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.
Argh, the feels. This book is one of two I've ever cried at the end. The first was Before I fall by Lauren Oliver. And now this one. The problem with this one(it's not really a problem) is that it's so close to home. A large majority of my family has died of cancer so this... well this was touching. (btw I'm hoping I'm not spoiling anything since it does have the reputation for being sad).
I'll admit, it took me a while to read it. I bought a copy of this book on the recommendation of multiple friends but it sat on my desk for months before I finally convinced myself to touch it. Part of it was because I knew it was sad and at that point, I didn't think I would be able to handle it. Not at that time in my life. So I kept postponing it. But then I began to question how good it was really. I'm a fantasy-type girl. I generally don't like books based on this world because I have higher expectations. If they're not gonna have some weird superpower or mystery or something, it needs to fit. The characters can't stick out and be super saints. They can't somehow evade danger at every turn. Life simply isn't like that. But then... I'm also afraid of reading realistic stuff because sometimes it actually does exceed my expectations and I begin to believe it's real. To be honest, I actually did look up to see if TFIOS was based on a real story. It wasn't, thank goodness, but I know situations like this play out every day.
The characters are just regular teenagers. And they play their parts well. Except, well, the fact that they've got a lot more going on than normal teenagers do. Which sucks, but really brings the book to life. The problem is they're flawed. Hazel, well she's got that little terminal issue. She'll have negative moments and she tries the shy away from hurting people.She's sensitive. And that's what I like about her. Augustus. He's probably the most perfect guy in the book. As a cancer survivor, he can relate to Hazel to some extent and he's determined to become her friend, but even he has secrets. They've both had to grow up too young, but they've had a lot to think about; life, death, why people do things...
The book is sad, but for the most part, it's extremely enjoyable. It's very well-written. There were parts where I laughed with the characters, there were parts where I felt angry, and then the end when it all came crashing down. 5/5 stars. A definite read.
