Review & Give-away: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Publisher: Dutten Books

Publication Date: January 10, 2012

Order: Amazon / Barnes&Noble

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Book Quote: I’m in love with you, and I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love, with you. ~AW

My Thoughts
I’ll be the first to admit, I have a very specific selection criteria when it comes to determining what type of books I’ll consider reading.  Most often, I always say yes please to YA Dystopic, Fantasy and Contemporary. I’ll NEVER say no to a YA Australian book. Yes, I declared that as a genre I believe in early 2011. But one criteria I tend to grapple with is male versus female authors.

At first glance, if I see a male author listed on the cover of a book my initial reaction is to put it back on the shelf. I really don’t have a solid reason why, I simply just gravitate to female authors especially in the YA genre. Oh and when I see that the male author is attempting a female character’s voice, I’m all sorts of skeptical. Like sirens blaring skeptical. Again, I don’t have a particular reason, it’s just a preference or a pre-conceived notion that it might not work with my taste.

These same considerations don’t hold true for female authors when it comes to writing male characters. I always have faith that the possibility of me liking it will be pretty good. I mean let’s consider a few of my favorite authors that have succeeded in winning me over with their male character voices. Here are just a few:

Gale Foreman – Adam in Where She Went

Melina Marchetta – Finnikin and Froi in the Lumatere Chronicles

Colleen Hoover – Will in Point of Retreat

Tabitha Suzuma – Lochan in Forbidden

Fiona Wood – Dan in Six Impossible Things

I know I’m missing a ton here… help me out. J

So imagine my surprise when I came across one of the few select male YA authors that has won a spot on my “Don’t Question Him, Just Read His Book and Forget He’s a Guy Shelf?” Yes, I have a shelf for that criteria because there are only a handful of male YA authors I’ll even attempt to consider… again all based on shallow biases. When I heard John Green’s novel The Fault in Our Stars was written in a female voice, I thought to myself… okay let’s see what we have here. And of course I fell in love with this book! Not just that, my first and only book tears so far for 2012 are dedicated to Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars.

This book was more than I ever expected going in. It wasn’t just about two teenagers who were both battling a fight against cancer. It was about living your life at the moment and understanding that no matter how much time we’re given, we should be thankful for the small infinity we have and for the chance if we’re lucky enough to find love and be able to give it back.

This story was beautiful, funny, heartbreaking and poignant. Gus and Hazel made me laugh, cry, laugh all over again, and cry some more. I knew well before the ending was near that when I was done, I’d be floored with some heavy emotion. As much as I felt prepared for the ending… I really wasn’t. Wow… I wanted this book to become a person so I can take it to Vegas and marry it. That would make more sense after you read The Fault in Our Stars...trust me. ;)

By far, my favorite by John Green written in a perspective that had me bowing to his genius and endless talent.

 Favorite Quote:

“You know how I know you’re a fighter? You called a ten a nine...” ~sobs~

5 Snowflakes

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Book Give-away!

So if you haven’t tried a book by John Green and you have the same reading quirks I do, I’m offering you a no risk opportunity. I’m giving away a signed copy of this beautiful piece of magic to one lucky winner. All you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter thingy and post a comment on either (1) a favorite male character of yours written by a female author, (2) your reading quirks or (3) male YA authors you recommend. Just one comment will do. =)

a Rafflecopter giveaway