Review: The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Title: The Fault in Our Stars 
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publishing Date: January 10th 2012
Pages: 318
Genre: Young Adult Coming of Age
Series: Stand Alone
Source: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors 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 tumors 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.

Review: 

This is the second John Green book I have read. After reading Paper Towns and hearing so many raving reviews on this book, I had to get my hands on it. Oh My Goodness, what a wild roller coaster ride. I was up and down, laughing and crying… I could not control my emotions throughout this book. I remembered there is a reason I only read these type of books every now and again. 

The synopsis says it all pretty much, it’s a story about a girl, Hazel, who has cancer and has lived with cancer since age 13. She has come to the conclusion that this is her life and she must live with it but why get anyone else involved. She will just leave them heartbroken in the end. 

Hazel’s mother believes she is depressed and makes her go to a kids with cancer support group. Something Hazel is not thrilled about. There she meets Augustus, a boy in remission. Augustus is taken by Hazel and Hazel is infatuated with Augustus. A wonderful relationship forms between the two that left me breathless.
Hazel is a great character, she is bit cynical and very much closed off but she is lovable all the same. She handles her situation very well and is beyond her years in many ways. She is very responsible and respectful. She loves her family. She understands the meaning of being important to the few she does have in her life and doesn’t want to add to it. 

Augustus is the fun, wild, free, determined to live life. Augustus is also a bit cynical and is obsessed with leaving a mark on the world whenever his time comes. It’s not enough for Augustus to be loved well by few, he wants to be loved by many and known to all. 

I love the relationship that Hazel and Augustus form. They are very fun and seem to fit together so well. They had me laughing so many times, they had me rolling in every conversation to every adventure.
From the synopsis, I knew this book would be hard, but I don’t think it’s easy to fully grasp the situation when one is healthy and has healthy friends and family. I can’t say that this book changed my life, the book didn’t teach me anything I didn’t know, and I didn’t have any grand revelations. What I did do was held my children a little bit tighter, thanked my parents a little louder, and appreciated my husband a whole lot more.
This book is a must read in my book. The author is amazing, the story is fulfilling, and the characters are very lovable.

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