The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: January 10th 2013
Source: Bought

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

I've put off reading The Fault in Ours Stars for the longest time because I knew it was going to reduce me to a sobbing mess and I wasn't ready to face that. I already knew how this book ended before I even owned a copy. It's pretty hard to avoid especially when someone types is in capitol letters, but knowing how the story ended didn't take anything away from this book for me. It was beautifully written, I fell in love with the characters and as I predicted, it reduced me to a sobbing mess. In fact, I'm still crying as I'm writing this review.

I'm trying to arrange my thoughts on this book but all I really want to do is curl up in a ball and sob until I fall asleep. But I need to write my review just now otherwise I'll forget everything I wanted to say.

This is one of the very few books I've read about characters with cancer because it's not a subject I can deal with reading about. Maybe it's because it's inevitable that one or more of the characters would die and I just can't deal with getting so attached to a character to have them cruelly ripped away from me. Now, luckily I've never had anyone in my close family being diagnosed with cancer but there was a boy that I used to be friends with years ago that was diagnosed and sadly passed away last year. Even though I hadn't spoken to this boy in years, it still hit me hard and I still tear up sometimes when I think about him. Death is a very hard subject for me to read about - especially when I knew what was going to happen at the end of this book - but I'm glad I finally read it because it made me laugh, smile, cry, and it made me realise that every moment in life is precious.

Hazel was such a strong character. She's been diagnosed with terminal cancer, but is on medication to prolong her life. She's never really made any friends because she thinks she'll be a burden on people when she dies, but when Augustus enters her life, everything changes. I loved Hazel. She was so strong and determined and I loved seeing her starting to live again when she met Augustus. Hazel doesn't let the cancer rule her life, she accepts that she has it and she just gets on with it. She knows that it's something she'll have to deal with for the rest of her life and I loved that she was so mature about it at such a young age. Hazel was such a funny and sarcastic character that she constantly had me laughing throughout the book and I just loved her character.

Augustus Waters made this book for me. Augustus is one of the most spectacular characters I've ever read about. I adored him. The second he made an appearance in this book I knew I loved him. Augustus is a cancer patient in remission. He's been clear for a while, but his cancer cost him one of his legs. Not that Augustus lets that stop him. He's such a charming and witty character that he stole my heart straight away. He was so intelligent and sarcastic and I just adored everything about this boy. I did find his cigarette habit strange though. I get where he was coming from, but that doesn't mean I found it any less strange.

Isaac was a fantastic characters too. Isaac lost one of his eyes to cancer when he was younger and has just found out that he's going to lose his other one and become permanently blind. I absolutely adored Isaac's character. Isaac was strong character, but of course losing his sight was going to cause him considerable trauma. It was heartbreaking to see him going through it, but Isaac pulled through and he became even more amazing.

Hazel and Augustus' relationship progress quite quickly. But both of these characters have/had cancer so they know that every moment they live is precious and that it shouldn't be wasted. I adored the build up of their relationship. I loved their first meeting, the texts, the witty and sarcastic conversations, the fact they could joke around with each other and, of course, I loved it when they got together. Hazel and Augustus are one of the most amazing couples I've ever read about and I'll always hold them close to my heart now.

Since this is a book about characters with cancer, you might assume that this book would be quite depressing. Well, in actual fact, it was the complete opposite. This book was full of hilariously funny conversations and moments that just made me smile. Although, the last couple of chapters were heartbreaking and I just couldn't stop the tears from falling. I love everything about this book, even the fact that it reduced me to a sobbing mess.

Overall, The Fault in Our Stars is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read and it's definitely one of my favourites now. I can't believe I waited so long to read it, but I'm glad I finally did.