Reviews

to start off, i love John Green as an author. i’ve read three of his books now, and i have two i would love to read in this coming year. i had high expectations for this book and he absolutely exceeded them.

the plot and characters of this book were exceptional. a perfect balance of sophistication and easy to follow. the mystery was balanced with emotion and motive. one of my favorite books, easily.

laurareading_4_fun's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

bhnmt61's review against another edition

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4.0

I have two reactions to this book. One is the teenage me, who once a very long time ago was a senior in high school and could absolutely relate to a lot of the things that Quentin and his friends go through at the end of their senior year. But the other part of me is inescapably a fifty-something parent and parts of this book just seemed ridiculous. Quentin and his next door neighbor Margo were friends when they were younger, but for years Quentin has crushed on popular, strong-willed Margo from afar. When she climbs in his bedroom window and invites him on a night of adventure and revenge, he is (cautiously) all-in.

But the next day, Margo disappears, and Quentin goes on a mission to find her. Honestly, Quentin's obsession with Margo is a little disturbing from an adult point of view. He neglects his studies and his friends to spend hours and days and weeks worrying about her-- someone he has barely spoken to in years. But I did appreciate the ending, even if it was a little heavy on the over-blown literary epiphany. Worth reading.

livareadss's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.5

heathercottledillon's review against another edition

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4.0

Margo Roth Spiegelman has always lived next door to Quentin Jacobsen, and he has always been enchanted by her. You know those people who just have something intriguing about them? The people you get almost obsessed with? Margo is that person for Quentin. Unfortunately, she hasn't paid too much attention to him since they were little kids, but Quentin has made his peace with it and is content to admire her from afar. Then, out of the blue, Margo shows up at his window in the middle of the night, dressed like a ninja, with an elaborate, brilliant plan for getting revenge on her cheating boyfriend. It looks like things are finally starting to go Quentin's way with Margo...and then she disappears. Margo, who has always been mysterious, is now literally a mystery. But she's left clues for Quentin, and he's determined to use them to find her.

This is my least favorite John Green book. Granted, that's like saying it's my least favorite kind of pie; there really isn't a bad book in the bunch. Due to my very high John Green expectations I was disappointed, but by any other standards it's a fantastic story. What I didn't like: Margo. I think she's selfish and just looking for attention. Although I understand that teenage crushes don't always exactly make sense, I got annoyed with Quentin because he became so obsessed with her and ignored his friends because he was so busy tracking Margo down. And then I got more annoyed when it turned out she was just camped out up north, making everyone worry. Since this is basically the entire point of the story, it obviously distracted me a bit. I'm probably not being fair to Margo, who obviously had some major problems, and perhaps I just read this book at a time when I wasn't focused enough to pull out the deeper aspects of her character. Still, I'm calling it like I see it; maybe if/when I reread it I will have different thoughts about Margo.

Despite all that, I gave this book four stars. Why? Because as much as the things I just mentioned annoyed me, I loved reading this book. I couldn't put it down. This is because John Green could probably rewrite the dictionary and I'd still read it. His descriptions, his dialogue, and his characters are so unique, so humorous, and so meaningful that I enjoy the simple act of reading nearly each and every sentence. Basically, John Green's writing feels like real life, only funnier and with the meaningful parts highlighted. Can you tell that I like John Green? So, even though this particular story wasn't my favorite, I still loved the book as a whole.

louiselibrary's review against another edition

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5.0

Well first, lets name some of the things I was disappointed about:

1. As much as I would love to disagree with the john-green-haters, it is similar to Looking for Alaska and apparently An Abundance of Katherines (I have yet to read it, but it is next on my list).

2. The ending (although great) was just sad. I get from an authors point of view that it had to happen but it seemed to unlike her to promise to call because i dont think she will.

Now the good parts:

1. *see number one on disappointments* I don't mind that it is similar to Looking for Alaska because it makes them seem so real. LFA is one of my favorite books because of the main characters. Alaska/Margo are spunky and rude and I love it. I am tired of the main, cool characters being boys. Miles/Q are awkward and nerdy and I love that because most guys are not portrayed like that. so 10/10 for characters

2. I loved the portrayal of the van being like a house because it made the characters seem more like family

3. The parents are so nerdy and so unaware of their surroundings that it makes it seem so real because most parents, in one way or another, are like this.

Overall, another great book.

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