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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Wow. Just wow. I heard so many things about this book both good and bad but it was way better than I thought. It was truly heartwrenching in a good way. The writing was excellent and the whole premise of the before and after thing was pure genius. John Green is a master at his craft and I very much look up to him. His work inspires me with my own. I have a feeling that this book will be read numerous times throughout my life.
I simply adored this book. I read this book on a plane, in the spa, in bed, and on the beach bc I just could not get enough.
I know this book is not new at all yet somehow I missed all spoilers (except the blow job which John green spoiled for me when in response to this book being banned he said something like I stand by that deeply un-erotic blow job). When I got to the part where Alaska died I was shook. I think I gasped in the spa on the heated bed.
This book was so well written, some parts were incredibly poetic. The characters all felt real and had depth. Strangely for me this book was half escapism, half reflecting on my high school years. This book was very much not similar to my experience in high school yet there were so many situations that I went through that were similar to pudge (new high school in the middle, “relationship” where you basically ghost each other at the end, a friend death, heck I even tried to call myself pudge muffin on the internet for a while). I saw a lot of myself in pudge and felt truly connected to him and all his friends.
As previously mentioned, in high school I had a friend die. The police didn’t know if it was an accident or suicide. The way pudge process that felt deeply authentic to the unanswerable questions we all texted each other for weeks, and the anger we felt when someone who had previously called her annoying would espouse upon how much they missed her. I was not really a reader in high school so I’m not surprised the content of this book was never mentioned to me but man I wish I had read this then.
Please read this book. It’s beautiful and moving. It’s an engaging look at the human condition and love. It’s banned I think only for a part that takes you two minutes to get through and really you could skip completely and it wouldn’t make that much of a difference but you should still read it because it feels like probably the most accurate teenage sex scene ever. (I’m guessing lol)
I know this book is not new at all yet somehow I missed all spoilers (except the blow job which John green spoiled for me when in response to this book being banned he said something like I stand by that deeply un-erotic blow job). When I got to the part where Alaska died I was shook. I think I gasped in the spa on the heated bed.
This book was so well written, some parts were incredibly poetic. The characters all felt real and had depth. Strangely for me this book was half escapism, half reflecting on my high school years. This book was very much not similar to my experience in high school yet there were so many situations that I went through that were similar to pudge (new high school in the middle, “relationship” where you basically ghost each other at the end, a friend death, heck I even tried to call myself pudge muffin on the internet for a while). I saw a lot of myself in pudge and felt truly connected to him and all his friends.
As previously mentioned, in high school I had a friend die. The police didn’t know if it was an accident or suicide. The way pudge process that felt deeply authentic to the unanswerable questions we all texted each other for weeks, and the anger we felt when someone who had previously called her annoying would espouse upon how much they missed her. I was not really a reader in high school so I’m not surprised the content of this book was never mentioned to me but man I wish I had read this then.
Please read this book. It’s beautiful and moving. It’s an engaging look at the human condition and love. It’s banned I think only for a part that takes you two minutes to get through and really you could skip completely and it wouldn’t make that much of a difference but you should still read it because it feels like probably the most accurate teenage sex scene ever. (I’m guessing lol)
Week 1 of the #TurtlesAlltheWayCountDown: done! ✨
“We need never be hopeless because we can never be irreparably broken.”
I'm pretty happy with how i gave this book 4 stars without blinking once, considering how much i disliked it 6 maybe 7 years ago.
As i said before, it's wondrous how someone's opinion of a book can change simply by rereading it a few years later. My first experience with Looking for Alaska wasn't a pleasant one. I didn't like the book; didn't like Alaska; didn't like Pudge. But now, now things are too different. I related to Miles' story (some parts of it), and i understood Alaska more, which helped me like her more.
The story was fast paced and a light read just like most of John's books, and, with all honesty (this is me talking to my past self), an enjoyable one. I think Looking for Alaska is slowly becoming one of my favourite books. Oh, the miracles of rereading.
“We need never be hopeless because we can never be irreparably broken.”
I'm pretty happy with how i gave this book 4 stars without blinking once, considering how much i disliked it 6 maybe 7 years ago.
As i said before, it's wondrous how someone's opinion of a book can change simply by rereading it a few years later. My first experience with Looking for Alaska wasn't a pleasant one. I didn't like the book; didn't like Alaska; didn't like Pudge. But now, now things are too different. I related to Miles' story (some parts of it), and i understood Alaska more, which helped me like her more.
The story was fast paced and a light read just like most of John's books, and, with all honesty (this is me talking to my past self), an enjoyable one. I think Looking for Alaska is slowly becoming one of my favourite books. Oh, the miracles of rereading.
I really enjoyed this book and there are so many amazing quotes in here. The plot twist, oh god I didn't expect it... Well, I did, but not in the way it happened. I felt a bit "unhappy" about the second part, I guess it was because I missed a certain person.
The Fault In Our Stars didn't live up to my expectation because of the hype, but this book hasn't been "all over the place" so I liked it. I was able to make my own mind about it.
The Fault In Our Stars didn't live up to my expectation because of the hype, but this book hasn't been "all over the place" so I liked it. I was able to make my own mind about it.
Disclaimer:
It's 2021 when I wrote the review and I read the book in 2016 so I might forgot some things about it.
[Review]
I enjoyed the first half of the book, even though I kinda have a love-hate relationship with John Green's books.
But the last half was just so gloomy and a little bit boring. I remember I skimmed reading the last half lol.
It's 2021 when I wrote the review and I read the book in 2016 so I might forgot some things about it.
[Review]
I enjoyed the first half of the book, even though I kinda have a love-hate relationship with John Green's books.
But the last half was just so gloomy and a little bit boring. I remember I skimmed reading the last half lol.
It was one of the best books I've ever read. My favorite book of all time!
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Looking for Alaska was a major disappointment for me. While I didn’t enjoy the main characters, it was mostly because they felt like nothing new and offered no fresh perspective. It was just another pair of misunderstood teens, a trope I’ve seen hundreds of times before. The characters themselves didn’t stand out; they felt predictable. The issue, however, wasn’t just with Miles and Alaska—it was more with how all the other teenagers were written. Their interactions, the way they behaved, and how they engaged with one another felt like something pulled straight out of a TV show, not the kind of authentic relationships that could be found in real life.
The portrayal of drug use was another major issue for me. It didn’t feel accurate at all—it felt completely stupid, like something straight out of those cheesy anti-drug ads that make it obvious the creators have no real understanding of the issue, apart from what they’ve been told by others. It was overly demonized and came across as a surface-level attempt to show the “danger” of drugs, without addressing the complexities of teenage struggles or the nuances of addiction. It didn’t offer a deeper or more realistic view of the issue, and instead felt more like a simplistic, cautionary tale than an honest portrayal.
While I can appreciate John Green as a person, his writing style doesn’t resonate with me. Looking for Alaska didn’t capture the authenticity or depth I was hoping for. It ended up feeling more like a missed opportunity than a truly engaging coming-of-age story.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes