The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

From Goodreads, 

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Goodreads - The Fault in Our Stars

Awards and Nominations:

• Buxtehuder Bulle (2012)
• The Inky Awards for Silver Inky (2012)
• Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction (2012)
• The Inky Awards Shortlist for Silver Inky (2012)
• Premio El Templo de las Mil Puertas for Mejor novela extranjera independiante (2012)
• Odyssey Award (2013)
• Georgia Peach Book Award (2013)
• Audie Award for Teens (2013)
• West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Older Readers (2013)
• Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Young Adults (2013)
• Milwaukee County Teen Book Award (2013)
• Indies Choice Book Award for Young Adult (2013)
• Deutscher Jugendileraturpreis for Preis der Jugendjury (2013)
• Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award (2013)
• Dioraphte Jongerenliteratuurprijs for vertaald boek en publieksprijs (2013)
• Alabama Author Award for Young Adult (2013)
• FAB Award Nominee (2014)
• Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2014)
• Soaring Eagle Book Award (2014)
• Lincoln Award (2014)
• Green Mountain Book Award (2014)
• Luisterboek Award (2015)
• Evergreen Teen Book Award (2015)
• California Young Readers Medal for Young Adult (2015)
• Louisiana Teen Readers' Choice (2015)
• Missouri Gateway Readers Award (2015)
• Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for High School (2015)
• Goodreads Nominee for Best of the Best (2018)

I remember the first time I read this book.  I tore through it in less than 24 hours.  I also remember stopping at a very specific point in the book and crying because I knew what was going to happen.  I saw everything that was happening and emotionally broke down.  This was the second time I've read this book.  And while a lot of emotion was still there, and I read it very quickly, I didn't cry.  Upon finishing the book I also rewatched the movie. 

Hazel is just your average teenager, except she has stage IV cancer.  Her lungs don't work like they should, but her parents want her to have a normal life and practically force her to go to support group.  She begrudgingly goes and meets a boy named Augustus Waters.  Augustus, a survivor, lost his leg due to his battle with cancer.  Hazel and Augustus soon become inseparable and bond over Hazel's love of a book that ends in the middle of a sentence.  Augustus decides to use his wish to fly them both to Amsterdam to meet the author and get their questions answered.  On this trip, one of them learns that the other is extremely sick.  

I absolutely loved rereading this book and I am now questioning why I've never put it in my top 5 books.  I'm a huge fan of illness books.  Should that be cancer, a rare disease, or mental illness, I'm a fan of it.  I loved that Hazel talked about all the medical of it, but spoke as a kid explaining it not as a doctor.  I feel like so many illness books talk in medical jargon that takes some exploring and researching to determine what it means.  Hazel told the story from her point of view and she really "dumbed it down" for us.  I also feel like there was so much emotion in Hazel and she had a wonderful character arc from being a pent up frustrated teenager to having fallen in love with Augustus.  His character was a constant throughout the book and he never really wavered from that.  There was one moment where he broke down emotionally, but other than that he kept the same humor and life throughout the book.  I just love that both of these characters were able to find each other and fall in love despite all that they were facing.  

While I had no complaints about the book itself, I did have a complaint about the movie.  We all know that Hazel is on oxygen and struggles to breathe at times.  When she goes up or down stairs her lungs have to work harder to keep up.  In the movie, there is a scene where she wakes up in the middle of the night unable to breathe and screaming for her parents.  Out her door we see a light come on as her parents run down a set of stairs and up a set of stairs to reach her.  Why do they live in a house with so many stairs if she struggles to breathe while climbing them!?  I feel like that is the worst thing you could do to someone on oxygen.  I understand if their fictional family had fictional memories, but they seriously needed a one-story house instead of one with a labyrinth of stairs.  

I have to officially say that this book goes into my top 5.  It is a fast read for me because it is so good, even though I know what is going to happen.  It has a wonderful story and they fall in love which makes everything more "magical".  I give this 5 stars.  I definitely recommend reading the book before watching the movie.