As a part of my personal resolutions for 2014, I’ve decided on reading one book per month. I find reading enjoyable but I never make time to read! Trying to read one book a month seemed like an attainable goal.
I’ve always wanted to read The Fault in Our Stars, even though it’s a young adult book. I have heard from a lot of adults that this book is a good read so I thought “Why not? Young adult books are always easy reads and this one shouldn’t be any different.”
I downloaded the book on my kindle back in August and then completely forgot about it. I was almost going to buy the book again on Amazon in December, when I got a notification saying I’d already purchased the kindle version! That motivated me to start reading this novel right away, especially since I was starting the “One Book a Month” resolution for 2014.
The Fault in Our Stars is from the point of view of a 16-year-old cancer-ridden girl who is struggling with her terminal disease and, well, being a teenager. Grace is depressed; that’s the easiest way to put it. She surprisingly meets 17-year-old Augustus, who is in remission, at her support group and the rest is history. Grace opens up to Augustus, who was unlike anyone she had ever met before.
The skeleton of the plot is similar to any young adult book: girl and boy meet, the two end up together, happy ever after. But this book completely builds upon that skeleton, making this story feel more realistic and raw (this is fiction btw, guys). Grace constantly questions society and cancer, and how well-put her thoughts are really makes you empathize with her. You watch Grace accept her fate as a teen with cancer. You hear how she comes to terms with cancer. You see that she questions her treatment options and doesn’t completely trust her doctors. You know that she feels more like a statistic or a number than anything. This girl really embodies what it’s probably like to be living with cancer.
The plot has its highs and its lows. As soon as things seem like they’re going right, they shoot left. This book has a few plot twists where once you reach them, you just can’t put the book down.
The book’s title comes from Julius Caesar, where character Cassius says, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
I’m rating this book a 4.5/5! I think you should definitely read this book if you’re looking for something deep and meaningful but an easy read.
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