The Fault in Our Stars

This novel.

It's received(ing) all the awards.  Everyone is reading it.  Everyone is saying the same thing. "I bawled like a baby."  Naturally, I go in to the book thinking, I'm going to beat it.  I'm going to beat the book. It's not gonna make ME cry.

Nope.

I felt all the feelings.

Tears came out of my eyes as I texted everyone that I loved them. (I couldn't call, that's just dramatic.  Plus...the crying).

There's not even much left to say that hasn't already been said about this YA novel.  But I'll try.

Hazel, a 16 year old with terminal cancer, meets and falls in love with Augustus at a cancer support group.  They are immediately hilarious, existential, pretentious teens speaking the way only teens can in novels and in The Gilmore Girls.  You find yourself wanting to be friends with them.  At the very least, you want to follow them around and observe the way they interact.  But of course, the two have cancer and know others who have terminal/debilitating illnesses, so it's not all happy-go-lucky.  But their relationship establishes the importance of fleeting moments. AND MAKES YOU CRY.

The plot there sounds nothing more than a teen romance story, or worse, a formulaic cancer novel (akin to a Lurlene McDaniel book), but it's much, much more.  It explores teen relationships, sure, but it also gives more than a 2D glance at others who are impacted by someone's illness.  And, more importantly, it gives a realistic vision of what a teen with a terminal illness is experiencing.

I will admit that I was nervous about the emphasis on the characters' favorite novel.  Without giving away too much, I thought it would have a significant impact on how The Fault in Our Stars would end.  I was relieved that it did not.  It just ends with all the tears streaming down your face.

I want this shirt: