REVIEW: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green

Genre: Young Adult, YA Contemporary, YA Romance

Pages: 318 pages (hardcover)

Publication: January 2012

(Dutton Juvenile)

Goodreads Summary: Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, 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.

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Review: Reviewing a book that is basically on every blogger’s TBR pile can be a bit intimidating. Especially when it’s a John Green book. I have read most of John’s books and to be truthful the main reason I pre-ordered The Fault in Our Stars (TFiOS) was that every pre-order would be a signed edition. I have to say that while I was not fully a Nerd Fighter (the pop culture name John Green fans are known by) before reading TFiOS, you can rest assured that after having read it, I am convinced of the awesomeness that is John Green.

Hazel has Stage IV thyroid cancer which she has been living with, and preparing to die from, since the age of 12. However, at the age of 14 the tumors had miraculously shrunk, extending her life. Now 16-years-old, Hazel considers herself a grenade: she sees her life as a ticking bomb which will eventually detonate and hurt the ones she loves. Hazel is distant and depressed, so her mother forces her to attend a cancer support group for teens. That is where Hazel meets Augustus. Gus is a handsome and confident cancer survivor who lost one of his legs to his battle with the disease. Hazel and Gus instantly connect, but Hazel struggles to let herself get close.

So, this novel is going to be a little harder to review than most. I do not want to give anything away for those of you have not read it yet. (By the way, what are you waiting for?!?) John is known for is amazing contemporary writing style and TFiOS is no exception. TFiOS takes the subject of cancer and shows the plethora of emotions inside a person living with it - emotions which range from funny, to sad, to angry. He takes a hard hitting subject and softens it a bit with a quirkiness that is amazing.

The characters in TFiOS were absolutely fantastically written. Hazel is nothing like your typical female protagonist: she is smart, witty and down to earth. She was a breath of fresh air. I have never connected or understood a female character better than Hazel; I wanted to know her in real life. The supporting characters were also amazing, and her mother was perfectly written. I felt like he nailed the mother of a child with stage IV cancer dead on: the doting mom who is kind of suffocating, but has these layers that you don’t fully see because she isn’t ready to show you.

The relationship aspect of this book was spot on for me, as well. I loved that Hazel wasn’t instantly madly in love with Gus. It was a slow process of growing feelings. I get annoyed when a person looks at a love interest and instantly has this undying love and longing. This felt real, I could see the inner cogs turn inside her head and watched her come to the realization that there was something more.

TFiOS is a fantastic book; it may even be a contender in my favorites of 2012. I laughed, I cried (oh yes, this book will tug on your heart strings more than once). It had some twists that I didn’t see coming right away. John defiantly strayed from what I originally envisioned from the first chapters, but most importantly it was balanced. The heaviness and the quirkiness were in check and made this book awesome. If you have yet to pick up this amazing book, go do it. Seriously what are you waiting for?!? You will not regret it.

Rating: 5 stars