The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (2012)

Description from Goodreads:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

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There has probably been  a million reviews of The Fault in Our Stars so I feel like everything I want to say about this book, has already been said. Nevertheless, I want  to write a review of it, because it had such an impact on me and it kept me awake for many nights after finishing it. The Fault in Our Stars was my first book read from John Green, so I had no idea what to expect. I had heard that he is a brilliant YA author, but nevertheless I was a bit suspicious would he really be that good writer.

Well, it turned out that he is. In fact, he is one of my favourite authors at the moment. One of the many things I loved about TFIOS was the witty and smart dialogue. Many people have criticised the savvy train of thought of Hazel and Augustus as they are only teeangers, but I find this criticism a bit weird. Why can't 16-year-olds be so intelligent? There have been plenty of wise kids since the beginning of time, and I think it is pretty clear from straight from the beginning that the duo isn't exactly normal kids - they have gone through more than some people experience in a lifetime. This added to their natural gifts of intelligence makes them as they are in the novel. 

This leads us to the wonderful characters of Hazel and Augustus. Like I already said, I really enjoyed their quick-witted conversations and their life philosophies. Every page was as interesting as the previous one, and once I started reading I couldn't stop. I wanted to know more about them and how their relationship would develop and what's going to happen to them in the end. Even though in the beginning I though Augustus was a little bit too cocky for my taste, I ended up falling in love with him as he was very committed, persistent and loyal. On the other hand, I liked Hazel from the first page. She had very good sense of humour and (like already mentioned) very smart.

I have never witnessed anyone going through cancer treatments, or talked to someone what's it like to have a cancer, so I don't exactly know what would be a realistic depiction of it. Nevertheless, I felt like it could be something like in TFIOS. Even though not everything was written as gruesomely as possible, there were times when things definitely weren't embellished. Some of the scenes were painful to read and I probably used all of the week's  sympathy capacity into the book.  Another thing I liked was that Hazel didn't bathe in self-pity, but in fact she took a very humorous attitude when it came to her cancer. I like to think that would be my stand as well, if I had a cancer.

I found myself laughing and crying, and then some more laughing and crying while reading the book. I don't know if I can emphasise enough what an impact it made on me. While it was the book that made me fall in love with John Green's writing, it made me believe once again in contemporary/realistic fiction YA books. I have read the book only once, and to be honest I'm afraid to read it again because I want the illusion of a perfect book to last. I just freaking worship this book. 

"Oh I wouldn't mind Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you."

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