Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Steph’s Rating: 5 stars

Overall Rating: 5 stars

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Dutton Books

Publication Date: January 10th, 2012

Pages: 368

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

Steph’s Review:

Words cannot describe how much I loved this book. I have never cried so much in a long time, and nothing is even close to how heart-wrenching this book is. It is just Flat. Out. Amazing. As my friend Angie would describe it, it was just...beautiful. This book is a lot different from books I usually read, probably because of it’s realism. Cancer exists, and right now we can’t do anything to stop it. The Fault In Our Stars is very touching, and within the span of it’s pages, John Green was able to fully connect his characters and world to me as if they’d been there my entire life. I actually wasn’t expecting this to be as good as it was, but I listened to the awards and raves it got and gave it a shot. I had no regrets that I started read this from the very first chapter.

At just 13 years old, Hazel Grace was diagnosed with thyroid cancer which metastasized to her lungs. By some miracle, a cancer-treating drug perceived to ineffective became her savior, and halted the growth of any new tumors in her body. However, Hazel is and will be tethered to an oxygen tank for the rest of her life, because her lungs simply won’t be “good lungs” anymore. She’s practically given up. It’s not exactly a good situation, because anything “normal” for kids her age is now out of her reach, or so she believes.

During a fateful meeting at the Cancer Support Group, Augustus Waters barrels into her life. He’s hot, one legged, funny, and hopeful. Cancer-free and in remission, Augustus Waters is what cancer patients hope to be one day. With his sweet talk, he gets right into Hazel’s nerves and shows her that living with cancer doesn’t take away who you are. You just have to make the time meant for you your own infinite, your type of forever.

John Green, amazingly, was able to put so much humor into this book despite it’s serious topic. I don’t even know how many times I LOL’d while I was reading it, and contrary to my personal belief, he can write romance. Augustus is such a sweetheart, and he’s pretty darn arrogant and hilarious. I love him, enough said. He’s a bright highlight, both to Hazel and to The Fault itself. Despite his near flippant attitude, he is one of the wisest characters in the book, and provided more support to Hazel than her parents ever could. Hazel’s first mindset is that she’s just an ugly nobody, waiting to rot in a grave, but Augustus makes her feel and become someone beautiful. John Green, through this book, tells everyone that there isn’t anything wrong with hope, and it’s one of the strongest feelings a person can have.  

Back to the crying part. While this book was happy-go-lucky for the first 2/3, a surprising twist made my whole world come crashing down like a meteor plummeting towards Earth. I was kind of expecting it to happen, but it was still surprising nonetheless because I didn’t want it to happen, I was hoping it wouldn’t. The ending of The Fault was as heartbreaking as it was heartfelt. There are so many life messages hidden between the pages that inspire you to be better. It was pretty bittersweet, but still hard to handle. I read too much paranormal stuff, when there is always a HEA. I cried at least three times within the last 100 pages, no joke. I could not get over this book for days, and me and Angie (mentioned above) blubbered over this book for a while. A long while. I once had to write an essay for school on the book that most changed my life and I chose to write it on Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kodohata. If I had to rewrite that essay today, The Fault In Our Stars would have been my top choice instead. This is definitely a must read for adults and teens both.