The Fault in Our Stars Review pt. 2

General: I will admit that I was a bit iffy upon reading this book. I tend to not read books that have been hyped up in fear that they won't meet my expectations. Let me just say that TFiOS met my expectations. It fell a few notes short of surpassing them.

I'm not a crier when it comes to books. But, I skimmed a few pages and found out what happened in the end. Even with my knowing, I was still moved to the point of tears and goosebumps. This is one book I would definitely recommend. The characters don't let their illness define them. They, instead, defy it with their courage, knowledge, and keeping the light in their lives. John Green has earned himself a new fan. I can't wait to read his other works.

Characters: I loved the bond that Hazel shared with Augustus. You could feel the genuine love between them. It wasn't like the typical puppy love that most teenagers have. This was the real deal kind of love. The one where you hope and pray that everything goes right when you know that it's star-crossed. The relationship between them was right off the bat amazing. Their interactions with one another was real. The only thing that got to me was the way they spoke, so highly intellectual. Then, I thought about it. The reason they speak with such intellect and knowledge is because they aren't normal. Their lives have caused them to mature in a way that has shaped them into a new form. They've had to grow up way too fast to understand what is going on with and around them. 

Story: As Hazel had said about An Imperial Affliction, this is not "another cancer story". I mean technically, it is. But, if we're getting past the technicalities, it isn't. What makes it different than all the other books about an illness or disease is the way they overcome it. Yes, if you've read TFiOS, you know that I don't mean it literally. It's the way they overcome cancer by defying it. Sure, these kids know they have this illness that can potentially end their lives sooner than most. But, they take it with such courage and bravery. They continue living their lives as normal kids, not once succumbing to the whole "poor me" thing. Even when it seems like death may be knocking at their door, they greet Him and are ready to go. It takes a certain kind of courage, that most people will never have, to do that.

The Fault in Our Stars Book Review

Quotes: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

"I enjoy looking at beautiful people, and I decided a while ago not to deny myself the simple pleasures of existence."

"What a slut time is. She screws everybody."

"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself he simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you."

"It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you."

"I will not tell you our love story, because --like all real love stories-- it will die with us, as it should."

"I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn't trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful."

"Funerals, I had decided, are for the living."

"It was... It was nice to spend time with someone so interesting. We were very different, and we disagreed about a lot of things, but he was always so interesting, you know?"

"He wasn't perfect or anything. He wasn't your fairy-tale Prince Charming or whatever. He tried to be like that sometimes, but I liked him best when that stuff fell away"

"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations"

"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers."