Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars

The Fault In Our Stars
John Green
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Star Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)
Pages: 368 (hardcover)
Age: 14+

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 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.

Thoughts:

I never thought there could be a book so emotionally charged as this one.

If I had to pick what I felt was the best aspect of this book, I'd say the characters. The characters are what made it so good. We have Hazel, the witty, somewhat depressed girl who goes to her weekly cancer support group, where she meets Augustus Waters. He's quite possibly my favorite male character. Augustus, or Gus, as I'll be calling him from here on out because it's shorter, is a humorous, slightly flirty, and thoughtful guy. He genuinely cares about his friends and his family.

As for the plot, I can't say that I was gripping the edge of my seat because I was desperate to know what happened, but I will say that when things went a way I didn't want or expect it to go, it was like a punch to the gut. Like a punch using a very large battering ram. Ouch.

There was one part that I easily predicted from the beginning. Often times when this happens in a book, that's not a good sign. Readers should have an idea, not a firm grip on what's going to happen. For this book, that was not a problem. Even though I knew what was going to happen, when it did happen...well, we'll just say that I was not a happy camper. It was as if I knew what was going to happen, yet dreaded it with every ounce of my being. There was a certain helplessness to it.

This book does contain some foul language, but unlike some other books, it did not take away anything from the actual book. Even so, because of that and of a certain scene where younger kids might freak out, I say wait until you're 14+ to read it.

I didn't give this book 5 stars. You may be wondering why. I didn't because in the back of my mind, there was some part of me that just didn't feel like the book was quite as good as everyone made it out to be. I stand by what I rated it, because, really, 4.5 stars is nothing to sneeze at.