Review: The Fault in Our Stars

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Pages: 318
Format: Print/  Hard covered
Published:  January 10th 2012
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

To be full out honest, I wasn't excited about reading this book. Not for the reasons you may think, though. After the praise and glory this book received in reviews and the media, I soon learned that it left many of its readers sad, crying, and heartbroken. Did I want to be one of these readers? Of course not! I hate crying! I didn't want to read a book that would make me cry. What fun is in that? But I went ahead and read it anyways. I had to find out for myself how good of a book this was going to be.

So I opened the  first page and began to read. I began to read about the story of a girl named Hazel Grace with stage IV thyroid cancer. I began to read how she was ready to die. She was okay with it. We also learn about Augustus (Gus) Waters who had cancer, which resulted in him needing a prosthetic leg. And this is the story that left many readers crying? It's nothing but a cancer love story between two teenagers. Thousands of teenagers die  everyday from cancer, but I don't cry about it. I pray  that all with cancer become healthy, but I don't  cry about. So  why did I cry  at the  end of The  Fault in Our Stars? Because this isn't a cancer story.  This  is a story about a girl named Hazel Grace and a boy named Gus Waters who just so happen to have cancer.

The book as a whole was well done. There was such a high level of maturity in this book that you just don't see in many YA books.  Hazel spoke with such broad formality,  nothing she said that I'd never say seemed out of place or too mature for her. It was refreshing to read a mature book.  Not only was Hazel mature in the way she acted and spoke, but so was Augustus. How he spoke, his mannerism, and actions, were so mature, and might I add,  kind of hot. Personally, I think this is one of the many reasons why I loved this book.  You just don't see maturity in YA like you do in Adult Fiction. So I liked that John Green trusted us as teenage readers to appreciate this piece of work with this high level of maturity. 

Secondly, the characters were as real is they come. Probably more real because  these characters  actually face the truth about dying. They face day to day not knowing what's going to happen. They learn to appreciate what they can, and for me, that makes a person more of a person than someone who doesn't appreciate life. So Hazel Grace was like a friend to me. We shared many things, like our joy of reading and preferring to spend time alone. So connecting with the main character really made me enjoy this book. Also, Augustus wasn't that bad-guy-I-don't-care-about-your-feelings-type. He also appreciated life and trying new things. I think many readers will fall in love with him for that reason. And because he was sweet enough to give Hazel Grace the one thing she wanted before she died (not saying).

Thirdly, and lastly, the morals in this were powering and eye-opening. You come to learn that just  because you have something, doesn't mean it's physically yours forever. I wish I could tell you why this is, but I'm afraid this review is strictly spoiler free. I can tell you you'll figure this out towards the end of the book. For me I felt that after reading this, something Green hid within his writing was that cancer patients want to be treated as humans, not cancer patients. This wasn't written in bold, but it was definitely something I caught from time to time.  Also, to appreciate your life but also the life of others. Just something that is very important to remember.

Overall, this was a very good book. Admittedly, I cried at the  end. I cried like a baby, my eyes too teary  to even continue the book at my normal reading rate. There are just somethings in this book that will make you cry. It's inevitable, but so worth the read. If not for the mature writing and characters, than for the power full and eye-opening messages throughout this book.

My rating:
5 faulty stars

Angela