The Fault in Our Stars in Our Shared Shelf

Jul 22, 2013 Rachel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, young-adult

Oh man. I cried on the subway. And then for an hour as I finished it once I got home. When I was a kid I would read books that made me cry. I would reread them mercilessly. Specifically, I remember Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume. When I was much younger I couldn't even make it through The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter;* I was crying so hard my mom got worried. That stopped happening as I got older. I assumed it was because I got older and was better able to handle the emotions evoked by a Oh man. I cried on the subway. And then for an hour as I finished it once I got home. When I was a kid I would read books that made me cry. I would reread them mercilessly. Specifically, I remember Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume. When I was much younger I couldn't even make it through The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter;* I was crying so hard my mom got worried. That stopped happening as I got older. I assumed it was because I got older and was better able to handle the emotions evoked by a novel. Nope, this book made me cry. Is it something connected to the love of young people? I guess it's not something I read about that often.

I have avoided young adult literature like the plague after I kept getting sucked into the hype and never really enjoying it. Hunger Games? Meh. Sparkly vampires and boy wizards (I read the first three of the Harry Potter series, meh!)? No thanks! So when I first heard of this one, I thought whaaatever. But it kept getting raves and raves and I thought, well if I ever get the chance maybe I will give it a try. Then I realized it had been out for 3 years and was still getting raved about, so at least it must be memorable right? And however long it has been out for it still hasn't come out in paperback!! The library doesn't even have the ebook of it! So I thought if it comes my way I might read it (thinking it's not going to come my way ever so that's a pretty safe commitment there). And then I found the ebook on B&N for $3. So I got it, downloaded it on my phone and hoped for it to at least pass quickly as an acceptable way of passing the time at work in the coat check.

It was good, it was good. It was smart. Too smart for actual teenagers, or anyone really, but seriously? Who wants to listen to real teenagers? Haha I kid. Mostly. Just showed everything perfect in the world as well as everything completely fucked in the world.

I am still not going to read young adult books. There's no way any of it can touch this one!

*Holy hell, Forrest Carter is a pen name for Asa Earl Carter, who was very controversial for his racist past. Wow I did not know that. ...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: realistic

Loved the characters and the banter they totally make the book. Did not like the bitter sweetness of it all and that's just a personal preference. John Green does an amazing job of putting you in a cancer patient's shoes, but it is a bleak place to be. However, the characters do an awesome job of living in the now and for the little moments that make the life we have so great. ...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Ellen rated it it was ok

Shelves: library, 2013, tournament-of-books

Cry crack and Christopher Pike: There were some parts of this book I just could not get over, so I blogged about it. ...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Sara rated it really liked it

Cried a lot about a third of the way through, then again at the end. I knew it was going to happen.

In terms of books about kids with cancer, this one was pretty good. I still feel a little like I got manipulated into my tears, but it was funny and sad and heartbreaking and witty.

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