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“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Oh my goodness. This book.

I fell in love with John Green and his books since I read Looking for Alaska, as part of my Young Adult Literature course, during my very last semester at Longwood.

It’s interesting how I finally got around to reading this book. Originally, I heard about the book around the same time that the movie based on the book hit theaters. I’m one of those people who prefers to read the books before seeing the movies based on the books.

Believe me, I read the book first, it just took me a while.

The book was first published in January 2012.

The movie was released in June 2014.

I bought a copy of the book, well-loved from a local book shop (Book Owl in Portsmouth, Virginia) before my wedding in November 2015.

I took it with me on our honeymoon, but didn’t touch it.

I finally put my hands on it toward the end of December, and I finally finished it one unseasonably warm and sunny Sunday, while watching Al fly his dji Phantom quadcopter around Portsmouth City Park.

Reaching the end of Green’s books, I’ve always gotten a new perspective. It’s hard to explain how his writing affects me, but every book has left an impression on me. I hope to own all of his books someday.

I wasn’t so sure about The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS), at least at first. The hype over the movie left me a bit empty, slightly depressed. I knew it was a very sad subject. Many of my friends who had the read the book and seen the movie had said it was a definite tear-jerker. It was romantic and tragic.

I wasn’t sure if I would even like this book. And that broke my heart a bit, knowing how much Green’s books have impacted me for the last five years.

But, I forged ahead, and dove in anyway.

I came out of this book with a renewed appreciation for life.

Surprisingly, I didn’t shed a single tear. There were many times where tears welled up, but I also laughed. A lot!

Green’s writing immediately takes hold of you, grabs your shirt, and pulls you next to the characters and keeps you in their world. The entire time. It’s absolutely magical.

Green writes books that make you want to stay up all night long like you did when you were a kid, under your fort of sheets and blankets in bed, reading by flashlight.

My only complaint is the ending was very abrupt, and unexpected. It’s jarring. For me, it felt like I had decelerated from 60 miles per hour down to 0 within a few seconds.

I actually flipped to the next page, in complete disbelief that the book had ended.

But, regardless, it was a beautiful ending.

It may be a book designed for “young adults,” but it certainly renewed my 27-year-old spirit.

I think everyone should read this book.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂