The Fault in our Stars

by: John Green
Publisher: Penguin Books
Dates Read: Jan. 14-17
Pages: 313
Source: Own it

Why did I read it?  The hype.  Also, I found it brand new at Value Village for $4.  

I put off reading this books for a few reasons.  For starters, I don't like reading books mid-hype.  Hype is often too much to live up to and I like to be as removed from that as possible.  Also, my first ever night of camp with my first ever group of campers ruined the book for me.  They told me a plot twist and I have since spent 2 years trying to forget it.  I didn't.  

I don't think much of the world will like me for this, but The Fault in our Stars was just okay.  The book itself talks about how cancer books are always so "cancery" but I felt like this book was trying too hard not to be cancery.  I appreciate trying to write a novel that is about teens who have cancer instead of a book about cancer but it is about cancer.  One of my favourite parts is the title: The Fault in our Stars.  The "fault" is their cancer.  They have every reason to be in love and be together except their cancer won't allow it.  It's alluded to right in the title!  You can't make it not about cancer.  

Anyway, I also didn't get that gushy love feeling that I get with other books.  I didn't feel the love.  This is supposed to be an epic teen romance for our time.  I didn't feel it.  The ending did not bring me to tears.  In fact, none of it brought me to tears (this is rare).  I was unsatisfied.  This was no great romance.  This was angst. 

Also, I didn't like or really see the point to the whole Peter Van Houten plot line.     

Most females ages 15-30 (and other people too) probably don't like me very much right now so I'll just stop.  


Rating: 2.5/5 = meh
This book was meh.  It was okay.  It wasn't bad it just wasn't good.  I really think the hype did it in.  It didn't deserve as much hype as it got and it put my expectations way too high.  This is like Twilight all over: way way way too much hype (except that book had a bad plot AND bad writing so who knows how it got it).

Recommendation: 
Everyone else seems to love this book.  Maybe you will too.  I'm just not sure why...