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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I don't know if I can really write a review on this book. I worry I would tell too much about it.
I will warn you - BRING A BOX OF TISSUES. I cried from "I lit up like a Christmas Tree..." until the end. Okay? Okay.
Such a great book, beautifully written.
I will warn you - BRING A BOX OF TISSUES. I cried from "I lit up like a Christmas Tree..." until the end. Okay? Okay.
Such a great book, beautifully written.
I saw the movie before I read the book. This depressed me beyond belief but it's beautifully written.
"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."
Nope, still can't. Months after first reading this book, I still can't form a coherent review without dissolving into a puddle of tears.
Nope, still can't. Months after first reading this book, I still can't form a coherent review without dissolving into a puddle of tears.
Reread: 28.05.24 - my thoughts haven't changed much. It's an engaging book but very cheesy and YA. The audiobook narration was excellent.
So this is my third go at reading a John Green book and this is by far my favourite out of the 3.
Previously, I have read Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns, which I thought both followed a similar plot and quite similar characters too.
TFIOS was, I felt, more original to me whilst reading it. I felt like the characters were new and I therefore found it easier to follow their stories without feeling as though it was déjà vu.
However, I did find that the novel had some faults, which all novels do, but some reader may be put off by them. Some of the characters' actions during the novel struck me as somewhat immoral, and though this can be acceptable depending on the circumstance (for instance, if you are meant to dislike the character) I didn't feel like these actions were addressed or redeemed well enough afterwards.
Here's an example of what I mean: (SPOILER ALERT) at some point in the middle of the book, Hazel and Augustus have sex (it isn't shown by the way; aka nothing explicit), which would be perfectly fine if Augustus hadn't neglected to inform Hazel that he was ill again.
To be clear, I'm not not condoning the fact that they had sex without her knowing this, because I know that people make mistakes and that he was probably worried about her reaction etc. What I did feel uneasy about whilst reading this was that there didn't seem to be any apt addressing of this issue or even a proper redemption for it. Augustus informs Hazel afterwards and then she comforts him and other than her dad saying "he should've told you" (paraphrasing) this issue isn't brought up again.
This didn't prevent me from enjoying the book, but it did worry me that children could read this and think that it's okay to do that as long as you're in love or if that person is "the great love" of your life. I don't think this is an appropriate message for young adults, which worries me because that is exactly what genre this is in.
All that being said, I did enjoy this read and I found it a considerable improvement in comparison to the two other novels that I have read by him. I will continue to read his work, because I think that the way he writes is very easy to immerse yourself into and I have one or two more books by him on my shelves that I am quite intrigued by. And I do think that it is hard to judge a novel that covers such a heavy and difficult issue.
So this is my third go at reading a John Green book and this is by far my favourite out of the 3.
Previously, I have read Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns, which I thought both followed a similar plot and quite similar characters too.
TFIOS was, I felt, more original to me whilst reading it. I felt like the characters were new and I therefore found it easier to follow their stories without feeling as though it was déjà vu.
However, I did find that the novel had some faults, which all novels do, but some reader may be put off by them. Some of the characters' actions during the novel struck me as somewhat immoral, and though this can be acceptable depending on the circumstance (for instance, if you are meant to dislike the character) I didn't feel like these actions were addressed or redeemed well enough afterwards.
Here's an example of what I mean: (SPOILER ALERT) at some point in the middle of the book, Hazel and Augustus have sex (it isn't shown by the way; aka nothing explicit), which would be perfectly fine if Augustus hadn't neglected to inform Hazel that he was ill again.
To be clear, I'm not not condoning the fact that they had sex without her knowing this, because I know that people make mistakes and that he was probably worried about her reaction etc. What I did feel uneasy about whilst reading this was that there didn't seem to be any apt addressing of this issue or even a proper redemption for it. Augustus informs Hazel afterwards and then she comforts him and other than her dad saying "he should've told you" (paraphrasing) this issue isn't brought up again.
This didn't prevent me from enjoying the book, but it did worry me that children could read this and think that it's okay to do that as long as you're in love or if that person is "the great love" of your life. I don't think this is an appropriate message for young adults, which worries me because that is exactly what genre this is in.
All that being said, I did enjoy this read and I found it a considerable improvement in comparison to the two other novels that I have read by him. I will continue to read his work, because I think that the way he writes is very easy to immerse yourself into and I have one or two more books by him on my shelves that I am quite intrigued by. And I do think that it is hard to judge a novel that covers such a heavy and difficult issue.
This book made me cry, and any book that does that is a 5* book for me.
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I just... Amazing.
Simply amazing. Beautiful. Poignant. Sad and happy and just amazing.
Sorry if my review is a bit muddled, writing through tear-blurred eyes isn't easy.
Simply amazing. Beautiful. Poignant. Sad and happy and just amazing.
Sorry if my review is a bit muddled, writing through tear-blurred eyes isn't easy.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is an amazing, amazing book, and I'm so glad I finally picked it up. John Green has written a beautiful story with wonderfully real characters. It was heartfelt and funny and happy and sad all at the same time. I found myself describing the book to people as being more about Hazel and Gus falling in love than it is about the fact that they have cancer. Because they are not their cancer, they're just living with it. I can't wait to read more by John Green. It took me way too long to read one of his books, but I'm so happy I did.