review: the fault in our stars by john green

Author: John Green:
Publication Date: 01/10/2012
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 318
Source: Purchased

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.
"My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations." (Augustus Waters) 
This book is John Green at his best, which is a difficult thing, because all of John Green's books are John Green at a pretty damn high level. (I may have broken the record for repeating an author's name in a twenty-eight word sentence just here, but we'll set that aside for now.)

This is not really a review, but I'm not sure, like Augustus, that I can order my thoughts enough to put them into a mass of words that would just seem anything other than quaint and not-quite-there.

I laughed. I cried. (I cried a lot.) I nodded and gesticulated wildly on public transportation. (Sorry to the people sitting next to me on the subway.)

Even though I saw what was going to happen from miles ahead, my heart didn't care. My heart was so invested in these characters and their steadfast will to live that it just didn't care - it needed an outlet and my tear ducts were it.

This book will wrench your heart, then make you laugh inappropriately just to make you cry and smile again. Books should never have messages, but I think The Fault In Our Stars will leave you with a feeling one way or the other whether it be happy, sad, or that weird mix of bittersweet. Whatever it is, and whatever it may be, there's something for everyone.

7 comments on "review: the fault in our stars by john green"

Jenny wrote: Thu Jul 05, 12:17:00 AM

I need to read this one. I hope to find at least one John Green book to like. I know, I'm awful. I just haven't liked any yet. :(


We Heart YA wrote: Thu Jul 05, 09:10:00 AM

A million times YES to this review.


Anna wrote: Thu Jul 05, 01:37:00 PM

I've heard so much great things about John Green but I still haven't read any of his books. That needs to chance asap! Great review!


F wrote: Mon Jul 09, 12:16:00 PM

I still haven't read a single negative review for this book! It's been sitting on my shelf for AGES now but I haven't found the time to pick it up :(

Lame, I know :(

Kristin @ Growingupya.blogspot.com


Krystianna wrote: Sat Jul 14, 05:37:00 PM

I haven't read any of John Green's books, but I really want to read this one. I've been hearing nothing but great reviews!

Thanks for the review!


The Reading Enchantress wrote: Mon Aug 06, 08:45:00 PM

Awesome "not really a review"-review, Kristin! TFIOS is the only John Green book I've ever read (I'm sure that's almost a crime) and I read it back in March. I LOVED it too and I cried till my soul hurt, and then...I cried some more. I never wrote a review, because I thought I couldn't do the book justice (which is a very poor excuse), but honestly- your words about it are perfect!
x. Olivia


Anonymous wrote: Wed Dec 19, 04:42:00 PM

I've been wanting to read this forever. It's at the top of my Christmas list. Your review makes me want to just buy it instead of waiting another week.

I have plenty of other YA reads in my TBR pile (I post them on Freebooksy, so they're at my fingertips), so I guess I'll read those first :)

In case you're interested in some free YA novels: http://www.freebooksy.com/freebooks/tag/young-adult


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