The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Dutton Books

Publishing Year: 2012

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis: Hazel Grace is our protagonist and we follow her story as she battles cancer and the knowledge that she will eventually die. Early in the book she meets Augustus Waters who has lost his leg to cancer and is now in remission. The only thing he fears is oblivion and Hazel believes oblivion to be inevitable. The Fault In Our Stars follows their story from the first time they meet and tells their love story.

I always promise myself I won't read any book where a character has cancer. It never ends well and I usually cry my bloody eyes out. Lurlene McDaniel destroyed my heart early on and I've never gotten over her novel 'A Rose For Melinda'. And yet here I am writing a review for a book filled with cancer. That being said what originally drew my attention to this novel was the movie adaption I'm sad to say. For me it usually goes that I read the book then see the movie. But not this time, I heard nothing but amazing reviews and comments about it. So I watched it and cried and then made my boyfriend watch it. He cried also.

So having already seen the movie, and knowing the ending I was sure I wouldn't let the book hit me on any kind of emotional level. I was wrong. The book delivered the same amount of heart-string tugging that the film did. All in all it was a good read and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others. The only reason it loses two points from my rating is Hazel Grace. I found it difficult to relate to her. In the movie she seemed more sophisticated and wise, but not so much in the book. In the novel she came across more emotional and more prone to mood swings.  Now I have to say that this is my personal opinion, because knowing how many people love this book there are plenty of readers out there to disagree with me.

Rather than end on that sour note I would like to point out my favorite part from the novel. "It's a metaphor, see: you put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing." In this quote Augustus held a cigarette in his mouth and Hazel Grace flipped her lid. Reasonable considering cigarettes are linked to cancer and he was in remission. I know it's a popular one but it is indeed my absolute favorite. It was quirky and made Augustus, or Gus if you prefer, stand out and defined him nicely as a character.