RaeLynn Writes!

The Fault in Our Stars

By: John Green

Genre: YA Contemporary

Rating: PG-13, one closed door, somewhat vague sex scene

Spoilers: No

Coffee Beans: 4/5

Cover: Simplistic but good

Instalove Factor: Not really

My Personal Recommendation:  Read it

Opening Line: “Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.”

Favorite Line: “As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” (Pg 82, ebook)

Publisher’s Summary

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

My Review

The Fault in Our Stars isn’t a cheerful sunny YA book with a happy ending. It’s about two teens who have cancer (albeit in remission) and find each other. It’s not so much a book about broken people finding romance or about self discovery or redemption. It’s about love and loss and how life can be really sucky sometimes; but at the same time, be really great. A lot of times, there is no meaning behind something bad that happens, no greater purpose, or silver lining. Sometimes, it just has to happen. And we grieve, and we mourn, and we live on.

I loved this book for so many reasons. The writing of Mr. John Green was just amazing, the dark humor was commendable. I thought the relationship these kids shared through their cancer brought a strong sinew of attachment between them that was stronger than a “normal” relationship created in normal YA books. The characters (Hazel Grace, Agustus, Isaac, and Peter Van Houten) are unique and well written. Hazel Grace and Agustus are so honest with each other and it’s a breath of fresh air. Neither on is trying to impress the other, they realize there’s more to their side effect of cancer than that.

And yes, there were several times I laughed or smiled; but there were also several times where my throat tightened and my eyes teared up. Things happen in life that we don’t think should happen, and sometimes those things sneak up on us and hit us in our blind side so hard that we see stars, and the fault in those stars.

In the end, the pros outweighed the cons of this book (it seemed to drag a little towards the end). I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoyed books with the emotional impact  of The Sky is Everywhere, the reality of books like Zero, and the good writing found in Wanderlove.

Check it out.

--Me