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Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing [2014]
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Paperback: 204 pages
I wanted to read this book before I saw the movie in theatres. I was really excited to see copies left at Barnes and Nobles. I decided to get the The Fault in Our Stars Exclusive Collectors Edition.
I have heard about this book from friends, tumblr, etc. and once I saw it was going to be made into a movie. I knew I had to read it.
When I bought this book, I expected to cry, I expected to throw it against the wall in rage over the death of a character. I expected a feels fest. I expected it to be better than it was.
How I expected to react.
I was disappointed.
He is not a bad writer. It was good, I just thought the book itself was okay.
To help express how I felt through the whole book (up until the very end). Even at the end of the book. Even at the end of the book I just felt sad.
How I felt the whole time reading it, till the end.
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Waiting, and waiting, and waiting for something to happen.
Warning- I was not a fan of the characters of the book, so if you love this book, just leave now. Seriously, you won’t like this review.
I was annoyed with both characters, I had a hard time sympathizing with the characters. I did sympathize and empathize with them and their situation (cancer), I just had a hard time doing it. Only when they began showing real human emotion, stopped using esoteric word (which I do understand, I just find it annoying when people are trying to come off as smart and intelligent- all look at me), and stopped their highbrow personalities. An example I can think of right away is the while cigarette thing. While a great message, also really stupid in general.
I can tell John Green’s voice is in his characters (having watched and enjoyed his youtube videos) and I really wish that didn’t happen. I wish he could have stepped outside of himself and write the characters in their voices.
The “Okay? Okay.” phrase left me underwhelmed (“Real or not Real?” from The Hunger Games had more passion behind it). I was sad when Augustus died. I felt bad for Hazel. I felt bad in general. I felt really bad for all the parents involved.
Hazel granted had more personality than Bella Swan from Twilight, but to be honest it’s not that hard. It honestly feels like this character is a character in which the reader can drop themselves in and “play the role” of the main character, fall in love with the cute guy, etc. Hazel falls in love just as fast with Augustus as Bella does with Edward!
And no one has given her grief?
I wanted her to go off on little adventures, I wanted her to try to live life to the fullest, I wanted her to write books, I wanted her to come up with the ending to that book she loved. I wanted her to go on a journey of self-discovery. Instead she meets a guy and falls in love, and the only reason why her dreams can come true it because of a guy.
With Hazel having read a book where a girl dies and it is portrayed halfway I was hoping that her story would have ended like that ( I really thought it would, perfect symmetry), which tells us that she has died. But to change it up maybe Augustus appears and ends the story for Hazel. He could mention how he was working on writing the ending to story she loved so much so that it would have a good ending for her. We learn about her family, the funeral, and what she taught him (which to be honest all they seem to do is play video games, make-out, and flirt) I wanted him to tell me their last words were, “Okay? Okay.”
If not any of that, I wanted the book to end with the phrase, “Okay? Okay.”
There wasn’t that much depth in the book. Yes, it is about cancer, a very deep subject, but it didn’t feel deeply written nor portrayed. I was going into this book really excited and wanting to like it only to be disappointed. It was a story about cancer and love, and it lacked depth in both development. I only recall one time (when Hazel passed out) where I felt the tension and fear that she meant when she said she was a “grenade.”
It was an easy read and it did flow really well. After reading this though I am really not sure whether or not I want to see the movie. I am even more hesitant to read more John Green books after reading this one.
There were a lot of great lines, quotes, etc. that I can take from this book, but I didn’t feel he characters give those lines emotion. It felt stale.
Lexa on Goodreads in reference to this book said it very well,
“Phase 1: Annoyed.
Phase 2: Slightly less annoyed.
Phase 3: Not bad/meh.
Phase 4: Kinda good actually.
Phase 5: You just had to ruin it all with that metaphor, didn’t you?”
I have to give this book 2.5 stars
What did you think of the book? Which John Green book should I read next? Let me know in the comments below!
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