dignity995's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is the first book that I am writing a review of.
For almost a year now, it has sat on my bookshelf gathering dust and hoping for someone to read it but I was in a reading slump and could not, for the life of me, pick this or any other book up for that matter. That was until yesterday evening when I thought of just sitting down to read and I picked it up.
Now, I want to read it again and again and again and again and again and again until I have this book's words flowing through my veins into my bloodstream and be a part of who I am as a person.
This is a book that caught me by surprise because although I did watch John Green's videos on YouTube, I never expected him to be so good at writing fiction.
It is a book that got me out of my reading slump, I want to read so much more now. After so many years of not feeling the drive to read for the pleasure of it, I feel like I have found myself again.
It is a book that challenged my views on life, it made me feel more alive than I have ever felt. It made me mourn characters I hadn't known for more than 2 days and it made me love every second of it.
It is so strange that we feel the most alive in face of death and despair rather than the happy and joyous.
To be honest, I wasn't bawling my eyes out or anything but I teared up at different places in the book and a year or two might have slid down my cheeks. It is a beautiful book, one that I want everyone to read and yet I don't wish to recommend it to people because there something so fundamentally human in this that to recommend it to someone who I know won't read it would be a disservice to this beautiful book.
I have loved every second of reading this book.
What I loved the most about this book is that it isn't about some one achieving a great deal of things or doing something extremely noble just to be a hero, it is simply a book of ordinary people, of the beauty in said ordinary people.
Perhaps the only other book that has made me feel so seen yet so insignificant in the grand scheme of things would be: On earth, we're briefly gorgeous.
I could go on and on about this book but as I wrap up this already very long review, I simply want to add the very first thought I had while reading this book: "How the heck is a grown man writing a better teenage girl than most of the revered authors???" Because honestly, Hazel feels so real and so close to home that I just fall in love with her and her story even more.
If you haven't read it yet, I would say READ IT FIRST.
PS. It might give you a teeny tiny bit of existential crisis so, that's also fun. But truly, it is very beautiful to read and a true page turner.
For almost a year now, it has sat on my bookshelf gathering dust and hoping for someone to read it but I was in a reading slump and could not, for the life of me, pick this or any other book up for that matter. That was until yesterday evening when I thought of just sitting down to read and I picked it up.
Now, I want to read it again and again and again and again and again and again until I have this book's words flowing through my veins into my bloodstream and be a part of who I am as a person.
This is a book that caught me by surprise because although I did watch John Green's videos on YouTube, I never expected him to be so good at writing fiction.
It is a book that got me out of my reading slump, I want to read so much more now. After so many years of not feeling the drive to read for the pleasure of it, I feel like I have found myself again.
It is a book that challenged my views on life, it made me feel more alive than I have ever felt. It made me mourn characters I hadn't known for more than 2 days and it made me love every second of it.
It is so strange that we feel the most alive in face of death and despair rather than the happy and joyous.
To be honest, I wasn't bawling my eyes out or anything but I teared up at different places in the book and a year or two might have slid down my cheeks. It is a beautiful book, one that I want everyone to read and yet I don't wish to recommend it to people because there something so fundamentally human in this that to recommend it to someone who I know won't read it would be a disservice to this beautiful book.
I have loved every second of reading this book.
What I loved the most about this book is that it isn't about some one achieving a great deal of things or doing something extremely noble just to be a hero, it is simply a book of ordinary people, of the beauty in said ordinary people.
Perhaps the only other book that has made me feel so seen yet so insignificant in the grand scheme of things would be: On earth, we're briefly gorgeous.
I could go on and on about this book but as I wrap up this already very long review, I simply want to add the very first thought I had while reading this book: "How the heck is a grown man writing a better teenage girl than most of the revered authors???" Because honestly, Hazel feels so real and so close to home that I just fall in love with her and her story even more.
If you haven't read it yet, I would say READ IT FIRST.
PS. It might give you a teeny tiny bit of existential crisis so, that's also fun. But truly, it is very beautiful to read and a true page turner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Vomit
meowcoric's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Cancer
hrubelle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Chronic illness
aliveandnotlovingit's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
tragically beautiful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Terminal illness, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual content, Vomit, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Medical trauma, and Ableism
elizabeth070's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Vomit, and Cancer
kayjayelle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Child death
ralfy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
loo_09's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
not my style and i won’t read it again but still liked it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Death and Grief
ak97x's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Ableism, Addiction, and Death
deafchipmunk's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really don’t have any complaints besides the fact that I just didn’t cry. Yes I was very sad but being sad ≠ crying. And I 100% expected to be balling at the end because I knew going into this that this would be a very depressing story. Alas I didn’t and I’m disappointed. But that’s really the only critic I have towards this book. Fuck I wish I could read An Imperial Affliction if it were real, sounds like an amazing book. Hazel and Augustus’s love was different from any other romance I’ve read and I loved it so much. Their discussions about books and the trip to Amsterdam was so comforting to read about, it felt like I was just ears dropping into their conversations. And the messages that were brought up really made me think, unlike most books I read where it’s just the same old messages. I really enjoyed annotating and delving deeper at what was written on the surface, trying to find the true meaning. I still don’t think I know the real meaning of this book. Maybe the characters were written purely as metaphors and have no life out of those 313 pages. Or maybe they actually do live outside this book. I might reread in this future and figure it out. Or not, I’ll probably just end up forgetting though aha
Jesus though I annotated the shit out of this I ran out of tabs and was crying from that instead of what was actually going on in the story
Jesus though I annotated the shit out of this I ran out of tabs and was crying from that instead of what was actually going on in the story
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death