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From the Bookshelf of Addicted to YA…

The Fault in Our Stars

John Green

Start date: June 1, 2012

Finish date: June 30, 2012

Discussion: Stand Alone

Why we're reading this: Won the poll for the single book!
[close] Won the poll for the single book!

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* Stand Alone- Maybe Meant to Be
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What Members Thought

Dec 04, 2012 Angie Taylor rated it liked it

This is the second John Green book that I have read. I admire Green's writing. He writes honestly and deals with real life situations and emotions that make me feel. I'm an adult and I don't have cancer, so it could be argued that of course I don't connect with the characters. But I believe I connect better with the characters at my age than I would as a teenager having death and sickness in my family, and being more aware of it at my age than I would have been as a teenager. I really liked Haze ...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Caitlin rated it it was amazing

This book made me sob on the subway. Beautiful!

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Jan 26, 2012 Sasha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, humor, drama-romance

Hazel is a teenager diagnosed with terminal cancer. She goes to a cancer support group where she meets a boy named Augustus Waters who will change her forever. Throughout the book, the two grow with each other and find a love both profound and exquisite, even in the shadow of death.

You know those stories that leave you numb? The ones that you finish, and then set aside and stare at blank space for a while so that you can process what you had just finished reading? Yeah, this was that kind of boo Hazel is a teenager diagnosed with terminal cancer. She goes to a cancer support group where she meets a boy named Augustus Waters who will change her forever. Throughout the book, the two grow with each other and find a love both profound and exquisite, even in the shadow of death.

You know those stories that leave you numb? The ones that you finish, and then set aside and stare at blank space for a while so that you can process what you had just finished reading? Yeah, this was that kind of book. And the thing was, I was completely blindsided by how great this book was. Okay, so The Fault in Our Stars is a cancer book. Apparently this is a niche genre, because after I finished this book, I read some other reviews that mentioned other “cancer books” like this one. I would assume that a cancer book had a prerequisite amount of melancholy and suffering, and I typically shy away from those kinds of books. Maybe that’s why I found Stars so enchanting, as opposed to some people who disliked it. I’m not familiar with cancer books, so this was new territory for me.

Something about Hazel’s wry, snappy narration is charming and completely engrossing, and kept me reading long into the night. Hazel does not dwell on her illness. It’s a constant, and it’s been a part of her life since she was a child, but her sense of humor shines through, and makes the subject of terminal cancer an easier pill to swallow for the reader. I truly did like Hazel as a character. She’s self-deprecating and mature for her age, which instantly made me identify with her. I particularly appreciated her relationship with her parents, and how she seems to take on the adult role when it comes to her illness. Green’s prose sparkles with life, and he wrote the voice of Hazel so well that I was initially surprised that the book was written by a man, and not a woman.

Hazel and her love interest, Augustus, had a unique and interesting relationship, even if I found them a bit contrived. This was the only part in the book that I took issue with. I found that Hazel and Augustus were unusually well-spoken for kids their age. Then again, I was the same at that age, so who am I to play skeptical reader? However, I think that they acted unrealistically old and adult, when they’re supposed to be seventeen. That took me out of the story a bit, because even though they looked and seemed like teens, Hazel and Augustus had the dynamic of two adults. I think that Mr. Green needs to learn how to truly emulate the voice of a young person, rather than using them as a mouthpiece for his own thoughts.

I found the love story a bit forced. A teen cancer patient (who strongly resembles Natalie Portman à la V for Vendetta, as is repeatedly mentioned throughout the book, as if the reader will forget how attractive Hazel is even when she’s sick and fighting cancer) happens to run into an equally, if not more so, gorgeous boy who is in remission and is decidedly articulate for a teenage boy… it all felt a little too neatly set up to be truly believable. However, as their relationship evolved and I got to see a more three-dimensional Augustus, I really started to like the two of them together and ultimately fell in love with their love.

I found myself completely enchanted by the plot, in which Hazel, with the help of Augustus, seeks to speak to the author of a book that changed her life. By book’s end, I found myself really caring about the characters, and despite knowing what I signed myself up for, the ending of the book was an emotional sucker punch to the gut. I knew with this kind of book that something was going to happen, but that didn’t make it any easier to handle. The Fault in Our Stars left me emotionally drained, but uplifted. I can see why Green has such a cult following online… his writing is full of heart and soul.
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May 19, 2012 Kaitlin rated it really liked it

Shelves: banned-challenged-books

I could not put this book down. I had to know what happened and definitely rushed through it faster than I should have. This is a book that requires savoring. It is certainly not action-packed. A re-read will occur in the near future so I can better enjoy this writer's style.

Hazel is a young adult who has suffered more than most young people her age. While attending a support group for teens with cancer, she meets Augustus. The story follow the development of their relationship, but it is no no ...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Shawna rated it it was amazing

This book literally broke my heart. Hazel would punch me for my use of literality, but my heart is literally in pieces at my feet and tears are on my cheeks right now as I close this book and set it beside me on the couch. "The Fault in Our Stars" was beautiful, sad, oftentimes funny, and it was oh so heartbreaking and honest. Please read this story. It is so lovely. ...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Marcia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook

This is my big ten. So says Hazel Grace.

This book make me feel like I was repeatedly stabbed and had involuntary jags of crying - all while on a plane. Great experience. Aside from the few HOURS of public humiliation of crying uncontrollable, (tip: read in the privacy of your own home, car, office) this is an amazing book.

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