Gold Star Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars 

by John Green

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.

Wow.

I have to be honest here and admit that I was afraid to read this book. Though it's gotten rave reviews from just about anyone who has ever read it, I was terrified of how "sad" this book would be... I tend to shy away from books dealing with death, cancer, war, etc.

Am I glad I read this book finally? YES. It was amazing. This book is going to be known as John Green's masterpiece someday. This book deals with teens with cancer in the perfect way. They are not children, they are not adults, they are real teenagers. They play video games, they question life, they fall in love. They egg cars, they meet their favorite author...they die.

While this book deals with the gritty realism of terminal illness, not shying away from the horrific realization that everyone's time comes eventually, it also deals with the subject with the perfect balance of love and hope. Even as I cried through parts of the book, when I turned the last page I was left smiling. 

I am so glad that I finally read this and feel that just about anyone would love this book. It is a novel that really everyone should read. Teens, adults, everyone would get something out of it. I am going to be upfront, though, and say that I probably will not go see the movie.  I have a REALLY hard time with this type of movie... I usually end up crying so hard I make myself sick (I mean, come on people, I cry at Christmas commercials - can you imagine me watching this?!) plus this book is perfect as is and I really don't want to ruin that experience. 

Just in time for Christmas, we're going to top off this review with a pretty little gold star! 

Full disclosure: Audio book borrowed from Library, book purchased for my Kindle app

A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
(based on idea originally by Siobhan Dowd)

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. (description from Amazon.com)

I really loved this book. Not only was the story great... it's a boy dealing with his grief in an unusual way... but the illustrations were a *perfect* match for the author's tale. This book was dark and haunting, sad and thrilling, dangerous and loving. It was exceeding well done and the fact that it is based from an idea that the late Siobhan Dowd came up with just adds another layer of special to the book.

Well worth checking out! *And have a box of tissues nearby...just in case*

Going Too Far

Going Too Far
by Jennifer Echols

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over.... (description from Amazon.com)

Okay, I've already praised Jennifer Echols excessively recently...I know, I know! You're probably sick of hearing it. BUT, I'm telling you I've gone full-on fangirl for her books!

This one. I picked it up at bedtime...big mistake! Three hours later, having stopped several times to wipe tears from my streaming face, I finally turned the last page...and wanted more. I cannot get enough of these stories.

Sure, some will argue that the love stories are predictable. I don't care! Each character draws me fully in. They are wounded. They lash out. They love with passion. These are the contemporary stories that will actually hold my interest!

In this specific book, my heart broke several times. Once when I found out the reason that Meg rebels. Once when I found out the reason John became a police officer and haunts a certain bridge. Once when it seemed that they'd pushed each other too far to come back...and finally when resolution was found. Through it all, I smiled and held my breath, trusting Jennifer Echols to push me through.

Trust me when I say this. I will read all of Jennifer Echols' future books. All of them.

Okay For Now

Okay For Now
by Gary D. Schmidt

As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. As Doug struggles to be more than the “skinny thug” that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer—a fiery young lady who “smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing sky after a rain.” In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon’s birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage. (description taken from Amazon.com)

What an amazing book. I loved The Wednesday Wars when I read it last year, and I wasn't sure that Schmidt could live up to that standard, but he not only met it, he far surpassed it. This book was one of the few that touched me so strongly that I came home night after night to tell my husband all about the parts I'd heard that day in the car (I listened to it as an audio book - excellent narrator, btw!)

Doug is a great, great character. He's rough around the edges at first, hardened by his abusive father and caustic brothers, but as he adjusts to his new life, a much softer, strong, loyal, and inspiring young man grows out of the tough shell. Doug unknowingly inspires many of the people around him.

I loved this book so much I'm giving it a GOLD STAR.

I hope that whether you normally read realistic fiction or not, you will Doug and his story a shot. It was an emotionally uplifting, heart-warming, sincerely wonderful reading experience. Truly worth a gold star review!

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for SLJ

The Last Song

The Last Song
by Nicholas Sparks

Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in a beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.
(description from Amazon.com)

I have never actually read any of Nicholas Sparks' books before...*gasp*...I know! I've seen the movies A Walk to Remember and The Notebook, but I'd never actually picked up one of his books. So...when I kept seeing the previews for The Last Song and Dear John, I decided I needed to actually read one of the books.

The premise of Dear John seemed a little too set up for total heartbreak for me, so I decided to go for The Last Song. It was good. I didn't love it, but it wasn't terrible. Ronnie is a character that was relatable and interesting. I really liked the relationships that she had with both her parents. They were realistic...not easy, and her relationship with her brother was sweet, too. The stages that Ronnie goes through in healing through all of her relationships, especially her father, were very realistic and made the whole storyline much more believable.

I don't know if I've become a little jaded or not, but the romantic depths that Ronnie develops for Will seemed to come too fast, too soon. I guess I don't really believe in instant true love. I feel like, yes, you can really care for someone, but you need time to really know anyone. That being said, though, I was very gratified when I got to the epilogue and found the ending I was looking for...

One of the most interesting and compelling relationships in this book for me was the side romance of Marcus and Blaze. Her need for him, his abusiveness...that story drew me more than Ronnie and Will's.

All in all, I was glad when I finished this book, but I'm not racing to pick up another anytime soon. Maybe down the road, I'll try another one...

Waiting For Normal

Waiting for Normal
by Leslie Connor

Addie is waiting for normal. But Addie's mother has an all-or-nothing approach to life: a food fiesta or an empty pantry, her way or no way. All-or-nothing never adds up to normal, and it can't bring Addie all to home, where she wants to be with her half sisters. But Addie never stops hoping that one day, maybe, she'll find normal. (description taken from Amazon.com)

This book touched my heart. I really loved it and highly recommend it to everyone. Addie is one of those characters that you just root wholeheartedly for, and just cannot wait to see finally succeed. I laughed, I cried, I hooted with joy...I went through the emotional wringer and came out the other side amazingly happy.

Addie is left to take care of herself all too often. She has mastered the art of "toast meals." Concoctions that often involved toast with heated soup poured over the top because that was all that could be found in the pantry. (As much as it pained me to think of this little girl making toast dinners, as she described them I would find my mouth watering...) She misses her mother when she goes out to "job interviews," she misses her step-father and half sisters who now live without her, but what's amazing about Addie is even through her realistic life view...she shines with hope.

This is a girl that just will not let life get her down. Sure, she has her moments, I, for one could hardly blame her!, but she never stays upset for long. She has learned to take in the good in every situation and not only keeps plugging along, but draws others into her happy circle.

Without a doubt, Addie is one of my favorite characters ever.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

The Summer I Turned Pretty
by Jenny Han

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

This is my first Jenny Han book, though I've heard great things about Shug and I keep meaning to go and read it. This book was wonderful. Belly is a very realistic character...you feel her awkwardness, her earnestness, her yearning for love, her "brattiness." She is what I think I was as a fifteen year old. Han has a beautiful way of drawing the reader in. You know, or at least have an inkling of what's really happening, but still she surprises and tells each scene with such delicacy that it is truly wonderful storytelling.

Having had the experience of finding out that someone in your family has cancer and then having to live with the fallout...realizing that life never will be the same, and yet, needing to continue on in life as much as possible, this book really spoke to me personally. I was pulling for everyone in the book with all my heart. It was realistic and yet, left me filled with wonder and hope. Highly recommended.