The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sum it up in a sentence (or two): Hazel has cancer. So does Augustus. They are also teenagers, so of course they're gonna fall in love.

First thoughts: Well, this is certainly a fast-paced book and easy enough to finish in a weekend of committed reading. The quippy dialogue and Hazel's narration help with that. There's also a sense that these kids might die on any page, which keeps things moving.

Did I cry?: I'll admit to tearing up. Dying children, under whatever circumstances, will always do that to me.

Plot twist: I'm not sure what to think of Peter Van Houton (the author of Hazel's favorite book). He was a weird plot device that took me out of the story. I think his whole deal was a little too far-fetched or unnatural for me, and I'm not sure what his purpose in the story is. I'm interested to see what the movie does with him.

Favorite quotes:
"All salvation is temporary." -Gus, p59

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." -Hazel, p125

"My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations." -Gus, p311

Final thoughts: I like TFiOS. I think the love story would've hit me harder if Hazel and Guz (and Isaac) weren't teenagers (or if I was a teenager). I spend most of my days with teens, so I'm a little jaded on the teenage emotion front. I do believe they feel love and love emotions (and all emotions) strongly, but that doesn't make me feel any emotions, if that makes sense. That being said, my tears were for the overall sadness of kids with cancer, friends having to say goodbye permanently, and parents losing children, not for an ill-fated love story.


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