Audio Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Admittedly, I have not been the best blogger lately. However, I’m hoping the multitudes of books- audio and traditional- that I have been reading lately make up for it. Stay tuned for a March Recap in a day or two!

I was lucky enough to attend a rockin’ bachelorette party in Minneapolis a couple of weekends ago (yay Kaitlyn!). During the 9 hour round trip, I listened to two very different books- Mindless Eating, a non-fiction book by Mark Wasink and The Fault in Our Stars by the beloved Young Adult Lit author John Green.

I say beloved because teens seem to thrive over his books, most notably The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns. Admittedly, I did not LOVE Paper Towns, but when my students said “YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK NOW,” I, per usual, gave in and checked it out.

Hazel is a teenager with limited days. Barely escaping death from lung cancer thanks to a new experimental drug, she is a grenade waiting for her time to run out. At a somewhat lame but nonetheless supportive cancer group at a local church, Hazel meets the dreamy Augustus Waters. Gus lost his leg to cancer and, now healthy, is at the support group to support another cancer-friend Isaac. Hazel and Gus fall into a whirlwind romance and through each other, are able to truly live while awaiting what they can only assume are going to be untimely deaths.

As you might guess, this story will have some major sad moments. And yes, I did cry by myself in the car toward the end of the book, and I am not at all ashamed. In fact, if you don’t cry, I will question you are probably a tin man.

Why you might like this book: Although I’ve been fortunate not to have anything close to a life-threatening illness, it sure seems like John Green offers a realistic, though not totally cynical, view of how it feels to have cancer. In this way, I felt like the characters’ feelings are pretty believable. Secondly, this novel offered a couple of twists that surprised me, which I always appreciate.

Why you might not like this book: The characters in this book talk like they are on Gilmore Girls; super witty and not at all realistic. In fact, this is a huge reason why I never got into Gilmore Girls. It’s especially obvious on the audio version of the book, but it’s something you get used to.

Similar Titles I’ve Read: Paper Towns by John Green, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

I would recommend this book to: mostly teens, people who like having feelings, anyone planning on seeing the movie

The movie version of this book comes out on June 6. Although Shailene Woodley, one of my archnemeses, is in it, rest assured I will probably still see it at some point. See the trailer here!