Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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.

My Review:
  
I originally read this book a few months ago, but I decided to reread this weekend and post a review of it.  Everything about this book is amazing - the writing, the story, and the characters.  I noticed the writing more the second time I read this book.  The first time I read it, I was wrapped up in what would happen next in the story, but this time I noticed that John Green really does have a way with words.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

First, there is Hazel, the protagonist of the book.  I have only read one other John Green, but I learned online that this is his first book with a female protagonist.  Hazel has a great voice that does sound female.  She is wise beyond her sixteen years, yet she still acts (and thinks) like a teenager at times as well.  She has cancer, but she doesn't want it to define her.  Overall, she is an amazing character.

Then there is Augustus Waters, a boy with cancer and Hazel's love interest.  He is a well-developed and complex character.  He has an obsession with oblivion.  He wants to die for a greater cause.  He does not feel like there is honor in "dying of."  He and Hazel have a few interesting discussions on the topic of oblivion and death.  The romance that develops between the two is very well-written and believable.  Hazel does not want to date Augustus because she thinks she is a grenade.  She feels that her eventual death will hurt all those who love her.  Eventually, she realizes she can't stop people from loving her and she begins a relationship with Augustus.

Also in this book, there is a book called An Imperial Affliction.  This book stops in the middle of a sentence, and Hazel and Augustus want to know what happens to some of the characters after the book ends.  They go to find the author in Amsterdam, and he is a drunk who doesn't give them the answers they seek.  There are some parallels between An Imperial Affliction and The Fault in Our Stars.  After the book ends, the reader does not know if Hazel dies young from cancer or lives for many more years.  We don't know how her family reacts if she does die from cancer.  All of these things remain a mystery to us.

If you like YA contemporary and don't mind reading a sad book, pick up this book.

Katie 

Waiting on Wednesday #12: Butter

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

 My pick for this week is:



A lonely obese boy everyone calls "Butter" is about to make history. He is going to eat himself to death—live on the Internet—and everyone is invited to watch. When he first makes the announcement online to his classmates, Butter expects pity, insults, and possibly sheer indifference. What he gets are morbid cheerleaders rallying around his deadly plan. Yet as their dark encouragement grows, it begins to feel a lot like popularity. And that feels good. But what happens when Butter reaches his suicide deadline? Can he live with the fallout if he doesn’t go through with his plans? With a deft hand, E.J. Lange allows readers to identify with both the bullies and the bullied in this all-consuming look at one teen’s battle with himself.
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 The premise of this book sounds rather disturbing, but it also sounds very interesting.  I can't wait to read it once it is released on September 18th.



What are you Waiting On this Wednesday?

Katie

Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.  Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.


My Review:

When I saw this book and some good reviews of it on Goodreads, I became excited to read it.  Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be releasing until July 31st.  When I found it on Netgalley, I requested it and was happy to be accepted.  This book is an amazing blend of characterization, plot, and romance.  I loved it! 

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

This book is narrated in dual POV by both Echo and Noah.  Sometimes, in multiple POV books, I end up liking one POV more than the other.  Luckily, this was not the case in Pushing the Limits.  I loved the entire book, no matter who was narrating.  The first narrator is Echo.  She has scars from an incident with her mother, but she has repressed the memories of it.  She is working with her therapist to gain her memory back.  Noah is an amazing guy who had lost his parents in a fire.  He has been sent to several foster homes, and his brothers are in another foster home.  Though on the outside he appears to be a drug user who usesgirls, on the inside he is a great guy and a wonderful older brother.  He may be one of my favorite guy characters ever.

The secondary characters are also interesting and well-developed.  Echo's dad and stepmom, Ashley, have made some mistakes, but they really do care about Echo.  They have to work on helping her understand that.  I didn't really like Echo's ex-boyfriend, Luke, or friend, Grace, but I did like her friend Lila.  Isaiah and Beth are both interesting characters.  They are like a family to Noah.  I look forward to finding out Beth's story in the next book.  Noah's brothers, Jacob and Tyler, seem like nice kids.  I am glad that Joe and Carrie are actually good foster parents, contrary to Noah's belief.  Luckily, Noah is able to find a solution to seeing his brothers without taking them away from their new family.

The romance in this book is wonderful.  Noah and Echo do not really see each other at the beginning of the book.  They have to actually meet when their therapist, Mrs. Collins, asks Echo to tutor Noah.  Though at first, they didn't like this idea, they both ended up being what the other needed.  Each one helps the other work through his or her problems.  They naturally progress into a couple who seem perfect for each other.  I was glad they were able to work through all of their problems to be together.

If you like YA contemporary romance with some issues covered, read this book.

Katie