees, only if they stay apart.
When Maddy and Olly meet for the first time, they have a passionate moment and share a kiss. Later, Maddy sees Olly’s father, who was known for his abusive behavior, shove his son to the ground. She runs out of her house and helps him up. On discovering her daughter is in a relationship with Olly, Pauline fires Carla and forbids her daughter from seeing Olly.
Determined to be with Olly, Maddy takes her saved cash and buys two tickets to Hawaii. She runs away with Olly, but her mother tells the police of her disappearance. Maddy and Olly have a fun adventure, but she eventually passes out and wakes up at home. Pauline ensures her daughter has no means of communicating with Olly again, and he eventually moves away with his mother.
A doctor who treated Maddy in Hawaii sends her a message saying she may not have SCID. On learning about it, she leaves home. Maddy discovers she does not have any autoimmune disease as her mother lied to her as she was paranoid of her getting hurt after her husband and son’s death. Maddy leaves home for New York, where she reunites with Olly.
Principal photography for Everything, Everything started on September 6, 2016. The film had an average reception and made 61 million dollars on a 10-million-dollar budget. The film received negative criticism from organizations like The Immune Deficiency Foundation, which said it misrepresented SCID through misinformation.
The Sun Is Also A Star
The Sun Is Also A Star is a 2019 young adult fiction film on Nicola Yoon’s 2017 young adult novel ‘The Sun Is Also A Star.’ Warner Brothers Pictures, Metro-Golwyn-Mayer, and Alloy Entertainment produced it. The film was written by Tracy Oliver and directed by Ry Russo-Young. It starred Yara Shahidi as Natasha, Charles Melton as Daniel, John Leguizamo as Jeremy Martinez, Hill Harper as Lester Barnes,
The film follows the life of Natasha Kingsley, a young girl whose family is facing deportation from New York City. Natasha pleads with her case immigration officer the day before her family leaves, and he redirects her to Jeremy Martinez, a lawyer who does pro bono work for immigration services.
As Daniel Bae, a Korean teenager, heads for his interview at Dartmouth College, he alights from a train and sees a girl wearing a jacket with an inscription he had written earlier in the day. He follows and notices she is about to get hit in a car crash and saves her.
Daniel introduces himself to Natasha, and she notices his notebook and asks him about it. He tells her about his desire to be a poet, but she talks about not believing in love. Daniel then asks for a day to change Natasha’s mind.
Daniel tells Natasha about a study made to make people fall in love, and she agrees to partake in the exercise. He escorts her to Jeremy’s office, where they learn the lawyer had an accident. With Natasha’s schedule shifted, Daniel takes her to his family’s black hair care shop, but he gets into an embarrassing situation with his brother and father. They leave the shop and head to multiple places, including a Korean Karaoke bar. As Daniel sings, Natasha imagines their life together and kisses him. She immediately remembers her appointment and rushes to Jeremy’s office. Jeremy tells her to wait for a day.
Daniel eventually arrives for his interview and learns he and Natasha were to meet the same person. Natasha discovers her case failed and returns to Jamaica. Five years later, she meets Jeremy in the coffee shop she had been in with Daniel, and he tells her he married the doctor who treated him after his accident. As Natasha is about to leave, she hears Daniel’s voice, and they reunite and kiss.
The Sun Is Also A Star received average ratings on most platforms and flopped at the Box Office, grossing 6.8 million dollars on a 9-million-dollar budget.
