Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 

Release Date: 10th January 2012 

Publisher: Penguin Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 313
Rating: 4.5/5.0

Summary from Amazon:
"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."

Review: 
After finishing this book, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. What I do know is that I really, really liked this book. I think this might actually be the first novel I've read by John Green, and I can safely say that I will read more of his books in the future.
I loved the plot of this novel. Two teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, both affected by cancer in some way, manage to come together and fall hopelessly in love. And whilst I didn't particularly enjoy reading the end of the novel (and you can probably guess why, considering Hazel and Augustus met at the Cancer Kid Support Group), I did think it was a fitting end to the novel. So, overall, I loved the plot and the characters in this book.
But, the book just didn't meet my expectations. Maybe my expectations were too high to begin with, maybe I'm missing something, I'm not really sure - the book just wasn't one of those books that are so good you can't put them down, at least for me it wasn't. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, albeit a sad one as well, and I would definitely recommend to others.

Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin
Release Date: 1st February 2012

Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 464
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge

Summary from Amazon:
"Mara Dyer doesn't believe life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. There is.
She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through she can fall in love. She's wrong"

Review: 
It's been a while since I finished this book, so this review will be very, very short. But let me say this - this was the best book I have read so far this year - and I've read some really good books this year. What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it really surprised me. I didn't know that much about the book before I started reading it, only that a romance was involved. But the supernatural elements are definitely the best part of this book - Michelle Hodkin was very clever with what she did with her characters. I'm super excited for the next instalment in the series!