I began reading “The Fault in our Stars” by John Green after hearing countless glowing recommendations. At first I was hesitant, knowing it would bring me to tears, however those who insisted I read it assured me that amidst tears I would find myself laughing my head off at the peculiar and charming characters Green carefully crafted. Am I beyond happy I read this book? Definitely, and I plan on reading more of Greens creations in the future.

So back to the characters, Green has perfected the art of unique connectivity; I had no problem connecting with the main protagonist Hazel and the love of her life Augustus. Even if life’s most difficult situations, it was still relatable. This probably explains why readers experience an emotion roller coaster as they flip through page after page. Hazel has a very dry sense of humor, which I tend to greatly enjoy in characters. She made an otherwise serious and emotion tale chalked full of surprising laughter and occasional smiles. Augustus is a young man full of flaws, which just draws the reader in more. He has an overly confident exterior, but the obstacles he’s overcome transformed him into a sweetheart. He lives a life full of metaphors, my favourite being the way he holds a cigarette between his lips but never lights it – signifying the ability to kill but never letting it actually kill him.

As many may think at first diving into this story that it’s just another silly teenage love story. However this one deserves to take place in the real world. No fluff, or hyperbolized romantic gestures. This tale is raw love, where they actually seem like two perfectly normal humans! The romance aside, this book has a very serious and somber side, as it is a cancer story. It’s just different than the usually cancer story because Green was brutally honest. We get the usually aspects, the worry about their family once their gone, the journey to death, accepting ones fate and acknowledging the “cancer perks”. These perks aren’t just having your one Wish granted from the Genie Foundation, but being given the opportunity you would have never had. That’s what makes this book real, and more importantly, what makes it all the more heartbreaking. Greens amazing writing skill easily allows us to be caught up in Augustus and Hazel’s relationship, that you ALMOST forget that