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All member reviews for The Fault in Our Stars
Teen, 15 years old
January 13, 2012
AGE
Best John Green book yet!
I just finished this book in less than two days after both laughing and crying. When I heard that John Green had released a new book, I immediately had to go to Barnes and Noble to get it, and it did not disappoint. This is the first time he has written from a girl's perspective, but he does so hysterically yet realistically. Without his trademark sense of humor, this could have simply been a depressing book, but with it, it's almost... optimistic?
Even though the book is not really violent, I can't think of how else to describe the fact that it may upset sensitive readers with its not so much graphic as simply intimate description of living and half-SPOILER (can't completely spoil it): knowing someone who dies of cancer. The one time the main character has sex with her boyfriend, it is not really described except for the fact that it is safe. There is language in this book, but it's not as harsh as Green's other books have been; language is about PG-13 level. The (teen) characters drink alcohol but don't really use it to drink to excess, unlike the author who Hazel (the main character) meets, but he is clearly not someone to look up to. Yes, the boyfriend (Augustus) does put cigarettes in his mouth, but does not smoke them. They are merely a metaphor, as he explains, for control over how he dies. Overall, this book was smart, funny, sad, and just plain awesome all at once. Unless you do not have a heart, you will be laughing and crying thoughout the whole book. DFTBA!
(Post-note: after I finished, I gave it to my mom to read, since I've been dropping TFiOS in any reasonable conversation, and she had to read it to see what all the "John Green this and John Green that" fuss was about. Though she took longer to finish it than I did, I knew it affected her as well. She read most of it on a field trip with a my brother on the bus, and when she came home she was sniffling a little bit, and the sniffling got louder as she got comfortable on the couch. When I asked her if something was wrong, she simply said, "I just about finished The Fault in Our Stars, and I..." and she trailed off a little bit. It was that good, for both teenagers and adults.)
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Teen, 13 years old
February 16, 2012
AGE
Wonderful book for mature teens
This is THE most amazing book I have ever read. It's better than Harry Potter. The writing is fantastic, and the philosophical questions it deals with are of amazing proportions. TFiOS essentially deals with the meaning of life in one, not terribly long novel. The message of living and loving despite dying are profound and much more worth thinking about than the topics of most other teen (and other) books published today. That being said, there is some swearing that feels natural with the age of the kids. Also, the two main characters kiss and have sex. The way this part of the book is written though is not focused on the sex. It is focused on the love these two characters have for each other. It also isn't graphic. Augustus puts cigarettes in his mouth, but never lights them. It's a metaphor to him; putting the thing with the ability to kill you in your mouth, but not giving it the power to do so. Hazel and Augustus are underage when they drink champagne, but I think it is completely excusable as they don't know whether they will ever be of age. The vocabulary, let's just say there were several words I didn't know by page 50, which is a rare thing for me. I think mature 13yos and anyone older should definitely read this, as it is fantastic, deep and addresses the meaning of life. (It's also VERY funny :) It is by far the best John Green ever and I'm currently smiling at all the DFTBA's below...
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Teen, 15 years old
March 19, 2012
AGE
One of the Best
Honestly, I love this book. It has inspired me and expressed feelings I have that i could never explain. I feel like John Green was literally inside of my brain and was like "Hey. look something inspirational, don't be sad". Cancer books don't really appeal to me, I feel they are an easy way to make someone cry, but this, this is just amazing. I definitely recommend this book (Even adults so start reading!) DFTBA
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Kid, 12 years old
February 4, 2012
AGE
A Fabulous Book
This book is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I stayed up until midnight last night (after starting the book at around 8:30) so that I could finish it in one sitting. It is a compelling story that illustrates death and heartbreak beautifully. I cried (which does not happen often to me when reading) and laughed, sometimes simultaneously and almost constantly. There is a bit of questionable content. There is some language, but it's not terrible. There are some somewhat disturbing scenes, like when Augustus is throwing up and when Hazel reflects frankly on her cancer, but they are essential to the point of the book and without them the novel would lose some of it's power. The main drinking is by the author of Hazel's favorite book, and he is portrayed as someone you would not want to model yourself after. Augustus does put cigarettes in his mouth, but he does not light them and uses them as a metaphor for his control of his life and death. He puts the cause of death in his mouth but does not give it the power to do him in. There is humor and witty lines throughout this book that puts a (for lack of a better word) optimistic view on what would otherwise be a bleak and depressing novel. Overall, fabulous book, there's not really a good way to describe how amazing it is . Just read it, seriously.
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Teen, 14 years old
March 24, 2012
AGE
yea.
awesome book
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Teen, 15 years old
January 22, 2012
AGE
Great book!
One of the best books I've read in recent history. Hazel and Augustus are great lead characters, and they actually seem like real people. John Green knows how to write a good book, and this is definitely his best yet. DFTBA!
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Adult
January 27, 2012
AGE
Best Book I Have Read In A Long Time.
John Green enlightens his audience with a slue of characters that are both relatable and lovable. As the story lays itself before you, you enter into a world of love and defeat. Loss and victories. And you realize how fragile and valuable life really is. I loved this book. I will always love John Green and I have recommended this book to everyone in my life. It pens your eyes in a way that is memorable and incredible. Bravo, John. Bravo.
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Teen, 16 years old
March 29, 2012
AGE
READ THIS BOOK!! :)
Anyone and Everyone should read this book. I didn't even think that this was possible, but this book put Mr. Green even higher on my list of awesomly awesome people. It is really that special. This is one of those books that stay with you after you read it. Not just for hours or days, but for years and years. Hazel paints how life is for the dying, especially the young dying. The way that Hazel paints it just turned my view on life and death around; And pointed out the pain in both and the inevitability of both and the beauty in both. I firmly believe that the world would be if not a better place, then a more understanding and sympathetic and meaningful place, if everyone read this book. I love this book so much, that it has become my third all-time- favorite book, only behind To Kill A Mockingbird and The Great Gatsby. Who knows, this book might even climb my favorite books chart as it get older, 'cause books only get better with age. Read this now and if you don't like it, then... well, that probably means you should go back to the meaningless, utterly inconsequential books you're used to reading. And you should be ashamed of yourself for doing that because that is coming from a vaguely arrogant fourteen year old. Of course you can avoid being mildly insulted by a fourteen year old by just reading this beautiful book about unlit cigarettes, okay's, and a girl named Hazel Grace and a boy named Augustus Waters. DFTBA. (just read it now, okay?)
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Teen, 13 years old
April 5, 2012
AGE
a must read
i have to say that i did cry at this book, a rare occurence while reading, it was, a completely honest story, hazel grace has cancer, there is no way around that, one day she will die, maybe it wont be untill shes much older, but ethier way, one day she will, augustus waters once had cancer in his leg, however it was amputated and that was that, however he might not be completely away from it, the story makes you laugh, and cry, but is, in all a beautifull book, most of the reason i rate this book pause for a 13 year old, is, the level of unerstanding,that is needed to read this book, the fault in ours stars has quickly topped what was once my favorite book (the hunger games, the fault in our stars has just about managed to be even more amazing), just one thing, you might need some tissues.
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Teen, 14 years old
June 21, 2012
AGE
My New Favorite Book
This book was the best book I've ever read. I read this book in one day and loved every second of it. This book made me laugh and cry. I fell in love with the romance between Hazel and Augustus. This is such an amazing book that everyone no matter what your age, should read.
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Teen, 13 years old
July 6, 2012
AGE
Simular to "Looking For Alaska"
If you read looking for alaska and liked it you will like this book. IT has alot of the same stuff like, afterlife, living life to the fullest, trying new things, first love and stuff like that. IT wasnt as good as looking for alaska but its very sad. Its a realistic story of cancer not a im a survior feel bad for me story. But with cancer stories it was peridetiable cuz someone always dies in a cancer story.
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Teen, 14 years old
June 24, 2012
AGE
You're going to suffer, but you're going to be happy about it
TFiOS was a beautiful novel. It was honest and made me want to meet Gus and Hazel Grace, I wanted to be their friend. I enjoyed the playful banters and the serious moments as well. This novel, along with Green's other novels, has left me captivated with the love story of two young souls. Truly, this is a remarkable book and words cannot express how I feel towards it.
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Teen, 16 years old
April 15, 2012
AGE
Hamartia romance...
This isn't normally the type of book I read, I normally read very clean books and I did a scan of this and didn't see any language so I thought it would be fine...But this book gripped me from the first time it described Hazel! Such a good piece of literature! A YA novel with depth, where teenagers actually know real words! I found it to good to be true! It's a fabulous story, though heart wrenching. It makes you appreciate every moment, it gave me a desire to leave less scares. Even if it meant not being loved by the whole world. This author should really be thanked!
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Teen, 15 years old
August 15, 2012
AGE
the fault in our stars: a fault in our understanding
this book made me cry . it is one of my favorites and everyone should read it is perfect for cancer patients
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Parent of 5, 8, 10, and 12 year old
July 13, 2012
AGE
Excellent novel, but keep tissues handy.
This is an excellent, but heart wrenching story, about appreciating the fragility of life and loving even when it hurts. These very intelligent and insightful characters grapple with deep stuff, like the meaning of life and what kind of mark to leave on this world. Great for older readers; I agree with the age 15 suggestion.
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Teen, 16 years old
August 20, 2012
AGE
A Gem of a Novel You will not Regret
I know what you're thinking. "Not another depressing cancer novel!" Well just hear me out for a while. This is NOT a book about cancer. It's a book about teenagers and the lives that they live. It's a book about love, friends, and yes death but more importantly about life. It manages to be both laugh out loud funny and beautifully poetic at the same time. It is a book that will make you think about your own life; about how you effect others and how they effect you. It is not hard to read as you might think a book with such a heavy subject might be and it is so well written that will instantly become a classic. This book is truely wonderfull and you are only doing yourself a favor if you pick it up and decide to read it.
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Teen, 14 years old
April 2, 2013
AGE
John Green at his best!
A bit of swearing eg. one use of the f word, couple times both s words,other words like that. Amazing message! Amazing characters! Bit of underage drinking and smoking. Only really kisses and flirting, one sex scene that is not described. You should it made me cry! And remember DFTBA!
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Teen, 15 years old
June 12, 2012
AGE
One of the Best Books
I read this book and loved it! John Green is a good writer and this is one of if not his best books! I really like how you felt like one with the people in the story. It celebrates the happy in life and not the bad.
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Teen, 15 years old
August 24, 2012
AGE
Wonderful, Inspirational, Great for Discussion!
Before launching into an review of content, this was a beautiful story. It really makes you think about the world and appreciate the miracle of your own life. Overall, the story is a must-read!
When I first considered reading this book, I was uneasy because of some of the reviews I've seen about content. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, so I figured I would let concerned parents and other concerned teens (like myself) know what to expect. If it were a movie, it would be rated PG-13.
The language in it wasn't terribly excessive, but it was there. The "s" word was used fairly often, but it wasn't unbearable, and the "f" word was used once. There was a brief (but not graphic) sex scene,
I'd recommend that you just be aware of the content of this book, and know where your morals stand on certain subjects before reading. Because of content, I wouldn't have wanted myself reading this a year or two ago, and that you need to keep your morals in mind while reading.
Although there are some moral subjects up for discussion (I will just outright say that there was one thing that stuck out to me, personally, as immoral.) the message of the book, its tragedy, its characters, and it's humor DEFINITELY make this book worthwhile!
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Teen, 14 years old
May 12, 2013
AGE
The Fault in Our Stars
Honestly, this book is filled with amazing material.
I just finished it last night.
I think anyone who has the capabilities to read this material should read it, even if they're ten years old.
A great book with a bit of colorful language here and there.
Sorry for a short review... I just cannot comprehend how amazing the books is :)
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