The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Published Jan 2012 by Dutton Juvenile. CDN $15.99 Kindle Edition.
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs… for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind. (Goodreads excerpt)
Let me start off by saying this is not the kind of book I normally read. I prefer fantasy or sci fi or something with magic and weird stuff going on. Having said that my daughter told me I absolutely had to read this and we often like the same stuff so I gave it a try. I am really glad I did.
The writing style of John Green was such that I was truly able to get into the story and empathize fully with Hazel. I enjoyed her character immensely. She was fun and quick and full of life. Her insight was much older than her years but this was explained with the fact that she got her GED early and is taking University courses. She is a very likable character and I was dreading anything bad happening to her.
Augustus is awesome and so much her equal the interaction between the two was fantastic. I really enjoyed the story and was blown away with the twist in the end. I won’t give anything away but suffice it to say my emotions overwhelmed me.
What I enjoyed most about the book was how deeply Augustus loved his Hazel Grace. It wasn’t the fact that he told her, it was the fact that he showed her through his actions., especially the gesture at the end of the story. (Again no spoiler). For two people so young to feel so much for another person is not normally believable, but in this story I believed every word through their actions.
Truly amazing book! 5 stars for me.
Cynthia Stacey 