John Green - The Fault In Our Stars.

John Green – The Fault In Our Stars.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars.

Hey Everyone. I can’t believe this is the last day of 2020. The year has simultaneously dragged and gone way too fast in a weird way I’m finding it hard to explain. I’m grateful for this year, as horrible as it has been, I hit some big milestones this year. I turned 21, I graduated from university, I was accepted onto a master’s degree (I changed my mind on it last minute and didn’t do it, long story, I might write about it one day), I have drawn up plans to set up and start my own business related to something I love, I found some new friends that I am so thankful for, and I was brought back to old friends that I had lost touch with. In a year like this it seems so hard to write about the positives, but we must always think on the bright side and find happiness where we can.

Speaking of things I’m thankful for, this blog. There are a few of you that I can see that read every post, I’m grateful for you, thank you for reading what I’m writing. So here it is, my last post of 2020. This review is on a book that has been honestly a lot like this year we’ve all been dragged through. Tragic, sad, but there is love and beauty within it. Here is my review for The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.

Synopsis:

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 a 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.

A Little About The Author:

John Green is an award-winning, Number One New York Times bestselling author whose many accolades include the Printz Medal, a Printz Honour, and the Edgar Award. He has twice been a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize.

A Little About The Story:

This story followed Hazel as she deals with terminal cancer. She has known she is terminal for a long time, but thanks to a medical trial she is still alive. She attends a support group for kids with cancer and meets Augustus and Isaac. From here we see Hazel and Augustus try and fail to be just friends as they gradually fall for each other. Until bad news hits, and they are stuck in a situation that is impossible to even imagine. How much love and adventure can they squeeze in before time runs out?

The main characters in this book were Hazel and Augustus. Hazel has terminal cancer and needs an oxygen tank to breathe. Augustus had cancer and lost one of his legs. This story follows their love that grows even with the threat of ill health looming over them.

In this story the main characters bond over their cancer, and their personalities (that are polar opposites) attract each other inevitably. We see them grow closer and find out they have more in common, such as a love for the same book (Hazel recommends it to Augustus). They will do anything it takes to find answers they have about what happens after the book. Do they have enough time left to find these answers to them?

The main problem in this story is ill health. Will Hazel’s health allow her to do the things she wants. Will it allow her to have the adventure she craves, and to gather answers to her lifelong questions. Will Isaac’s ill health cost him anything else, will it stop at his eyesight? It shows the effects that being sick can have on your life and the toll that it can take on an individual, especially a young person.

My favourite character in this book was Augustus of course. He wanted to be extraordinary and leave his mark on the world. He didn’t want to be remembered by a few people, he wanted to be remembered by everyone for doing something special. His view could be considered fundamentally flawed – the few people that loved him, loved him more than some strangers would – but it was admirable. Everyone wants to leave a mark on the world, Augustus was no exception. He was also kind and considerate. In the face of everything he had been through and everything that hadn’t gone right in his life, he still wasn’t broken.

A close second of course is a tie for Hazel and Isaac. The kids in this book are inspirational. The way the were written brings me to tears. Cancer is something we have all heard of, but its not something all of us will experience happening to us. I cant even imagine having to navigate being a teenager AND having cancer. This book and its characters gave me an awful lot to think about in terms of things I take for granted and how lucky I am.

I couldn’t relate to any of the characters in this story. That isn’t a must for me with a book though. Personally I like reading about things that have never happened to me, understanding how people feel in these situations. It opens up a whole new world that I haven’t experienced yet.

I truly loved this book. I loved everything about it. It was sweet, and it pulled every string in my heart. When I read this book I had just started getting back into reading. I was pulling myself out of a slump. I think that may be part of the reason I love it so much. It is one of the books that reignited my passion for reading and writing. Also, John Green’s writing is phenomenal. I love his work. The book flowed really nicely, I believed every emotion that was being described. There aren’t many books that have brought me to tears and left my physically crying. This is one of them.

My favourite part of the book is when Hazel and Augustus meet. It’s so lovely. Augustus is charming, Hazel is buying into it. It made my heart happy. I didn’t have a least favourite part of the book. I mean, I could re-read it to let you guys know for sure (any excuse to re-read of course) but I don’t think my answer would change.

I would recommend this book to everyone. It gives you a little reality check of all the things you are lucky to have in your life that you assume will always be there, like properly working lungs, your friends, your eyesight even.

More specifically though readers of YA stories would like this, it is an easy read that packs a punch. It is a bit of a sad story, so people that love a sad story would be into this. Or even people that have watched the film version of it and liked that. They would love the book.

My last post of 2020! Done! I honestly loved reading this book and writing about it has made me want to re-read, so I’m going to go and do that right now. Thank you for reading. If you have read this book, I hope you liked it. If you haven’t read this book, I hope this post encouraged you to pick it up and read! Thank you for reading and a Happy New Year to all of you!

Stay Curious! J x