Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Paper Towns

Reread: Upon a second reading of the book, I still enjoy it and the life lessons and metaphors imparted by the story and various characters. I can think back to my teenage mind and imagine how exciting Margo's adventures and running away from everything could feel. Q is a dense, though, with no clue as to how fruitless his obsessive search really is, even after having the premise of Moby Dick explained to him. The road trip is the fun part of the book for me still, and I understand why things conclude how they do with Margo and Q.

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chlobobass's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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fanboyriot's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Read For:

Road Trip

Small Town

Good Friendships

High School Setting

Missing Person/Runaway

I loved the writing style of this book. The adventure and mystery was so entertaining to read. It felt a bit ridiculous but it was so enjoyable to read. Though the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I was hoping for.

Release Date: 16, October 2008

POV: First Person

Spice: n/a

Rep: BIPOC (SC)

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kassidyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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anilourengo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

El libro se encuentra separado en 3 partes, en la primera conocemos a los amigos de Quentin y éste ayuda a Margo a realizar su plan de venganza. En la segunda parte, Margo se va de su casa dejando pistas, como siempre, para ver si la encuentran. Quentin y sus amigos intentarán encontrarla antes que sea demasiado tarde. En la última parte, descubrimos si Quentin encuentra a Margo a tiempo o no.

Grafica de una manera excelente el trauma de la adolescencia en el colegio (con todos sus actores) y lo importante y dificil que es ese paso que todos tenemos que dar en la vida cuando llega el último día de clases de la escuela secundaria, donde dejamos de ser chicos para empezar nuestra vida como adultos y todo lo que ello conlleva, aunque en ese momento no solemos darle esa importancia.

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bbbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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grboph's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I read this book in middle school and decided to re-read it after finding a copy in a junk store for a quarter. My perception of it was definitely different this time around. I think the characters were well-developed, the story was compelling and entertaining, and the general message (that we never really know what is going on with other people and that people and things never exist in the ways you imagine them to) was nice, and that it was conveyed in a unique, creative way. I do think it tries a bit too hard to be profound at times (like the extensive and at times exhausting use of Walt Whitman quotes) and that it could have gotten its message across just as effectively without being so emo about it. While I loved Radar, Ben, and Lacey as characters (as well as Q's parents), I found the characters of Q and Margo to be sort of insufferable. Unfortunately, they are the two main characters, and the story is all about Margo and told from Q's point of view. In short, I thought Q was incredibly self-centered and for someone whose parents are both therapists, he had a remarkable lack of awareness that girls also, in fact, have thoughts and feelings and lives just like everybody else. Margo clearly had some mental health issues and shitty parents, but I still found her to be a bit "not-like-other-girls"-y and in my opinion, she does not treat those around her with the greatest degree of respect or kindness. In conclusion, I enjoyed reading this book due to John Green's writing and the interesting story, but the fake-deepness and annoying narrator definitely made me reconsider why I enjoyed this book so much when I was thirteen. (Of course, maybe that says something about the book's target audience, but I digress.) I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good road-trip story or is into books that are pretty meta and reference lots of other books to move their plots along.

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_mm_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

To be honest it was just not that good. I just didn’t like it unfortunately… 2/5

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