Skip to main content

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars
Title: The Fault in Our Stars 
Author: John Green
Series: Standalone
Pages: 313
Publisher: Dutton
Date of Publication: 10th January 2012
Source: Bought
Synopsis from Goodreads: 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.

Apologies in advance for the rambliness and the jumpiness of this review... It's not going to be structured all that well. Sorry ;P There may also be a couple of EXTREMELY OBVIOUS spoilers. Spoilers you can guess from the synopsis, so this is your only warning.

My Thoughts:
I don't really know where to start with this review. I have nothing to work with, apart from the jumble of feelings and emotions that are currently floating around in my head, so I don't really know what you're going to have read by the time you get to the end of this post. Sorry about that.

I guess I should start by saying this: I've read Looking For Alaska and John's short story in Let It Snow, and if I'm being perfectly honest, was a little bit disappointed by both. Not that they weren't good reads or anything, they just weren't mind blowing and not nearly as good as I expected them to be, having heard all the hype surrounding them on the internet. So I was SUPER excited for TFiOS, but I also wasn't expecting AMAZING things (but you know, I also kind of was... MAKES NO SENSE, I KNOW). I think this is one of the main reasons why I loved TFiOS SO much - because I had NO IDEA that what I was reading was going to be as good as it was.

I think one of the things that really stands out for me in John's books (especially in this one) is that he is SO good at writing extremely real and believable characters. There's nothing really special or extraordinary about them - they are just normal people. And yeah, OK, some of them have weird 'talents' (like Pudge in LfA's obsession with last words or they are really nerdy (but come on, it's John Green - do we expect anything less? ;P )) but they still seem like real people... Anyway, John is amazing at really getting into his characters, I have no idea how he managed to get into the head of a teenage girl so well and so accurately, but it was awesome. It was as if it actually was the diary of a terminally ill teenage cancer patient.

The Fault in Our Stars broke my heart. I have NEVER cried so much at a book before, and a book has certainly never ever made me sob. Like, I know I said this in my last review but I don't cry at books... I feel heartless and cold, but I just don't. And I don't LIKE crying because someone just died, I mean, that's not fun, right?! But I loved that it made me feel so much that I couldn't hold in my tears - it takes a lot for that to happen, so it must be something special.

I don't really know what else to say. It made me feel so much, and being not that great with words, I don't know how to explain. Just know that it was awesome, as in, the proper sense of the word. It's incredible - moving but also ridiculously funny in the most inappropriate of times. It's definitely John Green's best work, (and I know I haven't read all of them so I can't really say that, but I WILL!) so whether you've read any of his books before or not, read this one. Or at least give it a chance, because I honestly don't think you'll be disappointed.

Comments

  1. I really need to stop being the only person in the world to not have this book! Great review Bella

    The Cait Files

    ReplyDelete
  2. OMG I absolutely adored this book as well! I think you said everything beautifully, John Green is an amazing man and his characters are real people that we all know and can relate to. My favorite book of his (besides this one because this is one of the best books I've ever read) is Paper Towns, you should check it out!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It broke your heart? Then I must push it up the TBR pile soon. I have to find out what is so good about this book for myself.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have never read any of this books before but I have heard so many great things about this that I have to give it a chance.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is the most I've ever cried at a book as well! It was just so freaking excellent. Awesome review! :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow! I just saw this one on another blog I stalk pretty frequently. I've heard a lot of good things about this one. I think I'll have to get it!

    bookluvrmindy
    Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Fault In Our Stars, was an amazing story and show real life universal truths throughout the book. The book begins with learning that the main character, Hazel, has cancer in her lungs. She then meets Augustus Waters, a dreamy and handsome boy that she she meets at her cancer group meeting. Both of them will have up and down rides, but can one or the other take what happens at the end? I could not put this book down, I had to find out what was coming next.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This book has long been in my TBR pile. I have heard such great things. I am glad that there is a nice balance between funny and sad. I hope to read it this fall!

    Marlene Detierro (Ptarmigan Hunts in Alaska)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for commenting! :D I love comments, so comment away! :D

*I am no longer accepting blog awards :( I do not have time to go through all the things that come with it, and though I'm honoured you thought of me, I'm sure you can find someone who will love it, and be able to carry out the rules :)

Popular posts from this blog

REVIEW: A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood

Hello all! Hope you're all enjoying the summer! I'm currently on holiday in a huge castle in the South of France and enjoying relaxing, playing games, and of course reading a lot!  Today's post is a review of a dreamy summer romance that's perfect for your holiday TBRs! Title:  A Sky Painted Gold Author:  Laura Wood Series:   n/a Pages:   356 Publisher:  Scholastic Date of Publication:  5th July, 2018 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: Growing up in her sleepy Cornish village dreaming of being a writer, sixteen-year-old Lou has always wondered about the grand Cardew house which has stood empty for years. And when the owners arrive for the summer - a handsome, dashing brother and sister - Lou is quite swept off her feet and into a world of moonlit cocktail parties and glamour beyond her wildest dreams. But, as she grows closer to the Cardews, is she abandoning her own ambitions... And is there something darker lurking at the

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Title: Where She Went Author: Gayle Forman Series: If I Stay #2 Pages: 260 Publisher: Random House Date of UK Publication: April 28th 2011 Source: Borrowed from friend Synopsis from Goodreads: It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever. Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future and each other. Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance. My Thoughts: Where She Went continues the story from If I

REVIEW: Floored by Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson, and Eleanor Wood

Good morning! Hope you're having a good week! Today I have a review for one of the biggest titles at YALC this year. Title:  Floored Author:  Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson, and Eleanor Wood Series:  n/a Pages:   320 Publisher:  Macmillan Date of Publication:  12th July, 2018 Synopsis from Goodreads: When they got in the lift, they were strangers (though didn't that guy used to be on TV?): Sasha, who is desperately trying to deliver a parcel; Hugo, who knows he's the best-looking guy in the lift and is eyeing up Velvet, who knows what that look means when you hear her name and it doesn't match the way she looks, or the way she talks; Dawson, who was on TV, but isn't as good-looking as he was a few years ago and is desperately hoping no one recognizes him; Kaitlyn, who's losing her sight but won't admit it, and who used to have a poster of Dawson on her bedroom wall, and Joe, who shoul