The Fault in Our Stars

Somehow, in the midst of my reading, I forgot to blog about the Fault in Our Stars.  I read this book between Dash and Lily's Book of Dares and Paper Towns.  My Fault.  ;)

Anyway...
The Fault in Our Stars is by the author of the aforementioned Paper Towns: John Green.  If you want to know how I felt about John Green, check out Lizzy's Blog because she said it best: John Green just isn't as spontaneous of an author that everyone says he is.  Granted, he isn't a bad writer, but his stories concentrate on inner conflict and how a character sees the world, rather than the story itself.  The plot twists are interesting enough to keep you reading, but not quite surprising.  My favorite parts of the book were the quotes: John Green manages to capture thoughts into words that give them the most justice.

Often while reading this book I felt sympathy towards the characters, but not for the reasons and to the extent that I was told.  Hazel Lancaster is a cancer patient who's slowly progressing in her battle against her failing lungs.  Forced to go to a support group for depression formed by cancer, she meets a peculiar boy named Augustus Waters (eventually deemed as Gus) and they immediately form a bond, despite Hazel's inexperience with a strong friendship. 

As for the characters, this was a leap for John Green, and I liked it!  Instead of feeling inferior to his normal main characters who have crazy ( yet interesting ) quirks, you could relate more to Hazel and Gus, even though it's likely that you don't have cancer.  It's a great improvement from the characters that you know like Q or Pudge in which their IQ's and talents ( let's face it ) make you feel stupid.  As much as I enjoy his lighthearted characters, I was glad to see something fresh instead of repetitive.  

Overall, I  think this book was overrated, but maybe not by much. I would have liked it more if people hadn't built up my expectations for it.  I stand with no Fault in Our rating of 4 Stars.  < Oh I really like puns by the way.