Review: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Book: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Published by Dutton, January 2012
318 pages
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Contemporary YA
I bought this book

Synopsis via 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.

I have come to believe that John Green never disappoints. Ever!! This book is the most serious of his books that I’ve read before and that is saying quite a lot.

TFIOS had all the things that I have come to love and expect from Green’s books: very smart teenagers who read and have impressive vocabularies, parts that make you laugh out loud, and Venn diagrams. I love Venn diagrams.

What I liked the most about the book was that Hazel and Augustus though having to deal with cancer, were just like normal teens; hormones included. That being said, I loved that Hazel had some hesitation when trying to decide whether or not to date Augustus. I hate instant love in YA. Big Pet Peeve. And yes, there was insta-love on Augustus’ part, but he’s so romantic about it that I forgive him.

Peter Van Houten is my favorite secondary character in a way. Though I do kind of hate him at times. He’s an eccentric and a creeper of epically humorous proportions, but he’s less of a jerk once you get to the bottom of his story.

The descriptions of Amsterdam are so beautiful that I want to pack up and go there right now. I don’t even care that I don’t know a word of Dutch.

The bottom line, I loved these characters as if they were real people. They are so thoughtful, funny, and I was deeply moved to the point of tears. This book will get you. You will feel like you know these characters personally.