Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Tags

book, book review, book reviews, books, fiction, john green, review, reviews, romance, The Fault in Our Stars, YA, young adult

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

genre: YA, literary fiction

I’m trying a slightly different review style. Please let me know if you liked it or if you want me to return to the old style by leaving a comment at the end of the post.

Synopsis from Goodreads

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.

Initial Thoughts

Cover: No idea what the book is about but it’s been a #1 best seller on Amazon for over 500 days and it was on one of the book lists I pinned even though I don’t remember which one.

There was a brief mention of the book on the radio and a review called it “The most romantic book of all time.” I like romance.

First 20%: This is about cancer kids. This is going to be depressing. Oh my gosh, this is the most romantic book of all time. This is not Snow White or Cinderella where the characters have less than 24 hours of contact before they’re engaged. This is better than Beauty and the Beast. It’s believable and the characters have time to fall in love. Possibly the best written YA book I’ve ever read, at least where the character development is concerned. John Green, what is wrong with you that you chose that for your cover? Augustus is one of the most incredible male love interests anywhere.

Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Tags

amsterdam, book reviews, cancer story, fault in our stars, john green, netherlands, sad story, young adult

The Fault In Our Stars

by John Green

genre: drama, depressing-cancer-story

Teenagers. Cancer. Life. This was a bittersweet story that is beautifully simple but powerful. Find out why I gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Summary

(Taken from Goodreads)

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.

Review

This book was really hyped to me. I tried to give it time and distance before I decided to read it. I think a great description of this book is that it’s a tale about broken people with broken bodies. So when I finished reading it, I felt a little broken myself.

Augustus and Hazel are great characters and I loved reading it through Hazel’s perspective. I love how the story wasn’t hyped. It felt real and authentic. It explores the disasters that cancer creates but at the same time, how much meaning can be gained from it. While romance was one of the main genres of the novel, it didn’t overpower the story with sappy cliches. It such a lovely humbling novel.

I thought it was funny and great when I found out who the author was. John Green! I have watched many of Hank and John’s YouTube videos over the years on and off. It’s kind of crazy to find out he wasn’t just a YouTuber but a writer too. In fact, I watched one of John Green’s CrashCourse videos today.

One thing I didn’t like about the story thought was the very beginning. I just couldn’t believe how Augustus asks Hazel to hang out just after they met, and that she was allowed to just go with him. To me that was pushing the boundaries of belief but I let that one thing slide and there was no other point in the novel that I thought ‘ehhh, is that really realistic?’

I loved how the Netherlands and Amsterdam have such a big part in the story. It made my heart ache more so because that country holds a very important part in my heart because of my partner. I also liked that it was a country that is often understated. I’m sick of stories/characters which focus on cliches such as Paris/France or New York. I have already learned about those cities. I want something new. I want stories to make me fall in love with cities that I may have not heard that much about.