Author: John Green
Release Date: January 10th, 2012
Publisher: Penguin (Dutton)
Pages: 313
Edition: Hardcover
Goodreads: Link
Note: If you haven't read it yet, enjoy the song Permafrost while you can. Now I can't listen to it without wanting to burst into tears.
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours 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 tumours 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.
So I know you might be thinking: "Why is she even reviewing this book? Of course it's amazing. IT'S JOHN GREEN". But I, unlike others, am a Nerdfighter that doesn't partake in the fangirling of John Green's book. The only one i've read is Looking For Alaska (which was pretty awesome) and I never finished Paper towns. But this? The Fault In Our Stars is an instant classic and John Green is everything Nicolas Sparks should be (and well, isn't.)
First: don't be afraid to read this book because the main characters happen to have cancer. This isn't a Cancer Book. It is a book about friendship and love and trust and finding your purpose in a universe that you're not sure really wants you around anymore. Hazel is an amazing heroine: smart, funny, and strong. My type of girl! But she's not all perfect. Sometimes she's insecure and confused and angry and I loved both sides of the coin so much. I'd be her friend in a heartbeat.
John Green doesn't shy away from the hard questions in this writing and I really appreciate that. He doesn't treat teens like they're idiots, point blank. He takes things like grief and love and faith and puts a big question mark at the end of them so you can fill in the blanks yourself, which I love. This is the kind of book that makes you think about life and death and what kind of mark you want to leave on the world.
I'm not going to say I never cry during books, because that's a big fat lie. But I was in the middle of my 3rd period Math Class while I was reading this and I couldn't even hold it in; I burst into tears. I hid it, but I totally did. And I don't believe in people who say they don't read books that make you cry because that's the whole experience! Feeling something! John Green will make your heart ache, guys.
While writing this review, I realize there's still so much I want to say but can't. This is the kind of book that I want to force everyone to read but recommend doing it by yourself on a day where you don't have anything to do. Do it where you can cry and you don't hold it in and you're not being rushed. You're going to want to savor every single word. And sometimes, you're going to have to stop reading because you can't handle every emotion rushing at you at once, and that's alright!
And finally, Augustus Waters. You live in my heart forever and I love you so damn much. Him and Hazel were beautiful and amazing together despite their differences and arguments. No relationship is perfect and I like how we weren't told to believe that is so, because they had something so special in those 313 pages. Gah, so much love for this book.
Happy Reading!
