From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge…

The Fault in Our Stars

John Green

Start date: January 12, 2015

Finish date: January 15, 2015

Discussion: Task Ideas/Resources/Discussions

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* Challenge Tasks: the Complete List
By Book Riot · 1 post · 5295 views

last updated Dec 16, 2014 09:22AM

Free copy of Proximity Factor this July, no reviews required. Just enjoy.
By S.S. · 1 post · 9 views

last updated Jul 18, 2024 06:08AM

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What Members Thought

Apr 13, 2012 taeli rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, library-book

finished in audio 6/7/12

This book was highly talked about online (mostly on Twitter and LJ) by friends and it took me a while to actually get the book from the library. (I put it on hold in both text and audio formats and they both came at the same time. I ended up listening to the audio version because I am able to listen at work and has less time to devote to sitting down and actually reading things.) It's only 6 discs long, so I was able to get through more than half of it in the first day an ...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Erin rated it liked it

Shelves: 2012

Standard-issue John Green, plus lots (and lots) of tears. The way everything played out was not surprising, but it didn't feel emotionally dishonest the way a lot of predictable plots can. John Green seems like a nice guy, and I'm on-board with a YA author connecting with his readers via the internet, because that seems savvy, but his books just don't resonate with me (and I acknowledge that that's a personal thing - I don't think he's a bad writer, and I don't regret the time I've spent reading Standard-issue John Green, plus lots (and lots) of tears. The way everything played out was not surprising, but it didn't feel emotionally dishonest the way a lot of predictable plots can. John Green seems like a nice guy, and I'm on-board with a YA author connecting with his readers via the internet, because that seems savvy, but his books just don't resonate with me (and I acknowledge that that's a personal thing - I don't think he's a bad writer, and I don't regret the time I've spent reading his books, they just don't hit me in the feelings spot, you know?). I cried because I am human and everything makes me cry and I mean, look at the subject matter. God. I had some thoughts about what different books mean to different people, how my comparatively grief-free life shaped my reaction vs. how a person with first-hand experience in these matters might react differently &c &c, but I wouldn't be bringing anything new to the conversation, so let's just move on to the part where I rant about one tiny specific thing that hardly has anything to do with anything, yes?

So, no, I didn't love this, but I do have to roll my eyes at everyone complaining that "teenagers don't talk that way," for three reasons:

1) You don't actually know that? Teenagers are not, contrary to what the world would have you believe, a vast monolithic entity - they are not identical, do not all operate in exactly the same way. They're loud and silly and their brains haven't developed completely (scientifically true!), but they're still people, which means there is, shockingly, a large range into which their behavior/speech patterns can fall. So just because you personally don't know any teenagers who speak this way doesn't mean it's impossible that some do. And besides -
2) Lots of teenagers think they speak this way. I have always been sort of insufferable in that I think I am smarter than everyone in the world, and I definitely thought I was the wittiest, cleverest person I knew when I was seventeen. I'm sure I wasn't, but trust me, in my mind, I was blowing everyone away with my vocabulary and wit. So, I imagine a lot of kids read John Green's books and at least think they're recognizing themselves, which is fine.
3) I've only read 1.5 other John Green books (Looking for Alaska and Will Grayson, Will Grayson), but that is clearly his style, and it just seems silly to continue complaining about it (this assumes that the reader knows anything about JG; I guess if this is your first experience with him you are allowed to complain, but ONLY THEN. I have decreed it). ...more

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Sep 07, 2013 Melissa rated it it was amazing

http://merrylandgirl.blogspot.com/201... ...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Nina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: novel, fiction, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As with _An Abundance of Katherines_, John Green's characters speak with clear, memorable voices. I loved the characters--teenagers Hazel and Augustus. They were scared and brave and vulnerable and believable, not that I know what it's like to face cancer as a teenager or at any age. I love, also, how their bookishness and love of language brings them together.

When Augustus walks into the support group and tells his peers that he's on a rollercoaster going nowhere but up, we go up and up with th ...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Kerry rated it it was amazing

Fantastic, charismatic, insightful and heart-wrenching. This book was just great for a person with a penchant for reading books with smart, realistic, funny main characters. Hard to put down.

Gives you lots of food for thought on what it is like to live with cancer and love people fighting the disease.

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Mar 18, 2012 Mia rated it liked it

Shelves: 2012-books

I wanted to read this after hearing so much hype about it. While I'm not quite jumping on the crazy hype bandwagon, I'm glad I read it because I liked the book and especially Hazel. After awhile I found the hyper aware teenager speak a little annoying but overall I liked the book. ...more

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May 24, 2012 Lori rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen, book-club

It's always tough going into one of these books when you know it's going to hurt. There just aren't many cheery books about kids with cancer. But this book isn't about cancer as much as life and about the kid's and I liked them, and I liked reading their stories. ...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Jill rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, realistic

Augustus Waters, while not the protagonist, is one of those characters that will stay with me for a long time. I think that's one of John Green's greatest strengths as an author, the ability to create characters that feel totally real. ...more

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