I pre-ordered The Fault In Our Stars last year in August I think and like many others who ordered from Amazon UK, I expected a signed copy. Alas that was not the case, which really upset me. I told myself I couldn’t read it until I had a signed copy but lucky for me I found a signed copy at the Waterstones near my university (my local Waterstones didn’t have it and I didn’t want to ask them to order it in fear of getting another unsigned copy.)
SPOILER ALERT!
Book Synopsis
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.
Review
Firstly, I have to say like thousands of others who have read this book; I ADORE this book. Honestly, in my opinion this is John Green’s best work yet. I know most people love Looking For Alaska but I love The Fault In Our Stars. I finished this in one day because I just had to know what was going to happen next and I loved the main characters.
Hazel and Augustus are incredibly loveable characters. The way their love develops really touched my heart and I broke down in tears when Augustus died. I’m one of those people that lives in denial until something actually happens, so I carried on reading the book thinking “Oh he’ll survive this and so will she then they’ll live happily ever after. THE END :)” Ok i’m not that bad but it’s along those lines. When Hazel describes how Augustus deteriorates I could feel my eyes welling up (like right now as I type this) and my heart would clench. Augustus is amazing. PERIOD. It is fact. For example he uses his one wish to take Hazel across the world to meet her favourite writer just so she can find out what happens to the characters in her favourite book. Not just the characters but the bloody hamster too! All the while keeping it a secret that his cancer is back in a very aggressive form. This guy is a freaking martyr.
The way this book was written was magnificent. I like that it ended somewhat suddenly just like how An Imperial Affliction ends. You don’t get to find out what happens to Hazel and if Peter Van Houten actually writes the sequel like Augustus and Hazel wanted him to. I also liked that John was able to portray the lives of people with cancer so well but also show that illnesses do not define a person. However this does not stop others from defining them as their illness which I guess is what gets them their “cancer perks”.
I am giving this 5/5 and I would most definitely recommend it.