The Fault In Our Stars - John Green [Spoilers?]

The Fault in Our Stars

John Green

2012

The Fault in Our Stars was released on January 10th, 2012. That day is also my half-birthday. I thought this was mildly humorous because I've never really met anyone who celebrates half birthdays before, and then all of a sudden they're celebrating them in a book I'm reading.

The Fault in Our Stars is a book that is a little bit about cancer but mostly not about cancer. Yes, the main character has cancer. But that isn't what defines her. She is a well-developed character with relatable thoughts and emotions. [possible spoiler: her argument about breakfast foods]

Why did I love this book? Well, for starters - it was well written. There was a wonderful combination of moments that made me laugh and moments that made me stop and think. The characters, though very well-spoken, were believable. 

The book is fairly easy to read. And by that I mean that you can sit down and read it in not a very long amount of time, but the actual content will keep you thinking for hours; it's thought-provoking. There is symbolism if you're looking for symbolism, there is comparative qualities to other great works. In fact, John Green has set up a password-protected Tumblr just to discuss this. The link is right here but only go there if you have finished the book. The password is the last word in the acknowledgements and it is case-sensitive. You've been warned about spoilers.

When I read the book, I finished it, then had to close the book and go because I was meeting a friend for dinner (and I was already going to be a couple minutes late). I hadn't had time to fully process the book. I reread it, and once I closed the book, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and what happened. I read it the second time, and got more out of the book since I knew the story. I thought about some of the symbolism and it made the story even better. If you've read the book once, I highly suggest reading it again.

The book is available for purchase at Amazon here: The Fault in Our Stars

I give this book 4.8 stars out of 5. I might change this later.
As a bonus: Everytime I read the review at the top I think it says '"Electric...Filled with taco bursts of humour and tragedy." - Jodi Picoult' There are no tacos in this book. There are enchiladas, but not tacos.

What did you think of the book? Have you read it?