Imagine two people. Two teenagers to be precise. A girl and a boy. But now look a little closer, and you will discover that one of them wears a wig and the other has a limp. Despite of this they both try to live life to the fullest and you will gladly join them on their journey of discovery of love, pain and friendship.

The names of these two young and charismatic protagonists are Hazel and Augustus in John Green’s amazing new novel. It is a book that is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful and I was not able to put it down without feeling a void inside of me. For me it was one of the most beautiful but also saddest books I have ever read. One cannot describe all the different feelings one has when devouring this book! There were almost too many feelings and emotions that bombarded me and after finishing it, the story and the characters stayed with me for a long time.

This book is narrated by 16-year old Hazel Lancaster, who has terminal cancer. She does not let it rule her life one bit. She fights to be in control and so has a hard time letting people get too close to her. She dreads leaving family, friends “behind” though I feel that she has made peace with her fate. One day during a cancer support group meeting, which she attends regularly, she meets Augustus Waters and her life is altered forever. They fall into an uncontrollable vortex of love and all the emotions that come with it. Hazel tries to resist all these feelings because she is afraid of hurting him but can’t help it and so they embark on a journey together. Almost like a modern day Romeo and Juliet.

The story John Green weaves entrances you and doesn’t let you go. You will laugh, cry, scream and quietly sob. After reading this book you will never look at life the same way again. What I love about this story is that it is not a “cancer book.” You are not made to feel sorry for them and even though they live with the cancer it is a part of their every day life and they don’t let it get in their way.

I love the fact that they bond over a book they both love to read. The book becomes their “band-aid’ when feeling sick, tired and hopeless at times. It also presents them with an opportunity to travel to Amsterdam together and enjoy the food, the sights and their feelings for each other. It also is, I feel a turning point and everything that happens after that special trip changes Hazel and Augustus and their lives forever.

I am dying to give away more but that would not be fair to you! Please read this book and see and feel for yourself. It certainly is not a sugar-coated story about love and illness but honest, blunt and very “real.”
Enjoy reading and have a Kleenex box ready.