The Fault in Out Stars by John Green

This is a book about cancer, but it's not a cancer book, because according to Hazel, "Cancer books suck." They're all about starting charities and finding hope.

Hazel is our main character. Hazel Grace. She has thyroid cancer, and "he lungs stink at being lungs," they have too much fluid in them, so she has to carry oxygen with her. Unwillingly, she goes to a cancer support group where people share their story, but there she meets Augustus (Gus) Waters, who lost a leg because of osteosarcoma. He asks her to come over and watch a movie with him. At Gus's house they exchange their favorite books. Hazel's is An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten (which is not a real book. I know, I really wanted to read it.) Hazel says that Van Houten seems to understand her, and what it feels like to be dying slowly. It is a book about cancer, but also not a "cancer book". It's about a girl living with it and about her divorced mother and a tulip man. An Imperial Affliction ends mid sentence, suggesting that the girl passed away. Gus reads this book and really really enjoys it. The cliff hanger ending kills him, so he writes to the author asking what happens. Peter Van Houten wont tell him. Then Hazel emails him. He won't tell her either, but he personally invites her to visit him in Amsterdam to talk about it. Hazel and Gus have some difficult times trying to find a way to get to Amsterdam. How would they pay? How would they get there? And with the unpredictability of cancer, will they be okay going?

To start off, I really like John Green's YouTube channels. They're very informative, and they just make me happy because John Green is like an older, more intelligent, male version of me. It was strange to know the author before you read the book, and then he writes a book from a teenage girl's point of view. However, this book sounded just like him! There was some swearing throughout the book, which bothers me a little. It also uses a lot of big words that I did not understand, but the way he puts all his words together is really really special. It's touching. It's funny. It's sad. I could feel this book. Everything that Hazel was feeling, I could feel it too. There was just perfect word choice.

I loved the characters so much! Hazel acts like most teenagers, not the annoying type, but the funny, sarcastic type. It was hard for me to feel the connection between her and Gus until one part about a third of the way through the book. They flirted a lot, but it didn't feel like they were in love until Hazel is crying in her backyard near her old swing set that she played with as a healthy, happy child. So Gus comes over to help her sell it and he makes her less sad.

To sum up, I really enjoyed this book. The characters had great personalities that made me laugh. But being inside Hazel's head, and feeling her pain, and hearing her thoughts, made me legitimately cry. The Fault in Our Stars is also one of those books that just makes you think. It sparks questions to ask yourself, and there is just some deep dialogue that sticks with you. Once I finished, I wanted to start the book over again. A+