Imagine reading a book that could make you laugh, cry, and learn all at once. Everything about it is emotionally riveting. By the end, you feel as though you cannot continue living until everyone has read this book. Not until everyone you know has read this book from cover to cover. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is that wonderful book. Not a reader? I highly encourage you to give this book a shot anyway. It’s touching. It’s entertaining. It’s clever. It’s educational.

First, I will tell you a little about this book. The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS for short) is narrated by 16-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster. Unfortunately, Hazel Grace has terminal cancer. Despite what you may think, this is not a cancer book. This book isn't about how she gets through life with cancer. It's about how she lives despite it. She's a regular teenager. She does everything you and I do. She laughs. She reads. She falls in love.

Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters meet each other at a Cancer Support Group. They connect over the adoration of books and one book in particular. That one book takes them on a journey together across the Atlantic to Amsterdam. A teenage love complicated not only by the obstacles of growing up but also by medical difficulties. They take care of each other and complement one another.

John Green, a 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and a New York Times bestselling author (as stated on his website), is an incredible writer. Augustus and Hazel are just two of his many well-developed characters. There is also Augustus’ best friend, Isaac, who is a necessary asset to the storyline. He is sensitive but his dialogue is a joy to read. Or Peter Van Houten, who adds comic relief to such a heavy story. Green put thirteen years of his life into writing TFIOS. He obviously put tons of thought and effort into this piece of work. He is extremely proud of this novel and even goes so far as to say, “you can punch me in the face if you don’t like it.”

Going on with Green’s incredible writing, his language usage is phenomenal. The usage of foreshadows, metaphors, and allusions are in depth and well executed. Green comprehends the minds of teenagers better than most adults do, because he video blogs frequently with his brother Hank on YouTube (their channel reaching close to 800,000 subscribers, mainly teen viewers). Since Green understands adolescents, he writes with relatability. This book reminds me of Mean Girls, the popular film from 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, in the respect that it is exceptionally quotable. Off the top of my head, I could name my five utmost favourite lines from the novel. For example, towards the beginning, Augustus is asked how he is feeling, and he replies simply with the words, “I’m on a rollercoaster that only goes up.” How incredible is that image?

This book is informative, whether you are very close to someone who has cancer or just know of someone with cancer. It is hard to grasp the concept of what having cancer really means to the victim and to the people around him or her. The information given on this subject in the book is educational, in relevance to medical terms, but also to the impact a cancer patient has to the world around them. Green wrote this book with a hope that readers would better understand cancer in general and keep an open mind. He tackled this subject with such perfection and precision. He has volunteered with cancer patients in the past. He has also stated that he “would not have been able to write this book before…[he]…was a parent.” He would not have been able to understand the pain and suffering Hazel Grace’s parents went through enough to write about it.

As you can tell very clearly, I am in love with this book. I have read it multiple times and shared it with all of my friends and family, who all loved it, and now I’m sharing it with you. I promise that reading this book will not be a waste of your time. Therefore, to quote the book directly, “I decided a while ago not to deny myself the simpler pleasures of existence” and neither should you. Read this book, you won’t regret it.