The only reason I even read this is because my husband, who does not care about new books heard that this was a must read, and despite my hesitations he put me on the very long library waiting list. This book had to work extra hard to win me over. I disliked Green's first book "Looking for Alaska", and after I read and hated "Paper Towns" I just figured I was not going to be someone who believes the YA sun rises and sets on John Green. Of course I don't think Green even writes YA, but writes more books for adults about teenagers. I kind of wonder if Green ever felt like a teenager, because his characters never freaking sound or act like them.
But here his freakishly sassy dialogue worked for me, and overall this felt like it was written by a completely different person than his previous books. This was raw and sad and still kind of pretentious. I think Green won me over when overly handsome Augustus starts making jokes about their support group leader saying they were "literally in the heart of Jesus" while they are meeting in a church. It reminded me when I was teaching a class in Sunday school and this guy that bugs me said "we are literally the nails in Jesus' hand", and I thought nope we are NOT literally nails. But instead I just smiled and moved on because I am nice like that. So anyway, after that overly witty repartee with our main characters in the book about the correct use of "literally" I was in it for the long haul and all the freaking tears that come after it.
BOOK BLURB:
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, 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.
I'm certainly not the only person who liked this book, get opinions from thousands of other people HERE.
But here his freakishly sassy dialogue worked for me, and overall this felt like it was written by a completely different person than his previous books. This was raw and sad and still kind of pretentious. I think Green won me over when overly handsome Augustus starts making jokes about their support group leader saying they were "literally in the heart of Jesus" while they are meeting in a church. It reminded me when I was teaching a class in Sunday school and this guy that bugs me said "we are literally the nails in Jesus' hand", and I thought nope we are NOT literally nails. But instead I just smiled and moved on because I am nice like that. So anyway, after that overly witty repartee with our main characters in the book about the correct use of "literally" I was in it for the long haul and all the freaking tears that come after it.
BOOK BLURB:
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, 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.
I'm certainly not the only person who liked this book, get opinions from thousands of other people HERE.
I just got a notice that this book is available for me to pick up at the library. I'm excited for it.
ReplyDelete