Bookworm: The Fault in our Stars by John Green

It’s been a long time since I’ve been blown away by a book. Well, it was worth the wait. The Fault in Our Stars is the kind of book that you don’t want to put down…and think about first thing in the morning…and artfully arrange the next possible moment when you can come back to it.

A kind woman at Book Passages in San Francisco recommended (basically insisted that I buy it) by saying, “It’s going to be the best book you’ve ever read, but don’t read it in public because you will cry – A LOT.” She was spot on.

I’ve been thinking about how to (accurately) describe it? Hmmm. Well, heartwrenching, beautiful, genuine, moving, powerful, sarcastic, genius, witty, and transformative are all words that immediately come to mind when I think about this book. However, these descriptions seem so inadequate. Seriously. It’s that good.

One could argue that this is a cancer book. I would disagree. I see it as a love story about teenagers (Hazel and Augustus) who happen to have cancer. I knew going into this book what to expect. One doesn’t read a book about teenagers with cancer expecting happily ever afters and picture perfect memories. Just sayin’…

Suffice it to say that I anticipated a strong emotional reaction and the need for my trusty hankie; however, I wasn’t prepared for the depth of my response. This book and its main characters, Hazel and Augustus will stay with me. Probably forever.

Though The Fault in our Stars has an underlying sadness to it, the tears are balanced equally with joy (Silver Lining). I really don’t want to tell you any more about it because I don’t want to be a spoiler.

I’m not the only one who is nutty about it. The Fault in Our Stars has also been a:

• #1 New York Times bestseller
• #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller
• #1 Indiebound bestseller

Ironically, it is this quote from the book that identifies exactly how I feel about it:

Hope that you enjoy it as much as I have!