Publisher: Dutton Books
Release Date: January 10, 2012
Format: ebook, Kindle
Pages: 313
Source: Amazon purchase
Genre: YA Fiction, YA Romance
Review Date: May 7, 2013
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.
Release Date: January 10, 2012
Format: ebook, Kindle
Pages: 313
Source: Amazon purchase
Genre: YA Fiction, YA Romance
Review Date: May 7, 2013
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.
I read this for book club. I would have never picked this up on my own, but I'm glad I read it. Most of the reviews for The Fault In Our Starts are so very complimentary that I really wanted fall in love with this book like everyone else did. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad nor is it boring. The book is good. It's actually pretty good, but I seriously missed what was so mesmerizing that mostly everyone else seemed to loved it to pieces.
Yes the story is sad, having cancer is sad. The only thing more sad about having cancer is a child or teenager with cancer. Especially terminal cancer. And that's what this book is about.
I felt so bad for the teenagers in the book. The whole story from beginning to end seemed like none of them could catch a break. I found a few slivers of laughter here and there when Gus or Hazel said or did something sort of funny. Even their friend from the support group was so adorable. I almost felt the most bad for him because he was so heart broken by the little girl breaking up with him. When I stopped to think about how a teenager would react to certain situations, this book made total sense.
I could even feel the parents pain about their child being terminally ill. Seeing how it such a painful and unfortunate situation affected different families and marriages was also intriguing.
Again, this book was good, so I recommend it. I just didn't fawn all over it like most everyone else.
What did you think? Did you adore this book? If so, please share, tell me what made it special to you.
Happy Reading,
~Tamara
