A review by notesquotesscarletmotes
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? No

4.0

I'll start off my saying that I cried a LOT while reading this book. If you're not in a good emotional place where crying is okay this might not be the best time to pick this one up.

The only other book I've read by John Green thus far is The Anthropocene Reviewed. While I didn't always agree with his reviews I did very much enjoy the thoughts he shared about each topic. Two genres I often struggle with are YA and romance. This book fits into both of those categories, but I enjoyed The Anthropocene Reviewed enough to give it a go.

Hazel and Augustus, having dealt with some pretty heavy life and death issues as young people, come off as somewhat more adult than I've typically found in other YA books and that likely contributed to my enjoyment. They still have their young love moments but I didn't feel overwhelmed by them.

Overall this was a poignant exploration of life with illness, how to navigate love when you don't want to cause harm to others, how to move forward and live when you know death may be just around the corner. I definitely cried more often than I laughed but I got a good smirk going often enough to make it fun.