The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Illustrated by: N/A

Series: N/A

Published: Dutton Books, 2012

Edition: Hardcover

Narrated By: N/A

Length: 318 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Teen Fiction

Where Did I Get It? Borrowed from a friend.

Summary (from Goodreads): Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Opening Line(s):

Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.

~

My Review: I have been told to read this book so many times by friends that I was quite pleased when it was picked as the House of Blog Book Club read for February. In fact, it has been sat on my shelf for months after a friend lent it to me, I have just never got around to picking it up.

There was a whole lot of hype floating around this story and for once I found the book lived up to it. Emotionally draining, tough to read, blunt in its honesty but at the same time heart-warming, full of hope and laugh-out-loud funny. Everything you would hope to expect from a book about cancer-struck teenagers.

John Green’s writing style is beautiful, he creates characters that are eloquent and funny without letting them feel forced or fake. Much like in Looking For Alaska, another book of his I loved, despite some of the characters/relationships technically being a bit cliche, you don’t notice or mind because it is pulled off cleverly and with an emotional punch that overrides the potential cheese.

I cried my little heart out reading TFIOS, much like I did reading last month’s Book Club book because of the hopelessness of the storyline – you are desperate for a happy ending but there isn’t much hope when the word ‘terminal’ is involved.

Touching and fast-paced, I will remember TFIOS for some time and may well come back and give it another read if the mood takes me.

My Rating: 5/5*