Hazel is a teenage cancer patient. She meets Augustus at a group counseling session. This meet up leads to romance and adventure. And heartbreak. Lots of heartbreak. On my part.

I sobbed through most of this book. Not a sweet, tears rolling down my face kind of cry, but an ugly cry. The kind that requires boxes of Kleenex at the ready.

Unleashing pent up emotions! I read the book and have also seen the film. Books are always better, in my opinion. Plus, if you're ugly crying at the movie theater, keep in mind you need to walk out of the theater at some point!

The way these two characters touched my emotions was something few stories do.

The book is also cuttingly funny, in only the way teenage snark can be. Hazel may be down and possibly on the way out (permanently) but that doesn't mean she's going to whine away the rest of her life in bed.

The ending. It's set up that way deliberately, but still!

Cry some more! Then go for a walk under the night sky and marvel how the author brought me to my knees and at the same time made me glad to be alive.

This is not a book about cancer. Yes, the main characters have cancer. Mortality seeps into every paragraph, but wisely. I feel like this is an important book to read.

I dare you not to fall in love with both Hazel and Augustus.

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Created Jun 12, 2025 at 3:15pm • Submit your own review...