Author: John Green
Series: None
Pages: 318
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Date Published: January 12th, 2012
Publisher: Dutton Books
Format Read: Gifted eBook
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Summary:
Diagnosed with Stage IV
thyroid cancer at 13, 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.
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.
-Goodreads
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My Thoughts:
An Open Letter To The Fault In Our Stars,
So, thanks for taking my heart strings and turning them into a huge pile of scrap metal. That was so nice of you book, super nice of you. But who am I kidding, I refused to read you for years (literal years) which was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever done in my life. Sure you demolished my heart, but you also brought so much laughter and joy and one of the best book boyfriends that I've ever read in my life to my door. But let's not forget about Hazel and how awesome she was too. Honestly, I have no complaints about you, at all. Okay, the heart shattering wasn't cool, but I get it, so I'll let that slide.
-The White Unicorn
Why haven't I read any John Green books before. This man is a genius with words and even better then that he's the master of dialogue! Seriously, the conversations in this book were perfect. They were real and they made you feel all the feelings in your soul. It takes a really talented writer to handle dialogue like Mr. Green and I'm glad that I finally gave in and read TFiOS. Sometimes being a rebel comes back to bite you in the butt, that's all I'm saying.
TFiOS deals with cancer, but it's how Green deals with it that really makes this book something special. He doesn't soak the book in depression, sure he dips it in every once in awhile, but that's to be expected. The thing is that this book is full of insurmountable amounts of hope and laughter and snark and reality that will blow your mind away. This book is hilarious, like hold your gut and gag on air funny. These characters are witty as all get out. It's really a beautiful thing, on so many levels.
I also have to thank Green for creating one of my favorite contemporary male leads ever. Augustus Waters is as close to perfect as it comes! He's snarky, he's funny, he's got just the right amount of "hero complex" without it getting out of hand and he's the sweetest. He was the perfect other half for our girl Hazel. And I'm pretty sure that he's been stealing the hearts of girls all over the world.
Speaking of Hazel, she's someone who I'd be friends with any day. Being inside of her head for the whole book was really a privilege. She was the perfect voice for this story. She wasn't afraid to try to live her life as all of the side affects of dying were trying to get at her, but she also knew that her time would come at some point. She had so much dignity as well as huge amounts of correctly used dark humor.
But those two aren't the only people who will warm your heart in this book. Hazel's parents are the coolest book parents I've ever read. I loved that her dad cried so much. And Issac was the best friend these kids could have had. And how can we forget about Patrick and his ball-cancer?
TFiOS is character driven to the max and it's executed so well that it still has a lot of action happening too. Trips to foreign countries, blind video game playing and more exciting things get covered in the story. Honestly, if you haven't read TFiOS, take a tip from me and dive right in. Don't let the fact that you'll need a whole box of tissues make you miss out on this wonderful book!
Rating:
5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!
2 comments:
Another really really wonderful review outta you and for such an AMAZING book. I was late to read this too but better late than never right? I can't wait for the movie. The trailer made me tear up. These characters are wonderful. The dialogue was perfect. Gah the feels for this book. You described it perfectly.
I cried my eyes out. Not even remotely kidding. And I skipped to the end BEFORE reading so I knew what was going to happen. Didn't help at all. :( It's the kind of book I'll never be able to review though, I just really can't, or mine would just be quotes, because so. many. But, yours just sums it up all in one. So glad you loved it! :)
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