The Fault In Our Stars
Author: John Green
Series: ---
Publisher: Penguin
How Received: bought
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.
This was going to be one of those books I read and didn't talk about, because I knew everybody would be talking about it and there wasn't going to be much I could add to the conversation. I couldn't compare it to other contemporary fiction, which I don't often read; I couldn't compare it against John's other works, which I haven't read; I've never been a blog to talk aimlessly about a book and how much I loved it.
I knew it would be brilliant - I am a Nerdfighter, after all, even if I haven't had a chance to pick up John's other books. I knew the passion he put into it. I heard the brilliant first chapter and was already in love with Hazel's voice.
But I didn't expect it to be that brilliant.
I didn't expect it to dig into my heart and my soul and make me cry. And boy, did I cry. I sobbed. I sobbed uncontrollably for ten minutes. Then my sister came into the room to tell me a joke and just stared at me for a moment and gave me a hug and asked me what was wrong and I was unable to tell her because I didn't want to spoil the story for her.
Do not read The Fault In Our Stars in a public place if you do not like crying and laughing and screaming and more crying in public. Do not start reading The Fault In Our Stars before you go to bed, thinking you'll read a chapter and keep reading more the next day, because you will stay up the entire night and go about your day the next morning bleary-eyed and discontent (because, let's face it, the only way you can go about after finishing a brilliant book is discontent).
But do read The Fault In Our Stars.
If you have ever picked up one book from this blog, let it be The Fault In Our Stars.
Because, I promise you this - you will not regret it.