The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Publisher:  Dutton (Penguin)
Publish Date:  January 10, 2012
ISBN:  978-0525478812
Pages:  318


"Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeaql, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book."

I put off reading this book...mainly because everyone was so nuts about it being released.  Yeah, I'm stubborn that way.  I find that a lot of times, the books that are widely anticipated and highly promoted, just don't do anything for me.  So when I finally picked up THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and read the above quote...I was...startled.  It absolutely summed up how I feel about my favorite book.  I'm always trying to get people to read it and if they do and don't feel the same way - I'm simply devastated.  So Hazel had me hooked right away.

The story is based around Hazel, a teen living with thyroid cancer which has invaded her lungs.  Hazel doesn't attend regular school, she has her GED and takes college classes.  Her interaction with others is limited, so her parents make her go to a support group.  This is where she meets Augustus Waters.  Augustus is there in support of his friend who has eye cancer.  Right away Augustus is all about Hazel and wants a romantic relationship.  Hazel has this weird thing about not wanting to leave more people to grieve for her, so she puts him off.  She asks him to read her favorite book and when he loves it, she's more inclined to be closer to him.  But the book leaves them both with questions and they make plans to travel overseas to meet the author.

So basically, it's another book about teenagers with a terminal disease that we all know will end in tears.  It's sweet, it's sad, it's funny, it's smart...there's a lot of similar books out there today.

But John Green did a lovely job.  The characters are well written. I've read many reviews that stated that the teens don't speak like teens, they speak like adults. I don't feel that way at all.  Maybe I know weird teens, heck, I WAS a weird teen.  My bff and I used to try to trip each other up with new words, it was fun!  I felt that the conversations and vocabulary were just fine.

Did I know that I would cry?  Absolutely.  Did I know that tears would stream down my face without me even realizing it?  No!  The story snuck up on me and touched me deeply.  I actually had to put the book down multiple times until I could stop crying so that I could see to read more.

The point is to enjoy the story and dive into the romance.  Don't over analyze it, just enjoy it.