Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

       

“Yes, reading this book wasn’t easy… but it was so worth it!… I could literally feel my heart breaking.” ~Under the Covers

There are many reasons why I didn’t want to read this book.  First, I knew where the story would inevitably end.  Second, I stay away from these types of books and hope for the movie to come out.  I deal much better with 2 hours of heart break than the detailed suffering I can get while reading the book.  And third, even though my good friend and book pimp told me to read it because I had to and it was so awesome, she gave me this warning that I would not be the same for days after finishing it.  Well…I got exactly what I feared, and exactly what I wanted.

See, I went to the movies recently and saw the trailer for the upcoming movie based on this book.  And by the end of the trailer I was in tears.  I immediately said this would definitely fall in the second category above because I didn’t think I could survive reading it.  Then after a few days I read another sad book and after finishing that I felt that I needed this one.  I was ready for a book that would tear into my heart and not let it go.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS is devastating in the most pleasurable way.  If I would’ve had the energy and voice to wail I probably would’ve.  But instead, all I could manage was silence.  Silence while I quietly sobbed and fat tears poured down my face.  I was in a constant state of despair while reading the beautiful story of not only our heroine, Hazel Grace, but the lives of everyone she came in contact around her.  Because not only is our heroine so amazing that I might say she’s one of the best heroines I’ve read this year.  Augustus Waters, her soul mate, is just as wonderful if not more.  There’s very little about this book that is easy to read but at the same time it is so beautiful I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face.  Even through the fat and ugly tears.

Reading this book was definitely not easy.  I don’t think I’ve cried as much in a really long while, if not ever.  It wasn’t just once, or twice.  This book brought me to tears enough that I can’t keep track of them.  I cried (and snotted, yes I admit it) for a good half hour straight at one point.  I could literally feel my heart breaking.  To the point that I had to lock myself in the bathroom twice and in my room at the end, so I could cry in peace, alone with my book.

I wish I could give you a collection of favorite quotes but the reality is that this whole book is quote worthy.  This was my first John Green novel and I was blown away with the talent he has at storytelling.  I say this as I am still a crying, snotty mess writing this review.  Quotes above love, about life, about death and despair, and friendship.  Quotes that I will forever cherish and feel how powerful they are.

I recommend this for anyone that wants to read a smart and beautifully devastating story.  Not just a love story, although it probably is the sweetest one I’ve read in a while.  But a life story.  One that will stay with you for a good long while.  That may make you appreciate your own life just a bit more.  That will make you say I love you to those around you, because you can.  Yes, reading this book wasn’t easy… but it was so worth it!  Even as it leaves you completed and utterly gutted.  Because at the end you will be better for having been touched by these wonderful characters.

And I will leave you with a quote that can sum up their story and this book, even as simple as it is.

“The marks humans leave are too often scars.” 

Will you go watch the movie?

Did you like this review? If so, please tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

[about-author author=”John Green”]